Al Qaeda and its role in the Iraq insurgency

The Fourth Rail ^ | 7/13/07

[bnelson44]

The attempts to minimize the role played by al Qaeda in Iraq in the larger Sunni insurgency took a significant step over the past week. Clark Hoyt, the public editor of the New York Times, claimed that the media had become complicit in the government's attempts to paint the entire Sunni insurgency with an al Qaeda brush. Also this week, Malcolm Nance published an article at the Small Wars Journal claiming al Qaeda is being given too much credit for the violence in Iraq. In the article, titled "Al Qaeda in Iraq--Heroes, Boogeymen or Puppets?," Nance claims al Qaeda is but a bit player in the Iraqi insurgency and is largely controlled by the Baathist remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime. To Nance, al Qaeda is both a U.S. Boogeyman and Baathist Puppet.

[Tennessean4Bush]

I was just about to post this. Thanks for saving me the time.

[Wiseghy]

Well, most intelligence insiders are realistic and know that many of the criminal groups in Iraq pick up AQ nomenclature. They are contractors to AQ, and advertising for 1. AQ $$$ to blow things up. 2. Cannon fodder to do it with. 3. Looking for status with their peers and locals, as a “religious” group, rather than simply murderers and thugs.

There is plenty of AQ in Iraq, but they are mostly operators who are distributing money now. We’ve killed nearly everyone else.

[Tennessean4Bush]

I read the article. It is a real beat down of Nance.

[bnelson44]

You present no proof or references for what you say

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[Wiseghy]

More on this can be found at Strategypage.com and Stratfor.com. They are pretty accurate sources. Stratfor has some good email reports.

Sorry, I don’t know how to hot-link.