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How much longer will Washington allow itself to be strung along, and, by not confronting these issues, enable so many groups within the Iraqi armed forces to exist as parasitic organisms exploiting U.S. forces and money? "US faced with Iraqi Army turncoats," by Sam Dagher for the Christian Science Monitor:
Khalis, Iraq - As the US military continues to move through Diyala Province to uproot Al Qaeda fighters hidden amid its villages, an emerging foe may be helping to erode many of the successes the Americans are having in the three-week-old operation "Arrowhead Ripper."
According to Iraqi soldiers and US officers, militants linked to Al Qaeda are using tribal and family connections and, in some cases, also providing financial incentives to members of the Iraqi Army to help them remain strong and evade capture.
Al Qaeda's position is also bolstered by a broader internecine sectarian struggle for survival, power, and resources between Sunnis and Shiites that has spilled into the Army itself. This fight within Iraqi security services often pits elements of the Army against the Shiite-dominated police force.
[...]
A US Army officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, goes even further.
"There have been reports of Iraqi Army units transporting weapons for militias and insurgents in military vehicles," he says, adding that some officers even receive money from truckers in return for assurances that the roads on which their convoys travel will be protected.
[...]
"Yes, some Sunnis in our battalion are sympathetic to these elements because they still cannot accept an Iraq where Shiites have power," says Maj. Hussein Kadhim.
There are also likely more than a few unsubstantiated claims motivated by political agendas, which only further saps resources and splinters the army.
In an interview, three of the Sunni officers deny the charges and accuse some of their Shiite comrades of running death squads and manning illegal checkpoints in cooperation with the recently formed Khalis Emergency Response Force (ERF), a mostly Shiite paramilitary group, and the Khalis Shiite mayor, Uday Adnan, to cleanse the whole area of Sunnis.
Maj. Wissam Hamid admits, though, that some Sunni villages in Diyala have sought the protection of Al Qaeda operatives against Shiite militias and warns that more will do the same if the militias are not reined in.
These competing interests and allegiances – that often get in the way of the American mission in Diyala to defeat Al Qaeda forces – were on full display here last Thursday.
While Iraqi officers were having lunch, Maj. Faisal Majid, a Sunni, received a call on his cellphone. The person on the other end told him that a mob, backed by a local paramilitary group, had descended on the homes of the Albu-Abali Sunni family. The group was about to loot and set the properties on fire, the caller said.
US Army Maj. Dom Dionne, who is part of the team working with the Iraqi battalion in Khalis, rushed to the scene. When he arrived with his men, not a single shop in the area was open. A police pickup truck blocked a side street where the Albu-Abali homes are located. Members of the ERF, a Shiite paramilitary group dressed in green camouflage and red berets, stood on street corners.
[...]
"The military goes through a vetting process to ensure that the soldiers are not known criminals or insurgents, but there is no process after that to screen them periodically to make sure they have not turned or started supporting criminals and terrorists," says Dionne. He says that is the responsibility of the sovereign Iraqi government and not the US Army. "With our current manning, it's not feasible," he adds.
Furthermore, the US military cannot put too much pressure on Sunni tribes in Diyala because, according to the Arrowhead Ripper commander, Gen. Mick Bednarek, it needs them to renounce Al Qaeda, provide intelligence, and encourage their sons to join the police and Army.
Posted by Marisol at July 10, 2007 8:12 PM
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Big surprise. We know the Sunni's and Shiite hate each other almost as much as they both hate us.
Posted by: screaming_eagle![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 10, 2007 8:29 PM
This was all perfectly foreseeable; this was all foreseen. Once Saddam Hussein's regime was deposed, all else followed: the sectarian and ethnic splits, the attempts by all sides in Iraq to inveigle more and still more -- money, weapons, military actions by American soldiers against the enemies now of this group or faction, now of that. It should not have been a surprise. It did not depend on what Bremer did or did not do, or how many troops arrived when. It was perfectly comprehensible, if one understood the tenets, atttitudes, atmospherics of Islam, and the particular sectarian and ethnic makeup and history of modern Iraq. That was all it was necessary to know. It is still all that one need know.
