Stryker Brigade News

DoD News Briefing with Col. Mccaffrey from Baghdad

Jan-26-2009 » Filed Under: 2/25 SBCT

The commander of the 2/25 SBCT, Col. Todd Mccaffrey, gave a press briefing today from Iraq. You can read the entire transcript at the DoD website. Excerpt:

Good morning. I appreciate the opportunity today to comment on the situation, as we see it, in our area of operations, and discuss some of the progress we've seen, over nearly 14 months, and then to answer your questions. Our brigade operates on the northwest side of Baghdad, from the town of Tarmiya in the north, along the Tigris River, and then stretching southwest to Abu Ghraib on Baghdad's west side. The area, while of mixed sectarian background, is principally Sunni and it's generally rural. Over the last 14 months, we've seen a remarkable drop in violence, and a corresponding development of economic growth and Iraqi security force capabilities. And as you all are very much aware, we find ourselves poised on historic provincial elections later this week. In my mind, being here to watch the Iraqis conduct these elections is a perfect conclusion to this tour, and marks an important milestone on this nation's continuing development in democracy and freedom for its people. While the upcoming elections are a culmination of our tour, there has been much progress that's brought us to this point. And I'd like to comment on a couple of major changes we've seen over the last several months and our continuing priorities as we look toward passing our area off to another coalition force element next month.