Posted on 06/24/2005 2:27:20 AM PDT by iso
Massive police station assault alarms locals despite retreat
Rory Carroll in Baghdad
Friday June 24, 2005
The Guardian
Dawn had yet to break and Baghdad's biggest police station, like the rest of the city, was quiet. About 80 officers dozed inside the fortress, leaving just a few sentries guarding the walls, razor wire and concrete barriers.
It started with mortars. A series of whooshes from north and south followed seconds later by explosions inside the perimeter. Figures emerged from the gloom and knelt in the middle of Hi al-Elam and Qatar Nada streets, pointing rocket launchers.
More figures materialised on rooftops overlooking the station to spray gunfire and lob grenades. Dozens of gunmen, guerrilla infantry, swarmed from houses and alleys. It was just after 5.30am and the station was surrounded.
The defenders heard engines rev and guessed what was next: suicide car bombers. Baghdad's biggest battle in months - and possibly the boldest yet by insurgents - had begun.
They struck on Monday but details of the assault on Baya'a, a vast police complex in the southern suburbs, emerged only yesterday when American and Iraqi officers opened the station to reporters. Bullet holes and debris testified to a synchronised and audacious strike by up to 100 rebels in what is supposed to be a locked-down capital.
The combination of heavy shelling, diversionary feints, infantry thrusts and suicide vehicles - the "precision-guided" equivalent of tanks - left parts of the district of Hi al-Elam a smoking ruin. If the objective was to overrun the station and free its prisoners the offensive failed. The attackers retreated after two hours, leaving dozens dead and captured. But if the objective was to send a message of power and determination it succeeded.
Residents said their confidence in the government and security forces was severely dented. A rash of graffiti has spread across the area: "We will be back." One taxi driver, a Shia who loathes the mostly Sunni Arab resistance, shrugged. "Yes, they will."
Republicans and Democrats, increasingly worried about Iraq, were due yesterday to quiz Pentagon top brass about a US exit strategy which hinges on building up Iraqi security forces.
On one level the assault at Baya'a was being presented as good news for Washington. "The enemy spent weeks, maybe months planning this," said Lt Col David Funk, a US infantry commander responsible for the area. "They failed spectacularly."
Not since April's attack on Abu Ghraib had there been such a concentration of force in the capital and yet the insurgents were repulsed thanks to the heroism of the beleaguered police officers, he said. But in Baghdad, the fact the insurgents had launched the attack at all was more indicative.
The sentries, pinned down by fire from the rooftops, did not respond when they heard the approaching suicide bombers. One vehicle exploded at the main entrance, killing at least four officers but without breaching the compound.
A nearby Iraqi army base was simultaneously targeted by mortars, gunfire and a suicide bomber, trapping the soldiers inside. Gunmen attacked the police station from four sides and came close to overrunning it. From bases in southern Baghdad US and Iraqi ground troops rushed for Baya'a only to confront insurgents at Derwesh Square and on the Doura highway tasked with slowing the relief force. At least three suicide car bombers had been held back for this purpose.
By 6.30am a police machine-gunner on the roof at Baya'a helped turn the tide, firing volleys which forced attackers to take cover and enabled his comrades to take better positions. Residents of the mixed Shia and Sunni neighbourhood made at least 55 phone calls informing the police of insurgent movements. Some fired on the attackers. An off-duty policeman was caught by insurgents, bundled into the boot of a car and later found beheaded.
The attackers retreated at around 7.30am. At least 10 were killed and 40 captured.
"It was our victory," said the Iraqi commander, Col Khaldoon. But residents, picking their way through rubble that had been homes and shops, disagreed.
Last month the government said Operation Lightning, a sweep of the capital by 40,000 troops, would choke the violence. A spate of explosions in the past two days killed more than 40 people but it was the spectacular but less bloody attack at Baya'a that showed the resistance was still in business.
Videos of the assault will almost certainly surface on the internet, the dramatic images of resistance intended to inspire would-be recruits and demoralise opponents.
Lt Col Funk worried about similarities to the Tet offensive, a 1968 push by North Vietnamese forces which failed militarily but whose scale and surprise gave the impression that the US and its allies were failing. "The media got Tet wrong and they're getting Iraq wrong. We are winning but people won't know that if all they are hearing about is death and violence."
What is the penalty for the 40 captured? A year in the slammer? There must be some kind of negative consequences for participating in mayhem. Maybe the Iraquis should make an example of them.
F U Guardian
What a pathetic title - it should have a required "...we hope" caveat at the end.
A few times. The most prominent one in my memory is the storeowner(s) that saw armed terrorists walking down the street toward their shop, opened fire on them first, and killed them or ran them off (can't remember which, but hoping for the former).
