"As the 'guys with the goods', the ERUs aren't going to let anything happen to us. We’re treated like honored guests in their compound with dozens, if not hundreds, of fighters protecting us."
The ERU fighters are from the Anbar tribes that make up the Anbar Salvation Council.
Update:Bing West has posted some observations and comments based on his February Iraq trip over at the Small Wars Jounal blog. Read the whole thing, but here's what he says about the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Awakening Movement, and the Emergency Response Units, what he calls a 'rural constabulary.'
Anbar sheik movement merits US resources. In Anbar, the Awakening movement by the sheiks merits a crash program to pay, equip and advise what might be called a ‘rural constabulary’. Analogies to the 2004 “Fallujah Brigade” – a total disaster – are misplaced. The Fallujah Brigade was controlled by the enemy and refused to cooperate. The Awakening is cooperating, although Anbar can only be resolved by political compromise on the part of the central government.
***
Previous blogging at alphabet city on the Anbar Salvation Council:
As the sun set on Thursday, three cars carrying 10 men drove up to a community playground a few hundred feet from Ramadi’s main government building, where a friendly soccer match was underway between two neighborhood teams. The men poured out of the cars and seized the two players — Muhammad Hammed Nawaf and Muhammad Meshaan, both in their 20s.
The assailants tied the players' hands and tried to drag them toward the cars, but the players resisted and struggled.
"Muhammad tried to run away, but he stumbled on a rock, fell on the ground, and the armed men shot him dead at once," said Khalid Al-Ghargholi, the manager of the Ramadi team, speaking of Mr. Meshaan. "They started yelling, 'This is the destiny of anyone who works with secret police.'"
Mr. Ghargholi said that the gunmen were referring to the Salvation Council of Anbar, a group led by a Sunni sheik, Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi, who has opposed armed groups in the area and has ties with the Iraqi government and the Americans.
After his teammate was killed, Mr. Nawaf challenged the men to free him. "He said, 'If you have anything against me, shoot me, but if not, leave me alone,'" Mr. Ghargholi related.
Nawaf, of course, was shot on the spot.
Previous blogging at alphabet city on the Anbar Salvation Council:
...the full story, according to an American military officer and an American intelligence source, is that al-Qaeda in Iraq, under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq, assembled several hundred fighters to attack a prominent leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, the grouping of local tribes and Baathists, and former insurgents who now oppose al-Qaeda in Iraqi. The leader of the Anbar Salvation Council was to attend the funeral of one of those killed in last week's suicide bombing in Habbaniyah.
The Iraqi police in Amiriya held off the attack, and radioed for backup from Iraqi Army, police and members of the Thurwa al-Anbar, the tribal militias assembled by the Anbar Salvation Council. U.S. air support was called in to help fend off the attack. The Anbar Salvation Council leader escaped as Army, police and tribal fighters poured into the village and routed the al-Qaeda force, which was estimated to be several hundred fighters. Once intelligence source claims the figure of 50 al-Qaeda killed is low, and the number is likely over 100.
And how does Sattar react to the attempt on his life? He announces the ASC will form a political group that will field candidates for national elections.
[On] Friday in Iraq’s Sunni majority al Anbar province, Sunni tribal leaders said they are establishing a new political group to represent the needs of Anbar residents.
Sheikh Abdul Satar Abu Risha, a prominent Anbar leader who has headed an alliance of tribes fighting al-Qaida-linked groups in the region, told Iraqi television that the group plans to campaign for national elections in two years.
He says the group will broaden its activities beyond Anbar and will work with the Iraqi government and the parliament for the interests of people living in Anbar province.
Persuading Sunni groups to participate in Iraq’s political system has been a key goal of U.S. officials in Iraq.
Rejecting Sharia for Democracy. I'd call that a step in the right direction. A small victory, even.
Mullah Dadullah rocks, oh yeah. But so does professor John Shroder. Literally. Rocks are his life. So, keep making those videos Dadullah. You'll find you don't have a deterrent for the Viper Strike.
The As Sahab video interview (subtitled) with Mullah Dadullah is available here. The transcript is availble here. Posted
9:57 PM
by Robert
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not alone, Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Raed Salah can now also count himself among Neturei Karta's friends.
On Tuesday six Neturei Karta activists arrived in east Jerusalem to show their support for Salah at his protest tent pitched in the Wadi Joz neighborhood.
The Reuters copy editor doesn't identify him but that's Sheikh Raed Salah peeking around the corner in the image below.
Anti-Zionist Ultra-Orthodox Jews hold banners during a demonstration against the Israeli excavations near the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem February 27, 20007. The Arabic banner on the left reads 'Jerusalem belongs to the Palestinians' the one on the right reads 'Jews are forbidden to insult Islamic religious sites'. REUTERS/Mahfouz Abu Turk (JERUSALEM)
More YNET:
During the visit, Israel Hirsch, from the strictly Orthodox Mea Sheraim neighborhood, gave a rallying speech expressing his support for Salah, who also spoke at the meeting.
Earlier this month Salah was arrested at the Mugrabi excavation site after forcibly breaking through the police line guarding the area along with several of his followers. A court slapped him with a restraining order and he has since maintained the required 150 meter (500 feet) distance from the walls of the Old City.
"The Zionists have no right to change Jerusalem," Hirsch told Ynet on Tuesday. He also said that Salah and his followers greeted the Neturei Karta members "with joy and warmth."
Here's another moment of "joy and warmth" that took place in Tehran back in December during the International Holocaust Denial Convention, er, I mean the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust.
Neturei Karta member and Ahmadinejad in Teheran (Photo: AFP)
The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center published on Friday a report on Hamas' recent upgrade of its TV station and Internet sites. According to the report, the Hamas government, despite being bankrupt, has taken huge sums from the millions of dollars its leaders received from visits to Arab-Muslim countries and invested it in improving its propaganda assets, including launching an English-language website for its "military" wing, the Ezzedeen al-Qassam Brigades.
An improved version of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades (Hamas's terrorist-operative wing) Website was recently launched, funded, according to highly-placed Palestinian sources, by money given to Hamas leaders during their visits to a number of Arab and Muslim states. Its Webhost is Telekom, located in Malaysia.
The English version is not a literal translation of the Arabic version, but is a “moderate” version whose operators try to make suitable for target audiences in English-speaking countries. That is compatible with Hamas's desire to market its messages to varied audiences beyond the Arab-Muslim world.
Part of that message is the justification of suicide bombings. In an unattributed essay entitled "Martydom [sic] Operations" the author argues that not only are suicide attacks against Israelis sanctioned by the Quran but also points out that, technically, such attacks are considered to be acts of martyrdom and not suicide. The writer concludes:
Thus it is clear-cut that those young brave people who sacrifice themselves for the sake of Allah (exalted be His name) are ensha'a Allah martyrs. For they do not do their operations because they are frustrated or fed-up of life; on the contrary, they strongly believed in Allah who ordered all Muslims to defend themselves whenever attacked by enemies.
Here's a screenshot of some of what the Al-Qassam Brigades considers to be its most important "martyrdom operations." You're reading the first and last.
Now, below are the enemy "soldiers" killed in those two suicide attacks by Hamas' Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades.
The murder of four French nationals in Saudi Arabia this week (three died during Monday's attack and one succumbed to his wounds yesterday) is the opening salvo in the resumption of Al Qaeda's attacks against Westerners there.
On 8 February, the 30th issue of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's Sawt al-Jihad was posted to a jihadist website. The 56 page magazine included an introduction by Muhammad Ibn-Abdallah al-Nasir entitled "Oh House of Salul [Saud], The Outcome Belongs to the Righteous," in which "major operations" against "Crusaders" are promised.
Let the Crusaders and their followers in the Arabian Peninsula know that we have been preparing for a while for major operations that will shake the grounds of the Crusaders in the Arabian Peninsula, with God's might and strength and not ours. The Crusaders will not enjoy their living in the peninsula of Muhammad, prayers and peace be upon him, as long as we are breathing. This matter is part of the project of the mujahidin that aims at cleansing the Arabian Peninsula from the filth of the polytheists and the bases of the Crusaders that are spread all over the Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Islam and the homeland of the message. Our war with the bearers of the banner of the cross (the Americans), and their followers the British, and whoever helps them in this unjust war, will continue as long as the homeland is occupied and the sanctities are desecrated, and until religion is all for God [until everyone becomes a Muslim].
"We say to our amir, Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin: We are proceeding in the path and are keeping our promise. We shall not change and we shall not alter until we meet God. It is either victory or martyrdom, because your soldiers in the Arabian Peninsula are working, planning and preparing for what will please you, and will please the believers, God willing. We ask God to facilitate things until the zero hour arrives.
The Egyptian government has pulled the plug on Al-Zawraa TV - a satellite channel that glorifies the killing of American soldiers in Iraq and encourages the assassination of the Shiite members of its government - and the chairman of the state-owned satellite company it was broadcast on says it was silenced due to a technical problem and not because it promotes terrorism.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian court has silenced blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman by sentencing him to four years in prison for criticizing the authoritarianism of Egypt's Sunni clerics, defending Christians, promoting women's rights, and championing freedom of speech and religion. Posted
2:52 AM
by Robert
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'The Redirection.' Read and reread. Agree with Hersh's central thesis. The US is working directly with Sunni nations to contain Iranian influence in the region. Hersh doesn't have a scoop there. I can even buy his assertion that Dick Cheney is running the covert ops side of the strategy and is "spreading money around...to enhance the Sunni capability to resist Shiite influence." But if Hersh thinks that American money is ending up in the hands of Lebanese Salafist groups, he doesn't know the first thing about radical Islam: "These groups are very serious about their salafist jihadist ideology: the pro-American Lebanese government is an agent of the US-Zionist alliance and must be fought, period."
But...But... No! the Afghan Arabs received not one cent directly from the United States. Don't believe me? Fine. Would you believe Ayman al-Zawahiri?
"In order to extend the culture of self-abnegation and martyrdom, the message of martyrdom will be appended to the school books starting next year" said the deputy of martyrs' [children's] affairs in the ministry of education.
