(8 Sep 2007) SHOTLIST
++PLEASE NOTE THESE IMAGES WERE SHOT BY A CAMERMAN EMBEDDED WITH US TROOPS++
AP Television
Baghdad - 8 September, 2007
1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colonel Don Farris, Brigade Commander of the 2nd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division:
"To date we have over 1,200 volunteers (for the Iraqi Security Volunteer force) who have stepped forward and said they would like to participate. We anticipate that as the programme matures, we'll have many more. And it's not exclusive to just Sunni groups, it's open to all citizens in northeast Baghdad, both Sunni and Shiite, or whatever religious sect."
2. Cutaway of name tag
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colonel Don Farris, Brigade Commander of the 2nd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division:
"As to the troop levels, I think it is fair to say that those decisions will be made after careful assessment by the chain of command at every level. At least in the battle space where we operate - Azamiyah and Sadr City - I would foresee the troop levels that we currently have remain in a steady state for a little while longer. We'll watch this each month and make assessments and recommendations to our commanders as to whether or not it's appropriate to reduce the current level of forces."
4. Cutaway of badge
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Colonel Don Farris, Brigade Commander of the 2nd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division:
"Probably the most important metric is the level of violence. Attacks are way down, and the sectarian violence is significantly reduced. We started, just before our arrival, averaging about 200-250 murder victims a month in Azamiyah and Sadr City area. Now we average about one murder victim a day. And that's in an area that's consists of approximately 3.2 (m) million people."
6. Wide shot of Farris
AP Television
FILE: Baghdad - 2006
7. Various shots of US troops conducting security checks
POOL
FILE: Fallujah - 2004
8. Various shots of troops firing on insurgents
AP Television
FILE: Sadr City, Baghdad - 23 November, 2006
9. Various aftermath of one of the worst suicide bombings since start of the war in which 215 people were killed
STORYLINE
A US military commander in Iraq said on Saturday that sectarian violence in the country has been "significantly reduced," days before General David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, is expected to lay out his recommendations for a future war strategy.
Colonel Don Farris, Brigade Commander of the 2nd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division, said that when his division first arrived, the average murder rate in the Baghdad areas of Azamiyah and Sadr City averaged at about 200-250 victims a month.
"Now we average about one murder victim a day. And that's in an area that's consistent of approximately 3.2 (m) million people," Farris told AP Television at the Camp Taji army base, 16 kilometres (10 miles) northwest of Baghdad.
Though sectarian violence has been down in recent weeks, continuous attacks reinforce the obstacles to US goals ahead of a report to Congress by Petraeus and US Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
The two are to attending hearings starting on Monday on progress in Iraq since the introduction of 30-thousand more American troops, including whether advances are being made towards national reconciliation amid improved security conditions.
Farris said that certain initiatives were in place to provide a local community guard force which would protect local infrastructure such as clinics, gas, petrol stations and some access points.
These initiatives had already proved successful in Anbar province with Sunni leaders, Farris said.
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