WEBVTT

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Well , good afternoon and thank you for

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joining us , General . Uh This is Major

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General Rick Zilmer , He's commander of

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the first Marine expeditionary force

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forward and he's also the commander of

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the multinational Force West . He

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began this tour in Iraq in February of

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06 and he's speaking today from

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Fallujah to us .

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Uh taking up any

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more time general , I think I'd like to

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turn over to you and let you make some

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opening remarks and we have a good full

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house here for some questions . Okay ,

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great . Good morning Mr Whitman .

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Ladies and gentlemen , a Major General

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Rick Summer and on the Commanding

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general of multinational forces West

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had responsibility of coalitions in Al

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Anbar province , multinational force

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West is organized around the California

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based First Marine expeditionary force

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forward . Uh The smith is a marine air

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ground task force and comes complete

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with support from over 100 organic

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aircraft from the third marine aircraft

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wing and sustained by the Marine

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logistics group out of Camp Pendleton

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California . Most of the work on the

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ground this past year has been

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accomplished by the United States

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Army's First Brigade , First Armored

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Division and the 5th and 7th Marine

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regiments organizing the combat teams

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with additional capabilities such as

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tanks , combat engineers and other

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enhancements . Recently , the sixth

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marines replaced the fifth marines who

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are responsible for the greater

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Fallujah area , and the second Marines

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replaced the seventh Marines who are

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responsible for the vast northern area ,

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from the town of Heat in the south to

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the Syrian border in the north and west ,

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the Jordanian border , the U . S Army's

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Second Brigade , 28th Infantry Division ,

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followed by the First Brigade , First

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Armored Division is also part of the

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team is responsible for Ramadi . We

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also have some real partners with the

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14,000 soldiers of the 1st and 7th

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Iraqi Army divisions who operate in

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Anbar province . The First Division is

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responsible for its own area of

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operations called AOC car or evil in

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Arabic . Uh This has been a year of

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tremendous changed . We took over in

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february 28th , 2006 . Uh The previous

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december Ambar had just completed its

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provincial elections with some

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participation of the tribes . Beginning

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in late March , al Qaeda began in

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murder and intimidation campaign that

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targeted the local tribal leaders who

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supported the election or did not

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resist the new government's efforts .

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Those leaders who were not killed ,

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fled the country . Additionally , in

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the following months , al Qaeda killed

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co opted or hired the competing

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nationalist insurgent organizations .

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The Golden Mosque of Samarra was bombed

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in february 2006 with the intent of Al

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Qaeda to create sectarian violence and

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it worked , sectarian violence became

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the main destabilizing force in Iraq ,

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especially in Baghdad coalition . Iraqi

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battalions were deployed from Anbar to

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attempt to stop the bloodshed .

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Throughout the summer , we were able to

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build on the idea of team pollution , a

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community with a strong city council .

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We partnered with the local police

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force and Iraqi soldiers to develop

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their security . When the first armored

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brigade arrived in Ramadi in june , we

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were able to increase vehicle and

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pedestrian movement into the city by

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adding checkpoints and screen all the

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traffic in major thoroughfares in and

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out of the city . Furthermore , we

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built forward operating bases in Ramadi ,

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his worst neighborhoods to develop a

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full time this nine of presence

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throughout the city . The fobs with the

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forward operating bases are also I . P .

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Stations and are manned by marines

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soldiers and police . We finished the

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last one this month of north of the

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western Euphrates River valley , we

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created communities and that had beat

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the triad and other smaller towns on

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the river . The concept is the same

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throughout clear the city of insurgents

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in partnership with the Iraqi army hold

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the city by control of the population

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movement in and out of the city to

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screen the terrorists from the

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civilians and then build internal

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security of the city so that the police

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can grow in safety and partnered with

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the local civic leaders to further

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develop the police and the economy .

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One of the most curious non bar is the

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alkaline region near the border . The

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local communities supported by the

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tribes in their government have decided

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to participate with the rule of law and

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have as many police and all kind as we

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are in Fallujah . The most notable

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recent development is the desire of the

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tribal leadership to take

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responsibility for their cities . They

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want to clear the neighborhoods of the

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fiscal levers , the Takfiri , the

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criminals who offer no hope , No

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opportunity , no vision for a peaceful

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future . We think the security climate

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has shifted in a positive manner . This

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is the local tribes involvement has

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contributed nearly 2000 men to join the

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Iraqi police and take charge of

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security in their own neighborhoods .

