Iraq insurgents offer to stop attacks

AP on Yahoo ^ | 6/28/06 | Steven R. Hurst and Qassim Abdul-Zahra - ap

[NormsRevenge]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered to halt attacks on the U.S.-led military if the Iraqi government and President Bush set a two-year timetable for withdrawing all foreign troops from the country, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The demand is part of a broad offer from the groups, who operate north of Baghdad in the heavily Sunni Arab provinces of Salahuddin and Diyala. Although much of the fighting has been to the west, those provinces have become increasingly violent and the attacks there have regularly crippled oil and commerce routes.

The groups do not include the powerful Islamic Army in Iraq, Muhammad Army and the Mujahedeen Shura Council, the umbrella label for eight militant groups including al-Qaida in Iraq. But the new offer comes at a time when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government is reaching out to militant Sunnis, including a new amnesty plan for insurgent fighters.

Al-Maliki, in remarks broadcast on national television Wednesday, did not issue an outright rejection of the timetable demand but said it was unrealistic because he could not be certain when the Iraqi army and police would be strong enough to assume full responsibility for the country's security.

Eight of the 11 insurgent groups banded together to approach al-Maliki's government under the name of The 1920 Revolution Brigade. All 11, however, have issued identical demands, said the insurgent representatives and government officials.

The officials spoke on condition of anomymity because of the sensitivity of the information and for fear of retribution.

[Sax]

...and turn in those that won't??

[ClearCase_guy]

Clearly, we need to cut and run a lot faster!

[frogjerk]

The terrorists are hurting. Hit them harder!

[Lunatic Fringe]

QUAGMIRE! QUAGMIRE!

[NormsRevenge]

I agree, Time to ratchet it up.

Hopefully those fleeing will be caught at the borders or turned in, there seems to be a lot of that going around lately, well some anyway. ;-).

Time to clean this joint up.

[sgtbono2002]

These guys have been listening to our media and Murtha, Kennedy, Kerry, and the rest of the traitorous POS.

What further proof could you want that aid and comfort is being given to them by these Traitors.

[Froufrou]

What's so special about two years? Is that how long before the yellow cake arrives?

[Buck W.]

Now they're sounding like Democrats.

[RightWhale]

If the terrorists would first stop terrorizing, the Americans could leave this afternoon.

[NormsRevenge]

*RETRANSMITTING FOR IMPROVED QUALITY**This photo released by the United States Marine Corps shows Staff Sgt. Raymond Plouhar, 30, of Lake Orion, Mich., handing candy to students at the Al Nabatiya Elementary School on May 9, 2006 in Iraq. Plouhar, who appeared in Michael Moore's acclaimed documentary 'Fahrenheit 9/11' died Monday, June 26, 2006, of wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, the Defense Department announced Tuesday. (AP Photo/US Marine Corps, Cpl. Mark Sixbey)

[savedbygrace]

I think should study this offer in great detail before responding.

No.

[Froufrou]

Thank you for that visual. I've often heard the soldiers like more than anything to give to the children. Makes me proud.

[aynrandfreak]

The insurgents in these groups will just join with the bigger groups that haven't agreed to stop the attacks.

[dead]

Its just negotiations.

Counter offer: Stop attacks with no conditions and you might not die this year.

[ark_girl]

2 years = June 2008 = US Presidential Election

just a theory....

Besides, they probably want to set a date for the same reason we don't want one and they knew we would have given them the finger if they had tried to say 1 year. That tells them how long they could bide their time to try and come back and seize power since they can't win it outright.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered to halt attacks on the U.S.-led military if the Iraqi government and President Bush set a two-year timetable for withdrawing all foreign troops from the country, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

This actually sounds very very good....if we are to believe them. Id rather us get the hell out of this country sooner rather than later.

[TSchmereL]

IT IS CALLED A HUDNA, MR. BUSH!

DON'T LISTEN TO THEM.

[Just A Nobody]

These guys have been listening to our media and Murtha, Kennedy, Kerry, and the rest of the traitorous POS.

