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| Iraq |
| Tribal backlash against Zarqawi benefits US in Samarra |
| 2005-12-04 |
| After keeping their distance for months, Iraqis in this Sunni Arab city suddenly began cooperating with U.S. troops, leading them to insurgents and hidden weapons caches. The reason: anger over the assassination by insurgents of a local tribal chief. "That's when they decided to make a stand," said Capt. Ryan Wylie of Lincoln, Neb., commander of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment. "They definitely had an idea of the terrorists and where they hang out." U.S. commanders cite other reasons for a lull in violence in this city 60 miles north of Baghdad. They include construction of an 11-mile berm around the city to block gun runners and a greater reliance by the military on covert monitoring positions. But almost everyone agrees that the biggest reason for the reduction in violence here was the public backlash against the insurgents after the Oct. 11 assassination of Sheik Hikmat Mumtaz Bazi, chief of one of the area's seven tribes. The reason for the killing remains unclear. Some say he was targeted for working with U.S. forces. Others believe he was killed because of a contract dispute over a U.S.-funded project. Most agree that the sheik's American connection cost him his life. "They killed him to send a message that you can't be working with coalition forces," said Lt. Col. Mark Wald, commander of the 3rd Battalion. "I think they were trying to rein him back in." Tribalism is deeply rooted in Iraqi society and adds a dimension to the insurgency that outsiders find difficult to understand. Some tribes support the insurgency, while others back the government. In many cases, tribes are divided in their loyalties. Before Mr. Bazi's death, U.S. forces in Samarra had struggled to cope with the insurgent threat in this city of 200,000, many of whom strongly opposed the Shiite-led government in Baghdad. Last year, al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab Zarqawi, openly operated in Samarra, and the group's black flags fluttered from rooftops until U.S. forces regained control. U.S. soldiers heard some Samarra residents speak openly of the right of "legitimate resistance" to the American presence. Others admitted they could not cooperate with the Americans for fear of insurgent reprisals. Those fears vanished when one of their own leaders was slain. All of a sudden, Iraqis began coming forward with information about insurgent hideouts and weapons caches. The flood of intelligence was welcomed. Attacks against U.S. forces tapered off after Mr. Bazi's death, dropping to one or two a day -- compared with seven a day in January. The decline prompted a U.S. decision to remove about two-thirds of the American soldiers inside the city and replace them with Iraqi paramilitary commandos. Samarra is still far from peaceful, and some soldiers said the wealth of information revealed how deeply rooted the insurgency was in the city. In addition, soldiers say, it is difficult to say whether the trend toward greater cooperation will last. Some caution that the surge in tips has recently tapered off. Samarra's population could return to the old habit of looking the other way when insurgents plant roadside bombs or launch mortars from the streets. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 By killing the pro-american shiek, the jihadis forced the tribes to commit early.And right now it is safer for them to side with the Americans. If they kill all the current residing jihadis, and a new crop of jihadis comes up strong, they can just apologize and say it is a tribal thing. WHich it is, which is why they want to staddle the fence, to see which way they should commit. Do it now when the Americans will remember. Before the elections. These fuckers know what they are doing. But the tribal system will kill them in the end. It is an automatic tax on anything you do. It's like an endemic union, where even if the leaders suck or are stupid, they are still in charge. No matter what. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2005-12-04 22:16 |
| #1 Every one of these mooks the Jihadis take out helps us twice: first it weakens the tribal system by lopping its leadership, and secondly it pisses off the locals -- which costs the Jihaidis their local cover and support. These Jihadis must love pissing in their own well, the do it often enough. |
| Posted by: Oldspook 2005-12-04 00:48 |