of course, this goes against all evidence

U.S. envoy: Troops holding down violence

BAGHDAD - Washington's top diplomat in Iraq said Thursday that increased U.S. troop strength had brought down violence, but it was impossible to rush political reconciliation or to predict when conditions would allow the United States to begin reducing its involvement.

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So why have we heard that we have had the most violent months ever since the "surge" began?
Basically, they are just saying "trust us, it's getting better, even though you can't see it, but it's going to take a long time still".
In other words, the same old story once again...