Article

2007-05-03 Iraq

Senior Al Qaeda Muharib Abdul Latif killed by US troops

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by mrp 2007-05-03 08:07|| || Front Page|| [11131 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 OK, here's Caldwells full statement:

Caldwell said al-Baghdadi's death could not be confirmed. "If that person even exists, again, we have nobody in our possession or know of anybody that does, alive or dead, that is going through any kind of testing or analysis at this point with respect to those two individuals," he said.

On Tuesday, officials reported that al-Masri, the head of al-Qaida in Iraq, had been killed by rivals north of Baghdad, but the body had not been recovered. Regarding al-Masri, Caldwell said "we in fact do not have in our possession nor do we know of anybody that has anybody or person at this time that we think is him." "His overall status whether he is dead or alive is actually unknown to us at this point," he added.

That's more like a official, very carefully worded statement.

Posted by Steve 2007-05-03 08:45|| 2007-05-03 08:45|| Front Page Top

#2 "...Latif was identified as al-Qaeda in Iraq's senior information minister, responsible for crafting propaganda efforts."

Well maybe AlQ can hire Murtha, Kos, Firedoglake, etc. to take his place.

Posted by mhw 2007-05-03 08:54|| http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/]">[http://hypocrisy-incorporated.blogspot.com/] 2007-05-03 08:54|| Front Page Top

#3 Operation Rat Trap. Heh.

Love to eat them mousies
Mousie's what I love to eat.
Bite they little heads off
Nibble on they tiny feet.

-- B. Kliban

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2007-05-03 10:05|| 2007-05-03 10:05|| Front Page Top

#4 Yesss....how sad. Latif's life could've been spared, if only the Democratic Congress had been able to work its' will on the President's failed policy a little sooner.

We feel responsible, in a way, for Latif's death. We shall renew our efforts to make the President accountable, by forcing an end to Bush's War Without End™

Posted by Harry and Nancy, arm in arm 2007-05-03 10:12|| 2007-05-03 10:12|| Front Page Top

#5 More splodydopes gone to meet their raisins.

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2007-05-03 10:24|| 2007-05-03 10:24|| Front Page Top

#6 "All information and intelligence reports confirm the death of Abu Ayyub Al Masri the leader of Qaeda in Iraq in Niba'e on Tuesday," said Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for the interior ministry. "We have received sure and confirming reports on that and there is no doubt that the man killed was Al Masri."

It seems that every time Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim "Bullshit" Khalaf makes an announcement, it turns out to be faulty. Must be related to Baghdad Bob. Give it a week and see if Masri turns up dead or if the story quietly dies. I hope he's right this time.

Posted by KBK 2007-05-03 10:50|| 2007-05-03 10:50|| Front Page Top

#7 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Thursday it had killed a top al Qaeda operative in Iraq whom it accused of involvement in the kidnapping of American journalist Jill Carroll, peace activist Tom Fox and other foreigners. U.S. military spokesman Major-General William Caldwell said Muharib Abdul Latif al-Jubouri was the "senior minister of information" for al Qaeda in Iraq.

Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier-General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf said Jubouri was also Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, a Qaeda-led group which has claimed many major attacks in the country.

Iraqi officials had said Baghdadi was killed by Iraqi and U.S. forces north of the capital. They have also said Abu Ayyub al-Masri, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, was killed in a battle between insurgents north of Baghdad, also this week. "This is the individual I think has caused some of the recent confusion as to who was the senior person in the al Qaeda network who had been killed," Caldwell said, referring to Jubouri, adding his body had been identified through DNA tests. Al Qaeda figures are often known by more than one name.

Iraqi state television earlier broadcast images of the body of a man it identified as Baghdadi. The body lay inside a wooden coffin in a truck, its head badly swollen and bruised.

Posted by Steve 2007-05-03 11:04|| 2007-05-03 11:04|| Front Page Top

#8 my head is spinning.

Ok, so we know for sure Jabouri is food for worms. Centcom says so.

We THINK Jabouri IS al Baghdadi, cause Iraq says so, and that would explain the confusion, and is not inconsistent with what centcom said.

But we DONT think weve gotten al-Masri, that was just confusion with Jabouri/albaghdadi?

Posted by liberalhawk 2007-05-03 11:18|| 2007-05-03 11:18|| Front Page Top

#9 We're monitoring the Baghdad Craigslist job listings, just in case.

Posted by Seafarious">Seafarious 2007-05-03 11:32|| 2007-05-03 11:32|| Front Page Top

#10 "We know there is a person calling himself al-Baghdadi"

Do we? Or do we know that there has been a personna of al Baghdadi that has been created. By creating a strawman personna you might keep forces busy attempting to track down a non-existent entity.

