Passage Of The Day
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in War — Comments (5) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Courtesy of Michael Totten:
Some in the United States are unconvinced that Al Qaeda was really at the center of the conflict in Anbar. So I asked Colonel John Charlton how the Army knows Al Qaeda is really who they have been dealing with. He was supremely annoyed by the question.
"We know it's Al Qaeda," he said. There is no controversy whatsoever about this in Iraq. My question seemed to him as if it had come from another planet. "They self-identify as Al Qaeda. We didn't give them that name. That's what they call themselves. We have their propaganda CDs which have Al Qaeda written all over them."
Evidently, this actually has to be pointed out to certain people. Which is . . . interesting.
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Passage Of The Day 5 Comments (0 topical, 5 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Haven't we repeatedly been reminded that AQ is itself a loose, amorphous network of individual cells and fellow travellers, rather than being a rigid hierarchy that can be defeated and destroyed?
So what difference does it make if AQIZ isn't in lockstep with some other part of AQ?
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this is sophistry.
First, you're making the allegation that a very senior officer doesn't know the difference between the two and you, ever omnipotent, are cognizant of the distance.
Second, you assume the questioner, who has actually spent more time embedded in Iraq than you've spent reading about it, doesn't know the difference.
For the record, AQI has carried out operations in Amman and Turkey.
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pointed out. Our military has been reported to claim Shiites as AQ elsewhere.
But this is a huge success story. A once clearly AQI-controlled city is now in great shape. (Comparitively speaking, of course.) I thoroughly recommend the link; I haven't seen better hope for our operations in Iraq since, well, ever.
Do they claim they are Al Qaeda or Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)? It's an important difference. Ordinarily I wouldn't make a fuss over it, but if you're trying to put a name to the organization it's probably important to get the name correct.
Given that we have seen AQ try to influence AQI (via the captured and published letters) and that the message was ignored we can conclude they are affiliated organizations but not taking direct orders.
To me it's not clear that AQI has any goal beyond the eventual control of Iraq itself. AQ on the other hand is clearly concerned about exporting terrorism to the world stage. The recent German plot, the British liquid bomb plot were both traced back to Pakistan. That makes AQ the much more important target for surveillance, but Pakistan being a nuclear power and a supposed ally complicates the situation.