WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. military brass say it will take more than military operations to quell violence in Iraq's Anbar province, the American Forces Press Service reported.
Much of the military effort in the region will focus on training Iraqi security forces, and not just defeating insurgents, the service said.
"We are fighting to win, but we understand that winning is a combination of a whole bunch of things in this insurgency we're fighting, and as I've indicated time and time again, this is different than any other fight I believe the United States of America has ever found itself in," Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, said in a news conference from Iraq.
Richard Zilmer, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, said the military is doing all it can to promote economic and political development in Anbar. Zilmer was responding to media accounts that provided a grim assessment of the situation in Anbar.
Zilmer said the development Iraqi security forces is a top priority for U.S. troops until Iraq can be stabilized and run on its own.
