BAGHDAD, Iraq — It has been nearly two months since the Iraqi government and coalition forces launched a new security operation to curb the daily violence in Baghdad.
During that time, more than 90,000 U.S. and Iraqi forces have been deployed in the capital specifically for this operation.
So how do we Iraqis evaluate the effectiveness of the effort so far?
Most residents of the capital, I believe, would agree that the security plan is beginning to show positive results. The number of unidentified murder victims found on the streets, which had been as high as 100 a day, has fallen considerably. Car bombs and suicide bombings have also dropped significantly.
Families who had fled the city because of sectarian violence are beginning to return. Students are going back to their classes; weapons caches are being found and destroyed and many terrorist suspects have been arrested.
It feels as though some degree of security is gradually returning to the capital’s tense neighborhoods.
Under the plan, Baghdad has been divided into operational sectors, limiting the ability of militias, terrorists and criminal gangs to move or transport weapons and ammunition. Checkpoints operated by joint Iraqi-American units also provide a system of checks and balances, restricting possible abuse of power and miscommunication with the local population.
The joint Iraqi-American security forces are acting in a professional and flexible manner. Whenever and wherever they face problems and challenges, their plans are adapted accordingly. The military commanders are also reaching out to the local communities and establishing ties and communication channels to improve the security.
The relative success has prompted the military and political leadership to expand the scope of operations to cover Baghdad’s suburbs and neighboring towns, and to extend the timeframe of operations to the end of the year. This new development has been welcomed by most Iraqis.
The political and security efforts have had a positive impact on various aspects of life in Baghdad — a rise in the value of the Iraqi dinar against foreign currency and an upturn in trade at the Iraqi stock exchange market.
The Baghdad municipality also seems to be more active in cleaning the streets, clearing up refuse and planting trees and flowers in public squares.
All this is not to say that violence and brutal killings don’t continue to occur on a daily basis. But for the first time in a long time, there is a sense that someone cares about providing security and basic services to the average Iraqi. That in and of itself could go a long way in eventually dampening the insurgence.
Still, one overarching question remains: Will the combined Iraqi and U.S. “surge” be maintained in the face of continued violence and growing political pressure, both here in Iraq and in the United States, demanding the withdrawal of American forces?
Hameed al-Maliki is a political commentator in Iraq who wrote this article for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict.