[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 9, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5756-S5757]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                  IRAQ

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I am pleased to report to my colleagues on a 
trip, an Intelligence Committee trip, that I led to Iraq this past 
weekend, with Senators Snowe and Chambliss and Congressman Issa. We 
found some very amazing things. We visited Tikrit, Baghdad, Ramadi, 
Balad. We talked to the commanding officers, sat down and talked with 
our troops, our soldiers, marines, and airmen.
  In Ramadi--which only a month or so ago had been a denied area, an 
area so hostile that heavily armed U.S. units could not even 
successfully go in. It was extremely dangerous. On Sunday, as a result 
of changes that have happened in Ramadi in the last several weeks, the 
four of us Members of Congress, with the general in charge of the area, 
General Gaskin, and a driver, and two marines with M-16s, went down to 
downtown Baghdad. We had no phalanx of troops around us, no helicopters 
flying overhead. We got out and walked in downtown Baghdad at 
``Firecracker Corner,'' so named, as one might guess, because of the 
tremendous number of rounds that perpetually were going off in that 
area.
  It was quiet at the time. We went from there into the former Anbar 
college, which has become the security force headquarters for the area. 
That building is manned by Iraqi police units, Iraqi army units, and 
U.S. marines. They were living together, conducting missions together, 
and apparently they have been extremely successful because Ramadi has 
changed significantly.
  In the last 3 months, attacks in Ramadi have decreased by some 74 
percent. I have a chart in the Chamber. You probably cannot see it too 
well. But the first part shows weekly attacks going from a high of 127, 
in February, down to 24 in the week of April 20 to 26.
  Indirect fire attacks went from 129 per week down to about 10. 
Improvised explosive device attacks--this is per month--went from over 
320 last July, down to, in March, 67 per month; and in April to 28 per 
month.
  Now, what is going on here? Well, it is quite simply that the surge 
and clear-and-hold counterinsurgency strategy is beginning to work. The 
mistake we made previously is we would go in and take out al-Qaida and 
leave. Well, al-Qaida would come right back. And anybody who had 
cooperated with the coalition forces would be subjected to death or 
other severe penalties.
  Now, with significant new numbers of Iraqi police and army, backed up 
by the U.S. military, we are able to go in and clear and hold. That is 
why the marines, the Iraqi police, and army are stationed in downtown 
Baghdad. This is becoming--it is not yet a denied zone for al-Qaida.
  Now, one of the most important and amazing things that has happened 
is the tribal sheiks, the Sunnis in that area--if you have been 
following the Al Anbar progress, the Sunni sheiks run that country. 
They have concluded--having dealt with al-Qaida, and having had their 
family members killed, businesses disrupted--they have decided that the 
coalition forces--American, Australian, British--in cooperation with 
the Iraqi Army and police are far better hopes for security.
  By our making a commitment to go in there, they have made a 
commitment as well. Now they are volunteering large numbers of men to 
serve in the Iraqi police and the Iraqi Army.
  In just a couple weeks, 1,200 Iraqi young men signed up for the army. 
There are now over 10,000 Iraqi policemen. They are being trained, and 
they are taking over the area.
  As you look at the entire scope of Ramadi, there are 23 tribal areas. 
Last year, in one or two of the tribal areas, the sheiks were working 
with us. Now all 23 have joined with us to fight al-Qaida. There are no 
uncooperative tribes left. They are joining the military and the police 
force to help keep the area clear.
  In downtown Ramadi, the U.S. military has gone in and been able to 
repair and help reopen the largest, most important mosque in Ramadi, 
the mosque that is central for the Sunnis in Al Anbar. It had been 
closed since the start of the war. Now, this past Friday, hundreds of 
Iraqis were able to attend services. The U.S. military has supplied and 
set up mosque speakers in Ramadi to broadcast security messages in 
addition to messages from the local Imams.
  This is just one example we saw. In Baghdad, we learned the clear-
and-hold strategy is working. Areas which had been highly dangerous, 
with a high number of attacks daily, now, because of the presence of 
the joint security forces--Iraqi, U.S., and coalition forces--have seen 
the incidents decline by more than two-thirds.
  What does this mean? Well, it means al-Qaida is being significantly 
degraded. Significant numbers of al-Qaida have been killed and 
detained, and others have been forced out of Baghdad and Al Anbar. Our 
coalition forces, with the help of the Iraqi military, are, I 
understand, doing a very good job tracking them down and eliminating 
them.
  Now, this is not conclusive. This is only the first results of the 
surge and the effective counterinsurgency strategy. It was recommended 
by the Baker-Hamilton commission last year, and it is being implemented 
by General Petraeus, who is an expert on counterinsurgency.
  I would say that Marine General Gaskin, who is running Al Anbar, is 
doing a magnificent job. I was impressed with what we heard from 
General Odierno and General McCrystal and others who are working to 
make sure they complete their job.
  We also met with the most influential leader of the Shia in Iraq, 
Ayatollah Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. He is the influential leader of the 
Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq. We talked with him 
about the need for the Iraqis to find political solutions and to bring 
together a unity government of Sunnis, Kurds, and Shias to ensure the 
safety and stability of their country so they would have an opportunity 
to go back to normal lives and prosper. We have given them that 
opportunity, and they need to take that opportunity. We need to do a 
better job of telling people the difference, and our military is doing 
that. But at the same time, when we met with our troops, they kept 
asking us why we aren't getting the money. They know they are doing the 
job, and they asked us a question which is rather difficult to answer: 
You sent us over here to do a military mission. We are accomplishing 
that mission. Why are we not getting the money we need? Where are the 
Mine Resistant Ambush Protection vehicles that can reduce injuries and 
deaths so significantly? There was no answer, other than it has been 
delayed.

  Let me conclude by saying we are making great progress, and we cannot 
afford to tell our troops we are not going to support them by sending 
in a bifurcated budget, funding a month at a time, a month at a time, 
because they have a several months' long game plan. When they hear 
people say that the war is lost, they say: We are risking our lives 
every day, because the war is not lost. What are people in Congress 
thinking? We cannot tell the Iraqis and our troops that we are going to 
cut out of here in a couple of months because we will lose the 
cooperation of the tribal sheiks and the others who are helping us 
against al-Qaida if they think we are about ready to leave and leave 
them at the mercy of al-Qaida, which will come back in if we leave 
prior to establishing strength in the Iraqi security forces that will 
enable them to prevent al-Qaida from taking over their country.
  Make no mistake about it, that is the goal of al-Qaida. Our 
intelligence community unanimously says it. Ayman al-Zawahiri has said 
it, Osama bin Laden has said it. If we don't believe them, at least we 
ought to believe our intelligence community.

[[Page S5757]]

  We must pass this supplemental for the full rest of the year without 
timelines and provide the troops the support and the weapons systems 
they need.
  I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, may I inquire how much time is remaining 
in morning business on this side?
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. There is 18\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. CORNYN. I thank the Chair. I will take 9 minutes of that and then 
Senator Thomas will take the remainder.

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