WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said the operation to stem Baghdad's worsening security situation has begun.
"The implementation of the prime minister's plan has already begun and will be fully implemented at a later date," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said, according to a Voice of America report Thursday from its bureau in Baghdad.
The plan is part of President Bush's so-called "troop surge" aimed at halting the sectarian violence that claims more lives each day. Part of the strategy is to have American and Iraqi forces patrol the most violent neighborhoods in Baghdad to push out the powerful sectarian militias.
"Portions are already being put in place, and we will continue to put more into place as the forces arrive and the assets become available," Caldwell said.
The VOA reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday acknowledged that attempts to establish security in Baghdad were starting late. Responding to complaints from the city's residents, al-Maliki urged Iraqi forces to accelerate the operation.
A Pentagon spokesman later cautioned against looking for an exact start date for the security operation, stating that the operation had started "some time ago" and that the extra troops would continue arriving until May.
U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, a proponent of the "troop surge" plan, will take over command of the Multinational Force Iraq on Feb. 10.