To read the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) report on Iran's global war curriculum click here. Posted
4:07 AM
by Robert
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Iraq Slogger's Eason Jordon emails saying he put the question to Rubaie directly. Considering this was Rubaie's opportunity to put the nearly month-old matter to rest that, folks, is a de facto confirmation of authenticity.
Alphabet city's February 16, coverage of the letter is here.
In the letter, marked "Secret, Personal, and Urgent", Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Malki, following consultations with his National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie and cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, decides to "hide the leadership of the jaysh al-mahdi (al-Mahdi Army)" in Iran "to prevent them from being arrested or killed at the hands of American forces." The leadership figures, whose names are attached to the letter, are said by Maliki to be connected with Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The prime minister says, "all administrative and security issues regarding the transfer of the leadership have been completed" and that he expects the transfer to be "executed." Copies of the letter are to be forwarded to the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Baghdad, the leadership of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), and the office of the sayyid martyr al-Sadr. The prime minister instructs the three to "please advise." The letter is dated 14 January 2007, and is signed by the prime minister.
click for larger view
[Retired USAF intelligence officer Lt. Col. Rick Francona's translation follows]
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Republic of Iraq Office of the Prime Minister
Number: 147/3/3/Q Date: 14/1/ 2007
Secret, Personal, and Urgent
Based on the telephone conversation with His Excellency Muqtada al-Sadr (God bless), and on consultations between myself and the honorable Dr. Muwafaq al-Rabi'i, and to maintain our great accomplishments, and the present conditions, we would like to hide the leadership of the jaysh al-mahdi (al-Mahdi Army), those top leaders connected with Iranian Revolutionary Guard organization – names attached - to prevent them from being arrested or killed at the hands of American forces, for a temporary period of time. It is preferable to send them to Iran until the crisis abates. Likewise, it is preferable to send the second level leadership to the southern governorates, bearing in mind that there are numerous attempts to convince the Americans to maintain the situation as is. All administrative and security issues regarding the transfer of the leadership have been completed.
We expect the execution, please advise.
Regards.
Attached names:
1. 'Abbas al-Kufi 2. 'Amr Muhaysin Khawajah 3. Salim Husayn 4. Azhar al-Maliki 5. Shaykh Farhan al-Sa'idi (al-Najaf) 6. Sayyid Fadil al-Shari'a (consultant to the prime minister) 7. Sayyid Riyadh al-Nuri (al-Najaf) 8. 'Ali Al-Fartusi 9. Haydar al-'Araji 10. Ahmad al-Darajji. 11. 'Amr al-Sa'idi
Copy to:
1. Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran - Baghdad 2. Leadership of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq 3. Office of the sayyid martyr al-Sadr, (God bless)
//signed// Nuri al-Maliki, Prime Minister. ../1/2007 Posted
4:01 PM
by Robert
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What we stand for as Americans could be lost forever if we pull out- how will the world view America after the world watches Iraq tear itself apart and...Al Qaeda and Iran take over an entire country? All of these left-wing groups and out of touch politicians- what do they really think is going to happen if we just pull out like they grandstand about? Those of us who have been here see past this farce...America was built upon the ideology of freedom from oppression, and Iraq today is not just a war, but a battle in a larger war, the war against terror.
Indeed. America would be shamed. But, I might add, the refrain of the anti-war bunch, at home - for whom America is a perpetual source of shame - and abroad, would not change in the event of a premature American withdrawal and the subsequent slaughter: Bush lied, people died.
The overwhelming majority of our sailors, soldiers, marines and guardsmen are in agreement with Sgt. Smith, whose remarks remind me very much of the immortal words of 2nd Lt. Mark Daily - a poet/warrior for the ages. Posted
1:29 PM
by Robert
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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) began calling for a reauthorization of the war early last month and raised it again last week, during a gathering in the office of Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). Participants included Kerry, Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl M. Levin (Mich.), Charles E. Schumer (N.Y.), Jack Reed (R.I.) and Russell Feingold (Wis.). Those Democratic senators have emerged as an unofficial war council representing the caucus's wide range of views.
The Democrats who make up the "war council" would be well served to heed the advice of moderate Democrats such as Rep. Jim Cooper (TENN) who says Congress "should focus on oversight of the war and stay away from legislation that encroaches on the war powers of the president."
They won't, of course. They will persist in their attempts to micromanage the war because they, and the other defeatists within the party, don't have the spine to oppose it directly.
...if you think we are in the middle of a civil war, cut off funding. If you believe half of what you are saying in these resolutions, then have the courage of your convictions to stop this war by cutting off funding. But, no, no one wants to do that because they do not know how that will play out at home. Everybody is trying to hedge their bets a little bit, bashing this new effort to secure victory, wanting to be seen in history, I guess, or for the next election, that this was not my idea, this was Bush's fault. Bush is not going to Iraq; 21,500 brave young men and women are going to Iraq behind a general who believes he can win.
This is a low point in my time in the Senate.
...Here is the crux of the matter: The reason we are here on a Saturday playing stupid political games while people are over in Iraq trying to win this war is because our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are afraid to take a vote on cutting off funding. I believe what happened in the House in a nonbinding fashion is the worst possible situation for this Congress, but it is a precursor to a movement toward bleeding this war dry in terms of funds and cutting off funding. If I am wrong, then let's have a vote on cutting off funding.
The reason we are not going to have a vote on the Judd Gregg resolution, which is a legitimate position, is because 70-plus Senators will vote for it. The overwhelming majority of this Senate understands that cutting off funding at this crucial time in the war on terror in Iraq is ill-advised, but they don't want to be on the record. The reason they don't want to be on the record is because the radical left will eat Democrat 2008 hopefuls' lunch. They will create a fight on that side of monumental proportions between the radical left and the bloggers of the left who want to get out yesterday. That is why we are having a truncated debate.
Merv Benson: "As usual Biden is disingenuous and wrong. The authorization included much more than WMD. What the Democrats are doing is looking for a new way to lose the war without taking responsibility for the loss."
Dan Riehl: "As Senator Joseph Lieberman recently pointed out, never before in America's history has a Congress attempted to so brazenly undermine an ongoing military effort while our troops were in harms way."
Jim Hoft: "Democrats want our soldiers to only fight Al Qaeda in Iraq that isn't in Iraq! Brilliant!" Posted
11:51 AM
by Robert
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The alleged rape by Shiite policemen of a Sunni woman, Sabreen al-Janabi, has the potential to trigger an even deadlier round of sectarian killings and threaten the Baghdad security plan if the Sunnis retaliate. By Sunnis I mean the fanatics and jihadists.
Whether the woman was raped or is an asymmetrical weapon in a jihadist counterattack against the Baghdad security plan doesn't matter at this point. The damage is done. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Islamic Army in Iraq have both put out statements promising revenge.
In the Arab world, perception trumps facts.
See here for Slogger's roundup of how major US dailies are reporting the story.
Also, Iraqi blogger Konfused Kid has added English subtitles to the - surprise, surprise - Al Jazeera report and posted the video here. Also here, if it doesn't load at his blog.
By the way, today is the first anniversary of the bombing of the Askariya mosque in Samarra.
Now, "If you talk to these sheiks, they'll tell you that they're in no hurry to see the Americans leave al-Anbar," he said.
"One thing Sheikh Sattar keeps saying is he wants al-Anbar to be like Germany and Japan and South Korea were after their respective wars, with a long-term American presence helping ... put them back together," MacFarland said. "The negative example he cites is Vietnam. He says, yeah, so, Vietnam beat the Americans, and what did it get them? You know, 30 years later, they’re still living in poverty."
Freakin' priceless. Shaykh Sattar knows a stronger tribe when he sees one.
Jason at PostPolitical has quite a bit more on Sattar from an Army Colonel here.
Alphabet city featured the Shaykh a couple of days ago here.
Update: The White House switchboard operator should tell Pelosi to call Sattar. The Shaykh will back Cheney up.
Update: ON Point Contributing Editor Andrew Lubin's interview with Shaykh Sattar.
The Islamic State of Iraq's attempt to eliminate Shaykh Sattar with a car bomb outside his house on Monday killed five police officers and six civilians but Sattar was not home.
The brigade’s success is a blueprint many other units are following, and according to MacFarland, the new commander in Iraq, Army Gen. David Petraeus, has instructed it to be disseminated throughout the forces in Iraq.
"If you are active duty, reservist or national guard, please Sign this Appeal."
"As an American currently serving my nation in uniform, I respectfully urge my political leaders in Congress to fully support our mission in Iraq and halt any calls for retreat. I also respectfully urge my political leaders to actively oppose media efforts which embolden my enemy while demoralizing American support at home. The War in Iraq is a necessary and just effort to bring freedom to the Middle East and protect America from further attack."
Nibras Kazimi's 'Insurgents' Dirty Laundry on Air' last week at Talisman Gate not only broke to the English-language blogosphere the news of Al-Zawraa TV's Mishaan al-Jabouri's very public threat to the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) but also underscored a very serious intra-jihadist dispute between indigenous Sunni insurgents and Al Qaeda inside Iraq's Anbar province.
Following up on Nibras' post, Bill Roggio pointed out that Jabouri is aligned with the Islamic Army in Iraq, which, along with Ansar al-Sunnah, the Mujahidin Army, and the Al-Rashidin Army, has refused to join the ISI and pledge allegiance to its emir, Omar Abu al-Baghdadi.
On January 13, 2007 a message demanding retribution for the killing of Ansar al-Sunnah (AAS) fighters by Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) was transmitted by AAS' Judicial Committee to AQI's Emir, Abu Hamzah al-Muhajir. Apparently after receiving no response from al-Muhajir, the letter was posted on a private (password protected) online forum on January 22, 2007. The letter was subsequently posted to an unprotected website sympathetic to Iraqi insurgent groups.
The Sunni insurgents are not only enraged by Al Qaeda's kidnapping, torture and execution of rival sheikhs, emirs and mujahids and its killing of soldiers, policemen, civilians, and shoppers in markets but also are concerned that Al Qaeda's tactics undermine national unity and significantly weaken the effort to defeat the American occupiers and drive them from Iraq.
