Visiting Iraq's Old Battlefields

An Ex-U.S. Soldier Visits Iraq's Old Battlefields -- Time Magazine

For American troops, especially those stationed around Baghdad, Fallujah and Ramadi were often mentioned in the same breath, the evil twin sisters of Anbar Province. And while the battles in Ramadi were smaller than those in Fallujah, the fighting was often equally vicious.

In late 2006, Ramadi became famous as the birthplace of the Sunni Awakening. According to the American narrative, enlightened U.S. commanders began co-opting insurgents and convincing them to stop fighting. But the true brilliance of this plan was that it didn't require the insurgents to lay down their weapons: they merely had to point them away from us and towards al-Qaeda.

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My Comment: This is one of a series of articles by Times reporters Nate Rawlings and Bobby Ghosh. A must read collection of stories on where is Iraq today.