Some pictures.

http://www.longwarjournal.org/multimedia/Rusafa-SOI/index.html

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/05/patrolling_the_shorj.php

Follow the link for the full article. Good one about the possibility of the Sons of Iraq becoming corrupt like the Mahdi Army did.

Quote :

"Improved security and cross-sectarian cooperation Since the improvement in security, central Baghdad has regained a sense of normalcy. Aside from the legion of security personnel bristling with weapons and ubiquitous concrete barriers, portions of the capital bustle and hum with an energy common to all big cities. At the market, children played in the streets while adults shopped, ate, and socialized over chai. The Sons of Iraq moved easily among them and seemed well-received by the locals. The southern Rusafa District has undergone an especially dramatic social transformation since the height of the sectarian bloodletting in 2006. The predominantly Shia Abu Saifan area near the market borders a Sunni enclave called Al Fahdel. When al Qaeda bombings and Mahdi Army death squads were in full force, the two neighborhoods became warring camps -- extremists had dragged regular citizens into a deadly struggle over sectarian identity. After US troops surged and the Al Fahdel area “Awakened” to drive out al Qaeda, leaders from the two communities met to discuss joint efforts to end sectarian conflict and establish security. The successful negotiations were “literally” marked by “dancing in the streets,” according to Colonel Craig Collier, the commander of the 3-89 Cav. Now both Shia and Sunni Sons of Iraq coordinate efforts to root out remaining al Qaeda and Mahdi Special Groups from the area. “It’s exactly the type of cross-sectarian story you want to see,” said Collier. “The Shia Sons of Iraq will chase JAM [Mahdi Army] into the Al Fahdel area, and the Sunni [Sons of Iraq] will roll them up.” "

5/13/2008 10:58:01 AM

Interesting view of the American elections from a kurd teacher.

http://thinkprogress.org/attackerman/2008/05/12/bilalontheelection/#more-726

Quote :

"I Said, This Ain’t No Mecca, Man…» Earlier today, I was IMing with my friend Bilal, who lives in Iraqi Kurdistan. The conversation turned to the presidential election, and we sort of bounced questions off of each other. Despite being ridiculously young, Bilal teaches English and foreign policy at Irbil’s Salahuddin University, and he said a number of his students had similar thoughts. On the assumption that what foreigners have to say about our elections should matter somewhat in our decisionmaking, here’s the Attackerman version of Crappy Hour. Bilal Wahab 8:45 you see McCain is the only one I understand from afar Spencer Ackerman 8:46 because of his Iraq position? Bilal Wahab 8:46 yes Spencer Ackerman 8:46 what do you think about him Bilal Wahab 8:46 we simpoly know it is more of the same, and the same we know Spencer Ackerman 8:46 right Bilal Wahab 8:47 I have not developed opinions, but he is the one whose foreign policy I understand a bit. and all I have made out of Clinton and Obama about Iraq is “run”. they differ on how fast! Spencer Ackerman 8:47 and that worries you? Bilal Wahab 8:47 and you bet that is troubling. it does. Spencer Ackerman 8:48 is “the same” reassuring? or just familiar? Bilal Wahab 8:48 familiar. There is nothing reassuring about McCain but it is terrritory we know. With Clinton and Obama, they are a bit sheepish about Iraq Bilal Wahab 8:49 or they don’t speak a language we understand here Spencer Ackerman 8:49 what’s that language? Bilal Wahab 8:49 very domestic oriented language and Iraq and Middle Eastern politics are very complicated for Obama to try to learn and get hold of now Spencer Ackerman 8:50 you don’t think he has a grasp on any of it? you sounded somewhat sympathetic to him earlier Bilal Wahab 8:50 It does not come out I am sympathetic, and applauding, to American democracy I mean way to go in half a century for a country we have 17 years of Kurdish rule and we still call our gov a “crawling babay baby and if Obama gives America backa hope, I am glad for that too, becasue I saw much hopelessness when i was last there Spencer Ackerman 8:52 yeah for real Bilal Wahab 8:52 if Americans are reassured, it is good for Iraq. the fear of cut and run is devastating though Bilal Wahab 8:54 I was teaching a class of Foreign policy and the poli sci department Spencer Ackerman 8:54 at salahuddin u? Bilal Wahab 8:54 and again my styudents didnt make much sense of the elections and the standing of the democractic candidates yes Spencer Ackerman 8:55 what were they saying? Bilal Wahab 8:58 it is what they were not sayig Spencer Ackerman 8:58 oh tell me what they WERENT saying Bilal Wahab 8:59 my point is that Obama and Clinton are not clear on Iraq, at least from here Spencer Ackerman 8:59 you think they’re saying “end the war, but not immediately”? or …? or just not thinking about what comes after withdrawal? Bilal Wahab 9:00 more of the latter. But people fill in teh blanks… “America can’t be taht stupid” Spencer Ackerman 9:00 hahahaha sorry to say but YES WE CAN Bilal Wahab 9:00 so Kurds have more confidence in American presence that Americans do Spencer Ackerman 9:00 have you noticed what a great job we’ve done with the occupation? Bilal Wahab 9:01 tell me about it Bilal Wahab 9:01 you should have contracted out to some other country, like almost everything else Spencer Ackerman 9:01 we sort of have contracted it out TO IRAN Bilal Wahab 9:01 I was supposed to be aksing questions RIGHT lol "

5/13/2008 12:51:48 PM

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/gwot/iraq/

Now, the main reason this is worth posting is that it can show you a couple things. Democrats might actually want failure, which I find disturbing. (Pelosi to me is a psycho. Just seems that way)

Another thing that alarms me is that there were plenty of reports a week in advance of these statements about Basra that were being reported VIA sites that I find, and others. But, it seems that information doesn’t reach (or isnt listened to) the ears of these people.

Question, if they do not look for new sources, do they believe, say the NY times regardless of the accuracy of the reporting?

Quote :

"Dem Defeatism on Basra In light of today's New York Times story on the success in Basra ("In a rare success, forces loyal to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki have largely quieted the city, to the initial surprise and growing delight of many inhabitants who only a month ago shuddered under deadly clashes between Iraqi troops and Shiite militias."), a little trip down defeatist lane: "I hope we don't hear any glorification of what happened in Basra,” House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 4/3/08. [I guess the NYT didn’t get the memo.] "Prime Minister Maliki's action in Basra once again demonstrated Prime Minister Maliki's incompetence." Senator Carl Levin, 4/9/08 "It is my understanding… that really Sadr won politically in terms of the confrontation in Basra." Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri, 4/8/08 "On the operation in Basra, which I continue to think was a very ill-thought out enterprise. This was not a broad-based enterprise against militias… And nor was it narrowly focused on the so-called special groups. It was -- let's call it what is was: It was another step in an internal Shiite civil war." Robert Malley, 4/8/08 Robert Malley, of course, was an Obama adviser at the time of that statement, though he was recently relieved of his campaign duties when it became clear that he'd been holding meetings with members of Hamas (organizing the endorsement?). One wonders, though, if this is the kind of analysis Obama will be relying on in order to make military decisions as commander in chief. As for our fearless Democratic Congressmen, what a disgrace. "

It scares the crap out of me that I might know more about Iraq than they do....

[Edited on May 13, 2008 at 1:20 PM. Reason : hfg]

5/13/2008 1:19:53 PM

FUNNY TIME!

Quote :

"May 13, 2008 The Jawa Report: Radio Edition, Now With 100% Less Teh Ghey *sticky* Join us tonight at 9 EDT, 8 CDT. Brad Thor will be sitting in for the vacationing Dr. Rusty Whatshisname."

http://minx.cc/?post=262301

5/13/2008 6:57:54 PM

Quote :

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE No. 20080513-03 May 13, 2008 Operation Charge of Knights enters new phase in al Qurnah Multi-National Corps - Iraq BASRA, Iraq – Operation Sawlat al-Fursan, or Charge of the Knights, entered a new phase of operations in al Qurnah, May 13. The operation, which began March 24 in Basra, continues the process of targeting criminal elements by the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Security Forces as strongholds previously dominated by criminal militias fall. The complex combined operation has integrated elements of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Security Force with air and ground support of Coalition forces. Taking the lead in this combined planning effort, the IA has demonstrated operational as well as logistical planning expertise. The 70-kilometer move north to al Qurnah validates the Iraqi Army’s ability not only to maneuver tactically over long distances, but to sustain their operations over distances. United Kingdom and U.S. Military Transition Teams remain embedded with their ISF counterparts to enable the application of Coalition assets. One hundred thousand leaflets were dropped in the area encouraging the populace of al Qurnah to work together to ensure a successful future. As operations continue, ISF and IA elements are providing humanitarian aid, medical service clinics and school supply distribution throughout Basra. In a recent medical clinic visit, more than 120 Iraqis received treatment and care. "

5/14/2008 10:05:02 AM

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/05/14/maliki-visits-mosul/

Iraqis love a strong leader

And I must say, fuck, yes.

Quote :

"Maliki visits Mosulposted at 8:55 am on May 14, 2008 by Ed Morrissey Send to a Friend | printer-friendly When Nouri al-Maliki visited Basra, he launched a massive offensive against the Mahdi Army that eventually tore the city from the grasp of Moqtada al-Sadr. Today, Maliki visited Mosul for much the same reason, personally supervising the military offensive against the last bastion of al-Qaeda in Iraq. After the beheadings of almost a dozen police officers, the Iraqi Army appears poised to establish control across the entire nation: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited the northern city of Mosul on Wednesday to supervise a military offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq in its last major stronghold, regional Gov. Duraid Kashmola said. Maliki’s flight to northern Iraq mirrors a similar trip he took almost two months ago to the southern city of Basra, where government troops fought radical Shiite militias. That fighting spread to the Shiite slum of Sadr City in Baghdad, where a cease-fire to end those clashes was only reached on Monday. The offensive, called Lion’s Roar, is the latest effort by Iraqi and U.S. troops to clear al-Qaida fighters from Mosul, the nation’s third largest city. Troops began sweeping though the city’s neighborhoods last week. Mosul is considered the last important urban staging ground for al-Qaida in Iraq after losing its strongholds in Baghdad and other areas during the U.S. troop “surge” last year. American troops will support Iraqi forces when requested, the U.S. military has said. The terrorists crossed over from Syria to conduct the attacks in Mosul, escalating the tensions before the fighting begins in earnest. They have conducted each abduction individually, which indicates that their strength is low in Mosul, but that they intend on holding the city. Targeting police and police recruits attempts to terrorize local authorities into either submission or outright retreat, which would give AQI effective control of the area. Maliki’s presence sends a message to Iraqis in Mosul that the central government will not allow terrorists to create a state within a state. Having the leader of the elected government ride into Mosul at the head of a column of Iraqi soldiers gives AQI an answer to its terrorist attacks, which is that Iraq will not be terrorized into retreat. If Maliki can face down a native Shi’ite extremist like Sadr in Basra and Sadr City, he won’t get intimidated by a handful of foreign Sunni lunatics who kill more of their sectarian brethren than anyone else. Over the last six weeks, Maliki has staged an impressive show of statesmanship and command. He has used his resources daringly and adapted well to changing conditions and tactical setbacks to liberate large swaths of his country from militias and thugs. If he can crush AQI in Mosul in the near future, he may well set Iraq on a path of unity and strength that could barely be predicted at the end of 2006. Update: The Wall Street Journal rejects the American media’s Basra Narrative: When Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered a military offensive against rogue Shiite militias in March, it was widely panned as a failure that was one more reason the U.S. needed to abandon Iraqis to their own “civil war.” Well, several weeks later the battle for Basra and Baghdad against Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army looks to be both a military and political success. … However fitfully it began, the Basra campaign is a sign that Iraqis are in fact “standing up” for their own security. It is also a personal vindication for Mr. Maliki, who recognized to his credit that his government had to have a monopoly on violence in Shiite neighborhoods as much as in Sunni enclaves. In the last year we were told first that the surge was a military failure, and later that it was a military success but that Iraq’s political class had not lived up to its end of the bargain. In fact, just as surge supporters said, the Iraqis have become more confident and effective the more they have become convinced that the U.S. was not going to cut and run. "

5/14/2008 4:21:35 PM

http://www.longwarjournal.org/multimedia/Rusafa-Sadr-City/index.html

Some nice pictures in and around Sadr city.

