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Tuesday, October 16, 2007      New: Take a Stand

Violence down 85 percent since May in northwest Baghdad

BAGHDAD — The U.S. military has reported a halt in violence in a key area of the Iraqi capital.

Col. J.B. Burton, commander of the U.S. Army's Second Brigade Combat Team, said 14 joint security stations have been established in the region and monitored exit and entry to Baghdad neighborhoods, Middle East Newsline reported.

Officials reported an 85 percent reduction in violence in northwest Baghdad since May 2007.

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The reported decline in violence included a drop in weekly killings from more than 160 in 2006 to fewer than five today. Officials said car-bombings have declined by nearly 85 percent in wake of U.S.-led coalition attacks on Al Qaida networks. Out of 95 neighborhoods, 58 were now considered under control, 33 remain in a clearing status, and four designated "disrupt" status."

In November 206, the Second Brigade Team, part of the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, assumed responsibility for a 93-square kilometer area in northwest Baghdad. The combat team, part of Multinational Division Baghdad, targeted Al Qaida and Iranian-sponsored Shi'ite insurgents while helping with reconstruction and reconciliation efforts in an area with more than one million residents.

"We had to get out into the city, live among the citizens, fight alongside the Iraqis and deny insurgents, criminals and extremists free access to the population," Burton said. "The Baghdad security plan, along with the troop surge, allowed us to do just that, thus increasing our ability to affect the communities and combine our efforts with those of our Iraqi partners."

In a briefing on Oct. 12, Burton said Shi'ite and Sunni residents were volunteering for the Iraqi security forces. He said 1,772 volunteers and recruits have been fully screened and ready to attend police academy. Another 500 were scheduled to attend the academy over the next few weeks.

"We have begun to see an increasing number of former Iraqi army officers coming forward to rejoin the security forces of their nation, and we are working closely with our Iraqi security forces partners on this issue," Burton said.

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