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Al-Qaeda on the Run
By Richard S. Lowry
In March of 2003, Abu Musab al-Zargawi was holed up in his mountain terrorist training camp in Eastern Iraq. He had already been fighting Americans for quite some time. He had been wounded fighting in Afghanistan in 2002 but managed to escape to Baghdad, where he was treated and brought back to health in an Iraqi hospital. Once recuperated, he established a terrorist training camp along the Iranian frontier. He selected a mountain perch that would be easy to defend and would also provide a quick escape route into Iran. His men controlled a 300 square kilometer finger of land that protruded into Iran, just east of the ghost town of Halabja.
I have been told, unofficially, that Abu-Musab al-Zargawi was under direct orders from Osama bin-Laden to establish his Iraqi camp to spread the violence of al-Qaeda. I was told this by a former S-2 (intelligence) officer for a brigade that was deployed in Northeastern Iraq. I believe he knows what he is talking about but, unfortunately, I cannot divulge his name as a source. Instead, let me direct you to the work of a well-known author, Robin Moore. Mr. Moore visited Iraq shortly after the invasion in 2003. He then wrote “Hunting Down Saddam,” St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2004.
In his book, Moore writes of Operation Viking Hammer, “perhaps the largest Special Operations assault in history.” When the Turkish government baulked, and did not allow American forces to attack Iraq from the north, a large Special Operations effort was initiated in Northern Iraq and Kurdistan. Kurdish pesh merga forces, assisted by American Special Forces teams moved toward, and eventually attacked Zargawi’s hideout, east of As-Sulaymaniyah. The battle is also recounted in Linda Robinson’s, “Masters of Chaos,” PublicAffairs, New York, 2004. Ms Robinson indicates that there was an association between Zargawi’s group, Ansar al-Islam, and al-Qaeda.
The battle to neutralize Ansar al-Islam in the Iraqi mountains raged for days and was one of the fiercest fights of the war. Finally, the pesh merga and American Special Forces routed or killed hundreds of Sargawi’s fanatic fighters to find the largest terrorist training camp in the world. You all may think that I am about to go on to claim that this was an al-Qaeda training camp, that al-Qaeda was in Iraq in 2003, and that Saddam was in cahoots with Zargawi (and thus al-Qaeda). Well, I am not. I will leave that research to the reader. What I am going to do is make a prediction.
I predict that al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) will beat a retreat to this same finger of land, or a similar border hideout in the same vicinity, in the near future. AQI is on the run in Anbar and Diyala Province. (According to the Multi-National Force-Iraq Public Affairs Office, “Eighteen paramount tribal leaders representing 14 of the major tribes in Diyala Province, Iraq, swore on the Koran and signed a peace agreement unifying the tribes in the battle against terrorism…on August 2nd.”) General Rick Lynch is running the enemy to ground, south of Baghdad. The Multi-National Division-North has made great strides in killing or capturing most all of the senior al-Qaeda leadership in Mosul. Soon, al-Qaeda’s only safe haven will be along the Iranian border. Soon, al-Qaeda will resort to the same tactics as they are using in Afghanistan.
The surge is working. Harry Reid – we are not losing in Iraq. General Petraeus’ forces are doing everything they can to keep al-Qaeda off the Iraqi population and, they won’t let up until they are all dead, in custody, or dug in to their last mountain hideout. We are far from victory in Iraq, but we are approaching a tipping point.
Richard S. Lowry is the author of “Marines in the Garden of Eden.” Visit www.marinesinthegardenofeden.com to read more.
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Well in fairness, Andrew, I think the MSM has been pretty solid in reporting this so far.
How they treat Petraeus when he testifies, and how the Democrats respond to that testimony is a totally different story, however.
And this, my friends, is where Dubya dropped the ball in this war: He went into garrison mode far, far too early and allowed the Fedayeen, Mahdi dirtbags and AQI to gain a foothold. Security is paramount, but we tried it on the cheap and in a hurry.
Americans want to win this war, but they're not going to sit around while the President gets his act together. Now that we're showing some sense in hunting down and killing the bad guys, look for support to return as long as we keep them on the run.
Security is paramount, but we tried it on the cheap and in a hurry.
Unfortunately, the lack of intensity (not necessarily numbers) that reflects Fast and Cheap were driven by the same forces that caused the last President Bush, in 1991, to stop the ground war prematurely: the negatively-synergistic probabilites of sensationalized media coverage and opposition political sniping.
Yes, the President did drop the ball in that regard ... in part, because he listened to the cheerleaders for the other side.
Be sure to hold them to account, as well.
Richard,
Thanks for the note on UBL ordering Zarqawi to the camp. Hadn't heard that one. Personally thought it would have been Zawahiri who had more contacts in Iraq.
Regarding Saddam being in cahoots with the camp, I won't say that but General DeLong who was 2nd in command for the invasion behind Tommy Franks told me that they had solid intelligence that high ranking officials from Saddam's government were meeting with the "leaders" of the Ansar al Islam camp.
http://regimeofterror.com/archives/2006/09/3star_general_reveals_addition/
Now that tons of these guys are in custody maybe one day we can get the full transcripts of their confessions. I wouldn't expect it until after Bush leaves office though.