5/15/2008 10:48:54 AM

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/bc0516mt.html

A better use of english then I am capable of, describing Yon's book.

Quote :

"Michael J. Totten The Real Iraq Michael Yon sees the country, and the war, without ideological blinders. 16 May 2008 Moment of Truth in Iraq, by Michael Yon (Richard Vigilante Books, 227 pp., $29.95) Iraq is where ideologies go to die. Arab nationalism, Baathism, anti-Americanism, al-Qaidism, Donald Rumsfeldism, and Moqtada al-Sadrism have either died there or are dying. Conventional liberal opinion, more or less correct about the foundering American war effort from 2004 to 2006, has been severely bloodied—along with Iraq’s worst insurgent groups and militias—by General David Petraeus’s leadership of the American troop surge. Even post-9/11 fear of Islam has proven unsustainable for those who regularly interact with ordinary Iraqis. Independent journalist Michael Yon, who has spent more time embedded with combat soldiers in Iraq than any other reporter, is a refreshingly unideological analyst of the war. His self-published dispatches have earned him a loyal following around the world, and he has set out to reach even more people with the publication of a terrific new book, Moment of Truth in Iraq. Yon begins his story in medias res. “We are in trouble, but we have a great general,” he writes on the eve of Arrowhead Ripper, the major battle last summer against al-Qaida’s terrorist army in Baqubah, just north of Baghdad. Iraq was all but lost before the battle, when American forces under Petraeus surged into the capital and beyond. Yon then takes us back in time and to the northern city of Mosul, where Petraeus first proved that he knew how to counter an insurgency by working with the local population and protecting it from killers. Yon spent many months in Mosul embedded with the 1-24th Infantry Regiment, or “Deuce Four,” and his first-person narrative of firefights in the city’s streets and alleys is relentless and gripping. Despite Petraeus’s early successes in Mosul, the city is now perhaps Iraq’s most violent. It slid back into chaos when the general’s strategy was discontinued after he completed his tour there and before he was appointed the commander of American forces in Iraq. There are no final battles in counterinsurgency warfare, as Yon makes clear, but if there were to be one in Iraq, it most likely would take place in Mosul. Much of Iraq has now been pacified—most famously and astonishingly in the formerly convulsive cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, as well as in Baqubah, most of Baghdad, and regions further south. Moment of Truth in Iraq isn’t the journalistic equivalent of a war movie, but parts of it could surely be used as the starting point for a screenplay. (Such a film might easily perform better at the box office than Hollywood’s string of gloomy, axe-grinding Iraq flicks have.) Still, Yon’s book isn’t just about explosions and carnage. It’s also about the new counterinsurgency strategy and, more important, the Americans and Iraqis who risk their lives to make it work. When Iraq was degenerating into its worst levels of violence, American soldiers spent too much time behind their bases’ walls, hoping to keep casualties to a minimum and to avoid being seen as occupiers by the Iraqis. Today, they live and work inside Iraq’s cities and neighborhoods, where they tend to be welcomed, if not as liberators then as protectors. Counterinsurgency is as much about nation building and community policing as it is about war making. “The American soldier is the most dangerous man in the world,” Yon writes, “and the Iraqis had to learn that before they would trust or respect us. But it was when they understood that these great-hearted warriors, who so enjoyed killing the enemy, are even happier helping to build a school or to make a neighborhood safe that we really got their attention.” Images of the despicable abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib have become iconic for many around the world. But anyone who has spent significant time with American troops in Iraq, as I have, will recognize the truth in Yon’s descriptions of U.S. soldiers as usually decent and caring. “There are lots of kitchen accidents in Iraq,” he points out. “Kids get burned. American soldiers can’t take it when they see a kid get burned. If they are in the neighborhood on a mission and they see a burned kid, they will cancel the mission to get the kid to an American aid station, which, technically they shouldn’t be doing.” Yon is a former Special Forces soldier, and his affection for the grunts in the field is palpable. He takes their honor, courage, duty, and sacrifice seriously in a way that most journalists don’t—and perhaps can’t. At heart, he is as much a soldier as a reporter, but he is neither a propagandist for the U.S. military nor a mouthpiece for its public affairs officers. He nearly got himself thrown out of Iraq for an article in The Weekly Standard challenging some top-level brass for trying to censor media coverage. And he calls out both officers in the field and pundits back home who refuse to admit that all has not always gone according to plan. “Combat soldiers have little patience for less than unvarnished truth,” he writes. “That’s why I spend so much time with infantry.” Nothing makes a mockery of party lines and spin from air-conditioned offices quite like facing snipers, ambushes, and improvised explosive devices in 135-degree heat. Reality is more real in Iraq than almost anywhere else. But in distant places like Washington, eight time zones away, Iraq is more of an abstraction. There is a left-wing Iraq and a right-wing Iraq, and they only vaguely and occasionally resemble the actual place. Yon will have none of either, which may be why no reporter who has covered the conflict—from any country or for any newspaper or magazine—has managed to convey the truth with such blistering accuracy. “Happy news for the Left was that U.S. soldiers were demoralized and the war was being lost,” he writes. “Happy news for the Right was that there was no insurgency, then no civil war; we always had enough troops, and we were winning hands-down, except for the left-wing lunatics who were trying to unravel it all. They say heroin addicts are happy, too, when they are out of touch with reality.” Iraq is a tragic, unhappy, and often disturbing place, but it’s less sinister and frightening up close than it is from a distance. That’s because it’s a country striving for normality, whose normal aspects rarely make their way into media reports that highlight violence, mayhem, and failure. On TV, Iraq looks like a nation of masked, gun-toting fanatics, but in person, one finds friendliness, solidarity, and reasonableness amid the chaos. “Just because Iraqis have ‘Allahu Akbar’ on their flag,” Yon writes, “doesn’t mean they’re going to blow up the World Trade Center any more than ‘In God We Trust’ means we’re going to attack Communist China.” “Iraq does not hate America,” he insists. “If they hated us, I’d be urging an immediate troop withdrawal, because there would be no hope of winning this war. If the Iraqis hated us, we would be fighting the Iraqi Police and the Iraqi Army. Instead, we’re fighting alongside them.” Yon convincingly argues that the U.S. is winning in Iraq, at least for the moment. “The enemy learned that our people and the Iraqi forces would close in and kill them if they dared stand their ground. This is important: an enemy forced to choose between dying or hiding inevitably loses legitimacy. Legitimacy is essential. Men who must always either run or die are no longer an army and are not going to found a caliphate.” The outcome, though, is still in doubt. If Petraeus’s surge strategy fails or is prematurely short-circuited by Congress, the American and Iraqi forces will almost certainly lose. “Maybe creating a powerful democracy in the Middle East was a foolish reason to go to war,” Yon concludes. “Maybe it was never the reason we went to war. But it is within our grasp now and nearly all the hardest work has been done.” Which makes the present moment the moment of truth in Iraq. Michael J. Totten is a blogger and independent journalist who has made five trips to Iraq. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications. The Week named him Blogger of the Year in 2007 for his dispatches from the Middle East. "

[Edited on May 16, 2008 at 10:13 AM. Reason : b]

5/16/2008 10:08:32 AM

good reads as always BEU


it shames me to see the media throw a near 100% negative spotlight on the war in such a way as it always does. of course it comes as no suprise.

one only needs to speak in person with a soldier who has served a tour of duty and see why most of them would easily sign up for 2nd or 3rd tour.

5/16/2008 10:21:35 AM

http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/192765.php

I havent actually watched this video due to work. But here is the direct link. Will watch it later.

Iraqi explains his fate in the American election.

5/16/2008 4:08:27 PM

^ok I watched that video. Whoever the fuck made it gave no evidence he/she was an Iraqi citizen. Though some of the points are correct, there is no way to tell where it came from.

[Edited on May 16, 2008 at 4:44 PM. Reason : sfd]

5/16/2008 4:43:38 PM

Over 1000 suspects have been arrested in mosul during this latest operation.

This whole thing is going just the way I thought it would. Exxxxxxcelleeeeent


http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/05/operation_lions_roar.php

Quote :

"Operation Lion's Roar nets more than 1,000 suspects By Bill RoggioMay 16, 2008 9:47 PM With the Mahdi Army subdued in Basra and a cease-fire under way with the Sadrist movement in Sadr City in Baghdad, the focus of the Iraqi government has shifted to the northern city of Mosul, where al Qaeda maintains its last urban stronghold. On May 10, the Iraqi security forces launched Operation Lion's Roar in an effort to roll back al Qaeda and allied Sunni insurgent groups. Al Qaeda in Iraq's last major ratline into Syria spans westward from Mosul into Tal Afar and the crossing point at Sinjar. The terror group is waging a brutal campaign to prevent the Iraqi Army and US forces from securing the province and to keep their supply lines to Syria open. The Iraqi security forces started the operation by declaring a curfew in the province and conducting operations to round up wanted terrorists. In the six days since the operation began, Iraqi forces detained 1,068 suspects, according to General Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, the commander of the Ninewa Operational Command. Of those captured, "just under 200" Tier 1 and Tier 2 al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq operatives have been detained, said Major General Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North said during a briefing on May 15. "There have been some very big fishes caught," Hertling said. Tier 1 operatives are operational leaders. Tier 2 operatives are foreign fighters or weapons facilitators, bomb makers, and cell leaders. US and Iraqi forces have killed or captured several key al Qaeda leaders in Mosul over the past several months. Fourteen of the top 30 al Qaeda operatives who have been killed or captured in the past three months were al Qaeda leaders in Mosul, including three al Qaeda leaders from Saudi Arabia. The release of captive terrorists and insurgents has been a problem in Mosul and elsewhere in Iraq. US military officers have complained that the Iraqi courts are ill-equipped to deal with captured suspects, as judges are bribed or intimidated to released detainees known to have conducted attacks. Or some judges are corrupt. "The bad judges here make it difficult to keep them in," Lieutenant Colonel Eric Price, the leader of the 8th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division’s Military Transition Team told The Long War Journal. Only 57 detainees have been released in Mosul since the operation began. To counter the problems with the courts, the Ninewa Operational Command has established a special court. "Detainees will go from brigade to division and then to the NOC [Ninewa Operational Command] instead of the Iraqi Police (the usual route)," Price said. "Maybe, that will make the difference here." The Iraqi government is also providing an opportunity for members of the insurgency to lay down their weapons. "We have decided to grant clemency to members of armed groups in return for handing over their medium and heavy weapons to the security agencies or tribal chiefs in their areas within a period of 10 days," said Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki. The prime minister flew to Mosul on May 14 to personally direct operations in the northern city. The Sahwa, or Awakening, forces in Ninewa are beginning to mobilize in the province. Fawaz al Jarba, the leader of the Mosul Sahwa Council, said more than 11,000 tribal fighters were prepared to assist the security forces during Lion's Roar. The Iraqi government declined the offer of the Awakening forces to operate inside Mosul but welcomed their participation in the rural areas where security forces are thin. The Iraqi and US military have resisted the formation of the Awakening inside Mosul because of the ethnic makeup of the city."

