Mosul, one time U.S. success story, turns ugly

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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC231153.htm

BAGHDAD, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Mosul, the city that once ranked as the U.S. military's greatest success story in Iraq, has become the scene of its heaviest setback following the death of 18 Americans in a mess hall explosion.

What began as a slow drift towards disorder, after months of stability immediately following the war to oust Saddam Hussein, has in the past two months turned into a spiral towards chaos as insurgents have unleashed a full-blooded offensive.

U.S. commanders have admitted they are concerned, but have found it difficult to pin down what has caused the slide away from prospects that looked so rosy 18 months ago.

Back then, Major General David Petraeus, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division, was hailed as a visionary for his handling of Mosul's transition from a bastion of support for Saddam's regime to a city of calm under U.S. occupation.

A visiting U.S. congressman was so impressed by Petraeus, who has since been promoted to lieutenant general and put in charge of building Iraq's security forces, that he said he should write the book on nation building.

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