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Ubi bene ibi patria
"BAGHDAD, Dec. 6 -- Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, said Thursday he applauds Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr for helping, through a cease-fire, to reduce violent attacks in Iraq by 60 percent since June. It was unusual praise by a U.S. official for a relentless critic of the American role here.
But Petraeus and other commanders also warned of enduring threats to Iraq's security, saying the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq is again carrying out suicide bombings and trying to gain control of towns in northern Iraq -- and the U.S. military must therefore carefully calibrate any future troop reductions.
The Army's extended 15-month tours in Iraq, necessary to carry out this year's increase of 21,500 combat troops, will have to remain in place until at least the fall of 2008, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday after meeting with Army captains in Baghdad."
Petraeus Says Cleric Helped Curb Violence
But Petraeus and other commanders also warned of enduring threats to Iraq's security, saying the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq is again carrying out suicide bombings and trying to gain control of towns in northern Iraq -- and the U.S. military must therefore carefully calibrate any future troop reductions.
The Army's extended 15-month tours in Iraq, necessary to carry out this year's increase of 21,500 combat troops, will have to remain in place until at least the fall of 2008, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Thursday after meeting with Army captains in Baghdad."
Petraeus Says Cleric Helped Curb Violence