[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 85 (Thursday, May 22, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4767-S4768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                WARTIME SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS BILL

  Mr. HATCH. Madam President, In February I addressed the Senate about 
our progress in Iraq. I categorized the results of General Petraeus' 
comprehensive counterinsurgency strategy as being remarkable.

  When General Petraeus first began to implement his strategy 16 months 
ago, I was optimistic. However, I must admit that I did not expect to 
see the level of success that has been accomplished in such a short 
period of time.
  What are those accomplishments?
  Al-Qaida has largely been removed from its sanctuaries in Ramadi, 
Fallujah, Baghdad and much of the Diyala province. I went there when 
all those were seemingly under Al-Qaida control. I also went back and 
walked the streets of Ramadi after the surge. That was the second trip.
  Make no mistake, these are major victories.
  However, what has largely gone unnoticed by the media, is that even 
in the less than 2 months since General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker 
came before Congress, these successes have continued and expanded.
  Which leads me to ask the obvious question? Why, with all of these 
accomplishments that were attained through the blood, sweat and tears 
of our service members and their families, do the members on the other 
side of the aisle insist upon throwing it all away by setting arbitrary 
deadlines for the removal of the bulk of our forces from Iraq?
  The only logical answer is that instead of attempting to devise a 
cohesive strategy that achieves victory, the Democrats are more 
interested in pandering to the appeasement wing of their party in a 
misguided attempt to curry political favor.
  This is a strategy for defeat and national shame.
  I repudiate such an approach. My colleague, Senator McCain repudiates 
such an approach. And I believe the American people will repudiate this 
approach once they have all of the facts that somehow continue to 
escape widespread coverage by our media. Why don't they tell the truth? 
Why don't they tell about the successes?
  But before I discuss the most recent accomplishments of U.S. and 
Iraqi forces, I believe it is important for the American people to 
understand one of the elements behind our recent success.
  General Petraeus' strategy is based upon the classic 
counterinsurgency tactic of providing security to the local population, 
thereby enabling the government to restore services to its people. 
This, in turn, creates in the population a vested interest in the 
success of government institutions.
  One of the ways this is accomplished is through the use of Joint 
Security Stations. Under this tactic, a portion of a city, such as a 
neighborhood, is cordoned off then searched for insurgents. Previously, 
once this was accomplished, our forces would return to large forward-
operating bases, usually on the periphery of that city. The result was 
easy to predict, the insurgents would return once the sweep had 
concluded.
  Under General Petraeus' strategy, our forces remain in the 
neighborhood and build Joint Security Stations, which then become home 
to a company-sized unit of American service members, as well as Iraqi 
army and police units. They live together. These facilities not only 
help secure the surrounding area, but simultaneously enable our forces 
to train and evaluate Iraqi forces. Much like the police officer 
walking a beat in a major city, our forces use the Joint Security 
Station to learn about the locale where they are assigned and can 
quickly adapt to meet the unique security needs of the individual 
community. This, in turn, permits the creation of vital infrastructure 
projects that provide power, clean water and schools to these newly 
secured areas. This instills within the people in the area a desire for 
the security and civil services to continue; which, in turn, 
strengthens the population's support for an effective government to 
maintain these improvements. The success of these Joint Security 
Stations can be seen in their creation throughout Iraq, with more than 
50 of them in Baghdad alone.
  But, as I previously stated, since General Petraeus' testimony in 
February, the Coalition has only added to the accomplishments of al 
Anbar, Baghdad, and Diyala.
  At the time of General Petraeus' testimony, many lauded these 
successes. But many also pointed to three major challenges that 
continued to face the Coalition.
  The first major challenge was in this northern city of Mosul. Despite 
the fact that al-Qaida has largely been thrown out of its former 
sanctuaries in central Iraq, the terrorists have retreated to and are 
regrouping their forces in this northern city. It should also be noted 
that al-Qaida has used Mosul as a key logistics, transportation and 
financial center. In fact, Reuters has quoted U.S. military officials 
as saying that Mosul is al-Qaida's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.
  Second, the Iraqi government did not have control of the vital 
southern city of Basra, which was dominated by a number of Shiite 
factions. As my colleagues well know, Basra is home to Iraq's only 
seaport and the area surrounding the city is the location of much of 
the nation's oil wealth.
  Third, the Iraqi Government did not have control of a neighborhood in 
eastern Baghdad known as Sadr City, a predominately Shiite district 
that is a center of support for Moktada al-Sadr.
  However, since General Petraeus' testimony there have been remarkable 
changes in Mosul, Basra, and Sadr City.
  First, I must say that I am increasingly confident about the 
Coalition's chances for making positive advances in Mosul.
  Remember, shortly after the fall of Saddam Hussein's government, 
General Petraeus, then a major general in command of the 101st Airborne 
Division, was responsible for restoring order in Mosul. It was here 
that General Petraeus was first able to implement and refine his 
theories on counterinsurgency warfare and was largely successful in 
securing the city.

