It keeps getting better for us, and worse for them
The Left would love nothing more than to have this nation turn completely against the troops and our efforts in Iraq, and demand that we withdraw. For the past five years, they've been trying to perpetuate the myth that we're losing there, and furthermore, they've been doing their level best to turn the Iraq theater into another Vietnam. From daily outbursts of senators and representatives referring to the mission as a "quagmire," to the perpetual attempts to end the mission there via a withdrawal of funding for the troops. As yet, they haven't succeeded. And like AQI, they keep getting beaten at their own game. Again AQI has suffered another debilitating setback as we continue to tighten the noose around their throats:
A U.S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted Saudi Arabian al-Qaida in Iraq leader who was believed responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, a spokesman said Monday.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul. Al-Saudi headed up the al-Qaida network in southeast Mosul, an insurgent hotbed where U.S forces wage daily battles against the group.
According to the military, al-Saudi conducted numerous attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces, including a Jan. 28 bombing that killed the five U.S. soldiers.
In that attack, insurgents blasted a U.S. patrol with a roadside bomb and showered survivors with gunfire from a mosque. The soldiers died in the explosion — the deadliest on American forces since six soldiers perished Jan. 9 in a booby-trapped house north of Baghdad.
Intelligence gathered in the area led the U.S. military to al-Saudi, who was in a car with Hamdan. A precision helicopter strike killed both and destroyed their vehicle. U.S. forces then confirmed the men's identities.
Al-Saudi is said to have been a close associate of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri and to have arrived in Mosul with a group of foreign fighters in August 2007 after spending time fighting in Afghanistan.
"Mosul is a critical crossroads for al-Qaida in Iraq. It is their strategic center of gravity. One-half to two-thirds of attacks in Iraq today are in and around Mosul," Smith said.
Smith said the deaths brought to 142 the number of al-Qaida insurgents killed or captured since the beginning of the year.
General Petreaus's strategy is working to a "T" and al Qaeda continues to suffer defeat after defeat. These were two high-profile targets, and back in the day we used to miss hitting these weasels. Not no more. We now have local, indigenous intelligence that is willing to help us because they despise al Qaeda as much as we do. With the recent "flood" of foreign fighters into Iraq (and I use "flood" loosely, as AQ is having a problem recruiting people to go there, only to have them die, and usually without their glorious martyrdom) they continue to show the world that, for them, this is the central front in their war.
It's make or break for them, and right now they're losing. Their last known refuge point is Mosul. They can't go anywhere else in Iraq now that the Iraqi security forces are working so well, both on their own and with our troops. Mookie al-Sadr has seen this, which is why he's called for another six month moratorium of attacks against those standing against AQI. (Additionally, he's tending to his studies so he can challenge Ayatollah al-Sistani for his position as senior cleric in Iraq, which we hope he falls flat on his face, again, on that note.)
A loss in Iraq proves to the world that their "holy crusade" against the infidel is nothing but hyperbole and hype, and that they're nothing more than a band of raving lunatics. They're getting handed just that as Iraqi and coalition forces continue to pursue, and kill, these crazies. Mosul is the place of their last stand. There is only one place they can go after Mosul, and they've already tried to set up shop there, without any sort of success. See, while Turkey was taking on the PKK in Northern Iraq, AQI tried slipping into the southern area of what is called, loosely, Kurdistan. The Kurds tore them to pieces. After suffering setback after setback in Iraq, AQI was left with only one option -- Mosul. And even now, they look to be losing significant ground there.
Publius II
A U.S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted Saudi Arabian al-Qaida in Iraq leader who was believed responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, a spokesman said Monday.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul. Al-Saudi headed up the al-Qaida network in southeast Mosul, an insurgent hotbed where U.S forces wage daily battles against the group.
According to the military, al-Saudi conducted numerous attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces, including a Jan. 28 bombing that killed the five U.S. soldiers.
In that attack, insurgents blasted a U.S. patrol with a roadside bomb and showered survivors with gunfire from a mosque. The soldiers died in the explosion — the deadliest on American forces since six soldiers perished Jan. 9 in a booby-trapped house north of Baghdad.
Intelligence gathered in the area led the U.S. military to al-Saudi, who was in a car with Hamdan. A precision helicopter strike killed both and destroyed their vehicle. U.S. forces then confirmed the men's identities.
Al-Saudi is said to have been a close associate of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri and to have arrived in Mosul with a group of foreign fighters in August 2007 after spending time fighting in Afghanistan.
"Mosul is a critical crossroads for al-Qaida in Iraq. It is their strategic center of gravity. One-half to two-thirds of attacks in Iraq today are in and around Mosul," Smith said.
Smith said the deaths brought to 142 the number of al-Qaida insurgents killed or captured since the beginning of the year.
General Petreaus's strategy is working to a "T" and al Qaeda continues to suffer defeat after defeat. These were two high-profile targets, and back in the day we used to miss hitting these weasels. Not no more. We now have local, indigenous intelligence that is willing to help us because they despise al Qaeda as much as we do. With the recent "flood" of foreign fighters into Iraq (and I use "flood" loosely, as AQ is having a problem recruiting people to go there, only to have them die, and usually without their glorious martyrdom) they continue to show the world that, for them, this is the central front in their war.
It's make or break for them, and right now they're losing. Their last known refuge point is Mosul. They can't go anywhere else in Iraq now that the Iraqi security forces are working so well, both on their own and with our troops. Mookie al-Sadr has seen this, which is why he's called for another six month moratorium of attacks against those standing against AQI. (Additionally, he's tending to his studies so he can challenge Ayatollah al-Sistani for his position as senior cleric in Iraq, which we hope he falls flat on his face, again, on that note.)
A loss in Iraq proves to the world that their "holy crusade" against the infidel is nothing but hyperbole and hype, and that they're nothing more than a band of raving lunatics. They're getting handed just that as Iraqi and coalition forces continue to pursue, and kill, these crazies. Mosul is the place of their last stand. There is only one place they can go after Mosul, and they've already tried to set up shop there, without any sort of success. See, while Turkey was taking on the PKK in Northern Iraq, AQI tried slipping into the southern area of what is called, loosely, Kurdistan. The Kurds tore them to pieces. After suffering setback after setback in Iraq, AQI was left with only one option -- Mosul. And even now, they look to be losing significant ground there.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 10:42 AM
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