American General Assesses Foe in Iraq, And Friend - NYTimes.com - 0 views
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American and Iraqi successes targeting the leadership and financing of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and other terrorist networks.
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Anushka Gandhi on 14 Nov 10"Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia" (also called "Al-Qaeda in Iraq) is a decentralized collection of terrorist groups that have taken responsibility for the number of suicide attacks and car bombings throughout Iraq since the organization's formation.
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He noted a series of bank robberies and attacks in recent months targeting gold markets — as well as a series of bloody attacks, especially in Baghdad.
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General Austin, a veteran of two previous tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, took over command from Gen. Ray Odierno on Sept. 1, coinciding with the declared end of the American combat mission here.
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and is to participate in talks with the Iraqi government about what, if any, American force might beyond that deadline.
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the American military mission was to help the Iraqis build “an internal defense capability and a foundation for an external defense capability.”
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Iraqis need some support for protecting their country from any further suicice attacks or car bombings, etc. Therefore US is their ally, but it seems that US is not only wanting to protect this country completely for the country's benefit, they need the Iraqis to support them against any more Al-Qaeda attacks or other terrorist networks' attacks.
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He praised the capabilities of Iraq’s security forces, particularly in the aftermath of the country’s inconclusive election in March.
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The focus of American assistance to Iraqi forces between now and the planned 2011 withdrawal was on their ability to sustain troops in the field and build “an intelligence architecture” able to collect, share and exploit information about threats.
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Ultimately, General Austin said, defeating Al Qaeda and other terrorist networks in Iraq would not be solely a military solution, but rather the establishment of the rule of law and the maturation of the country’s government and its ability to oversee even mundane things like issuing license plates and identity cards, which would narrow the space in which terrorists operate.