A four year low in violence: "The U.S. military said Sunday that the number of attacks by militants in the last week dropped to a level not seen in Iraq since March 2004. About 300 violent incidents were recorded in the seven-day period that ended Friday, down from a weekly high of nearly 1,600 in mid-June last year." - Los Angeles Times
Advances in Basra, Sadr City and Mosul: "Military analysts have watched with astonishment as the Iraqi government and army have gained control for the first time of the port city of Basra and the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, routing the Shiite militias that have ruled them for years and sending key militants scurrying to Iran. At the same time, Iraqi and U.S. forces have pushed forward with a long-promised offensive in Mosul, the last urban refuge of al-Qaeda. So many of its leaders have now been captured or killed that U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, renowned for his cautious assessments, said that the terrorists have "never been closer to defeat than they are now." - Washington Post leader
Rising oil production: "Iraq has raised oil exports to a post-war high, earning billions of dollars to fund reconstruction after Baghdad cracked down on sabotage of its strategic pipelines, the oil minister said on Sunday. In an interview with Reuters, Hussein al-Shahristani said he expects 2008 oil revenues to reach $70 billion if oil prices stay high and there are no output disruptions. Shahristani was optimistic Iraqi forces would be able to sustain tight security at oil facilities." - Reuters
Expanding Iraqi forces: "Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq’s special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel... Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it’s almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone.” - American Forces Press Service.
