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.