Counterinsurgency Takes Center Stage in Iraq ; as Part of the 'Surge,' US and Iraqi Troops Are Likely to Be Spread among 30 or 40 'Miniforts' within Baghdad

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When Col. Ralph Baker commanded an Army brigade combat team responsible for a volatile area of Baghdad, he found that one of his most effective weapons was the handbill.

That's right, handbills. Fliers. Paper. In the United States, they're generally toss-aways, ads for hair salons or Chinese food. In Iraq, they can be an important way to disseminate information.

In Baker's unit - the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Armored Division - every mounted patrol carried standard handbills at all times. They passed out polite ones that apologized for any inconvenience during routine house-to-house searches. They distributed condemnatory ones in affected neighborhoods …