1.0link82846<![CDATA[Top Marine In Iraq Warily Optimistic About Anbar Province, Critical Of Post-Invasion Planning]]>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/23/top-marine-in-iraq-warily_n_82846.htmlAs he prepares to leave Iraq after a year as the top Marine, Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin is upbeat about the future of Anbar province but candid about U.S. mistakes made in the early years of the war that allowed the insurgency to grow.
U.S. officials created a "perfect storm" after the March 2003 invasion that allowed the insurgency to attract recruits, Gaskin said in interviews here this week. He listed the top three mistakes: disbanding the Iraqi army, banning...