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Some good news from Iraq's Anbar
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| Krypton |
Our government leaders have been saying America can not control Iraq for the Iraqis. They must take control themselves. Finally, many are stepping up after realizing the threat the Islamist terrorists posed to their society. Al Queda follows no Geneva Convention, follows no rules of engagement. They kill indiscriminately, even if their own people, Muslims, are in the way.
Baghdad
| quote: | Iraq Sunni tribes build police force, fight al Qaeda
By Yara Bayoumy Fri Apr 27, 5:27 AM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A year ago, Iraq's Anbar was the most dangerous province for U.S. troops. Al Qaeda had dug in across the vast desert region. Iraqis were afraid to leave their homes in the local capital Ramadi, where insurgents held sway.
Then last summer Sunni tribal leader Sheikh Abdulsattar Abu Risha gathered his fellow tribal chiefs together and created a police force to try to restore security.
Under the umbrella of the Anbar Salvation Council, Abu Risha says his initiative is showing early signs of success, with recruitment putting some 20,000 police on the streets of the Sunni-dominated province.
"The situation (in Anbar) was unbearable before, people were tortured, shot dead, bodies littered the streets. We couldn't even leave our homes to bury the dead," Abu Risha told Reuters from Ramadi by a crackly satellite phone.
Abu Risha's initiative -- partly in response to Sunni Islamist al Qaeda's indiscriminate killing of civilians in Anbar -- has revived 15 large police stations that now come under the control of the provincial police chief.
Now, while car bombings still plague Anbar, and especially Ramadi, their number has fallen, U.S. military officials said.
And for the first time in three years, U.S. military deaths in the insurgent stronghold stretching across western
Iraq number fewer than in Baghdad, where a new security crackdown began in February with additional troops.
This week police arrested 30 insurgents, including members of al Qaeda, and seized three cars rigged with bombs near Ramadi, 110 km (68 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.
"The number of attacks and incidents across the entire province has dropped significantly," said Brigadier-General Mark Gurganus, the U.S. Marine commander in charge of ground operations in Anbar, without giving details.
After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, Sunni Arab insurgents and al Qaeda turned Anbar into a safe haven, and suddenly traditionally minded Sunni leaders, scholars and religious imams found themselves vulnerable targets.
By 2006, most police stations had been destroyed.
But the U.S. military now points to Anbar as a positive development in the four-year-old war in Iraq.
At a news conference in Washington on Thursday, the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, hailed Abu Risha and other Sunni tribal leaders.
He said the Sunni Arab tribes were "helping transform Anbar province and other areas from being assessed as lost as little as six months ago to being relatively heartening."
"V" FOR VICTORY
The changes have been noticeable in Ramadi.
More people are shopping at outdoor markets. Students are returning to schools.
Patrols in blue-and-white police vehicles with machine guns mounted on the top rumble along Ramadi's streets.
Police said when they first started patrolling the streets, residents threw flowers at them.
"God protect you. God save you," a woman dressed in a black abaya yelled at a passing patrol last week. A young boy signaled the 'v' sign for victory at the patrol.
About 200 young men from Abu Risha's tribe first signed up as police recruits last year and, after two months of basic training in Amman, they took to the streets.
"I joined the police force so that we can protect ourselves, and defend our tribes from the terrorist groups and al Qaeda," said Nizar Mahmoud, 30.
Abu Risha said life had improved but there was more to do.