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It is this growing cooperation with the

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local community , this common interest

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in a better life for its citizens so

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that they can again prospered . That

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gives me guarded optimism in the future

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of anwar . Uh with that . Ladies and

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gentlemen , I'll be happy to take your

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questions . Thank you . Well , general ,

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thank you for that overview and we do

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have a few questions and we'll get

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started right here with pam has general ,

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this is pam hess with United Press

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International on the matter of the

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sheikhs cooperating . We've heard that

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a couple of times before . I know back

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in 2000 and four , I was told that

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again , heard that in 2000 and five ,

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what makes you think that this one is

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different or that this time it will

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stick ? And could you give us more

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specificity about the campaign of

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intimidation and assassination against

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the tribal leaders , how many sheikhs

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were killed ? How many fled ? And you

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have confidence that those that remain

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behind actually have the chops to pull

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the tribes in line and do what it is

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you're asking them to do . Uh Thank you

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pam . Uh First what makes this effort a

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little bit different , I believe is is

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just the tangible results of their , of

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their association and that is really

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turning out there young men in their

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communities and this is largely Ramadi

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base at this point to come and join the

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Iraqi police and to a lesser extent the

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Iraqi army . So in that sense , uh this

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has been much more successful than

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previous efforts uh last year , during

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months of december and january watched

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at least five members of the provincial

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Security Council were all executed uh

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during that time as part of that murder

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and intimidation campaign . Uh That is

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their uh their M . O . And when I'm

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speaker that I'm talking about al Qaeda ,

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it is clearly a murder intimidation

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campaign that is uh led by execution of

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leaders , anybody who demonstrates any

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effort to cooperate with the coalition

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forces or the provincial government or

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the Iraqi army , the I . P . The Iraqi

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police uh they set themselves up at

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some measure of risk . So this has

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clearly been uh their main uh modus

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operandi over the past year .

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Uh Again , I'm optimistic because I've

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seen the results of their efforts .

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I've attended meetings , uh economic

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conferences , uh , shapes have been

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coming out in very , very large numbers ,

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more so than at any time that we've

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seen in the year that we've been here .

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So I'm very confident about their

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efforts to come together . That said ,

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uh , I believe they will be tested ,

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they will be challenged . Uh , this is

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a growing threat because it is the

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people that the shapes represent that

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is the threat to al Qaeda . So , I'm

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optimistic about what I've seen . Uh ,

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they certainly need to be sensitive

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about their security . I think they're

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doing the right things by building

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their neighborhood watch is

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contributing their young men to join

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the police to join the emergency

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responses that are largely a new

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formation , if you will in the last

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three months . So all the positive

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indicators of coming together are there .

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Uh , and again , I'm optimistic that

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they will sustain this . The challenge

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that I think that we will face in the

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future is having these uh this

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Communion association of shape

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transition into a formal

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uh into the formal process of the

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government , whether that's the

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provincial level or the national level ,

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uh to bring that uh credibility , to

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bring that influence the wheels , We

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want to bring that into the existing

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government that we have developing over

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here . If I can follow up , it seems to

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me , one of the concerns you would have

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is that they never make that transition

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and in an effort to secure Anbar

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province , they end up creating a whole

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new set of militias that then

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contribute to security problem in Iraq .

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What are you doing to make sure that

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doesn't come about ? Well , I think

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what what what is fundamental about the

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development of the emergency response

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to this and right now , there's about

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three battalions that are in various

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stages of forming is that they are

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sanctioned by the Ministry of Interior .

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So by their very charter , they

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recognize subordination if you will to

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the Ministry of Interior to the

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national government and that's what

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distinguishes them from a militia . Uh

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They do have a national support , uh

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they do support the national government

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so that that is a fundamental

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distinction . But again , it's largely

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been supported uh and encouraged by the

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association of the shapes and the

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tribal engagement that we're seeing

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again is largely built this point

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around Ramadi . Uh that's not to say

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that we don't have it in other places

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in Anbar . Uh It is it is also strong

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out west out in the al Khaimah agent ,

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but those are probably the two

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strongest regions that we see in Anbar

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where the tribal piece the shapes

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coming together is such a new

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uh event .

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Uh

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General Andrew gray from Reuters here .

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Um as you know , obviously under

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President Bush's plan , you to receive

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several 1000 extra troops for Anbar .

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Can you tell us a little bit what kind

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of a difference that will make to your

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operation and will it be enough to

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change your focus from primarily

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training and transitioning to Iraqi

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forces ?

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The 4000 marines in our case that

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have been identified for uh reinforcing

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operations in all of our province ? Uh

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They will have a very positive effect .

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There's no doubt about that . Uh they

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will allow us first and foremost to

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reinforce success , where we have seen

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success and uh in the late fall months

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and where we are right now , we've seen

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some tremendous progress uh from a

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security perspective as well as from an

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economic and government governance

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perspective . but those 4000 troops

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again that allow us to to reinforce

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that success we're seeing out here .

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But this is importantly , uh they were

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announced as part of the overall

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Baghdad security plan . Our security

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out here in Anbar is tied very directly

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to that of Baghdad and vice versa . So

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the addition of those 4000 troops out

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here are going to enable us to provide

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that isolation , that security that is

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essential for the Baghdad security plan .