Mike,
I suspect that as time passes and the real truth comes out, many on the left will conveniently forget that they called George Bush a liar.
If you haven't already, you should read the story of Operation Viking Thunder in "Masters of Chaos."
Richard,
It's Mark, thanks for the reply. I have that book sitting next to me and have read that account of going into Ansar enclaves a few times. Very good reading. The battles the peshmerga and special forces combined to do against what seemed like superior numbers. Wow.
Yes, one day the truth of that camp and others in Iraq (CBS has video of a Saddam run jihadist camp from early 2003) will all come out and Saddam may lose his squeaky clean image regarding terrorism.
Iraq is about so much more than al-Qaeda. It's also about so much more than winning and losing, which is an invalid concept in this war.
You "won’t let up until (al-Qaida) are all dead, in custody, or dug in to their last mountain hideout."
This of course assumes we are not creating any new terrorists in Iraq right now just with our presence. Also: Why would you let up when they are "dug in to their last mountain hideout"? Wouldn't that probably be the time to press on harder than ever?
Also: Why would al-Qaeda retreat to this patch of land only be boxed in with Iran on three sides? Last time I checked, Iran and al-Qaeda were enemies...as were Saddam and al-Qaeda.
I'm a liberal, yes, and I hate this war. But that doesn't mean I don't want us to leave Iraq in the best condition possible.
For us to do that, both sides must be honest with themselves. I'm trying. Are you?
Nonplussed, I can expect that Iran will support AQ's efforts as long as AQ continues to be a thorn in our side.
That being said, I still don't believe that AQI is (or ever has been) the PRIMARY threat in Iraq. It has been a nuisance, yes. It has caused trouble for us, yes (esp. in the political/sectarian department, where it's got the Sunnis and Shi'ia at eachother's throats).
However, it's the sectarian groups themselves that pose the threat to us and to Iraq's future. The Shi'ia (and esp. Sadr's Mahdi Army) still wait. Ultimately, they will be the ones we'll have to deal with. In the end, it may be a non-issue. Since they have the majority, they can vote themselves into power (which, they've pretty much already done). Ergo, Iraq becomes a satellite of Iran and not a bulwark against it like we need it to be.
I am glad we're finally making progress in Iraq. God knows it was a long time coming. However, the solution will ultimately have to be political, not military. And, unfortunately, I don't know if the situation on the ground is such that a political solution to our liking is going to come about.
This of course assumes we are not creating any new terrorists in Iraq right now just with our presence.
Not a good assumption ... especially when you add in the former Iraqi adversaries now coming to our side (instead of AQ's ... in fact, they are becoming our allies because of AQ) in places like Anabar and Dialyah.
Also: Why would you let up when they are "dug in to their last mountain hideout"? Wouldn't that probably be the time to press on harder than ever?
Depends on several factors. Ask the Russians re: Afghanistan ... a full-court press, especially by conventional forces, into mountainous terrain where guerillas who know the land await you can be highly counterproductive.
And, it cuts both ways ... if that same topography (combined with the knowledge that NSA's Big Ears are listening, and anything heard will result in a Hellfire reply via PredEx -- Predator Express) reduces the C3I capabilities of your enemy to something akin to two tin cans and a string and/or using human carrier-pigeons, IMO it is better to take the Good and Cheap (in terms of soldiers' lives) approach and go slow to finish taking them down.
This is also why we haven't taken the bait of your fellow-travlerers in Leftism, and rushed in to "get bin Laden".
Joel ... we can't let them fail.
Leaving Iraq in a state where it can once again be hijacked for the support of terror and totalitarian expansion ... which is what we will see if the sectarian groups don't bury the schimitar and come together peacefully ... means that we will have to do this again, later.
Fortunately, the bottom-up progress we are seeing may give us an alternative path to a terrorrein Iraq, co-opting the national leaders who apparently want too much to act like our own legislators.
I understand the consequences of failure, Rich. But, that doesn't mean it's not going to happen.
Half of Maliki's cabinet (the Sunni half) has left him. There still has been no real legislative progress in their parliament on the future of Iraq.
Having AQ on the run is an important step. However, the REAL progress will be in the halls of parliament in Baghdad.
On the bright side, with AQ removed from the picture, it is possible that sectarian tensions will have a chance to subside a little.
Nonplussed,
Since Saddam and al Qaeda were enemies can you please name one offensive that Saddam's regime made against al Qaeda while they were in Iraq?
Can you name one terrorist attack by al Qaeda on Saddam's regime before the invasion?
Certainly if they were "enemies" you should find examples in no time.
Trackbacked by The Thunder Run - Web Reconnaissance for 08/07/2007
A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.
"Since Saddam and al Qaeda were enemies..."
Sez who?
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Great news! Except for the traitor Dhimicrats. Also, just listen to the crickets chirpping in the LSM on this. This type of report should seal the fate of the Fifth Column types here in the States, were it not for the intentional failure to teach the public the real meaning of treason during these last few generations of unionized 'gubment' schools. VP Cheney for POTUS in 2008! Yeah baby!