FORCES KILL AL QAEDA IN IRAQ EMIR OF BAGHDAD

HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND ^ | September 27, 2005 | cpicpressdesk@iraq.centcom.mil.

[andie74]

I think that we are seeing the decimation of this crew. Zarqawi is soon, I am sure of it.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Map compliments of CENTCOM.

[Walkingfeather]

obviously using the rivers as their main transport routes.

[dennisw]

Another Jihadist junkie gets wasted! way to go!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

More from the Fourth Rail:

« The Anbar Campaign Continues | Main | The Demise of Abu Azzam »
September 26, 2005
al Qaeda Commander and 20 Terrorists Killed in Raid
By Bill Roggio

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The Coalition continues to conduct targeted strikes on al Qaeda in the Qaim region along the Syrian border. A safe house in the town of Al 'Ushsh, which is about two miles from Qaim, was destroyed. Abu Nasir, who according to CENTCOM was believed to be “a senior al Qaeda in Iraq foreign fighter facilitator and the alleged new al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Karabilah” was among an estimated twenty terrorists killed in the attack.

Abu Nasir's tenure as al Qaeda Emir of the Qaim region was short-lived. He follows in the footsteps of Abu Ali, who was confirmed killed during a targeted airstrike in Haditha on September 18. Command in the Qaim region, like that in the Mosul region, is becoming a difficult job to retain.

Coalition intelligence in western Anbar appears to be improving, as senior al Qaeda leaders and large cells have been the targets of numerous successful operations. Col. Stephen Davis, the commander of the Marines Regimental Combat Team 2 states that the recent push along the Euphrates is the direct result of intelligence gains; “The buildup is driven by the fact that intelligence pulls us where the threat is… We always go where the intel drives us.”

Whether the operations in and around Qaim are beginning to achieve the desired result of disrupting al Qaeda’s organization as has been done in northern Iraq in the Tal Afar-Qaim region remains to be seen. As the terrorist’s area of operations shrink, they are likely to congregate in the areas where they are most comfortable, and attack from these areas. A greater density of terrorists means a greater pool of talent to draw from, so there is very likely much additional work to be done to whittle down al Qaeda’s command structure in Anbar.

The congregation of terrorists into smaller areas has both positive and negative outcomes. The positives are the density of terrorists operating in a compact area tends to poison the local population, opens doors for new intelligence leads, and allows for easier targeting of terrorists en masse. Coalition strikes in Qaim or operations in Mosul are perfect examples of this. The negatives are the volume of attacks increases, and Iraqi government and Coalition are seen as ineffective in establishing law and order both locally and internationally.

As al Qaeda finds it more difficult to operate in northern Iraq, and has pretty much conceded that they cannot conduct successful attacks in the Kurdish and Shiite regions on a consistent basis, their area of effective operations is shrinking. The map of the density of attacks clearly shows the insurgency has centered its operations to the north and east of Baghdad, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, with Baghdad being the ultimate target. The Coalition is working to shut down the Tigris and Euphrates ratlines, as the recent operation in Tal Afar and operations in Qaim and along the Euphrates demonstrates.

The attacks on Baghdad, while having no real military value, are achieving the desired political and propaganda effects of feeding the Western media’s passion for gory headlines that project failure in Iraq. It should be noted that Coalition successes in targeting al Qaeda leadership and operatives rarely, if ever, leads in the headlines, while al Qaeda successes get top billing. Today is no different - the headline At Least 25 Are Killed in Day of Violence Across Iraq [New York Times] sells, while al Qaeda Commander and 20 Terrorists Killed in Raid does not exist, unless you happened to stumble upon this site.

Map compliments of CENTCOM.

[tubebender]

Reminds me of the war maps of WWII with the arrows showing which units were engaging the Nazis...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Have you seen the Flash Presentation on the Anbar Campaign?

It does just that.....Keep checking back here!

[WestVirginiaRebel]

We all love Seven, but Seven needs to learn how to spell, it's Rock, not Rack, lol! Examples:

Gun rack

A nice rack

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Another Blog:

Reflections on the Flash Presentation on The Anbar Campaign

**************************************************

Fourth Rail narrative and entry to the Flash Presentation

Recent Iraq Operations - A Flash Presentation

[elhombrelibre]

We are grinding the top, middle, and bottom levels down. These are heavy blows, and much of what gets done here isn't even making the news. Stay tuned. We are going forward and will finish the job. The bed-wetters will see they were wrong on everything. I mean everything.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

A nice rack

Yes!

[Soaring Feather]

LOL I am fond of Seven's spelling!! She can RACK ITTTTTT anyday!!
LOL you need to know that moose have racks, too.

[Chena]

Thanks for pinging me to the "links"! Wonderful news!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Chrissie is behind in his news gathering....

Another Blog of interest:

Patterns of Analysis

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It has been developing for some time, but only the Blogs were saying much that gave a decent picture...the MSM is trying to play a totally different angle.

[MinuteGal]

There's a tomb rises up where the Euphrates rolls
And graved there in characters clear
Is; "Stranger, when passing, oh pray for the soul
Of Azzam al Skyhook Emir"

Rest in Pieces, Al baby

Leni

[politicalwit]

"His name can be simplified:

Scumbag"

I can make it even shorter and simplier...."DEAD"

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Lovely!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Got some good Blogs linked on this thread, that SevenofNine posted a link to....

[little jeremiah]

"Losing the resolve" - that's where the leftist "anti-war" crowd and their sycophants aka as the mainstreammedia come in... The American branch of Islamic jihad support.