Iraqis reclaim Ramadi from insurgents

Nearly everyone you talk to in Ramadi has a story about how life under the insurgents calling themselves Al Qaeda in Iraq progressively worsened over the three years they were in control here, finally pushing the residents of this Sunni Triangle city into the unlikely arms of the U.S. military.

When they arrived in the summer of 2003, the Islamic extremists found Ramadi fertile ground for recruits to fight the U.S. Marines and soldiers who had occupied the city after overthrowing Saddam Hussein. Al Qaeda in Iraq even declared an Islamic state of Iraq, with Ramadi its provisional capital.

But over time, the extremists overplayed their hand by imposing strict religious doctrine, hijacking the city government and enforcing a brutal intimidation campaign to keep the locals in line, residents said.

"They killed people right in front of our eyes," said Sameh Khalif, an apparel merchant on Market Street, referring to insurgents from foreign countries, including Syria, Algeria and Morocco, who flocked to Ramadi.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mike Silverman, who commands a unit in charge of northwest Ramadi, permits himself the hope that a corner has been turned here in Al Anbar province, thanks in large part to Al Qaeda in Iraq's missteps.

"They nearly achieved it, turning Al Anbar into the new Afghanistan," Silverman said. "But they shot themselves in the foot. Their violent tactics just discredited them further and further."

'No friends, no enemies'

Still, no one in the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, Ramadi's occupying command, is claiming defeat of Al Qaeda in Iraq, whose strength has ebbed and flowed before.

One Army officer who asked not to be named said neighborhood support could disappear quickly and allegiances shift back to the insurgents if security falters. "The people here reflect what Kissinger said: There are no friends, no enemies. There are only interests."

U.S. military officers say no neighborhood of Al Anbar was more receptive to the militants than Malaab, an impoverished and orthodox area of Ramadi teeming with unemployed youths. Soon, insurgent fighters were using the neighborhood as a base to store weapons and launch forays against U.S.-led forces, fueling three years of fighting that left much of Malaab in ruins.