Iraq

LTC. James Crider has a post up over at Michael Yon online regarding the situation in Doura called Commander’s Update #9 JAN 08

• A major factor in our success here has been the bond that has developed between the people in our area and the soldiers of 1-4 CAV. We are a part of the community. It is commonplace to smile, wave and exchange customary greetings with people on the streets. Or the children who follow many soldiers to shake hands and speak every word of broken English they know (Hello, Mista! How are you? What is your name? Give me chocolate! Football!). I will often stop by to visit someone at their home just to say hello and they always ask why it has been so long since I stopped by even if it has only been a few days. Apache Troop knows one man who drives to the main road in the neighborhood with sandwiches and chai to find them if a trooper fails to come visit him every 2-3 days.

The anti-war crowd always state that they don't understand what victory in Iraq will be. I think they just need to open their eyes a little and the question might just answer itself.

Iraq update October 28, 2007

It's been awhile so I'll have to just hit some of the highlights. Sorry, I've been knocked down with the flu for the last week.

First off, from Pat Dollard - Dems’ Nightmare: Anbar Awakening Leaders Heading To U.S.

• RAMADI, Iraq - Sheik Ahmed Abu Risha, who took over as leader of anti-al-Qaida Sunni tribes after his brother was assassinated, said he will leave Thursday for a two-week trip to the United States.

Also from Pat Dollard - How We Crushed Al Qaeda In Iraq

• Winning One Battle, Fighting the Next America needs to be heartened by our success in Iraq, and seize a victory. by Frederick W. Kagan

• America has won an important battle in the war on terror. We turned an imminent victory for Al Qaeda In Iraq into a humiliating defeat for them and thereby created an opportunity for further progress not only in Iraq, but also in the global struggle. In the past five months, terrorist operations in and around Baghdad have dropped by 59 percent. Car bomb deaths are down by 81 percent. Casualties from enemy attacks dropped 77 percent. And violence during the just-completed season of Ramadan–traditionally a peak of terrorist attacks–was the lowest in three years.

Another from Pat Dollard regarding a province transferring to Iraqi control - US Handing Karbala Over To Iraqis

• NAHRAWAN, Iraq- U.S. forces will turn over security to Iraqi authorities in Karbala province, a Shiite region in south, on Monday, the American commander for the area said. The much-delayed process has been punctuated by fierce fighting between rival militia factions.

Pat Dollard's site again - Just In Time: Nabbed Suicide Bomber Blows Self Up In House

• MUQDADIYA, Iraq – Acting on a tip from a local citizen, a group of Concerned Local Citizens located a suicide bomber, who detonated himself upon discovery in Muqdadiya Oct. 26.

I think that's it for this post. I'll do a "part 2" later tonight.

Iraq update October 20, 2007

From MNF-I - Soldiers show zero tolerance for attacks in Adhamiyah

• BAGHDAD — If the people in the Adhamiyah District’s Abu Hanifa Market hadn’t already heard about the afternoon’s grenade attack on a U.S. Soldier, they heard about it when Lt. Col. Jeff Broadwater showed up.

Another from MNF-I - Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda: 11 killed, two detained

• BAGHDAD — Coalition forces killed 11 terrorists and detained two suspects during an operation Oct. 15-18 near Samarra along theTigris River Valley.

And, also from MNF-I - Raids result in capture of suspected Al Qaeda leaders (Baghdad)

• BAGHDAD – In a series of early morning raids Oct. 20, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers killed one and captured several other individuals who are believed to be ranking members of Al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist cells operating in Doura, a southern district in the Iraqi capital.

MNF-I - Iraqi Forces, U.S. Special Forces detain three suspected terrorists

• TAJI, Iraq – Iraqi Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, detained two suspected terrorist leaders during two simultaneous intelligence-driven raids earlier this week in Northern Iraq.

And lastly, also from MNF-I - Odierno calls on safety team to help cut non-combat deaths

• BAGHDAD — An Army safety team soon will wrap up its month-long analysis conducted at the Multi-National Corps Iraq commander’s request to find ways to stop the recent uptake in non-combat injuries and fatalities among deployed troops.

Victory in Iraq?

From Ed Morrissey over at Captains Quarters - Ledeen: Victory Is At Hand

• The indicators in Iraq point to a victory over terrorists and insurgents in the near future, Michael Ledeen writes in the Wall Street Journal today. Not only have the Americans overpowered al-Qaeda in Iraq throughout the western provinces, the Iraqi Army and central government have established their will in Basra and the south. Iraqi nationalism has risen significantly, and militias of all stripes have either cut deals with Baghdad or have begun melting away:

And more from Uncle Jimbo over at BlackFive - Ledeen & Ackerman agree "Mission Accomplished"

• OK I'm putting words in both their mouths, but let's see if I can stitch this one together.

