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Skriven 2007-07-10 23:30:54 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0707103) for Tue, 2007 Jul 10
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Iraq Fact Check: Responding to Key Myths
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary July 10, 2007

Iraq Fact Check: Responding to Key Myths

ÿÿWhite House News


1.ÿ MYTH: The war _is lost._
  þ FACT:ÿOur commanders and ambassador do not believe that.ÿ Asked whether
    the U.S. could win in Iraq and leave behind a stable government,
    General David Petraeus said _If I didn_t believe that I wouldn_t be
    here_ I think that there is good prospect for progress in the months
    ahead._ÿ Ambassador Ryan Crocker says _the level of violence is down in
    the two areas where the _surge_ is focused, Anbar and Baghdad._
  þ FACT:The surge of operations is just beginning.ÿ The additional
    brigades Gen. Petraeus requested have only been in place since
    mid-June, and the military only began major offensive operations such
    as Operation Phantom Thunder once that happened.
  þ FACT:ÿWe have seen promising indicators since the President announced
    the new strategy in January. While al Qaeda and other extremists have
    conducted a counter-surge resulting in numerous horrific mass-casualty
    terrorist attacks, and while it is too early to declare the surge a
    success or failure, we have seen:
      þ A substantial drop in sectarian murders in Baghdad since January
      þ Arms caches found at more than three times the rate of a year ago
      þ Tribal sheiks in Anbar and other provinces cooperating with Iraqi
        and American forces against al Qaeda
      þ Attacks in Anbar at a two-year low
      þ Total car bombings and suicide attacks down in May and June
      þ The building of _joint security stations,_ where many Iraqis are
        coming with information on where terrorists are hiding
      þ Signs of normalcy in Baghdad like professional soccer leagues,
        amusement parks, and vibrant markets.
      þ Recruiting for Iraqi police forces drawing thousands of candidates
      þ Young Sunnis signing up for the army and police
      þ More Shia rejecting militias

2.ÿ MYTH:U.S. troops in Iraq are not fighting al Qaeda terrorists, just
policing a Shiite vs. Sunni _civil war._
  þ FACT:Gen. Petraeus says _al Qaeda's terror war is focused on Iraq,_
    where _they are carrying out the bulk of the sensational attacks, the
    suicide car bomb attacks, suicide vest attacks._ Iraqi President Jalal
    Talabani says _the main enemy of Iraqi people is al Qaeda and
    terrorists cooperating with them._
  þ FACT:While there is certainly dangerous sectarian violence in Iraq, al
    Qaeda causes a vast majority of the spectacular suicide bombings that
    show up on U.S. TV screens and, importantly, is trying to stoke
    sectarian violence and chaos by using human beings, even young
    children, as bombers.
  þ FACT:Al Qaeda terrorists are targeting Iraqi Sunnis as well as Shiites
    and Kurds.ÿ For example, the 41 tortured Iraqis found May 27 in an al
    Qaeda hideout north of Baghdad were all Sunni.
  þ FACT:Al Qaeda leaders like bin Laden and Zawahiri (who last week said
    _victory_ is near) want to _expel the Americans from Iraq_ and
    establish a radical Islamic empire to launch a _jihad wave to the
    secular countries neighboring Iraq._ These killers are clearly not
    going to participate in the political process or work with those who do
    not share their murderous ideology if America gives them what they want
    by leaving.

3.ÿ MYTH: The U.S. is playing _whack-a-mole_ in Iraq.
  þ FACT:U.S. and Iraqi forces are conducting offensive operations against
    terrorists while simultaneously providing security in neighborhoods
    with joint security stations and patrols.
  þ FACT:General Petraeus_s counterinsurgency strategy is a
    population-centric one that is different from what has been done
    before.ÿ The concept is for U.S. troops to work with Iraqi forces and
    secure safe havens, then maintain that security by staying in
    neighborhoods and building trust with the locals.
  þ FACT:The primary reason for the _surge_ in troops was to give U.S. and
    Iraqi forces the ability and flexibility to conduct such offensive
    operations in and outside of Baghdad without having to shift troops out
    of so many areas where they were needed for security.ÿ This is why
    commanders held off on many of them until the brigades were in place 
    to avoid the problems of past offensives.

