Michael Totten — There Is no war in Western Iraq any more

  15 Responses to “Michael Totten — There Is no war in Western Iraq any more”

1. 

   Pat says:

   2/26/2008 at 10:37 am

   So the goalpost is in Western Iraq now? Great – then victory is ours!

   ‘ Baghdad
   . . . – Around 7:30 a.m., a roadside bomb exploded at Zafaraniyah neighborhood (east Baghdad) near Al-Noor mosque. No casualties recorded.

   - Around 12:30 p.m., two roadside bombs exploded at the Qasim highway near the Shaab stadium (east Baghdad). Two people were injured in that incident.

   - Around 2p.m., a roadside bomb exploded near Al-Dayer church. No casualties or damage reported.

   - Around 4 p.m., mortars hit Qadisiyah neighborhood. No casualties recorded.

   - Around 5:30 p.m., gunmen using Toyota sedan car opened fire on an army check point near the Um Al-Tibul mosque and ran away. No casualties recorded.

   - Police found three dead bodies in Baghdad today. Two of them in Risafa bank : 1 in Ubaidi and 1 in Zafaraniyah while the third was found in Amil in Karkh bank.

   Diyala

   - Around 9 a.m., gunmen killed two civilians at the downtown Baquba bus station.

   - Early morning, gunmen disguised in the Iraqi army uniform killed a woman at Dowasir village of Bhrz, six km south of Baquba.

   - Diyala police found a mass grave for eight dead women at Salam village of Khalis, 16 km north of Baquba.

   - Around noon, a roadside bomb targeted a civilian car on the way between Qara taba and Khanaqeen in the north east of Baquba. Both passengers of the vehicle were killed in that incident. . .

   Salahuddin

   - In the morning, a suicide bomber in a wheelchair targeted Brig. Gen. Abdul Jabar Rabiaa Salih, the assistant commander of Samarra operations. Salih was killed and an officer was injured.

   Kirkuk

   - Early morning, a roadside bomb targeted the patrol of Brig. Gen. Sarhad Qadir, the chief of police of districts and towns, near al-Jamhouri hospital in downtown Kirkuk. No casualties were reported, but there some damage to one of the vehicles.

   Mosul

   - Mortars hit a house at Tal Al-Ruman neighborhood in the city today. Three people were killed and four women were injured. All were from the same family.

   Basra

   - This morning, gunmen opened fire on three oil company guards at Bahadriya of Abu Al-Khaseeb, southeast of Basra. One guard was killed and the other two were seriously injured.

   - Police found the body of the engineer Ali Mahmoud at Hamdan neighborhood in south Basra. Ali was kidnapped a month ago from his house at a residential compound by gunmen who were wearing police uniforms. ‘

   Reply
2. 

   Pat says:

   2/26/2008 at 10:38 am

   AMADIYAH, Iraq (AFP) — The Turkish army said it killed 41 Kurdish rebels Monday, taking the overall toll in its offensive in northern Iraq to 170, as the US renewed calls for restraint and a swift withdrawal.

   Reply
3. 

   adam says:

   2/26/2008 at 12:27 pm

   wow look how great it is that pat can take time from celebrating the obvious victories in iraq to remind us that a few murderers can still target innocent civilians to kill and occasionally convince a kid in a wheelchair to commit suicide so that they can take out an iraqi police officer. thanks pat; your unyielding patriotism and your tendancies toward accurately prioritizing important information from the warzone will be duly noted.

   Reply
4. 

   Pat says:

   2/26/2008 at 5:52 pm

   “…target innocent civilians to kill and occasionally convince a kid”

   Occasionally? Man, the contortions you wingnuts must maintain to keep a straight face.

   Reply
5. 

   Anonymous says:

   2/26/2008 at 7:07 pm

   “Prioritizing” information? Dude, you guys are the one screaming MISSION ACCOMPLISHED as loud as your gaping mouths will let you.

   Reply
6. 

   no2liberals says:

   2/26/2008 at 10:31 pm

   Haider Ajina Comments:

   Ever since the liberation of Iraq (from Saddam and the Baathist regime) in the spring of 2003, Iraqis have enjoyed religious and personal freedoms, even though Alqaida in Iraq and certain fundamental religious groups have tried to impose their oppressive ways. The MNF and Iraqi forces have rebutted them and weakened these groups’ bite. Not only have Iraqis enjoyed these freedoms, but all who visit Iraq (mostly for religious pilgrimages) enjoyed those freedoms while visiting Iraq.

   Many of those visitors return home (especially Iranians and Saudis) and realize that they have more rights and freedoms in Iraq than in their home country, especially the women. I believe that this type of influence, that of freedom, rule of law, and human rights, can only spread to Iraq’s neighbors, especially now that much of Iraq has calmed down and become more secure.