5/17/2008 9:21:15 AM

Great thread Beu

5/17/2008 10:26:53 AM

If Iraq is going to be a big part of this election, I am curious if any real information will reach the voters.

Because it takes a lot of effort to convey how drastic the change is.

5/17/2008 8:23:15 PM

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=79616&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Quote :

" Sadr City residents start receiving urgent services – spokesman Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Sunday , 18 /05 /2008 Time 10:12:32 Baghdad, May 18, (VOI) – The process to provide urgent services for local residents of the eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City started on Sunday morning thanks to stabilized security conditions, a security official said. "The Baghdad operations command had made a call via the mass media on Saturday to the service ministries of trade, electricity, oil, and education to provide services for the city residents," Maj. General Qassem Atta, the spokesman for the Fardh al-Qanoon (law imposing) security plan, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) on Sunday. Atta had told VOI on Saturday that removing landmines and explosive charges from the streets of Sadr City was the first step while the Baghdad operations would provide services to the inhabitants as of Sunday like maintenance of power lines, drinking water and sewage networks and health care. "The Baghdad operation is hopefully meeting on Sunday with official of Sadr office in the city for coordination on the services," Atta said. Sadr City, a stronghold of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militias, has been witnessing armed clashes since Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced in March the commencement of a security operation codenamed Saulat al-Forsan (Knights' Assault) in the port city of Basra, Iraq's second largest province and oil hub, 590 km south of Baghdad, which he said targeted "outlaws." Hundreds of Sadr supporters were killed or wounded in intense fighting. "

5/18/2008 3:14:41 PM

Here is something to make Monday morning go that much smoother.

http://talismangate.blogspot.com/2008/05/fascinating-jihadists-admit-defeat-in.html

Charts are below

Fascinating: The Jihadists Admit Defeat in Iraq

Quote :

"A prolific jihadist sympathizer has posted an ‘explosive’ study on one of the main jihadist websites in which he laments the dire situation that the mujaheddin find themselves in Iraq by citing the steep drop in the number of insurgent operations conducted by the various jihadist groups, most notably Al-Qaeda’s 94 percent decline in operational ability over the last 12 months when only a year and half ago Al-Qaeda accounted for 60 percent of all jihadist activity! The author, writing under the pseudonym ‘Dir’a limen wehhed’ [‘A Shield for the Monotheist’], posted his ‘Brief Study on the Consequences of the Division [Among] the [Jihadist] Groups on the Cause of Jihad in Iraq’ on May 12 and it is being displayed by the administration of the Al-Ekhlaas website—one of Al-Qaeda’s chief media outlets—among its more prominent recent posts. He's considered one of Al-Ekhlaas's "esteemed" writers. The author tallies up and compares the numbers of operations claimed by each insurgent group under four categories: a year and half ago (November 2006), a year ago (May 2007), six months ago (November 2007) and now (May 2008). He demonstrated that while Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq could claim 334 operations in Nov. 06 and 292 in May 07, their violent output dropped to 25 in Nov. 07 and 16 so far in May 08. Keep in mind that these assessments are based on Al-Qaeda's own numbers. The author also shows that similar steep drops were exhibited by other jihadist groups, and he neatly puts it all together in these two charts: I don’t have the time to translate these charts right now, or translate the analysis he provides, but I wanted to share this with you immediately because it is a stunning and unprecedented admission of defeat! Back in March 2007, I predicted as much in a column titled Jihadist Meltdown, and I wrote the following: • The Al Qaeda-led Islamic State of Iraq orchestrates 60% of the actions, including most of the spectacular mass murders of civilians and military engagements with the American military. Most of the rank and file is Iraqi as is al-Baghdadi himself, but foreign nationals are better represented in the leadership. • Other jihadist groups such as Ansar al-Sunna, the Islamic Army of Iraq, the Mujaheddin Army, and the 1920 Revolt Brigades, most of which are Iraqi organizations with longstanding Salafist roots, conduct 30% of the operations. • Various Iraqi Baathist factions orchestrate 10%. I go on to describe why I thought that this defeat was inevitable: This sense that they were running out of time compelled Al Qaeda to take a bold initiative of declaring the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq four months back, appointing the hitherto unknown Abu Omar al-Baghdadi as its head. This was no propaganda stunt for Al Qaeda. This was the real thing: the nucleus state for the caliphate, with al-Baghdadi as the candidate caliph. But this was a fatal strategic mistake for Al Qaeda, a mistake that threatens to pull down all the other jihadist insurgent groups along with it. Al Qaeda tried to leap over reality, but it was a leap into the abyss of uncertainty. Trying to pick a caliph is fraught with historical and judicial complications since there is no historical precedent — not even from the time of the Prophet Muhammad — that would serve for an uncontroversial transfer of power. It is one of the most delicate ideological matters among jihadists, a matter so sensitive that most of them have decided to leave it aside for the time being lest it result in splintering off dissenters. But Zarqawi's successors, who inherited the leadership after his death last June and who are, for the most part, rash young ideologues who consider themselves the avant-garde of contemporary radical Islamism, felt that the doddering old guard of Al Qaeda — aged and increasingly inconsequential has-beens such as Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri — would never summon the nerve to force the issue of the caliphate and get it going. So they rushed into action, and it has exploded in their faces, since no other groups seem enthused to join them in this risky venture. This mistake has huge implications for the Iraqi insurgency since Al Qaeda accounts for most of it, and its strategic and ideological failure can quickly be turned into a battlefield rout Furthermore, I want to point out something even more critical: this defeat is not only a tactical one for the jihadists; this defeat is strategic in essence since it snuffs out their dream of resurrecting the caliphate, the raison d’être of modern jihad. In case there are naysayers out there who’d question the Islamic State of Iraq’s relevance to the caliphate, then I’d like to direct them to a 101 page edict published by the ISI under the title ‘Informing the People About the Birth of the State of Islam’ that they put out during January 2007. The ISI legitimates itself by the same premises that the classical theorists of the caliphate (Juweini, Mawardi...etc.) set down for picking a caliph in medieval times. Then a month later, the 'Global Islamic Media Front' republished a 1987 Master’s thesis that further expands on these points and adds the one about the necessity of a Qurayshi ancestry for the would-be caliph—as is claimed by the head of ISI, Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, for himself. Numerous works have also been added to bolster the argument that al-Baghdadi’s ‘election’ followed the precepts mandated for a caliph: clearly the title of ‘Prince of the Faithful’ that was bestowed on him had a whole different, more profound implication than the identical one awarded to Mullah Omar, an ethnic Pashtun and non-Qurayshi, during the Taliban days. Thus, not only is America defeating Al-Qaeda militarily in Iraq but it is also squashing the grand jihadist vision for a caliphate that the Islamic State of Iraq stood for. This point is critical: in this ideological war, victory can only come about when the ideology of the opponent is negated and proven unworkable. The fight in Iraq is doing just that. I’m not saying that the jihadists won’t keep trying to find a workable formula for the caliphate elsewhere, but for now they have been dealt a severe demoralizing blow. Put that in your pipe and smoke it all ye calling for a hasty withdrawal."

[Edited on May 18, 2008 at 8:21 PM. Reason : fsd]

5/18/2008 8:07:35 PM

Must suck to be Sadr

Quote :

"Moqtada al-Sadr Under Arrest In Iran? Published by AJStrata at 2:51 pm under All General Discussions Some rumors are running around Iraq that Moqtada al-Sadr is actually under house arrest in Qom Iran: Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr is present in the Iranian city of Qom, Asmaa al Mousawi, leading member of the Al Sadr political bloc in Iraq, told Asharq Al-Awsat, “We can neither confirm nor deny this information and we cannot discuss the whereabouts of Sayyed Muqtada al Sadr for security reasons.”A reliable Iraqi source based in Qom told Asharq Al-Awsat Friday, “Al Sadr is held in a house affiliated to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. He is isolated from others; nobody is allowed to see him and he is not permitted to leave the house.” The source added, “Only a very small number of people, who I can count on the fingers of one hand, are allowed to see him.” The source, a student of Islamic jurisprudence [Fiqh] at the Qom Hawza said, “Muqtada al Sadr’s phone number had been given to a small number of his close associates however this number has been cut off completely.” The source, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity for security reasons, indicated that “Over three weeks ago, al Sadr had returned to Iraq and was secretly staying with an associate in Najaf but he quickly returned to Qom when the Iraqi government intensified [the offensives] on the Sadrist current and the Mehdi Army.” Interesting. Now why would Iran be trying control Sadr? Is it he has been a bit too much of a lose cannon recently? "

5/19/2008 11:06:50 AM

Very encouraging,

http://waronterrornews.typepad.com/home/

And a good website I found today me thinks.

Quote :

"FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — “Democracy is a new thing in Iraq,” said Sadi Kalif, the newly elected chairman of the South Rasheed Community Council. “When Saddam was in power, there were no elections. They just pointed to a person and said ‘You are in charge’.” After years of war and terrorist activity from insurgents and al-Qaeda in Iraq, the citizens of this area south of Baghdad are learning to trust the path of democracy. They are also discovering the process begins not at the top, but in their own neighborhoods. Members of the South Rasheed Community Council met in Bejiya May 14, where they elected their new chairman and met with Coalition and Iraqi forces. Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, responsible for the area for the past year, introduced the council to the incoming Iraqi Army commander. Leaders on all sides acknowledged that progress in the area is only possible while strong security forces are in place. “Al-Qaeda occupied this area for three years,” Kalif said. “It was like the Dark Ages … We had two previous elections, but nobody showed up because of al-Qaeda. If someone participated in the elections, they might get killed.” This all began to change last year, Kalif said. Citizens in South Rasheed took notice of community councils formed by neighbors to the north in al-Buaytha. These councils worked with Coalition forces, in large part, to obtain basic services. “Nobody from the Iraqi government came to us to find out what was going on,” Kalif said. The Rasheed nahia, the local governing body, was similarly uninterested, he said. “When we defeated and expelled al-Qaeda, we were almost at square one,” said Capt. Neil Hollenbeck, commander of Company A, 1-30th Inf. Regt. Because of the infiltration of terrorists in the area, he said, government officials were either unwilling or unable to provide basic services. With the void left in their government, some citizens resorted to illegally tapping water from pumping stations and electricity from power lines. The community councils were formed as a way for citizens to receive those basic services, as well as health care and economic help, Hollenbeck said. First, however, citizens had to make their neighborhoods safe. “Security is the baseline,” Hollenbeck said. The main reason that Coalition forces were able to operate successfully in the area was the Sons of Iraq, a volunteer security force which keeps the roads in the region safe and discourages terrorists from returning. “We know al-Qaeda left because of the Sons of Iraq,” said Lt. Col. Kenneth Adgie, 1-30th Inf. Regt. commander. Appropriately, the site of the May 14 meeting was the headquarters of the local SoI, which Kalif also leads. After meeting with the council members, the incoming commander of the 6th Battalion, 25th Brigade, 6th IA Division, Lt. Col. Thaer Jaued, toured several SoI checkpoints in the area with Adgie and Kalif. Hollenbeck said he hoped the IA forces would have a similar relationship with the SoI as Coalition forces enjoyed. “The first thing [Jaued] did was listen to everyone,” Hollenbeck said. “He emphasized that the SoI will remain a security force and will work with the IA the same way as they work with Coalition forces. Based on what I saw at the meeting, I have great hope that they will work together very closely.” Kalif said the area’s citizens have been wary of Iraqi Security Forces in the past because Iraqi Police have arrested and detained people for possible ties to terrorism. “We need to rebuild the trust between the people and the Iraqi Army,” he said. Kalif, a former IA officer himself, was encouraged by his meeting with Jaued. “I told him that he should start by building trust with the people as the [Coalition forces] have done in this area,” Kalif said. “When the [Coalition forces] came, people were scared. But then they found the American Soldiers to be good people. Now any Soldier is welcome in any house in the area. I want Iraqi officers to do the same.” Until connections to the Government of Iraq are fully restored, Kalif said, the IA will have a vital role to play in the region. “One day the [Coalition forces] will leave and we need the Iraqi government to support us,” he said. Hollenbeck said IA will succeed in the area as long as they find creative ways to solve problems which persist in the community. “These are connections we’re trying to build with the Iraqi government, and maybe those Iraqi Army officers can do that more efficiently than we can,” Hollenbeck said. Hollenbeck was optimistic about the council’s chances for success. “It’s going better than I ever expected it to,” he said. “After what I saw today, there’s a much greater chance for the council to grow as a governing body.” As the new council chairman, Kalif has many challenges, but he is armed with ideas to address them. In addition to repairing infrastructure and encouraging business growth, he wants to secure funding for a new soccer field to provide youths will an alternative to violence. “Now I have many things on my shoulders,” he said. "

