Pulling al-Qaeda's Lynchpins in Iraq Is Counterterrorism, Senator [Steve Schippert...]
In a major development in the fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq, the United States has disclosed the Baghdad capture of a major... who funneled over $100,000,000 into Iraq this summer alone to fund al-Qaeda terrorists and purchase weapons and explosives.
Iraqi and US forces have detained a man they believe received 100 million dollars this summer from Al-Qaeda sympathisers to hand out for "terrorist" operations in Iraq, the US military said Thursday."The 100 million was what our intelligence reports indicate he has received spanning several months this year," US military spokesman Sam Hymas told AFP. "That is all the unclassified information I can give you."A statement from the military said the man, who was detained in the central Baghdad neighbourhood of Al-Kindi, was suspected of handing over 50,000 dollars a month to Al-Qaeda using his leather merchant business as a front."He is believed to have received one hundred million dollars this summer from terrorist supporters who cross the border illegally or fly into Iraq from Italy, Syria and Egypt," the military said.He is suspected of travelling abroad himself to seek money for Al-Qaeda and of employing up to 50 extremists to help deliver bomb-making materials to insurgents attacking the US-led coalition.
This news comes on the heels of information released yesterday that US forces killed the al-Qaeda ..., 'Muthanna,' in an operation back on September 11. Hundreds of documents were obtained after his death. Among them was a list of about 500 men recruited to fight with al-Qaeda in Iraq. Among the names were 143 detailed biographies.
"Muthanna was the emir of Iraq and Syrian border area and he was a key facility of the movement of foreign terrorists once they crossed into Iraq from Syria. He worked closely with Syrian-based al Qaeda foreign terrorist facilitators," he said.Bergner told a news conference that the information discovered included 143 biographies of foreign recruits, with personal data, photographs, their recruiters' names, date of entry into Iraq and the route they took."They came from a range of foreign countries that included Libya, Morocco, Syria, Algeria, Oman, Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom," he said. "In other documents that we found included a formal pledge from foreign terrorists who were committed to suicide operations," Bergner said.
"Muthanna was the emir of Iraq and Syrian border area and he was a key facility of the movement of foreign terrorists once they crossed into Iraq from Syria. He worked closely with Syrian-based al Qaeda foreign terrorist facilitators," he said.Bergner told a news conference that the information discovered included 143 biographies of foreign recruits, with personal data, photographs, their recruiters' names, date of entry into Iraq and the route they took."They came from a range of foreign countries that included Libya, Morocco, Syria, Algeria, Oman, Yemen, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom," he said.
"In other documents that we found included a formal pledge from foreign terrorists who were committed to suicide operations," Bergner said.
One curious detail considering the release of news today that a major al-Qaeda financier has been capture: Among the documents obtained from Muthanna's person were detailed expense reports.
The captured al-Qaeda financier brought funds into Iraq from sources outside the country, using Syria as the primary conduit for the terrorists bringing in the resources. Muthanna was in charge of terrorist transport and ingress from Syria into Iraq. The financier was captured after the intelligence trove obtained after Muthanna's killing (presumably, as no specific timeframe for the capture was announced.)
What we have are two major al-Qaeda assets rolled up ? one still alive to tell more ? and the principal conduits for al-Qaeda's human and financial resources import infrastructure seriously downgraded.
And just a few short moths ago, Sen. Charles Schumer demanded that the United States withdraw our military forces to the periphery and vacate the heart of Iraq in order to "change our mission and focus it more narrowly on counterterrorism, [and go] after al Qaeda camps that might arise in Iraq."
Withdrawing and waiting for an unfettered al-Qaeda to establish camps and brutally dominate Iraqi cities while doing so is not counterterrorism. It's insanity and, furthermore, completely dismissive of the security, safety, and wellbeing of the Iraqi people. Dropping huts and buildings of a terrorist training camp are not signs of effective counterterrorism.
The latest developments above surely confirm, "This Is Counterterrorism, Senator." The elimination of safe havens, the high rate of AQI foot-soldiers dying in our offensive ground operations, and the rolling up of leadership elements cannot be mistaken for anything else. <
By Griff WitteWashington Post Foreign ServiceWednesday, October 3, 2007; A01
PESHAWAR, Pakistan... -- Pakistan...'s government is losing its war against emboldened insurgent forces, giving al-Qaeda... and the Taliban... more territory in which to operate and allowing the groups to plot increasingly ambitious attacks, according to Pakistani and Western security officials.
The depth of the problem has become clear only in recent months, as regional peace deals have collapsed and the government has deferred developing a new strategy to defeat insurgents until Pakistan's leader, Gen. Pervez Musharraf..., can resolve a political crisis that threatens his presidency.
Meanwhile, radical Islamic fighters who were evicted from Afghanistan... by the 2001 U.S.-led invasion have intensified a ruthless campaign that has consumed Pakistan's tribal areas and now affects its major cities. Military officials say the insurgents have enhanced their ability to threaten not only Pakistan but the United States and Europe... as well.
