From what I remember what was critical in 'winning the war' in Iraq was the Sunni awakening when the military agreed to let local tribes take care of business i

From what I remember what was critical in 'winning the war' in Iraq was the Sunni awakening when the military agreed to let local tribes take care of business in exchange for political power because they were tired of being murdered by foreign militants and sheltering them out of fear. In a few weeks Anbar province was totally cleared out using on the ground regular intel no flashy space camera.