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Surge Fails to Quell Baghdad

US forces control only a third of Iraqi capital, new report says

By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 4, 2007 11:18 AM CDT

(Newser) – U.S. and Iraqi forces control only a fraction of Baghdad, despite the three-month-old troop surge. An internal assessment leaked to the Times found two thirds of the city's neighborhoods are still in open rebellion, although surge architects planned to have Baghdad under control by July. “We were way too optimistic,” says a senior officer.

Officials blame the continuing chaos on Iraqi troops and police, who were expected to take over basic security in the city. Troops have also been diverted to provinces outside Baghdad to take care of spiralling violence there. “This was always going to be conditions-driven,” explains a senior ground commander.

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'   (Associated Press)
A Iraqi young man carries ceiling fans in front  destroyed buildings after a mini bus bomb exploded in the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Amil, Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, June 3, 2007. A parked minibus packed with explosives blew up in a busy section of central Baghdad on Tuesday, May 29, 2007,...
A Iraqi young man carries ceiling fans in front destroyed buildings after a mini bus bomb exploded in the Shiite-dominated neighborhood of Amil, Baghdad, Iraq, on Sunday, June 3, 2007. A parked minibus...   (Associated Press)
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'   (Associated Press)
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