Beat me to it, but bears repeating.

[Graymatter]

Like to see their white flags and broken swords first.

[finnman69]

Zapping the Zarkman was a major turning point.

[StJacques]

I view this as an offer that should be treated as a "starting point," to enable the Iraqi government to divide the Sunni insurgents among themselves, separating them into "Secularists" and "Islamists." In my opinion there can never be any settlement with the "Islamists," but bringing the "Secularists" into open discourse with the Iraqi government may advance the isolation of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and other hard-line Islamists that is already an on-going development within the struggle. Sooner or later we can only succeed when an overwhelming majority of Iraqi Sunnis decide of their own free will to back the new Iraqi government, thus marginalizing the hard-line "Islamists" to the point where we can all be confident that the government can defend itself. A large number of Iraqi Sunnis are already in open conflict with Al Qaeda in Iraq and other hard-line Islamists, which is a natural result of the Sunni discovery that the Islamists are ready to kill anyone and everyone, whether guilty or innocent of opposing them.

I also would like to make clear that I am not proposing any outright acceptance of the terms the eleven insurgent groups have offered. I merely state that it would be a good idea to divide our enemies against themselves and this may present us with an opportunity to do that.

[Froufrou]

Well, that makes perfect sense. All the more reason to be suspicious! ;p

[kidd]

Gee, the terrorists are offering us more time than the democrats did.

[for-q-clinton]

They should say sure. then in 2 years just say we aren't ready due to the other Sunni groups still fighting.

[Just A Nobody]

This actually sounds very very good....

You think it is good to allow the terrorist murderers of the Iraqis and our Troops to decide how and when the war will be fought?

[leadpenny]

I'm surprised these groups haven't also offered to NOT impeach President Bush since they clearly plan to take over the House of Representatives this November. Could they be any more obvious?

[Pirate21]

The terrorists are hurting. Hit them harder!

I agree. They seem to "talk" when their backs are against the wall.

This should prove to the cut-and-run crowd that the enemy wants a timeline in order to try to win.
Hopefully we'll stick hard and fast to the "don't negotiate with terrorists" rule.

[thinkthenpost]

I like the idea of setting a date, maybe something like January 1, 2010 or 2011. I believe you then say something like, we have reviewed the situation on the ground and will complete withdrawal on October 4th, 2009, or 2007, 3 months, or 27 months ahead of schedule, or following consultations with our Iraqi allies we will have to move our withdrawal date to 01-01-2014. Regardless you take away a talking point from the opposition. The more they rant the more unhinged they seem, (as thought that's possible); My opinion only,.....

[frogjerk]

UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER IS THE ONLY OFFER WE WILL ACCEPT!

[scottdeus12]

"I like the idea of setting a date, maybe something like January 1, 2010 or 2011"

Why would you give terrorists the benefit of ANY date.......

Let's put it this way. You like in a neighborhood where there's a known criminal, terrorist, etc....Would you disclose to them when you are leaving your home? My guess is no.....

[Pirate21]

...insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press...

Insurgent officials?!?!?!?!? Oh man, AP at its finest.

Just who all is talking to whom?! I hope the Iraqi gov't isn't negotiating with the terrorists. And, who are the AP's contacts among the terrorists?
(Seething here.)

[TSchmereL]

An Islamists' "ceasefire" is called a "hudna" in Arabic. It is also known as a hudibiyya or khudaibiya. It is a tactical ceasefire that allows them to rebuild their terrorist infrastructure in order to be more effective when it is called off.

[armymarinedad]

I'm surprised their first offer was two years. Although Al-Maliki is the spokesperson for the negotiations it's important to remember that our embassy and military leaders in Iraq are two of the major advisers to the negotiations.

[Calusa]

HUDNA

Is that somewhat like Chutzpah!

[alloysteel]

This is a sucker deal.

Just hold off, the US and coalition forces leave, then they sweep in and upset the tenuous balance, re-imposing something like another Saddam Hussein, or opening the door to subjugation of the rest of Iraq to chaos and poverty.

