Iraq: Not one step forward

Declaring him "man of the year", many US media sources are already hailing General David Petraeus, the US Iraq "surge strategist", a hero for making victory in Iraq look possible again. But nearly five years into the US occupation of Iraq, the country is still wracked by killing, sectarian militias, a stagnated economy and deadlocked national reconciliation. As difficulties and setbacks continue, Iraq today is far from being the tranquil democracy the United States promised on launching its March 2003 invasion.

Officials of both the Bush administration and the government in Iraq say violence has been cut in half in recent months. They claim that in September, Iraqi civilian deaths were down 52 per cent from August and 77 per cent from September 2006. US soldiers killed in action numbered 43 -- down 43 per cent from August and 64 per cent from May, which had the highest monthly figure so far this year. The American combat death total was the lowest since July 2006 and was one of the five lowest monthly counts since resistance to occupation in Iraq accelerated in April 2004. Officials say that reduced violence in many parts of Iraq stems from two main developments: the troop deployment widely known as the "surge", and the empowerment of local Sunni tribal groups to help drive Al-Qaeda operatives from their towns and neighbourhoods.

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