The Captain’s Journal has a great post about al Qaeda operatives being killed in Iraq, including Omar Faruq, a top Lieutenant. It seems the Brits tried to arrest him but he was killed when he resisted. A real shame, that. From TCJ:
Either way, killing al Qaeda in al Anbar is a good thing and will help to pacify the troubled region (although like Faruq, I am sure that the coalition forces would have loved to have captured them for the intelligence value).
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said today that the presence of American troops is the only thing keeping his country free from invasion right now. From BREITBART:
"The American presence has always prevented any kind of foreign invasion to Iraq," Talabani said.
"That's one of the main reasons why we think that we need an American presence, even symbolical, in the country to prevent our neighbors attacking us,"
[...]
Talabani also said Baghdad could not "further tolerate" neighbors' interference in its internal affairs.
"I think that our neighbors must understand that our patience is limited," he said, refusing to single out countries but adding "we mean all of them."
Iraq shares borders with Syria, Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Asked if there was concern over aggression from Turkey, Talabani said: "I don't think there is any danger for invasion by Turkey to Iraq."
Sounds like another positive to me.
Talabani also disputed the "civil war in Iraq" theory:
Talabani also insisted that Iraq would not spiral down into civil war.
"There would be no civil war. We have problems, we have some kind of extremists who are fighting against each other. They are not representing the whole society," he said.
He also defended the US military presence in Iraq.
"The immediate departure of coalition forces would only unleash the terrorists," Talabani said. "I cannot promise when or how the American presence will completely end in Iraq but I can promise that American soldiers do not fight in vain."
And then there's that pesky intelligence report that has turned into such a heated debate. From My Way News:
A declassified government intelligence report says the war in Iraq has become a "cause celebre" for Islamic extremists, breeding deep resentment of the U.S. that is likely to get worse before it gets better.
[...]
The report said:
- The increased role of Iraqis in opposing al-Qaida in Iraq might lead the terror group's veteran foreign fighters to focus their efforts outside the country.
- While Iran and Syria are the most active state sponsors of terror, many other countries will be unable to prevent their resources from being exploited by terrorists.
- The underlying factors that are fueling the spread of the extremist Muslim movement outweigh its vulnerabilities. These factors are entrenched grievances and a slow pace of reform in home countries, rising anti-U.S. sentiment and the Iraq war.
- Groups "of all stripes" will increasingly use the Internet to communicate, train, recruit and obtain support.
Nicely spun, of course. Again from My Way News:
"The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement," the report said.
"Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight," it said.
Democrats, hoping to take control of Congress in the November elections, pounced on media leaks about the report as evidence that Bush's Iraq policy had worsened the global terrorism threat.
[...]
"But once again there's a leak out of our government, coming right down the stretch in this campaign, in order to create confusion in the minds of the American people, in my judgment is why they leaked it," Bush said.
Bush said he agreed with the report's conclusion that successes against the al Qaeda leadership had led to extremists "becoming more diffuse and independent" and that they were using Iraq as a recruiting tool.
But, he said, "some people have guessed what's in the report and have concluded that going into Iraq was a mistake. I strongly disagree. I think it's naive."
All in all, no surprises really, if you've been paying attention. The highlights, in my opinion:
- If the Jihadists fail in Iraq, fewer fighters will want to join the club. Makes sense to me.
- The Iraq War is creating more Jihadists and terrorists. Makes sense, doesn't it? If the point above is true, surely the Jihadist powers that be will press harder to win and encourage more to join their merry little band. But the report doesn't say that Iraq created the problem, which is an important point, in my view. They have been attacking us for some twenty years now, and to simply ignore these people and hope that they go away, it seems to me, would be the height of stupidity and naivete.
- Opponents of POTUS are going to continue to politicize this for all it's worth. No alternate plans, mind you, just criticism.
- We need an even greater intelligence-gathering capability and improved foreigh policy in places where Jihadists will likely gather to train and recruit, like Africa, Somolia, the Phillipines and the Middle East.
- Greater first-responder training on the home front.
- Border control, north and south.
- More Special Forces, who have been worth their weight in gold the last several years.
- We have to expect the enemy to fight back when we hit them, just as we have done. They are committed and they are dangerous. And if they want to die for their cause, let's oblige them.
- Less in-fighting between Democrats and Republicans. Let's work together and stop these people, so that our children won't have to.
- And find out who is leaking this stuff and put a damn stop to it. An arrest for treason should do the trick.
Here's what Afghan President Karzai said today about terrorism and his country, from Hot Air. Excellent video. And there's more on Karzai at blonde sagacity.
And we must, now and always, Honor the fallen.
More from Michelle Malkin.
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