Iraq's wild west a constant thorn for U.S. troops

By Luke Baker

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - When it comes to peace and stability in Iraq, there may be no greater obstacle to success than Anbar province, a vast region of desert and scrubland stretching west from Baghdad.

A huge sandy expanse dissected by a major highway, an oil pipeline and the Euphrates river, Anbar has been the bane of U.S. forces almost since they arrived, with its Sunni Arab people virulently opposed to the presence of foreign troops.

Despite a small, tribal population, the lawless province is the deadliest in Iraq and the heart of the insurgency hammering at the country.

Of the 1,630 U.S. troops who have died since the war began, more than 500 have lost their lives in Anbar, a higher toll than in any other area of the country, according to icasualties.org, a Web site that tracks military deaths.

The province, which includes the cities of Falluja and Ramadi, a stronghold of the Sunni Arab-led insurgency, is so dangerous that no journalists venture there unless escorted by U.S. forces. Even many Iraqis are too scared to go.

Masked insurgents frequently parade through the streets of Ramadi, and other towns in the Euphrates valley, showing off rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles.

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