But Al-Qaeda has bigger plans for Iraq than simply driving out the occupiers. When Mishaan al-Jabouri in his Al-Zawraa speech said, "We will not allow Iraq's transformation into a dangerous place that threatens the region's countries, and those brothers who come to you should pursue jihad in their own countries and not in ours if they wish to pursue acts beyond the resistance of the occupation," he could easily have been responding to Ayman al-Zawahiri instead of addressing Omar Abu Omar al-Baghdadi.
As I end my talk, I send my greetings and those of my brothers to our brothers, the Mujahideen in Iraq. And I congratulate them on the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq, and encourage the Islamic Ummah to back this young, fledgling state, for it -- Allah permitting -- is the gateway to the liberation of Palestine and the restoration of the Islamic Caliphate. And I also encourage all my Mujahid brothers in Iraq to join this blessed caravan to rescue Iraq of the Caliphate from the schemes of the Crusaders and their agents, the traitorous religion-traders, and to ruin what the beggar Abdul Aziz al-Hakim conspired about in Washington with his master, the defender of the defeated cross.
- Ayman al-Zawahiri, 21 December, 2006
This difference of vision on Iraq between the Iraqi Sunni insurgents and the Al Qaeda jihadists is signicant and critical to understanding what's at stake there for the United States. The majority of Sunni insurgent groups wish to drive the Americans out of Iraq and reclaim for Iraq's Sunnis the power they wielded during the Saddam days. To Al Qaeda, on the other hand, victory in Iraq would result in the establishment of the first Islamist State and serve as a launching pad for the restoration of the Caliphate.
It's a distinction that John Murtha, Nancy Pelosi and the majority of liberals are unable to make.
By Lt. Nathan Christensen, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet
USS JOHN C. STENNIS, At Sea (NNS) -- The USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group (JCSSG) entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO) Feb.19 to conduct Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in regional waters, as well as to provide support for ground forces operating in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Led by Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, Commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 3, the strike group includes the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON)21, the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), guided-missile destroyers USS O'Kane (DDG 77) and USS Preble (DDG 88), and the fast combat-support ship USNS Bridge (T-AOE 10). More than 6,500 Sailors and Marines are assigned to JCSSG.
"The USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is here to help foster stability and security in the region," said Quinn. "We look forward to working with our coalition partners to provide support for ground forces operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as conducting maritime security operations that help provide a safe environment for shipping within the region. We are ready, we are sustainable, we are flexible and we provide significant capabilities that contribute to regional peace and security."
MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.
U.S. 5th Fleet's AOO encompasses 2.5 million square miles of water and includes the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean.
Thousands of British troops have been involved in operations with the Iraqi army against rogue police units, local militias and al-Qaeda groups.
But once that is is finished large scale military patrols will end.
However, a sustantial British force will remain at their permanent base at Basra airport to provide support for Iraqi [forces].
Downing Street and the White House are putting a good face on the British withdrawal but, according to Lt. Col David Eshel (IDF-Ret.) writing at Defense Update last December, any reduction in the British contingent in Basra would impact the US military effort in Iraq:
The highly strategic Basrah region is not only the logistical vital supply gate for coalition forces in Iraq, but due to its strategic location, close to the Shat-al Arab waterway, could clear the way for an Iranian foray into the void.
Iran's first objective implementing its aim would be controlling the strategic Shat-al-Arab waterway and Al Basrah province, which not only dominates all access routes in that region, but would place the US led coalition forces in Iraq in dangerous jeopardy, by virtually threatening their vital logistical supply life-line into central Iraq. Sofar, the only military force still preventing such a threat depended on the relatively limited military British contingent in Basrah. Fortunately, probably with some foresight, the south-central weak links that were the Ukrainian and Bulgarian contingents have recently been replaced by elements of the US 4th Infantry Division, forming up on the overall border region, preventing outflanking of British army positions north of Basrah. But any reduction, or even early withdrawal of the British contingent, would place these forces under severe pressure to stem a growing threat from Iranian-backed insurgency forces in that highly critical region. In order to achieve a strategic land-link to the Iraqi Shi'ite south, Iran must not only destabilise the Al Basrah region, but, first dominate the entire province with loyal elements, which will secure this vital land bridge for Iran's ultimate aims.
In a recent restricted intelligence report, experts estimated that, while world attention is focusing on Iran's nuclear ambitions and Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's fierce rhetoric, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is quietly destablising southern Iraq, and unhinging British military control of Al-Basrah being its first objective. There are already indications, that Telic forces are re-deploying from down-town Basrah to more defensive positions around the perimeter, which may even signal first preparations for a phased withdrawal early next year.
Iranian influence in Iraq has significantly increased over the last year, but has become most pervasive in the Shiite south, where local militia, backed by IRGC have virtually consolidated their control over Al Basrah province and now dominate police, governate council, security apparatuses and even humanitarian organisations. These militias in the city have virtually eliminated nearly all the local opposition. In fact, it is well known to western intelligence community that Iranian revolutionary guard units are sponsors of the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al Sadr and the Badr Brigades of the Supreme Council for the Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI). They are the principal militias of the Shia communities of the south, and are now among the top three or four most powerful private armies in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the National Council of Resistance of Iran continued its intelligence offensive against the mullah regime today when its Foreign Affairs Chairman, Mohammad Mohaddessin, "spoke about critical aspects of the clerical regime's meddling in Iraq." In today's speech, part of a web conference organized by the International Study Committee for Change in Iran, Mohaddessin presented evidence from an alleged top secret IRGC document obtained by sources of the resistance inside Iran and first made public by the NCRI on January 26.
Also, the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and its strike group joined the USS Eisenhower and its group in the Persian Gulf as US military officials revealed that Iranian patrol boats are probing defensive measures near Iraqi offshore oil terminals and yet another UN deadline calling for Iran to halt uranium enrichment passed with a defiant Tehran vowing not to freeze its nuclear activities unless Western nations halted theirs. Posted
7:07 PM
by Robert
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Over at Hot Air yesterday, Allah Pundit linked to the BBC report revealing US plans to attack Iran and called it "uselessly vague."
I agree. The Beeb is thin on details. Not to worry. This New Statesman report from last week is chock-full of information. "The US army, navy, air force and marines have all prepared battle plans." Here's a teaser covering the USAF's role and capabilities.
Any US general planning to attack Iran can now assume that at least 10,000 targets can be hit in a single raid, with warplanes flying from the US or Diego Garcia. In the past year, unlimited funding for military technology has taken "smart bombs" to a new level.
New "bunker-busting" conventional bombs weigh only 250lb. According to Boeing, the GBU-39 small-diameter bomb "quadruples" the firepower of US warplanes, compared to those in use even as recently as 2003. A single stealth or B-52 bomber can now attack between 150 and 300 individual points to within a metre of accuracy using the global positioning system.
With little military effort, the US air force can hit the last-known position of Iranian military units, political leaders and supposed sites of weapons of mass destruction. One can be sure that, if war comes, George Bush will not want to stand accused of using too little force and allowing Iran to fight back.
"Global Strike" means that, without any obvious signal, what was done to Serbia and Lebanon can be done overnight to the whole of Iran. We, and probably the Iranians, would not know about it until after the bombs fell.
And if you're a liberal, best not side with Bush on Iran or the moonbats will rip you a new one in the comments section. Posted
1:00 AM
by Robert
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Sheikh Abdel Sittar Baziya, head of the Abu Risha tribe and a founder of the movement the Sahawat Al Anbar, or Awakening Council, an alliance pledged to fighting al-Qaeda in Al Anbar province. YURI KOZYREV FOR TIME
Nibras Kazimi posted to his blog Talisman Gate yesterday his translation of a rabidly anti-Al Qaeda speech delivered by Sunni insurgent supporter and funder and former Iraqi MP al-Jabouri (alt: Mish'an al-Juburi) from his Damascus hide-out and aired on his Al-Zawraa TV.
Al-Jabouri's complaints are many, including Al Qaeda's failure to protect Sunnis from Shi'a retaliation after it provoked them and its forcing of Anbar's Sunnis to pledge fealty to the Islamic State of Iraq, but what's really got him steamed is AQ's murder and kidnapping of important Sunnis.
Back in November, 2005, three Anbar Sunni tribes, with US military backing, formed a group called the Anbar Revenge Brigade after concluding "that the best way to reduce the coalition troop presence in their home regions [was] to flush out al-Qaeda elements in their cities." The late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Al Qaeda in Iraq then declared the Revenge Brigade tribes guilty of apostasy and, along with the Anbar tribes not aligned with the Revenge Brigade, went to war with them.
Then, in August of last year, according to Col. MacFarland - commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division - the Anbar tribal posture shifted dramatically when 12 of Ramadi's 21 tribes joined the coalition security effort (six are considered neutral and three are actively hostile) when Al Qaeda, which had begun targeting Anbar tribal shaykhs, "overplayed its hand":
Al Qaeda in Iraq...kidnapped and killed Sheik Khalid of the Albu Ali Jassim tribe and left his body where it could not be found, preventing the family from burying him within 24 hours as prescribed by Muslim tradition.
At a meeting that month, several sheiks drew up an 11-point declaration vowing to fight al Qaeda, within the rule of law, and declaring solidarity with coalition and government security forces. It is a movement referred to by the tribes as "the Awakening [Sahawat Al Anbar, or Awakening Council]."
And here's where Shaykh Sattar enters the picture.
Al Qaeda "assassinated a lot of the sheiks," said Sheik Ahmed Abureeshah, 41, whose brother, Sheik Sitar, is the driving force behind the initiative. "They killed my father. They killed three of my brothers. They killed 14 other sheiks from different tribes.
"Then we met the sheiks of the tribe one after one, and we decided that we must put our hands together and fight to defeat these criminals."
The tribes sent hundreds of young men to join the police -- more than 1,000 in December and more than that last month, a record recruiting effort for the province.
