U.S. Commander Says Insurgency In Iraq Unlikely To Be Defeated Until U.S. Forces Leave

By The Associated Press

09/29/06 "AP" -- -- (WASHINGTON) -- The insurgency in Iraq's volatile western Anbar province can be beaten but probably not until after U.S. troops leave the country, the commander of forces in the provincial capital said Friday.

"An insurgency is a very difficult thing to defeat in a finite period of time. It takes a lot of persistence -- perseverance is the actual term that we like to use," Army Col. Sean B. MacFarland, commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, said in a video-teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon.

"Who knows how long this is going to actually last?" he added. "But if we get the level of violence down to a point where the Iraqi security forces are more than capable of dealing with it, the insurgency's days will eventually come to an end. And they will come to an end at the hands of the Iraqis, who, by definition, will always be perceived as more legitimate than an external force like our own."

MacFarland's brigade is fighting in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, where the insurgency has become so entrenched and feared by residents that the city has no Iraqi mayor. Recently, however, the tide has begun to turn against al-Qaida in Iraq, which has become the dominant anti-government force, the colonel said.

"It's a situation that's beginning to spiral in our favor," he said.

MacFarland painted a largely upbeat picture of the battle for Ramadi. He said attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces have dropped from about 20 per day to about 15 per day, and the attacks have become less effective.

Also, recruiting for the Iraqi security forces has "soared 10-fold," local Sunni tribal leaders have begun cooperating more against the insurgents, and the U.S.-equipped Iraqi police are becoming more effective, he said.

On Monday the Pentagon announced that MacFarland's brigade has been ordered to remain in Anbar for 46 days beyond its previously scheduled departure in mid-January. That means the nearly 4,000 soldiers there will exceed the 12-month tour of duty that the Army has said should be the maximum for all units in Iraq.

MacFarland described his soldiers as disappointed but greeting the news "with a collective shrug."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.