I would say we wait till we have about 8 more active duty combat brigades. Current troops levels are not high enough to passify Afganistan, control and rebuild Iraq
AND take on Syria.
At this point, invading Syria would only further stretch the frontline in the war against terror. That so many Syrians are able to enter Iraq with hostile intentions is a clear indication that we're stretched thin, and since nobody else will help out, the main goal now is to get a large-enough force of Iraqi security personnel up and running to do more of the grunt work. Only when that's accomplished can we even think about significantly scaling back the army's peacekeeping duties in Iraq so it can potentially be used for other offensive operations.
Good article. Let's us know what we're up against. They're going to have to do some work on that Syrian border - shut off the flow of resistors. These aren't dead-enders, here - it's fresh talent.
This is where the Turks would be of great help, if only the Iraqis would allow it. The Turks could seal off that border in no time at all, and would be great at eliminating the terrorists as they come across. The media would never even know they were being eliminated since they rarely go outside of their hotels in Baghdad.
Foreigners? The people who took over the airplanes on 9/11 were from places such as Egypt and Arabia. Does anybody in their right mind think deposing Hussein and occupying Iraq ever was central to the issue?
Propaganda...
http://www.as-sahwah.com/discus/messages/6/7140.html MONTH OF RAMADAN, ERUPTION UPON ERUPTION
IslamicAwakening.Com Discussion Board: Jihaad: MONTH OF RAMADAN, ERUPTION UPON ERUPTION
By aony on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 01:03 am: Edit
MONTH OF RAMADAN, ERUPTION UPON ERUPTION
Posted on Thursday, November 07 @ 07:15:30 ICT
Islam (from talibanonline.com)
"So it is upon you, O youth of Islam, that you should wake up, and rouse from your heedlessness, for the period of sleep is over. Truly the period for sleep is over, and the time for Jihad and fighting has started; sacrifice, generosity and Jihad in the way of ALLAH. Proceed with the blessings of ALLAH: you will be guarded by the care of ALLAH, and His attention, and ALLAH will send down upon you his succour"
by Sheikh Umar Abdur-Rahman
Alhamdulillah was Salatu was Salamu 'ala Rasoolillah
O Youth of Islam in every corner of the earth, we are receiving the month of Ramadan. We are to receive wonderful nights and prosperous days, and we will encounter in it exuberant and dashing Iman, which fills the heart and outpours upon the limbs, and we will encounter taqwa of ALLAH: SO THAT YOU MAY ATTAIN TAQWA ; taqwa which is the sensitivity in the hairs and the alertness of the conscious. So fasting takes us to the ultimate grades of taqwa through zuhd (abstinence) and piety after we have reached, through the other ibadat, to the initial grades of taqwa through moderation and steadfastness. And when all the wajibat (obligations) have born fruit from taqwa: restraint from evil prohibitions, then taqwa itself bears fruit from fasting; broader and more encompassing, since it teaches us how to refrain from some halal and mubah (permissible) and from the necessities of life.
Thus the beginning of purity is purity of the righteous ones by leaving off the prohibitions, and the conclusion of purity is purity of the excellent ones, by freeing one's self from luxurious ways and a life of enjoyment, until when tomorrow comes, he finds good fortune; the caller calls to the great sacrifice; that of jihad in the way of ALLAH, and we are there. We have made preparations for the matter since we have practised patience and its hardship, and on that day we will be pleased with thirst, fatigue, and hunger in the sake of the wajib. And we will not be pleased to return to luxury, and enjoyment under humiliation and in the grip of the usurper. So if you fast, O Muslim youth, then you have trained in patience and have become accustomed to it. You have learnt not to degrade yourself for a morsel of life. And you are prepared at any time to suppress your stomach by leaving food in which there is humiliation and weakness. You train yourself upon dignity and strength, upon steadfastness and patience, so you are not humbled to creation whatever its location, and that a morsel of life does not affect your nobility and honour, and you do not bow your head because of it, for verily you only bow your head to One to whom faces are humbled: , AND FACES WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES BEFORE AL-HAYY (THE LIVING), AL-QAYYUM (THE ETERNAL), AND HE WHO BEARS WRONGDOING WILL INDEED BE A FAILURE. Fasting trains you to reduce your food as much as possible, and as long as that happens, it will affect your dignity and strength. Taqwa, taught to us through fasting, comprises firstly of restraint and dissolution, then secondly that of setting up and building. So the matter does not end with silencing the voice of desires; verily it is silencing the voice of desires whilst establishing the voice of truth and guidance. You must release your tongue with the word of truth and da'wah to constancy upon it, and you should raise your voice in forbidding the evil without shyness or fear. Do not be taken aback for the sake of ALLAH by the blame of those who blame, then the world will shake and the distant lands will tremble whilst you are speaking the truth and exposing the oppressor.
Indeed the month of Ramadan will give you strength and steadfastness and will grant you a strong determination, a sure decision and relentlessness in speaking the truth. Indeed the fasting of Ramadan is eruption upon eruption; eruption from which you can take generosity, and kindness. The Messenger of ALLAH (SALLAHU 'alaihi wa sallam) was the most generous of men and was even more generous in Ramadan; you take du'a AND WHEN MY SLAVES ASK YOU CONCERNING ME, THEN INDEED I AM NEAR, I RESPOND TO THE DU'A OF THE SUPPLICATOR WHEN HE CALLS UPON ME ; you take from it rukoo', sujood, qiyam and activity: Whoever spent Ramadan with Iman and hoping for reward , is forgiven for his past sins. . You take from it i'tikaf in the last ten days; 'Aisha (Radi'ALLAHU 'anha) said: When he entered the last ten days of Ramadan, the Messenger of ALLAH (SALLAHU 'alaihi wa sallam) would tighten his izar (waist wrapper), spend the night in prayer, and waken his family.
