The '''troop surge''' in [[Iraq]] increased the US military presence there and "drastically reduced violence and helped the Iraqi government take control of about half the country's 18 provinces." [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/apr/09/petraeus-warns-of-iraq-backslide/] | The '''troop surge''' in [[Iraq]] increased the US military presence there and "drastically reduced violence and helped the Iraqi government take control of about half the country's 18 provinces." [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/apr/09/petraeus-warns-of-iraq-backslide/] |