A Turning Point?

The assassination of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha could very well turn out to be a important turning point in Iraqi history.  The Iraqi’s have been tearing themselves apart from within by attacking each other for many years.  Sunni vs. Shiite.  But now they have a common enemy, and that enemy is al-Qaeda:

Mourners vowed revenge and perseverance Friday at the funeral of the leader of the Sunni Arab revolt against al-Qaida militants who was assassinated just 10 days after meeting with President Bush in Iraq’s Anbar province. …

"We will take our revenge," the mourners chanted along the 10 kilometer (6 mile) route to Risha’s family cemetery, many of them crying. "We will continue the march of Abu Risha." …

Many high-ranking officials were on hand for the funeral, including Iraq’s interior and defense ministers and National Security Adviser Mouwaffak al-Rubaie.

"We condemn the killing of Abu Risha, but this will not deter us from helping the people of Anbar — we will support them more than before," al-Rubaie declared. "It is a national disaster and a great loss for the Iraqi people — Abu Risha was the only person to confront al-Qaida in Anbar."

The government of Nouri al-Maliki understands that this is a important moment when they can stand by their fellow Iraqis instead of against them.  Which in turn shows the Sunni’s of Anbar that maybe, just maybe Abu Risha was right.  There is no other enemy other then al-Qaeda.  Now they can be united as a family of Iraqis instead of Sunnis and Shiites.

Of course this could just be one more event in Iraq instead of a watershed moment, time will tell.  But for the Government of Maliki to show up for his funeral it appears that they recognize the moment for what it is, a turning point.

AJStrata nails it:

Six years ago the US saw the cheers of Palestinians at the destruction of 9-11. We saw the smiles of Saddam and his butchers and we heard the gloating of Bin Laden. Six years later Saddam is gone and Bin Laden is still running from justice. But now Iraqis are chanting “al-Qaeda is the enemy of Allah”. This is a stunning turn around, and it is all due to the wide gulf that separates American values from al-Qaeda’s bloodlust and hunger for absolute power over others.

Michael Yon’s latest dispatch goes into much more detail into the turnaround, this time with the 1920’s Brigade:

Soon we met up with a group of 1920s men; I counted 19. They were outfitted with AKs and ammo pouches. Most did not want their photos taken, but this man wanted everyone to see, and he threw his arm around one of our soldiers and pointed to my camera. Our guys do not trust the 1920s, but the relationship is working when it comes to killing al Qaeda and reconstruction in Baqubah. Al Qaeda only knows how to kill and intimidate. 1920s are concerned about water projects and so forth, and they help with more than fighting. Their goals include returning Baqubah back into civilization.

A few months ago we called them terrorists. Today we call them Concerned Local Nationals. When we were in a good mood, we used to call them illegal or rogue militias. Now we call them Neighborhood Watches, or in this case, “Baqubah Guardians.” It’s truly working well.

~~~

This new cooperation between the Coalition and former Sunni insurgent groups like the 1920s is part of what is meant by the talk about “political solutions.” [Such as the report General Petraeus just delivered to the Senate on September 10 and 11 in Washington]. We didn’t come here to fight every Iraqi, and the original reasons we had for coming here seem to have been forgotten many times over.

But while we didn’t come here to fight al Qaeda, early and questionable policy decisions allowed them to become one of our biggest problems in Iraq. The many species of enemy here make it hard to keep track of the shifting team rosters: they seem to swap and trade into ever new franchises. Even the experts don’t always seem to know who all is fighting, who the leaders are, or their goals. Some enemy groups make public statements about their goals, while others just seem to kill and destroy.

~~~

Unlike al Qaeda, the 1920s have self-imposed boundaries on their behavior. “Does not attack civilians or vital infrastructure, and does not permit attacks on schools.” Nowhere have I seen in their stated goals an intention to attack the West. Nowhere in their stated goals is an intention to set up terror networks around the world.

They want to kick us out of Iraq and shape their own futures with their own hands, but al Qaeda and others were stealing that chance. And so the 1920s reached out to Americans. Their end goal still includes getting us ushered out the door: something they are clear about. This means we have further common interests; we want to walk out that door just as fervently, but we don’t want to watch the house full of kids burn down behind us when we leave. Neither do they.

And so there we were, working alongside members of a proven, wily, and worthy adversary: The 1920 Revolution Brigades. The local chapter was pointing out information to help us kill al Qaeda, and we were planning on a link-up for future operations.

While Abu Risha once fought us, as the 1920 Brigade did, in an attempt to take their country back from what they wrongly perceived as a occupation force, he soon realized that working with al-Qaeda, who would kill their children in a heartbeat, solved nothing.  He came to realize that the coalition did not want to occupy Iraq,  we wanted out as bad as he wanted us out.   And he died trying to obtain that objective.

