It happened again today and it can happen again tomorrow, ... We are convinced that we are going to fight our way to the elections. |
It is imperative, in our perspective, that we drive a wedge between the insurgents and the Sunni population of Iraq . And having them actively involved in the political process is a way to drive that wedge, |
It is indeed disappointing... |
It's exciting to me that we've reached the point where that much of Iraq is controlled by the people of Iraq. |
It's hard sometimes to sort out who's killing who. But there's no doubt there's a significant Shiite impact on all this. |
Last year, as we worked through the problem set, that (militias) wasn't a problem set we focused on. |
None of those service members were coached as to what to say. |
Nothing could be further from the truth. |
Now is not the time for the Iraqi government to take specific action against the militias. It's going to be worked over time. |
Our operations are focused on reestablishing Iraqi control of the border, ... We will continue this mission for as long as it takes... and leave a sizable and credible force to deter the terrorists. |
Our soldiers on the scene use an established rule of engagement ... In this case, our soldiers took the appropriate action, |
Right now, actively involved in operations in Tal Afar is the Third Iraqi Army Division, ... We now have sufficient assets available, between the coalition forces and Iraqi security forces, to leave behind a robust security presence so that the insurgents cannot return and that is indeed part of the plan. |
So what I'm trying to show you is ... there is indeed areas of Iraq that are relatively safe and secure, and those people in those provinces are working their way towards a peaceful society as they work their way towards democracy, ... Sixty percent of the people of Iraq live in these provinces that are experiencing a much, much, much lower level of violence, to the point where they're averaging less than one attack per day. |
That's what happened in Baghdad today and that's what happened in Amman yesterday. |
The absence of an effective national unity government is creating the conditions for the insurgency to do what it wants to do. |