| Thursday, August 14, 2008 | | Security Partnerships Enable Quality of Life Improvements in Babil |
 U.S. Army Col. Thomas James |
| Overall stability gains are compounding in Iraq's Babil province thanks to
continuous pushes and improvements on the security, governance and economic
fronts, Col. James told military bloggers. Significant improvements within
the Iraqi security forces, including coordination between the Iraqi Army and
Police, have led to more effective combined operations with Coalition troops
and trainers. The "Sons of Iraq" program has also contributed to security
gains, with more than 9,500 paid volunteers manning checkpoints in Babil.
Owing to the combination of forces, and especially the co-location of U.S.
and Iraqi troops in towns and villages around Babil, victories have been
recently scored against Al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Jaysh al-Mahdi militia. In
turn, improved security has enabled growth in government and economic
systems, James explained, resulting in tangible improvement's in the daily
lives of Babil residents. "The population feels secure, and the quality of
life is improvi Story | Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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