thousands of extra troops on the streets to wage this battle:
A joint operation to improve security in Baghdad is bringing results, American and Iraqi officials say.Wooldridge/BBC 23.Aug.06
[...]
"We need the help of the government," the general said, "to convince the militias to disarm."
Politicians should act and not allow themselves to become part of the sectarian violence."
He maintained that the Iraqi army had the capacity to protect Baghdad but couldn't do so alone for now.
And he accepted that the army had a job to do in building public trust in the police - widely seen as influenced by sectarianism.
Overall it's an assessment shared by the Americans...