5/19/2008 1:28:15 PM

http://michaelyon-online.com/



I do dislike him

Quote :

"Many readers have complained that Michael Moore, in the conduct of his latest crusade against whatever he is against this month, has illegally used one of my photos on the banner of his website. Mr. Moore is not the first to have done so, and my readers can get pretty upset when it happens. My lawyer has demanded that Mr. Moore take it down. I usually freely grant use of my work to truthful, peaceful, non-commercial, non-political outlets. For instance, a church group wanted to use one of my photos for their congregation. I was honored and gave it to them freely. On another occasion, a peaceful, non-profit Islamic organization wanted to use the same photo that Michael Moore has infringed upon (Major Mark Bieger cradling a little girl named Farah), and I was honored to contribute to their peaceful cause. I’ve seen grandmothers use my work in technically illegal ways, but since they’re not a big company, they probably have no idea about copyright, and usually use the work in tasteful, appropriate ways, I just smile and say “Go ahead, Ma’am.” But frequently, big companies and individuals who are knowledgeable of copyright laws filch my work and use it in ways that many readers consider partisan, highly political or incendiary. When this happens, I usually go after the infringer, and so do my readers. Now here’s Michael Moore, the latest infringer, using my work for his own crude political purposes. I recall some years ago watching one of his movies in Paris, and thinking how sad it was that an American would make propaganda so flagrant that it seemed pornographic. It was sad but at the same time uplifting, because Mr. Moore was able to exercise his right to free speech, rights that should never be infringed upon. Mr. Moore is influential, rich, and could likely intimidate most photographers. But I ask my readers to please leave him be. Attacking him likely will be counterproductive. I know how to fight, and though I would fight for Mr. Moore’s right to free expression, I will fight against him if he steals my work and uses it in an inflammatory fashion. It’s got nothing to do with the fact that Michael Moore is anti-war (he’s not just against the Iraq War, but he was also against the war in Afghanistan). I respect Moore’s opposition to the Iraq War; I might even agree with him on some particulars. But I object to the tone of many of his arguments, especially the manner in which he uses my work to further his causes. As I said above, sometimes it seems pornographic. That’s a strong word, so I’ll explain. Justice Potter Stewart once defined pornography by saying, “I know it when I see it.” Pornography and propaganda are closely related, as they are both cynical attempts at manipulation, rooted in a lack of respect for humanity. War Porn is one of the more disturbing developments in the new media, as people on both sides of the Iraq War get their kicks watching video images of death and destruction – as long as it’s their opponents who get killed. Whether it’s an Al Qaeda cell-phone video of an IED attack or the grisly footage of a Coalition air strike, War Porn is degrading and incendiary. Of course, some footage is newsworthy and informative and the public deserves to see it. There is also great value to soldiers in watching footage for training purposes and to better understand battlefields and weapons. But at some point, especially when the material is used to make political points, images of combat can cross the line into pornography. People die in war, but we must never forget that each casualty is a human being, even people as deserving of death as Al Qaeda. Denying our opponents’ humanity, we lose a little of our own. When someone’s grandmother disseminates the photo of Major Beiger cradling a dying girl in his arms, I allow the usage because I feel she is trying to share the human tragedy. When Michael Moore puts that same photo on his web site, alongside images of George Bush, John McCain and Hillary Clinton, the clear implication is that Farah’s death is their fault. That is a misrepresentation of the facts on the ground, as well as the story of the photo. Farah was killed by a suicide car bomb in Mosul on May 2, 2005. Major Bieger and other soldiers literally risked their own lives to save many children and adults that day, but Farah didn’t make it. Michael Moore apparently does not understand – or refuses to acknowledge – the moral distinction between a man who would murder innocent people, and a man who would sacrifice himself to save them. The photo, as I took it, is the truth, but Moore uses it – illegally – to convey falsehoods. His mind is that of a political propagandist who sees Farah’s death not as a human tragedy, but a tool. A photograph can be a signal event in a war. Think of the flag raising at Iwo Jima, the naked Vietnamese girl fleeing her napalmed village, prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. These photos were not just important journalistically, but also strategically – each one literally shifted the course of a war. Photographs can be immensely powerful because they are single images, deep with meaning, able to resonate with disparate audiences, straight through language barriers, at an emotional, even visceral, level. A picture can tell a thousand words in a thousand languages, but placed in the wrong context, a photograph can be turned into propaganda, and the truth becomes a lie. We need to know the truth about the wars we are currently fighting. That’s why I went to Iraq in the first place. Sometimes the difference between War Porn and the truth can be subtle, ambiguous, even subjective. But I know it when I see it. And if Michael Moore learned to respect not just my work, but other aspects of the truth, not to mention respecting his audience’s intelligence, he would better serve his own cause. "

5/19/2008 2:22:28 PM

These are all radio shows about the following. You dont get this shit in chit chat.

Iraq, Iran, Sadr City, and the al Qaeda operatives killed in Afghanistan.

http://cdn1.libsyn.com/brettwinterble/CR51308.mp3?nvb=20080519232216&nva=20080520232216&t=0f34647f2b552c98d0d68

Ayatollah Khamani thoughts on Iran's nuclear program and the latest on Baluchi oppression.

http://cdn1.libsyn.com/brettwinterble/CovertRadio080516.mp3?nvb=20080519232405&nva=20080520232405&t=0d0a69be703bea8d8a655

May 16, 2008: Bill Roggio discusses the latest audio tape released by Osama bin Laden.

http://cdn4.libsyn.com/brettwinterble/CovertRadio080516FLASH.mp3?nvb=20080519232446&nva=20080520232446&t=0edb3b48280905cfc0948

May 19, 2008: Bill Roggio discusses Adam Gadahn's absence and Osama bin Laden' most recent tape.

http://cdn4.libsyn.com/brettwinterble/CR080519FLASH.mp3?nvb=20080519232518&nva=20080520232518&t=09b9e8293548cd97ae683

Enjoy

5/19/2008 7:25:35 PM

^ One of the most important pieces of info to get from those is that almost every Iraqi hates Iran.

For those that think the different factions of Iraqis cant come together over anything, Iran is that one thing.

But honestly, they don't need Iran for peace.

5/19/2008 7:59:48 PM

Sorry to post yet again about this.

I have learned more about Iran and Iraq from those interviews than half of the articles I post.

Must.Listen.Material for any discussion about the two.

5/19/2008 8:43:30 PM

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=2&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=62

Here are some pictures from Yon's lengthy time in Iraq

5/20/2008 9:30:18 PM

More good news.

The more experienced officers we can get in the IA the better.

Quote :

"By Ammar Imad Azzaman, May 20, 2008-05-20 The government has allowed more than 5,000 members of the former army which the U.S. had disbanded to return to service. The move comes as part of government efforts to deny rebels and the al-Qaeda group the means to use popular discontent as a means to raise recruits. It is the largest single batch of former army members to be allowed to return to service and it signals the government is finally keen to appease Arab Sunnis. The batch which includes many officers will certainly make the city notables among them tribal leaders happy. A Defence Ministry spokesman said the members “volunteered to join the armed forces” and that the government was pleased with the move. “The return of this large group of members and officers will boost the strength of the armed forces,” Lt. Gen. Mohammed al-Askari said. The move also indicates that the government campaign to pacify Mosul, one of the most restive cities in the country, has been going well. Analysts said the government in this campaign was not solely relying on military force but also trying to respond to popular demands for better services and new approach and policy. "

5/21/2008 12:53:03 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356981,00.html

Hey want to join al-Qaida! We blow up women! Come on down!

Quote :

" BAGHDAD — The number of daily attacks in Mosul has dropped at least 85 percent since U.S.-Iraqi forces began an offensive against Sunni insurgents in the city earlier this month, the top U.S. commander in northern Iraq said Wednesday. Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling said U.S. and Iraqi forces had not met fierce resistance since the operation began on May 10, largely due to the large numbers of troops on the street, an initial curfew and extensive preparations and construction of new checkpoints. But he warned that was likely to change as the extremists try to regroup. "We anticipate there will be some attacks by the enemy once they come out of this initial phase of being surprised within the city," he told reporters during a news conference in Baghdad. "We anticipate that there might be car bombs, suicide vests or things like that." The U.S.-Iraqi crackdown that began May 10 in Mosul, which the military has dubbed the last urban stronghold of al-Qaida in Iraq, is the latest bid by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to contain rampant violence in Iraq. The other two in the southern city of Basra and Baghdad's Sadr City district focused on Shiite extremists. Hertling said 1,200 suspected militants have been captured in the offensive, with some 200 believed to be members of "terrorist organizations," adding his forces were monitoring some 13 insurgent groups. He said much of the city of 1.9 million people was under control, although three unspecified neighborhoods remain volatile. Attacks in the city have dropped from an average of about 40 per day in the week before the operation began to the current figure of four or six per day, he said. "I'm very happy with what's going on there," he said. "We are in pursuit of these criminals and terrorists and there could be dangers any day so the people still have to be careful." Hertling also said the military has detected an increasing use of female suicide bombers in northern Iraq. Underscoring the threat, two women bombers blew themselves up near an office of a U.S.-allied Sunni group, killing one person and wounding 16 on Saturday northeast of Baghdad. Hertling acknowledged that women laden with explosives often are more easily able to evade detection as men are reluctant to search them. He said there was a critical need to train more women as police, adding that 112 women recently entered the Kirkuk police academy. "There is a demand for more female security officers, both in the police and private security firms. There is a tendency to allow women to go through checkpoints without searching them as closely," he said. He also said most of the suicide attacks were occurring outside urban areas where security is not as tight. "

5/21/2008 7:59:42 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/20/basra.killings/index.html

Fucking christ

The guy




The execution site.