So, with Ed's post, I'd have to comment that he has a valid point in that if we move away from the Petraeus strategy, a lot of what's been gained in 2007 could be lost rather quickly.

Comments on Uncle Jimbo's post are that I agree with him that we really need to have a victory celebration or, as he puts it, "Well.... equally important now is that we make sure they have to eat a defeat". Another good point is the fact we are staying in Iraq for a long while. I'm pretty sure you all realize that, but in case you didn't, you can probably take that to the bank. The left will be all up in arms I'm sure, but if it bothers them that bad they can put some effort into getting us out of Japan and Germany. We've been there a whole lot longer and if that's a real problem, that's where they need to start.

Don't look up

I believe pigs have begun to fly. ABC's Good Morning America has been to Fallujah and is reporting good news. Yeah, the old media and good news out of Iraq. The MSM. The main tool the Democrats have at their disposal to misinform the public. I know, you think I'm joking, but Uncle Jimbo at BlackFive has the video evidence.

Iraq update October 18, 2007

So, in Iraq, when the locals turn on Al Qaeda or turn on Mookie and his boys, the first thing that happens is a group of them is put together and they're referred to as the local concerned citizens group. The Coalition trains them, and eventually they get pulled into the local police or the Iraqi Army. This allows for the locals to start fighting off the enemy with Coalitions support in a fairly quick manor.

Works well if you judge it by this report from MNF-I called 72-year-old concerned citizen takes down suicide bomber

Sucks to be Al Qaeda in Iraq these days. Also from MNF-I is Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda network; 15 suspects detained

From The Bashman over at Pat Dollard is Never Tired Of Hearing It: Al Qaeda in Iraq on the Run

Iraq update October 16, 2007

From various press releases over at MNF-I which you probably don't have the time to read. Reading back through Saturday's releases I count (numbers approximate as I may have missed some) 15 or so Al Qaeda killed and 80 or so captured. Those captured include the number 4 on the most wanted list captured in Baghdad, another who was one of the top five, and the number 2 most wanted man in North Babil.

Now for the situation on the political/reconciliation front:


MNF-I has Commander notes progress in Northwestern Baghdad neighborhoods

And Iraqis help their own with humanitarian aid

And Black Jack Soldiers provide meals, gifts on Muslim holiday

From Pat Dollard Iraqi Delegation Heads To Turkey

From Blackfive over at (coincidently) Blackfive Fallujah, Iraq - Marines say "Peace Is Breaking Out All Over the Place"

And finally, the Washington Post has Al Qaeda in trouble which I'm sure the rest of the MSM will attack full bore as it's good news which the sheeple cannot be told about.

The War: according to people who actually are here (Michael Yon email from Iraq)

For those of you who haven't signed up on Michael Yon's email list, here's another email that you need to read.

Greetings:

Iraq is on the mend, al Qaeda is on the run, and the civil war has abated to a point where the term "civil war" no longer applies.

Accurate war coverage is increasingly important. Even prominent seemingly well-informed persons can get it wrong, such as retired Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez who previously commanded the war in Iraq . His recent public statements –selectively excerpted and then widely dispersed by the hot winds of media – made it clear that this former senior commander is far out of touch with the current situation.

But there are commanders with a finger on the pulse.

When earlier this year I wrote about the 1-4 CAV transforming an abandoned seminary in a Baghdad neighborhood that had been decimated by civil war, the "surge" had not even begun; but already pundits, politicians and editors had declared it a failure. Though I'd spent only a few days with LTC Crider and his 1-4 CAV soldiers at the new COP Amanche, I ended the dispatch on a note of hope based on observation. I recently received an email from LTC Crider with an update on that Baghdad neighborhood. Please read "Achievements of the Human Heart" and see for yourself.

I was in al Basra province when I saw news reports claiming that Basra city had descended into chaos in the wake of an announcement about the draw down of British Soldiers. I emailed the facts about Basra to several bloggers who hold the media accountable, and the resulting effort got the attention of Tom Foreman who anchors CNN's "This Week at War." We were able to make a CNN interview, and the result is a segment that accurately reflects a complex and changing situation. Bravo to CNN for setting the record straight, and to the tireless bloggers who are making a substantial difference in the way news about the war is delivered.

There are major developments to share with readers in upcoming dispatches. If things go at-least-mostly according to plan (which is all we can hope for in war), and if I can rely on the help of readers who share my frustration with the lack of accurate reporting, we can significantly widen the stream of news flowing from Iraq so more people can obtain a truer picture. This will require the will and generosity of readers. But more on that, soon.

