Iraqi Ministry Says Violence Has Dropped
CBNNews.com
October 23, 2007
CBNNews.com - A new report by the Iraqi government claims that violence in the war-torn country has dropped by 70 percent since the end of June.
The Interior Ministry released the figures just as bomb blasts rocked the cities of Baghdad and Mosul, killing five people and six armed men died in a firefight with police in the holy Shi'ite city of Karbala.
Even though government leaders have not been able to bring a lasting peace between the country's warring sects, the report does show the U.S. troop surge has succeeded in reducing violence.
Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Karim Khalaf told reporters that there had been a 70 percent decrease in violence countrywide in the three months from July to September over the previous quarter.
"These figures show a gradual improvement in controlling the security situation," Khalaf said.
In the former insurgent hotbed of the Anbar province, there has been an 82 percent drop in violent deaths. However, the trend is not present throughout Iraq.
Many al-Qaeda fighters and other militants fled from the surge to the surrounding areas. In the province of Ninevah, for example, car bombings are up by more than 125 percent.
The decline in violence has spurred Osama bin Laden into action. He released an audio tape Monday, scolding his followers for what he's calling a lackadaisical effort in Iraq.
Sources: Reuters, Associated Press
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