Oct 04 2007
Rolling Up al-Qaeda
As we pick up more and more al-Qaeda leaders, we pick up more and more intel and are able to chase down and roll up the al-Qaeda leadership. One of the more interesting intelligence successes to go public was the find of 500 names and information on recent al-Qaeda recruits. The fact it became public is really telling. Very rarely do conditions allow for something like this to come out within weeks of obtaining it. It seems to indicate a lot of confidence on the part of US authorities.
So one has to wonder whether this information led to the latest events in Iraq. First a major financier of al-Qaeda operations was discovered:
Iraqi and US forces have detained a man they believe received 100 million dollars this summer from Al-Qaeda sympathisers to hand out for “terrorist” operations in Iraq, the US military said Thursday.
“The 100 million was what our intelligence reports indicate he has received spanning several months this year,” US military spokesman Sam Hymas told AFP. “That is all the unclassified information I can give you.”
A statement from the military said the man, who was detained in the central Baghdad neighbourhood of Al-Kindi, was suspected of handing over 50,000 dollars a month to Al-Qaeda using his leather merchant business as a front.
“He is believed to have received one hundred million dollars this summer from terrorist supporters who cross the border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt,” the military said.
With the local population of Iraq turning on al-Qaeda money is truly its life blood. The only way for them to survive is bribes. The last elements of their fighting force are probably mercenaries and criminals – those who will only do al-Qaeda’s bidding if paid. So cutting off the funds would further cripple al-Qaeda.
The second bit of news pertains to an Iraqi Member of Parliament found at a meeting of al-Qaeda:
A member of Iraq’s parliament is in U.S. custody and being questioned after an Iraqi special forces raid on a suspected al Qaeda meeting, the U.S. military said on Thursday.
A spokesman for the Iraqi parliament said the lawmaker was from the assembly’s main Sunni Arab bloc.
The man was held after a raid in the Sunni Arab town of Sharqat, 260 km (160 miles) northwest of Baghdad, in volatile Salahuddin province on Sept. 29, the U.S. military said in an email in response to queries from Reuters.
“The man being held is one of the 275 members of the Iraqi Council of Representatives,” the military said.
“Officially, he is not considered a ‘detainee’ at this time. He is being held for questioning after being found at a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq meeting during a combined Iraqi Security Forces/Coalition operation,” it said.
The al-Qaeda network is collapsing rapidly. This happened in Anbar as well when The Surge tactics were first used to turn locals against the Islamo Fascists. As I have posted before, if the new areas now being addressed with these tactics follow the Anbar model even modestly, the violence will drop to nearly zero and the areas will begin to rebuild and participate in the political process more fully.
al-Qaeda’s war against the Evil Empire of the West as degenerated into nothing more than killing Muslims to gain media attention. There is no war against the non-believer, there is now only killing Muslims:
Abbas al-Khafaji, a member of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), was killed along with his guards when the bomb struck his convoy, police said.
…
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for Khafaji’s killing, although roadside bombs are commonly used by Sunni Islamist al Qaeda.
A group led by al Qaeda in Iraq has stepped up attacks during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, but two prominent SIIC members were killed in August in what appeared to be part of an internal Shi’ite struggle.
No one is being fooled by al-Qaeda’s attempts to ignite a civil war. Everyone knows al-Qaeda is behind all the killings of Muslims – not the US. OK, there are some fringe leftwingnuts who have not broken the code yet and live in their strange little liberal fantasy worlds. But just about everyone else besides them knows the killings are by the hand of Islamo Fascists and the best protection for the Muslims being targetted is as allies with the US. al-Qaeda cannot now NEVER win in Iraq. They have too much Iraqi blood on their hands. They can barely survive there. al-Qaeda in Iraq is what the Nazis were in Europe. When Europe was freed of their evil the Nazi fascist were universally reviled. That fate awaits al-Qaeda in the Middle East. They are already at that point in Iraq.
There’s an interesting discrepancy inside the news report about the moneyman – 1) he’s reportedly recieved $100 million, 2) he’s handing out $50K per month. That only leaves about $99 Million unacounted for. (nice work if you can get it, I suppose)
Hopefully all of this funds and accounts have been seized – better yet if they’re traced back to the donors. Only the gulf arabs and the Saudis have this kind of money to throw around. Not the governments, but there are still very high positioned sympathizers in those countries who back the ultra hard care Wahhabi view no matter the consequences. (Wahhabi = the only good shiite is a dead shiite)
Speaking of higher ups, interesting that AQ’s man in parliament has been busted. Be real funny if they found that meeting by tracking him personally.
Good Post Aj!
There is a great article today in F.P.M.:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.aspx?GUID=4072499F-5422-4FC8-A8AC-4B068A934FE5
A few snips:
Traditional Islamic law mandates the death penalty for Muslims who leave Islam, in accordance with Muhammad’s command: “Whoever changed his Islamic religion, then kill him.â€
An Afghani named Abdul Rahman was arrested in February 2006 – for the crime of leaving Islam and becoming a Christian. The constitution of the new, post-Taliban Afghani regime stipulates that “no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam.†Abdul Rahman’s case showed that the traditional Islamic classification of apostasy as a capital crime would be included in this. After an international firestorm, and pressure from the United States, Abdul Rahman was released and asked for asylum in Italy, which was swiftly granted; however, the conditions under which he was originally arrested still remain: the Islamic law provision in the Afghani constitution remains today.
Besides denying the freedom of conscience, Islamic law mandates that Christians be subjected to a second-class status that mandates that they pay a special tax (jizya; cf. Qur’an 9:29) from which Muslims are exempt, not hold authority over Muslims, not build new churches or repair old ones, and submit to various other humiliating and discriminatory regulations
Islamic gangs knocked on doors in Christian neighborhoods in Baghdad, demanding payment of the jizya. Christians all over Iraq live increasingly in an atmosphere of terror.
Read it all
Take Care
I’ve debated whether I should mention this or not, but I guess it can’t hurt.
On Wednesday, I received an email from the Editor of a popular on line publication. The Editor of this publication has asked me to write a piece on the Plight of Christians in Iraq. We exchanged several emails, and in the end I agreed to submit a piece over the weekend. I guess the Editor thought I had a good knowledge of this topic and Islam.
I must stress though, there are no guarantees it will be publish, and who knows, it could be edited to the point where it is unrecognizable to me.
But after talks with friends, family, and others, I agreed to sumit one. So, we shall see what happens.
I’d also like to add that this publication is one that AJ has referenced in a Very Positive Mannor dozens of times. If I get published there, I will send you a link to the article, or out of pride and excitement, I may just post the whole thing. But I’m trying not to get my hopes up.
In my research for the article, I wanted to get the provisions in the Iraq Constitution. I googled it, and went to the first hit, the Washington Post, who had it there.
This is important for people to learn, so let me pass this on.
SECTION ONE: FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Article 1:
(The Republic of Iraq is a single, independent federal state with full sovereignty. Its system of government is republican, representative 61/27Parliamentary63/47 and democratic. This Constitution is the guarantor of its unity)
Article 2:
First: Islam is the official religion of the State and it is a fundamental source of legislation:
A. No law that contradicts the established provisions of Islam may be established.
Now, after this, there are all kinds of nice sounding stuff we all would be for. But the problem is when they say “No law that contradicts the established provisions of Islam may be established”, that my friends is Islamic Law, or Shari. If you don’t know what that entails, then the rest sound great! But study this, and after studying this, you will learn that what follow can’t be done!
Until I started studying Islam, I did not know this, but sadly, it is true.
As with yesterday, I’m way behind and must go. Take Care Folks!
Stevevvs, this is what I was afraid of.