But it's all been one surprise after another for those in the Bush Administration who presume to know what they are doing, who presume to instruct and protect us.
Posted by: Hugh at July 10, 2007 8:37 PM
The one good thing to come out of this is AQ threatening to attack Iran.
Posted by: Elric66 at July 10, 2007 8:39 PM
l am sure like the rest of us, the US military is learning islam right up in your face. You have a very difficult position to take, if you leave you are regarded as weak by islamists, and if you stay you take on more than you realized in the beginining
What the US military needs to do is be allowed to fight what military are trained to do, that is damage and destroy all till they cry uncle like in Japan and Germany. The PC liberal media will not allow us to fight this way at this moment, so l see that the US GOP is working on the slow method which is not as effective. The democrats hate Bush more than they do the islamists and that puts another obstacle in this fight on islam.
at July 10, 2007 8:46 PM
Will Friday's upcoming progress report mention these, and similar incidents of "progress? I don't think so. More likely, we will all be told how well all is going and how we're about to turn the tide.
I heard a new estimate that the monthly costs of projects in Afghan and Iraq at $12 BILLION a month.
Posted by: Leave Iraq Now at July 10, 2007 8:49 PM
Michael Ware of CNN has been reporting that there are Iranians training Iraqis (Ware's reports have seriously ticked off the Iranians who deny the reports), and that there is a proxy war going on in Iraq (that's a war between the U.S. and Iran -- with hundreds of American soldiers dying from Iranians).
From another report, military spokesperson "Bergner said the United States had discovered the existence of three small camps near Tehran where Iraqi Shi'ite militants were trained by Qods Force and Hezbollah operatives. Between 20-60 militants were trained at any given time, he said" (from SwissInfo, July 2, 2007, by By Alister Bull and Dean Yates).
Posted by: J.S. at July 10, 2007 8:56 PM
The Brits are certainly paying the price of their multi-cultural ism experiment.
Female circumcision a problem in Britain
By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 4 minutes ago
LONDON - Female genital mutilation, commonly associated with parts of Africa and the Middle East, is becoming a growing problem in Britain despite efforts to stamp it out. London's Metropolitan Police, Britain's largest police force, hopes a campaign beginning on Wednesday will highlight that the practice is a crime here.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070710/ap_on_he_me/britain_female_circumcision
at July 10, 2007 9:19 PM
It is practiced by Muslims and Christians alike, deeply rooted in the Nile Valley region and parts of sub-Saharan African, and is also done in Yemen and Oman. Through migration, the practice has spread to Western countries like Britain.
The MSM has no shame.
at July 10, 2007 9:28 PM
And this is all according to plan. The bigger plan is to ensure that the Middle East is completely ablaze and fighting amongst themselves.
In order to do this, the Arabs need little encouragement, as power and violence is a drug habit they are bred with. If they can't find some outsider to take their aggression out on, they will turn on themselves. It happens like clockwork, guaranteed every time.
This I believe is the purpose for the allied troops in Afgh and Iraq- in order to even the battlefield so that all parties have an equal chance at slaughtering themselves in the largest "no holds barred cage match" in history.
It is brilliant! It is working like planned and the Muslim community is fracturing continually.
George W. Bush is an absolute GENIUS! Who knew back then what his plans were, but I have to believe that it was an actual plan instead of Keystone copping into the perfect scenario.
All that needs to happen is for Syria to invade Lebanon and Hezbollah to bomb Israel, Hamas to bomb Israel, Jordan to fall apart like they're on the brink of, Egypt, Libya and Morrocco to erupt into civil war with the "brotherhood", Walk out on Iraq after admitting futility with them(who could blame them), Iran to invade Iraq.
Kuwait and Saudi will remain relatively peaceful to act as a counter balance.
Let the Muslim wars begin!!!!!!
