Friday, October 30, 2009

Revisiting The Anbar Miracle

By James Kitfield  

When twin suicide truck bombs rocked Baghdad on Oct. 25, killing more than 150 people in the worst terrorist strike there in two years, the attacks provided a grim reminder that Iraq's security remains fragile in the face of a still-deadly insurgency. By contrast, Anbar province, the former hotbed of terrorist and insurgent activity, has remained relatively quiet. Indeed, when the history of the Iraq war is written, the turnabout of Anbar will feature prominently.

Once the focal point for al-Qaida in Iraq and the Sunni insurgency, Anbar's main towns of Falluja and Ramadi are synonymous with some of the war's worst fighting. But Anbar today is one of the quietest regions in the country. That transformation is the result of a 2006 decision by tribal leaders to form the "Awakening Councils," striking an alliance with U.S. forces and sending local "Sons of Iraq" to fight Al Qaeda.

Recently, National Journal Staff Correspondent James Kitfield spoke with Anbar's governor, Qasim Abed al-Fahadawi, who was in Washington for a conference. The interview touched on the pending withdrawal of U.S. combat troops, Iraq's difficult transition to normalcy, and the lessons that the "Anbar model" holds for the war in Afghanistan.

Subscribers can read the whole interview here.