Iraq Troop Surge Helped Set Stage for Success, General Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore | American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2008 - The U.S. troop surge and the contributions of improved Iraqi security forces and concerned local citizens' groups have combined to tip the scales against al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgents, a senior U.S. military officer said today.

The two-week-old Operation Phantom Phoenix that is pressuring insurgents across Iraq is building on successful surge-enabled offensives conducted in spring through the fall of 2007 in Anbar province and Baghdad, Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, chief of staff for Multinational Corps Iraq, told reporters during a conference call.

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