Posted on 05/15/2005 9:37:18 AM PDT by Dog
BAGHDAD - Insurgents have freed the governor of Iraq’s rebellious Anbar province after kidnapping him last week, an Interior Ministry official said on Sunday.
Raja Nawaf had been abducted with four bodyguards on the road from the town of Qaim near the Syrian border to the rebel stronghold of Ramadi by followers of Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, after a dispute with the governor’s tribe, relatives had said.
Anbar province is the heartland of Iraq’s insurgency.
On Saturday, American troops ended Operation Matador, a week -long offensive in northwest Anbar aimed at rooting out guerrillas and foreign militants.
The US military said it lost nine troops and killed 125 guerrillas.
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Why, shades of the Minutemen and the vigilante spirit.
These tribes may finally have gotten to the point where enough senseless killing is enough and finally decided that there is only one way to deal with terrorists.
" I'd speculate that this "governor" is now under extreme "interest" of US Forces - He has been playing both sides if I had to make a guess - (he isn't alive because these thugs are turning weak, he is alive because he is in bed with them in some way or another). Just my take as of now -"
I suspect you are right. We tend to forget this area has been known well before OIF I happened to harbor quite un-savary characters who often defied Saddam to an extent. Drug and contraband smuggling routes are long known to be the norm through the northern Al Anbar region. There are on ly those few main n/s, e/w roads and railsystem in this whole upper region of mostly mineing towns (yellow cake uranium and phosphate mines etc.). Deals go down. The gov surely turned his back as foreign insurgents for the past two years have freely moved to a fro. I wouldn't be the least surprised if his kidnapping was not arrange so that it keeped him from any possible personal harm while the battles raged in those towns and hamlets (huts made of dung).
Anyway. 24/7 ops continue un-abated in the region.
And ..they were killing each other off before we even got there. hehe (from may 13th)
"Instead, according to Pool, rival bands of insurgents are now fighting among themselves, trading mortar, gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire almost nightly.
Residents acknowledge fighting in Qaim began even before the U.S. offensive, and characterized it as tribal clashes. The cause of the clashes was not immediately clear."
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20050513/D8A2IBKG0.html
When this first happened I said this guy had to be part of the problem----the dirtbagz were holed up IN HIS NEIGHBORHOOD. I'm betting he got out of the way so as to avoid what we call " turning state's evidence" . How come he hadn't called Marine 911? Severe case of being caught with his rags down!!!
I don't even think he was "captured" ---I think he just split rather than answer hard questions from the guys with the amtracs.
The ISF is growing stronger and more capable all the time.
"And ..they were killing each other off before we even got there. hehe (from may 13th)........"Instead, according to Pool, rival bands of insurgents are now fighting among themselves, trading mortar, gun and rocket-propelled grenade fire almost nightly. Residents acknowledge fighting in Qaim began even before the U.S. offensive, and characterized it as tribal clashes. The cause of the clashes was not immediately clear."
Understand. Too much verbosity in my replies, can't cover all aspects. I was aware of what you write, but thank you for the comments, good ones, and the link, guess I will check it out, but may have already. Been so many to look at in the past week.
But I would like to further endorse what you bring up. The fact is, our Intel has known for a long time about the tribal unrests in this region. And surely it played into the equation for this operation. For all we know, we may have had some deals go down with some of the tribes to allow them to fight against the insurgents, and lets say our Marines stayed clear of their promised AOR.
Good call.
In fact an AP story late this last week said the family was told he would be released if there was a trade for three US captured al Qaeda (?) or Zarqawi related terrorist.
I've been researching this aspect and can't find anything. Also wondering right now if the three of the "well dressed men" to took a seriously wounded Zarqawi to the hospital in Ramadi, and throwing American money at the doctor, weren't the four bodyguards of the kidnapped governor who had ro take care of Zarqawi or else the governor would be killed.
According to the doctor, Zarqawi was escorted into Ramadi general hospital by smartly dressed men. “He was bleeding heavily and his escorts were well dressed with a look about them that was different from the casualties and family members we had been receiving from the al-Qaim offensive,” he was quoted as saying.
“I treated his injury and asked that he remain in hospital for further observations and told him that we would have to register him and take down his name and details. But he became very nervous and agitated. He refused and told me he would not be staying.
“The three men with him asked me politely that he be allowed to leave hospital immediately and that I supply them with a prescription and a list of medication that he may need.”
The doctor, who recognised Zarqawi from his photograph on television, followed them to their vehicle to try to convince them that the patient should remain in hospital. At that point, he said, he saw machineguns. They threatened to kill him if he told anyone what he had seen.
They then produced a wad of US dollars to secure his silence. The doctor said that he had refused to take the cash.
From The (London) Sunday Times
Perhaps just a wild scenario but a lot of facts in both instances just don't add up.
“In another development, Iraqi security forces, with help from the Shiite Muslim Badr Brigades militia, captured an Iraqi and four Palestinians who allegedly carried out a deadly Baghdad market bombing Thursday that killed at least 17 people.....
The ISF is growing stronger and more capable all the time."
You got that right. If the L/MSM wanted to, they could flood the papers/boob tube news with stories about how these forces are really starting to pay off. I don't have to remind most of us at this site, but the Iraqi forces are far better at obtaining information then our guys, now they are being given a free hand to carry out soley ISF operations, and only reporting back to our guys the results. A very very good change of events.
Minor point but our guys haven't left---the story is that the Marines suspended the op---but they are still there. A hunnert plus ragdeads DIED---that's a serious blink.
I have to wonder what connections this governor has to al qaeda , other than being kidnapped ... But it is good he's back. But they usually just kill these guys...
See count above---our guys DID KILL everybody who wanted to fight.
Just adding adding to what you already wrote. ;)
Your positive attitude and logical posts on the Iraq war and an encouragement to me.
And if we can by any means have Iraqi groups, tribes, or any any other element fight their terrorists in the place of our troops thats great. I wouldnt even think it bad if the CIA paid some of my tax money to help that happen if it saves an American.
Will wonders never cease?
"He was released and he is currently in the (village) of Obeidi," he said. "People celebrated by firing shots in the air."
LOL What goes up must come down. I wonder how many were injured or killed at their celebration?
Yeah, I caught that---more gutless wonders who just couldn't suck it up and fight to the death. At least Our guys gave the impression there were captures??? Lotta lonely virgins waiting for these guys to quit surrendering.
I agree. There's likely money involved.
What a waste of good bullets, they should use them on the Mujahadeen types as a celebration of their freedom.
"It appears as if John Loftus was actually right...for once."
I missed it. What'd he say?
I don't know how you come to that conclusion. I'm with CR and Dev.
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