Purple Heart Boulevard

NYT reported Soldiers called it the "Street of Death" and "Purple Heart Boulevard," a three-mile-long residential corridor in central Baghdad that had become a shooting gallery for insurgents. In 2004 alone, Haifa Street, once a coveted address for the middle class, was the bloody venue for more than 400 attacks on American and Iraqi security forces. Many residents on the most troubled blocks fled their homes, some of which were promptly commandeered as rebel sniper roosts. An American-Iraqi military campaign begun last year to retake the street seemed to bear fruit as insurgents were captured, killed or driven from the area. On Feb. 6, the American command handed over a cut of north-central Baghdad, including Haifa Street, to the First Brigade, Sixth Division, of the Iraqi Army. This transfer made the First Brigade the first - and only - Iraqi Army unit to control its own battle space, and put it on the leading edge of the Bush administration's plan to have Iraqi forces take responsibility for the country's security. The good news for American officials, in a war where territorial gains have been elusive, is that the Iraqi troops have not lost ground on Haifa Street. Since the First Brigade took control, there have been only three insurgent attacks along the street, and those came in the first three weeks, commanders say.

This is very good news, as it indicates the Iraqi army can begin to take over the responsibility for their own protection. And the amazing thing is that this report was printed in the New York Times.

Though the pacification of the area began last year under American auspices - and it is possible that the insurgents simply moved their operations elsewhere - soldiers and residents contend that the sustained peace is attributable in large part to the community's acceptance of a homegrown security force; in contrast, many residents regarded the American soldiers as interlopers and invaders.

Aha. I see the NYT has reverted to its normal reporting

"We feel the difference between the two forces," said Alaa Khadem, 41, the owner of a small store on Haifa Street. On a recent afternoon, the sun and heat had turned his store into an oven and he was standing out front seeking a forgiving breeze. He said that the American forces would rumble down Haifa Street with their enormous firepower and threats of death, while their Iraqi counterparts have adopted a more sensitive and effective approach. "The Iraqi forces have the power of listening and communicating," he said.

That is fine with the Americans. They would love to see Iraqi forces take over everywhere: listen, communicate, and control everywhere.

For much of last year, he recalled, the violence on the street prevented him from shopping for goods to stock his shelves, and restricted his opening hours. Now, he said, "I can open my shop and use the best hours of the day." Pro-Iraqi Army graffiti has begun to appear on walls once adorned only with anti-American slogans. Residents now socialize outside their buildings and say they feel safer walking along the street. People who fled their apartments have started to trickle back, and pedestrian and vehicular traffic, while still thin compared with other major thoroughfares, is slowly returning.

This is still good news. We don't want to stay there forever.