The Wane of the Insurgency in Iraq and the Growth of Feedom.
In an interesting report, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), reports:
This article makes one wonder why are anti-Iraqi insurgent forces looking for government support to battle Al Qaeda in Iraq? There exists only one possible scenario.
These facts taken together with the Anbar Salvation Council's recent growth in Anbar shows not only does the insurgency not have passive support from the populace (which it needs to persist), it has actually garnered active resistance against it, especially in the once closely aligned Anbar Province.
There are currently two surges going on in Iraq.
The first surge is happening in and around Baghdad where Iraqi and Coalition forces have greatly increased security in the city and caused the insurgency to either move their bases of operations out of Baghdad or eventually be hunted down by Iraqi and Coalition forces.
The second surge is that at least five anti-Iraqi insurgent groups have now switch sides and are actively working with the Maliki government and pursuing Al Qaeda in Iraq. Furthermore, ranks in the Anbar Salvation Council are swelling everyday. To say the least, Iraqis are taking control of their own destiny. It will be interesting to see the size of this organization in mid-summer as many recruits return from basic training.
While a surge of over 20,000 American troops may not be enough to bring peace, security, and stability to Iraq in and of itself, the addition of these five armed groups and the Anbar Salvation Council will provide the forces necessary to not only secure Baghdad, but defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq and promise their eventual destruction militarily.
Additionally, these groups, once focused on resistance to a democratically elected Iraqi government, are becoming part of the governmental and political process. As support from the Maliki government to these once insurgent groups expand, so shall their loyalty to this democratically elected government.
While many of these groups may never be pro-American, they understand they need America's intelligence and airpower and the Iraqi government to effectively fight a much greater evil, namely, Al Qaeda in Iraq.
2007 is proving to be a monumental year in Iraq.
1. The American troop surge is resulting in and will result in Baghdad, the center of gravity for the battle in Iraq, to be more secure. Even though not fully implemented, security has already greatly improved and will continue to improve.
2. At the beginning of the American surge in Iraq, Sadr went into hiding in Iran causing his militia to fracture and wonder about their future. While some members may become more active against the government, many members will seek to join the government. Recently, Sadr pulled his six cabinet members from the government. Many of these ministers were quite possibly going to be fired by Maliki anyhow. Three of these ministers controlled the important Health, Education, and Transportion ministries and were not doing banner jobs in these ministries.
3. Economic growth is surging forward in Iraq which like all other democracies will cause the populous to actively seek law, order, and stability in order for it to continue. Actively seeking law and order results in normal citizens not sitting on the fence but instead actively providing intelligence to Iraqi and Coalition as to insurgent activities.
4. Many reconstruction processes are in the final phase of completion. Along with improvements in security, improvements in water, electicity, academics, transportation, medical and sanitation (SWEAT-MS) are very recognizable to Iraqis. This especially true in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq and in the Shi'ite Southern Region. It is becoming more and more recognizable to Baghdadis, the center of gravity in Iraq. It will start to become more and more recognizable to Iraqis in the Anbar Province as they are now actively working with Coalition forces against Al Qaeda in Iraq.
While mistakes have been made by Iraqi and Coalition forces in Iraq, Coalition forces have maintained their objectives in Iraq. Namely, they have captured and killed the once bloody dictator, Saddam. They allowed Iraqis to vote for and install a democratically elected government. They have provided for the security of this infant government. They begin building back the Iraqi Army. They are starting to provide for security of the populous. They have engaged in and completed many reconstruction initiatives.
The fruits of this labor has produced economic prosperity despite a deadly insurgency. Once hardened insurgent groups are changing sides and now actively pursuing Al Qaeda in Iraq. Once hardened insurgent groups are now asking for the support of the ever stronger democratically elected Iraqi government.
The death of all insurgency in Iraq, to include Al Qaeda in Iraq, is nearing ever closer. Since Al Qaeda decided to make Iraq the center of its global war, its global reach will shrink accordingly as Al Qaeda in Iraq shrinks. As democracy becomes stronger and bolder in Iraq, it will naturally flow to the rest of the Middle East. It will be interesting to see what Iraq looks like in 2008 and the rest of the Middle East by the end of the decade.
In my time in the military, I have seen the fall of the Iron Curtain, changes in the free flow of information brought about by the computer age, but the dictatorships in the Middle East persisted. Now all that is changing. As my career comes to a close at the end of this decade, it will be exilarating to see what my country and my military has accomplished. It inspires me and I know inspires the newest generation of American Soldiers how this great country has freed over 300 million people from tyranny.
It will be interesting to see if this next generation of Americans and their Soldiers can embolden and free the rest of the world. Or will the defeatist democrats rise to power and clutch defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq. If they do, I fear not only for the 30 million freed Iraqis and Afghanistanis, but also for the 300 million people freed from tyranny during my military career. Finally, I fear for the freedom of the 300 million people in America. This is the land of the free, because it is the home of the brave. For the six billion people in the world, I hope the people of my country never forget this fact.
Armed groups have sought the government's support to chase Al-Qaeda members in some areas in Iraq, the Iraqi official Al-Sabah newspaper has revealed on Monday. "Negotiations have taken place between the government and armed groups as part of the reconciliation process. Positive outcome is near," the paper, issued by the official Iraqi Media Network, added. The paper quoted sources close to the government as saying that the negotiations had involved the Islamic Army in Iraq, the 1920s Revolution Brigades, Al-Fatah Brigades, the Armed Forces General Command, and Al-Rashedeen Army. Other groups revealed desire to join in but the report did not disclose if they were included already. According to the paper, the Islamic Army in Iraq has sought the government's support to hunt members of Al-Qaeda in Al-Tarmiya, Al-Taji, and other areas where they are headed by the terrorist Abu-Ghazwan. The Revolution Brigades would meanwhile chase terrorist Abu Sufian Al-Afghani in Abu Ghraib, Al-Dora, and Fallujah, the paper said citing sources. Iraqi president Jalal Talabani earlier said five armed groups wanted to lay arms down and get involved in the political process. A presidential source revealed that Wafiq Al-Samarae, security adviser to Talabani, played a significant role in the negotiations. |
- Al Qaeda in Iraq has targeted these organizations.