Quote :

" BASRA, Iraq (CNN) -- The man, blindfolded and handcuffed, crouches in the corner of the detention center while an Iraqi soldier grills him about rampant crimes being carried out by gangs in the southern city of Basra. art.iraqstore.cnn.jpg This store has received threats because the dresses reveal women's shoulders. Click to view previous image 3 of 3 Click to view next image "How many girls did you kill and rape?" the soldier asks. "I raped one, sir," the man responds. "What was her name?" "Ahlam," he says. Ahlam was a university student in the predominantly Shiite city of Basra. The detainee said the gang he was in kidnapped her as she was leaving the university, heading home. "They forced me, and I killed her with a machine gun, sir," he says. The suspect, who is unshaven and appears to be in his 20s or 30s, was arrested by Iraq security forces after they retook most of Basra in April. CNN was shown what authorities say was his first confession. On it are the names of 15 girls whom he admitted kidnapping, raping and killing. The youngest girl on the list was just 9 years old. Basra turned into a battleground between warring Shiite factions vying for control of the country's oil-rich south after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Basra's streets teemed with Shiite militias armed with weapons, mostly from Iran, according to the Iraqi forces and the U.S. military. Video Watch a mom describe her three sons killed » For four years after the invasion, Basra was under the control of British forces, but they were unable to contain the violence and withdrew in September last year. Women bore the brunt of the militias' extremist ideologies. The militants spray-painted threats on walls across Basra, warning women to wear headscarves and not to wear makeup. Women were sometimes executed for the vague charge of doing something "un-Islamic." In the wasteland on the outskirts of Basra, dotted with rundown homes, the stench of death mixes with the sewage. Local residents told the Iraqi army that executions often take place in the area, particularly for women, sometimes killed for something as seemingly innocuous as wearing jeans. Militias implemented their own laws with abandon, threatening stores for displaying mannequins with bare shoulders or for selling Western music. Many store owners are still too frightened to speak publicly. But the horrors of militia rule are now surfacing as some residents begin to feel more comfortable speaking out. Inside her rundown home, Sabriya's watery eyes peer out from under her robe. She points to the first photo of one of her sons on the wall. "This one was killed because he was drinking," she says. She draws her finger across her neck and gestures at the next photo. "This one was slaughtered for his car." "This one the same," she adds, looking at the third. Her three sons, her daughter and her sister were all killed by the hard-line militia. Her sister was slaughtered because she was a single woman living alone, Sabriya says. "They came in at night and put a pillow on her face and shot her in the head," she says. Sabriya lives on what was once dubbed "murder street" for the daily killings that happened there last year. On the day CNN visited, dozens of young men sat where there used to be piles of bodies. Sheik Maktouf al-Maraiyani shudders at the memory. "Every day, we would find 10 or 15 of our men killed," he says, adding sorrowfully "one of them was my son." His son was 25 years old. Now, "murder street" is part of a citywide effort to get Basra back on its feet. In a project funded by U.S. forces, Sheikh Maktouf and others are being paid $20 a day and upwards to clean up trash. Video Watch the transformation of 'murder street' » Basra may be part of the country's oil-rich south, but it wallows in its own sewage and trash. The stench of filth is impossible to escape. The effort also helps with the massive unemployment plaguing the city. British forces officially handed over responsibility of Basra to Iraqi forces in December. "The situation was so bad because the security forces were controlled by the militias," says Brig. Gen. Aziz al-Swady, who commands the 14th Iraq Army Divison. To help curb the violence, British troops have returned to the city, adopting the U.S. approach of embedding with Iraqi units as advisers. The Iraqi prime minister also has flooded the city with additional troops, bringing in soldiers from western Iraq along with their American advisers. "Now the citizens have started to trust the Iraqi security forces," said al-Swady. The biggest difference is that residents are starting to leave their homes, something unthinkable just a few months ago. At one of the parks in the city this past weekend, a father named Al'aa was out with his three young children and his wife. "It's the first time that we have dared to come here in two years," he said. Everyone, residents and soldiers alike, knows the battle for Basra is not over. Militias still lurk in the shadows, and the security gains may not last without economic gains. "The most important thing, our government must focus on finding jobs, different jobs for these people," says Maj. Gen. Tariq al-Azawi."

This is the importance of our commitment. This is what comes in chaos. Iraq will not go back into chaos because of the people who will bear witness to these crimes. The country will strive for order.

And fuck Obama if he withdrawals regardless of conditions on the ground. He cannot be that naive.

[Edited on May 21, 2008 at 10:04 PM. Reason : grrr]

5/21/2008 9:57:36 PM

+

+

+

+

=

5/21/2008 10:06:16 PM

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/05/the_number_in.asp

Quote :

"During General David Petreaus’ confirmation hearing for his appointment as CENTCOM commander, he released the latest statistics on the violence levels in Iraq (click the image to view a larger version). The data shows that the attack incident levels have largely remained constant since September 2007, when the ‘surge’ was in full effect. The spike seen from the end of March up until the beginning of May represents the recent fighting against the Mahdi Army in Basra, Sadr City in Baghdad, and the wider South, as well as an operation against al Qaeda in Mosul. The Basra, Sadr City, and Mosul operations have all been Iraqi planned and executed, with U.S. forces in supporting roles. Despite the size and scope of these operations, the attack incident levels figures failed to come even close to the numbers seen last summer. By May 9, the last week charted, the incident levels were at their lowest level since before October 2004. There are still many challenges ahead in Iraq. Al Qaeda must be rooted out of Mosul and the northern regions. The Mahdi Army truce is holding, and the Iraqi Army is taking over security in the former lawless areas of Sadr City and Basra. Dealing with the Sadrist movement and the Mahdi Army will require a delicate balance of political and military pressure from this point on. But at this point is impossible to argue that the surge has not led to dramatic improvements in security and allowed the Iraqi military to take the lead. The numbers don't lie. "

5/23/2008 8:42:50 AM

last month was the lowest # of incidents in 4 years?

only plausable cause: surge ftw. and all those democrats that opposed it. go cry yourselves to sleep

5/23/2008 10:11:49 AM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=n_EUvSN2guI

When I hear this song I think about the hole Iraq situation.

Food for thought.

And good music.

[Edited on May 23, 2008 at 8:30 PM. Reason : t ftw]

5/23/2008 8:30:34 PM

Man, this thread is getting boring with nothing but good news coming out of Iraq......

Quote :

" Over 140 Suspected Criminals turn themselves over to ISF (Balad) Print E-mail Thursday, 22 May 2008 Multi-National Corps – Iraq Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory APO AE 09342 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE RELEASE No. 20080523-06 May 23, 2008 Over 140 Suspected Criminals turn themselves over to ISF Multi-National Division – North PAO BALAD, Iraq – More than 140 suspected criminals turned themselves into the Joint Coordination Center in the city of Balad, May 22. Three tribal leaders from the area ended their standoff with U.S. and Iraqi forces by bringing in all men under their influence who have a criminal history. “Today’s reconciliation is an example of local leaders taking a broad step forward in the future security and in the legitimacy of the legal process,” said Maj. Ramiro Salazar, an executive officer of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. “This is the first step of initiating the process for reconciliation with the Iraqi Government, as well as Iraqi Security and Coalition forces.” The mass reconciliation comes on the heels of several operations designed to put an end to the insurgency that has crippled the area since 2006. The operations targeted key individuals and peripheral fighters resulting in three key individuals being killed. According to CF, the news of these individuals’ deaths prompted fighters in the area to give up their arms and contact local security forces to surrender. One local sheik taking part with the other members of his tribe said, “We are tired of fighting and want peace. The reconciliation process is a step in the right direction, and now there will be a common goal of peace between the government and those who had fought it.”"

5/23/2008 11:26:34 PM

5/23/2008 11:46:49 PM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/2022631/Iran-'paid-Iraq-insurgents-to-kill-UK-soldiers'.html?service=print

Quote :

"Iran 'paid Iraq insurgents to kill UK soldiers' By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent Last updated: 10:45 AM BST 25/05/2008 Iran has secretly paid Iraqi insurgents hundreds of thousands of American dollars to kill British soldiers, according to a leaked government document obtained by The Telegraph. The allegations are contained in a confidential "field report" written by a British officer who served in Basra during one of the most dangerous periods of the conflict. The report, which has never been made public, shows the full level of Iran's involvement in the insurgency for the first time. The document states that the Jaish al-Mahdi (JAM) – also known as the Mahdi Army – one of the most violent insurgent groups operating in Basra, used money from Iran to recruit and pay young unemployed men up to $300 (£150) a month to carry out attacks against the British. The findings have been passed to the highest levels in the military. The leak comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and the international community, as Tehran continues to stonewall UN inquiries into allegations that it has carried out research to develop a nuclear weapon. The report, "Life Under Fire in the Old State Building", details the activities of British troops under the command of Major Christopher Job, of the 2nd Lancashire Regiment, between November 2006 and March 2007. In the report, Major Job discloses that in the course of five months his base was attacked 350 times. Old State Building, which is in the centre of Basra, is the most-attacked British base in recent history. In an attempt to discover who was behind the attacks, the officer says he established a network of informers, who supplied him with detailed intelligence on the actions of the insurgents and who was behind their funding. The officer states that the reports of Iran's involvement came from a network of 25 sources, which included a former Iraqi army general, prominent businessmen, local sheikhs and council leaders. He writes: "We learnt from a number of our Key Leadership Engagements [local contacts] that the source of the problem was the level of unemployment in Basra. "JAM, using funding from Iran, paid the unemployed youths in the region of $300 per month to attack Multi National Forces. We also learnt that JAM had a drugs culture and that youths literally got hooked on being associated with JAM." Twenty-seven members of the Armed Forces died and dozens were seriously injured in southern Iraq between November 2006 and May 2007, the period that Major Job covers in his report. A senior British officer who has recently returned from southern Iraq said that the existence of "Iranian finance teams" in Basra was widely known by the British military and Foreign Office, although always officially denied. He said: "It suited Iran to arm JAM in order to allow them to have the means to hit us." Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP and a former infantry commander said: "This report makes it quite clear that Iran is directly involved in funding the insurgency." He added: "The Government must confront Tehran over the deaths of British troops – anything else is appeasement." A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "There is evidence to suggest a malign influence in Iraq by Iran, including the supply of equipment and armaments which are used by insurgents against UK forces in Iraq. "This influence is completely unacceptable and serves only to undermine the efforts by the government of Iraq and the coalition." "

5/25/2008 9:07:59 PM

Great thread. Thanks for the updates.

