Marriages split al Qaeda alliance (terrorists trying to arrange marriages for leverage)

The Washington Times ^ | August 31, 2007 | David R. Sands

[RDTF]

Iraq's Sunni tribes began turning against al Qaeda when the largely foreign-run terrorist organization tried to arrange forced marriages with local women to secure their foothold in the country, according to a top counterterrorism adviser to the U.S. coalition in Iraq.

Australian Col. David Kilcullen, who just completed a tour as senior counterinsurgency aide to U.S. commander Gen. David H. Petraeus in Baghdad, said in an extensive analysis that the decision by the Sunni tribes to break with al Qaeda could prove a major — if unanticipated — boost to President Bush's surge strategy in the country.

"The uprising represents very significant political progress toward reconciliation at the grass-roots level, and major security progress in marginalizing extremists and reducing civilian deaths," Col. Kilcullen wrote Wednesday in the military blog Small Wars Journal (http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog).

With an estimated 30,000 Sunni fighters in Iraq now battling their former al Qaeda allies, "the tribal revolt is arguably the most significant change in the Iraqi operating environment for several years," he added in his entry titled "Anatomy of a Tribal Revolt."

-snip-

[dirtboy]

I’ve heard of shotgun weddings, but AK-47 weddings? Yeesh.

[2banana]

Forced marriages outside the tribe have never been culturally accepted in traditional Iraqi society, and tribal leaders resisted demands for such marriages. Al Qaeda operatives responded by demanding — often violently — such marriages, killing one sheik and brutally murdering the children of another.

Islam is strange - no matter which brand...

[2banana]

Forced marriages outside the tribe have never been culturally accepted in traditional Iraqi society, and tribal leaders resisted demands for such marriages. Al Qaeda operatives responded by demanding — often violently — such marriages, killing one sheik and brutally murdering the children of another.

Islam is strange - no matter which brand...

[Maceman]

Strange? You have a gift for understatement.

[wideawake]

From what I've heard from an US officer who served over there, Al-Qaeda first began by trying to run the show and ordering the local sheiks around.

When they pushed back and reasserted their hereditary privileges as leaders of the clans, Al-Qaeda demanded to be given brides that would give them insider status and prestige in the clans.

The sheiks had little incentive to give them important wives, because many marriage alliances were already in place and the balance of power between the clans was predicated on this pretty complicated web of marriage alliances.

Al-Qaeda threatened sheiks and seized wives for themselves without permission in order to make themselves sons-in-law and brothers-in-law of the sheiks.

While they were doing this, they invoked the ancient tribal laws regarding hospitality to avoid punishment.

But their high-handed attitudes, threats, lack of respect for the sheiks, etc. has begun to seriously wear out their welcome.

[RDTF]

it’s so hard to imagine living in an atmosphere like that! I wish the lousy left wingers would realize what we are fighting to protect.

[ckilmer]

probably too the women weren’t keen to marry guys with a death wish.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

This new 21st LIBERTY Century of ours...

is really all about freeing the women of the world...

to be all that they already are in GOD’s Eyes...

and all that they can be here on the Earth.

And our terrroist enemies know it.

Shouldn’t WE, the now Free..?

.

[Tailback]

probably too the women weren’t keen to marry guys with a death wish.

The reason why there are so many guys with a death wish is that the older rich power brokers among these terrorist groups, Hamas, Hezb'Allah, Al Qaeda, etc... all suck up 4 wives each while dirt poor mohammed who's the 4th son from a poor family has no chance to get a wife. Why do you think the lure of a couple dozen virgins in paradise is so strong?

[dirtboy]

probably too the women weren’t keen to marry guys with a death wish.

If they were smart they'd take out big honkin' life insurance policies on their new hubbies.

[LZ_Bayonet]

"all suck up 4 wives each "

No wonder these "living in the last millenium" radicals fear us, try that in a country with shopping malls. [Time to find my asbestos suit.]

[RDTF]

yep - no wife means no sex, maybe ever, in their world.

Unless, of course, you are about to fly jets into a building screaming allah akbar! and then you call escort services and go to strip clubs the night before.

[skinkinthegrass]

yep - no wife means no sex, maybe ever, in their world....@ least w/humans. :/

[68skylark]

Forced marriages outside the tribe have never been culturally accepted in traditional Iraqi society, and tribal leaders resisted demands for such marriages.

Islam is strange - no matter which brand...

I don't know -- maybe it isn't that strange. Tribes want to control and dominate their young women -- not have their women taken from them. Compared to all the other strange things that go on in foreign cultures, this thought process seems almost reasonable (cruel and domineering, but reasonable).

[El Gato]

But their high-handed attitudes, threats, lack of respect for the sheiks, etc. has begun to seriously wear out their welcome.

I can see where it would. To the extent of waking up dead with a bullet hole behind their ear.

[Tailback]

Unless, of course, you are about to fly jets into a building screaming allah akbar! and then you call escort services and go to strip clubs the night before.

Don't you find that interesting? The fact that the Al Qaeda higher ups like Bin Laden (did you ever notice the higher ups never become martyrs intentionally?) endorsed such behavior for these guys while they themselves chilled out with their 4 sexual slaves is fascinating and not debated enough. It cracks me up that Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi was shacking up with a pregnant 15 year old but we don't hear a peep out of the enlightened progessive "Mainstream" media about rampant pedophilia among the "peace loving" Arabs.

[Dr. Bogus Pachysandra]

“You should have married Abdul!”
“But, Abdul, I did marry you!”
“Not me woman-creature! You should have married your cousin Abdul.”
“But Abdul, you are my cousin!”
“ I’m your second-cousin, witch! You should have married Abdul, son of Abdul, your first-cousin!