Posted on 09/15/2007 8:38:58 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Fewer Foreigners Crossing Into Iraq From Syria to Fight
Drop Parallels Dip in Al-Qaeda Attacks
By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, September 16, 2007; Page A19
The number of foreign fighters entering Iraq from Syria has decreased noticeably in recent months, corresponding to a similar decrease in suicide bombings and other attacks by the group al-Qaeda in Iraq, according to U.S. military and intelligence officials.
"There is an early indication of a trend," said Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, in an interview. Border crossings from Syria that averaged 80 to 90 a month have fallen to "half or two-thirds of that over the last two or three months," Petraeus said.
An intelligence official said that "the Syrians do appear to be mounting a crackdown on some of the most hardened terrorists transiting through the country, particularly al-Qaeda-affiliated foreign fighters." The official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said there is also evidence that the Syrians have been stopping return crossings by foreign fighters leaving Iraq.
Other administration officials, while confirming the decrease in border crossings, said they are not yet prepared to attribute it to Syrian action, instead citing increased U.S. operations against al-Qaeda inside Iraq and stepped-up cooperation by terrorist "source" countries, such as Saudi Arabia, in prohibiting travel to Damascus. U.S. intelligence has said Saudis form the biggest group of foreigners fighting with al-Qaeda in Iraq. Petraeus also said his command is uncertain of the reason for the decrease, adding that "we're watching it on the ground."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
More time now for the civil wars.
Good news bump!
But... Harry Reid already said the war was lost.
What I can’t figure out is that if the United States lost, then who in the hell won?
I guess the WaPo is now resigned to the fact that we are not going to cut and run before January ‘09 when Hilary mounts the throne of America.
So they might as well get to work making things look as good as they can rather than as bad as possible.
“One, two, three, four.
Hilary doesn’t want to inherit your war!”
The only throne Hillary will ever mount is the white porcelain one.
Stocks plunging on Jihad Inc.
That explains that there are less major terrorist attacks in Iraq those days.
It appears as though Syria, Iran and our “friends” the Saudis have cleaned up the bottom of their gene pools!
That’s a damn good question! I stand by my tagline.
LOL - I hadn’t thought of it from that perspective. They might have sent all of their “Here, hold muh beer” types to Iraq.
Yup! Those are the guys! LOL!
Yep....when the trail to Jihad is littered with the rotting stinking corpses of those who went before you -—it’s an effective demotivator...
Marines and some of the local Sunni tribes, were using the “entry routes” from Syria as their private “killing fields”........effectively too, I might add.
if fewer are going to Iraq where are they going instead. I do not believe they are calling off their jihad they are going somewhere.
“What I can’t figure out is that if the United States lost, then who in the hell won?”
Iran.
great now if we could just defend our own borders
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