BAQOUBA, Iraq (AP) – Across the walls of the villas they seized in the name of their shadow government, black-masked al-Qaida militants spray-painted the words: “Property of the Islamic State of Iraq.”
They manned checkpoints and buried an elaborate network of bombs in the streets. They issued austere edicts ordering women not to work. They filmed themselves attacking Americans and slaughtered those who did not believe in their cause.
For months, al-Qaida turned a part of one Baqouba neighborhood into an insurgent fiefdom that American and Iraqi forces were too undermanned to tackle – a startling example of the terror group’s ability to thrive openly in some places outside Baghdad even as U.S.-led forces struggle to regain control in the capital.
U.S. forces took back the entire Tahrir neighborhood during a weeklong operation that wrapped up Sunday in Baqouba, a city 35 miles northeast of Baghdad that al-Qaida declared last year the capital of its self-styled Islamic caliphate.
Great news, fantastic news, AWESOME news… Right??
Well, I guess it all depends on your defintion of what GREAT news really is, because the next paragraph points out the truth of the matter…
Though the operation was a success – it forced the guerrillas to either flee or melt into the population – soldiers say the extremists are likely to pop up anywhere else that’s short on American firepower.
That doesn’t say “Where Iraq is short of firepower”, it says, “soldiers say the extremists are likely to pop up anywhere else that’s short on American firepower.” and that has long been my contention with this battle in Iraq, you can’t successfully run a war with inadequate manpower and this story drives that point home…
It doesn’t drive it home you say?? Ol’ Fred is just looking for a reason to bash Bush and make fun of the ‘Bush Bots’?? Really?? You think I have to look hard to find reasons?? Well, try this one on for size…
Indeed, even as the Tahrir operation took place, insurgents stepped up attacks on a new police post in the adjacent Old Baqouba district – which was also cleared recently – pounding it daily and killing Baqouba’s police chief in a suicide car bombing.
Insurgent teams, meanwhile, have tried to infiltrate back into Tahrir, U.S. Capt. Huber Parsons said Tuesday.
And as soon as U.S. troops are sent to another region on another mission, the insurgency will be back in Tahrir conducting business as usual…
Parsons assured each family that U.S. troops and police would stay behind to keep insurgents out after he left, and establish a new police station.
Al-Qaida “had months and months to run rampant because we didn’t have the forces available to come in here until now,” Parsons said. “They controlled this neighborhood, but they don’t anymore.”
U.S. forces?? Not Iraqi military forces and Iraqi police?? U.S. troops are going to remain and establish a ‘police station’?? I am guessing that police station will be manned by Iraqis?? Iraqis that are well trained and well equipped, highly motivated and capable of STANDING on their own?? And keeping the insurgents at bay?? Sure, that’s gotta be it…
Are there any Vietnam Vets reading here that see ANY similarities in tactics and after action?? Such and such a U.S. operation would go into a particular area and secure a village, hamlet, province, whatever, and then turn it over to the ARVN’s to run and protect, and a very short time later the ARVN’s would lose control to the NVA/VC and we’d have to go back in and do it all over again…
Same shit, different war…
Full Story Here:
al-Qaida Ousted From One Iraqi District