The men were assigned to police stations in their own tribes' neighborhoods, giving the tribes a vested interest in their success and contributing to unusually high rates of policemen turning up for work. Others were organized into the ERUs, which operate in the countryside while the police remain in the cities.
Improved security, in turn, made it possible for the brigade to pour in reconstruction money, enabling some $3 million in projects to be undertaken.
As the benefits of cooperation became evident, "the tribes began flipping, like a domino effect," Col. MacFarland said. "Almost every week, we get another sheik knocking on our door."
To be sure, Mishaan Al-Jabouri is incensed with Al Qaeda's outrages, but, I suspect, his outburst has less to do with his anger and more to do with his inability to stop them. The only Sunni tribes that have had any success against Abu Omar Baghdadi and the Islamic State of Iraq are aligned with the US military. Al-Jabouri must see the writing on the wall. If the Anbar tribes keep "flipping," Jabouri may very well find the whole of Anbar's indigenous Sunni insurgency aligned with the US. How long, then, before he realizes the fastest course to ending the occupation means becoming our son of a bitch?
That's something you won't see broadcast to the Arab world on Al-Zawraa TV.
Republicans united largely behind Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and refused to allow the measure to be considered unless they could offer an alternative declaring that funding for military personnel in Iraq would not be cut.
Why would Democrats be opposed to amending the resolution to insure our military has the funds it needs?
Because they're cowards.
Lindsey Graham said from the Senate floor, and I paraphrase, that if Democrats were to go on the record against defunding the war, the "radical left" and its bloggers, who want to get out of Iraq yesterday, would eat them for lunch.
And the Democrats who actively court the "radical left?" They're cowards, too.
The Washington Post smacked down John Murtha in an editorial today for a plan he hatched with a coalition of left-wing anti-war activists fronted by Win Without War and MoveCongress.org to "stop the surge by crudely hamstringing the ability of military commanders to deploy troops."
In an interview carried Thursday by the Web site MoveCongress.org, Mr. Murtha said he would attach language to a war funding bill that would prohibit the redeployment of units that have been at home for less than a year, stop the extension of tours beyond 12 months, and prohibit units from shipping out if they do not train with all of their equipment. His aim, he made clear, is not to improve readiness but to "stop the surge." So why not straightforwardly strip the money out of the appropriations bill -- an action Congress is clearly empowered to take -- rather than try to micromanage the Army in a way that may be unconstitutional? Because, Mr. Murtha said, it will deflect accusations that he is trying to do what he is trying to do. "What we are saying will be very hard to find fault with," he said.
Here's how Murtha sums up his "slow bleed strategy," which is backed by Nancy Pelosi:
"They won't be able to continue. They won't be able to do the deployment. They won't have the equipment, they don't have the training and they won't be able to do the work. There's no question in my mind. We have analyzed this and we have come to the conclusion that it can't be done." (audio provided by House Minority Leader John Boehner)
Transcript from the Congressman's website follows.
~
You know, I flew 62 combat missions in the Korean War and 25 missions in the Vietnam War before being shot down.
I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force for 29 years, attending the prestigious National War College, and commanding two air bases, among other things.
I mention these stories because I view the debate on the floor not just as a U.S. Congressman elected to serve the good people of the Third District in Texas, but also through the lens of a life-long fighter pilot, student of war, a combat warrior, a leader of men, and a Prisoner of War.
Ironically, this week marks the anniversary that I started a new life – and my freedom from prison in Hanoi.
I spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam, more than half of that time in solitary confinement. I flew out of Hanoi on February 12, 1973 with other long-held Prisoners of War – weighing just 140 pounds. And tomorrow – 34 years ago, I had my homecoming to Texas – a truly unspeakable blessing of freedom.
While in solitary confinement, my captors kept me in leg stocks, like the pilgrims… for 72 days.
As you can imagine, they had to carry me out of the stocks because I couldn't walk. The following day, they put me in leg irons...for two and a half years. That’s when you have a tight metal cuff around each ankle – with a foot-long bar connecting the legs.
I still have little feeling in my right arm and my right hand… and my body has never been the same since my nearly 2,500 days of captivity.
But I will never let my physical wounds hold me back.
Instead, I try to see the silver lining. I say that because in some way … I’m living a dream…a hope I had for the future.
From April 16, 1966 to February 12, 1973 – I prayed that I would return home to the loving embrace of my wife, Shirley, and my three kids, Bob, Gini, and Beverly…
And my fellow POWs and I clung to the hope of when – not if – we returned home.
We would spend hours tapping on the adjoining cement walls about what we would do when we got home to America.
We pledged to quit griping about the way the government was running the war in Vietnam and do something about it... We decided that we would run for office and try to make America a better place for all.
So - little did I know back in my rat-infested 3 x 8 dark and filthy cell that 34 years after my departure from Hell on Earth… I would spend the anniversary of my release pleading for a House panel to back my measure to support and fully fund the troops in harm's way….and that just days later I would be on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives surrounded by distinguished veterans urging Congress to support our troops to the hilt.
We POWs were still in Vietnam when Washington cut the funding for Vietnam. I know what it does to morale and mission success. Words can not fully describe the horrendous damage of the anti-American efforts against the war back home to the guys on the ground.
Our captors would blare nasty recordings over the loud speaker of Americans protesting back home…tales of Americans spitting on Vietnam veterans when they came home... and worse.
We must never, ever let that happen again.
The pain inflicted by your country's indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors.
Our troops - and their families – want, need and deserve the full support of the country – and the Congress. Moms and dads watching the news need to know that the Congress will not leave their sons and daughters in harm’s way without support.
Since the President announced his new plan for Iraq last month, there has been steady progress. He changed the rules of engagement and removed political protections.
There are reports we wounded the number two of Al Qaeda and killed his deputy. Yes, Al Qaeda operates in Iraq. It's alleged that top radical jihadist Al-Sadr has fled Iraq - maybe to Iran. And Iraq’s closed its borders with Iran and Syria. The President changed course and offered a new plan …we are making progress. We must seize the opportunity to move forward, not stifle future success.
Debating non-binding resolutions aimed at earning political points only destroys morale, stymies success, and emboldens the enemy.
The grim reality is that this House measure is the first step to cutting funding of the troops…Just ask John Murtha about his 'slow-bleed' plan that hamstrings our troops in harm’s way.
Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home – and those who fought and died in Iraq - so I can keep my promise that when we got home we would quit griping about the war and do something positive about it…and we must not allow this Congress to leave these troops like the Congress left us.
Today, let my body serve as a brutal reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past...instead learn from them.
We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them. We must support them all the way. To our troops we must remain...always faithful.
God bless you and I salute you all. Thank you.
~
Update:John Hinderaker posts the vid and says what I wanted to say but chickened out...something to do with tears. Posted
6:49 AM
by Robert
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Writing last night on H.Con.Res. 63 he said the vote was "nothing but an opportunity to strike a posture hip with the press corps and the lunatic fringe of the Democrat Party, better known to Democratic politicians as The Base."
The Base. Hmmm. Now where have I heard the term before? Oh yes, it is the English-language equivalent of the Arabic term القاعدة or Al-Qai'dah.
The Democrats and the turncoat Republicans may think they have America's best interests at heart - that is why I cannot accuse them of treason and cowardice - but they are woefully ignorant of the seriousness of the danger the West faces from the Qaidists and Khomenists. The pundits, analysts and experts have said it better than I, but it bears repeating. To withdraw from Iraq is to cede the battle to the Islamists. The argument that the fight is between Sunni and Shia, while true to a degree, misses the point. Iraq is now the epicenter of two momentous clashes. The first is the struggle between the Sunni Qaidists and the Shiite Khomeinists for supremacy within Islam. The second is between Democracy and radical Islam, whether the Sunni or Shiite brand. To withdraw and let fanatical Muslims engage in a death match would ignite a regional war. Yes, it would be calamitous. Tens of thousands would die and the world economy would be wrecked. More important, however, is this: Regardless of which sect prevailed, radical Islam would be the victor and we would be faced with an even more potent threat. We must not withdraw. Our mission must be to stand firm, to fight and to slay the two-headed dragon of radical Islam in Iraq. We must kill it where it lives. Or kill it where we live when it follows us home. Posted
2:33 AM
by Robert
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Letter Said From PM on Plan To Hide Al-Mahdi Leaders in Iran From US Forces
Originally published on 2/1/2007 by Jihadist Websites -- OSC Report in Arabic
Terrorism: Website Claims Iraqi PM and Al-Sadr Will Hide Al-Mahdi Leaders in Iran from US Forces
On 1 February, a website posted a letter allegedly from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Malki, marked "Secret, Personal, and Urgent", in which the prime minister, following consultations with his National Security Adviser and cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, decided "to hide the leaders and commanders of Al-Mahdi Army in Iran to keep them from getting arrested or killed by US forces". The alleged letter was dated 14 January 2007, and was signed by the prime minister. The letter was posted without comment.
click for larger view
[A translation of the letter follows]
"In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Republic of Iraq Office of the Prime Minister
Number: 147/3/3/Q Date: 14 January 2007
Secret, Personal, and Urgent
Based on our telephone conversation with His Eminence Muqtada al-Sadr (may God bless him), and consultations between myself and the respected Dr. Muwafaq al-Rabi'i [National Security Adviser], and for the sake of preserving our great accomplishments, and due to the present conditions, we would like to hide the leaders of Al-Mahdi Army from the front line [first tier al-Mahdi leaders] who are systematically connected to the Iranian Republic Guard, names attached, to keep them safe from getting arrested or killed by the American forces, for a period of time, until the crisis is cleared. It is preferred that the leaders from the second line will be sent to the southern provinces, bearing in mind that there are numerous attempts to convince the Americans to keep the situation as is. All administrative and security issues regarding the transfer of these leaders have been prepared.
We expect the implementation [of this order], and confirmation.
With best regards.
