Iraqi gov't: New intel. gives us the upper hand

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Documents and computer records seized after the raid on Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's hideout have given the Iraqi government the upper hand in its fight against al-Qaida in Iraq, the national security adviser said Thursday. National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie also estimated that a large number of US-led forces will leave Iraq by the end of this year, and a majority will be gone by the end of next year. "And maybe the last soldier will leave Iraq by mid 2008," he said. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, pressed forward with his carrot and stick approach of cracking down on violence in Baghdad while promoting national reconciliation with those willing to cooperate with the political process as Iraqis endured a second day of checkpoints and traffic jams.