4.ÿ MYTH:ÿ The U.S. has an indefinite commitment in Iraq and should shift
to training Iraqi troops.
  þ FACT:ÿ The current strategy in Iraq is a temporary surge in military,
    civilian, and diplomatic resources driven by the views of our
    commanders on the ground.ÿ The objective is to establish the conditions
    for a reduction in U.S. forces without risking catastrophe and wider
    regional conflict.ÿ As the President said July 4: _We all long for the
    day when there are far fewer American servicemen and women in Iraq_Yet,
    withdrawing our troops prematurely based on politics, not on the advice
    and recommendation of our military commanders, would not be in our
    national interest._
  þ FACT:ÿ The U.S. military is heavily invested in training Iraq_s
    security forces and fighting al Qaeda right now  _shifting_ to such
    pursuits would not be a change in course.ÿ Since the President
    announced the new strategy in January, the U.S. has increased the
    embedding of American advisers in Iraqi Army units, partnered coalition
    brigades with every Iraqi Army division, and accelerated the training
    of Iraqi forces.

5.ÿ MYTH: Setting a timeline and pulling troops out of Iraq regardless of
conditions on the ground would be a responsible end to the conflict and/or
would put needed pressure on Iraq_s government.
  þ FACT:The collective judgment of our intelligence community is that this
    would increase, not decrease, the violence and hinder national
    reconciliation. In fact, the National Intelligence Estimate [NIE] some
    cite as evidence of dire conditions in Iraq said that _Coalition
    capabilities, including force levels, resources, and operations, remain
    an essential stabilizing element in Iraq,_ and rapid withdrawal _almost
    certainly would lead to a significant increase in the scale and scope
    of sectarian conflict in Iraq, intensify Sunni resistance to the Iraqi
    Government, and have adverse consequences for national
    reconciliation._[emphasis added]
  þ FACT:Leaving Iraq to al Qaeda terrorists would endanger both Iraqis and
    Americans, embolden Iran, and solve no problems at all.ÿ The NIE
    concluded that _massive civilian casualties and forced population
    displacement would be probable_ were we to rapidly leave, and _AQI [al
    Qaeda in Iraq] would attempt to use parts of the country particularly
    al-Anbar province to plan increased attacks in and outside of Iraq._ÿ
  þ FACT:The argument that the U.S. could leave behind a _residual force_
    in Iraq_s Kurdish region or Kuwait before Iraqi Security Forces are
    ready to take over and still fight al Qaeda makes no sense, since the
    very crux of al Qaeda_s strategy is to cause a civil war by bombing
    markets, mosques, and bridges.ÿ The very reason Gen. Petraeus asked for
    the troops he now has was so U.S. forces could raid al Qaeda
    strongholds without having to leave areas where they were providing
    security.

6.ÿ MYTH:ÿ Gen. Petraeus does not believe the U.S. military can make a
difference in Iraq.
  þ FACT:Democrats sometimes quote Gen. Petraeus when arguing that the U.S.
    should give up in Iraq, but they completely misrepresent the General_s
    views.ÿ While Gen. Petraeus has indeed said the ultimate solution to
    Iraq_s problems is a political one, he has consistently argued that
    such a solution can only come with the improvements in security he is
    trying to achieve.
  þ FACT:ÿGen. Petraeus told the Senate that securing Iraq is _necessary_
    since the government will find it difficult to _come to grips with the
    toughest issues it must resolve while survival is the primary
    concern._ÿ He also said he needed all the additional troops he
    requested to get the job done.

7.ÿ MYTH:U.S. troops are _arming_ Sunni insurgents in Iraq.
  þ FACT:Commanders are taking advantage of an important opportunity to
    reach out to locals who want to fight against al Qaeda and are
    recruiting them into the government of Iraq. Some tribal elements are
    being recruited as police support units with the blessing of the Maliki
    government. US forces are not arming Sunni insurgents and have only
    provided non-lethal assistance with the agreement of the government of
    Iraq.
  þ FACT:As we come to agreement with these individuals who are fed up with
    al Qaeda terrorists and willing to fight against them and/or show U.S.
    forces where they hide, we gather biometric data on them, identify and
    vet them, have them pledge allegiance to the government of Iraq and go
    through a training program, and then quickly bring them along as part
    of the Iraqi military or Interior police forces.ÿ
  þ FACT: This is in no way about working with al Qaeda members or foreign
    fighters.ÿ It is about taking advantage of an opportunity to join with
    Iraqis against irreconcilable enemies.