5/25/2008 9:13:00 PM

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hPVOxn-iN_pxDw3xHAjSeMa7zxgQ

Quote :

"Forbidden pleasures return to Mosul as Al-Qaeda melts away 19 hours ago MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Ata Taha tied the knot with his university sweetheart in a popular park and traditional meeting point for lovers in Iraq's northern city of Mosul -- but only after Al-Qaeda went on the retreat. "My family had advised me to have a private wedding or celebrate abroad but I stood my ground," the 26-year-old said proudly. "I got my wish -- I married my colleague and we did so in public." Al-Qaeda militants had banned all public expressions of joy in Mosul, and even prevented the sale of a local popular bread, claiming that it was a breach of Muslim tradition. In mid-May Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said a crackdown had begun against a Sunni area of Mosul that the American military describes as the last urban bastion of Al-Qaeda jihadists in Iraq. According to the US military at least 1,200 suspects -- including about 200 Al-Qaeda militants -- have been arrested since the Iraqi-led and US-backed operation was launched on May 14, and the level of attacks has also dropped. Taha and his fiancee took advantage of the offensive against Al-Qaeda to don their wedding finery and head for the so-called "Forest Park" where newlyweds traditionally pose for pictures surrounded by friends and family. Frightened residents deserted the park in north Mosul after radical Al-Qaeda militants imposed their extremist view of Islam on the city. But since the local campaign against Al-Qaeda began residents have been returning in force to celebrate weddings in the park, especially at weekends. Guests gather there both to congratulate the newlyweds and to pose for pictures with the couple. "The extremist factions imposed their values on us with rhetoric and fatwas (decrees) that have nothing to do with real Islam," said Taha. Coffee shops and restaurants, as well as other favourite meeting spots like the corniche overlooking the Tigris River in downtown Mosul, have also buzzed with activity since the anti-Al Qaeda operation got under way. All across the city, residents have taken on a new lease on life. Streets are thronged with pedestrians and market stalls brim anew with fruit and vegetables -- including tomatoes and cucumbers displayed side by side in clear defiance to the Islamists who had banned this as sexually provocative. The local Iraqi bread known as "sammoun" -- also prohibited by the militants who argued that it did not exist in the time of the Prophet Mohammed -- can now be found again in bakeries. For schoolteacher Zakia Abdullah al-Badrani, Mosul is "a land of civilisations that should not be soiled by obscurantists" such as Al-Qaeda. Mosul, with its population of 1.5 million, is the provincial capital of Nineveh -- itself the capital of the once powerful Assyrian empire -- and is home to both Sunni and Shiite Muslims, as well as Kurds and Christians. "We always lived in harmony with the other communities and this is what encouraged me to come back," said Gergis Hannah, a Christian who fled his hometown two years ago but returned at the onset of the military push against the jihadists. Once Al-Qaeda is uprooted from Mosul "the government must push for reconciliation" among all of the city's communities, Hannah added. Soldiers armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles continue to patrol the streets of Mosul in a reminder that the threat posed by Al-Qaeda has not been removed completely. But the military met no resistance as its forces rolled into Mosul, and many residents believe the Islamists either fled the city in the face of the advance or went to ground. "

5/25/2008 9:27:15 PM

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mahdi27-2008may27,0,2392748.story?page=1

Quote :

"Iraqis losing patience with militiamen Muqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army militia has provided services and protection to residents, but fighting in recent weeks has endangered their lives. By Tina Susman and Usama Redha, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers May 27, 2008 BAGHDAD -- Four summers ago, when militiamen loyal to hard-line Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr were battling U.S. forces in the holy city of Najaf, Mohammed Lami was among them. "I had faith. I believed in something," Lami said of his days hoisting a gun for Sadr's Mahdi Army militia. "Now, I will never fight with them." Lami is no fan of U.S. troops, but after fleeing Baghdad's Sadr City district with his family last month, when militiamen arrived on his street to plant a bomb, he is no fan of the Mahdi Army either. Nor are many others living in Sadr City, the 32-year-old said. Weeks of fighting between militiamen and Iraqi and U.S. forces, with residents caught in the middle, has chipped away at the Sadr movement's grass-roots popularity, Lami said. More than 1,000 people have died in Sadr City since fighting erupted in late March, and hospital and police officials say most have been civilians. As the violence continues, public tolerance for the Mahdi Army, and by association the Sadr movement, seems to be shifting toward the same sort of resentment once reserved for U.S. and Iraqi forces. "People are fed up with them because of their extremism and the problems they are causing," said Rafid Majid, a merchant in central Baghdad. Like many others interviewed across the capital, he said the good deeds the group performs no longer were enough to make up for the hardships endured by ordinary Iraqis who just want to go to work and keep their families safe. With provincial elections scheduled for October, a public perception that Sadr loyalists were to blame for the violence could hinder the cleric's hopes of broadening his power and influence in the oil-rich south. It also could extend the violent power struggle between the Mahdi Army and the rival Badr Organization tied to Prime Minister Nouri Maliki -- a conflict that has played out from the southern city of Basra to Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods. Lawmakers from Sadr's movement blame the United States and Iraqi forces for the bloodshed that began after the government launched an offensive against Shiite militias in Basra. Sadr representatives insist that, if anything, support has soared as people come to sympathize with the Sadr loyalists. "Even some Iraqi people who were not sympathizing with us before have now started to feel and identify with the oppression on the Sadr people. It has become clear to them that we are being targeted," said Liqa Yaseen, a parliament member representing the Sadr movement. But interviews with dozens of Iraqis living in Sadr City and other Shiite militia strongholds in Baghdad suggest otherwise. So do anecdotes from U.S. troops who have met with Sadr City residents and local leaders and who say there has been a shift in the things they hear. "After March 25 was the first time I had anyone tell us, 'Go in and wipe them out,' " said Sgt. Erik Olson, who spends most of his time visiting residents of Sadr City's Jamila neighborhood gathering "atmospherics," the military's word for figuring out what locals are thinking. It isn't surprising that people on the front lines of the standoff would lose patience with the warring sides. Their homes and streets have become battlegrounds, making it impossible at times to go to the market, the hospital or work. Military and militia snipers fire from rooftops. Militiamen launch mortar shells and rockets from residential streets. U.S. aircraft respond with devastating airstrikes that often cause casualties and damage beyond their targets. It's a public relations problem that even some Mahdi Army members acknowledge, and a fragile truce reached by Sadr and the Iraqi government this month, which allowed Iraqi troops to deploy into Sadr City, suggested that at least privately, Sadr's political wing recognized the need to back down from the fighting. Thousands of Iraqi security forces took up positions in Sadr City starting May 20 and faced no resistance from militiamen. Ahmed, a 29-year-old Mahdi Army member who did not want his full name used for fear of being arrested or attacked, said the group was the only "honorable resistance" to the U.S. presence. He said people in poor neighborhoods depended on it for handouts of fuel, help with funeral costs, and food distribution. But he acknowledged that as fighting continued, support dwindled. "Of course some people are expressing their resentment and anger against the Mahdi Army, thinking that without them, they would not be targeted and their lives would not be badly affected," he said. Another Mahdi Army member expressed anger after Sadr in late April warned of "open war" against U.S. forces if operations targeting Sadr strongholds did not stop. "Did he mention that the 'open war' . . . will be among the houses or residential areas?" said the man, a Mahdi Army street leader who feared having his name published. "Fight? . . . I will not join the fight." Some members blame the violence on rogue elements who have ignored truces called by Sadr, but they acknowledge that regardless of whoever is behind the fighting, the mainstream Sadr movement is viewed as the violator. "It takes all the blame for the fight because it started it," said Abu Ali, a Sadr City resident who said he had left the Mahdi Army after becoming disillusioned with its tactics fighting U.S. forces in crowded urban areas. "We should fight them outside the cities, not among the families," Abu Ali said. For years, Sadr's militia has been welcomed by many people in exchange for the services the cleric provides. Most important has been the security his fighters offer: Even people who don't relish having masked gunmen on their streets have accepted them in exchange for safety."

[Edited on May 27, 2008 at 12:50 PM. Reason : sfd]

5/27/2008 12:49:40 PM

Quote :

"But with the recent fighting, that security is gone. "I don't support them now, but in the past I did," Mohammed Mousawi, a 23-year-old civil servant, said of the Mahdi Army. "They served people a lot and solved problems in the area, but now things are different." Mousawi said he had to pay 24,000 Iraqi dinars [about $20] a month to the militia to protect a small shop he runs and his home in Hurriya, a Baghdad neighborhood known for its militia presence. When the streets were quiet, he was willing to do so. Now, he resents it. Hassan abu Mohammed, who has an appliance repair shop in Jamila, said the violence forced him to close his business for nearly two months. Abu Mohammed estimated that he was losing $1,200 a month but said it was worth it if the militiamen could be driven out. "They used to come and take money on a monthly basis from us," he said, speaking for himself and other local merchants. He said the militiamen would demand to know the details of their businesses, whether their customers were Sunnis, Shiites or Americans, and whom they employed. Shopkeepers, teachers and homemakers interviewed across Baghdad told similar stories and indicated that goodwill toward the militia was evaporating. "The people do not support [them] anymore because they are responsible for barricading some areas and preventing people from going on with their lives and jobs," said Ibrahim Ghanim, a merchant in central Baghdad. Allegations of extortion and abductions are not new, but U.S. military officials say such complaints have picked up. They say Sadr's truce with U.S. forces in August has led to splintering in the organization. Questions about which way Sadr will go, toward sustaining the truce or halting it, have fueled more Mafia-like behavior among his followers as they jockey for power and resources in the face of an uncertain future. "Everyone is trying to claw their way to the top," said Olson, comparing it to Robin Hood turning into Tony Soprano. Regardless of whether the Sadr movement agrees that it may have lost some support recently, it clearly was trying to curry favor with the public as the Iraqi army moved into Sadr City. "There's no problem with the Iraqi forces' operations today," spokesman Saleh Obeidi said, "as long as these forces are taking care of the civilians' rights there." tina.susman@latimes.com Times staff writer Raheem Salman and special correspondents in Baghdad contributed to this report. "

5/27/2008 12:50:01 PM

I like this. The turnout for these protests will be an excellent guage of public opinion of a long term US presence. I will let you know

Quote :

"Shiite Cleric Al-Sadr Calls for Weekly Protests Against U.S.-Iraqi Security Agreement Tuesday, May 27, 2008 BAGHDAD — Anti-U.S. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is calling on followers to hold weekly protests against a long-term security deal that the Iraqi government and U.S. are negotiating. The security agreement aims at setting the terms for a long-term, reduced U.S. military presence in Iraq after the bulk of American forces withdraw. Al-Sadr sharply opposes the U.S. presence and his Mahdi Army militia has frequently attacked U.S. troops. A statement from al-Sadr says Iraqis should hold demonstrations every week after Friday prayers in every part of the country "until further notice or until the agreement is canceled." The statement Tuesday also demands that any agreement reached with the Americans be put to a popular referendum. "

5/27/2008 3:06:54 PM

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/05/iraqi_army_clashes_w.php



Iraqi Special Operations Forces prepare for a mission near Amarah to disrupt weapons smuggling and trafficking from Iran and help to set the condition for broader stability in the region. (US Navy photo / Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel R. Mennuto)

Quote :

"Iraqi and Coalition security forces continue to press operations against the Mahdi Army in Baghdad. Iraqi security forces clashed with the Mahdi Army in eastern Baghdad as raids against Mahdi Army weapons caches continue in Sadr city and throughout Baghdad. Iraqi security forces killed 10 Mahdi Army fighters in eastern Baghdad early today, Multinational Forces Iraq reported in a press release. Another Mahdi Army fighter was wounded and subsequently captured. The exact location of the clash has not been given. The US military said the fighter occurred in eastern Baghdad, which could refer to either Sadr City or New Baghdad, which is also a Mahdi Army stronghold. Iraqi Special Operations Forces also captured three of the Iranian-trained Special Groups operatives during raids in Baghdad. One of the operatives helped purchase, distribute, and employ rockets, mortars and roadside bombs used against Iraqi and US forces. The two other operatives are behind the "kidnapping, torturing and killing Iraqi citizens and forcing them out of their homes." US and Iraqi forces believe they have out a major dent in the Special Groups over the past year. "In partnership with Iraqi Security Forces, Multinational Division Baghdad has detained 418 AQI [al Qaeda in Iraq] and 450 SG [Special Groups] operatives," said Lieutenant Colonel Steven Stover, the chief Public Affairs Officer for Multinational Division Baghdad, in an e-mail to The Long War Journal. A significant percentage of those captured are high value targets. "Operatives range from Senior Leaders, to Media Experts to Attack Coordinators, Facilitators and Operators who actively and indiscriminately attack Iraqi Civilians," Stover said. "Approximately one third of these captured come from the leadership ranks of their respective cells. Approximately two thirds are other operatives that are critical to the day-to-day conduct of extremist attack planning & execution." Dismantling the Mahdi Army caches in Sadr City The Iraqi Army is also continuing its search for Mahdi Army weapons caches inside Sadr City. Fifty-nine of the deadly Iranian-made roadside bombs known as explosively formed projectiles or EFPs have been seized inside Sadr City since May 24. Twenty-seven EFPs were seized by Iraqi troops in Sadr City on May 27; 17 were in a single cache. Seventeen were seized on May 26, six on May 25, and nine more on May 24. Multinational Forces Iraq varies the classification of EFPs between medium and heavy weapons, depending on the configuration. "They are the number one killer of our Soldiers. Since December 19, 2007 we have lost 66 American Heroes; 41 to IEDs," Stover said. "The good news is attack levels have gone down again - a direct tribute to the blood, sweat and sacrifice of the American and Iraqi Soldier." The raids are impacting the Mahdi Army's ability to conduct future operations in Sadr City, Stover stated. The seizure of caches also impacts the Mahdi Army's ability to resupply and may expose the efforts. "To bring in resupply puts the weapons and munitions transportation, financiers, and criminal leadership networks at risk of being caught by ISF or Coalition Forces," said Stover. The Iraqi Army has surged forces into Sadr City since the military moved into the Mahdi Army stronghold on May 20. Elements from eight Iraqi Army brigades have been identified as operating inside Sadr City by The Long War Journal. Iraqi Army units working inside Sadr City: 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division 2nd Battalion, 34th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division 4th Battalion, 34th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division 2nd Battalion, 36th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division 39th Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division 38th Brigade, 10th Iraqi Army Division 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division 44th Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division 49th Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division"