The attached names [as published] are:
1. Abbas al-Kufi.
2. Amir Muhaisin Khawajah.
3. Salim Hussein.
4. Azhar al-Maliki.
5. Shaykh Farhan al-Sa'idi/ Al-Najaf.
6. Al-Sayyid [Mister] Fadil al-Shasri'h/ Consultant to the respected PM.
7. Al-Sayyid [Mister] Riad al-Nuri/ Al-Najaf.
8. Ali Al-Fartusi.
9. Haidar al-A'raji.
10. Ahmad al-Daraji.
11. Amir al-Sa'idi.
Copies to:
1. Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
2. Leadership of the Highest Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
4. Office of the martyr Al-Sadr, (may God bless him).
Signed by: Nuri al-Malki, Prime Minister. 14/1/2007."
Update at 12:50 pm, ET:Laura Mansfield has emailed me a rough translation via her Blackberry and has asked her sources in Baghdad to authenticate the letter. Rick Francona has also emailed a translation and says his sources in Baghdad say the letter "has been making the rounds in Iraq, and is believed to be a fabrication by the Sunnis to discredit the government." By agreement, I am not at liberty to reveal the identity of their sources.
The upshot: The provenance of the letter is not yet established. Either the letter is an attempt to discredit the Maliki government (Abu Omar al-Baghdadi's Islamic State of Iraq would be my guess as it certainly has the capability) or the letter is legitimate and was leaked by someone within the Iraqi government who is rightly concerned about Iranian influence on the Iraqi government (PM Maliki, NSA Rubbaie and President Talabani all have connections with the IRGC and Qods Force that go back years).
According to prominent Iranian dissident and author Alireza Jafarzadeh, the Khomeinists are using the Mahdi Army in their campaign to export the Islamic revolution to Iraq.
In July 2006 my sources in Iran uncovered facts about Iran's training and support of Iraqi militias, including the Mahdi fighters. In March of that year, 50 members of the Mahdi Army were sent from Basra to Iran for training in explosives, arms, and mines. The director of the training program, an Iranian mullah, told the company, "You are the future of Iraq and you must expel the occupying forces." The group returned to Iraq in two yellow Mercedes Benz buses and organized into a company called Ghassem. My sources also uncovered information aobut a 30-day training course for Mahdi soldiers that began in late May. The Iranian trainers, based in Baghdad, hid the military program under the guise of a series of religious lessons, but the attendees were trained in using hand grenades, RPG-7 rocket launchers, and bombs. In May 2006, another group of 27 Mahdi Army men left Al-Amareh for Iran for training and receiving special instructions from the Qods force.
- "The Iran Threat, President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis," Alireza Jafarzadeh, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007
Stay tuned.
Update at 2:05 pm, ET: The Francona translation.
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Republic of Iraq Office of the Prime Minister
Number: 147/3/3/Q Date: 14/1/ 2007
Secret, Personal, and Urgent
Based on the telephone conversation with His Excellency Muqtada al-Sadr (God bless), and on consultations between myself and the honorable Dr. Muwafaq al-Rabi'i, and to maintain our great accomplishments, and the present conditions, we would like to hide the leadership of the jaysh al-mahdi (al-Mahdi Army), those top leaders connected with Iranian Revolutionary Guard organization – names attached - to prevent them from being arrested or killed at the hands of American forces, for a temporary period of time. It is preferable to send them to Iran until the crisis abates. Likewise, it is preferable to send the second level leadership to the southern governorates, bearing in mind that there are numerous attempts to convince the Americans to maintain the situation as is. All administrative and security issues regarding the transfer of the leadership have been completed.
We expect the execution, please advise.
Regards.
Attached names:
1. 'Abbas al-Kufi 2. 'Amr Muhaysin Khawajah 3. Salim Husayn 4. Azhar al-Maliki 5. Shaykh Farhan al-Sa'idi (al-Najaf) 6. Sayyid Fadil al-Shari'a (consultant to the prime minister) 7. Sayyid Riyadh al-Nuri (al-Najaf) 8. 'Ali Al-Fartusi 9. Haydar al-'Araji 10. Ahmad al-Darajji. 11. 'Amr al-Sa'idi
Copy to:
1. Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran - Baghdad 2. Leadership of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq 3. Office of the sayyid martyr al-Sadr, (God bless)
//signed// Nuri al-Maliki, Prime Minister. ../1/2007
Update on Saturday at 2:01 pm, ET: I emailed and spoke to several media oranizations and think tanks yesterday. So far, no response.
Unless someone proves otherwise, I'm considering the letter a fraud. In all honesty, I am hoping it is. If it is authentic, Maliki has only the interests of Iraq's Shia at heart and even darker days await Sunnis who reject the acts of terror by Sunni jihadists and insurgents.
Update on Sunday at 2:40 am, ET: Laura Mansfield emails to say her sources in Baghdad consider the letter to be an attempt to discredit the Maliki government. Still no word on Muqtada's whereabouts however.
More:Iraq Slogger: "CNN cites an Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman as reporting that Iraqi police encountered an insurgent group on the road between Falluja and Samarra and, in a firefight, wounded Abu Ayyub al-Masri and killed Abu Abdullah al-Majamiai."
More: AP (Washington Post) has MOI spokesman and Iraqi Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf confirming that al-Masri was wounded and al-Majamiai killed but adds that "Deputy Interior Minister Maj. Gen. Hussein Ali Kamal said he had no information about such a clash or that al-Masri had been involved." The US military has not commented.
Update: PJM's Richard Miniter breaks the bad news. But do give the link a click. Miniter has some news on al-Qaeda/Islamic State of Iraq's new tactics. Posted
5:09 PM
by Robert
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As Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona (USAF-Ret) recently put it when writing about American blood on Iranian hands: "Rather than bringing them to justice, let's bring justice to them."
Francona, a former USAF intelligence officer fluent in Arabic with extensive operational experience in the Middle East - including tours of duty with the NSA, DIA and CIA - wasn't referring exclusively to Tehran's involvement in attacks on US armed forces inside Iraq by religious fanatics, insurgents and terrorists supported, supplied and financed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Qods Force. Murder by Iran in the name of Khomeinism goes back, wayback, has not been limited solely to American nationals and the Qods Force has had a hand in almost every operation.
So here's how we bring the justice. Forget quietly assassinating "radical mullahs and iranian atomic scientists." The Qods Force is the outfit that needs to be dealt with. Since its paper and financial trail cannot be traced directly back to Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to whom it reports, nor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmdinejad, who helped create it, we need to target Qods Force headquarters.
The significance of striking this particular target is twofold. First, it is a practical target. The Qods Force's Iraq operation is run out of the compound, so it gets hit. It would send the strongest possible message to the mullah regime concerning the seriousness of the United States' commitment to force protection in Iraq. Secondly, it is a symbolic target. The Khomeinist war on America and the West began there 29 years ago.
Think my suggestion is irresponsibly outrageous? Hey, take it up with former CIA Middle East field officer Robert Baer. He mentioned the option of "bombing a Quds Force base in Iran in the name of force protection" yesterday. I simply pointed out the obvious target.
(While we're on the subject of force protection, here is another Tehran site that needs to be smoked: "Within the Ordnance Factories Complex, a subdivision of Iran's Defense Industries Organization, a company named Sattari specializes in making various types of anti-tank mines, including EFP's.")
Update: Rick Francona has some strong remarks for President Bush and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Peter Pace, who both today stopped short of saying that Khamenei and the top echelon of the Iranian government are involved in attacks on US forces in Iraq:
Having worked the "Iranian problem" for many years while in the intelligence community, the thought that the Qods Force could supply weapons and deploy personnel to Iraq without the knowledge and complicity of the Iranian government is ludicrous.
Iranian-made weapons components are being used in roadside bombs that are killing American troops. American forces have detained Qods Force personnel in Iraq, recovered documents indicating their involvement in a variety of operations in Iraq, and captured weapons that were manufactured in Iran. Whether or not the orders came from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei, President Ahmadinejad, or the commander of the IRGC, the bottom line is that someone in the Iranian regime authorized these operations.
The president at one point remarked, "I'm going to do something about it."
If it was up to me and I believed that the IRGC Qods Force has American blood on its hands (it does), there would be strikes on IRGC facilities in Iran. How's that for dialogue with Tehran?
Mr. President, just what are you prepared to do?
Well, Lt. Col. Francona, the joint command center of the IRGC in Tehran is located right next door to the Qods Force headquarters. Shall we add it to the target list?
If I may, I would like to point out to the reader that we now have two former intelligence officers with loads of experience in the Middle East, and with the Iranians, who do more than not rule out a strike on IRGC or Qods Force targets inside Iran. Francona and Baer consider it a viable option for dealing with a "mortal enemy."
Update:Robert Baer: The Qods Force are "bad guys - who 100 percent have American blood on their hands."
...cannot the world's most powerful nation deign speak to the resentful and scheming regional power that is Iran? Can we not speak of the interests of others, work to establish a sustained dialogue, and seek to benefit the people of Iran and the region? Could not such a dialogue, properly conducted, begin a process that could, over time, help realign hardened attitudes and polarizing views within the region? And isn't it easier to undertake such a dialogue now, before more die, and more martyrs are created to feed extremist passions? And, finally, if every effort should fail, before we take military action, don't we at least want the moral, legal and political "high ground" of knowing we did everything possible to avert it?
Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, USAF (Ret) believes Iran to be part of the problem:
The Iraq Study Group report recommends that the United States enter into a direct dialogue with Iran. It is one of the few recommendations with which I agree. I believe Iran to be part of the problem in Iraq, not part of the solution. Therefore, our dialogue should be clear and compelling—cease your support of the Shia militias in Iraq or pay a price.
Only when the Iranian leadership believes that the United States is willing and able to back up the dialogue with force will they ameliorate their behavior.
ABC News and CNN yesterday reported that Muqtada al-Sadr, fearing attack from US forces or assassination from the more extreme elements within his militia, left Iraq for Iran two to three weeks ago taking some of the leadership of his Madhi Army with him.
