MOSUL, Iraq — Just weeks after being under siege from Al Qaeda insurgents, residents of Mosul are enjoying a newfound sense of security as Iraqi forces bring stability to the country's third largest city.
With Iraqi soldiers and police filling the streets, shopkeepers have opened their doors without fear of being targeted by insurgents. Commerce is back. Many locals say the city is much safer than it was just three months ago.
"There used to be shootings, and children could not go outside," a resident told FOX News early this month, holding the hands of his two young sons. "It was difficult — we could not move around. But now it's better."
Iraqi security forces, with the help of the U.S. military, have launched sweeping operations against Al Qaeda in Mosul, which is considered the insurgent group's last major urban stronghold.
Recently, Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, the Iraqi army commander in Nineveh province, declared the offensive — dubbed Operation Lion's Roar — a success, saying insurgents will not return to the area now that the Iraqi Army has taken control.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,370262,00.html
