Five Years of War

Nellie Gonzalez Cutler
Michael Duffy/Washington; Mark Kukis/Baghdad

On a recent chilly morning, a trickle of shoppers moved along the sidewalks of al-Kindy, a shopping district in downtown Baghdad, Iraq's capital. Just a year ago, regular bombings had shut down many of the stores. "Things are improving slightly," says one store owner. "But not as much as we had hoped."

Last January, President George W. Bush ordered 30,000 U.S. troops to Iraq to supplement the 130,000 forces already serving there. The President admitted that efforts to secure Iraq had failed. The country seemed to be spiraling toward civil war. Bush proposed the "surge" in troops to stem violence.

One year later, analysts say that the surge is a limited success. "We still have some work to do," says Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, the Number 2 U.S. commander in Iraq.

Nearly five years ago (see "The Iraq Conflict"), the U.S. invaded Iraq. After Saddam Hussein was removed from power, Iraqis voted in free elections. But religious and ethnic divisions began to tear the country apart. The terrorist group al-Qaeda established strongholds in the country and waged a campaign of bombings and suicide attacks. Fighters, called insurgents, pitted religious groups against each other (see "A Divided Nation").

The conflict has taken a heavy toll on both Iraqis and Americans. During 2006, almost 3,000 Iraqis fell victim to acts of violence each month. At least 3,960 members of the U.S. military have died since the war began.

Once additional troops arrived in Iraq, U.S. military leaders mounted new offensives against al-Qaeda and Sunni insurgents. In Baghdad, American troops moved into bases in the city's violent neighborhoods. The troops live among the residents and walk patrols. In Anbar province, in western Iraq, the U.S. turned to local tribes, and even whole neighborhoods, to rise up against the insurgents. Over the past year, more than 125 local armies were formed. Known as Concerned Local Citizens groups, the volunteer fighters serve as eyes and ears for U.S. forces.

But as the insurgents have been pushed out of some areas, they have regrouped in others. Murder, death threats and kidnappings are still commonplace in Iraq.

On February 13, the Iraqi parliament passed measures that set the stage for more power sharing between the country's groups. A new law calls for local elections to be held in October. "These are difficult issues (that) required a lot of compromise," says U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker. "But they are important steps forward."

Still, officials fear that these gains will be lost if violence spikes again. Last summer, Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his fighters to stop attacking U.S. forces. The six-month cease-fire is due to expire soon. A Sunni parliament member, Asmaa al-Dulaimi, warned that if the truce were broken, it would hurt hopes for national reconciliation. "Resuming their activities, whether against the government or civilians, will lead to a new confrontation with them," she said of al-Sadr's fighters.

Iraq is a safer place than it was 12 months ago. Several thousand U.S. troops involved in the surge have already begun to return home. General David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is expected to testify before Congress in April. He has hinted that it might be wise to take a cautious approach to bringing more troops home. In Iraq, progress is best measured in small steps.