Michael
Basra, Iraq

Iraq coverage by the MSM

I'm done wasting time on trying to reconcile what the main stream media is telling you about Iraq. I used to think that some of them were possibly just misinterpreting what they were seeing and thusly reporting inaccurately. Now, I'm convinced they are intentionally lying. A perfect example is CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan. She was on Leno and Jay asked her "how are we doing" in Iraq? Her answer was:

• We're doing extremely badly, from my point of view. I was asked if I felt any guilt for the fact that the world has an impression of the war in Iraq as being very bad and going very wrong? And I said I really don't because I can't imagine the last time anyone saw a dead American soldier. We've hidden that from view. Nobody knows what that looks like and I've seen plenty of it. It's much worse than the picture, the image we even have of Iraq.

Okay, if she's the CBS News chief foreign correspondent, then she sees the same stuff we're seeing from the milblogs. At least, she should be seeing it. I'm going to go ahead and give CBS the credit that it actually has reporters that have the pertinent information.

She's out and out lying with that statement. There's no other way to reconcile it with the information we get every day on what's going on over there from the milblogs , Centcom, and the MNF-I websites.

You can read more on the moron over at Newsbusters.

General Ricardo Sanchez

Talk about selective reporting. Yesterday, General Ricardo Sanchez, who was in charge of the Iraq war in 2003, gave a speech yesterday which was a pretty scathing review of the MSM. Pat Dollard has the details in his post General Accuses MSM Of Killing Soldiers, Enemy Propaganda - MSM Censors Him

• The Washington Post, the AP and others were brutally attacked yesterday by retired General Ricardo Sanchez. He accused them and their political masters of de facto treason, functioning not as journalists, but as lying propagandists bent on advancing Democrat Party power.

Reuters has it's cherry picked version up called Leadership dooms Iraq strategy: ex-commander

• WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A "catastrophic failure" in the Bush administration's leadership of the Iraq war has mired the United States in a nightmarish conflict with no clear way out, the former top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Friday.
  

To understand how the MSM inaccurately reports you only need to go to Pat Dollard's site and click the link to the full text of the speech by General Sanchez. Reuters seems to have conveniently missed the part where General Sanchez states "YOUR UNWILLINGNESS TO ACCURATELY AND PROMINENTLY CORRECT YOUR MISTAKES AND YOUR AGENDA DRIVEN BIASES CONTRIBUTE TO THIS CORROSIVE ENVIRONMENT. ALL OF THESE CHALLENGES COMBINED CREATE A MEDIA ENVIRONMENT THAT DOES A TREMENDOUS DISSERVICE TO AMERICA. OVER THE COURSE OF THIS WAR TACTICALLY INSIGNIFICANT EVENTS HAVE BECOME STRATEGIC DEFEATS FOR AMERICA BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS POWER AND IMPACT OF THE MEDIA AND BY EXTENSION YOU THE JOURNALIST."

Also, Deebow over at BlackFive has OK, This... Has.... Got.... To.... Stop.... where he has some valid points about General Sanchez and the fact that he hasn't been in Iraq in years, so most likely doesn't have any up to date information to formulate his opinion on.

• I am approaching the point of having had it up to here (I am holding my hand next to my forehead) with retired generals who now get critical of the war effort.

  Especially from a guy who was actually running the show in Iraq.

Iraq update October 12, 2007

You'll probably notice these updates are changing somewhat. It's not that I'm doing anything different, it's just that the news on Iraq is changing over from military operations to neighborhood reconciliations. You'll see more news on the various Awakenings than you will on operations, with the exception of Al Qaeda's suicide bombing campaign.

So, with that said, Al Qaeda earlier in the week went after the head of the Salahadin Awakening and the senior leaders of the Iraqi police in Salahadin province. The Awakening leader and the police targets were wounded, but survived. Today, AQ attacked a group of children with a box of toys with a bomb in it. It appears that Al Qaeda is still going the route of murder and intimidation, even though that has actually driven the population to rebel on them.

Ed Morrissey over at Captains Quarters reports on a couple more Awakenings. The first is Another Sunni Success Story

• Now that the Democrats have decided to give up on forcing a surrender in Iraq, more stories about progress in Iraq have started hitting the wires. The AP focuses on another Sunni tribal chief who has decided to throw in his lot with the Americans, and the area of Youssifiyah has put violence aside:

I think I disagree with Ed on the point that the Democrats have given up on forcing a surrender in Iraq. I'll cover that in a later post, possibly tonight.