Posted by crosspatch 2007-05-03 11:55|| 2007-05-03 11:55|| Front Page Top

#11 Henceforth rat traps will be set every night and checked every morning. Bait like children, calfs, ewes, and goats will not be used until deemed necessary.

Posted by wxjames 2007-05-03 12:14|| 2007-05-03 12:14|| Front Page Top

#12 okay, time to pass out the chocolate eggs...

Posted by Querent 2007-05-03 12:50|| 2007-05-03 12:50|| Front Page Top

#13 Does he get double the virgins if he's killed under two names?

If so than that would explain the rampant use of multiple pseudonyms.

Posted by Abu do you love 2007-05-03 13:00|| 2007-05-03 13:00|| Front Page Top

#14 crosspatch: while that might sound good on paper, in practice it would be self-defeating.

Zarqwari was more effective, to a great extent because he was well-known to his subordinates, and kept clear lines of command and communication open with them. His failing in that was by not having a well-known number 2, who while known, would stay hidden as chief of planning. Then his other lieutenants would be in operations.

When Zarqwari was killed, his number 2 would step into his place and maintain continuity.

That being said, a "paper" commander means that operations are decentralized and independent, which also means they have to be smaller scale, limited range and uncoordinated. It also reduces the secure communications networks.

In essence, it downgrades operations to local rather than regional scope.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-05-03 13:05|| 2007-05-03 13:05|| Front Page Top

#15 center mass poem Em.

Posted by RD">RD 2007-05-03 13:51|| 2007-05-03 13:51|| Front Page Top

#16 A "paper" commander can never be killed. Even if you get the real person in charge, you don't get a propaganda victory because you never get "the top guy". As for the rank and file, all they are really interested in is their immediate commander.

al Zarqawi wasn't really all that effective in that he managed to turn many people away with his tactics and had something of a reputation for running away from a fight. He caught a lot of flak over Fallujah.

The guy currently in charge has more military training. He is more likely to retreat and preserve his forces to fight another day.

But in any case, you can have a real effective commander and have a strawman in whose name all major statements are issued.

Posted by crosspatch 2007-05-03 14:01|| 2007-05-03 14:01|| Front Page Top

#17 Have a look at this.

Posted by crosspatch 2007-05-03 14:14|| 2007-05-03 14:14|| Front Page Top

#18 So a "paper commander" - that'd be like bin Laden?

Posted by Boby 2007-05-03 14:35|| 2007-05-03 14:35|| Front Page Top

#19 Boby is my other, dumber, brother.

Posted by Bobby 2007-05-03 14:41|| 2007-05-03 14:41|| Front Page Top

#20 i could never keep the names staright anyway just kill any of them trying too fight whether they are "commanders" or not. seems that would clear this subject up real fast.

Posted by sinse 2007-05-03 16:37|| 2007-05-03 16:37|| Front Page Top

#21 crosspatch: It's still bad strategy, or a sign of weakness. A battlefield commander who isn't on the battlefield, especially with a long lag time in communications, can be worse than useless.

In fact, were they to set up a paper commander, the US could run circles around them by using him as an "Emmanuel Goldstein" character, issuing false orders in his name, leaving the "inner circle", the only ones who know he doesn't exist, twisting in the wind.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-05-03 17:44|| 2007-05-03 17:44|| Front Page Top

#22 The battlefield commanders WOULD be in the field. But all the propaganda pronouncements would carry a fictitious name. The rank and file would probably never hear these as most would be printed in English or posted on foreign websites.

Posted by crosspatch 2007-05-03 17:59|| 2007-05-03 17:59|| Front Page Top

#23 He's green Jim.

Posted by Shipman">Shipman 2007-05-03 19:45|| 2007-05-03 19:45|| Front Page Top

#24 lol ship

Posted by sinse 2007-05-03 20:13|| 2007-05-03 20:13|| Front Page Top

#25 must have eaten somethin that didn't agree.

Posted by RD">RD 2007-05-03 23:58|| 2007-05-03 23:58|| Front Page Top

23:58 RD
23:49 Zenster
23:47 xbalanke
23:40 Groluns Ulomort5343
23:37 Barbara Skolaut
23:37 Obop Shebop7428
23:37 twobyfour
23:26 Barbara Skolaut
23:17 Zenster
23:06 IT Insider
23:00 DMFD
22:55 IT Insider
22:52 IT Insider
22:45 Zenster
22:40 Photer Platypus9782
22:35 Cromert
22:34 Nero Ebbomoque8052
22:29 Zenster
22:25 M. Murcek
22:11 Zenster
22:10 Ptah
22:05 Ptah
21:55 Bugs Hupusose2306
21:54 Raj