Insurgents In Iraq Offer Truce

So the amnesty plan issued by Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal al-Talibani appears to have prompted the terrorists inside Iraq to rethink their position:

Insurgents are demanding the withdrawal of all U.S. and British forces from Iraq within two years as a condition for joining reconciliation talks, a senior Iraqi government official said Wednesday.

[…]Iraqi government officials involved with the contacts with insurgents told The Associated Press that several militant groups sent delegates from their regions and tribes to speak on their behalf.

One of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of demands for secrecy in the talks, said the insurgents have so far rejected face-to-face talks, saying they fear being targeted by Shiite militias, Iraqi security forces and the Americans.

The official said the insurgents have demanded a two-year “timetable for withdrawal” in return for joining Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s bid for national reconciliation.

The insurgents also said a condition for any future direct talks would be the presence of observers from the Arab League, Saudi Arabia and Iraq’s influential Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars.

Al-Maliki said any amnesty offered under his 24-point reconciliation plan that was unveiled Sunday would not include militants who killed American forces or Iraqis.

“Any amnesty for insurgents will exclude fighters who killed Iraqis or soldiers of the multinational forces because these troops came to Iraq according to international agreements and they are contributing in making the political process successful,” he said.

“Those who commit such crimes will stand trial because the aim of killing Iraqis or foreign soldiers is to frustrate democracy and the political process,” al-Maliki said.

Al-Maliki has not provided more specifics about the amnesty plan because it’s such a sensitive issue in the United States. While he said insurgents who had killed U.S. forces or Iraqis would be excluded, he did not clarify how such a determination would be made because virtually all insurgents who would be affected are still at large.

He also has sought a pardon for detained Iraqis who have not been convicted of killings or terrorist acts.

Al-Maliki also said no timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops would be imposed until Iraqi forces are ready to take over security. “The timing depends on the capabilities of these (Iraqi) forces,” he said.

Iraqi lawmakers have stated that 7 insurgent groups have offered a conditional truce while Iraq The Model is reporting that 10 groups have stepped up the plate:

Three more insurgent groups have decided to join Maliki’s reconciliation project, according to al-Sabah:

Al-Sabah’s sources revealed that the three groups that announced their supports for Maliki’s initiative were Ammoriya Forces, Jaish al-Mujahideen and the Brigades of Saladin. This brings to ten the number of militant groups that responded positively to the initiative, our sources expressed hopes that more groups will join in in the coming days.

I was struck by the fact that the insurgents are not in a hurry to get rid of us. Does this mean they now understand that the US cannot leave until all the security problems are fixed? They know if we leave too soon reprisal attacks may occur from the Shi’ite side.

So they know something the Democrats in our country do not, that cutting and running is not an option. It would doom the fledging Democracy in Iraq to failure.

Just so you understand this, our Democrats are now even further left of the terrorists.

Say’s a lot doesn’t it?

Other’s Blogging:

• It Shines For All
• Captain’s Quarters
• Blue Crab Boulevard
• The CounterTerrorism Blog
• Outside The Beltway

So they know something the Democrats in our country do not, that cutting and running is not an option. It would doom the fledging Democracy in Iraq to failure.

Just so you understand this, our Democrats are now even further left of the terrorists.

Curt

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