Posted by: HardBody at July 10, 2007 9:29 PM
Shades of what happened during the Vietnam War when ARVN forces couldn't be trusted. America alone again, I'm afraid.
Posted by: Wellington at July 10, 2007 9:32 PM
THE HAGUE, 03/07/07 - The cabinet considers radical Muslims are in principle allowed to use democratic procedures with the aim of undermining democracy. This is not dangerous; democracy is strong enough to withstand such a movement.
The government is convinced that "religion - thus, also Islam - can make a positive contribution to cohesion in society." At the same time, "a strong emphasis on religious identity can also have a divisive effect." This risk is all the greater if "religious dividing lines coincide with other dividing lines in society".
http://www.nisnews.nl/public/030707_1.htm
Where do I begin?
Posted by: Elric66 at July 10, 2007 9:35 PM
The Schizophrenia of the Average Muslim
http://the-gathering-storm.blogspot.com/2007/07/storm-track-disinformation.html
at July 10, 2007 9:56 PM
The Judeo-Nazi state finds collaborators in Fatah Party.
The American government has collaborators in the Iraqi government.
at July 10, 2007 10:18 PM
Greetings:
My brother and I against our cousin; My cousin and I against the stranger. Forever and ever, Amen.
Posted by: 11B40 at July 10, 2007 10:28 PM
Oh my gosh! The utter shock of it all! Why I can't believe it!!
(sarcasm off)
Posted by: Foehammer at July 10, 2007 10:41 PM
......and Newspeak babbling morons label themselves "progressive."
Posted by: desertdawg29palms at July 10, 2007 10:47 PM
Progressive is the new comedy act around here. I used to think it was Naseem, although I wouldn't be surprised if they end up in the same harem.
Posted by: Foehammer at July 10, 2007 10:49 PM
"Yes, some Sunnis in our battalion are sympathetic to these elements because they still cannot accept an Iraq where Shiites have power," says Maj. Hussein Kadhim.
In other words, the Sunnis cannot be trusted, even if they claim to renounce al Qaeda.
Have fun!!!
Posted by: PMK at July 10, 2007 10:50 PM
It's because they're muslim, stupid.
They're forbidden to be your friend by the koran.
In commercial terms, they can be rented, but not bought.
Did we allow them to have a constitution which proclaims Sharia as the supreme law ?
How could we be so stupid ?
Did we take stupid pills and listen to Saudi Royalty ?
Posted by: dgene at July 11, 2007 12:34 AM
No more foreign oil dependency. We need to stop pouring money into the bloody Middle East and tap into Alaska until we find alternate fuels.
It wouldn't cripple them, but it would cramp them.
Islamo delenda est.
Posted by: atheling at July 11, 2007 12:58 AM
"Al-Qaeda in Iraq finds collaborators in Iraqi army"
Altogether now.
No shit Sherlock
We're being played by every tribe, ethnic group, political party, faction in Iraq. And here's why.
Cos we don't have a clue. No intel, nothing.
The Iranians - who do know their own backyard - will have infiltrated every group that matters. They're sitting back and laughing.
And so the blundering, the making-it-up-as-it-goes, the stuck-in-the-clouds scenarios, the blowhard-macho-bullshit-speeches continue.
And we still won't have a f*&^&*g clue.
Hey, here's an idea. If we just build one more mosque, another school or one more road and make one more "islam is peace" speech they'll all start to love us.
And when that doesn't work we can go up to people and blubber
"Why don't they like us?"
Amateur hour or what
Posted by: ewha1 at July 11, 2007 1:25 AM
And the surprising part of this is supposed to be what?
If everything were going perfectly it would take a minimum of 10 to 20 years for the culture to undergo any major shift in the direction of civilization.
Even if they weren't mohammedans, they've just lived through a generation of Baathist totalitarianism.
And they're mohammedans on top of it all.
Fuggedabowdit!
If we stay in there, we just catch the collaborators and shoot 'em.
