A soldier from the Second Stryker Cavalry Regiment provides security, as the top U.S. Commander in Iraq General David Petraeus, joins his unit for a patrol in Muqdadiyah, in the Diyala province July 26, 2008. REUTERS/Damir SagoljFrom Reuters:
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda remains a dangerous force in Iraq despite a general decline in violence and U.S. troops must continue to confront the militant group, the outgoing top U.S. general in the country said.
General David Petraeus told al Arabiya television he believed recent success in reducing violence had restored the United States' image with Iraqis. Troops initially greeted as liberators but later viewed as occupiers were now again accepted as friends.
In the interview recorded on Monday and scheduled for broadcast later on Friday, Petraeus was asked whether al Qaeda had been defeated in Iraq.
"You will not find any military leader who will say this ... all we can say is al Qaeda is still dangerous," he said.
Petraeus' comments were translated into English from an Arabic transcript of the interview sent to Reuters.
"It is certain more of these crimes will be committed, and we must continue working to confront these attacks," he said.
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My Comment: Let us not kid ourselves. Al Qaeda will be in Iraq for a very long time, and it will take a generation or two to get rid of them. The goal and objective should be to train the Iraqi Army and intelligence Services to take care of them over time .... which is something that I am sure is being done now.
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