And the fasting of Ramadan is an eruption which trembles and shakes the thrones of oppression and tyranny, annihilates and erases the palaces of rebellion and rancour. Across the range of Islamic history, upheavals occurred in Ramadan and Jihad used to increase and multiply. In the heart of Islam, the day of Badr was in Ramadan, as well as the day of Conquest, during it were heard words of upheaval and strength, and disassociation from weakness, cowardice, and lassitude; such was Miqdad bin 'Amro from the companions of the Messenger of ALLAH (SALLAHU 'alaihi wa sallam), saying words which were ringing out in the world:
Continue O Messenger of ALLAH for what you will, for we are with you. By ALLAH we will not say to you as the Bani Israeel said to Musa: 'Go you and your Lord and fight, we will sit here' , but we say ' Go you and your Lord and fight and indeed we will fight along with you, we will fight on your right and on your left, in front of you and from behind you. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, if you were to take us to Bark Al-Ghamad we will still fight resolutely with you against its defenders until you gained it.
The Messenger of ALLAH (SALLAHU 'alaihi wa sallam) became pleased and made a du'a for him for good, then he (SALLAHU 'alaihi wa sallam) said: Advise me O people by which he meant the Ansar. Then Sa'd bin Muadh said: By ALLAH, I feel you want us to speak?, he said Oh yes. So Sa'd bin Muadh said:
O Messenger of ALLAH we have believed in you and have attested to you, and we have born witness that what you have brought us is the truth, and for that we have given you our pledge and covenant for patience and obedience to you. So proceed O Messenger of ALLAH where you will, for by the One in whose Hand my soul is , if you were to ask us to plunge ourselves into the sea, we will do that most readily, and not one man from us will stay behind. We are experienced in war and are trustworthy in combat. We hope that ALLAH will show you through our hands those deeds of valour which will please your eyes. Lead us to the battlefield with the blessing of ALLAH. Cut ties with who you wish, join ties with who you wish, make peace with who you wish, show enmity to who you wish, take from our wealth what you wish, and present us with what you wish, and that which you take from us is more beloved to us than that which you have presented us with.
These words of truth were heard by the world and by history during Ramadan. Similarly we heard the speech of our Noble Messenger SALLAHU 'alaihi wa sallam in Ramadan on the day of the Conquest of Makkah, a day he entered triumphant, victorious and came the Victory of ALLAH and the Conquest. He said to the people of Makkah whilst they were sitting beside the Masjid al Haraam: There is no deity but ALLAH, the One, who was True to His promise, gave victory to His slave, and defeated the confederates on His own. O people of Makkah, what do you think I am to do with you ? they said, Good, a noble brother, son of a noble brother. He said: Go for you are all free.
And whilst Ramadan is eruption upon eruption,then indeed Ramadan is also a fire and a light-fire which rages in the hearts of the enemies and inflames and ignites them; and a light which penetrates the hearts of the awliyaa (allies of ALLAH) gently rocks their souls, anoints their limbs, illuminates their path and implants in them determination, zeal, and power.
So O Muslim youth in every corner of the earth, rush to it with a tremendous, strong and thundering eruption INTIMIDATE WITH IT THE ENEMIES OF ALLAH AND YOUR ENEMY, AND OTHERS BESIDES WHOM YOU MAY NOT KNOW, BUT ALLAH DOES KNOW. Chase from behind them with strength and force so that they may remember; announce the Islamic Jihad in every land of Jihad, and multiply the effort; ask for ALLAH to shower His mercy, and He will bring you His help and send with you forces you do not see.
O Muslim Youth, in every place, you must move, expend blood and sweat, work night and day in the way of ALLAH and to make high His Word.
Eliminate the thrones of the kings and leaders, those who see the wealth of the Muslims and their lands as permissible and its squandering inherited; the kings and leaders for whom it is not matter to gather the wealth, power and authority in their hands. Eliminate these thrones of falsehood, causing the truth to triumph, and bringing the falsehood to nothing.
THAT HE MIGHT CAUSE THE TRUTH TO TRIUMPH AND BRING FALSEHOOD TO NOTHING, EVEN THOUGH THE CRIMINALS MAY HATE IT.
Erupt upon the people of oppression and tyranny, remove them from the surface of the earth, and bury them in its depths. Cleanse the life from this impurity and filth, those who make people taste distress, and cram the Muslim youth into prison camps.
So it is upon you, O youth of Islam, that you should wake up, and rouse from your heedlessness, for the period of sleep is over. Truly the period for sleep is over, and the time for Jihad and fighting has started; sacrifice, generosity and Jihad in the way of ALLAH. Proceed with the blessings of ALLAH: you will be guarded by the care of ALLAH, and His attention, and ALLAH will send down upon you his succour.
I say this and seek forgiveness for myself and for you
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http://www.as-sahwah.com/discus/messages/7/6800.html "Iraq - Resistance Continues"