"They've had a chance to regroup and reorganize," said a Western military official in Pakistan. "They're well equipped. They're clearly getting training from somewhere. And they're using more and more advanced tactics."
Pakistan's military..., on the other hand, is considering pulling back from the fight -- at least partially -- in the face of mounting losses, the official said.
"They're not trained for a counterinsurgency. It's not their number one priority. It's not even their number two priority," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "These are the reasons things aren't going their way."
Pakistani military officials concede they are searching for a new strategy now that the old one has gone awry. But with Musharraf struggling to stay in office and expected to soon step down from the military, no decisions are likely until questions over the country's leadership are settled.
"The federal government is busy with its problem of legitimacy. Getting Musharraf elected for another five years -- that is keeping everything on hold," said retired Brig. Gen. Mehmood Shah, who until 2005 was a top security official in the tribal areas.
In recent years, Pakistan has relied on deals with insurgents to keep them from launching offensives. But two such agreements -- in North and South Waziristan... -- fell apart this summer when insurgent leaders abruptly announced they were backing out.
The main criticism of the deals, both in Pakistan and in the West, had been that they gave al-Qaeda and the Taliban sanctuary in which to train, plot and launch attacks.
In recent years, Pakistan has relied on deals with insurgents to keep them from launching offensives. But two such agreements -- in North and Quote Reply
Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, commander of the Multi-National Corps in Iraq, appeared in Washington this week to deliver his assessment of the military and political progress in Iraq.
Cautiously upbeat, Odierno noted some signs of major progress. For example, he pointed out that violence has dropped significantly, particularly in Baghdad, always al-Qaeda in Iraq’s (AQI) major target area because of the capital’s international media visibility. Earlier, al-Qaeda terrorized the city with murderous abandon. No longer. Baghdad neighborhoods that had been under AQI's Taliban-like control for more than a year have now been liberated. Seen against the backdrop of these developments, the fact that AQI's recent Ramadan offensive was a singular failure is proof of the organization‘s growing weakness.
Outside of Baghdad, too, there are signs of improvement. Cities that were once wracked by constant fighting -- Ramadi, Fallujah, and al-Qaim -- have been freed from al-Qaeda control. An American trooper stationed in Ramadi, once the scene of especially brutal fighting, recently told Odierno that today he could today through the streets "naked" (i.e., without a weapon) and not fear attack. Before the surge, that would have been unthinkable.
A major reason for this dramatic reversal is that Sunni tribal sheiks have come to recognize that their future lies with the government of Iraq, not with al Qaeda. Odierno pointed out that while al-Qaeda is still dangerous, it is "losing its support" because of its "indiscriminate targeting of civilians." The endless stream of foreign suicide bombers exploding automobiles in crowded marketplaces finally convinced the Sunni sheiks that all AQI has to offer Iraqis is a legacy of death. That should come as no surprise. Reports coming out of AQI occupied cities and from Baghdad neighborhoods detail unspeakable horrors inflicted upon the hapless populace in the name of Wahabbist ideology.
With the weakening of al-Qaeda, the reconstruction effort has taken off in earnest. In some outlying areas, troops are no longer fighting a counter-insurgency, and can focus on their efforts on rebuilding the country. This is a significant departure from the intense combat that raged in some of the contested Sunni areas as recently as six to eight months ago.
But it is too early to declare victory. Odierno cautioned that America is not yet where we want to be in that country. "It is very tempting to overestimate progress," the general said. He warned that "irreversible momentum" toward victory will come only with time, patience, and continued support from the American people.
According to Odierno, it will not be enough to defeat al-Qaeda in Iraq. Also required is a deliberate, careful shift of security responsibilities to Iraqi forces, something that has been happening on an accelerated basis as a result of the spring-summer reinforcement of troops through the surge. Along with military stability, strong economic growth, particularly in the private employment and start-up business fields, is vital to success. Most important, Iraq’s ethnic and religious communities will have to choose between further bloodshed and political reconciliation.
In Odierno's opinion, the Iraqi people are already in the process of making that choice, and they have decided on peace. By way of illustration, he cited the sheiks in the highly fractious Sunni areas. "The sheiks have made their decision to support the Iraqi government," Odierno explained, “and we are now seeing similar decisions at the grass roots level in Shi'a neighborhoods, particularly in Baghdad's notorious Sadr City.”
Equally critical to the current success is the bond that has been forged between American troops and their Iraqi counterparts. Odierno made a special point of praising the Iraqi security units that moved six to seven additional battalions into Baghdad to coincide with the surge. At least one joint security position has been up and running successfully in Sadr City and "there is an excellent relationship between the Iraqi security forces and U.S. for
In recent years, Pakistan has relied on deal
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