Jun 20 2007

al-Qaeda Cornered In Diyala – Surrendercrats’ Limb Being Sawed Out From Under Them

Published by at 12:54 pm under All General Discussions,Diyala,Iraq

This blog was one of the few to connect the dots regarding the strategy of the Iraq-US Coalition in Iraq to corrall and destroy al Qaeda in Iraq. The opening to this opportunity happened when military leaders in al-Qaeda’s then stronghold of al-Anbar Province were able to reach out to local Sunni tribal leaders and turn the tables on al-Qaeda, who had clearly worn out its welcome through the violence and brutality it inflicted on the local people. The Muslim street in Anbar rose up and took arms – against al-Qaeda.

al-Qaeda then fled the Western Province of Anbar which is on the Syrian border to Diyala Province which is East of Baghdad and on the Iranian border (see map). The US Surge poured personnel into Anbar and Baghdad, pushing all the Islamo Fascists eastward into the new stronghold of Diyala – where they became trapped. With massive US forces to their east and Kurds to the North and Shiites to the south (along with British forces) the Islamo Fascists were blocked in. No doubt the Iraq-US coalition has the Iraq-Iran border well patrolled by Air, Ground and Sea assets, making it a death trap to traverse. Now the NY Times is reporting a confirmation of this strategy I believed has been occurring for the last 3+ months:

Taking the fight to insurgents from Al Qaeda did not so much destroy them in Anbar Province as dislodge them, prompting the fighters to build up their strength elsewhere, including Baquba, the capital of Diyala Province.

So the planners of this latest operation are attempting to plug the holes that have allowed the insurgents to escape in the past. The goal is not merely to reclaim western Baquba from insurgent control, but to capture or kill the estimated 300 fighters to 500 fighters who are believed to be based in that part of the city.

In the first hours of the American military assault, after midnight early Monday, helicopters flew two teams of American troops and a platoon of Iraqi scouts so they could block the southern escape routes from the city. Stryker armored vehicles moved along the western outskirts of Baquba and then down a main north-south route that cuts through the center of the city.

Is al-Qaeda’s strength in this last enclave down to only 500 fighters? I doubt it. But even it if it was 5,000 fighters they would be no match for the 10,000 heavily armed and supported troops now bearing down on them. Read the rest of the article and you will see that we have an end in sight, though it could be tough as we have cornered an enemy willing to die for his cause. This report by CBS News gives another angle and perspective on the Diyala pincer move, but with similar expectations.

What this means is a strong possibility for success in Iraq for America and President Bush. What is also means would be a crippling blow to the credibility of the far left on national security. It is impossible to not forget the call for surrender that are continuing to this day from a far left fringe praying the US loses Iraq to al Qaeda. They tried their best to stop our efforts to corrall and destroy al Qaeda only a month or so ago. Even when they knew full well (from classified briefings) what we were going to be doing in Iraq. Even in light of our plan they still drove for defeat. Thankfully they were too little too late and Bush decided to take a bold move to succeed. al-Qaeda’s support in Iraq is failing rapidly and across the country.

It seems it is only a matter of time before they become an impotent force in Iraq and possibly the Middle East. They will always be able to walk a bomb into a market or school and kill Muslims. That is why they are clearly Islamo Fascists. They rule over their ‘minions’ by brutality and killing. And that is why Bush was correct to offer another path to the region. One that was based on individual freedoms to chose and democracy.

Update: The Surrendercrats better hope that images like the one described in the CBS piece above never get wide-spread viewing on US screens:

The head of a Sunni insurgent group that has turned against al Qaeda and is cooperating with U.S. and Iraqi forces in the area said his fighters were participating in the operations and had succeeded in clearing several neighborhoods in eastern and western Baqouba.

The militant leader, who declined to be identified for fear of retribution, spoke as his fighters linked arms, chanted and danced while women ululated in celebration. An Associated Press reporter also saw residents in the Mustafa area in western Baqouba serving food to fighters who had battled al Qaeda and starting to repair their stores.

Imagine that. Our Sunni allies celebrating their victory over al Qaeda in the streets they took back. Wouldn’t that make the American people sit up and take notice.

7 responses so far

7 Responses to “al-Qaeda Cornered In Diyala – Surrendercrats’ Limb Being Sawed Out From Under Them”

  1. thecentercannothold says:

    http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/IraqStab%26Security06-20%5B1%5D.htm

    Military analyst Anthony Cordesman just out with another bleak assessment of the quagmire. Strata’s war it turns out is the
    “wrong war.”

  2. thecentercannothold says:

    Shorter Cordesman:Strata saying any possible defeat of foreign jihad in Iraq represents” an end in sight” to the overall war, is like playing Candyland on a chess board, or “Go Fish” at a card game where others at the table are engaged in Bridge.

  3. thecentercannothold says:

    http://www.moonofalabama.org/2007/06/urbicide_in_baq.html#more

    Just out! International report someof which deals with the very ongoing occupier brutality Strata here justifies; the report calls it “urbicide.”

  4. DaleinAtlanta says:

    Of course, Cordesman would be quoted by “Center”; another blinded-Bush hater, with zero to little credibility.

    I know him, and have challenged him directly on some of his writings; he couldn’t answer my questions when I challenged him directly, and that was the end of that!

    He primarily flourished under Carter and Clinton of course (what else); and belongs to the CSIS which is riddled with BDS-afflicted Leftist, like yourself, intent on proving the Iraq war wrong!

    I’m on his emailing list, and I delete his stuff as soon as it comes in; I’ve read enough of his BS for the past 6 years, to choke a Whale, but you obviously like the taste of crap, so continue on!

  5. DaleinAtlanta says:

    About GPF

    Global Policy Forum monitors policy making at the United Nations,
    promotes accountability of global decisions, educates and mobilizes for global citizen participation,
    and advocates on vital issues of international peace and justice.

    Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

    Ah, yeah……

    Sure, I’ll read that site, and believe it, and go there every day, I promise….chirp…..chirp……chirp…….chirp…

    Let me translate that website for you, and YOUR worship of it:

    Anti-American…

    Anti-Semitic….

    Pro-Jihadi….

    Now that wasn’t hard, was it?

  6. Frogg says:

    Those on the ground seem to agree:

    “The plan (Operation Arrowhead Ripper) is to essentially “seal, kill, hold and rebuild.” The city is cordoned, neighborhoods are identified as friendly or enemy territory, the neighborhoods are then segmented and forces move in with the intent to kill or capture the enemy. As both Michael Gordon and Michael Yon reported from Baqubah, the goal isn’t just to clear the city of insurgents, but to trap and kill them in place. The combat operations are then immediately followed by humanitarian and reconstruction projects.”

    “The operation in Baqubah is a microcosm of the larger operation in Diyala, while Diyala is one but one of three of the corps level operations. The same goal is shared across the three theaters: cordon the regions, trap and kill al Qaeda and clear the areas, and then move in security forces in for stability and reconstruction operations.”

    http://billroggio.com/archives/2007/06/the_battle_of_iraq_2.php