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Uh while our role has largely been the

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development of the Iraqi security

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forces , uh you know , that's all a

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subset of a larger mission statement ,

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which is the defeat of the al Qaeda and

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the insurgents out here and make no

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mistake about it . Uh We've been

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involved in a in a in a fight out here

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for the last year . This is a very

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active and very vibrant insurgency that

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exists out here . Uh We've been very

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successful in our operations over the

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course of the last year . So with this ,

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with these additional marines provide

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to us is an ability to reinforce the

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success that we've seen in the last

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couple of months . It allows us to get

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to some of the areas that we haven't

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been able to establish the presence we

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would have liked . But at the end of

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the day , it's still about providing

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that time . And that's what these 4000

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marines will give us . They will

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provide that additional time for us to

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develop the Iraqi army and the Iraqi

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police , which at the said at the end

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of the day , are essential to the long

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term security and stability in Anbar

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province . All right . Uh

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General Dave would from the Baltimore

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sun , um what's the reaction of the

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marines in Al Anbar to the

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uh roiling political debate back here

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in Washington , uh , and particularly

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the uh , moves in the

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Senate that seemed to be in opposition

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to the President's plan .

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Uh , I haven't been able

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to do any any in depth discussed with

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marines in light of the activities in

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the , in the Senate . But I will tell

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you that , uh , you know , we have uh ,

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between television and internet and all

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the rest . I mean , the marines ,

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sailors and soldiers , they know what's

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going on , not only United States , but

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around the world . So they have an

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opportunity to to see and view the news

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as anyone does . But I think uh ,

12:38.069 --> 12:40.540
fairly , uh , all of our all of our

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warriors over here understand what our

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mission is , what it is that we're

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trying to accomplish . And I think

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that's the beauty of of our government

12:48.762 --> 12:50.929
and that we have the ability to debate

12:50.929 --> 12:53.070
amongst ourselves . And that's that's

12:53.070 --> 12:55.237
the , that's the beauty of democracy .

12:55.237 --> 12:57.790
So uh yes , we watch what goes on and

12:57.790 --> 12:59.957
we understand that there is uh , there

12:59.957 --> 13:02.020
is debate back in the back back home

13:02.030 --> 13:04.197
about the , about the direction of the

13:04.197 --> 13:06.510
war and where it's going . But the

13:06.520 --> 13:08.520
morale remains very , very high out

13:08.520 --> 13:10.687
here Are marines understand what their

13:10.687 --> 13:13.190
mission is . Uh , We have a variety of

13:13.190 --> 13:15.300
visitors that come through here on a

13:15.300 --> 13:17.640
very frequent basis , uh , without

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without fail . Uh , those guests that

13:20.610 --> 13:22.666
come here to visit remarked upon the

13:22.666 --> 13:24.666
morale of all our forces , not just

13:24.666 --> 13:26.890
marines and sailors and soldiers as

13:26.890 --> 13:29.260
well . So I think the Morales very good

13:29.260 --> 13:32.530
out here . We understand what what our

13:32.540 --> 13:35.060
nation is asking us to do out here . Uh ,

13:35.070 --> 13:37.181
and I think perhaps the difference is

13:37.181 --> 13:39.348
is that uh , you know , our marines or

13:39.348 --> 13:41.681
sailors and soldiers out here every day .

13:41.681 --> 13:43.903
They live . They live this , this event

13:43.903 --> 13:45.959
out here . They are out and about in

13:45.959 --> 13:45.490
the Iraqi . People with the Iraqi

13:45.490 --> 13:47.712
people in their neighborhoods , they're

13:47.712 --> 13:49.823
performing the mission that they have

13:49.823 --> 13:51.546
been given . So again , we are

13:51.546 --> 13:53.712
certainly , we understand what happens

13:53.712 --> 13:55.879
uh , back home . We watch what happens

13:55.879 --> 13:58.800
back home . But I'm not concerned about

13:58.810 --> 14:01.032
losing sight of the focus . And that is

14:01.032 --> 14:03.366
important here because as I said before ,

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it is a dangerous environment . But as

14:05.660 --> 14:07.990
one measure of that , uh , we had a

14:08.000 --> 14:10.056
headquarters Marine Corps recruiting

14:10.056 --> 14:12.056
retention team come through here in

14:12.056 --> 14:14.167
november december and uh , reenlisted

14:14.167 --> 14:16.850
100 and 6% of our of their objective

14:16.850 --> 14:20.170
coming out here . So the marines are

14:20.170 --> 14:22.370
voting with their feet by staying in .

14:22.450 --> 14:25.290
And uh , so I'm very comfortable that

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despite that debate that goes on back

14:27.411 --> 14:29.740
there , uh , our folks over here are ,

14:29.750 --> 14:30.910
are staying through the mission