Posted on 08/14/2005 1:05:15 PM PDT by Marine_Uncle
"We have had enough of his nonsense. We don't accept that a non-Iraqi should try to enforce his control over Iraqis, regardless of their sect -- whether Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs or Kurds.'' - Sheik Ahmad Khanjar, leader of the Sunni Albu Ali clan, referring to Abu Musab al Zarqawi
Red-on-red incidents between al Qaeda and Sunni insurgents are nothing new in Anbar province. We saw numerous instances of this when al Qaeda attempted to impose its will on the Sunnis in Qaim along the Syrian border. However the Washington Post provides a new twist to the internecine warfare between the foreign jihadis and local Sunni fighters. Sunnis have taken up arms against al Qaeda to protect their Shiite neighbors [hat tip Rantburg]. In Ramadi.
Rising up against insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, Iraqi Sunni Muslims in Ramadi fought with grenade launchers and automatic weapons Saturday to defend their Shiite neighbors against a bid to drive them from the western city, Sunni leaders and Shiite residents said. The fighting came as the U.S. military announced the deaths of six American soldiers.
Dozens of Sunni members of the Dulaimi tribe stablished cordons around Shiite homes, and Sunni men battled followers of Zarqawi, a Jordanian, for an hour Saturday morning [note - Omar states this is Iraq's largest tribe]. The clashes killed five of Zarqawi's guerrillas and two tribal fighters, residents and hospital workers said. Zarqawi loyalists pulled out of two contested neighborhoods in pickup trucks stripped of license plates, witnesses said [note – to put it more plainly, al Qaeda had to run away!].
The leaders of four of Iraq's Sunni tribes had rallied their fighters in response to warnings posted in mosques by followers of Zarqawi. The postings ordered Ramadi's roughly 3,000 Shiites to leave the city of more than 200,000 in the area called the Sunni Triangle. The order to leave within 48 hours came in retaliation for alleged expulsions by Shiite militias of Sunnis living in predominantly Shiite southern Iraq.
"We have had enough of his nonsense," said Sheik Ahmad Khanjar, leader of the Albu Ali clan, referring to Zarqawi. "We don't accept that a non-Iraqi should try to enforce his control over Iraqis, regardless of their sect -- whether Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs or Kurds.''
Zarqawi is in a bind. His plan to foment civil war between Sunnis and Shiites is now being opposed by his Sunni "allies". Sunni tribes are tiring of his violence against fellow Iraqis, even against non-Sunnis. Al Qaeda must stop the election to ratify the constitution to further deny the Iraqi government legitimacy. Sunni clerics are beginning to encourage their followers to vote. Zarqawi responds by using the only tools he understands – threats, intimidation, violence.
Zarqawi's movement posted statements in Ramadi pledging to kill Sunni clerics in the west for urging Sunnis to take part in the country's next elections.
"We, al Qaeda in Iraq, announce that we will apply the religious punishment for apostasy upon whoever calls for creation of the constitution. You, preacher at the podium of prophecy, be a speaker of truth, doer of good and rallier for the rule of sharia," or Islamic law, the statement said.
In the eyes of al Qaeda, all who oppose them are infidel, even their natural allies such as Sunni preachers in Iraq who oppose the US presence. This will ultimately be Zarqawi and al Qaeda's undoing, provided the West can muster the political will to continue the fight.
Not much that has to be debated that must of us are not already quite aware of, in the spirit that things are developing in Iraq that point to a failed insurgency. If I don't respond to comments it is because I am not logged on, not that I do not respect other's opinions, negative/positive. PS. As usual a visit to the site affords hyperlinks to other articles associated with main body of text.
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Interesting development.
"I predict the new Constitution will be approved by a thumping majority throughout Iraq."
Perhaps worth your time:
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/
"Interesting development."
Actually, bet your brain is soft as mine, we had seen mention of these things in the past half year. What is interesting that in the very heart of Ar Ramadi, the HQ for the Sunni resistance since Fallujah was taken out, is this now happening. Mister Z is going to have to blow his brains out if this stuff continues.
"I predict the new Constitution will be approved by a thumping majority throughout Iraq."
Yes.
" And then we'll see the light go out of Al Qaeda's fight."
It will peter out over time, but they are immune to political developments at this point, and the key variable is the level of support for them, which is declining among all groups.
" No wonder al Zarqawi regards the emergence of Sunni opposition with great alarm. The mob style intimidation is no longer working for AQ."
ABSOLUTELY.
Once the Sunni community turns away from their tacit support/indifference to terrorists, to hating them as much as other Iraqis do ... THEN we will see an end to the violence.
Bump for later analysis.
"Once the Sunni community turns away from their tacit support/indifference to terrorists, to hating them as much as other Iraqis do ... THEN we will see an end to the violence."
Can't argue with that analysis. At those "string of pearls", i.e. cities along the Ephrates river in Al Anbar, no longer will tolerate the foreign terrorist's groups, and Izzat's gang, we may just see an abrupt end to the violence. Other then the still quite persistant Sunni elements throughtout the Triangle of Death area, and north of BD, on the Tigris, which may admitably only stop if the constitution ratified as a legal and binding, followed up by a fully legal federal election, will this gang of losers perhaps put down their arms. Of course at that point they just are not going to have much of an option. They will have some 100,000 plus Iraqi army and security forces breathing down their necks 24/7/360, until not one is left alive to resists. Notice, I use 100k figure, with area of responsibility directly related to above provinces mentioned. Of course there will be another 100K plus for the rest of the provinces, with growing numbers in the future as required. Gotta start pumping and selling more oil to pay for a growing military budget. But all systems are go, regardless or the L/MSM efforts, to effect a change.