5/28/2008 5:23:45 PM

This is the article.
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2008/05/key_special_groups_f.php

This is a breakdown of how weapons are smuggled into Iraq from Iran. Very nice
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/12/irans_ramazan_corps.php

Quote :

""Key" Special Groups financier captured south of Baghdad By Bill RoggioMay 29, 2008 11:12 AM Coalition Special Operations Forces captured a "key Special Groups financier" with direct links to Iran's Qods Force in the city of Mahmudiyah on May 28. "He is suspected to be the primary financier between Iranian intelligence elements and Special Groups criminals in Mahmudiyah and southern Baghdad and was reportedly distributing funds to weapons smugglers supplying criminals in those areas," Multinational Forces Iraq reported in a press release. The Special Groups financier has conducted his activities outside Iraq, according to Multinational Forces Iraq. He is "believed to travel to Iran and Syria to procure funds on behalf of Special Groups senior leadership." Mahmudiyah is about 10 miles south of Baghdad. The city sits on what has been described as a sectarian fault line, where well-defined Sunni and Shia communities abut. Mahmudiyah was the scene of multiple mass-casualty suicide attacks in 2006 and early 2007, as al Qaeda in Iraq and the Mahdi Army battled for control. Flash Presentation on the Ramazan Corps and the Iranian Ratlines into Iraq. Click the map to view. A Flash Player is required to view, click to download. Iranian-made weapons flowing from the south into Baghdad would pass through Mahmudiyah. Iran established the Ramazan Corps, which is run by the Qods Force, to direct operations and move weapons, money, and fighters to what it views as critical battlefields in Iraq. Baghdad is considered the center of gravity to influence the outcome in Iraq. The US military has long made distinctions between the Mahdi Army and what it calls Iranian-backed Special Groups. The military makes these distinctions as part of an effort to divide the Mahdi Army and provide the non-extremist elements a way to end the violence. The Special Groups, which are Iranian trained, armed and funded, are essentially a subset of the Mahdi Army. As Iraqi soldiers work to secure Sadr City, the raids and operations against the Mahdi Army continue throughout Baghdad. Twelve Mahdi Army fighters were killed in the eastern Neighborhood of New Baghdad on May 28. Ten of those were killed in a single engagement in the Fedaliyah neighborhood in New Baghdad. US forces killed the Mahdi Army fighters as they were planting roadside bombs. Two more Mahdi fighters were killed as they approached US troops while "armed with loaded RPG launchers." New Baghdad is a Mahdi Army stronghold that is directly to the east of Sadr City. Incidents in New Baghdad as well as in Mahdi Army strongholds in northern and western Baghdad, particularly in the neighborhoods of Sha'ab and Shula, have increased since the ceasefire between the Iraqi government and the Sadrist movement was implemented in Sadr City. Iraqi security forces continue to round up Mahdi Army fighters in the southern province. Thirty-four Mahdi Army fighters were captured during raids over the past two days. Police arrested eight “gunmen” behind the murder of a police officer in Wasit province. Thirteen “wanted men” were captured in an operation in Hillah in Babil province. Iraqi security forces arrested 11 “wanted persons who were convicted in relation to criminal and terrorism-related cases” during operations in Basrah province. Iraqi and Coalition forces detained two more Mahdi Army fighters in Diwaniyah. "The force found a large number of small and medium arms during the raid," a source told Voices of Iraq"

5/29/2008 10:14:53 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052904116.html?hpid=topnews

Quote :

"U.S. Cites Big Gains Against Al-Qaeda Group Is Facing Setbacks Globally, CIA Chief Says CIA chief Michael Hayden warned that al-Qaeda remains a serious threat. By Joby Warrick Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, May 30, 2008; Page A01 Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In a strikingly upbeat assessment, the CIA chief cited major gains against al-Qaeda's allies in the Middle East and an increasingly successful campaign to destabilize the group's core leadership. While cautioning that al-Qaeda remains a serious threat, Hayden said Osama bin Laden is losing the battle for hearts and minds in the Islamic world and has largely forfeited his ability to exploit the Iraq war to recruit adherents. Two years ago, a CIA study concluded that the U.S.-led war had become a propaganda and marketing bonanza for al-Qaeda, generating cash donations and legions of volunteers. All that has changed, Hayden said in an interview with The Washington Post this week that coincided with the start of his third year at the helm of the CIA. "On balance, we are doing pretty well," he said, ticking down a list of accomplishments: "Near strategic defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq. Near strategic defeat for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. Significant setbacks for al-Qaeda globally -- and here I'm going to use the word 'ideologically' -- as a lot of the Islamic world pushes back on their form of Islam," he said. The sense of shifting tides in the terrorism fight is shared by a number of terrorism experts, though some caution that it is too early to tell whether the gains are permanent. Some credit Hayden and other U.S. intelligence leaders for going on the offensive against al-Qaeda in the area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, where the tempo of Predator strikes has dramatically increased from previous years. But analysts say the United States has caught some breaks in the past year, benefiting from improved conditions in Iraq, as well as strategic blunders by al-Qaeda that have cut into its support base. "One of the lessons we can draw from the past two years is that al-Qaeda is its own worst enemy," said Robert Grenier, a former top CIA counterterrorism official who is now managing director of Kroll, a risk consulting firm. "Where they have succeeded initially, they very quickly discredit themselves." Others warned that al-Qaeda remains capable of catastrophic attacks and may be even more determined to stage a major strike to prove its relevance. "Al-Qaeda's obituary has been written far too often in the past few years for anyone to declare victory," said Bruce Hoffman, a terrorism expert at Georgetown University. "I agree that there has been progress. But we're indisputably up against a very resilient and implacable enemy." A landmark study last August by the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies described the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area as a de facto al-Qaeda haven in which terrorist leaders were reorganizing for attacks against the West. But Hayden said counterterrorism successes extend even to that lawless region. Although he would not discuss CIA operations in the area, U.S. intelligence agencies have carried out several attacks there since January, using unmanned Predator aircraft for surgical strikes against al-Qaeda and Taliban safe houses. "The ability to kill and capture key members of al-Qaeda continues, and keeps them off balance -- even in their best safe haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border," Hayden said. But terrorism experts note the lack of success in the U.S. effort to capture bin Laden and his top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. Intelligence officials say they think both are living in the Pakistan-Afghanistan tribal area in locations known only to a few top aides. Hayden said capturing or killing the pair remains a top priority, though he noted the difficulties in finding them in a rugged, remote region where the U.S. military is officially forbidden to operate. The Bush administration has been watching political developments in Pakistan with apprehension, worried that the country's newly elected leadership will not be as tolerant of occasional unilateral U.S. strikes against al-Qaeda as was the government of President Pervez Musharraf, a close ally in the U.S. fight against terrorism. "

5/30/2008 10:24:44 AM

Quote :

"Hayden declined to discuss what agreements, if any, have been brokered with Pakistan's new leaders, but he said, "We're comfortable with the authorities we have." Since the start of the year, he said, al-Qaeda's global leadership has lost three senior officers, including two who succumbed "to violence," an apparent reference to Predator strikes that killed terrorist leaders Abu Laith al-Libi and Abu Sulayman al-Jazairi in Pakistan. He also cited a successful blow against "training activity" in the region but offered no details. "Those are the kinds of things that delay and disrupt al-Qaeda's planning," Hayden said. Despite the optimistic outlook, he said he is concerned that the progress against al-Qaeda could be halted or reversed because of what he considers growing complacency and a return to the mind-set that existed before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. "We remain worried, and frankly, I wonder why some other people aren't worried, too," he said. His concern stems in part from improved intelligence-gathering that has bolstered the CIA's understanding of al-Qaeda's intent, he said. "The fact that we have kept [Americans] safe for pushing seven years now has got them back into the state of mind where 'safe' is normal," he said. "Our view is: Safe is hard-won, every 24 hours." Hayden, who has previously highlighted a gulf between Washington and its European allies on how to battle terrorism, said he is troubled that Congress and many in the media are "focused less on the threat and more on the tactics the nation has chosen to deal with the threat" -- a reference to controversial CIA interrogation techniques approved by Hayden's predecessors. "The center line of the national discussion has moved, and in our business, our center line is more shaped by the reality of the threat," Hayden said. On Iraq, he said he is encouraged not only by U.S. success against al-Qaeda's affiliates there, but also by what he described as the steadily rising competence of the Iraqi military and a growing popular antipathy toward jihadism. "Despite this 'cause célebrè' phenomenon, fundamentally no one really liked al-Qaeda's vision of the future," Hayden said. As a result, the insurgency is viewed locally as "more and more a war of al-Qaeda against Iraqis," he said. Hayden specifically cited the recent writings of prominent Sunni clerics -- including some who used to support al-Qaeda -- criticizing the group for its indiscriminant killing of Muslim civilians. While al-Qaeda misplayed its hand with gruesome attacks on Iraqi civilians, Hayden said, U.S. military commanders and intelligence officials deserve some of the credit for the shift, because they "created the circumstances" for it by building strategic alliances with Sunni and Shiite factions, he said. Hayden warned, however, that progress in Iraq is being undermined by increasing interference by Iran, which he accused of supplying weapons, training and financial assistance to anti-U.S. insurgents. While declining to endorse any particular strategy for dealing with Iran, he described the threat in stark terms. "It is the policy of the Iranian government, approved at the highest levels of that government, to facilitate the killing of American and other coalition forces in Iraq. Period," he said. "

5/30/2008 10:25:05 AM

Quote :

"I like this. The turnout for these protests will be an excellent guage of public opinion of a long term US presence. I will let you know"

Quote :

"Tens of thousands of Shiites, meanwhile, took to the streets in Baghdad and other cities to protest plans for a long-term security agreement with the United States. The rallies after Friday prayer services were the first to follow a call by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr for weekly protests against the deal...Demonstrators in Baghdad’s Sadr City district chanted “No to America! No to the occupation!” "

atleast it's not "Death to America", i guess



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24886974/

[Edited on May 30, 2008 at 4:41 PM. Reason : .]

