Tal Afar Turning Point?

OpinionJournal wrote Only weeks ago--until Katrina stole the headlines--Washington was deep in the grip of yet another of its "quagmire" panics about Iraq. We don't want to make the opposite mistake of over-optimism. But the recent Iraqi victory in the battle of Tal Afar could be a turning point in the war against the terrorists.

I agree. Our forces always do a good job, but in this victory the Iraqi forces really did a good job.

In recent days Iraqi forces--yes, Iraqi forces--have led the largest urban assault there since the liberation of Fallujah last November. Meanwhile, Iraq and the United States are finally ratcheting up the pressure on Syria, with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad saying "all options"--including military force--"are on the table" when it comes to stopping terrorist infiltration from that country. Without Syria's help, the insurgency would be seriously weakened.

There are good reasons to believe the current operation in Tal Afar--a largely Turkoman city near the Syrian border--will be a model of things to come. Previous attempts to clean the terrorists out of Tal Afar and other cities in northern and western Iraq have too often seen the insurgents melt away only to return when the U.S. spearhead withdrew. This time Iraqis are leading the fight and, most important, many will stay so the people of Tal Afar can begin to believe they can live free of terrorist intimidation.

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