The second is The Shi'ite Turn which is about locals turning on Mookies boys.

• One of the big success stories of the surge came from the disaffection between the Sunnis in western Iraq and the foreign terrorists of al-Qaeda in Iraq. The Anbar Awakening started as a tribal alliance against AQI and blossomed into a widespread movement to bring the Sunnis stability and engagement with the rest of the nation. Now it looks like the Shi'ites have tired of their sectarian militia headed by the onetime kingmaker, Moqtada al-Sadr:

Victory in Iraq or VI day?

So, from the last post we have the fact that the media (old) is lying to us and laughing about it. Now, I see a democratic strategist on the TV saying we can't win a war with Iran because, as she put it, we're not winning in Iraq, so how could we possibly win a war with Iran? That's an official strategist. There can be no doubt left in your minds that the Democrats are married to a loss in Iraq after hearing that, can there?

Now, for reality (what the nightly news doesn't want you to know).

You'll remember back to last week, I posted a link to a post by a middle east expert called Mission Accomplished where the author was stating that we've already won the war in Iraq. I can't quite go that far and think we may be well on our way to victory, but most likely not quite there. Today, from the U.S. News and World Report we have - A Decent Outcome for Iraq

• Peace has not come to the streets of Baghdad, but the center holds. Our very American "benchmarks" for measuring the progress of Iraq can't capture the reality of that land. There is no "oil law," it is true, but the oil bounty is being shared equitably across the regions. The Iraqi government, through a relentless insurgency, maintains and meets a payroll for 3.4 million of its citizens. And in the provinces, there is a scramble for budgets and economic projects. "A year ago, we could not give money to the provincial governors; they could not use it. Now they are in competition for funds, and economic life stirs," Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh, who oversees the service sector of the government, said to me.

Reading that one makes you understand that we might be even closer to victory then any of us are seeing. I'm now to the point to where I can actually see this being a non-issue come election time and since the Democrats have bet the house on losing the war, could be in some trouble.

That one is another must read.

Al Qaeda becoming desperate

Amir Taheri over at the New York Post online is reporting on an assassination of an Al Qaeda operative in Syria and how it's an indicator of how badly things are going with Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda's inability to convince Americas Democrats to surrender Iraq to them, the arrest of a major financier in Iraq last week, and now this all add up to make for some not so happy days for Al Qaeda world wide. It's a good read called QAEDA ON THE RUN

• October 8, 2007 -- UNKNOWN gunmen murdered Muhammad Gul Aghasi - one of the key "theologians" of al Qaeda - at a mosque in northern Syria last month. Candidates for the fiery preacher's killing include rivals within his own radical group, agents of the Americans - and his Syrian hosts. Whatever the truth, this is bad news for the already ailing al Qaeda.

Thanks to Captains Quarters for the link.

Iran in Iraq

This is probably the biggest issue now that the Shiite groups are settling down. Al Qaeda is still around, but they are losing badly by all reports. The "special groups" appear to be the biggest nut left to crack. Iran's meddling is probably the main problem now.

Bill Roggio over at The Long War Journal has this post about General Petraeus and an interview he had today where he elaborated - General Petraeus: Iran's ambassador to Iraq "is a Qods force member"

• The war of words between the US military and Iran over Iran's involvement in terrorist activity in Iraq heated up on Sunday after General David Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Forces Iraq, said the Iranian ambassador was an Iranian intelligence agent.

Iraqi Freedom minute - Oct. 4

Just a quick test to see how hard it would be to post video. This is a short one called Iraqi Freedom minute. From DVIDS hub.

Al Qaeda's Ramadan campaign

Bill Roggio at The Long War Journal has a good post up on that and how the tribal Awakenings are coming along. Al Qaeda's Ramadan assassination campaign

• Al Qaeda in Iraq continues its Ramadan assassination program and Sunni insurgent groups continue to turn on the terror group.

Another good read from there is Shuffling paperwork to victory: The Evolution of the Fallujah Police Department

• Bill Ardolino looks at the dramatic changes in the Fallujah Police Department from January 2007 to today. Part two of a two-part

Iraq update October 6, 2007

From MNF-I - Surge continues to help Iraqi government make progress

• “Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces have been able to respond effectively to the violence during this Ramadan season, and al Qaeda and other extremist groups are losing support due to their indiscriminate targeting of civilians,” Sherlock said

Also from MNF-I - Iraqi Police detain policeman responsible for Mayor’s death

• KALSU, Iraq – Iraqi Police in Iskandariyah detained a fellow policeman Oct. 5 who assisted terrorists in killing the mayor of Iskandariyah.