5/30/2008 4:39:06 PM

http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/05/sadrs_calls_for_mass_protests.asp

Quote :

" Sadr’s Calls For Mass Protests Fall Flat Last week, Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army and the Sadrist political movement, called for massive demonstrations against the negotiations between the US.. and the Iraqi government over the basing of U.S. troops in the country beyond 2008. This Friday, the Sadrist movement carried out its first nationwide protest. The turnout was a flop. The Associated Press put the best face on the turnout, saying “tens of thousands of Shiites” joined in. But the AP does not provide a breakdown on the protests. AFP, Multinational Forces Iraq, and Voices of Iraq, an Iraqi news service, put the number in the thousands. Multinational Forces Iraq said more than 5,000 protesters were in Sadr Cit, and another 200-300 attended the protest in the Kadhamiyah district of Baghdad. AFP said “hundreds of Sadrists staged similar demonstrations” and said demonstrations were held in Basra, but no numbers were given. There was a time when Sadr’s calls for protests put hundreds of thousands of Shia into the streets. Yet Sadr couldn’t get more than 6,000 to 7,000 join in on a protest on the day when most people attend mosque. To put the current numbers into perspective, and estimated 2,000,000 Shia are estimated to live in Sadr City alone, and the Baghdad district is considered the bulwark of Sadr’s support. Yet Sadr couldn’t muster more than one quarter of one percent of the district's residents. Sadr called for weekly protests, to be held every Friday after prayers. He may want to cancel the protests and blame the poor turnout on heavy handed tactics of the security forces, just as he has done in the recent past. Posted by Bill Roggio on May 30, 2008 02:38 PM | Permalink Email the article Sadr’s Calls For Mass Protests Fall Flat to a friend:"

6000/2000000=.003

so 0.3% of the 2 mil in sadr city population attended these protests....telling

and thats not including the rest of Iraq......

OMG THEY ARE REVOLTING!!111 RUN RUN RUN!!!111

[Edited on May 31, 2008 at 10:49 AM. Reason : dasd]

5/31/2008 10:47:47 AM

"THERE'S BEEN a relative lull in news coverage"

Yea, gg finally noticing. You watch, you watch how the tone of the coverage turns. They will always side step why nobody has been covering the change. I see the coverage of the election being prime territory to be like, "Hey guys! Iraq is doing really well. I wonder how McCain will use this to his advantage against Obama." And not actually talking about why it was horribly reported or how Iraq actually was won. Most people wont know the real reasons why we won. It will take years for people to actually describe the solider civilian dynamic that won us the moral high ground and made AQI their own worst enemy.

Sorry if I sound angry, but I have the concelation of knowing that media outlets like the Times have lost alot of buisness and money due to sites like http://www.longwarjournal.org

I called this on page 4.

Quote :

" Iraq is going to be fine with Iraqi planners like this. IM CALLING IT! IRAQ WILL BE FINE!"

Heard here first on t-dub.

Quote :

"The Iraqi Upturn Don't look now, but the U.S.-backed government and army may be winning the war. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/31/AR2008053101927.html Sunday, June 1, 2008; Page B06 THERE'S BEEN a relative lull in news coverage and debate about Iraq in recent weeks -- which is odd, because May could turn out to have been one of the most important months of the war. While Washington's attention has been fixed elsewhere, military analysts have watched with astonishment as the Iraqi government and army have gained control for the first time of the port city of Basra and the sprawling Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, routing the Shiite militias that have ruled them for years and sending key militants scurrying to Iran. At the same time, Iraqi and U.S. forces have pushed forward with a long-promised offensive in Mosul, the last urban refuge of al-Qaeda. So many of its leaders have now been captured or killed that U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, renowned for his cautious assessments, said that the terrorists have "never been closer to defeat than they are now." Iraq passed a turning point last fall when the U.S. counterinsurgency campaign launched in early 2007 produced a dramatic drop in violence and quelled the incipient sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites. Now, another tipping point may be near, one that sees the Iraqi government and army restoring order in almost all of the country, dispersing both rival militias and the Iranian-trained "special groups" that have used them as cover to wage war against Americans. It is -- of course -- too early to celebrate; though now in disarray, the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr could still regroup, and Iran will almost certainly seek to stir up new violence before the U.S. and Iraqi elections this fall. Still, the rapidly improving conditions should allow U.S. commanders to make some welcome adjustments -- and it ought to mandate an already-overdue rethinking by the "this-war-is-lost" caucus in Washington, including Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). ad_icon Gen. David H. Petraeus signaled one adjustment in recent testimony to Congress, saying that he would probably recommend troop reductions in the fall going beyond the ongoing pullback of the five "surge" brigades deployed last year. Gen. Petraeus pointed out that attacks in Iraq hit a four-year low in mid-May and that Iraqi forces were finally taking the lead in combat and on multiple fronts at once -- something that was inconceivable a year ago. As a result the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki now has "unparalleled" public support, as Gen. Petraeus put it, and U.S. casualties are dropping sharply. Eighteen American soldiers died in May, the lowest total of the war and an 86 percent drop from the 126 who died in May 2007. If the positive trends continue, proponents of withdrawing most U.S. troops, such as Mr. Obama, might be able to responsibly carry out further pullouts next year. Still, the likely Democratic nominee needs a plan for Iraq based on sustaining an improving situation, rather than abandoning a failed enterprise. That will mean tying withdrawals to the evolution of the Iraqi army and government, rather than an arbitrary timetable; Iraq's 2009 elections will be crucial. It also should mean providing enough troops and air power to continue backing up Iraqi army operations such as those in Basra and Sadr City. When Mr. Obama floated his strategy for Iraq last year, the United States appeared doomed to defeat. Now he needs a plan for success. "

And yes, I do know that there will be more blood, bombs, and death.

[Edited on June 1, 2008 at 9:24 PM. Reason : fs]

6/1/2008 9:23:40 PM

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20017&Itemid=1

Quote :

"BASRA — Soldiers with the 1st Iraqi Army looked to increase their numbers and support in Basra, Iraq May 29. Operation Charge of the Knights has been successful in rooting out criminal elements and restoring the rule of law to the city as well as increasing local support for the government of Iraq. The increased support for the government is something the Iraqi army is trying to take advantage of by recruiting new soldiers from the local communities. At a recent recruiting drive in the Hayyaniyah district, over 3,000 men came out to sign up for service with the army. Unfortunately for many of them, there were only 1,000 positions available during the drive. "

6/2/2008 12:54:57 PM

http://www.longwarjournal.org/multimedia/Sadr-City-Caches-May2008/index.html

Pics of weapons caches found in sadr city since may 20th.

This war is over. All we need now is the Iraqi forces to be able to support themselves logistically (by the time that happens they will be able to police themselves) and we will se serious draw downs.

The only thing Bush did right was not give up on it.

6/5/2008 1:08:46 PM

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/32101

Quote :

"Six thousand Al Qaida fighters killed in Iraq says top official By Basil Adas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 06 June 2008 (Gulf News) Print article Send to friendSix thousand Al Qaida fighters have been killed since the beginning of the Iraq war five years ago, of which half died in suicide operations, according to a top official in the Iraqi army. The official revealed that about six thousand Al Qaida elements were killed in Iraq between 2003 and April 2008. The high number of Al Qaida deaths is “a result of cooperation between Iraqi security forces and US forces,” General Anwar Amin, the Inspector General at the Iraqi Defense Ministry told Gulf News. He indicated the members of the terror network were killed either by the US and Iraqi forces, or killed themselves in suicide bombings. “This is a defeat for this organization not only in Iraq but also in the whole world. I am certain that Al Qaida will need decades to be able to recruit the number [of fighters] it lost in Iraq,” he added. He added that half of the recruits were killed in suicide operations. Anwar said that Al Qaida no longer had the ability to recruit as many suicide bombers as it did between 2003 and 2005, which explains the decline in the number of suicide operations in Baghdad from twenty per week a couple of years ago to the present three or four every one to two weeks, according to him. The American forces in Iraq are likely to consider this positive news in their belief that defeating Al Qaeda in Iraq would lead to its defeat in Afghanistan. But some Iraqi military analysts believe otherwise. Imad Al Maliki, an Iraqi military analyst, told Gulf News: “Certainly, Al Qaida’s strategy in Iraq is beating the American political and military project then establishing a new Talaban-like regime in Iraq and moving to the second phase of recruiting and exporting fighters to countries in the region and the world and feeding the battlefield in Afghanistan. "That means Iraq will turn into a large camp for Al Qaida to train and recruit fighters, yet not achieving this does not mean that the organisation in Afghanistan or Pakistan is defeated. "Iraq is part of Al Qaida’s strategy, but not its [entire strategy]” Others also think that the Iraqi and US armies have no reason to gloat about the six thousand Al Qaida members killed in Iraq. Adnan Al Janabi, an officer in the former Iraqi army, told Gulf News: “I think that six thousand Al Qaida elements [killed] compared to more than four thousand American casualties despite the American superiority in intelligence information, weapons, spying and surveillance, also represents a blow to the American forces.” "

6/6/2008 9:47:28 AM

http://www.iraqupdates.com/p_articles.php/article/32102

Quote :

"Recruitment of suicide bombers down - official By Basil Adas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baghdad, 06 June 2008 (Gulf News) Print article Send to friendAbout 6,000 Al Qaida fighters have been killed since the beginning of the Iraq war five years ago, half of whom died in suicide operations, according to a top official in the Iraqi army. The official said the killings took place between 2003 and April 2008. The high number of Al Qaida deaths was "a result of cooperation between Iraqi security forces and US forces," Gen Anwar Ameen, Inspector General at the Iraqi Defence Ministry, told Gulf News. He said Al Qaida members were killed either by US or Iraqi forces, or killed themselves in suicide bombings. "This is a defeat for the organisation, not only in Iraq but also worldwide. I am certain Al Qaida will need decades to be able to again recruit the number [of fighters] it lost in Iraq," he added. Recruit Anwar said Al Qaida no longer had the ability to recruit as many suicide bombers as it did between 2003 and 2005, which explains the decline in the number of suicide operations in Baghdad, from twenty per week a couple of years ago to the present three or four every one to two weeks, according to him. American forces in Iraq are likely to see this as positive news, in the belief that defeating Al Qaida in Iraq would lead to its defeat in Afghanistan. But some Iraqi military analysts think otherwise. One such analyst, Emmad Al Maliki, told Gulf News: "Certainly, Al Qaida's strategy in Iraq is to beat the American political and military project, then to establish a new Taliban-like regime in Iraq, and move on to the second phase of recruiting and exporting fighters to countries in the region and worldwide, as well as feeding the battlefield in Afghanistan." "That means Iraq will be turned into a large camp for Al Qaida to train and recruit fighters," said Al Maliki. "But if it does not achieve this, it does not mean that the organisation in Afghanistan or Pakistan has been defeated. Iraq is part of Al Qaida's strategy, but not its [entire strategy]." Others also think the Iraqi and US armies have no reason to gloat about the 6,000 Al Qaida members who have been killed in Iraq. Adnan Al Janabi, an officer in the former Iraqi army, told Gulf News: "I think 6,000 Al Qaida elements [killed], compared to more than 4,000 American casualties, despite the American superiority in intelligence, weapons and surveillance, also represents a blow to the American forces." "

6/6/2008 9:48:35 AM

Quote :

"Adnan Al Janabi, an officer in the former Iraqi army, told Gulf News: "I think 6,000 Al Qaida elements [killed], compared to more than 4,000 American casualties, despite the American superiority in intelligence, weapons and surveillance, also represents a blow to the American forces.""

I diagree with this statement from the article. I think that given the fact they were hiding among the general population, not following Geneva Convention rules by not wearing uniforms or symbols, and killing civilians and soliders with suicide bombs, they were very difficult to ID. And we still killed more of them. This shows me exactly how efficient our military really is. No matter where you run or hide, we will find you and take you out. GOOD JOB GUYS!

6/6/2008 10:55:40 AM