Al-Anbar Awakening

Ramadi, the capital of the Al-Anbar province, is known as a dangerous place for Soldiers and Marines. Al-Qaeda has claimed this province as their headquarters and staging ground for terrorist operations in Iraq. Like Falujah in 2005, the violence and destruction in Ramadi has been a current news topic since 2006. In September 2006, The Washington Post referenced a military document in a report on Al-Anbar: "The prospects for securing that country's western Anbar province are dim and. . . there is almost nothing the U.S. military can do to improve the political and social situation there. . . . There are no functioning Iraqi government institutions in Anbar, leaving a vacuum that has been filled by the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq, which has become the province's most significant political force,. . . Another person familiar with the report said it describes Anbar as beyond repair; a third said it concludes that the United States has lost in Anbar."

When we learned last year that our brigade was deploying to Ramadi as part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force there was a sobered reaction. It's always satisfying to know that you will be in the center of the fight where your skills and training are best put to use, but that normally means not everyone will return. This, of course, is the nature of our profession.

Late last year, the outgoing brigade began to court the support of Sheikhs (local tribal leaders) in an effort to thwart Al-Qaeda. We are continuing this strategy, and the Sheikhs are responding. In fact, this success in Al-Anbar is viewed by many as a viable model to be implemented in other parts of the country. Specifically, an otherwise middle-weight leader, Sheikh Sittar, is credited with forming the Sahawat Al-Anbar or National Awakening Council. He and other Sheikhs met with Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki on March 13 in Ramadi. Although still too early to tell, I suspect he will one day be regarded as a modern-day patriot. A recent New York Times article describes Anbar as: "undergoing a surprising transformation. Violence is ebbing in many areas, shops and schools are reopening, police forces are growing and the insurgency appears to be in retreat." Still, the article balanced the optimism with caution: "Yet for all the indications of a heartening turnaround in Anbar, the situation, as it appeared during more than a week spent with American troops in Ramadi and Falluja in early April, is at best uneasy and fragile." Today, CNN highlighted Lt Gen Petraeus--Commander of US Forces in Iraq--in a report, saying: "What's taken place in Anbar is almost breathtaking." (For the entire report: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/06/07/petraeus.iraq/index.html )

From my relatively limited vantage point, I am witnessing this awakening--particularly in the western portion of our battalion's area of operations. LTC Silverman, my commander, continues to bring me with him to meet with Sheikh Heiss at the Jazirah Council Center--where he hosts meetings with the local religious leaders or Imams. The pictures I have included here are from our most recent visits with the imams.