Iraqi Special Forces Rescue 11 Year Old from al-Qaeda

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An Iraqi soldier guards suspects arrested during a joint U.S.- Iraqi military operation near Baqouba. AP

Mary Katharine Ham posts a video

of elite Iraqi forces rescuing an 11-year-old boy from al-Qaeda and returning him to his parents, near Kirkuk.

The kidnappers demanded $100,000 from the boy’s father, a mechanic. They told him if he didn’t pay, they would behead the child.

She also links to the first part of Bill Ardolino at The Long War Journal reporting on the political process and progress in the Iraqi government.

Meanwhile, a new Iraq flag is hoisted, minus Saddam’s stars.
Reuters:

Iraq’s temporary new national flag was raised over the country’s parliament for the first time in a ceremony trumpeted by the government as a break with the bloody past and a step towards reconciliation.

In another symbolic move, the government said it had started to rebuild a revered Shi’ite shrine in Samarra which was bombed two years ago, sparking sectarian violence which killed tens of thousands and took Iraq to the brink of civil war.

The flag will fly for a year, before a permanent one is chosen.

080206_03.jpg Thumbs Up
Two young Iraqi boys give a thumbs up as a convoy of U.S. Army Soldiers from Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division passes by on the way to conducting a joint clearing operation with Concerned Local Citizens in Dura’iya, Iraq, Jan. 28, 2008. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Timothy Kingston)

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Gosh, now why would Saddam have added “Allahu Akbar” to the flag?

“The flag then went through a series of makeovers — including the stars added after the Baathist takeover in 1963 and the “Allahu Akbar” inserted after the ill-fated attempt to annex Kuwait.”

Word,

You might want to bold the sarcasm part. It is difficult for one of our readers to understand sarcasm. We must accomodate that one person.

It is nice to see yet another AQI group shut down and their victims freed. Add this to the list of hundreds already shut down, but not reported on.

Reading Philip Smucker’s book, Al Queda’s Great Escape. It’s about Tora Bora. Amazing book-so far. I was surprised to see that more AQ fled Afghanistan to Iraq than did to Tora Bora (400 vs 6-800 went to Iraq). Accounts do vary though, and the definition of who is “Al Queda” vs who is not has a lot to do with it. A good case can be made that all of Jalalabad was AQ back in 01. Re Iraq though, it seems more and more clear-especially from yesterday’s NIE-that AQI is on the ropes, and that is a VERY good thing. Why more people aren’t cheering the success of those who are making that happen is sad, political, and vain.

Now isn’t that something. What a job our men and women have done over there getting those Iraqi forces trained up to complete a successful mission of this magnitude. Makes me fill up with pride. For the US and the new Democracy of Iraq.

>>Gosh, now why would Saddam have added “Allahu Akbar” to the flag?>>

Even Saddam had Conservatives in his party?

I wonder what suek was suggesting here?
Was it that conservatives are the kind of people who support a Saddam Hussein?
Was it that conservatives controlled Saddam?
Was it that Saddam wasn’t at all a dictator, but more akin to something else-perhaps an elected leader who had to pander to religious conservatives to stay in power?
Maybe suek meant that conservatives are more religious than liberals-in Iraq and perhaps elsewhere? (ignoring the Reverend Al Sharptons and Reverend Jesse Jacksons or the millions of people who believe in God but are not conservative)
Could it be that suek was just trying to make a tasteless, childish, and ignorant political jab?
Maybe it was just an attempt to say something and distract from the question at hand…

…nah, couldn’t be that.

>>I wonder what suek was suggesting here?>>

Let me help you out.

Are you somehow of the opinion that Saddam was a much loved person?
Were you somehow of the opinion that Saddam was a devout muslim all his life?
Perhaps you think that the religious leaders of islam have little or no political power.
Perhaps you’ve never heard of Iran.

However. Assuming that you’re aware that Saddam was _not_ much loved, that he was pretty much an atheist, but he was well aware of the political power of the religious leaders in Iraq, then you’d also find it fairly unsurprising to learn that after he was defeated and run out of Kuwait, after the Shiaa uprisings, he might find it prudent to “come to Mohamed” and ally himself with the religious leaders who then would be less likely to fuel the uprisings against a devout muslim leader like himself.

McCain has a bit of the same problem. He’s not a much loved person. He’s definitely not a committed Conservative. He’s facing a Conservative rebellion within his party.
Wonder what he’ll add to _his_ flag.

And NO…I am not comparing McCain to Saddam. But political games are political games.

“he might find it prudent to “come to Mohamed” and ally himself with the religious leaders who then would be less likely to fuel the uprisings against a devout muslim leader like himself.”

wow, you mean he didn’t want to appear so secular, and instead wanted to pander to the really religious? Seems an odd thing to do-try and be a loved dictator.

I’m also not sure how this religious pandering is conservative and not liberal?

Considering zombietime has a photoshoot of Obama and Kennedy campaigning in a cathedral in California, I am not sure pandering to religion is an aspect of conservatism. Pandering to those who want less government may be, but not religion.

Saddam was, however, just as religious as most in Islam and not an atheist. He just wanted all the power kept to himself. He was a born street tough who gained power through torture and execution of all who opposed him (while putting on a happy face for the world). He was no different than most any of the Califs in Arab history. The “devout” mullahs of Iran, leaders of the PLO/Hamas, and leaders of Al Qeada are no different. They spout Islam and “piety” for their followers, but are corrupt, power mad dictators to the core. No one ever saw the billionaire Arafat or “devout” Osama jump to the front of the line to be a “martyr” and go to “paradise”. In fact, they were never in line…. Some “paradise” it must be to not want to see it.