- These groups are no longer supporting (actively or passively) the insurgency.
- These groups must be afraid of being killed or captured by Iraqi Government and Coalition forces should they mass as armed groups.
- These groups will request the Iraqi government get American airpower to assist them should they need it to battle Al Qaeda in Iraq.
- These groups must being seeing firsthand the growth in power of the democratically elected Iraqi government.
These facts taken together with the Anbar Salvation Council's recent growth in Anbar shows not only does the insurgency not have passive support from the populace (which it needs to persist), it has actually garnered active resistance against it, especially in the once closely aligned Anbar Province.
There are currently two surges going on in Iraq.
The first surge is happening in and around Baghdad where Iraqi and Coalition forces have greatly increased security in the city and caused the insurgency to either move their bases of operations out of Baghdad or eventually be hunted down by Iraqi and Coalition forces.
The second surge is that at least five anti-Iraqi insurgent groups have now switch sides and are actively working with the Maliki government and pursuing Al Qaeda in Iraq. Furthermore, ranks in the Anbar Salvation Council are swelling everyday. To say the least, Iraqis are taking control of their own destiny. It will be interesting to see the size of this organization in mid-summer as many recruits return from basic training.
While a surge of over 20,000 American troops may not be enough to bring peace, security, and stability to Iraq in and of itself, the addition of these five armed groups and the Anbar Salvation Council will provide the forces necessary to not only secure Baghdad, but defeat Al Qaeda in Iraq and promise their eventual destruction militarily.
Additionally, these groups, once focused on resistance to a democratically elected Iraqi government, are becoming part of the governmental and political process. As support from the Maliki government to these once insurgent groups expand, so shall their loyalty to this democratically elected government.
While many of these groups may never be pro-American, they understand they need America's intelligence and airpower and the Iraqi government to effectively fight a much greater evil, namely, Al Qaeda in Iraq.
2007 is proving to be a monumental year in Iraq.
1. The American troop surge is resulting in and will result in Baghdad, the center of gravity for the battle in Iraq, to be more secure. Even though not fully implemented, security has already greatly improved and will continue to improve.
2. At the beginning of the American surge in Iraq, Sadr went into hiding in Iran causing his militia to fracture and wonder about their future. While some members may become more active against the government, many members will seek to join the government. Recently, Sadr pulled his six cabinet members from the government. Many of these ministers were quite possibly going to be fired by Maliki anyhow. Three of these ministers controlled the important Health, Education, and Transportion ministries and were not doing banner jobs in these ministries.
3. Economic growth is surging forward in Iraq which like all other democracies will cause the populous to actively seek law, order, and stability in order for it to continue. Actively seeking law and order results in normal citizens not sitting on the fence but instead actively providing intelligence to Iraqi and Coalition as to insurgent activities.
4. Many reconstruction processes are in the final phase of completion. Along with improvements in security, improvements in water, electicity, academics, transportation, medical and sanitation (SWEAT-MS) are very recognizable to Iraqis. This especially true in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq and in the Shi'ite Southern Region. It is becoming more and more recognizable to Baghdadis, the center of gravity in Iraq. It will start to become more and more recognizable to Iraqis in the Anbar Province as they are now actively working with Coalition forces against Al Qaeda in Iraq.
While mistakes have been made by Iraqi and Coalition forces in Iraq, Coalition forces have maintained their objectives in Iraq. Namely, they have captured and killed the once bloody dictator, Saddam. They allowed Iraqis to vote for and install a democratically elected government. They have provided for the security of this infant government. They begin building back the Iraqi Army. They are starting to provide for security of the populous. They have engaged in and completed many reconstruction initiatives.
The fruits of this labor has produced economic prosperity despite a deadly insurgency. Once hardened insurgent groups are changing sides and now actively pursuing Al Qaeda in Iraq. Once hardened insurgent groups are now asking for the support of the ever stronger democratically elected Iraqi government.
The death of all insurgency in Iraq, to include Al Qaeda in Iraq, is nearing ever closer. Since Al Qaeda decided to make Iraq the center of its global war, its global reach will shrink accordingly as Al Qaeda in Iraq shrinks. As democracy becomes stronger and bolder in Iraq, it will naturally flow to the rest of the Middle East. It will be interesting to see what Iraq looks like in 2008 and the rest of the Middle East by the end of the decade.
In my time in the military, I have seen the fall of the Iron Curtain, changes in the free flow of information brought about by the computer age, but the dictatorships in the Middle East persisted. Now all that is changing. As my career comes to a close at the end of this decade, it will be exilarating to see what my country and my military has accomplished. It inspires me and I know inspires the newest generation of American Soldiers how this great country has freed over 300 million people from tyranny.
It will be interesting to see if this next generation of Americans and their Soldiers can embolden and free the rest of the world. Or will the defeatist democrats rise to power and clutch defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq. If they do, I fear not only for the 30 million freed Iraqis and Afghanistanis, but also for the 300 million people freed from tyranny during my military career. Finally, I fear for the freedom of the 300 million people in America. This is the land of the free, because it is the home of the brave. For the six billion people in the world, I hope the people of my country never forget this fact.
posted by Lieutenant Colonel Caveman at Saturday, April 21, 2007
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