At the same time, U.S. troops have stationed artillery on the city's outskirts, placed quick-reaction forces in the surrounding desert, put snipers on rooftops and conducted frequent raids of area homes.
"The shooting is easy; the hard part is understanding and fighting the fight you're in," Sinclair said.
Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, called the process "full-spectrum operations," a type of combat that combines urban warfare with community-based rebuilding. "We are working to engage people, to forge relationships with people, to change their attitudes and give them an alternative to the insurgency," Batiste said. "We're not the occupiers here; we're part of the solution. It's a very delicate line we walk."
The city's police chief, who asked not to be identified because he is afraid of being killed by insurgents, said things have been going generally well in Tikrit because people have joined together to support peace. Between sips of chai tea Sunday, he told U.S. troops visiting his office that informants had told him the insurgents launching attacks in Tikrit -- which as of Sunday had been minor -- might have been recently released from prison.
"We will take care of them," the chief said.
Patrolling downtown Sunday, Capt. Aaron Coombs, 31, of Addison, N.Y., said much progress had been made because the people of Tikrit appeared ready to take responsibility for their community. Youth organizations are thriving, police stations are being constructed and, most important, he said, citizens believe things are improving. That, he said, is akin to a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"The insurgents are looking for the path of least resistance, so we make it difficult for them here," Coombs said, adding that many of the attacks had been directed against Iraqi forces and not U.S. soldiers. "They know this is a city they can't come to without problems."
Sinclair, speaking before Tuesday's attacks, said he wanted to remove the war from the daily lives of Tikrit's residents by picking up concertina wire off the streets, promptly removing attack debris before residents knew insurgents had struck and controlling the flow of information.
"It's not as simple as pulling a trigger or going out and patrolling," Sinclair said. "You have to engage the people, you have to get into the community. My number one goal has been to keep Tikrit out of the news."
