Top commander in Iraq visits Commando troops

Photo By Christina McCann | Gen. David Petraeus (right), commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq, talks with officers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., including 2nd BCT commander Col. Michael Kershaw (right), a native of Huffman, Texas, during Petraeus' visit to Forward Operating Base Yusufiyah, one of the 2nd BCT's main outposts in Iraq, June 23. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Chris McCann, 2nd BCT PAO)  

06.24.2007

Courtesy Story

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE YUSUFIYAH, Iraq — Gen. David Petraeus, commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq, visited the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., at Patrol Base Yusufiyah, Iraq, June 23.

The commander visited the patrol base, in the heart of the so-called "Triangle of Death," which is held by the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd BCT, and the 4th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, to meet with 2nd BCT commander Col. Michael Kershaw and 4/6 IA commander Brig. Gen. Ali Jassim Al-Frejee.

Petraeus had positive comments for both the 4-31 "Polar Bears" and the 2nd BCT overall.

"It helps to have a vision, and you've got one," Petraeus told Kershaw. "Candidly, I'm more than a bit interested to see how this goes...you've got a very interesting piece of turf here. Four years ago we were here and you could feel the complexity of it even then in Mahmudiyah. You could feel the fault lines and friction."

Petraeus' overarching counterinsurgency strategy, which leans heavily on getting Soldiers, both U.S. and Iraqi, into close, constant contact with local residents and building ties with them, has been credited with getting neighboring Anbar province to "flip." The word is used to indicate the point at which the populace, frustrated with terrorist activities, takes responsibility and begins, if not backing, at least tolerating coalition forces there to help them.

"You guys are very sensitive to increasing security forces without backing terror, Petraeus said. "You've got the combat power, the most we're probably ever going to have in this area, and it's a time to take risks."

Petraeus toured the Yusufiyah Joint Security Station and the FOB before departing.

"You guys are doing very much the right thing," he said. "This is a unit that gets it."

• Date Taken: 06.24.2007
• Date Posted: 06.25.2007 14:24
• Story ID: 10971