Posted on 02/26/2007 7:15:39 AM PST by jmc1969
A number of families have fled the city of Samarra, north of Baghdad, saying that if the government does not intervene, their city will end up like Kabul during the Taliban era.
The fleeing families say that extremists have renamed the city "the Islamic Emirate of Samarra, which is one of the emirates of the Islamic State of Iraq, declared by Al-Qaeda in the Land of Two Rivers last year.
Abdul-Karim Sadi, 46, said: "We and our families have gradually fled our city leaving behind our possessions except for some money that will sustain us for a few months. The situation in Samarra and its suburbs has become intolerable because extremist groups have begun interfering in people's private lives to the point of interfering in private relationships between husbands and wives."
He pointed out that these groups "began arriving in Samarra specifically a year and a half ago. Most of their leaders hold Arab citizenships, including Syrians, Algerians, Egyptians, and Yemenis, along with some Iraqi tribesmen who assist them and offer them facilities. These groups have been given houses and farms to turn them into training camps. They will train the sons of the city who refuse to join them so that they will force them to join them in the future by threatening to kill their families if they refuse."
Raed al-Samarra'i, 33, Muhannad al-Samurai's eldest brother, said that members of the security and intelligence services of the former Iraqi regime and of the Baath Party have joined these extremist groups and work closely with them under a leader of an Arab nationality. He added: "Families that do not declare their allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq or to these groups and to those working with them face death, eviction, or the confiscation of their properties and estates." He noted that these groups impose "protection money on shop owners and professionals on the pretext of aiding resistance attacks against US and Iraqi security forces. They attack even citizens who refuse to declare allegiance to the Islamic Emirate."
Muhannad said that large areas of the farms around Samarra have been transformed into camps like those of Al-Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan. Arab fighters, who were trained in Afghanistan many years ago, supervise the new camps in Samarra. Other interlocutress agreed with Muhannad that the city of Samarra "is becoming like the Afghan cities of Qandahar and Kabul in the era of Taliban."
They said that these groups will rule the city publicly unless the Iraqi government intervenes strongly and ends the existence of these groups and their shelters and eliminates any person or party that offers them support."
Looks the jihadists have been forced to play 'musical cities".
Stick in your finger in to plug one leak, and another will appear somewhere else.
Usually, that game has more than one player.
Not so sure about the accuracy of this. Methinks we still have a serious presence in Samarra.
Some very interesting info about the enemy we face in Iraq.
It depends on what parts of Samarra we are talking about. Operation Swarmer last year targeting insurgent strongholds in northern Samarra.
I meant to say Swarmer had been targeting insurgent strongholds in northern Samarra.
"Coming soon to an European nation near you..."
Sounds an awful like what's happening in Britain, now. At least in the school system.
It happens me all the time...
Go get 'em.
Well then if the story is true I think this is good news. If the citizens are fed up and flee then let's show massive force, bomb the city out of existance and than invite the good citizens back once the dust clears and help them rebuild their city over the ashes of the scum buried beneath.
We need to be far less hesitant about our use of air power unless we want to send another 50,000 troops and I am sure we don't.
Something I've noticed over the years. When ever these guys (the terrorists) show up the locals have a change of heart concerning actually living under their rule.
Couldn't have said it better myself. And, like us, the Europeans aren't doing anything about it. We pass Unconstitutional and Constitutionally questionable bills for "national security" but leave our borders wide open and ports uninspected. I just hope we wise up, and Europe follows suit. Otherwise, the next time a war breaks out France will have the white flag wrapped around it's head instead of waving it if you know what I mean.
No good Samaritans, apparently.
perhaps this will be a fallujah with "No B.S." from the political compromisers.......let our American GI's do what they do best; hopefully with the help (rather than hinderance) of the Iraqi army. If these guys are ARVN's, lets know it asap and proceed accordingly.
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