Just as in Afghanistan, when the US initiated it's exit strategy, it was already focused on it's next goal, Iraq. All resources were transferred from duties in Afghanistan prematurely and now the Taliban have changed the equations and are back in strength. Opium poppy cultivation has again become the primary source of income in many parts of the country.
The situation in Iraq is likely to fall apart as soon as the US moves on. Bush's next target is clearly Iran.
Star Tribune
The area has attracted new U.S. attention as the military steps up allegations that Tehran is aiding Shiite extremists who have killed hundreds of American troops with powerful bombs known as explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, believed to be brought in from Iran. Tensions between the two countries also have been rising over Iran's nuclear program and the recent detentions of each others' citizens.
Mueller, 48, from Yorktown, Va., is the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division's border transition team at the heart of an intensified U.S. push to stop the smuggling. The strategy is similar to American efforts elsewhere in Iraq - build up the infrastructure and train the Iraqi forces to take over eventually.
The 900-mile border between the two countries, however, is laced with ancient smuggling routes and tribes who spent decades bringing in weapons to fight Saddam Hussein's regime and are now believed to be making their living from Shiite militias. The problem is particularly stark along the 90-mile section in predominantly Shiite Wasit province, southeast of Baghdad.
Mueller acknowledges the virtual impossibility of securing such a border but says the U.S. forces can at least disrupt the flow of weapons into the capital.
[...]The top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, also said this month that he had solid evidence, including the explanations of captured Iranian agents, that Iran was behind lethal attacks in Iraq. Petraeus warned Congress that the U.S. already was fighting a "proxy war'' with Iran.
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