_____________________________
Only cops should write about crime.
Only teachers should write about education.
Only clergy should write about religion.
Only scientists should write about evolution
Only lawyers should write about the legal system......
Utter nonsense.
I would hope they'd put the capture through saddam's trusty shreader.
pong
Here is the heart of the matter, we ARE winning.
Residents of the mixed Shia and Sunni neighbourhood made at least 55 phone calls informing the police of insurgent movements. Some fired on the attackers.
See this:
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The insurgency tries its hand once more at a massed assault, this time on an Iraqi police station in Baghdad. Omar from Iraq The Model directs us to an article in the Guardian on the assault, and rightly points out the negative slant in the article (hat tip to Soldier's Dad). The Guardian titles this one "Iraq insurgents snatch victory from defeat", but it is clear this attack was a massive military defeat.
There are no indications if this was al Qaeda, but I suspect they likely planned this with elements of Ansar al-Sunnah, the Islamic Army in Iraq and the People's Mujahedeed, who recently joined into a pact. The insurgents massed a force of 100 fighters, and planned this battle well. They struck at the police station with mortars, RPGs, suicide bombs and an infantry assault, as well pinned down Iraqi forces at a nearby base and set up ambushes along routes that US and Iraqi Army units would us to relieve the Iraqi police station.
The Iraqi police held their ground and repelled the assault without assistance. The training of the Iraqi police assisted in their victory. And the Iraqi citizens played their part.
By 6.30am a police machine-gunner on the roof at Baya'a helped turn the tide, firing volleys which forced attackers to take cover and enabled his comrades to take better positions. Residents of the mixed Shia and Sunni neighbourhood made at least 55 phone calls informing the police of insurgent movements. Some fired on the attackers.
This is not the Army, mind you, who would have more training and experience repelling an infantry assault.
The insurgent assault force of 100 suffered 10 killed and 40 captured. No indications on the wounded, but if past actions are any indication, we can guess they were about two to three times the number killed, giving a killed/wounded/capture rate of anywhere from 50 to 80% of the assault force. These are staggering numbers that quickly demoralize fighters, no matter what their ideological bent. Like the attacks on Abu Ghraib and Camp Gannon, the insurgency is wasting time, energy, resources and bodies for little gain other than some press.
The Guardian makes the inevitable and predictable comparison to Tet, but to their credit actually gets it right; " Lt Col Funk worried about similarities to the Tet offensive, a 1968 push by North Vietnamese forces which failed militarily but whose scale and surprise gave the impression that the US and its allies were failing. "The media got Tet wrong and they're getting Iraq wrong. We are winning but people won't know that if all they are hearing about is death and violence.""
This is a clear military and political victory for the Iraqi government. Their much maligned police forces fended off a coordinated assault on their own, their citizens assisted by providing tips and actually attacking the enemy fighters. The Iraqi security forces have yet to meet their full potential. The insurgency will learn that attacking Iraqi positions isn't as easy as it seems, and will be forced to either throw themselves into further senseless battles or commit acts of terror against weaker targets – Iraqi citizens – and further alienate themselves to the population.
Also Read:
Reader Enigma conducts an excellent fisking of Max Hastings' "Two Years on, the Echoes of Vietnam are Getting Louder" over at Strategy Page's forum.
Posted 09:22 AM | Permalink | Print Article
The Terrorists, just like the North Vietnamese Communists, will only win if the looney left once again succeeds in forcing us to abandon an emerging ally in their hour of need.
Relate these two attacks, the Terrorists today and the Tet of '68 Offensive, to the Battle of the Bulge in WW2. Thank God today's leftstream media wasn't reporting on the Battle of the Bulge.
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This article by the Guardian is another striking evidence to the bias of the media whenever it comes to Iraq. (Hat tip: Kerry).
"What's new?" One would think. Well, the new thing and really disgusting thing is that the paper didn’t only ignore a piece of good news or exaggerated a piece of bad news like we get to see, hear or read almost every day in the last two years; instead, a frank victory for Iraqi police was somehow changed into a victory for the "insurgents"!!
I read the piece twice and tried to see the any sign that indicates such a victory for the insurgents but I failed in both trials.
The editor carried almost accurate news about the incident in question, yet the commentary and conclusions were a piece of mere ridicule.
It is true that the terrorists were able to arrange a relatively large assault but it was far from being well organized or well done let alone a victory, and here is why:
-The attack was successfully repelled. Now does that make it a victory for the aggressors? I guess not.