It doesn't have to be that way.

[TSchmereL]

Not exactly. But it requires chutzpah to request a hudna.

[art_rocks]

The sad part. If the insurgents had not started their attacks after the war, we would have started to draw down last year and be planning to leave this year.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Truces, Arab Style

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

"What is being touted as a 'cease-fire' is something called a 'hudna.' A hudna [also known as a hudibiyya or khudaibiya] is a tactical cease-fire that allows the Arabs to rebuild their terrorist infrastructure in order to be more effective when the "cease-fire" is called off." -- "Cease-fire?" by Shira A. Drissman

• Overview
• "Kill them so that they know they are dying." How Prince Jarema Wisniowiecki dealt with envoys who brought a 17th-century hudna proposal
•  "I would not live in this Commonwealth, for I should be ashamed." Those who wish to negotiate with vicious enemies like terrorists are shanbiony or shanbiona.
• Dialogue of the Athenians and the Melians (Thucydides). The strong need not negotiate at all.
  • Negotiating with the enemy shows weakness
    
• Noam Chomsky, Tikkun.org, and the Geneva "negotiatiors" as reincarnations of King Henry VI
  
  • Neville Chamberlain
  • Pearl Harbor

[rocksblues]

NUTS!

[Pirate21]

NUTS!

  Perfect!  McAuliffe would be proud.

[1ofmanyfree]

IT IS CALLED A HUDNA, MR. BUSH!

DON'T LISTEN TO THEM.

This bears repeating, repeating, BUMP!

[don'tbedenied]

Very eloquent. This is a starting point to split them up.

[reagan_fanatic]

Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered to halt attacks on the U.S.-led military if the Iraqi government and President Bush set a two-year timetable for withdrawing all foreign troops from the country, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday

Even if they forge such an agreement, getting these rabidly anti-American groups to stop attacking American forces for two years would be impossible. Therefore, any such agreement based on those terms would fail.

[AmericanYankee]

"An Islamists' "ceasefire" is called a "hudna" in Arabic. It is also known as a hudibiyya or khudaibiya. It is a tactical ceasefire that allows them to rebuild their terrorist infrastructure in order to be more effective when it is called off."

So I assume this Hudna will last about.... 2 years?

[thinkthenpost]

I'm not leaving my home, I'm leaving my neighbor's home where I've been staying. He's still at his house.

[Marine_Uncle]

Ok. I will be carefull. We should remember. CENTCOM had scheduled back in 2004 for US troops to withdraw from Iraq peacemeal as condtions on the ground permitted by the end of 2007. This has been the plan all along. IF. The new IG would want us to partner with them, perhaps become a NATO partner, then of course plans would be adjusted to allow key units to stay long term in Iraq. To:
1)Continue long term training of Iraqi army, navy, airforce, police.
2)Maintain US and British military intel groups that would work closely with the Iraqi forces on various joint let us call them projects.
3)Within the time frame and into a perhaps five year planning schedule. Sell Iraq new weapon systems, they otherwise would never get their hands on.
4)Establish long term goals with them, to partner closely with other ME countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAI, Egypt in the WOT.
5)Do a lot of future business with the US in all areas of technology transfers (if the can be trusted at that point), oil, light and heavy industries that could spring up to provide a lot of stuff to the ME. The lists are long.
Key point though. For a few years the US has made it perfectly clear that we would pull out of Iraq perhaps in total sometimes in 2007 range.
WE ARE ON SCHEDULE. KERRY, MURTHA, PELOSI, OTHER GOONS in the demorat party, as$holes like we are reading hear we often call insurgents ( I like to group them under the the title goons), are just playing stupid little games.

[Loyal Buckeye]

At least they said "two years", and not "when there is a Dem in the White House".

[TruthRespecter]

Agreed rightwhale...I'll add a terrorist negotiation adage. Tell me the movie.

If you give a mouse a cookie...he will ask for a glass of milk.