They'll probably catch on after a couple of years.
It may have been Chesterton, I don't really know, but someone said that it is not clear that people punish murder by hanging because they understand it to be a heinous crime, or whether they understand it to be a heinous crime because it is punished by hanging.
at July 11, 2007 3:42 AM
"The Judeo-Nazi state finds collaborators in Fatah Party"
Posted by: progressive
.....that is laughable...it is Fatahs own members who are betraying their own members to the Hamas killer squads....Fatah is dying out because of Muslim treachery(against each other, no less) not because of anyone else....real or imagined....
Islam is for losers....
at July 11, 2007 7:16 AM
Athling: we could of gotten oil not far from Gitmo and Florida. People complainded it would ruin the environment. So China is going to! How smart is that? Like all the trees burning. Everyone suffering, but hell, maybe it will drive up the markets!? ..* ! It is against the law to clean up the forest and so many feet from your property!? Weird, environmental-ism! One guys house did not burn they asked him why, he said he did clean around his house in the woods!
So much bull, a sandwich a day. I thought take a bite a day! All this flooding and they can't figure it out! What do they do, but sit and try to figure it out? Doesn't seem that hard to me. Like my dad said, "Nothing is going to get done unless you start doing it!"
at July 11, 2007 6:00 PM
Hugh: forseeable? I dreamnt it right after 9-11.
I called the Larry King show, Mr McCain was on there that was 11-01. I asked him a question. What were the changes of sodom and bin two (cave dwellers) being uh, buddies?. The said I couldn't say cave dwellers, Sodom had 23 palaces! Ok, why did they find him in a hole? He didn't even have a cave?
ok..Correct me if I am wrong!....
I dreamnt that sodoms army split up dressing in regular clothes in hospitals ect. The WMDS were burried in the sand! Sodom appeared as the devil himself. BOB! I woke up gasping and ran to the door and had to get air! I said, The Lords Prayer!
at July 11, 2007 6:12 PM
“What the US military needs to do is be allowed to fight what military are trained to do, that is damage and destroy all till they cry uncle like in Japan and Germany.”
I think Michael Yon may disagree with that statement. He seems to believe that the last thing we should be doing is levelling neighbourhoods and moving to the next. It seems that General Patraeus agrees. Now the troops are securing areas long term and getting out amongst the people. Amazingly the locals prefer the American tribe taking away the streets full of rubbish (trash and terrorist) to Al Qaeda in Iraq shooting them in the head when the US roll on.
Hugh is right that we should give them every opportunity to kill themselves; Sun Tzu would pat him on the back for reading the Art of War. But to leave Iraq when we are on the front line with all troops ready to move on Iran and there is a glimmer of hope that we can come out of this as the good guys, pulling out in a rush would be insane.
I know by fact that a major maintenance facility that has served in Iraq since near the start is moving to Kuwait. Things are happening.
at July 11, 2007 6:57 PM
“What the US military needs to do is be allowed to fight what military are trained to do, that is damage and destroy all till they cry uncle like in Japan and Germany.”
I think Michael Yon may disagree with that statement. He seems to believe that the last thing we should be doing is levelling neighbourhoods and moving to the next. It seems that General Patraeus agrees. Now the troops are securing areas long term and getting out amongst the people. Amazingly the locals prefer the American tribe taking away the streets full of rubbish (trash and terrorist) to Al Qaeda in Iraq shooting them in the head when the US roll on.
Hugh is right that we should give them every opportunity to kill themselves; Sun Tzu would pat him on the back for reading the Art of War. But to leave Iraq when we are on the front line with all troops ready to move on Iran and there is a glimmer of hope that we can come out of this as the good guys, pulling out in a rush would be insane.
I know by fact that a major maintenance facility that has served in Iraq since near the start is moving to Kuwait. Things are happening.
at July 11, 2007 7:07 PM
Typekey could do with a rocket up the arse too...
Posted by: The Other Mert at July 11, 2007 7:11 PM
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