Posted on 06/07/2004 4:25:45 AM PDT by crazycat
Obsessed by bombs and bullets, the West ignores a political renaissance, says Amir Taheri, newly returned from Iraq
Iraq today is no bed of roses, I know. I have just come back from a tour of the country. But I don’t recognise the place I have just visited as the war zone depicted by the Arab and western media.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...
I think the author might have made a mistake on this point.
I've heard Bremer say that the oil money goes into the Iraq Reconstruction Fund -- the same fund the Coalition was controlling with the US taxpayer money.
Great post!
Thanks. That's what I thought as well and this has been the case for some time. Based on what the Iraqi's found after the liberation, I could not believe they would allow the money to continue to go to the thieves at the UN.
I think I like this part best......
Ah, thank you for posting this. The one thing I have consistantly heard from our soldiers is that the Iraqi people are smart and one of the hardest working people they have ever seen outside the US. Given a chance, they will make it. They have taken to democracy like ducks to water. There are town council meetings all over Iraq, they have become fierce about protecting their civil rights. They just have to get the "responsibility" thing down to go along with that freedom and it looks like they're getting that figured out real quick.
*Extremely* interesting Fallujah news from Marine in area Email from Dave - Jun 2, 04
Dad -
Some interesting developments out of Falluja and Iraq in general that I wanted to share with you. Since we have agreed to stay at arms reach with Falluja, we have been able to focus our efforts on the surrounding towns and villages. The result is that we have made great inroads in breaking up insurgent cells through ambushes and raids. Even more important, we have began to establish an early and still fragile rapport with the people of these areas. The areas are historical sanctuaries for terrorists so they are important.
One town in particular that we have been successful in is near Falluja. During the April fight in Falluja, the muj took the town over and used it as a base of operations of sorts. From all reports, they were brutal on the people and very quickly subjugated the town. During one of the ordered pauses in the Falluja fight, we chopped a rifle company off the line with a very aggressive battalion commander. Basically he was told that we thought the muj were running lose in the area and that he should head up there and "develop the situation." I have gotten to know this guy pretty well here. He is a very good commander and a tough guy. In fact, I remember telling him that if he went past a certain point, he would be decisively engaged. We had estimated that if he got into a decisive engagement, he could be outnumbered by as much as 5:1. You can imagine what he did. He took his Marines right to that point.
Sure enough, the fight was on. It was a 360 degree engagement that lasted 8 hours. An 8 hour firefight is an eternity. To put it in perspective, this guy was in both OIF 1 battle for Baghdad as well as the Falluja fight. He states that the firefight up near this town was the toughest he has been in. We fired quite a bit of artillery and brought in a number of sorties of close air for them. By the time it was over, the estimates (now confirmed) are that they killed over a 100 muj. We could not understand why they kept coming but they did (more on that later). Throughout it all, very accurate mortar fire up to 120mm was falling inside the Marine position. Automatic weapons and RPGs were crisscrossing through the perimeter. The Marines just laid their in the micro terrain and squeezed of well aimed shots.
The Battalion Commander stayed that day until his guys broke the muj and he "owned the field" (his words). He then withdrew back to his original position. In the same town, we now have Marines living 24/7. They are conducting joint patrols with the Iraqi Police and the ICDC (Iraqi Civil Defense Corps). When they first arrived, the people were very standoffish and even hostile. Now we are getting more and more walk up intelligence (where the locals literally risk their lives in order to walk into our lines and tell us where the muj are). The reason for the turnaround is simple. We have pushed through the bow wave of intimidation and terror that dominated the town when the muj were there. The Marines did it through aggressive raiding and downright obstinate refusal to budge regardless of the costs. The people were watching the entire time and have made up their own minds where their best future lies. It has gotten to the point where the mujahadeen are now firing mortars indiscriminately into the town as it is the only effective means of maintaining any kind of influence over the people. Yesterday, they grievously wounded to citizens doing just that.
That is not to say that the town is a bed of roses for the Marines as we still have plenty of contact in the area and it is very dangerous but we are grinding them down and are about to put a good pounding on the enemy in the next few days. The people are talking and we are about to pay some more visits in the middle of the night. I could give you a couple more examples but it is a good illustration of what kind of work the Marines are doing every day.
As far as Falluja goes, we have not been allowed to get back in there with any real numbers yet. Initially, it was confounding. However, a very interesting dynamic has developed. Since we have stayed out of Falluja and focused elsewhere, the mujahadeen have had their run of the town. As they have had no one to fight, they have turned their criminal instincts on the citizens. The clerics who once were whipping these idiots into a suicidal frenzy are now having to issue Fatwas (holy decrees) admonishing the muj for extortion, rape, murder and kidnapping. It is unfortunate for the "innocent people" of Falluja but the mujahadeen have betrayed themselves as the thugs that they are by brutalizing the civilians. There are, in fact, reports of rape, etc from inside the town.
