Posted on 08/22/2007 1:59:21 PM PDT by WBL 1952
Earlier today, the Italian news service AKI reported that the presumed leader of the largest insurgency in Iraq will start cooperating with the Iraqi government. Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, one of the highest-ranking members of Saddam Hussein's government, reportedly pledged to work with Iraqi and American forces to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq:
The leader of Iraq's banned Baath party, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has decided to join efforts by the Iraqi authorities to fight al-Qaeda, one of the party's former top officials, Abu Wisam al-Jashaami, told pan-Arab daily Al Hayat. "AlDouri has decided to sever ties with al-Qaeda and sign up to the programme of the national resistance, which includes routing Islamist terrorists and opening up dialogue with the Baghdad government and foreign forces," al-Jashaami said.
Al-Douri has decided to deal directly with US forces in Iraq, according to al-Jashaami. He figures in the 55-card deck of "most wanted" officials from the former Iraqi regime issued by the US government.
In return, for cooperating in the fight against al-Qaeda, al-Douri has asked for guarantees over his men's safety and for an end to Iraqi army attacks on his militias.
Recent weeks have seen a first step in this direction, when Baathist fighters cooperated with Iraqi government forces in hunting down al-Qaeda operatives in the volatile Diyala province and in several districts of the capital, Baghadad.
This could be game, set, and match for the Iraq War. Some smaller insurgent elements assisted in clearing Baqubah as a test to see whether an alliance with Americans would work. Apparently, the experiment worked. If al-Douri accepts the authority of the elected Iraqi government, then almost all of the resistance in western Iraq will disappear -- leaving AQI very exposed.
(Excerpt) Read more at captainsquartersblog.com ...
It was from about eight months ago. He was taped - I think cspan.
Halfway decent analysis here. More analysis than news...but that’s what we can always expect from the MSM...
Aug 23, 3:04 AM EDT
Analysis: Iraqi Leader’s Flaws Impact US
It’s very telling when this thread on Clinton:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1885080/posts
is posted just below this thread on the sidebar.
.
Good post potlatch
Excellent analysis.
What’s your “read” on this?? I can’t see much good in that news of Maliki in Syria visiting.
It doesn't feel like the lulls from the past - this feels different.
I pray that we are seeing the beginning of calm and real freedom for Iraq.
I'll be there...because I'll be HOME - not needed in an independent and stable nation any longer. :-D
As I said in an earlier post if this true, it is excellent news indeed. It means that Al Douri finally realized that he that Baathist terrorists cannot defeat the American military and could not break the will of President Bush and a minority of Patriots who support the war, so he chose peace with honor.
Thanks for the reply, I was skimming through here a little too quickly (computer down at home last night) this morning.
Hope and pray that this trend continues...alot of tributaries from this one story coming out.
Despite the drama queen headline, this is good news.
This is how Insurgencies end. Not with a big flag waving surrender ceremony but with a political deal. For example, the IRA never surrendered, instead the cut a political deal with the Brits.
Going to be hard for Americans to break them selves of the habit of thinking all wars are Conventional Wars. This sort war isn’t going to end with a bang, but with a political whimper. This is in effect, the Insurgents surrender.
May sadly be all smoke and mirrors ........anyone seen/heard anything else about this today?
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http://uruknet.info/?p=m35603&s1=h1
The Baath denies any negotiation with the Iraqi “government”
August 23, 2007
“The Baath party denied that it is negotiating with the US or with the iraqi “government”.
On August 21, 2007, Al-Hayat reported that the leader of the Baath party, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, decided to join efforts by the Iraqi authorities to fight al-Qaeda.
Al-Hayat quoted a party’s former top officials, Abu Wisam al-Jashaam, as saying : “Al- Duri has decided to cease coordination with al-Qa’ida, and join a project of national resistance which will bear arms against al-Qa’ida and launch a dialogue with the government and foreign forces.” According to the London-based pan-Arab paper, in return, for cooperating in the fight against al-Qaeda, al-Douri would have asked for guarantees over his men’s safety and for an end to Iraqi army attacks on his militias.
In a statement posted on Albasrah.net, the Baath party strongly denies the content of the report published by Al-Hayat .
The Baath party says that “Al-Hayat’s article “ contains blatant lies” and reaffirms that rejects again any negotiation with the US unless based on its announced condition. The Baath party’s statement adds that al-Hayat article is part of a campaign to split the resistance and to confuse people.”
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Prayers for our incredible troops.
It suggests to me that the truth is somewhere in the middle: it probably indicates that there are factions within the Baathist wing that are willing to end their insurgency, but that there are others who are justifiably nervous about the possibility that things won't turn out well for them if they do go along with it.
Overall, I still think it's a positive development.
It stunk like taqiyya from the git.......it was designed to fan the flames in iraq by POing the shia.
Good analysis.
I don't know about that, but I do know that a lot of former Ba'athists have already renounced al Qaeda and have joined the coalition in fighting the terrorists.
The tribal leaders in Anbar Province started the wave earlier this year and places like Fallujah and Ramadi have calmed down considerably.
Some of the more violent districts in Baghdad have experienced the same. People have become weary of terrorism and the propaganda that was supporting it.
Expect to see an increase in negative press as Iraq continues to settle down. It's just the desperate cries of the defeated.
Debunked?
http://in.news.yahoo.com/070818/43/6jm2y.html
How to catch a rabbit maybe? I posted ths early am on a couple of other threads.
Thanks, jv .. perhaps it is spin .. I hope we’ll know soon.
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