Letter Said From PM on Plan To Hide Al-Mahdi Leaders in Iran From US Forces
Originally published on 2/1/2007 by Jihadist Websites -- OSC Report in Arabic
Terrorism: Website Claims Iraqi PM and Al-Sadr Will Hide Al-Mahdi Leaders in Iran from US Forces
On 1 February, a website posted a letter allegedly from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, marked "Secret, Personal, and Urgent", in which the prime minister, following consultations with his National Security Adviser and cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, decided "to hide the leaders and commanders of Al-Mahdi Army in Iran to keep them from getting arrested or killed by US forces". The alleged letter was dated 14 January 2007, and was signed by the prime minister. The letter was posted without comment.
The OSC report says the letter was posted to a jihadist website. Most likely Sunni. If so, it could be an attempt by Sunni jihadist and/or insurgent elements to discredit Maliki's pledge of religious impartiality in Operation Secure Bagdad. In other words, more fanning of sectarian flames.
The other possibility, the document is genuine and Muqtada has not run with his tail between his legs but has been secreted away in Iran with the blessings of PM Maliki and NSA Mowaffak al-Rubaie. Both belong to the Dawa Party which forged it's ties to the Khomeinists during Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's exile in Najaf in the late 1970s.
Update: Michael Howard, the Guardian's staff reporter in Baghdad, provides some new information on Sadr's whereabouts:
Senior commanders of the Mahdi army, the militia loyal to the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, have been spirited away to Iran to avoid being targeted in the new security push in Baghdad, a high-level Iraqi official told the Guardian yesterday.
On the day the Iraqi government formally launched its crackdown on insurgents and amid disputed claims about the whereabouts of Mr Sadr, the official said the Mahdi army leadership had withdrawn across the border into Iran to regroup and retrain.
"Over the last three weeks, they [Iran] have taken away from Baghdad the first and second-tier military leaders of the Mahdi army," he said. The aim of the Iranians was to "prevent the dismantling of the infrastructure of the Shia militias" in the Iraqi capital - one of the chief aims of the US-backed security drive.
"The strategy is to lie low until the storm passes, and then let them return and fill the vacuum," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Tehran authorities were "playing a waiting game" until the commanders could return to Baghdad and resume their activities. "All indications are that Moqtada is in Iran, but that is not really the point," he added.
I'm guessing that Howard's unnamed source is a Sunni MP whose greatest fear is the return of a formerly ragtag Shiite militia transformed (regrouped and retrained) into professional fighting unit by the mullah regime. Muqtada's whereabouts is not the news here. The point, if the unnamed source is to be believed, is that the Mahdi army leadership is now a protected military asset of Tehran which Khamenei will redeploy to Baghdad once the Americans withdraw.
Nothing shows the power of an American military force than the retreat of its enemies, especially once they understand that the gloves have come off. The Mahdis didn't choose to regroup in Basra or Najaf -- they went to Iran. That speaks volumes about the courage of the Mahdi "army" and the opportunity to end their terrorist grip on Iraq's capital.
True in the short run. But, why stand and fight the most powerful military on earth and face certain annihilation when all one has to do is wait for the Americans to leave?
Finally, Ed, addressing the question of PM Maliki's participation in Sadr's withdrawal in the face of a looming US crackdown, says, "Maliki didn't have to draw him any pictures." I agree, but the difficulty or ease of Sadr and his lieutenants' return to Baghdad will be dictated by any agreement, or lack thereof, between the Dawa party and the Sadrists.
Update:Associated Press quotes an unnamed Sadrist and an adviser to PM Maliki:
An adviser to Iraq's prime minister said Thursday that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran, but denied he fled due to fear of arrest during an escalating security crackdown.
Sami al-Askari said al-Sadr traveled to Iran by land "a few days ago," but gave no further details on how long he would stay in Iran. A member of al-Sadr's bloc in parliament, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, said al-Sadr left three weeks ago.
"I confirm that Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran on a visit," said al-Askari. "But I deny that his visit is a flight."
If Muqtada hasn't fled, then perhaps his exit was arranged. The three weeks time frame fits the The Maliki/Rubaie "hide Muqtada in Iran" scenario.
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Maliki is double dealing. Don't be surprised, though. After all, the Iranians were the Dawa Party's patrons long before the US appeared.
Update: I have obtained the Maliki letter and a translation. Posted here. Posted
1:49 AM
by Robert
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Brigadier-General Abtahi is commander of Qods Force’s terrorist network in Iraq. Formerly, Abtahi was among IRGC commanders in Lebanon. After the fall of Iraq’s former regime, Abtahi took charge of the activities of the Qods Force in the Persian Gulf region particularly in Iraq. Abtahi uses various front organizations in Iraq, including the Mobin Cultural Headquarters, run entirely by Qods Force, to keep contact with Iraqi elements and groups that are affiliated with the Iranian regime.
The command center for these terrorist networks is the Fajr Base which is located in southwestern Iran and is affiliated with the Qods Force. This Base is the tactical command center for the Qods Force operatives active in southern and central provinces of Iraq. Communications regarding the activities of terrorist networks and that of leaders of Iraqi groups and parties affiliated with Tehran is directed from Fajr Base. The Base is located in the city of Ahwaz in the north of Chahar-Shir Circle (Falake-ye Chahar-Shir). This base is one of the three command centers of the Qods Force for operations in Iraq. The Qods Force is commanded by IRGC Brigadier-General Qassem Soleimani who is stationed in Kazemi Garrison, located within the compound of former American Embassy in Tehran, near the joint command center of the IRGC.
Update:Jules Crittenden: "...look at the past 28 years of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, what we see is that we have been repeatedly bullied by Iran, and provoked by Iran, and Iran barely even bothers to hide what it is doing." Posted
10:57 PM
by Robert
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The Department of Defense laid out today part of its "growing body of evidence" implicating top levels of the Iranian government in the killing of US troops in Iraq. The most barbaric and effective of the weapons the DoD briefers said the IRGC's Qods Force is supplying to terror groups and militias is the explosively formed penetrator (EFP).
Aside from naming three border crossings (at Meran, Amarah and near Basra) no details were provided about where the explosives were manufactured or the Qods Force smuggling network that brought them into Iraq.
Fortunately, that information is available. It comes from the same Iranian organizations that blew the whistle on Iran's nuclear program, the Mujahedin-e-Khalq and the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the political umbrella group with which the MEK is affiliated.
Information I received from my sources associated with the Mujahedin-e-Khalq inside Iran in July 2006 not only confirmed that Iran is building these devices, but identified for the first time the munitions factory complex in north Tehran where the EFP's are produced. Within the Ordnance Factories Complex, a subdivision of Iran's Defense Industries Organization, a company named Sattari specializes in making various types of anti-tank mines, including EFP's. A satellite photo of the Ordnance Factories Complex shows that the facility is accessed through an entrance gate of the Nobonyad Circle in the Nobonyad neighborhood of the Lavizan section of north Tehran. Sattari, along with Sayad Shirazi and Shiroodi, are the three industries producing munitions at the complex. The IRGC's Qods Force secretly orders EFP's from Sattari through a high-security protocol that includes specially designated codes. The Qod's Force utilizes its network of agents within Iraq to deliver the bombs to Iran-backed militias and terrorist groups. In June 2006 the Sadr Movement smuggled several consignments of missiles and explosives into Iraq through the eastern and southern borders with Iran. According to my sources, in June 2006, a large consignment of missiles, including shoulder-operated AA missiles as well as sophisticated IED's manufactured by the Defense Industries Organization, have been smuggled into Iraq through Shalamcheh and Badra border routes. The weapons mostly moved to Sadr City and provided to the Mahdi Army.
The Mahdi Army isn't the only Shia militia in Iraq receiving Iranian produced explosives. In a January briefing in Paris, the NCRI went public with its dossier on Iranian meddling in Iraq that detailed the Qods Force ties SCIRI's Badr Corps.
IRGC Brigadier General Mojtaba Abtahi, based in Fajr garrison in Ahwaz in southern Iran, one of the main bases of the Qods Force in southern Iraq, notifies his contact in Najaf by the name of Hamid Hosseini.
Hamid Hosseini is director of the center affiliated with the Qods Force in Najaf.
On behalf of the Fajr garrison, one team goes to Shalamcheh border region, where in coordination with Iraqi customs agents who belong to the Badr Corps, they obtain the permit to cross the border and drive to the Fajr garrison, where weapons and money is hidden in the car. The car is escorted by Iranian regime's security forces back to the Shalamcheh border and returns to Iraq. To ensure secrecy, Hamid Hosseini uses different vehicles for each mission. Pick-up trucks are the main type of vehicles used for this operation.
An individual by the name of Ahmad Sami Abdol-Majid Alhalali, also known as Abu Majed Al-Basri, with an Iranian name of Ahmad Helali, is currently in charge of Iraqis stationed in Shalamcheh border. He is a veteran member of the IRGC in Iran and of the Qods Force. His personnel code in the Qods payroll list is 1202 and his monthly salary is 2,407,261 Rials.
Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are the primary types of weapons transferred at this border crossing.
In coordination with Fajr garrison, other weapons and ammunitions are transferred to Iraq through Bostan, Howizeh and Hour-al Azim border crossing in Missan province.
For instance, an operations chief in Baghdad, in contact with commander of a terror network of Badr in Baghdad, said that in November 2006 IEDs entered Iraq from the Basra border crossing. Once he received a number of these devises, he blew them up on December 11, 2006 in Showleh street in front of Javadieh and Rahmanieh as a column of coalition forces was passing by, resulting in the death of coalition forces.
A significant number of IEDs that are manufactured by the clerical regime are sent to Iraq by the Fajr garrison.
IEDs are manufactured in ammunition production section of the Defense Industries located in Lavizan in northern Tehran in three separate industrial sections called Sattari industries, Sayyad Shirazi industries, and Shiroodi industries. Each of these industries has it own specific production.
The orders for manufacturing highly explosive IEDs are given by the Bureau of Operations of the Qods Force to Sattari industries. Engineer Rahimi, deputy director of Sattari industries, is in charge of coordinating these projects.
