*We feel that these reports have been drafted by persons who have spent enough time in Iraq and who have got a good idea about the reality on the ground and the complication that has accompanied the political situation. *
Security in Iraq has been improved, [but] we still have red areas and the government of Iraq needs to fix this problem.
Regarding the political situation, we understand there are problems. We are in a difficult situation politically. We understand there is deficiency in the capacity of the ministers. This needs to be fixed, so the Prime Minister is asking for a full reshuffling of the cabinet. ... We understand that there are bad people in the Ministry of Interior: we have fired 14,000 people for violating human rights or because they were connected with militias or gangs.
We are in a good stage of building up our security forces [but] we do need more time. When will be the time? We couldn’t fix the time. We feel that we are going on a schedule. Our forces in Baghdad are taking the lead in some areas.
In Al Anbar, the markets are open and people are practicing normal life. In Baghdad, we have noticed sectarian killings are reduced considerably. In Diyala, which had been totally kidnapped by Al Qaeda, there is a great effort to liberate that area from the enemy.
I spoke this morning with Iraqi government press flack Dr. Ali Aldabbagh during a Pentagon-arranged teleconference. The good doctor is all about the "surge" and had nice things to say about General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who are in Washington, D.C., this week delivering their reports to Congress. Some excerpts from the conversation with Aldabbagh:
