Posted on 09/18/2005 8:10:31 PM PDT by jmc1969
Using enemy body counts as a benchmark, the U.S. military claimed gains against Abu Musab Zarqawi's foreign-led fighters
But by many standards, including increasingly high death tolls in insurgent strikes, Zarqawi's group, al Qaeda in Iraq, could claim to be the side that's gaining after 2 years of war. August was the third-deadliest month of the war for U.S. troops.
Zarqawi's guerrillas this spring and summer showed themselves to be capable of mounting waves of suicide bombings and car bombings that could kill scores at a time and paralyze the Iraqi capital.
The same morning, scores of al Qaeda fighters streamed into the streets of Ramadi, taking up positions with new automatic weapons. Witnesses said one group of insurgents proudly displayed a new rocket launcher that put U.S. armored vehicles in the glowing red beam of its targeting laser.
The fact that American forces still attack entire cities and towns in the west is a sign of how much territory remains out of U.S. and Iraqi government control, said Dulaimi, a member of the Zarqawi-allied Ansar al-Sunna Army.
"I can say that the legend of the undefeated U.S. Army is gone, owing to our rockets and mines, which are separating them from it day after day," Dulaimi said in a telephone interview. "If they bet that time will be the way to end the resistance, they are wrong, because we are stronger since a year ago or maybe more."
Jeffrey White, said insurgents have fought U.S.-led forces to a stalemate at least in Anbar province, northern Babil province and some other areas.
For Zarqawi's purposes, U.S. claims of denying insurgents a lasting haven probably mean little, Cordesman said. "Being fluid, dynamic, scattered, broken out into cells seems to be the way any effective insurgency wins, or certainly endures," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The Bad guys lose men and their bases and are reduced to killing the common people to get back at the Iraqi government, and the MSM thinks they are holding their own. What a joke, and these people get paid for this BS. We are winning slowly but surely.
The Bad guys lose men and their bases and are reduced to killing the common people to get back at the Iraqi government, and the MSM thinks they are holding their own. What a joke, and these people get paid for this BS. We are winning slowly but surely.
if zarqawai was succesful he would be strutting his stuff down main street in baghdad every day like it was the macys thanksgiving day parade.
the only ones that believe we are losing the war are the MSM and its cronies the democrat party
"Zarqawi's guerrillas this spring and summer showed themselves to be capable of mounting waves of suicide bombings and car bombings that could kill scores at a time and paralyze the Iraqi capital."
Says who. Where have I been since spring of this year. The capital has been paralyzed? Aaaaaaaah if I only had some cold beer or fine wine to sip on or perhaps guzzle down. This stuff is getting to be to much to bear of lately.
"Jeffrey White, said insurgents have fought U.S.-led forces to a stalemate at least in Anbar province, northern Babil province and some other areas."
Where are these people getting this rubbish from? They clearly have gone from total mis-representing facts to outright lies. It is totally un-believable no one will call them on this crap.
isnt anbar the equivalent of hooterville (not to debase hooterville in any way)
It would seem this reporter is using number of civilian casualties as a measure of success. If that is the case, I am sure a couple of Arc Light missions in Ar Ramadi, Al Qaim, Fallujah, etc. would put us in the lead without a doubt.
These people are murderers and if left alive, they will eventually be setting off car bombs in Europe, Canada, and the USA. With plenty of civilian casualties, I'm sure the Post reporter will consider them successful.
"isnt anbar the equivalent of hooterville (not to debase hooterville in any way)"
I think not.
The MSM has gone to asking members of Ansar al-Sunna about how the jihad is going, it doesn't get any more pathetic then that.
I just hope there will be support left for the war in this country as I think it will take another year and a half or two. The media has convinced half the country that we can't win, and they are doing their damnest to convince the other half.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id=110007274
Tal Afar Turning Point?
A breakthrough for Iraqi forces.
Sunday, September 18, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT
Only weeks ago--until Katrina stole the headlines--Washington was deep in the grip of yet another of its "quagmire" panics about Iraq. We don't want to make the opposite mistake of over-optimism. But the recent Iraqi victory in the battle of Tal Afar could be a turning point in the war against the terrorists.
In recent days Iraqi forces--yes, Iraqi forces--have led the largest urban assault there since the liberation of Fallujah last November. Meanwhile, Iraq and the United States are finally ratcheting up the pressure on Syria, with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad saying "all options"--including military force--"are on the table" when it comes to stopping terrorist infiltration from that country. Without Syria's help, the insurgency would be seriously weakened.
snip
Before the end of this year, the terrorist insurgency in Iraqi will be almost dead if not completely dead.
One can only hope the other half have have a brain to wonder how the L/MSM predictions continue to not come true and add realize something is really wrong and seek answers.
The woman is one person defeatism factory, and cited regularly on lefty websites.
Al-Queda has now suffered a significant strategic defeat: they once claimed that they represented all Islam against the West, and now they can only call for killing Shiites in Iraq, and they are getting their butts kicked no matter where they show their faces, all the BS bravado above not withstanding.
The Sunnis now have a choice: drop the gun, die, or leave Iraq.
It is hard to top the almost daily analysis given by Bill and the various URL links he supplies to support his views. I have so many sites bookmarked as derivatives from key sites that present a accurate picture I seldom turn to newspapers for my primary source. But thanks.
Poll wise I have looked at US support for the war for some time. The only things that boost the support for the war are big media events (like the election and Saddam's capture) otherwise the polls for the war fall and keep falling with no bottom we have seen as yet.
We have three big media events at the end of the year that have the ability to pump up the ratings for the war back into the high 40s or at best low 50s. Those are the Constitutional Convention, Saddam's trial, and the final election in December. After that we will have about six months until support for the war drops back to where it is right now short of the capture of a major HVT that the public knows like Bin Laden or Zarqawi.
The problem is that the media and the US public consider suicide attacks a sign of major insurgent power, and a sign that Iraq is in chaos, when the reality is it is easy as hell to put a bunch of explosives into a car and have someone drive it into a bunch of civilians. And, all the public hears about are the suicide attacks or a big IED strike.
In a better world these communist reporters would be locked up.
"The problem is that the media and the US public consider suicide attacks a sign of major insurgent power, and a sign that Iraq is in chaos, when the reality is it is easy as hell to put a bunch of explosives into a car and have someone drive it into a bunch of civilians. And, all the public hears about are the suicide attacks or a big IED strike."
Right on with your three upcoming events. And yes, the L/MSM know exactly how to turn opinions. There nothing more then propaganda machines for the far left and demoRats. It saddens me when I try to communicate with nice folks that they have not a clue as how they are mind tampered with. Obviuously noone wants to feel they are being bamboozaled for years on end. Not much we can do about it. Which further tells me the type of person GWB really is. He knew from day one what he would have to face. And yet he did what was required. And so many people have not a clue.
Semper Fi friend. Gotta hit the sack, getting late on east coast.
Post uses a Ansar al-Sunna Army terrorist as a source ...PING !!!!
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