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| Terror Networks & Islam |
| Hamid Gul weighs in on Iraq and Fallujah (useful info |
| 2004-11-12 |
| When major combat operations ended in Iraq last year after the fall of Saddam Hussein, subsequent sporadic attacks on US troops were largely dubbed as typical post-war insurgency. However, the sustained strengthening of the insurgency has seen it grow into a widespread, organized resistance. Sources in the Afghan resistance movement informed Asia Times Online in written material sent through ordinary mail that the mujahideen decided before the US invasion of Iraq to make that country a hub of their activities. An organization called the Jaishul al-Qiba al-Jihadi al-Siri al-Alami had already been formed to send groups of jihadis to Iraq from time to time. These included Afghans and Arab-Afghans. Well before the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which ends this weekend, the resistance held a meeting in southern Baghdad. It was attended by representatives of many different Iraqi groups, which decided to launch "Operation Ramadan" all over Iraq. Therefore, by the time the US finally began its all-out offensive on Fallujah earlier this week, the resistance was prepared to hit back throughout Iraq - as has happened, with some of the bloodiest few days the country has seen in many months. This poses a difficult problem for the US, which needs to crush all resistance before the scheduled elections in Iraq in January. For an insight into the dynamics of the resistance, Asia Times Online spoke to Pakistan's retired former director general of Inter-Services Intelligence, Lieutenant General Hamid Gul. He was one of the masterminds of the International Muslim Brigade, a force raised in Afghanistan to fuel the independence movements of Muslim-occupied territories. This later evolved into Osama bin Laden's International Islamic Front. Gul spoke to Asia Times Online by telephone from Rawalpindi. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #9 Gul's vastly overestimating the appeal of Zarqawi and vastly underestimating the influence of Al-Sistani, who by his silence is giving a green light to the US to exterminate Zarqawi's followers prior to elections. The reason that the jihadists will lose in Iraq is quite simple: violence and chaos will only further marginalize the sunni population in Iraq and give greater sway to the shi'a. So long as the elections go forward-- and there's no reason to think they won't-- Zarqawi holds a losing hand. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-11-12 10:41:39 PM |
| #8 These elections in January should be very interesting. |
| Posted by: political 2004-11-12 8:02:29 PM |
| #7 All this Gul conjecture boils down to one salient thing: Iraqi national security. I an envision an influx of foreign fighters and heavy insurgent activity leading up the national elections, so the next three months will be heavy 'rock 'em sock 'em'. More positively, first indications are that the Iraqi national forces are performing well in Fallujah. Bad news: The police are highly suspect and prone to align themselves with the terrorists. |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-11-12 7:14:30 PM |
| #6 rjschwarz is correct. The flood will not likely occur if the prospect of dieing is all too clear. The other aspect of this that I don't agree with is that the flood of foriegn fighters will be given refuge. Even within Fallujah there was resentment against the foriegners causing trouble. If the terrs continue to kill civilians then they will receive a less than pleasant welcome. I think that Gul has either bought into or is trying to stoke the myth of the great Muslim fighter. |
| Posted by: Remoteman 2004-11-12 7:12:03 PM |
| #5 When the US slaughtered the Taliban and foreign fighters in Afghanistan the flow of fresh fighters from Pakistan stopped cold. I remember tales of fighters returning with harsh words for the religious leaders that talked them into going in the first place. Fallujah is where the anti-government forces chose to make a symbolic stand. They used it in their propoganda and pretty much declared it a free city. Now they are either fleeing or dying. Not much propoganda value in that. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2004-11-12 6:36:54 PM |
| #4 It'd be an interesting theory, but there has been no large scale uprising in Iraq, only unrest caused by terrorists who probably snuck out of Fallujah to try and cause uprisings. I'm sure that's what the terrorists are trying to accomplish but I don't see it happening. |
| Posted by: BillH 2004-11-12 6:10:23 PM |
| #3 Muslim youths will see their success in military struggles Yep, I need to get in the textbook biz. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-11-12 4:36:16 PM |
| #2 Likely so, RWV, but a large-scale insurgency in Iraq does create for special problems for the US. On the one hand we have them practically throwing themselves into our guys' gunsights which keeps them off of our shores here - a good thing on the one hand. On the other it creates an extremely difficult situation politically, domestically, and abroad. It would make for an open, bleeding wound in the side of this country and, while the moonbats are already trying to create problems for Pres. Bush, how long will we, the country as a whole, put up with a situation that looks more and more, according to the LLL and MSM like another Vietnam with body counts rising almost daily? It would put the President in an near-impossible situation politically. With foreign policy already at risk due to leftist foreign governments and MSM we might be looking at a situation that creates problems on all fronts and forces the President to cut our losses. Not a situation I'd like to see happen at all. It's my hope that our troops can put down this insurgency and any other problems it creates can be quickly dealt with. The longer it goes on the more problems it creates - for both the US and the Iraqi people. Thanks, LC FOTSGreg |
| Posted by: LC FOTSGreg 2004-11-12 4:27:24 PM |
| #1 Gul inhabits an alternate reality. |
| Posted by: RWV 2004-11-12 4:01:43 PM |