"The Americans kind of failed in crushing this area. But we know where the (insurgents) hide," he said. "Once we've got more weapons, we'll continue with the crushing." |
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| Spirit5 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Krypton
The Bush Administration follows no Geneva Convention, follows no rules of engagement. They kill indiscriminately, even if their own people, the Americans, are in the way. |
Fixed. I see your point and know that Al Queda doesn't either but Al Queda isn't recognized as a government, they are recognized as a terrorist organization, thus they really aren't the same as our military/administration, that hasn't followed the Geneva Conventions. It doesn't matter as much with them, because they are a terrorist organization (you wouldn't expect terrorists to follow that) but our military/government...yes they need to and should and haven't. Al Queda , and other terrorist organizations, don't treat those in custody with care as demanded by the Geneva Conventions, they just behead them. It pretty well evident from the Military Comissions Act of 2006, that this Administration doesn't believe in the Geneva Convetions either. Bush and Cheney and others have said it themselves....it's "they don't, so we don't" type of attitude (similar to what they feel about Global Warming/Kyoto Protocol...China and India haven't signed on so why should we?).
America, just like other countries, should be an example and follow that example. That doesn't mean treating terrorists with the best care in the world as if they weren't terrorists, which they are. This doesn't mean torturing them, but there's going to be interrigation and imprisonment (with a fair trial). We should still follow the Geneva Conventions. As some senators said last year with that act, including republicans like John McCain and Chuck Hagel, that it is more dangerous if we don't follow the Geneva Conventions, that we should start treating those in custody more humanely, cause if we don't, it makes the terrorists have a new recruiting tool and allows them to have the same attitude that the Bush Adminisration has (they torture, so we can torture...even worse). |
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| erdega |
the US and its imperialist allies have no principles, no standards and they target civilian areas exclusivelly. I am serbian so I know how they targeted entire serbian infrastructure , bridges,tv stations, trains , killing thousands , ethnic cleansing, occupation etc ... and I can tell you that this imperialist march started with clinton democrats or perhaps a little earlier with Bush sr. after the collapse of USSR.
So I am very surprised to see an assumed american speak so mighty especially since US army deliberatelly avoids fighting a real army , let alone a near equal size army . American army has done far worse things in Serbia and Iraq than al qaida and like al qaida they did it without sanction of a valid international body with a decided purpose to terrorize to achieve their imperial objectives. This was only possible with a foot army of media soldiers that makes sure that americans get a very one sided story.
Now al qaida is blamed for 9/11 which is true since it was an attack on civilians in wtc but Pentagon was a legitimate target since it's a nerve center of the US army that wages a number of operations at any time and prepares foreign wars, and let's not forget that al qaida declared war on US in 1996 so it was a matter of time until they struck on US soil since they were attacking US installations and symbols elsewhere
In Iraq US forces has been trying to provoke a civil war which may be their only "success" so far since the moment they landed to avert the anger of the people who were lied to , bombed and terrorized for 10 years of sanctions and now occupied too. After all divided people are much easier to control and conquer , so they made different rules for everyone including job discrimination and expoited past griveances real or imagined and turned neighbors and friends against each other. They generally made conditions into a living hell so people would turn on one another.
Al Qaida's strategy in iraq has been to frustrate US occupation by attacking them relentlessly and attacking and killing unfortunate collaborators. Their overall goal is to drive out western military occupiers and possibly establish some type of an islamic empire,a so called caliphate. It sounds almost as scary as one world,imperialist government with no principles for the benefit of few and chosen while the rest lose their freedom or their lives
In general we can say that al qaida and US/UK have been fighting for extremist islamic cause with equal fervor for the last 20 years, since afghanistan really . Both of them want to make 1 billion muslims soldiers for their empires. Western imperialists have adopted the cause of bosnia muslims and radical albanian terror groups at the expense of serbia with great passion as a proof of their pro islamic stance. They even claimed that removing Saddam in the name islam since he was actually secular On the other hand Al Qaida is advocating removal of foreign troops in Arabia which is something that resonates with a lot of muslims , especially the radicals. They have also exposed US and their allies as self serving that adopt any cause to further their agenda which is why al qaida is winning the war for the control and influence of the world muslims |
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| Krypton |
| That's some conspiracy theory you have there erdega. |
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| erdega |
| quote: | Originally posted by Krypton
That's some conspiracy theory you have there erdega. |
conspiracy theory ? The what? :eyes: |
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