General: Fall in W. Iraq violence permanent

General: Fall in W. Iraq violence permanent
By Pauline Jelinek - The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Dec 10, 2007 15:53:31 EST

The U.S. commander in western Iraq said Monday that progress against insurgents in his area is “permanent” but that it will be another 19 months before Iraqi forces can operate there by themselves.

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. W.E. Gaskin told a Pentagon news conference that bombings, shootings and other attacks in Anbar province fell to 40 in the first week of this month, compared with the 460 incidents during the same week last year.

Asked how confident he is that that will continue, Gaskin said: “I think that the positive trends are permanent.”

That’s an assertion that other commanders have been hesitant to voice, even as they’ve touted security improvements in Iraq in the months following the U.S. troop buildup.

For instance on Thursday, the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, refused to offer too much optimism.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/12/ap_permanent_071210/