[[Page S4768]]

Unfortunately, with the 101st's departure and the sharp reduction in 
the number of Coalition forces in Mosul--to as few as one American 
battalion--the city and surrounding area became a haven for al-Qaida.
  However, in mid-2007 the Coalition forces began to achieve some 
success. This occurred in no small part because of the increased 
effectiveness of the 2nd and 3rd Iraqi divisions that were assigned to 
the city and surrounding areas. According to the Institute for the 
Study of War, in May and June positive results quickly became apparent 
with the capture or killing of 13 al-Qaida leaders, including 6 emirs 
and 4 terrorist cell leaders. Yet, as al-Qaida members were being 
pushed out of Baghdad and al Anbar Province, the number of terrorists 
in Mosul was increasing.
  However, our forces, led by the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, which 
replaced the 4th Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division in December, and 
the Iraqi security forces have kept the pressure on. In mid-December, 
al-Qaida's security emir for northern Iraq was captured along with al-
Qaida's security emir for Mosul. This was followed by the capture of 
al-Qaida's deputy emir for all of Mosul.
  Our successes also have been strengthened with the reinforcement of 
our forces by additional U.S. and Iraqi forces. This has enabled 
Coalition and Iraqi forces to implement the counterinsurgency strategy 
of utilizing Joint Security Stations in the eastern and western 
portions of Mosul, much like those that were so successful in Baghdad.
  The Iraqi Army units in Ninawa Province, of which Mosul is a major 
city, also have a new commander, LTG Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq. This is an 
important development since Lieutenant General Tawfiq played a vital 
role in securing Baghdad.
  Despite these promising developments, much remains to be 
accomplished. On May 10, the Coalition launched Operation Mother of Two 
Springs. Though it is too early to tell if this operation will have the 
same successes that our forces are experiencing in Baghdad, MG Mark 
Hertling, the commander of Multi-National Forces--North stated 
yesterday that daily attacks are down 85 percent since the operation 
began. The General also noted that the Coalition has detained more than 
1,200 individuals many of whom are self-proclaimed al-Qaida members who 
describe themselves as ``battalion commanders . . . suicide bomb 
makers, foreign fighter facilitators, financiers and emirs.'' Moreover, 
a number of arms caches have been discovered. However, the desperation 
of al-Qaida appears to have increased due to Saturday's attack by two 
female suicide bombers.
  Mr. President, the battle for Mosul is being fought right now. The 
final outcome has yet to be decided. However, initial indications point 
to a successful conclusion because of the implementation of a proven 
counterinsurgency strategy, improvements in the Iraqi security forces 
and the bravery and dedication of our fighting men and women.
  The second major area of consternation was Basra. Until recently, 
Shiite groups such as the Mahdi militia--which is associated with 
Moktada al-Sadr--ruled the streets.
  In order to counter this lawlessness, Prime Minister al-Maliki 
launched Operation Charge of the Knights. This was a bold initiative. 
First, Prime Minister al-Maliki showed that he is a leader who is 
willing to make difficult political decisions to secure a better future 
for his people by traveling to Basra and taking personal charge of this 
operation. Second, this was a large-scale operation led and planned by 
Iraqi security forces to restore central government control in Basra.
  At first, poor planning seemed to have doomed this operation. Even 
General Petraeus initially stated, ``The fact is that the Iraqi 
operations in Basra were not properly planned . . . in the wake of 
recent operations, there were units and leaders found wanting in some 
