Insurgency mastermind stays step ahead of U.S.

LA Times ^ | November 16, 2005 | Josh Meyer and Mark Mazzetti

[SevenMinusOne]

Why, pray tell, would our people tell the press to tell Zarqawi that he's several steps ahead of us? In public?

Do you folks actually believe what you're reading here?

There is some definite truth to where you are going here - Without a doubt -

There is also without a doubt the fact that Zarqawi has managed to work within our OODA loop - and thus he remains alive and free still -

[Cowboy Bob]

Despite the recent arrest of one of his would-be suicide bombers in Jordan and some top aides in Iraq, insurgency mastermind Abu Musab Zarqawi has eluded capture, U.S. authorities say, because his network has a much better intelligence-gathering operation than they do.

I don't find "Mastermind" to be a negative term. It seems that the LA Times has great respect for Mr. Zarqawi.

[vimto]

- shouldn't we refer to him as a 'member of the bombing community" so as not to tread on anyones toes?

[CHICAGOFARMER]

Why, pray tell, would our people tell the press to tell Zarqawi that he's several steps ahead of us?

xxxxxxx two ittems

First you never believe what you read in MSM.

Second, Its called counter intelligence. This strategy is in the next chapter you are about to read in your book.

Be seeing ya.

[ExcursionGuy84]

Not cynical, smart.

Thanks very much, LibWhacker. And Your Analysis is got to be spot-on.

And I guess that, in the current IRAQ, trust takes time to build & to really earn the Full trust of the GOOD Iraqi's

Basically, Our Intel over there is startin' from scratch.

[Uncle Miltie]

Another CIA success story.......


Not.

[Travis McGee]

"Insurgency mastermind," not "Terrorist butcher."

Easy to see who the LAT is rooting for.

[SevenMinusOne]

Therefore, Zarqawi practically knows our every move before we make it. It's dumb, dumb, dumb, imo.

Not the case at all -

Zarqawi is simply working within a structure which moves within our OODA loop - He has no "inside word" regarding our tactical moves or Ops - He simply is operating within a time frame that is quicker then our current OODA loop allows for -

Additionally, those specific units we have working the Zarqawi hunt do not use any of the Iraqi assets and personnel you mentioned (Iraqi police units, Green zone personal, etc).

Furthermore working with the Iraqi people is a must. It is essential to our goals in Iraq. Trying to compare the current GWOT with that of WWII is faulty for too many reasons then I have time currently to list (and remember we lost well over 400,000 KIA men in WWII).

Many ex-generals or even ex-war pundits make the mistake of "always trying to fight / win the last war", "not the current one". The situations between the current GWOT (which not only includes Iraq, but in which Iraq is essential to) and wars of the past, there are very few workable parallels.

[LibWhacker]

Hi, DevSix! Thanks for the feedback. It's nice to hear from you again.

I suppose I'm less worried about the enemy getting the "inside word" than I am about him planting spies everywhere in amongst our troops, and collecting tons of analyzable data on them. Such information can tell Zarqawi a whole lot about what we're up to in our day-to-day ops, even if he were unable to plant someone in a sensitive position (which I'd wager he has been able to do).

... and remember we lost well over 400,000 KIA men in WWII

How many millions of men did Hitler have in arms? Thankfully, Zarqawi has nowhere near that number. And I think I can safely guarantee that we would've have suffered vastly more KIAs in WWII if Nazi spies had been tucking our troops in every night! </tongue-in-cheek metaphors> :-)

Making an observation like the one I'm making isn't a matter of fighting the last war. Rather, it's a lesson I think we can take from all wars where "it" (i.e., being what I think is a little too cavalier in our approach to enemy intelligence gathering capabilities) has been done.

[SevenMinusOne]

I suppose I'm less worried about the enemy getting the "inside word" than I am about him planting spies everywhere in amongst our troops, and collecting tons of analyzable data on them.

I can appreciate the concern here but our forces do everything possible under the circumstances to not allow non-vetted Iraqi's into sensitive positions.

Additionally, Zarqawi does not have the resources to be planting "spies" everywhere. Not at all. He has more of an "after the fact" type Intel system. Where thugs of his demand feedback from everyday Iraqi's on "what they may have seen of late".

Rather, it's a lesson I think we can take from all wars where "it" (i.e., being what I think is a little too cavalier in our approach to enemy intelligence gathering capabilities) has been done.

Again, I can appreciate the concern of this could-be matter - However that has not been the case at all for our forces in Iraq. We have been conscience of this reality / capability of our enemies since day one of this war. Regardless of what some news paper pundit wants to spout off about from some anonymous source.

Best regards,