Hearts & Minds In Basra

Following on from a column on this page a few week's ago, we're finally glad that the mainstream media seem to be realising the facts on the ground in Basra, and the positive ways life in that city has changed since the beginning of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's offensive against the militias there.

After living for the last few years under the shadow of the various militias as the British Army attacked them, then withdrew, allowing them to recover their losses, they now see the powerful and probably permanent presence of the newly-deployed Iraqi Army.

Seeing the power of the militias being broken, they also are gaining the confidence to act against the militias themselves, with more and more of them helping authorities by reporting arms caches and militia safe-houses to the authorities.

Not only is life within the city returning to some sense of normalcy (well, as far as it is possible to return to normalcy in Iraq at this time in that place), the operation has had some additional politicalside effects of some note.

Sunni political groups which had left al-Maliki's cabinet had been demanding that the Iraqi government "hunt down and disband the militias and curb the outlaws."

As a result of the recent operations, the groups are now indicating their willingness to return to the government.

There is still much to be done, but the restoration of order will allow the Iraqi government to pour money into Iraq's second-largest city in order to perform the repairs to the infrastructure there that have been abandoned for some time.

It may only be a start, but it's a big step for Iraq and the Iraqis in general.