   Evidence of this is: Kuwaiti women receiving the right to vote and run for office in municipal elections, stronger elected municipal councils in Jordan, Saudi municipal elections, demonstration in Ahwas, Iran demanding better conditions and more human rights, demonstration in Tehran and other Iranian large cities denouncing their president as a dictator, etc…

   Over time Iraq will have a stronger influence on its region than the surrounding countries will have on it. Many Iraqis have tasted bitter oppression and bitter dictatorship (during the Baathist rule) and have tasted bitter religious intolerance (in areas which fell under Alqiada control). Having tasted these bitter times, it is very unlikely that they will return to a dictatorship or allow religious intolerance to spread and rule their country. Religious intolerance, especially, is rarely if ever been the hallmark of Iraqis.

   Sincerely,
   Haider Ajina

   Iraq Tourism Boom-Exports Human Rights To Region.
   How did Pat miss this info? Oh, I know, it doesn’t fit his negative LLL view.

   Reply
7. 

   no2liberals says:

   2/26/2008 at 10:45 pm

   But wait, there were many other people being killed or captured in Iraq than Pat told us about. Could it be he doesn’t want to know about them?
   Lets see what else happened, the past few days in Iraq.

   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
   RELEASE No. 20080226-05
   February 26, 2008

   Coalition forces kill 7 terrorists in firefight near Khan Bani Sa’ad
   Multi-National Division – North

   TIKRIT, Iraq – Multi-National Division – North Soldiers killed seven terrorists during a firefight east of Khan Bani Sa’ad, Iraq, in the early morning hours of Feb. 25.

   Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., were ambushed while conducting an operation to capture a known al-Qaeda in Iraq operative. When the Soldiers closed within 30 feet of the target house, they came under attack by small arms fire and grenades. Three MND-N Soldiers were injured in the initial attack.

   The troops, shielding the wounded with their bodies, returned fire, killing three terrorists. A scout weapons team observed several more fighters fleeing the target house and engaged them with rockets, killing four.

   Two suspected AQI were detained, including the targeted AQI member.
   ——————————–
   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
   RELEASE No. 20080226-04
   February 26, 2008

   Iraqi Police find more than 500 munitions in cache
   Multi-National Division – Center

   BAGHDAD – Iraqi police manning a checkpoint near Jurf as Sakhr, Iraq, discovered a large weapons cache with more than 500 munitions Feb. 22.

   The cache contained 240 60 mm mortars, 189 100 mm mortars, 107 fuses, three 82 mm rockets and two 88 mm mortars.
   ———————————
   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
   RELEASE No. 20080226-01
   February 26, 2008

   MND-B Soldiers capture special groups leader
   Multi-National Division – Baghdad

   BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers captured a suspected Special Groups commander during an operation in Baghdad’s Sha’ab neighborhood Feb. 24.

   The suspect is accused of being involved in multiple improvised explosive device attacks.

   Paratroopers with 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, detained the suspect after receiving actionable intelligence on his activities. Several other suspected criminal members were captured with him.

   The detainees were captured with components of explosively formed projectiles. The components were allegedly imported from neighboring countries.
   ———————————–
   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
   RELEASE No. 20080225-03
   February 25, 2008

   Coalition Forces capture 4 key AQI leaders

   BAGHDAD – Coalition Forces capture four suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders in the Baghdad Feb 24.

   The suspects are accused of being associated with numerous terrorist attacks in the Baghdad area, to include vehicle-borne improvised-explosive attacks, suicide VBIEDs and suicide vest IED attacks.

   A series of recent terrorist attacks is believed to have been actively targeting innocent Iraqi civilians and Sons of Iraq.
   ————————————
   Press Release A080225a
   February 25, 2008

   Coalition forces capture Iranian-backed Special Groups facilitator, detain seven suspects

   BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured a suspected Iranian-backed Special Groups finance facilitator and detained six other suspected criminals early Sunday in the Suwayrah area, south of Baghdad.

   The targeted individual was reportedly a finance leader for Iranian-affiliated Special Groups criminals and militias in Iraq’s southern provinces to include Najaf, Karbala, Babil, Wasit and Qadisiyah. He was also allegedly a mortar and rocket specialist who had trained in Iran. Reports indicate he was an associate of several other senior-level Special Groups criminal element leaders involved in attacks on Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition forces.

   Intelligence led ground forces to the target area where they captured the wanted individual and the six other suspected criminals without incident. During the operation, Coalition forces also discovered large amounts of American currency.
   ——————————-
   MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
   PRESS DESK
   BAGHDAD, Iraq
   http://www.mnf-iraq.com
   703.343.8790

   Press Release A080224b
   February 24, 2008

   Coalition forces disrupt terrorist operations; three killed, 25 detained

   BAGHDAD – Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 25 suspects Saturday and today during operations to disrupt al-Qaeda operating in central and northern Iraq.

   Coalition forces conducted an operation east of Samarra in Karwi Saturday targeting an alleged al-Qaeda in Iraq associate of the Baqouba suicide bombing network. The suspect is reportedly associated with two terrorists killed during operations Feb. 10 and 16 for their involvement in weapons facilitation and ties to the AQI network in the Hamrin Mountains.