Intelligence presented by Mr. Jafarzadeh included details of infiltration routes, Iranian proxy contacts, and networks of operatives to move arms, personnel, and money from Iran to Iraq.
Jafarzadeh, author of The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis, said, intelligence he has received "suggests a sharp increase in Iran's sponsorship of terrorism and sectarian violence, especially in the past few months. The Qods Force secretly trains, finances, and arms an extensive network in Iraq." Jafarzadeh continued, "The Qods Force has embarked on creating a new terrorist infrastructure and is calling it 'Hezbollah' to mimic Lebanon's Hezbollah. This Iraq network operates in Basra and Baghdad and is in contact with the Qods Force and Hezbollah of Lebanon."
Jafarzadeh also specifically described how agents of the Iranian regime transfer money from Iran to Iraq for terrorist operations: "After a Qods Force envoy collects the money in Ahwaz, he is escorted by the Iranian regime's official security force to the Shalamche border crossing between Iran and Iraq, where he is handed over to Qods Force agents in Iraq; these agents escort him to Najaf. In addition, the Qods Force uses its affiliate currency exchange centers to send money to its front institutions and new terror network directly from Qom in Iran to Najaf in Iraq," Jafarzadeh said.
Jafarzadeh also revealed that the Qods Force has set up a front organization, "HQ for Reconstruction of Iraq's Holy Sites," and has been smuggling arms and ammunition to Iraq, disguised as containers intended to rebuild holy Shiites sites.
Jafarzadeh presented the above intelligence at a press conference on Friday, 5 January 2007, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. A transcript of his remarks is available here.
Update:Iran Watch offers an interesting detail on the three munitions industries (Sattari, Shirazi and Shiroodi) housed at the Tehran Ordnance Factories Complex: They are subsidiaries of the Iranian Ammunition and Metallurgy Industry Group.
Entity Name: Ammunition and Metallurgy Industry Group
Text: Identified by the British government in February 1998 as having procured goods and/or technology for weapons of mass destruction programs, in addition to doing non-proliferation related business; part of the Defense Industries Organization (DIO); manufacture of 125 mm ammunition for the T-72 main battle tank (MBT); manufacture of 100 mm, 105 mm and 120 mm ammunition; development and manufacture of small arms ammunition, mortar bombs, tank and anti-tank munitions, explosives, mines, detonators, fuses, primers, anti-aircraft ammunition; oversees ten subsidiaries, including Shahid Shiroudi Industries, Shahid Sattari Industries, Shahid Sayyad Shirazi Industries, Parchin Ammunition Industries, the 7th of Tir Industrial Complex, Yazd Metallurgy Industries, Khorasan Metallurgy Industries, and Isfahan Ammunition Industries.
Program: Chemical/Biological/Military
Date Entered: 1/26/2004
Date Last Modified: 2/25/2004
Address: Pasdaran Street, P.O. Box 16765-1835, Tehran
The heroes of the Islamic State are watching sadly what is going on in Palestine, whereas Jews are preparing today to pull down the road linking between the Jerusalem and al-Maghareba gate, which means demolishing al-Aqsa mosque...
...We remind our brothers in Palestine that Jihad is the solution...and what was taken by force will not be restored except by force.
Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel on Wednesday condemned the desecration of al-Aqsa Mosque by the Zionist Regime, calling on all Muslims, Islamic parliaments, free thinkers and the international and cultural associations to prevent continuation of such an insult.
Speaking at an open session of the Majlis, Haddad-Adel shared grief with the world Muslims, notably Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, on the tragic incident and said, "Today, that al-Aqsa Mosque is destroyed by the Zionist Regime, the West has kept silence."
The top parliamentarian said the only way to check such a savage act by Israel is wide-reaction of the world of Islam against the aggression.
I suspect the Muslim fanatics themselves would like nothing more than to change the status quo. The wafq (Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount) hold all the keys to the gates save one: the Mugrabi Gate. Then again, knowing the construction there quite possibly could cause a third intifada, the Israelis may be preparing the way to reoccupy Gaza and stop the arming of Hamas by Tehran. Posted
12:58 AM
by Robert
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In a statement posted to the jihadist internet forum muslm.net, the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for the shootdown yesterday of a Marine CH-46 helicopter in the Qarma area of the Anbar province, north of Fallujah. At the time this goes to post, the US military has confirmed seven deaths but has not confirmed either the ISI claim or if all seven fatalities were US sevicemen or women. It is the third ISI claim of the downing of a US military chopper within the past two weeks.
I'll get to the specifics of why the ISI is AQ. But first, lets take a look at how the American mainstream media characterized the ISI in today's reportage.
New York Times; staff reporters Richard A. Oppel Jr. and Marc Santora and special correspondent Ali Adeeb from Baghdad: "An Internet message from an insurgent group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq" claimed credit.
CBS News; CBS/AP: "the al Qaeda-affiliated group the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility."
Fox News; carries an AP report: "the Al Qaeda-affiliated group the Islamic State of Iraq" claimed credit.
USA Today; staff writers Oren Dorell and Tom Vanden Brook and AP: "al-Qaeda-linked Sunni insurgents known as the Islamic State of Iraq" claimed credit.
Washington Post; Foreign correspondents Joshua Partlow and Ernesto Londoño and special correspondent Naseer Nouri in Baghdad: "an al-Qaeda-backed Sunni insurgent group called the Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility."
CNN; correspondents Jomana Karadsheh, Barbara Starr, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Alessio Vinci: The Islamic State of Iraq which "includes al Qaeda in Iraq" claimed credit.
ABC News; Kim Gamel of AP: "The claim of responsibility came in an Internet statement signed by the Islamic State in Iraq, an umbrella group of several Sunni insurgent groups, including al-Qaida in Iraq."
Notice anything (besides the fact that the NY Times makes no mention at all of Al Qaeda)? With the exception of AP's Kim Gamel and, to a lesser extent, CNN, not one of them grasps the importance of the relationship of AQ to the ISI. But Gamel, who understands the organizational structure of the ISI, short-circuits her understanding by holding to the AP line of using the term insurgents in place of jihadist or terrorist. Al-Qaeda equals terrorists, not insurgents.
Now, to the ISI itself and why it is AQ (for in depth analysis see Kohlmann (here; includes organizational chart), MIPT (here) and Kazimi (here and here).
On 12 October, 2006 the Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC), led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's successor, Shaykh Abu-Hamzah al-Muhajir, announced in a statement that it had allied with various jihadist groups and several Sunni tribal shaykhs.
Known as the Hilf al-Mutayyabin (oath of the scented ones),* this alliance was essentially a jihadist defense pact against its Kurdish, Shiite, Jewish and Christian enemies.
On 15 October, the MSC announced in an audio statement that the Hilf Al-Mutayyabin had established the Islamic States of Iraq. The new state was to be comprised of the provinces of Baghdad, Al-Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah-al-Din, Ninawa, and parts of the governorate of Babil and Wasit with Abu Umar al-Baghdadi as emir.
On 10 November, the website of an AQ front group, the Islamic Renewal Organization (tajdeed.org.uk), run by Bin Ladin mouthpiece Muhammad al-Massari out of his London flat, posted several links to an audio message recorded by the ISI's media arm, al-Furqan, in which al-Muhajir pledged his unconditional allegiance to al-Baghdadi and placed his AQ in Iraq and the MSC under the authority of the ISI.
I tell the venerable shaykh, the brave hero, the Qurayshi Hashemite, who is of a Husayni origin [attributes to the tribe and family of the prophet], the leader of the faithful, Abu-Umar al-Baghdadi, I pledge allegiance to you to hear and obey during good and bad times, and in pleasant and unpleasant situations, and this is a promise to say the truth wherever we maybe, not to fear the criticism of anyone in the cause of God. I announce the integration of all the formations that we have established, including the Mujahidin Shura Council, on behalf of my brothers in the council, under the authority of the Islamic State of Iraq, putting at your disposal and direct orders 12,000 fighters, who constitute the army of Al-Qa'ida. All of them have pledged an allegiance to die in the cause of God, as well as more than 10,000 others who are still not fully prepared materially. Their eyes are full of tears out of sadness that they are still unable to contribute. We beseech God that we will be able to be fully prepared, materially and faithfully, for victory in confirmation of the saying of the prophet, may God's peace and blessing be upon him, and as in the [book on the prophet's sayings] Al-Mustadrak [Ala al-Sahih] by Al-Hakim [Abu-Abdallah al-Hakim al-Naysaburi]: The best of the prophet's companions are four, the best of armies are 4,000, and 12,000 fighters will not be defeated because of scarcity. (Originally published on 11/10/2006 by Jihadist Websites -- OSC Report in Arabic)
Finally, al-Baghdadi's position as AQ boss in Iraq was solidified by Ayman al-Zawahiri who, in a 21 December statement and a 30 December audiotape, urged the Muslim nation to back the ISI, with Abu Umar al-Baghdadi as emir, as the first step in the restoration of the caliphate.
As I end my talk, I send my greetings and those of my brothers to our brothers, the Mujahideen in Iraq. And I congratulate them on the establishment of the Islamic State of Iraq, and encourage the Islamic Ummah to back this young, fledgling state, for it -- Allah permitting -- is the gateway to the liberation of Palestine and the restoration of the Islamic Caliphate. And I also encourage all my Mujahid brothers in Iraq to join this blessed caravan to rescue Iraq of the Caliphate from the schemes of the Crusaders and their agents, the traitorous religion-traders, and to ruin what the beggar Abdul Aziz al-Hakim conspired about in Washington with his master, the defender of the defeated cross. (Originally published on 12/21/2006 by Jihadist Websites -- OSC Report in Arabic)
I also congratulate the Muslims in Iraq, who have lifted the head of the Muslim Ummah high with their heroic Jihadi confrontation with the Crusader invaders and their allies, the traitorous religion-traders. And I send my congratulations to the Emir of the Islamic State of Iraq, the Mujahid Shaykh Abu Umar al-Baghdadi and all groups of the champion Mujahideen engaged in Jihad in defense of Iraq of the Caliphate. And I call them to unite and be as one in accordance with the command of Allah, the Most High and Glorious, and His Messenger, peace be upon him. (Originally published on 12/30/2006 by Jihadist Websites -- OSC Report in Arabic)
It is not just that the ISI is AQ. It is much more than that. The Islamic State of Iraq, as Zawahiri says, is intended to be the gateway to the new caliphate. It's very first state. The propaganda value this has in terms of recruitment to jihad cannot be overstated. Whether, as some analysts believe, the establishment of the ISI is more show than substance, what cannot be argued - and the troop-cappers and redeployers on the Hill simply do not understand this - is that Iraq, no - Baghdad, is now the epicenter in the war on terror of the Sunni variety. Call it Qaidism.
