More and more good news is coming out of Iraq but we hear nary a peep out of our MSM. Hell, we don’t hear crap from the left either.
Two days ago the Iraqi police, Iraqi army, and local militia’s fought back against al-Qaeda and killed over 50 of the terrorists, and captured 80: (via The Fourth Rail)
The media accounts claim ‘insurgents’ attacked the village, but do not provide a reason for the attack. "The clashes on Wednesday began about 1 p.m. when insurgents attacked a village near Fallujah, about 35 miles west of Baghdad, and ended about six hours later when Iraqi soldiers, police and the tribal fighters killed 50 suspected insurgents and captured 80 others, according to Abdul-Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. Khalaf declined to say how many Iraqi security personnel were killed or injured," The Washington Post reports.
But the full story, according to an American military officer and an American intelligence source, is that al-Qaeda in Iraq, under the banner of the Islamic State of Iraq, assembled several hundred fighters to attack a prominent leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, the grouping of local tribes and Baathists, and former insurgents who now oppose al-Qaeda in Iraqi. The leader of the Anbar Salvation Council was to attend the funeral of one of those killed in last week’s suicide bombing in Habbaniyah.
The Iraqi police in Amiriya held off the attack, and radioed for backup from Iraqi Army, police and members of the Thurwa al-Anbar, the tribal militias assembled by the Anbar Salvation Council. U.S. air support was called in to help fend off the attack. The Anbar Salvation Council leader escaped as Army, police and tribal fighters poured into the village and routed the al-Qaeda force, which was estimated to be several hundred fighters. Once intelligence source claims the figure of 50 al-Qaeda killed is low, and the number is likely over 100.
You should also note that two factions of insurgents who had previously pledged allegience to al-Qaeda fought alongside the Iraqi Army and Police against al-Qaeda:
The New York Times claims "two groups that have had ties to insurgents, the Islamic Party Fighters and forces of the 20th Revolution brigade, counterattacked in support of the local residents." The proper name for the insurgent groups are the Islamic Army in Iraq, and the 1920s Revolution Brigades. And they also fought with Iraqi Army and police units.
While al-Qaeda in Iraq, via its political front the Islamic State of Iraq, claims the Islamic Army in Iraq and the 1920s Revolution Brigades are now part of its organization, this is only partially true. Al-Qaeda, through a campaign of intimidation and assassinations, has co opted some elements of the domestic Sunni insurgent groups, as well as at least 6 of the 31 major tribes in Anbar province. But the full contingents of the domestic insurgent groups such as the Islamic Army in Iraq and the 1920s Revolution Brigades did not go over to al-Qaeda. Some have chosen to stand up against al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Then we have a Iraqi swat team capturing a bigwig of Sadr’s group:
Hillah Special Weapons and Tactical team members captured the suspected leader of a rogue Jaysh Al-Mahdi militia cell during operations with Coalition advisors Friday in Babil Province.
The suspect allegedly controls an improvised explosive device cell responsible for attacks against Iraqi civilians and Coalition Forces.
The suspect is implicated in six IED attacks since December that have resulted in the deaths of three Coalition Forces Soldiers.
He is also involved in the murder of Iraqi civilians working with Coalition Forces.
Meanwhile American troops are clearing Ramadi of an estimated 60 insurgents in house to house fighting:
The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division (1-3ID)is currently engaged in street to street fighting in central Ramadi. The much anticipated attack follows months of hands off policy as troops were routinely sniped and attacked with orders not to retaliate.
After much planning U.S. forces along with a collection of hired local tribesmen from nearby Sofia (a suburb of Ramadi) and other groups are attacking and clearing the are house by house. The tribes have been formed into paramilitary units called "Emergency Response Units" and are linked with U.S. troops.
The 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment (1-9), 2nd Infantry Division has been given the dirty job of house to house combat in Ramadi’s center. Many of the houses have been booby trapped in anticipation of the attack. The U.S. Military estimates that there are around 60 insurgents remaining in the area of 15,000 people. Initial estimates put the insurgent numbers at between 100 and 200.
Those local tribesmen cooperating with coalition forces have seen the light when it comes to dealing with al-Qaeda. Now they are helping to clear the region of the terrorists:
It was one hell of a promise.
“As long as we are patrolling here, you will not have one roadside bomb,” the Iraqi commander said to an American officer over piping hot glasses of heavily sweetened tea, or chai.
The commander, Col. Mohammed Rashid, wore a pressed Iraqi army uniform with red-striped epaulettes, marking him as a graduate of the former regime’s prestigious Army Staff College.
While his career in Saddam’s army ended abruptly with its abolition four years ago, Rashid has found himself once again in command of a unit of former soldiers like himself. The unit, dubbed the 1st Emergency Response Unit Battalion, or ERU for short, is an auxiliary police unit that patrols the 50-square-mile Jazeera suburb north of downtown Ramadi.
The unit, which essentially is a tribal militia or security detail, is one of scores of such units created in Ramadi and, according to U.S. commanders here, critical to securing the violent capital of western Anbar province.
Whether Rashid’s roadside bomb prediction comes to pass remains to be seen. But so far, U.S. Army Capt. Matthew Marston, 28, of Sanford, Maine, said that Iraqi police and newly formed ERUs in Ramadi’s Jazeera suburb, north of downtown, appeared to be earning their keep.
“I was kind of surprised when we got here,” said Marston, the commander of Combat Troop, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division. “They’re very gung-ho.”
The units, which are armed but wear no standardized uniforms, have been issued pickup trucks and, in some cases, night-vision goggles. They draw pay from the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. They have, since they were stood up in November, showed great prowess in locating hidden weapons stashes, U.S. officers say.
“They find a lot of weapons,” Marston said. “Sometimes they’re even a little too eager, like when they roll up in an F-350 [pickup] with a bunch of ordnance in the back that doesn’t look too stable. They’re like ‘Here! We found these!’”
U.S. commanders say they have made phenomenal gains in Ramadi during the last eight or nine months. Much of their success, they say, is tied to an alliance of local tribes who’ve sided with the U.S. military against fighters here. As a result, the tribes have flooded local Iraqi police stations with recruits.
So as you can tell, lots of good news. But the MSM spends the majority of their reporting on the dozen men found executed. Of course that is news, and should be reported on, but should they also ignore all the good stuff that is going on in the majority of the country?
The answer to that is no of course but we have all become used to this kind of reporting. Report only the bad, whether it can be verified or not by Capt. Hussein, as long as they can continue to mold the minds of Americans into believing Iraq is not winnable.
See author page
