[Grovenet] al-Qaeda in Iraq

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

An interesting piece Joy. Thanks. 

Of course, one might ask if the information coming from Iraq might not be
planned to support the idea among Americans that it's time to leave and that
we're doing the good citizens of Iraq if we'd just go away. 

It's pretty obvious there are at least four factions in Iraq:

1) Sunnis who want the Americans out.

2) Shiites who want the Americans out. 

3) Kurds who want Americans out. 

4) Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds who want the Americans to stay. 

We don't seem to hear very much about the fourth group, or how large they
are, but they are there. 

It's pretty easy to imagine why those who want us to leave feel that way.
Two reasons are pretty self-evident:

1) They hate to be occupied, especially by a force of non-Muslims. 

2) They want the last vestige of control removed so they can rape and divide
up what is left of Iraq with the leader of each faction vying to become the
next Iraqi dictator. They can't do that as long as we're there. 

Even if the current government managed somehow to survive, it'll be after a
long, drawn-out battle. That's a battle one might reasonably expect would be
shorter if America sticks around. 

When I speak of an obligation to the "people of Iraq", I'm speaking of an
obligation to ordinary Iraqi citizens who lived and prospered under Saddam
and who now simply want to get on with their lives. They know that won't
happen for a long time if we leave while the warring factions figure out who
will be the next dictator, and then each group quite reasonably fears a
round of "ethnic cleansing" as happened to the Kurds in the past. Among
those are many who wanted to see Saddam returned to power, but we've fixed
that so it can't happen now. 

Ron D'Eau Claire 





-----Original Message-----
From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com] On
Behalf Of JBlair2154 at aol.com
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 12:50 PM
To: grovenet at rdrop.com
Subject: Re: [Grovenet] al-Qaeda in Iraq


 
"...U.S. intelligence has intercepted communique from al-Qaeda  leaders to 
Zarqawi in 2005 that actually reveal their alarm at the possibility  of a
prompt 
U.S. military withdrawal and their goal of "prolonging the war" by  keeping 
the Americans bogged down in Iraq. In a Dec. 11, 2005, letter, a senior  
al-Qaeda leader known as "Atiyah" lectured Zarqawi on the need to take the
long  
view and build ties with elements of the Sunni-led Iraqi insurgency that had

little in common with al-Qaeda except hatred of the Americans. "The most  
important thing is that the jihad continues with steadfastness and firm
rooting,  and 
that it grows in terms of supporters, strength, clarity of justification,  
and visible proof each day," Atiyah wrote. "Indeed, prolonging the war is in
our 
 interest." [Emphasis added.] The "Atiyah letter," which was discovered by 
U.S.  authorities at the time of Zarqawi's death on June 7, 2006, and was 
translated  by the U.S. military's Combating Terrorism Center at West Point,
also 
stressed  the vulnerability of al-Qaeda's position in Iraq. "Know that we,
like 
all  mujahaddin, are still weak," Atiyah told Zarqawi. "We have not yet 
reached a  level of stability. We have no alternative but to not squander
any 
element of  the foundations of strength or any helper or supporter."
Atiyah's 
worries  reiterated concerns expressed by bin Laden's deputy Ayman
al-Zawahiri in 
another  intercepted letter from July 7, 2005. In that letter, Zawahiri
fretted 
that a  rapid U.S. pullout could cause al-Qaeda's operation in Iraq to 
collapse because  foreign jihadists, who flocked to Iraq to fight Americans,
would 
give up the  fight and go home. "The mujahaddin must not have their mission
end 
with the  expulsion of the Americans from Iraq, and then lay down their 
weapons, and  silence the fighting zeal," wrote Zawahiri, according to a
text 
released by the  U.S. Director of National Intelligence. To avert mass
desertions, 
Zawahiri  suggests that Zarqawi talk up the "idea" of a "caliphate" along
the 
eastern  Mediterranean.  

What al-Qaeda leaders seem to fear most is that a U.S. military  withdrawal 
would contribute to a disintegration of their fragile position in  Iraq, 
between the expected desertions of the foreign fighters and the targeting
of 
al-Qaeda's remaining forces by Iraqis determined to rid their country of
violent 
outsiders. In that sense, the longer the United States remains in Iraq,  the

deeper al-Qaeda can put down roots and the more it can harden its new
recruits 
through indoctrination and training. 
 
These intercepted letters also fit with last April's conclusion by  U.S. 
intelligence agencies that the U.S. occupation of Iraq has proved to be a
"cause 
celebre" that has spread Islamic radicalism around the  globe..."

 
This was  written last October by a guy named Robert Parry in Consortium 
News.  He's an investigative reporter who started one of the internet's
first 
e-zines.  I came across the article on an AOL message board. It has more
details 
about the  latest intelligence reports than I've seen elsewhere, so I
thought 
ya'll might  find it interesting.

 
P.S. I've long suspected that certain of our  illustrious leaders in 
Washington have been pleased with al-Qaeda's interest in  Iraq. After all,
if we keep 
the terrorists busy there, maybe they won't attack  our homeland again...or
at 
least, not until the next administration is in office  to take the blame.  
Joy





Joy

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