From AJ:
We are pushing the entire lot of al Qaeda eastward. Which is interesting since it seems maybe that is were they came from - via Iran. One interesting article I ran across outlines how al Qaeda might be moving its operations to Iraq because of a falling out with the Taliban:
Some observers of al Qaeda believe the global terrorist organization is on the move, transferring its operations, including its headquarters, from the Afghan-Pakistan border area to Iraq after a falling out with the Taliban.
Indications of this came with the CIA’s announcement at the end of March that it had in its custody Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, a top al-Qaeda operative, since late last year. Al-Iraqi was captured after he had moved out of Pakistan’s rugged and nearly inaccessible Waziristan tribal area and was apparently making his way to Iraq.
According to Pakistani writer Syed Saleem Shahzad, the falling out between the Taliban and al-Qaeda occurred over a deal the former made with the Pakistani government. In the accord, Pakistan will allow the Taliban unhindered use of its territory to funnel men and supplies into the conflict in Afghanistan. What Pakistan receives in turn is a presence again in Afghanistan via the Taliban against the India-friendly Kabul government as well as a disruption of relations between the Taliban and the anti-Islamabad al-Qaeda.
Read the whole thing and take it with a HUGE grain of salt. I doubt seriously the claims that Pakistan is sending material into Afghanistan. But I would not be surprised that the general tone of the story is true. I would not be surprised if the agreement Pakistan made with the Waziristan tribes to allow them to exist peacefully if they purged the foreign fighters (al Qaeda) from their lands is why al Qaeda is now “all in” in Iraq. We saw weeks of fighting foreign terrorists in Pakistan. So maybe we are pushing al Qaeda back to where they came - via Iran. If we push al Qaeda back into Iran then we will have cordoned off the terrorists.
The act is beginning. The US and Iraqis are beginning their initial sweeps and rolling up terrorist cells and facilities. There are new stories everyday. They may still be nibbling at the edges. But al Qaeda is being herded eastward, and possibly into a box where we can pick them off more easily.
This is just an exerpt. The rest is here: http://strata-sphere.com/blog/index.php/archives/3861
This is from yesterday, so you may have seen it, but maybe it is worth seeing again. As always, you have to ignore the typos and such.
News From Diyala - And More On Iraq
What can I say - Bill Roggio has sources and I have Google, so of course he has much more on the Diyala front, including time tables regarding when the Province should start to turn around (early summer - which is soon).
The U.S. and Iraqi security forces have preparing the battlefield in Diyala until the full compliment of U.S. forces are in theater and able to finish securing the Baghdad “belts” - the regions surrounding Baghdad. The Diyala Campaign is only is its opening phase, with U.S. and Iraqi forces conducting raids, search and destroy missions, establishing forward operating bases and logistic nodes in preparation for the full assault sometime early this summer. The establishment of the yet to be named Diyala Salvation Front is a crucial element to establishing local intelligence networks and an auxiliary force to hunt al Qaeda.
The influence of Sheikh Sattar al Rishawi and his Anbar Salvation Council cannot be underestimated in the formation of the anti al Qaeda tribal alliance in Diyala. The Anbar Salvation Council has been operating outside its provincial boundaries and has sent emissaries into Diyala, Salahadin, Niwena and other provinces in an effort to expand his anti al Qaeda Awakening movement nationwide.
Yep, this is the ‘civil war’ we wanted. The Sunnis our taking back their country from al Qaeda and we are helping. And as the news of success in Anbar with our new Sunni allies is starting to percolate back here in the US we can see shifts in the American people’s perceptions. Check out this latest Gallup Poll for some interesting trends:
More at the link: http://strata-sphere.com/blog/index.php/archives/3858