It is also, I'm afraid to say, the epicenter of the war on Khomeinism. The export by the mullah regime in Tehran of Khomeini's Islamic Revolution is set down in the Iranian constitution. Like the Sunni Qaidists, the Shiite Khomeinsts believe that it is incumbent upon them to bend the world to the will of Allah - to impose shariah.
Pulling out and letting the two slug it out won't work. No matter which side prevailed, both are committed to the destruction of the United States. And beyond interests of national security, America must not abandon the people of Iraq to religious fanatics, whether Khomeinist or Qaedist.
*"According to classical Islamic sources, hilf al-mutayyabin was an oath of allegiance taken in pre-Islamic times by several clans of the Quraysh tribe, in which they undertook to protect the oppressed and the wronged. The name "oath of the scented ones" apparently derives from the fact that the participants sealed the oath by dipping their hands in perfume and then rubbing them over the Ka'ba. This practice was later adopted by the Prophet Muhammad and incorporated into Islam." (source- DNI/OSC)
Update: Well, I published first but, I must admit, Nibras has outdone me. And, no, having an editor would not have helped me one bit. Read the whole thing. But here's a teaser:
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi made his grand entrance onto the jihadist stage on October 12, 2006, and since then he's delivered two very important speeches — the more recent one came out last week — and has taken credit for much of the spectacular outbreaks of violence in Iraq of late, yet he still can't get his name in print on the pages of the New York Times. Why are the editors and reporters of that paper not telling their readers anything about Iraq's top terrorist?
Ellis, whose mayoral term expires this year, doesn’t rule out future runs for elected office. But he said that he hasn’t considered how his conversion to Islam could affect his political career.
He says he is proud to be an American living in a country based on religious freedom.
Ellis, who was elected Mayor in July 1999, becoming the first black Mayor in the 176-year history of the city, said Muslims shouldn’t be portrayed as bad people simply because of the acts of a few.
"If anybody wants to know about Islam, I can hold an intelligent conversation," Ellis said. "What I've found is how little we know about the religion."
Not a good move politically. But, the US Constitution ensures the Mayor's religious freedom if he wants to follow his heart and not his advisers.
As for the Mayor's intelligent conversations with people who know little about Islam I'm sure he won't forget to inform them what Islamic law has to say about leaving Islam and, for example, converting from Islam to Christianity.
It goes without saying that, leaving Islam is the ugliest and the worst form of disbelief (kufr) in Almighty Allah. It is technically called ridda (apostasy from Islam), and someone who leaves Islam is called a murtadd (apostate).
If a sane person who has reached puberty voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to be punished. In such a case, it is obligatory for the caliph (or his representative) to ask him to repent and return to Islam. If he does, it is accepted from him, but if he refuses, he is immediately killed.
Danielle Pletka exposes the numerous resolutions and bills brought forward by the "troop-cappers and conferencers and tribunes of redeployment and training who now dominate the US Congress" for what they are: blueprints for defeat in Iraq.
At the root of the failure to devise better strategies is a flaw: No plan other than Bush's seeks victory. Yes, it is crucial that the Iraqis compromise politically, and indeed, territorial integrity is important. Training the Iraqis is vital if the US is ever to exit Iraq. And fighting terrorism is America's top foreign policy priority. But the prerequisite for all these important pieces to fall into place is security for the people of Iraq.
There is no question that incompetence contributed to the manifest lack of security in and around Baghdad. In order to move forward, however, we must learn from those mistakes. Lesson one: If the Iraqi people cannot trust the Americans or their own armed forces to deliver security, they will turn to the militias and tribes and gangs that will. Lesson two: A light military footprint and efforts to propitiate Sunni insurgents and their sponsors encourages violence. As the US military learned from success at Tal Afar, victory facilitates compromise, and more men mean victory.
Update: John Kerry just smeared US service men and women on the floor of the US Senate. He said that our troops are not motivated. And added that capping troop levels won't effect their mission. Here's my transcription.
Surge doesn't resolve the issue of Iraq. American soldiers cannot solve the issue. Only Iraqi politicians can. We've lost all contact with what's reasonable in this effort. Shia and Sunni politicians are jockeying for position under cover of a US security blanket. The fundamental differences between people who have lived their before we were there and after we will be gone need to be solved. American with guns cannot solve that. Our soldiers are being asked to sacrifice without a reasonable policy on how to conduct this war. The troops understand what their mission is. Capping troop levels won't effect that. Problem with American troops is not training it is motivation. The enemy is motivated, In the streets of Gaza, Beirut Baghdad.
An escalation raises the stakes, provides more targets. Raising the troops sends the message to the enemy that we are desperate, preordaining the failure of diplomacy by signalling to the enemy that they only have to wait for Bush's "hail mary" pass to fail.
My lead-in: Richard Einhorn, in full attack-the-messenger mode, ranting about polluting the discourse even as he does so himself.
It turns out that Michelle Malkin and friends have been up to their old tricks again. You can read all about it at this link to Media Channel, but the short version: it's a bullshit insinuation meant to smear CBS and Logan, who has done some of the finest network reporting on the Bush/Iraq war.
And it worked, My friend, a highly-respected journalist (and rightly so), was gulled into questioning Logan's integrity.
Now before you jump down her/his throat and say, "Your friend should have known better," I should mention that my friend's beat is not Iraq or the Bush administration, or the rightwing. Even so, I'll concede that perhaps s/he should have known better in this particular instance. But the larger point is that there is so much garbage like this being put out every day - Obama the Manchurian Candidate, Clinton the gossip-monger to name a recent set of whoppers - that it is impossible for anyone who is (rightly) skeptical of all public figures and celebrities to separate the truth from ALL the nonsense the rightwing puts out without serious digging.
And that's the objective of slime like Malkin and Co., to pollute the discourse so it cannot be trusted, even when it's telling the truth.
Now, why didn't CBS broadcast Logan's report? I suspect that among the reasons were the one they actually gave out, that it is was too graphic for primetime. Click on the link above and make up your own mind. And I think my friend truly underestimates how much all media, especially CBS, self-censors information that is damaging to Bush, even at this late date. But one thing is certain: Logan's reporting has been excellent and honest. To insinuate that she is serving as a conduit for al Qaeda propaganda is outrageous, even if it's not surprising behavior from Malin.
Let me ask you a question, Richard.
Because it was Michelle Malkin who is largely responsible for publicizing it, do you reject out of hand the possibility that CBS News or Lara Logan knew the clip used in Logan's 'Battle for Haifa Street' was posted one week earlier to an Al Qaeda affiliated website?
In their three statements on the matter, CBS spokesperson Sandy Genelius and CBS Evening News Executive Producer Rome Hartman have yet to answer this question. They deny obtaining the footage from al-Qaeda or any one of a number of AQ message boards it was posted to. Instead, they aver that CBS News cannot identify its video source because to do so would endanger the life of the source.
Further, they stress, the same video from Iraq often shows up in multiple places.
This is a very telling statement. An indirect confirmation of Bryan Preston's video analysis which found that the footage AQ used in its 'Some of the Casualties of the Heretics in Haifa Street After Sunday’s Fighting, January 7, 2007' and the footage Logan used in her 'Battle for Haifa Street' are from the same video mastercopy.
So the question is, was CBS News a willing tool or useful fool?
Either way, we know what Rome Hartman thinks of Al-Furqan, the media arm of the Islamic State of Iraq. In a letter to the NY Post today, Hartman wrote, "video shot in Iraq regularly appears on multiple media outlets." Notice the lack of distinction between the Tiffany Network's news division and a jihadist media outfit? Nice. Real classy.
Some more questions for Richard and all the others who think our questioning of CBS News is "garbage."
Do you know what the Islamic State of Iraq is? Who and what it consists of?
Are you aware of how the idological and political aims of the ISI Qaidists differ from some of the Baathists, Sunni insurgents and Arab nationalists who are not aligned with the ISI?
Are you aware of the split within the Baath party and did you know that a splinter group from the party recently convened a meeting in Damascus with an eye to political involvement in the Iraqi government?
Are you aware that the main faction of the Baath party has thrown in its lot with the Qaidists? (Jihadist rumor has it that that Abu-Umar al-Baghdadi, the emir of the Islamic State of Iraq, is in fact none other Ahmad al-Duri, the son of Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, the successor to Saddam Hussein as Secretary General of the Baath party. The jihadist rumor mill says the appointment of Ahmad, a mujahid protoge of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to head the ISI was approved by Ayman Zawahiri and Al-Qa'ida leadership abroad and the Al-Qa'ida Organization in Iraq.")
We've done our digging. Seems you want to sling the mud without doing your own digging. Posted
12:40 AM
by Robert
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The United States military nominates and bestows the medal. However, in rare cases, it is awarded by a special act of Congress. In either case, the MoH is presented by the President on behalf of the Congress.
President Bush said we can stand down in Iraq as the Iraqis stand up. If, as I see it, this means that success in Iraq - for both America and Iraq - hinges upon defeating the terrorists and death squads that flame sectaranism, then the President and Congress should officially recognize acts of uncommon valor by Iraqis which are examples of and contribute to this. Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal need not be American citizens.
Here and here are two candidates. Both gave their lives to stop a suicide bomber. One was a civilian. One was a policeman. They are every much the heroes that Sgt. Smith and Cpl. Dunham are. Posted
3:56 PM
by Robert
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