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
Cognitive dissonance time — note the source of this article....
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Syria’s Assad to Extend Rule!
Al Jazeera ^ | 5/11/2007 | Staff
Posted on 05/12/2007 7:49:12 AM CDT by Santiago de la Vega
Current policy is to attack any nation that harbors terror.
Why is Syria allowed to harbor terrorists that attack and kill our armed forces?
This is a major blunder in war strategy.
The Vietnam War was lost because of sanctuaries in neighboring countries, and sanctuaries in Syria and Iran will cause failure in Iraq unless current strategy is changed.
The war in Iraq is now in the General Pressure phase, where the enemy has been defeated, but will not accept the outcome.
To make Syria and Iran accept the outcome, the US must continue the attack.
Playing defense, as the US is now doing, is the weakest form of warfare, allowing the enemy to choose the time and place of battle. It is a sure path to defeat.
Offensive operations are the only solution, and that offensive must begin with Syria, and continue to Iran if necessary.
Only then will this war be successfully concluded.
*****
Included in this thread are some recent Syria stories.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1832450/posts