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| Iraq |
| Joint Chiefs chair declares 'sea change' in Iraq security |
| 2007-07-18 |
| RAMADI, Iraq — Upbeat on what could be his final visit to Iraq before retiring, the top U.S. general said Tuesday that parts of Iraq are undergoing a "sea change" in improved security. Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took some people in war-battered Ramadi by surprise during a sandstorm that kept his helicopter grounded and gave him extra hours to tour. He was driven down streets that U.S. soldiers had called "The Gauntlet" and "The Racetrack" before the combination of a U.S. offensive and new Sunni Arab tribal alliances against al-Qaida in Iraq brought a remarkable, if uncertain, peace to this provincial capital. Pace told two reporters accompanying him that his unplanned interlude, which included a chat with Mayor Latif Eyada, reinforced his sense of optimism about the U.S. troop buildup, which is focused mainly on Baghdad but includes Ramadi and other areas of Anbar province. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |