Topic: U.S. Gen. George Casey says conflict in Iraq changing from insurgency

Media: The Associated Press
Byline: By ELENA BECATOROS
Date: 21 September 2006


BAGHDAD, Iraq_The conflict in Iraq is changing from a fight against U.S.-led
coalition forces to an internal struggle for political and economic power,
the top U.S. general in Iraq said in an interview Thursday.

Gen. George Casey acknowledged that the security situation had become more
difficult in the past few months, and said Iraqi leaders must find common
ground on key issues dividing the country if progress is to be made.

"We're starting to see this conflict here transition from an insurgency
against us to a struggle for the division of political and economic power
among the Iraqis," Casey told The Associated Press.

Casey made the comments as he finished a visit to a northern Baghdad
neighborhood to talk with local officials about an operation currently under
way to crack down on violence in the capital.

Casey flew from the fortified Green Zone in the center of the city to visit
the northern Baghdad Shaab and Azamiyah neighborhoods, where Iraqi and U.S.
forces have been conducting searches as part of a security crackdown named
Operation Together Forward.

The operation is designed to clear the capital neighborhood by neighborhood,
with security forces cordoning off areas and searching all buildings.

"The whole thought process here is to target the worst neighborhoods where
the killings and the violence was the greatest, clear them out, impose Iraqi
security forces back into the areas and then follow with economic
reconstruction so that you keep the people looking ahead and not looking
back," Casey said.

Part of the security operation is the creation of physical barriers around
the city _ in the form of berms, trenches and roadblocks _ to funnel traffic
entering and leaving Baghdad through 28 checkpoints.

The barrier "takes advantage of the rivers and the canals around the area,
and really just blocks bridges and puts checkpoints around," said Casey.
"The notion is push the bad guys out, keep them out, and then gradually go
back and re-clear areas so that the people feel safe in their own
neighborhoods."

"But it's a long process, it's not going to happen in two weeks," he said.