NPR: US-BACKED "MALIKI SURGE" MADE BASRA SAFE

YEAH: EFFIN NPR:

Iraq

U.S.-Backed Offensive Weakens Basra Militias

Listen Now [4 min 17 sec] add to playlist

Morning Edition, May 20, 2008 · A government offensive in the southern Iraq city of Basra has met with success.

Initially, U.S.-led Iraqi forces met with stiff resistance from Shiite militias.

But after two months, Basra's streets are clear.

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro.

THE BRITS ARE HELPING AGAIN:

British soldiers have re-established a permanent presence in the city of Basra, patrolling with Iraqi forces in "no-go" areas they were driven from months ago by Shia militants.

Commanders say the joint operations have, in a matter of weeks, brought a measure of normality to a city that had fallen under the sway of powerful criminal gangs and the Iranian-backed fighters.

BOTTOM-LINE: WE WON.

WHICH IS WHY THERE'S A VIRTUAL NEWS BLACKOUT.