Posted on 07/15/2007 2:17:12 PM PDT by ikez78
An interview published in Saturday's Washington Post, with a member of the Iraq insurgency, reveals another example of the deadly postwar cooperation between members of Saddam Hussein's former ruling party and al Qaeda in Iraq.
In the piece, written by Joshua Hartlow, the insurgent identifies himself as "Abu Sarhan" and revealed that he "had been an officer in the Fedayeen (pictured right via Answers.com), the black-clad paramilitary force of the ousted government of Saddam Hussein."
"Sarhan" told his interviewers that he had risen to the level of "'general coordinator' between al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Omar Brigade, an insurgent group founded in July 2005 by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi." When and how "Sarhan" joined al Qaeda was not mentioned in the story.
(Excerpt) Read more at regimeofterror.com ...
PING on Saddam and terrorism. If you’ve been added on accident let me know and I’ll take you off.
Waiting for the knee-jerk Baath-apologists take on this.
Already got one email saying it’s all well and good but he KNOWS that this couldn’t have taken place. I simply asked how many interviews with detainees of Baathists or al Qaeda members he had read or seen to “know” this and of course he didn’t answer.
The partisan and conventional wisdom answer is that they didn’t and couldn’t have worked together pre invasion but those that keep saying this aren’t very willing to confront opposing evidence.
Here’s hoping the U.S. troops can find him as easily as the reporter did. BTT.
Stupid Fedayeen. Apparently Saddam forgot to remind them how much they hate and oppose Al Qaeda on account of them being secular instead of religious like Al Qaeda people are.
We’d better snap the reporters for interrogation. I’m sure there are no terrorists those “journalists” haven’t already met.
ping
Far as I can tell, the conventional wisdom nowadays is that human beings can be compartmentalized into precisely two categories - (1) Secular and (2) Religious - and that cooperation or collaborative actions between people from different categories is absolutely prohibited by the laws of physics.
In other words, it's not merely that they're unwilling to confront opposing evidence, it's that the conventional wisdom is insane.
Funny stuff.
Sorry, please tell me again why I’m supposed to believe a word out of this terrorists mouth? Abu Sarhan, made up name. Sheesh what am I, ten?
mrs
The post interviewed a number of his “associates” and people he knew him who confirmed the story for what its worth.
well, thanks for that ikez, anyhoo
But the Democrats said there was no link between Saddam and al Quaida................
If it were this guy alone then I’d say I don’t buy it but this is a pattern of things that has developed over years and it just seems important that specific incidents and names be documented for later use.
As both the New York Times’ John Burns and Strategy Page analysts have recently written the destination of choice for many al Qaeda members fleeing the U.S. surge in Iraq is areas like Ramadi, Baghdad and Baqouba where Saddam Hussein loyalists continue to still have some sway (though there are also Baathist linked groups who are confronting al Qaeda). The exact origins of this pattern of cooperation between some elements of Saddam Hussein’s
Michael Yon reports from Baquba, Iraq that the surge appears to be working.
The Hugh Hewitt Show
7-12-07
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/Transcript_Page.aspx?ContentGuid=ad2ccbe4-c31a-422f-b099-65ba45ec5887
HH: I’m joined now by satellite phone from Baghdad by intrepid reporter Michael Yon. He’s actually in Baquba. Michael, welcome back to the Hugh Hewitt Show, always a pleasure to speak with you. How goes the fighting on the ground?
MY: Well, it’s really slowed down here in Baquba, Hugh. I was just in the TOC or the headquarters about fifteen minutes ago before I came on the show, and they were like the Maytag repairmen here. I mean, Baquba has just…you know, it was a very serious fight when it started, Operation Arrowhead Ripper on the 19th of June, I came in with them, but it quickly abated. The people have just turned against al Qaeda here. And so Baquba is really, the big fight now is to get the food distribution working again, which it already is. You know, they’ve got that going. And now, they’re working on fuel, because the fuel relates to electricity and water pumping. So really, they’re working on more civic things now. There’s still some combat to do, but not a lot, actually, because like I said, you know, the people just turned against al Qaeda.
HH: Now Michael Yon, a lot of people don’t know the significance of Baquba. And so can you explain what peace in Baquba means for the larger war effort?
MY: Well, it’s huge, because al Qaeda had claimed Baquba as their capitol, their worldwide capitol. And you might recall one of the things that kind of upsets people about my reporting is I said Iraq was in a civil war, and I said that way back in February of 2005, and I continue to do so. But when I first wrote that, I was in Baquba, in 2005, and I spent two or three months here. And it was just total…you could see it, and you could see al Qaeda was trying to foment that civil war, because that’s their underlying strategy, is to do that. And so getting, fracturing al Qaeda here, and al Qaeda alienating so many Iraqis, it’s helping us to put a damper on the civil war.
(snip)
The partisan and conventional wisdom answer is that they didn’t and couldn’t have worked together pre invasion but those that keep saying this aren’t very willing to confront opposing evidence.
Hope you’re not suprised.
Why am I not surprised?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.