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Iraq
Iraq poobahs chiefs up in arms, vow to fight al-Qaeda
2006-09-19
Iraqi tribal chiefs in the so-called Sunni Triangle have agreed to join forces to fight al-Qaeda, and have pleaded for US supplies of arms.
We lost our arms fighting Marines in Fallujah. We also need some legs.
One leader said tribes in the city of Ramadi had assembled 20,000 men "ready to purge the city of these infidels". Ramadi, in Anbar province, is one of the cities at the heart of the Sunni rebellion against US troops and IraqisÂ….

Tribal leaders and clerics in Ramadi met last week to decide how to confront the daily bloodshed in their city. "People are fed up with the acts of those criminals who take Islam as a cover for their crimes," Sheik Fassal al-Guood told the Associated Press news agency on Monday. "The situation in the province is normal unbearable, the city is abandoned, most of the families have fled the city and all services are poor."

He said 15 of the 18 tribes in Ramadi "have sworn to fight those who are killing Sunnis and Shiites", and had put together "20,000 young men".
What about those killing Marines?

Another sheikh at the meeting, Sattar al-Buzayi, told Reuters that the tribal leaders had decided to take the fight to the Islamist terrorist militants who control parts of Ramadi and Anbar province. "We have now entered a real battle. It's either us or them," he said.

"We just want to live like everyone else. We're sick of all this bloodshed," said one Ramadi resident, voicing anger at al-Qaeda.

However, a young al-Qaeda leader called Abu Farouq told Reuters that the fight would go on until an Islamic cauliflower caliphate had been imposed across Anbar "This tribal system is un-Islamic. We are proud to kill tribal leaders who are helping the Americans," he said.
Everything is un-Islamic, including life!

Nonetheless, a US military spokesman, Maj Gen William Caldwell, said: "We're very optimistic about the future of that province." "But victory will not occur in the next 2-3 months, it's going to be a much longer time period." Â…Â….
Red on Red Rocks
Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC

#15  The liberal mindset at work. If we do anything, it will just make things worse.
Posted by: anon   2006-09-19 22:41  

#14  LH - you KNOW I'm a big fan of ARCLIGHT. A city like RAMADI would look worse than the worst areas of Dresden after a half-dozen ARCLIGHT strikes. There would be no Sunnis turning to A-Q. There would be no inhabitants, and no city. I think everyone would get the message loud and clear.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2006-09-19 22:32  

#13  Ive got the US turning an entire city my way.

apparently less the adult male population by your definition, eh, LH?
Posted by: Frank G   2006-09-19 20:46  

#12  Would kinda make the Sunnis take extra care of their weapons, wouldn't it?
Posted by: Pappy   2006-09-19 20:38  

#11  "If any civilians or US forces are killed with those weapons, wipe the city clean."

what does wipe the city clean mean? Kill all the adult males? Some other very harsh collective punishment. If Im AQ, and I know thats your policy, I do my level best to get my hands on one of those weapons, using every lever of threat, bribe, etc, Ive got. Then I use it to kill an American. Then bingo, Ive got the US turning an entire city my way.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2006-09-19 13:36  

#10  I'd say offer to train those "20,000 young men" in basic combat techniques, small-unit tactics, and C3I, but only after they've pledged their loyalty to the central government. Train them as a militia and let them begin taking on AQ in Ramadi. Give them unique weapons that no other force in Iraq is using. If any civilians or US forces are killed with those weapons, wipe the city clean.

We might even want to take 2000 of those men and give them other training, including some basic combat engineering training, and let them repair the infrastructure. Bring in a hundred CBs to train them. Who knows, it might even do some good...
Posted by: Old Patriot   2006-09-19 13:02  

#9  Join the Iraqi army and call in terrorist's positions. Throw off the yoke of Islam and you can live free.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-09-19 12:55  

#8  Problem is we've cut back the number of coalition troops in Anbar to try to clean up Baghdad. Which makes sense, its far easier to lose the war in Baghdad than in Anbar, which as the poster points out, is not a particularly stable place in the best of times. OTOH does our side want to give up all the gains the USMC made in Anbar - cause thats whats happening right now. The number of coalition troops, plus first line Iraqi troops (the second line ones it seems are being sent to handle security in more quiet spots, which makes for nice handover ceremonies) simply isnt enough at this point to both take on Baghdad and Anbar, or so it seems.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2006-09-19 12:01  

#7  LOLOLOLOL, GolfBravoUSMC!

I just got it: "Up in arms..."

LOLOLOLOL!
Posted by: flyover   2006-09-19 10:32  

#6  LOL, that's what I like about your comments, Bobby: ever the optimist. Encouraging? Nah, they're Arabs.
Posted by: flyover   2006-09-19 10:17  

#5  Still, I suppose an optimist would take this as an encouraging sign....
Posted by: Bobby   2006-09-19 10:05  

#4  We doan need no steeking AK-47. We wan the beeg stuff - JDAM and MOAB to wipe out purge the city of opposing tribesmen foreen fighters.
Posted by: Bobby   2006-09-19 10:04  

#3  This is a descision for the Iraqi govt, not us. If they want to give these idiots guns, then I guess that's what they will do. Frankly I don't trust these yahoos any more than the Al-Q bunch though.
Posted by: Spaviting Slaviger8729   2006-09-19 09:13  

#2  they have not had a prob getting arms up until now why we supposed too ggive them too them
Posted by: sinse   2006-09-19 08:01  

#1  What stops the tribes using the new arms against our soldiers????!!!!
Posted by: Cheregum Crelet7867   2006-09-19 07:58  

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