Posted on 12/26/2007 9:50:11 AM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 2007 – Having been ejected from Baghdad and its environs during the surge of forces, al Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to re-establish itself in regions north of the capital city, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said today.
Yet, while al Qaeda scrambles to reorganize itself, the terrorist group is being pressured by a triple threat consisting of coalition and Iraqi security forces and local concerned citizens’ groups, Army Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters at a Baghdad news conference.
Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commander of Multinational Division North, believes that some al Qaeda operatives who fled Baghdad are moving into his area of responsibility, Bergner said.
“We have to continue to pursue this enemy to prevent them from re-establishing themselves or creating new bases of operation,” Bergner said.
Meanwhile, the 70,000 members of Iraqi concerned citizens’ groups that have sworn to fight al Qaeda have proven to be powerful allies, Bergner said, as the capabilities and numbers of Iraqi soldiers and police continue to grow.
“The emergence of concerned local citizens has been driven by and focused on providing security at the local level in places where other forces were not capable of doing it,” Bergner explained. “At the same time that that’s happening, the capability of other forces to provide security, particularly Iraqi security forces, is growing.”
Iraqi security capabilities will be further augmented when some members of the concerned citizens groups join Iraqi army or police units, Bergner said.
Through this process, Iraqi soldiers and police will be able to assume more and more responsibility for security in their country, Bergner said.
Much progress also has been achieved on the Iraqi governmental front, said Phillip T. Reeker, Baghdad counselor for public affairs, who accompanied Bergner at the news conference.
Yet, “a lot more needs to be done” in the political realm, Reeker said, noting Iraq’s leaders “need to take advantage of the space created through the surge” to achieve more national political progress.
Meanwhile, Multinational Division North and its Iraqi partners continue efforts “to pursue al Qaeda, to prevent them from establishing safe havens and operating bases,” Bergner reported.
More tough fighting lies ahead against terrorists in Iraq, Bergner predicted, noting yesterday’s bombing north of Baghdad demonstrates the terrorists’ desire to stage spectacular, brutal attacks in efforts to derail the Iraqi government. The Beiji bombing killed more than 20 people, including some guards at a housing area for oil industry workers and a number of women and children, according to news reports.
“This attack is further evidence of the nature of al Qaeda, their use of indiscriminate violence and their corrupt ideology that targets those who are protecting Iraq,” Bergner said. “We will work closely with Iraqi authorities to help them enforce the rule of law and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
FR WAR NEWS!
I said it was foolish to make the comment that “Al Qaeda was dead in Iraq” as one Iraq official did recently. And all you people that gave me grief for not believing it so......
Men believe what they wish....Caesar
Oh, and Happy New Year. :-)
Yes, and Bush claimed victory on an AirCraft Carrier and that was stupid also. Regardless of what he really meant, it was stupid.
Yeah, Al Qaeda is dead until they strike again. They are still there according to Petraus and others. Hanging low ain’t being dead.
Just did a CTRL+F for “Iraq is attempting to re-establish itself in regions north” and the only place it appears is in your reply.
Happy New Year.
There will be no Iraqi Tet between now and the election in 2008, only a higher terrorist body count.
“Just did a CTRL+F for “Iraq is attempting to re-establish itself in regions north” and the only place it appears is in your reply.”
LOL...Don’t you read your own articles dude. It’s in the first paragraph of that thing you posted. What a maroon.
As I said Al Qaeda is dead from military perspective, the generals cannot come out and declare it as such and they have to be cautious in what they say in public. Al Qaeda terrorists lost the support of the local Sunni Arab population and once this happened it was all over for them because they have no place to hide and if they have no place to hide they are going to be annihilated by our troops at a very fast rate as it has been the case for the last seven months.
According to Al Qaeda spokesman in Iraq only 200 foreign terrorists are left in Iraq.
OK so the “” marks screwed up the CTRL+F search.
There’s no need to be insulting.
I think you are just looking for an arguement and will be obtuse to the end. You win the arguement as I don’t see the point.
Belated Merry Christmas to you.
“There’s no need to be insulting.”
Why not, you were.
The essentials of being a Triple Threat: Singing, Dancing and Acting.
VEHICLES not VIHICLES
Merry Christmas.
Please reread what I said in the original reply. Nothing was insulting. Only stating that I did a CTRL+F using the exact phrase you used with the “” and got a negative result on the CTRL+F.
Friend, let’s allow this linguistic debate die before we both acquire unwanted attention from the admin mods.
Yes, that is the way the Media reported it....as I recall it was a banner by the crew of the carrier making their own statement.....
al Qaeda in Iraq is attempting to re-establish itself in regions north of the capital city, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said today.
Merry Christmas.
“President Bush declared “mission accomplished” in term to toppling Saddam Hussein regime and indeed the mission was accomplished brilliantly and with a success never seen before in history of warfare.”
Actually, Bush declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq. He did not declare an end to the war, or mission accomplished.
On the day of the aircraft carrier landing, before Bush got there, I was watching FOX news and they were talking about the sign “mission accomplished” and that the crew put that sign up for their families. This aircraft carrier had been on the longest wartime deployment since Viet Nam and came home with everyone alive and uninjured. I think the crew had a right to let their loved ones know that. “Mission accomplished” was about the crew and their deployment, not about Iraq or the US in general.
But then, I guess they should not have put the sign up with the President coming onboard, regardless of having come home with everyone.
Exactly. Long time no talk my FRiend, Merry Christmas.
It has been a while FRiend.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you.
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