All America could march on DC in protest of the war at this point and it would not change the reality of a growing, and better trained Iraqi Army and security forces.
Sunnis and Shiites teaming up to fight the terrorist thugs! This is great! Pass the popcorn!
"Sunnis and Shiites teaming up to fight the terrorist thugs! This is great! Pass the popcorn!"
Yea. And while where at it, pass the ammo!
BUMP!
bttt
I don't know about the Dulaimi, but I've read that some tribes are part Sunni and part Shia. The tribe's the greater loyalty. You don't bust your clan for some foreign wannabe Saddam.
"The tribe's the greater loyalty. You don't bust your clan for some foreign wannabe Saddam."
And we cannot expect to alter their very make up. That really would be wrong. And as you said, it could not be done anyway.
The people must somehow be lead by shieks etc., that truly have grasps what the Marines and Army have been sharing with them for the past few years. They have to trust us to the extent that they approach their peoples and say, look here is the deal, they want to leave, they are not occupiers, nor do they want our oil, they want out of here, but we must start cooperating with them to stop this shit. It seems this had had some effect in some areas. Especially those areas where the foreign terrorist come in and try to take over, force strict Sharia on them, and then they see the Americans never do anything to harm Iraqi's but the opposite, giving them aid in many forms. Until they have local leadership that can convince the tribes to just go along with the program, the Ali Babba know they still can make inroads, or at least attempt to hold their own.
I think some of us forget that many Iraqis are not so "religious" as they are made out to be. A lot of them could give a crap less about Islam and it's horse manor. They are on record on saying so. All they want is peace, clean water, and food, foreigners to stay away regardless of ethnic or religious background, a small medical facility to take their sick to etc., and go to the local mosque on Friday evening bow down, parrot some crap which they don't even know what the hell it even means have the time, and give alms to the poor where possible, and go on their Hajii if possible.
They are not exactly sophisticated folks in many ways, and many do not expect that much. Just leave them alone. On the bright side. So much has been done for so many of them, both Sunni and Shiite at this point, that many just are not against us any more. Hopefully their political leaders will see the dire need to just get the final government formed and realize they always can make constitutioanl admendments in the future as their country stablizes. Perhaps I get to verbose. If we where to compare what they are going through with what the USA went through in the last election for a president, I think we would admit many people just voted their party affiliations. How many common folks really get involved in politics. If their respective leaders would simply say look, the country has to come first, and we all will work together over time to see no one gets screwed, perhaps all would just settle down. Politics have a nasty habit of riling people up, often under false pretenses. But I say all this with the full understanding they have one hell of a job ahead of them. So many factions to have to deal with politically, geographically, natural resource wise, religious sect wise, and yes tribal affiliations that often want nothing to do with government beyond the immdediate level (the local shiek of a tribe). If they can stablize in another year or so, and the new government is found to be not only trust worthy, but loyal to the whole country as a whole and not favor any given area or religious sect, then they just may find their horrors are behind them.
Of course the terrorist and insurgents will either be killed off or in the case of locals, integrate into the system at that point.
Great News..thanks for sharing it. BUMP. It occurred to me tonight(a bit slow..have had house guests for a month now..lol)..that Ms.Cindy Shehan is the "WEAK HORSE" bin Laden thinks we ALL are....Bin Laden doesn't know FREEPERS..does he...LOL
You know those dolls made in Russia? They are really figures that look like various leaders or famous people, and you open up the one on the outside only to find a different figure inside and then another inside that one, etc.
Somebody should make a Cindy Sheehan doll. She is on the outside, but as you open up the inside figures you find increasingly bad actors. You could have Michael Moore, for instance. You could have Saddam. Zarqawi. Then the last one inside could be Osama bin Laden.
Or to have a little more fun, you could put Ted Kennedy inside the Osama doll, making him the man behind Osama instead of the other way around. Since they are all enabling each other, it would make little difference which was which.
"...Bin Laden doesn't know FREEPERS..does he...LOL"
You might be surprised. He may have cells that's primary function in life, is to keep tabs on this web site to monitor the heartbeat of the conservative/right, in all countries.
WONDERFUL news!
bump
EXACTLY! We must continue to fight. We are winning. The military in Iraq know it but the Vietnam quaqmire crowd and the OLD MEDIA are too stupid to figure it out.
"EXACTLY! We must continue to fight. We are winning. The military in Iraq know it but the Vietnam quaqmire crowd and the OLD MEDIA are too stupid to figure it out."
Our military other then the normal percentage in any war, who joined up not expecting to have to participate, and now find they must be anti-war, know we are winning, moreso in many cases then we understand on the homefronts. The NAM Quagmire crowd which includes sadly, some ex military officers who probably get pretty handsome pay checks to spread disent via. L/MSM maynot really follow all the action reports etc., and not have a realisitc viewpoint regardless of their contacts. The L/MSM? What can we say. Some probably are quite aware that there is no such thing as a quagmire in Iraq, but must continue to deceive. That is what they are getting paid for. Interestingly as no bad news can be reported, they either focus on anti-war protestors or other meaningless news, or as some slip, they report a more balanced view as our Army, Marines, and the Iraqi Army convert terrorist and insurgents into fertilizer.
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