The news that the Islamic Army of Iraq (one of the main Sunni insurgent groups) fought a battle against al-Qaeda for control of a Baghdad neighborhood would, in a decent world, put to a rest the idea that we're fighting some consolidated "jihadist" menace in Iraq. We're fighting a whole bunch of people. Many of those people are fighting other people who we're also fighting. And only a tiny minority of the people we're fighting in Iraq are even loosely tied to al-Qaeda.
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Sunnis Versus Al-Qaeda
02 Jun 2007 12:26 am
Comments (10)
It's also worth noting that the mayor of the neighborhood where the Islamic Army for Life is taking on Al Qaeda also said "but if the Americans interfere, it will blow up, because they are the enemy of us both, and we will unite against them and stop fighting each other." This is per the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053100455.html
Not exactly what I'd call a loyal ally.
It's just a trick so we let our guard down!
Do you buy the notion that those living in Iraq don't want whatever small numbers of al-Qaeda operatives that are there as a result of Saddam being gone and will do a better job of getting rid of them since they know the area better than we do? It's an attractive idea for many reasons.
Nice to see some on the left finally understand this point, which we on the right have known for quite a while. However, I would expect the left to go apoplectic at the very idea that the US isn't the sole enemy in Iraq. After all, when Joe Klein pointed out the (old, to us on the right) news that the Iraqi insurgents were fighting al Qaeda, successfully, in Anbar, the left could hardly have hated Klein more. But of course when it comed to Iraq, the reality based community has quite a knack for refusing to accept reality.
Al,
You know perfectly well that this is not the first time the left has realized this (and no, I will not put up links). Similarly I assume you to be aware that there is a substantial group on the right that is interested in large-scale civilizational strife instead of focusing on specific divisions among those who are not like us.
Where the right (that is those on the right who understand this is not a monolithic Mohammedan moon-cultist menace) goes wrong is in occasionally suggesting that this intra-Muslim or even intra-extremist violence shows that things will improve drastically for the (not particularly clear) American cause. Groups that sometimes fight against each other in Iraq fight against American forces at different times, with the exception of groups like the Kurdish leadership that have been decisively enabled by the American presence.
It's been settled fact for many years now that 5% or less of the insurgency in Iraq consists of so-called "foreign fighters," and it's the right, not the left, that has consistently lied about this or failed to understand it altogether.
The vast majority of violence in Iraq is sectarian violence that has nothing to do with us. Yet we still hear Bush ranting about how the enemy in Iraq is the enemy who attacked us on 9/11, and they'll follow us home if we leave. Any lie will do if it helps him achieve his goal of staying in Iraq forever, I guess.
I'm encouraged to see the Sunni majority, so long oppressed by Saddam and his al-Qaeda allies, finally take the fight to bin Laden's Shi'ite forces. This could be the sea change that finally breaks the back of the Shi'ite Saddamist insurgents. Actually, I suspect the hand of Iran in the fact that there's an effective insurgency in Iraq at all. It's essential to Iran's continued influence in the region to undermine the new Sunni majority democratic government in Iraq. And if our Sunni allies in overthrowing Saddam engage in a little "payback" against their former Shi'ite overlords, well, who can blame them?
...What?
""but if the Americans interfere, it will blow up, because they are the enemy of us both, and we will unite against them and stop fighting each other." This is per the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/31/AR2007053100455.html
Not exactly what I'd call a loyal ally."
Well, yeah! It's all according to plan: if we were to intervene, it would be because we'd decided our Sunni-insurgent proteges hadn't gotten enough practice, and needed a couple more rounds.
Nice to see some on the right finally understand this point, which we on the left have known for quite a while. However, I would expect the right to go apoplectic at the very idea that al Qaeda isn't the sole enemy in Iraq. After all, when Joe Klein pointed out the old (to us on the left) news that the Iraqi insurgents were fighting al Qaeda successfully in Anbar, the left could hardly have hated Klein more for totally different reasons. But of course when it comes to Iraq, the reality based community has quite a knack for accepting reality.
Comments closed June 16, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
well, this obviously vindicates Bush's strategy --- I doubt these guys could've lasted long against al Qaeda if not for the experience garnered from fighting the Americans. As they stand up, we'll stand down.
Posted by tennin | June 2, 2007 2:04 AM