Not only did we not abandon them but also we upped the ante; increasing the number of U.S. combat units in the country and significantly expanding training and support for Iraq's fledgling security forces. Much of the enhanced instruction, arming and know-how has come via U.S. Special Operations Command -- soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines uniquely prepared and equipped to carry out unconventional operations. The result has been a dramatic reduction in terror attacks against Iraqi civilians and coalition personnel. While the mainstream media and U.S. politicians were harping about the lack of political progress in Baghdad, the Iraqi army, police and special operations forces were being rebuilt from the ground up.
That's not to say that Iraq is no longer dangerous. It still can be lethal -- particularly for Iraqis. The day we arrived in Hillah, an improvised explosive device killed Lt. Gen. Qais Hamza al-Mamouri, the Babil province chief of police and the architect of the reconciliation movement in southeastern Iraq.
A vigorous opponent of Iranian influence in Iraq, Qais was also the author of an agreement among tribal and community leaders pledging to "provide security for all citizens without regard to sect, ethnicity or political party affiliation." Though Babil province is predominantly Shiite, Qais had insisted that his police enforce the law impartially "for all Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and Christians." His death was described by some of the Iraqi media as an assassination.
Less than 24 hours after Qais was killed, our FOX News team went to the headquarters of the Hillah SWAT police to meet with their commander, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Abbas al-Jubori, a Qais protege.
The two men had once served together in the Iraqi air force. According to a U.S. Special Operations officer who has worked with him for more than two years, "Gen. Abbas has built Hillah SWAT into one of the finest police departments in the country. He's cut from the same bolt of cloth as Qais. Both men have been committed to a free and independent Iraq -- where every man and woman is treated equally."
As we left the Hillah SWAT headquarters, Abbas took the wheel of his unmarked SUV and said, "Sit beside me. I'll show FOX News a safe Iraqi city." He did. For more than two hours, we walked streets where Iranian-supported Shiite militia gangs once held sway over 500,000 Iraqis. As he waded through throngs of citizens grieving the loss of Qais, Abbas promised, "We will never forget Gen. Qais. We will continue his legacy of giving every Iraqi equal protection from all criminals."
That may prove to be a major challenge in a neighborhood where Iraq's neighbors are less than enthusiastic about a democracy next door. Four days after Qais was killed, three car bombs detonated in Amarah -- less than 20 miles from the Iranian border -- killing more than 30 and wounding nearly 125 Iraqi civilians.