Anti-Qaeda protest in Iraq, local anger mounts

Reuters ^ | January 24, 2006

[jmc1969]

Hundreds of Iraqis staged a demonstration in the restive city of Samarra on Tuesday in a show of defiance against al Qaeda militants they blamed for killing dozens of police recruits last week.

Nationalist rebels and tribal leaders in the city north of Baghdad had already let it be known they were joining forces to try to expel the foreign-influenced Islamists from the area, part of a trend in Sunni Arab areas that U.S. commanders have pointed to optimistically as a sign of political development.

The killing late last year of the head of one of the city's main tribal leaders had prompted an alliance against al Qaeda involving local nationalist insurgents, residents said, similar to movements seen in other Sunni strongholds.

They said it began when Qaeda members killed the popular sheikh Hikmat al-Mumtaz, head of the Albu Baz tribe in Samarra, who had spoken out against insurgent attacks on civilians, such as al Qaeda's suicide assaults on Shi'ite neighbourhoods.

His tribesmen force confessions from suspected killers and publicised their supposed links to al Qaeda around the city.

After last week's killing of the police recruits, one resident said: "They will not allow Qaeda members to operate in Samarra any more ... They want to put pressure on them to leave.

"If need be, they may start killing known al Qaeda members."

In Ramadi, residents said this week there was "all-out war" between local, more secularly inclined rebels, opposed to the U.S. occupation and Shi'ite-led government, and al Qaeda.

[jmc1969]

ping

[golfisnr1]

"If need be, they may start killing known al Qaeda members."

Sounds like a good plan to me.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

"If need be, they may start killing known al Qaeda members."

Sounds like an outstanding plan!

[popdonnelly]

"If need be, they may start killing known al Qaeda members."

Can the U.S. help?

[Uncle Miltie]

One of the great things about AQ is that they always overreach and alienate their temporary allies. The strategery of extremism is often incompatible with victory.

[NoClones]

"If need be, they may start killing known al Qaeda members."

Go get 'em!

[elhombrelibre]

Marines could have told everyone this 6 months ago. Where do people think we get our actionable intel from? Now, even the MSM cannot ignore al Qaeda's quagmire in Iraq.

[MikeA]

Zarqawi's own psychotic inclinations, and make no mistake, this animal is psychotic, will be his undoing. The more he continues to slaughter innocents the more likely he makes it that he will eventually be turned in by Iraqis. His days in Iraq are numbered, as is the Al Qaeda terrorist threat there.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Marines could have told everyone this 6 months ago. Where do people think we get our actionable intel from?"
You got that right. Some of us have been posting stuff from Bill Roggio's site for some time that included this very information. And some of us have preached it since last summer. About time the truth is coming out. And not only our Marines, but our Army up north in Mosul and Tal Afar for instance gave similiar instances last year. The zman's ass is grassed.

[elhombrelibre]

His fate is sealed. He can't go home, and he can't get out of Iraq. It's rather like the scene in the movie "A Bronx Tale" where the gangster asks the bikers to leave his bar. They don't leave. Then he locks the door and says, "Now, you can't leave." Then his gang swarms out of door and pummels the bikers until they're unconscious. Zarquai's not getting out of there alive. And it probably won't be the US that gets him, but he'll be gotten. The sooner the better.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Zarquai's not getting out of there alive. And it probably won't be the US that gets him, but he'll be gotten. The sooner the better."
Amen to that. I for one hope he is captured. There is much that can be wrung out of his miserable body on his EU plans, and perhaps ties with elements planning attacks on the US. But one way or another, his days are numbered that is for sure. I would differ a bit on him not being able to get out of Iraq. There are simply to many road nets that still do not have full time Iraqi border control points. There are ways he could cross into Iran all along the eastern boarder, and then have operatives move him down the coast into a boat and say, zip across the straights to Yemen for instance. Iraq is not sealed and never will be dispite the major efforts going into covering the main road nets.

[penelopesire]

Wonder if this will be on the LSM tonight?

[SF Republican]

"If need be, they may start killing known al Qaeda members." calling ACLU, these al Qaeda folks got rights you know! Maybe you should open a branch in Baghdad

[ZULU]

"His tribesmen force confessions from suspected killers .."

CAn we contract out to these guys as interrogators? Will John McPain approve of that?

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

OOOOOOO...."forced confessions"?

Let me just take a guess....I bet its not panties the Iraqis are using to get intel. Where is Kennedy now when he should protest "forced confessions" that go beyond panties and leashes?

Rumors have it that the Iraqis get confessions by "forcing" the Al Quidas to listen to non stop tape recordings of Nancy Pelosi speeches!

[GOPJ]

Everyone hates al Qaeda. Or they're just tired of them. Either way, it's time for them to go...

[DAC21]

Make no mistake a majority of these Iraqi's still want to kill us also.

[fireforeffect]

Wrong.

The majority wants us to leave and knows we will, eventually. Until then they want us to spend money.

A minority thinks by attacking us we will leave sooner, they are wrong (and mostly dead now) and are called bathist (which they need).

Another minority wants us to stay, but knows we will leave, they are called kurds.

Another minority wants to kill us, but is smart enough to realize they will be killed if they try and is waiting for us to leave. These are saddar's militia and other similar Shiite groups.

[scannell]

And it probably won't be the US that gets him, but he'll be gotten.

You think that $25,000,000 bounty would be sounding pretty good about now.