April 26, 2007
Petraeus: Al-Qaida Probably 'Public Enemy No. 1' In Iraq
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, noted some areas of progress resulting from stepped-up security efforts in Baghdad and Anbar Province, but also warned that al-Qaida in Iraq remains a "formidable foe" contributing to the "exceedingly challenging" situation there.
Iraq is the "central front in al-Qaida's global campaign," Petraeus said today in a press conference on the heels of yesterday's briefings for the House and Senate. But despite the rise in "sensational attacks" carried out by al-Qaida fighters, he noted that there has been a decrease in the number of sectarian murders in Baghdad since the beginning of the year.
Two months into the surge, Petraeus acknowledged that with more security forces entering areas where they had not been before, there has been an increase in casualties.
"We are really just getting started with the new effort," and it "may get harder before it gets easier," he said. "Success in the end will depend on Iraqi actions.... Military action is necessary but not sufficient."
Petraeus avoided getting involved in the political debate over imposing a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, but he speculated that there would be a "resumption" of more sectarian violence if the security effort was pulled back by the fall. The "American clock" is different from the "Baghdad clock," he said, contrasting Americans' desire for faster progress with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's challenges in uniting the different elements of the Iraqi government.
