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Military Analysis: New strategy in Iraqi capital

Jul-26-2006 » Filed Under: Iraq News

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By Michael R. Gordon The New York Times

BAGHDAD The Bush administration's announcement on Tuesday that it will shift more forces to Baghdad is much more than a numbers game. It reflects a new strategy to reclaim control of the Iraqi capital and a new approach for deploying the troops.

The plan is to concentrate on specific neighborhoods rather than distribute the forces throughout the city, control movement in and out of sectors of the capital and try to sweep them of insurgents and violent militias.

In effect, the scheme is a version of the "ink blot" counterinsurgency strategy of grabbing a piece of terrain, stabilizing it and gradually expanding it. Only this time the objective is not a far-flung Iraqi city or town, but the capital, the seat of the fledgling government and home to some seven million Iraqis.[...]

The additional American forces sent here will include units equipped with Stryker armored vehicles, military police and, essentially, what is left of the American military's reserve in Kuwait.

To demonstrate that the burden is being shared equally, half of the additional 8,000 troops that will be sent are to be American and half Iraqi.

By securing the city a sector at a time, American and Iraqi commanders hope to allow the Iraqi government to restore essential services and build support and legitimacy among an anxious public.

Once the areas are stabilized, the Iraqi police are to be brought in to maintain control, freeing the American and Iraqi military to extend their reach elsewhere. The Iraqi police are to be accompanied by American military police, who will act as advisers and trainers.[...]


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