From Uncle Jimbo at BlackFive - Daily Kos just hating openly on soldiers now

• WOW! I just read one of the sorriest, and I mean that both in the low character and poor execution meanings, hit pieces I have ever read (h/t LGF) . Some pissant has decided that Pete Hegseth of Vets for Freedom is the anti-christ and has cobbled together a classic conspiracist take on Pete and his evil handlers. This clown even decides it's worth playing the phony soldiers card, I mean now this has progressed from a lie about what Rush said, to an accepted fake but accurate urban myth, to now just a smear against a vet who has honorably served.

And The Bashman over at Pat Dollard regarding the agreement between Mookie and Abdul Aziz al-Hakim - Rival Shia Factions Kiss And Make Up. Mookie & Hakim Love Munchkin King.

• BAGHDAD- Two of Iraq’s most powerful Shiite leaders agreed on Saturday to end a bitter rivalry in a bid to end months of armed clashes and assassinations in the oil-rich south that have threatened to spread into a wider conflict.

And Pat Dollard over at Pat Dollard - Developing “Irreversable Momentum”

• BAGHDAD — Coalition and Iraqi forces have “tactical momentum” in the country, but they need to develop “irreversible momentum,” Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said today during a Pentagon interview

Iraq update October 4, 2007

Al Qaeda in Iraq just keeps getting taken apart. They're still somewhat dangerous, but they are losing human resources as well as this major hit to their financial resources. From MNF-I with Iraqi forces, U.S. Special Forces detain al-Qaeda financier

• During one of the operations, Soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division detained a suspected al-Qaeda financier in Kindi. The extremist financier is suspected of traveling to foreign countries to acquire financial support for terrorist activities and is suspected of supplying more than $50,000 to al-Qaeda each month. He is believed to have received $100,000,000 this summer from terrorist supporters who cross the Iraq border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt.
  

And, on the human resources AQ is losing, more from MNF-I - Coalition forces detain 12 suspects during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda

• BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured two wanted terrorists and detained an additional ten suspects during operations Wednesday in central and northern Iraq.
  

MNF-I - Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda killing six terrorists, two suspects detained

• BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed six terrorists and detained two suspects during operations Monday and Tuesday targeting associates of al-Qaeda in Iraq in the central part of the country.
  

MNF-I - Coalition forces disrupt al-Qaeda network: one killed, 10 detained

• BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed one terrorist, captured two wanted individuals and detained eight suspects during operations Tuesday targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq associates in central and northern Iraq.
  

MNF-I - Iraqi Security Forces kill three al-Qaeda terrorists outside of Tikrit

• TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, acting swiftly on tips from local Iraqi sources, killed three known terrorists after conducting a raid in the al-Jazeera desert, 15 miles east of Tikrit, Sept. 30.

And, that's just the losses for Al Qaeda in Iraq for the last couple of days. The Special Groups are getting hammered just as badly.

More on The Iraq Debate

Link provided by Victory Caucus to a post up at Prospect (UK) called Mission Accomplished.

• The question of what to do in Iraq today must be separated from the decision to topple Saddam Hussein four and a half years ago. That decision is a matter for historians. By any normal ethical standard, the coalition's current project in Iraq is a just one. Britain, America and Iraq's other allies are there as the guests of an elected government given a huge mandate by Iraqi voters under a legitimate constitution. The UN approved the coalition's role in May 2003, and the mandate has been renewed annually since then, most recently this August. Meanwhile, the other side in this war are among the worst people in global politics: Baathists, the Nazis of the middle east; Sunni fundamentalists, the chief opponents of progress in Islam's struggle with modernity; and the government of Iran. Ethically, causes do not come much clearer than this one.

This is an excellent, in depth look at the current situation. Recommended reading to all. Required reading for Daughter. Well, as long as she lets me get away with that crack anyway.

* * UPDATE * *

Greyhawk over at The Mudville Gazette has an analysis of this analysis you also need to read called Mission Accomplished?

• No - not yet.
  But I believe this article is the most accurate, fact-based, and level headed assessment of the situation - both current and historical - in Iraq as I've ever read.

The Iraq debate

Just a quick post to point you to another good read. This from spree over at Wake Up America called The Debate on Iraq Shifts

• Despite earlier reports, and despite the far left liberal unhinged (Daily Kos) trying to "advise" Pelosi and Hoyer to sign on to the ridiculously obvious last ditch desperate attempt from Obey, who proposed a non stater idea of a "war tax", which Pelosi and Reid promptly dismissed, the debate has shifted as the out of Iraq caucus realizes finally that no bill that includes timelines or withdrawal dates will get through the Senate, especially with the success and progress being seen in Iraq.