While the muj are thugging away inside the town, we are about 1/2 mile away paying claims, entering into dialogue and contracting jobs. The citizens come outside the city for work and money and are treated like human beings. They go back inside and enter a lawless hell. In short, the muj have done more to show the people what hypocrites they are in a few short weeks than we could have hoped for in a year. The result is more and more targetable intelligence. If we are given the green light, we can really go to town on these guys (no pun intended). However, as much as we would like to do just that, the optimal solution is to empower the Iraqis to take care of it themselves. That is precisely what we are doing.
Equally astounding is evidence that these "holy warriors" are taking drugs to get high before attacks. It true, as we pushed into the town in April many Marines came across drug paraphernalia (mostly heroin). Recently, we have gotten evidence of them using another drug BZ that makes them high and very aggressive. Cowards and hypocrites. They don't have the nerve to fight without calming their fear with drugs. Between highs, they are robbing people and raping young girls. Some jihad.
Unfortunately, Al Qaeda is here and they are some of the most brutal beings that you can imagine. I say "beings" because they do not qualify as human beings. They prey upon the "holy warriors" above and are in league with them teaching them tactics and employing them to execute attacks. Money to pay for the attacks comes from neighboring states. Al Qaeda, the same people that espouse creating a Islamic State that is global and living under the "purist form of God's laws", are working with drug addicts and rapists. Someone will have to explain that on to me some day.
For now we are gearing up for the inevitable offensive that the former regime guys, local criminals and Al Qaeda will wage this summer. It will be brutal as they are on a systematic campaign to murder anyone who is even half-way moderate. If any leader gains traction that is not 100% anti-coalition and pro-anarchy, is at immediate risk. Yesterday's positive world media coverage of the naming of the interim government will probably accelerate the mayhem somewhat. It is a fight that is inevitable. So long as we can keep the Iraqi people's nerve up and keep as many leaders alive as possible, we will crush the enemy when he surfaces. We are hopeful to take a little wind out of their sails with some pre-emptive work over the next few days.
I will let you know how it goes.
Love,
D
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
Interesting
Prior to the Taliban and drugs, high-adventure tourism was a staple of Afghanistan's economy. It will probably be so again one day.
No reporters are allowed into the city, not even Muslims, due to paranoia. IGC reps are heavily escorted in and out fast, no touring. The dozen or so original muj groups are still there and have between 400-700 foreign muj. As I posted earlier, they want a last stand. There is a lot of mutual distrust between them though as we have infiltrated them with locals, paid for info.
The ICDC/FB are very nervous, won't sleep at their bases/posts in the city but have set up tent bivouacs outside town and away from Marine camps. The very few returning residents are being told to stay out or are steered to other villages. Al-Jawlan is completely dominated by muj who are collecting arms and fighters. Local imams are the only local authority over the foreign muj and have gone Taliban on the city. Local sheikhs are holed up with their fighters in their own compounds and are laying low, not wanting to mix it up with the Marines again. They are helping by not allowing the muj generally outside al-Jawlan.
We'll let them build up until the ICDC/FB says uncle, get all the intel we need and them snuff 'em before the fight begins in Mosul/Tikrit/Irbil. This time we have lots of Marine armor and a full MAW, lots of intel and another 12k Marine MEU in country, moving north.
Night mortar and rocket attacks are starting up again, been very quiet for 3 weeks. Look for a Tet style offensive soon.
Nor should one believe the claims of self-styled experts that the Iraqis are not ready for freedom. During the past 10 months elections have been held in 37 municipalities. In each case victory went to the moderate, liberal and secular candidates. The former Ba’athists, appearing under fresh labels, failed to win a single seat. Hardline Islamist groups collected 1% to 3% of the vote.
This is what I kept saying to people that my experience with Iraqis over the years was.
This country was once a lead dog in civilization. It can be a leader again, of a cultural revolution in the Mid-East, and I sincerely believe it will be. It was a great mistake for us to allow Hussein to have hold over this region for so long.
Yes, it appears there will soon be a very violent effort to determine who will reign in Fallujah. I predict it will look more like gang warfare than an anti-coalition fight against the Marines. While it's tempting to just sit back and let the dogs have their fight, I'm not sure we want to live with the consequences if the wrong dog wins. It will require real finesse to influence the fight without giving all the armed thugs in Fallujah a common enemy. You've got to wonder what the Marines have up their sleeves this time.
Good readin'!
"Yes, it appears there will soon be a very violent effort to determine who will reign in Fallujah."
Fallujah will have a Sunni mayor and some representative to the government. As soon as Saddam is executed for crimes against humanity, Fallujah will go quietly.
The problem is that the Doomsters own all the ink and newsprint, here in the USA, not to mention 90% of the air waves. The truth won't get their boy Kerry elected, nor a majority of their ilk elected to Congress.
"The truth shall make you free"- but not if you never hear it.
I think you are right in the long run. But in the short-term, there are a lot of different elements competing for a piece of the pie, and they are all getting a little nervous about staking their claim in Fallujah.
It appears the Iraqis are not reading the newspapers or listening to Nancy Pelosi.
Bump for Victory and Freedom!
Can Iraq become a democracy? “There is no need to ask the question,” says Hoshyar Zebari, who has retained his post as foreign minister. “Iraq today has no choice but to become a democracy. Our people know that without democracy there will be no Iraq.”
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