Allawi Hopes to Snare Zarqawi - and Premiership in Baghdad (DEBKA)

The Baghdad government's burgeoning optimism over the prospects of very soon collaring Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, al Qaeda's man in Iraq, is fed from interim prime minister Iyad Allawi office.

Talib al-Dulaymi, the trusted aide aka as Abu Qutaybah, who set up Zarqawi's appointments with fellow terrorist chiefs, arranged safe houses and transport, was captured on February 20 at Anah NW of Baghdad with Ahmad Ismail al-Rawi, identified as one of Zarqawi's drivers. In custody too are Mohammed Najam Ibrahim, described as leader of an al Qaeda-affiliated cell in Baqouba and responsible for a series of beheadings, and another top Zarqawi aide, Haidar Abu Bawari.

Iraqi government security services claim to have infiltrated the terrorist network with embedded policemen.

Allawi's certainty that the Jordanian terror mastermind is almost within his grasp rests on certain events:

First, in the last two weeks, Iraqi security forces have quietly unearthed Zarqawi's principal ammunition and explosive caches, partly helped by information obtained in the interrogations of the captured terrorists. Allawi believes that many of the archterrorist's followers will turn themselves in when they see the wherewithal for fighting on and carrying out attacks is running out.

Second, Zarqawi has been sighted several times making his way through the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad in the direction of the Iranian frontier, indicating he is on the run.

I think you forget our own history and path to today. We had many vigilante groups who took justice into their own hands. We had gun fights in the middle of the street. We had public hangings, etc. There will always be independant action by the public. Until we went through the Feminazi reign of the 70's and 80's, our men would not hesitate to crack seombody in the jaw for a terse word.

Give them time. They need to go through all of the phases of development into democracy. Jeez... It kills me that people think we created our form of life overnight.

"I think you forget our own history and path to today. We had many vigilante groups who took justice into their own hands..."

I hope my writing did not show I am impatient. I agree with what you say. I assume you comment on my POST #7.
If anything I indicate in these threads that it is a long way for them to have to go. Lots of hurdles based on their historical tribal affilliations, and requirements to obey the laws of Islam. I conceeded in a later replie to another that I agree that these vigilante groups could indeed help put and end to some of the insurgent group activites. In fact I and others have for over a year made statements to the effect that it is high time the Iraqi people started to get very pissed off at what was happening to them and go after these snakes, slit their throats, shot them in their heads, point the finger at any suspect, etc. etc..
So yes I agree with your statments. My first statement in this post somewhat questioned the wisdom of Allawi stating that there are now embedded Iraqi Army/Security Police Forces in the insurgent groups, from the viewpoint that if true, it places the good guys at risk. Things gravitated from there, to a point I stated I had no problem with the willingness of the people to start going after the bad guys.
Of course this is going to end up being a free for all. A perfect excuse, which is already being reported, that people are going after the Baithests' from a revenge standpoint, regadless if they have been involved in the insurgency or not. That is, Shites starting to kill secular and Sunni's that where on the take under Saddam. This will detract from the very thing the NIIG must somehow bring to past. A set of laws that govern how people must behave herein.

At any rate, thanks for the feedback.

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