Now both sides which once fought each other are now united:

Ahmed Abu Reesha, brother of the slain tribal chief, said yesterday: “We blame al-Qa’ida and we are going to continue our fight and avenge his death.”

~~~

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was represented by National Security Adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, who condemned the killing. “It is a national Iraqi disaster. What Abu Reesha did for Iraq, no single man has done in the country’s history,” Mr Rubaie told the mourners.

They now understand even more clearly that the enemy we fight is also the enemy of Iraq:

Mourners chanted “We will take our revenge” and “There is no God but Allah and al-Qaeda is the enemy of Allah” as the procession continued to the family cemetery.

And the tragic death of an ally of the coalition may very well become the kind of moment that the bombing of the Golden Mosque was for al-Qaeda. 

UPDATE

Excellent overview of Sattar:

It was the success of Sheik  Sattar in joining forces in the Fall of 2006 with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines ( 1/ 6 ) in Ramadi that  became the centerpiece of the Bush administration’s campaign to prove its troop buildup in Iraq has been a success. Every reference by Gen David Petraeus or Amb. Ryan Crocker to “success in Anbar” was due to Sattar’s vision in allaying with Marines to oppose the insurgents, primarily Al-Quada-in Iraq ( AQI ).

~~~

Sattar was the first leader willing to stand publicly with the Marines, and with their support and security, was able to harangue and embarrass his fellow Sunnis sheiks into joining him in driving the insurgents out of Anbar.

He formed the “Anbar Salvation Council” in the summer of 2006, which organized his tribal rivals into local defense forces united against the various insurgent groups devastating Iraq. The Marine – Sunni cooperation was so successful that American Army groups throughout Iraq tried to copy their tactics.

~~~

In the hours after Sattar’s death, his murder united leaders across Iraq. "I can honestly say he was the first one who lit the candle in the fight against al-Qaeda in Anbar province," said Maj. Gen. Muhsen Abdul Hasan Lazem, Ministry of the Interior official who oversees border forces in Iraq. "Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, a martyr, proved to everyone that there is nothing more valuable than the homeland, and nothing is better than fighting terrorism."

His fellow tribal leaders, along with U.S. military officials, vowed to protect the Anbar Salvation Council and carry on his mission, and said they expected his death would galvanize further support. Ali Hatem Ali Suleiman, a leader of the Dulaim confederation, the largest tribal organization in Anbar, and a rival of Abu Risha’s, lamented the loss. "His death has squeezed our heart and made us terribly angry. Now, I swear to God, if we will hear anyone is with al-Qaeda, even if he is still inside his mother’s womb, we will kill him," Suleiman said. "The man was one of the swords of the council in the province. If one sword falls, other swords will rise."

~~~

Since the invasion in 2003, there was no deadlier place than Anbar Province for American troops, but in late 2005 in Al-Qaim, a town near the Syrian border, the Marines noticed a willingness among the local tribes to fight alongside them, and not against them.

In Ramadi in early 2006, a tribal group emerged to oppose AQI, but six of its 11 sheiks were quickly killed. In July and August, Sattar began to talk with Marine and Army commanders in Ramadi about bringing his relatives and tribesmen to fight in return for weapons, training, and support.

"It began an avalanche of Iraqis joining the police and the army in the latter part of 2006, and it really took off in February and March 2007," said Gen John Allen, USMC. "We went from 4,500 police a year ago to 21,000 police now."

President Bush spoke today with bloggers and one point he made to Bill at INDCjournal was what role these Sheikh’s play:

He cited the example of his meeting with the governing council of Anbar on his recent trip to the area. "We had this meeting with the governing council. The head of the provincial council was like the governor and the local sheiks were like mayors." He said that each link in the chain requested more help from the next higher position, "the sheiks requested help from the governor and the governor said ‘we need help from [Maliki].’"

"By putting them at the table it made it abundantly clear that they needed assistance … so [the federal Iraqi government] went out there with $120 million to begin with and [more funds] to follow."

That’s called a real government.  Not a United States government but an Iraqi one.  It’s working in Anbar and it is beginning to work throughout Iraq. 

So while the left will tell us, like a commenter did just today on this blog, that we cannot win:

WE ARE NOT going to win in Iraq, because we CAN’T!

President Bush, most of the Republican party (except the RINO’s and Paulbots, most of whom I don’t even consider Republican), and the Iraqi’s understand this is a fight we must NOT lose.  Imagine it, Americans wailing that we cannot win this fight against men with bombs strapped to their bodies.

How pathetic is that?

Curt

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