Surge protection

Iraq: A new commander and thousands of new U.S. troops begin one of the most critical operations of the war | Jamie Dean

Inside one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, now in the American-controlled Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraqi Lt. Gen. Abboud Gambar is preparing for a monumental task: taking control of a war-torn capital that has become one of the most dangerous places in the world.

The Iraqi general, of course, isn't alone. Gen. David Petraeus, the newly appointed commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, arrived in Baghdad last week, and thousands of additional U.S. soldiers have poured into the country as part of President Bush's troop surge to bolster the Iraqi military for one of the most critical operations of the war.

Less than a month after the president announced his plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq to quell the sectarian violence dominating Baghdad, signs of an impending security crackdown showed: Early this month, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers set up additional checkpoints around the city and beefed up patrols in insurgent strongholds.