8.ÿ MYTH: Timelines and dates for withdrawal are consistent with the views
of outsiders like the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group.
  þ FACT:The Iraq Study Group_s report specifically said on page 46 that
    the group opposed _timetables or deadlines for withdrawal._
  þ FACT:On page 50, the group said they could support a _surge of American
    combat forces to stabilize Baghdad, or to speed up the training and
    equipping mission, if the U.S. commander in Iraq determines that such
    steps would be effective._
  þ FACT:Iraq Study Group Co-Chairman James Baker says Gen. Petraeus and
    the new plan for securing Iraq _ought to be given a chance_ and that
    _setting a deadline for withdrawal regardless of conditions in Iraq
    makes even less sense today because there is evidence that the
    temporary surge is reducing the level of violence in Baghdad._

9. ÿMYTH: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is an agent of Iran and/or
Muqtada al Sadr.
  þ FACT:Nouri al Maliki is the democratically elected Prime Minister of
    all Iraqis.
  þ FACT:There is no evidence that Maliki or his wing of the Da_wa Party is
    an agent or puppet of Iran.ÿ Maliki is an Iraqi nationalist who has few
    ties to Iranians. He has been critical of Iranian meddling both
    publicly and behind the scenes.
  þ FACT:In January, Maliki pledged to hunt down all militia groups and
    pointed out that he had only met with Muqtada al Sadr twice in the past
    four years.ÿ Moreover, Sadr withdrew his Cabinet ministers in part
    because he was protesting Maliki_s alliance with the Coalition.

10.ÿ MYTH:U.S. troops are sent to Iraq without proper training, equipment,
or rest.
  þ FACT:U.S. troops are the best trained and equipped military forces in
    the world.ÿ While the War on Terror is no doubt stretching the military
    and its resources, no troops are ever sent to Iraq without adequate
    training.ÿ As the Army_s director of force management Maj. Gen. Richard
    Formica said when the surge brigades were being deployed, _Our
    deploying units will be manned, trained and equipped, and they will be
    ready for their specified missions._
  þ FACT:The Department of Defense does not allow any units to deploy to
    Iraq unless they are certified as trained and equipped for the mission
    by their chain-of-command.ÿ Some of the units now in Iraq were recently
    extended to 15 months to allow a minimum of 12 months before
    deployments.

11.ÿ MYTH: Iraqis are going on a two-month holiday and are not defending
their own country.
  þ FACT:Iraq_s Parliament decided not to take a two-month recess and
    instead will continue working on legislation critical for Iraq_s
    future.
  þ FACT:Iraqis are enduring two to three times the casualties U.S. forces
    are.
  þ FACT: Our commanders report that Iraqi Security Forces are growing in
    number, becoming more capable, and assuming more responsibility. Iraqis
    are often leading raids and stopping suicide bombers at checkpoints. As
    Gen. Petraeus puts it: _The Iraqi army has, in general, done quite well
    in the face of some really serious challenges.ÿ In certain areas it
    really is very heartening to see what it has done._

12.ÿ MYTH:Iraq_s Parliament passed a resolution calling for U.S. forces to
leave.
  þ FACT:The opposite is true.ÿ The U.S. is in Iraq at the invitation of
    the Iraqi government, and Council of Representatives (COR) recently
    voted for Americans to continue their work in Iraq.
  þ FACT:ÿThere was never a vote on the widely reported Sadrist _petition_
    calling for withdrawal.ÿ That petition was clearly not a reflection of
    the views of Parliament, as some who supposedly signed it later said
    they were deceived about what it meant and actually want the U.S. to
    stay in Iraq until Iraq_s security forces are better trained.

13.ÿ MYTH: The U.S. is in Iraq only because of Congress_s 2002 resolution
authorizing the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein_s regime.
  þ FACT:The U.S. is currently in Iraq at the invitation of a sovereign
    government and the unanimous approval of the United Nations Security
    Council
  þ FACT:UN Security Council Resolution 1723 extended the mandate of
    multi-national forces until December 2007. That resolution came at the
    request of Prime Minister Maliki.
  þ FACT:The 2002 Congressional war authorization referred to the use of
    force in enforcing U.N. Security Council resolutions.ÿ It clearly
    envisioned subsequent U.N. Security Council resolutions, and Senators
    understood that a President has the authority to enforce such
    resolutions.

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