cases . . .''
  However, it appears that we all judged this operation too quickly. 
According to a recent article in the New York Times, ``the oil-
saturated city of Basra has been transformed by its own [Iraqi security 
forces] surge.'' Iraqi forces ``have largely quieted the city, to the 
initial surprise and growing delight of many inhabitants who only a 
month ago shuddered under deadly clashes between Iraqi troops and 
Shiite militias . . . government forces have taken over Islamic 
militant's headquarters and halted the death squads and vice 
enforcers.''
  It should also be noted that according to the highly respected Jane's 
Defence Weekly ``in areas occupied by Iraqi army forces, the government 
has begun a wide ranging set of operations to solidify its long-term 
presence.''
  In fact, due in large part to the success of Operation Charge of the 
Knights, Jane's Defence Weekly made the following observation: 
``Operation Charge of the Knights provides further evidence that the 
Iraqi army can fight effectively and lead operations when supported by 
coalition enablers such as air support, logistics, and intelligence. 
The Basra security operation follows other successful Iraqi army 
performances in the south, notably the January 2007 defeat of the Jund 
al-Samaa sect in pitched battles outside Karbala and the January 2008 
simultaneous takedown of a dozen cultist cells from the same 
organization spread across Basra and Nasiriyah.''
  Finally, examples of the major strides the Iraqi forces are making 
can be seen in the operations that were launched this week in Sadr 
City. Yesterday, the New York Times reported that six battalions of, 
``Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City. . . as the Iraqi government 
sought to establish control over the densely populated Shiite enclave 
in the Iraqi capital. The long awaited military operation, which took 
place without the involvement of American ground forces, was the first 
determined effort by the government of Prime Minister al-Maliki to 
assert control over the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood, which has been 
a bastion of support for Moktada al-Sadr. The operation comes in the 
wake of the government's offensive in Basra, which for the time being 
seems to have pacified the southern Iraqi city and restored government 
control.''
  The New York Times goes on to report about the Sadr City operation, 
``the Iraqi forces quickly assumed positions at a main thoroughfare and 
near major hospitals and police stations. Two companies ventured even 
further north to secure the Iman Ali Hospital. . . No American ground 
forces accompanied the Iraqi troops, not even military advisers. But 
the Americans shared intelligence, coached the Iraqis during the 
planning and provided overhead reconnaissance throughout the operation. 
Still, the operation was very much an Iraqi plan.''
  Madam President, I believe that Ambassador Crocker summed up the 
situation best when he stated in his testimony: ``Al-Qaida is in 
retreat in Iraq, but it is not yet defeated. Al-Qaida's leaders are 
looking for every opportunity they can to hang on. Osama bin Ladin has 
called Iraq `the perfect base,' and it reminds us that a fundamental 
aim of al-Qaida is to establish itself in the Arab world. It almost 
succeeded in Iraq; we cannot allow it a second chance. . .''
  The choice is clear. The men and women of our armed forces have made 
real and sustained progress over the past 16 months. The list of their 
accomplishments and the accomplishments of the Iraqi security forces 
grows longer every day.
  The balance is changing. Now, more then ever, is the time to stand 
behind our forces to ensure they achieve the victory of which they so 
deserve.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Nelson of Florida). Without objection, it 
is so ordered.

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