7,000 Qaeda members killed or captured in two years

AFP ^ | October 28 2006

[jmc1969]

US and Iraqi forces have killed or captured at least 7,000 Al-Qaeda fighters in the past two years, with 30 "senior leaders' taken out of action since July.

The news comes hard on the heels of a leaked US Marine report that states US forces cannot defeat the Al-Qaeda-led insurgency in the vast western desert province of Al-Anbar.

"Since October 2004, we have now killed or captured over 7,000 Al-Qaeda terrorists," coalition spokesman Major General William Caldwell told journalists on Tuesday.

[M1Tanker]

These numbers do not include the Taliban, Syrians, Fedayeen, Sadr's thugs, Ba'athists, and Iranians in Iraq. It does not include the terrorists crushed in cave collapses in Afghanistan.

This does not include Al Qaeda in other countries who are KIA.

When you add those, the total dead for the enemy skyrocket. What we really need is to get our own government (both parties) to untie the military's hands and let us do our jobs. It will not be pretty, it will not be 'PC', but it will work and it will end in victory.

Example: Go to Sadr City or any terrorist area in Anbar and surround it. Announce that the population has 12 hours to vacate though checkpoints. Anyone not going through a checkpoint will be shot. After the 12 Hours, commence bombing with B-52s, MOABs, Daisy-Cutters, and Fuel-Air Explosives. Add to this a few cannon and rocket artillery battalions with HE and WP.

After the fires have gone down, send in the tanks and IFVs at night with thermal sensors online. Orbit UAVs with thermals and Hellfire missiles. Include several wings of bombers and attack aircraft for CAS. If anything is "hot" on the thermals, shoot it. Level the town to its lower sewers. Leave the smoldering hole as a warning. Only THEN do we start 'talking' with the terrorists. We do this once or twice and the 'insurgency' will end.

Contrary to popular myth, the USA has never lost an insurgency. Our military defeated each one. Our politicians, however, lose sight of the need for victory. "Insurgencies" are ugly wars and are fought in violent, ugly ways. Some will say the above example makes us no better than Saddam. They are dead wrong. Saddam did level towns. He never gave the people warning or time to evacuate noncombatants. We do. That is the difference.

Or else we can keep fighting the EU/UN/PC way and lose. And when we lose, we will have these terrorists in our backyards. The hundreds of reported and unreported terror attacks under Clinton's 'watch' will seem like nothing.

Yeah, I'm mean but I am leaving for Iraq in a few weeks. According to my wife's "useful idiot" aunt, I'll be dead anyways so why should I care if I come off 'insensitive'.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Selective leaks of cherry-picked classified reports is a standard way of undermining the WoT. Remember the secret program designed to monitor and disrupt terrorist financial networks that the NY Times published.

You think that was harmless?

[Valin]

Thank you, No that was not harmless.
However my question was/is How does this undermine the effort?

[Valin]

Split Iraq in three,
1 Is this what the Iraqis want? (site source please)
2 Given that there are many Shis/Sunni families, how do you propuse to do this?

[justshutupandtakeit]

I would say that playing up problems while ignoring positive news undermines our efforts in Iraq.

[TomasUSMC]

Is this what the Iraqis want?

---

The Iraqis want? Its what WE want. THAT is the entire problem...we are worried about what the Iraqis want. WE are paying a billion bucks a week and WE are losing 2 or 3 troops every stinking day and about 20 wounded everyday.

The Iraqis already decided they want a Constitution that mandates Islam as the State Religion AND states:
NO LAW SHALL CONTRADICT ISLAM.

What the Iraqis want is to continue as our enemies, marching on in their 7th century religion against the infidel. Just like the Japanese where all crazy in WW2, so are the moslems today. MacArthur didn't let the Japanese people decide what kind of Constitution they wanted, HE GAVE THEM ONE. We should have done the same.

Now we need to start over. Its not a total lost yet. We got Sadham, we pretty much got the WMDs. Now we need to get rid of the Iranian and Syrian Regimes ASAP.

Split it 3 ways - you can't have complete segregation, but the ones who stay under the Kurds must agree to get along with them or die or they can move. Same with the Sunni and Shiite independent areas. Then we get out and solve the Iranian problem with ICBMs.

I reckon after the Syrians see Tehran go up in a mushroom, they will overthrow that regime or Damascus gets the same.

Or we can wait for Dallas or Chicago to go. I for one, prefer for Tehran and Damascus to get the glass-over treatment.

[river rat]

Thanks -- for pointing out the error of my assumption regarding total KIA.. The article CLEARLY said Al Qaeda -- and I assumed total lunatic assholes KIA..

That's what happens to old farts who consume adult beverages beyond their rational limit.. There was a reason I gave up the stuff decades ago......I go stupid!

I also agree with your position on fighting this war.
We've constrained our forces far too much for their own force protection and mission success.

May God's strength and blessing be with you on your upcoming deployment. Come home soon.

Stay safe.

Semper Fi

[TomasUSMC]

We do this once or twice and the 'insurgency' will end.

---

EXACTLY

Remember its better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

Shoot first, let somebody else ask questions later.

[Valin]

Thank you for your reply. I'll give it all the consideration it merits.