Free Republic

GOP candidates debate for first time since terror attacks.

As recently as the first half of 2007, the idea of an American victory in Iraq seemed like a fantasy to just about everyone, including me. General David Petraeus surged additional troops to Iraq, however, and he transformed the joint American-Iraqi counterinsurgency strategy into what nearly all observers now acknowledge is a remarkable and unexpected success. Few bothers to argue otherwise anymore. What remains ambiguous and contested is the definition of an American victory. It’s slightly tricky for a couple of reasons. Pinpointing the exact date when a counterinsurgency ends – not just in Iraq, but any counterinsurgency – is...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 26, 2007 – Though the surge has worked, that doesn’t mean that extremists – especially Shiia special squads – have been overcome, the commander of the first surge brigade into Iraq said today. Army Col. B. Don Farris, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division, said that when the soldiers first arrived in Baghdad in January, sectarian violence was at an unprecedented level. “Whole-scale murder and displacement of families from both sects was alarming,” Farris said during a briefing with Pentagon reporters from Baghdad. “Al Qaeda remained organized, determined and extremely lethal, and...

Pakistan bombing kills 11 people It is not yet clear who was the intended target of the blast A bomb blast in Pakistan's north-west city of Peshawar has killed at least 11 people - mostly policemen including two senior officers - officials say.At least 30 others were injured by the explosion just as a Shia religious procession was about to start. Initial indications point to a suicide bombing, officials say. This is the second deadly blast in Pakistan in two days. On Friday, a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Islamabad hotel, also killing a guard. Peshawar chief...

White seculars in Tehran insist that 90% of the Iranian political power is found in Qum, some might also add that at least 70% of the Iraqi political power is also found in Qum. Asia Times Newspaper correspondent has visited 'The International Association for Ahl Al Bait (The Prophets Family), which is supervised by his eminence Al Sayyid Ali Al Sestani and asked a question that stated: Which is the voice with the greatest credibility in the Shiite sect? Is it the sedate and solitary voice in Najaf, which forced the Americans to submit for its desires? Or is it...

The coalition against terrorists is engaged in a war to ensure the will of the many prevails against the wishes of a few, said Defense Department leaders before the House Armed Services Committee today. Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Peter Rodman, assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, told the representatives that the recent attacks in Baghdad and Karbala underscore the danger still facing the coalition in the region. Attacks March 2 against Shiia pilgrims killed 117 and wounded 500. Abizaid said the attacks were the responsibility of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a terrorist affiliated with...

At least 143 Iraqis were killed in terrorist attacks today in Baghdad and Karbala, coalition officials said at a Baghdad news conference. Suicide bombers attacked Shiia Muslims as they observed Ashoura, the holiest day in the Shiia calendar. Ashoura commemorates the death in battle of Hussain, the third Shiite Imam, in A.D. 680. The Iraqi Governing Council wasted no time in attributing the blasts to Abu Musab Zarqawi, a terrorist with ties to al Qaeda. He wrote a letter to al Qaeda leaders, detailing how he would bring on a sectarian civil war in Iraq, which was intercepted by the...