Baghdad (September 24, 2007) - The most cited evidence for the successful "surge" (at least for now) is the unexpected rapid pacification of the notoriously violent Anbar province. Just last August 2006, the Anbar province was declared "lost" by an unknown senior Marine intelligence officer. Nowadays, the AQI has been on the run, if not defeated, in their previous terrorist stronghold. The violence level has been reduced to a minimum. American soldiers can walk around in Ramadi and other towns of the Anbar province without being exposed to immediate, constant and deadly attack. The Marine officer, who made that grim statement, which inadvertently makes the present success in Anbar much more shining is Col. Peter Devlin. So don't forget this man when history of the Iraq war is written.
