In the Halls of Congress:
The Madame and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) are expected to announce a new coordinated effort to force votes in July to end the Iraq war.
In the Real World: Experts weigh in on the results of the Surge so far...
Dr. David Kilcullen, an authority on counterinsurgency, was appointed to advise the MNF-Iraq commander, Gen. David Petraeus. Dr. Kilcullen visited Soldiers with the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade out of Fort Drum, N.Y., to take stock of the "Commando" brigade's progress June 2 and 3. "They've done a great job just setting it up," said Dr. Kilcullen of the JSS.So the experts understand the month of July and August leading up to Petraeus' report will see terrorists killing civilians in order to grab headlines on CNN. It is also interesting to note the Dems are looking to force another vote in July. What a coincidence - or not. It is getting far more difficult to differentiate between Democrat Leadership and al-queda these days.
"They've got the Iraqi army and Iraqi police working together, which is a great start, it's a good setup with the IPs doing municipal law and order, and the Iraqi army doing rural security. The next step is to set up a joint-operations room where they can plan operations together. Dr. Kilcullen also discussed ways to improve combined U.S. and Iraqi operations with Brig. Gen. Ali Jassim Al-Frejee, commander of the 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division.
"What makes a local sheikh respect coalition forces more than terrorists?" Dr. Kilcullen asked. "Is it a case - like the Indonesians say - 'either silver or lead'?" "Either way is difficult," said Brig. Gen. Ali. "People are getting tired of Al-Qaeda in Iraq - they're tired of the ideology and killing. In Anbar, many tribes are fighting terrorism. We just need time to re-culture the people."
"I'm very impressed with your progress here," Dr. Kilcullen told him. "The last time I came to this area, we couldn't even drive here. It's very impressive." "Everybody knows that July and August are going to be bad months," said Dr. Kilcullen, reminding several company commanders and other officers that Petraeus' plus up report, expected in September, will be a target for insurgents. "You should expect a spike in enemy activity. Civilian and U.S. Soldier deaths will look bad - I think we'll have a hot summer. But if we break (terrorists') backs, it might drop right after. You guys are an important reality check for what's going on, and you know things before division or corps-level people."
Freedom Fact - Via the men and women of OIF
In Iraq, approximately 270 km of village roads have been completed. These projects are directly contracted with local firms and assist in the economic development of smaller communities. The Village Roads program is expected to be completed in July 2007 and will provide 424 km of improved roads.
What has al-queda and the DNC done to improve Iraq - The True Face of our Enemy
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