Insurgents Seize Key Town in Iraq: Al Qaeda in Iraq's Black Banner Flying From Rooftops

WP ^

[jmc1969]

Abu Musab Zarqawi's foreign-led Al Qaeda in Iraq took open control of a key western town at the Syrian border, deploying its guerrilla fighters in the streets and flying Zarqawi's black banner from rooftops, witnesses, residents and others in the city and surrounding villages said.

A sign newly posted at the entrance of Qaim declared, "Welcome to the Islamic Kingdom of Qaim." A statement posted in mosques described Qaim as an "Islamic kingdom liberated from the occupation."

Zarqawi's fighters were killing officials and civilians seen as government-allied or anti-Islamic, witnesses, residents and others said. On Sunday, the bullet-riddled body of a woman lay in a street of Qaim. A sign left on her corpse declared, "A prostitute who was punished."

By the weekend, however, Zarqawi's forces had fought back and taken control of Qaim, residents said. Accounts from the town described a rare, prolonged overt presence of the foreign fighters.

The Albu Mahal tribe as of Sunday remained in control of its village outside the city. However, a car bomb placed by Zarqawi's fighters in front of the home of a tribal leader, Sheikh Dhyad Ahmed, killed the sheikh and his son on Sunday, resident Mijbil Saied said.

A Zarqawi fighter said any Marines and Iraqi forces had left Qaim, with "nothing left of their crosses."

Shops selling CDs, a movie theater and a women's beauty parlor were newly burned, apparently targeted by Zarqawi's group under its strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Zarqawi's fighters had taken control of the town's hospital, one of its medical workers, Dr. Muhammed Ismail, said. The hospital's director then ordered all patients to leave, fearing the presence of Zarqawi's fighters would draw air strikes on the clinic, Ismail said.

Zarqawi fighters manned checkpoints on the four entrances to the city.

[dinok]

"One big difference, in Vietnam, there was no danger to the hippies and looser leftists. In this war, if we loose, they will all be beheaded. Once they realize that, they will have a slightly different attitude."

The lefties can not conceive of us ever loosing and Muslim nuts walking our streets cutting off the heads of immoral people like them. To the average lefty...we conservatives are the enemy.

[Bald Eagle777]

Bulls-eye. I have been monitoring the 'Quaim' situation also. Stay alert, and keep this unfolding 'situation' in your sights. Good post.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1564000,00.html

http://globalpolitician.com/articledes.asp?ID=1175&cid=2&sid=38