-Reinforcements were'nt available during the critical phase of the battle as they couldn't make their way to the battle scene but this didn't deter the IP men from fighting and defending their station independently and I guess everyone agrees that policemen are not supposed to fight against men armed with RPGs and mortars; at least that's true in the vast majority of countries but our IP men accepted the challenge and won.
-It was mainly the bravery and good training of one Iraqi policeman that "turned the tide" according to the paper itself.
Now, one gunner was able to turn the tide and this-in my opinion-is a big sign of skill and organized defense.
Still, the Guardian wants us to believe it was a victory for the insurgents!
-By the end of the battle, at least 10 terrorists were found killed and some 40 were arrested. What a victorious battle those terrorists planned for!
-Finally and actually most important is that during the battle, people from the mixed Sunni and She'at neighborhood called 55 times and provided tips to the IP about the movements of the terrorists.
Yes, 55 phone calls in less than 2 hours and if this doesn't show the real attitude of Iraqi citizens towards terrorists then I don't know what can! But still, the Guardian wants us to believe that the insurgents are winning.
How disgusting!
The leftists media is absoluting pitiful!
See above for an Iraqi's view....
Dispatches from the Jihadi Belt
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Martyrdom, Denial, Success and Reorganization
The latest releases from al Qaeda in Iraq and Saudi Arabia provide some insight on the mindset of the organizations and the need to continue to communicate with the faithful on the status of martyrdom, the denial of Coalition successes and the status of the operations.
The first communiqué concerns the recent death of Abdallah al-Rashood, formerly of Saudi Arabia’s Most Wanted (the list is greatly in need of updating, 24 of the 26 have been killed or captured). Evan Kohlmann has the transcript, as well as video of an unhinged al-Rashood discussing jihad in 2003.
Abdallah al-Rashood left the Arabian Peninsula while fleeing from its oppressors and headed to the fields of jihad and battle in Mesopotamia where he met his death. He immigrated [to Iraq] one and a half months ago [late Shaykh Abdallah al-Rashood, a former leader of Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia April or early May 2005] by crossing harsh terrain and the borders of the oppressors, and then headed to the city of Al-Qaim… The enemies of Allah could not overcome the Al-Khair Brigade that Shaykh Abdallah al-Rashood was a part of. O’ you should have seen the degree of bravery and persistency displayed by the Shaykh and a group of local and foreign brothers. They killed the crusaders and made them withdraw and flee. When the crusaders realized they could not enter the area, they decided to bomb the mujahideen using their attack aircraft…
al-Rashood’s entry into Iraq provides further evidence that Iraq is indeed a magnet for established international terrorists. Al Qaeda takes great pains to stress success in Qaim, despite the fact al Qaeda has been routed when they engage in open combat. No doubt those who walked away from Qaim would tell a different story than al Qaeda's command. Finally, note the standard jihadi fanaticism; “As a result, our Shaykh achieved his wish… the smell of musk emanated from his blood and Allah granted him his mercy, blessings, and paradise.” Does the "the smell of musk" alert the 72 virgins?
al Qaeda in Iraq feels the need to refute the claims that operatives and lieutenants have been detained. Concerning the recent arrest of 18 terrorists; "The enemies of Allah claimed that they have captured 18 individuals who executed the revenge attack for the Sunni people yesterday (Monday), but we swear that none of them were [captured]…" The capture of Abu Talha is also hotly disputed. It's all lies, see.
Whenever they catch a Muslim, they then claim that they have caught an assistant of our Shaykh [Abu Musab] al-Zarqawi. This method is well-known in the West, leading Spain to claim that it has arrested a group of Zarqawi’s assistants.”
The crusaders consider every Muslim who is associated with Al-Qaeda’s Committee a suspect; anyone who calls for Al-Tawheed is a soldier against the oppressors… anyone who belongs to the circle of Abraham is a terrorist that has declared war on the enemies of Allah. Do not be surprised by what we have told you, because the enemies of Allah in Mosul now declare that they have captured and important person who is an assistant of Zarqawi. We ask you, how many assistants have they previously claimed the capture of? We inform you, O’ brothers of al-Tawheed, that your brothers are safe and sound, declaring jihad in the cause of Allah, and do not fear anything.
A release of photographs of Abu Talha and the others, ala Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, would do wonders to dispel al Qaeda’s propaganda.
A curious press release from al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia reports on the success of the destruction of three infidel Saudi helicopters that have tormented the al Qaeda branch. The helicopters are given life-like qualities; “These helicopters took an active role…they participated in demolishing the mosque... ‘O how many times did these helicopters battle… how many times did they spread fear… how many times did they disrespect the holy places of Muslims…” And so on. Al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia is obsessed with the fact the Saudi government has suppressed this mission, but in light of al Qaeda’s beating in the country, it appears they are looking for something, anything to claim success.
