“Additionally, as you all appreciate very well, innumerable tasks remain and much hard work lies ahead,” said Petraeus, who has communicated with the troops through letters previously. “We are, in short, a long way from the goal line, but we do have the ball and we are driving down the field.”

Petraeus praised the troops for having killed thousands of members of al Qaeda in Iraq and other militia forces.

The general also echoed remarks from President Bush, who has touted reconciliation at the local level. Petraeus noted that local leaders are stepping forward in opposition to extremists.

“This is very significant because, as many of you know firsthand, extremists cannot survive without the support of the population,” he added.

Petraeus acknowledged that political progress on a national level “has not worked out as we had hoped,” noting that one of the reasons to send more troops to Iraq had been to give the government breathing room to pass laws that are deemed crucial to stabilize the country.

The general promised the troops that he would go to Washington and report on the situation in Iraq “conscious of the strain on our forces, the sacrifices that you and your families are making, the gains we have made in Iraq, the challenges that remain, and the importance of building on what we and our Iraqi counterparts have fought so hard to achieve.”