US delight as Iraqi rebels turn their guns on al-Qa'eda

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7/4/05 | Oliver Poole

[saquin]

American troops on the Syrian border are enjoying a battle they have long waited to see - a clash between foreign al-Qa'eda fighters and Iraqi insurgents.

Tribal leaders in Husaybah are attacking followers of Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist who established the town as an entry point for al-Qa'eda jihadists being smuggled into the country.

The reason, the US military believes, is frustration at the heavy-handed approach of the foreigners, who have kidnapped and assassinated local leaders and imposed a strict Islamic code.

Fighting, which could be clearly heard at night over the weekend, first broke out in May when as many as 50 mortar rounds were fired across the city. But, to the surprise of the American garrison, this time it was not the target.

If a shell landed near the US base, "they'd adjust their fire and not shoot at us", Lt Col Tim Mundy said. "They shot at each other."

The trigger was the assassination of a tribal sheikh, from the Sulaiman tribe, ordered by Zarqawi for inviting senior US marines for lunch. American troops gained an insight into the measures the jihadists had imposed during recent house-to-house searches in nearby towns and villages.

Shops selling music and satellite dishes had been closed. Women were ordered to wear all-enveloping clothing and men forbidden from wearing western clothes.

Anyone considered to be aiding coalition forces was being killed or kidnapped. That included those with links to the government - seen as a US puppet - such as water or electricity officials. As a result local services had collapsed.

Captain Thomas Sibley, intelligence officer of 3rd battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, based in Qaim, said: "People here were committed supporters of the insurgency but you cannot now even get a marriage licence.

"The tribes are the only system or organisation left and they appear to have stepped in.

"In the last week our camp in the town was attacked and the attackers got ambushed on the way back by two machineguns and mortar fire. That is good news for us."

Baghdad recently warned that Iraqi insurgents, many of them nationalists rather than Islamists, and al-Qa'eda cells were working more closely together than in the past. That was brought into doubt when the bodies of three foreigners, believed to be insurgents, were discovered in Ramadi, apparently killed by Iraqis.

But the extent of the jihadist presence in Hasaybah - and therefore the subsequent tension - is unique.

Foreign fighters first started to arrive two years ago after Zarqawi bought properties to use as safe houses for arrivals before they could be funnelled east towards Baghdad and other major cities.

The police fled in November. In mid-June, al-Qa'eda units took over key buildings, including mosques and government offices. "Al-Qa'eda in Iraq" flags were raised.

The city, 240 miles north-west of Baghdad and adjacent to the insurgent centre of Qaim, is so dangerous that soldiers in the US base sleep in bunkers because of mortar and rocket attacks.

Following al-Qa'eda's seizure of the main buildings a number of residents fled. Arkan Salim, 56, who left with his wife and four children, said: "We thought they were patriotic. Now we discovered that they are sick and crazy.

"They interfered in everything, even how we raise our children. They turned the city into hell, and we cannot live in it anymore."

[Allegra]

I'm a Navy brat. :-)

So am I. I wonder if we were ever at the same locations?

Are you that kid who used to shoot a water pistol from the school hallway at me while I was sitting in the classroom? ;-)

[prairiebreeze]

An important distinction to be sure. This one just went out to the email list.

[cll]

Marry me!

[afnamvet]

Al Qaeda and the insurgency fighting each other. Glorious news. Hope it spreads.

[afnamvet]

Stay safe and alert over there.

[Allegra]

Marry me!

OK. Come on over! ;-)

[Allegra]

Stay safe and alert over there.

Thanks. Will do. They've been a tad noisy outside the walls today. They like to do that on American holidays.

I'm going on my 17th month here.

Thank you for your service to our great country.

[Valin]

Tribal leaders in Husaybah are attacking followers of Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist

Lets you and him fight!

[cll]

Seriously, you are a brave lady. I recently retired from the Army so unless they un-retire me...

Question: Is there a tourism industry to speak of over there? Any hopes for building one?

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping!

One can only hope that this is true and is happening all over Iraq and around it.

[Allegra]

Question: Is there a tourism industry to speak of over there? Any hopes for building one?

Well, right now, there's not much of a tourist industry. Too many errrr....fireworks. But there IS a lot to see here, especially for ancient history freaks like me. One of the most frustrating things about being here is knowing there is stuff that's 6,000 years old here and I can't go see it.

But keep an eye on the future, becase there is so much potential in the architecture, history, people and overall culture that I think this will once again be a burgeoning tourist destination.

Disclaimer: It's the Fourth of July, I'm having beer with my co-workers and just came in here for a few minutes to get into the A/C. Any typos are the result of some holiday merriment.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Happy Fourth and stay safe....as much as you can consistent with your mission....!!

[BOBTHENAILER]

Geat Post mdittmar. This marks the beginning of the end to al Qaeda scum.

[Allegra]

Oh, and I'm sorry. I meant to say {beer disclaimer kicks in here}

Thank you very much for your service to our great country.

We wouldn't be where we are today without people like all of you and I appreciate it immensely.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thus the islamist extremists and the hard left hate us in the name of very different ideologies, yet for the same reason. We, by living in freedom, even by merely existing, stand in the way of their fantasies.

And thusly is their Alliance,....a very Unholy Alliance....see this :

*********************************************************

Unholy Alliance : Radical Islam and the American Left (Hardcover)
by David Horowitz

****************************************

Vastly Illuminating, September 25, 2004

  

I had long wondered why people on the Left had the propensity to speak more positively about people who would slit their throats than they do about their own country, which affords them more freedom and opportunity than anywhere else. David Horowitz has answered that question thoroughly and convincingly in his Unholy Alliance. Where I felt bewildered and confused, I now feel crystal clear. Unholy Alliance is such a great book.

It begins with the leftist movements at the beginning of the 20th Century, and works its way up to the present day, exploring the anti-American attitude of these movements in detail. Horowitz shows that the enemies of the US back then are largely the same group today, operating under the same misperceptions, making the same mistakes, and pursuing the same impossible utopia.

Individual chapters are included on the Patriot Act (I was persuaded that it is a GOOD thing); the democratic flip-flop on Iraq once G.W. Bush implemented what they agreed with Clinton needed to be done; the driving components of the current anti-war movement; as well as chapters on individual personalities who are major spokespeople of the Left. Horowitz covers a lot of ground, and he covers it concisely and clearly. Unholy Alliance is richly informative without ever being boring or plodding.

This book is so illuminating that I simply cannot do justice to it here. I love people who reason so clearly that they help me get my own reasoning clear. Horowitz is just that type of person! In the terrain of mindless clichés (no-blood-for-oil, etc.), he is a breath of real fresh air.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

An interview with David Horowitz regarding the Leftists and his book:

Unholy Alliance Part I

[righttackle44]

"Now, if the Iraqis are starting to figure this out, do you think the American Left--who believe the "insurgents" are as patriotic as our founding fathers--ever will?"

No, they never will. Because they are as sick and as crazy as the terrorists and insurgents in Iraq.

Exhibit number one: Teddy Kennedy.
Exhibit number two: John Kerry.
Exhibit number three: Harry Reid
Exhibit number four: Nancy Pelosi
Exhibit number five: Barbara Boxer
Exhibit number six: Jesse Jackson
Exhibit Number seven: most members of homosexual and lesbian organizations
Exhibit number eight: most members of cross-dressing organizations

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See un holy alliance threads: