U.S., Iraqi insurgents join forces against al-Qaeda

McClatchy Newspapers ^ | June 6 2007 | LEILA FADEL

[ASC2006]

Under cover of darkness, a convoy of Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M1-tanks loaded with American soldiers pulled up to a mosque Monday night in the al-Qaeda-infested neighborhood of Amariyah.

More than a dozen members of Islamic Army of Iraq, a key Sunni insurgent group, and some local residents waited for them, armed with AK-47 rifles and dressed in tracksuits and T-shirts.

But the two forces didn't clash. Instead, they shared information and supplies, in a growing push by Islamic Army of Iraq and their neighborhood backers to push al Qaeda's foreign fighters from the formerly wealthy district that includes Baghdad's airport.

Amariyah's problems with al-Qaeda have come to a head in the past month as tribal leaders in Ramadi and Abu Ghraib to the west pushed the foreign fighters from their areas. The fleeing fighters came to Amariyah, which had long been where they treated their wounded and rested before returning to battle.

However, now they were heavily targeting American soldiers, said Maj. Chris Rogers. Bombs killed 11 of the battalion's men in May; in the previous five months, only one man had died. The Americans couldn't seem to find the attackers. "It's like fighting ghosts," Wilbraham said.

Abu Bilal admitted his role in the Islamic Army.

"Yes, I'm a leader of a cell in the Islamic Army," he said. Last week, al-Qaeda raided his home and beat his wife. "We are from here; they are from somewhere else," he said of al-Qaeda. "It is a measured risk we're taking," Rogers said. "It's time to take a measured risk in a place like Amariyah."

While each side distrusts the other, al-Qaeda's extremist ideology and its murder of Islamic Army of Iraq commanders have resulted in creation of an odd alliance of convenience between the Iraqi insurgents and the American military.

[goldstategop]

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Here we are being befriended by people who only tried to kill us last year.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[goldstategop]

War Makes For Strange Bedfellows Bump

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Rennes Templar]

War creates strange bedfellows.

[ASC2006]

That Baathists only real beef with us is we kicked them out of power, empowered those who hate them, and kicked them out of their jobs.

The Islamists both al-Qaeda and Madhi Army however have a religiously ingrained hatred of us that can’t be negotiated around.

[ASC2006]

ping

[wastedyears]

But the surge isn’t working! Harry Reid said so!

/liberal mindset

[IrishMike]

Good news indeed.

[tsomer]

Abu Bilal admitted his role in the Islamic Army.

"Yes, I'm a leader of a cell in the Islamic Army," he said. Last week, al-Qaeda raided his home and beat his wife.

You know, if Al Queda could just stay home and beat their own wives, and let Abu beat his own ...
(Bada-boom, crash)

[jveritas]

Our objective is to destroy Al Qaeda. The US allied with the Soviet Union in WW II to crush the Nazis. I think those Sunni Arabs are not going to fight us after Al Qaeda is crushed.

Anyway this article is excellent news.

[SJackson]

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[Marine_Uncle]

The Maliki government had better not turn their back on these guys once they become established as reliable allies in the fight against al Qaeda. The golden opportunity knocks for a lot of Sunni to be integrated into the new Iraqi order.

[Dr. Frank fan]

More than a dozen members of Islamic Army of Iraq, a key Sunni insurgent group, and some local residents waited for them, armed with AK-47 rifles and dressed in tracksuits and T-shirts.

But the two forces didn't clash. Instead, they shared information and supplies, in a growing push by Islamic Army of Iraq and their neighborhood backers to push al Qaeda's foreign fighters from the formerly wealthy district that includes Baghdad's airport.

Um,

Main Entry: 1in·sur·gent

1 : a person who revolts against civil authority or an established government; especially : a rebel not recognized as a belligerent

This might be a stupid question, but: why are these people being called "insurgents", if their primary activity right now is fighting against Al Qaeda, a foreign/international terror organization that has infiltrated Iraq?

The media is so in love with the word "insurgents" they don't even bother to try to use it logically anymore.

[prophetic]

My head is spinning from this article but war DOES makes for strange bedfellows!!!!

I remember reading how in the Iran/Iraq war that Israel was supplying intel to IRAN under the logic that since they are so busy fighting each other they wont have time or resources to bother little Israel.