with the lowest number of voters to the highest in the country, schools and businesses reopened and the population transitioned back to living a normal life as possible. After the battle, McMaster positioned his troops 29 combat outposts throughout the city to hold the cleared areas, from these outposts they saturated Iraqi neighbourhoods with patrols, once civilians returned to the city, the use of force was minimized. 2nd Battalion 325th Infantry Regiment did not kill any civilians which won the appreciation of the locals; building intelligence on insurgents was made easier with the cooperation of the Shia minority in the city. Similarly McMaster could recruit a police force because the Shia were willing to serve, whereas Sunnis considered the Iraqi Army and police to be their enemy. The operation was considered one of the first successful counterinsurgency operations of the war and President George W. Bush remarked that "the story of Tal Afar gives me confidence in our strategy, because in that city we see the outlines of Iraq we've been fighting for." References Battles of the Iraq War in 2005 Battles of the Iraq War involving the United States Battles of the Iraq War involving Iraq Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011) September 2005 events in Iraq