Finally, there are some structural changes occurring in the Iraqi theater. The Islamic Army of Iraq (IAI), the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, and the Mujahideen Army have announced they will conduct joint operations; "hand in hand to attack the infidels and their assistants with an iron fist until we break the infidels... so that [we] can teach the infidels and their assistants that continuing their war will only make us stronger, more harmonious, and more unified." Co-operation has its pluses and minuses. On the plus side, resources, command, communications, safehouses, weapons and other assets can be shared among the groups, increasing their effectiveness. On the minus side, as the groups integrate more closely, the advantage of operating as separate forces to shield them from counterintelligence operations diminishes.
al Qaeda has announced the formation of an all-Iraqi suicide squad; "…[A]n Iraqi martyrs brigade that is a branch of the Al-Baraa bin Malik Brigade has been established. Immediately, dozens of individuals rushed forward to sign their names in a race to meet their creator." The fact that almost all of the suicide bombers to this date have been foreigners should cause this claim to be viewed skeptically. To date, the native Iraqi suicide bombers have been blackmailed, coerced, were Downs patients, canine, or were taped to the steering wheels and gas pedals. Perhaps the next batch of recruits will be more willing to “meet their creator” than the prior batch.
Training Grounds, Magnets, and Hunters in Iraq
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A CIA report leaked to the press indicates Iraqi is becoming a training ground for terrorists on par with or exceeding that of Afghanistan in the 1990s. This isn’t news, however, as the National Intelligence Council came to a similar conclusion in January of this year. The latest report indicates that terrorists are gaining “a broad range of skills, from car bombings and assassinations to coordinated conventional attacks on police and military targets” and are likely to take their skills with them to their home countries, and even infiltrate Western societies “once the insurgency ends.”
This fact is often used as a criticism of the invasion of Iraq, however it also provides credibility to the “Flypaper” or “Magnet” theories attributed to the invasion: bringing the war to the heart of the Middle East would issue a challenge to al Qaeda that cannot be ignored, forcing them to commit fighters and resources to the battle, where US forces can fix and kill them.
Michael McNeil from Impearls cites an unlikely source for confirmation of the Flypaper/Magnet theory: the BBC. Not only has Iraq become a magnet, but it has increased Europe’s security by redirecting fighters from their European soil.
A BBC interviewee, Jeremy Binnie of Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre, put it thusly:
The war in Iraq has minimized the threat to Europe [emphasis added] because everyone who's Jihad-inclined wants to go fight over there. So even though some of these… the guys suspected of involvement in the train bombings have reportedly gone over to lodge themselves in Iraq. So there are these radicals sort of coming out of Europe and actually going to a different theater altogether.
The death of Abdullah Mohammed Rashid al-Roshoud in Qaim, number 24 out of 26 on Saudi Arabia’s list of most wanted terrorists provides backing to the Flypaper theory. So does the arrest in Spain of 11 al Qaeda fighters; the influx of terrorists from Africa; and Evan Kohlmann’s chart of known foreign fighters killed in Iraq (keep in mind this does not include captured foreign fighters, estimated at about 400).
The use of Iraq as a training ground for foreign terrorists has its pluses and minuses. No doubt those who survive the crucible will have a honed skill set. No doubt Iraq is being used as a recruiting campaign for aspiring jihadis. And Iraqi is “awash with weapons”, making it easy for the terrorists to access the materials used in their attacks, which are increasing in sophistication.
But the advantage does not favor al Qaeda alone. Iraq has given American intelligence an opportunity to study and penetrate al Qaeda’s operations. The CIA, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Special Operations Forces operating against al Qaeda in Iraq are learning the tactics of al Qaeda, and are developing their skills and familiarity with the Middle Eastern culture. These servicemen, once returning to civilian life, will retain their skills which can be used in civil defense and in the defense and intelligence community. Iraq is a hot zone, and it gives the military the ability to actively hunt al Qaeda, which is impossible in countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other nations hostile to direct US intervention.
And hunt them we are. The latest deployment to Iraq is the 4,000 man force of the 28th Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, from the Pennsylvania National Guard. Their destination is the Anbar province, and they will join the 3,000 plus Marines currently there, essentially doubling the combat power in the region. And the Iraqi Army has yet to enter the battle in the province.
Good hunting and best of luck to my neighbors in the 2/28 BCT.
"umm where exactly is the terrorist victory here? They won because they lost? lol!"
Thanks for your excellent summary of the Pro Isalamonazi Guardian's latest article pushing the Islamo agenda in Iraq.
One of these days, we will probably find out that the Islamonazis financed the Guardian and similiar media outlets to be pro Islamo and to push their murdering agenda.
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