   When Coalition forces arrived in the area, they were fired on by a man matching the description of the wanted individual. Responding in self-defense, Coalition forces engaged the terrorist, killing him. As they continued to clear the area, they observed several other enemy personnel nearby, and a supporting helicopter engaged, killing two additional terrorists. Once the area was secure, the ground force confirmed the first terrorist killed was the wanted individual. In one of the target buildings, Coalition forces discovered what appeared to be an improvised explosive device manufacturing facility. The IED materials and several vehicles found on site were destroyed to prevent future use for terrorist attacks. Coalition forces also detained seven suspected terrorists.

   South of Samarra today, Coalition forces captured an alleged associate of an AQI network operating in al-Anbar province. Reports indicate the suspect is connected to an AQI leader associated with numerous senior terrorists operating both inside and outside Iraq, and who is involved in AQI media and propaganda operations.

   Intelligence reports led Coalition forces to an area in Mosul believed to be a possible safe haven for a group of foreign terrorists involved in recent attacks on Iraqi and Coalition forces. The location is also reportedly connected with a suspect detained Feb. 19 for his association with a senior-level facilitator in the city. During the operation, the ground force cleared the area and detained four wanted suspects on site.

   During operations in Tikrit and east of Hamim al-Alil, nine suspected terrorists were detained today while targeting associates involved in foreign terrorist facilitation for the Mosul AQI network. Also, Coalition forces detained four suspected terrorists during a multi-day operation Friday and Saturday northeast of Samarra near the Hamrin Mountains targeting an alleged AQI safe haven and meeting location.

   “Iraqi and Coalition forces continue to dismantle al-Qaeda in Iraq’s ability to conduct brutal, indiscriminate attacks against innocent people,” said Lt. Michael Street, MNF-I spokesman. “With the increasing cooperation of Iraqi citizens, we will continue to pursue the terrorists who wreak this senseless violence and bring them to justice.”

   -30-

   FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE MNF-I PRESS DESK AT: [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
   FOR THIS PRESS RELEASE AND OTHERS VISIT http://WWW.MNF-IRAQ.COM.

   One would think Pat and I are talking about two different countries, and two different conflicts.

   Reply
8. 

   no2liberals says:

   2/26/2008 at 10:57 pm

   Now, we are always hearing about how many of our service men and women are killed, but what of the mufsidun, those of the Global Hirabah? All I can say is, they are gonna have to share those dark-eyed virgins.

   2006

   Terrorist deaths for 2006
   Afghanistan
   JAN 2006 6
   FEB 2006 1
   MAR 2006 51
   APR 2006 23
   MAY 2006 136
   JUN 2006 107
   JUL 2006 128
   AUG 2006 75
   Sep 2006 561
   Oct 2006 316
   Nov 2006 100
   Dec 2006 78
   TOT 2006 1,582

   Iraq
   JAN 2006 187
   FEB 2006 156
   MAR 2006 197
   APR 2006 349
   MAY 2006 363
   JUN 2006 250
   JUL 2006 332
   AUG 2006 203
   Sep 2006 241
   Oct 2006 391
   Nov 2006 576
   Dec 2006 657
   TOT 2006 3,902

   Terrorist deaths for 2007
   Afghanistan
   JAN 2007 54
   Feb 2007 38
   Mar 2007 98
   Apr 2007 417
   May 2007 43
   Jun 2007 202
   Jul 2007 178
   Aug 2007 292
   Sep 2007 545
   Oct 2007 149
   Nov 2007 31
   Dec 2007 6
   TOTAL 2007 2,053

   Iraq
   JAN 2007 768
   Feb 2007 612
   Mar 2007 493
   Apr 2007 535
   May 2007 506
   Jun 2007 634
   Jul 2007 575
   Aug 2007 506
   Sep 2007 359
   Oct 2007 198
   Nov 2007 176
   Dec 2007 223
   TOTAL 2007 5,585

   Terrorist deaths for 2008
   Afghanistan
   JAN 2008 6
   Feb 2008 1

   Iraq
   JAN 2008 256
   Feb 2008 45

   Terrorist Death Watch.
   WOW!
   More than twenty three thousand dead goat rapers since 1 Jan 06. Why hasn’t Pat made us aware of this? Or the LameStream Media?
   /oh…right, the template thingie

   Reply
9. 

   no2liberals says:

   2/26/2008 at 11:03 pm

   And then there is this:

   Great Progress continues in Iraq.
   America is winning.
   Although, the corrupt media remains mostly silent– trains are running, Iraqis are returning back home, and US soldiers and marines continue to succeed, and security continues to improve.
   The Bush Surge is clearly working.

   Passengers arrive at Baghdad’s Central railway station February 11, 2008. The train service between Baghdad and Basra resumed with little fanfare in December after a hiatus of 18 months. Few dared use it at first, but word has spread of a safe and cheap journey, and railway officials are scrambling for funds for more carriages. Picture taken February 11, 2008. (REUTERS/Ceerwan Aziz)

   Attacks in Baghdad have dropped up to 80% this past year.

   The UN has hinted that security has improved enough that the 4 million refugees will soon return home.

   Images From Iraq– Not On Your Nightly News.
   Pat and the anonymous nutroot commenter certainly have to ignore a great deal of good news to remain so firmly stuck in their BDS beliefs.

   Reply
10. 

    no2liberals says:

    2/27/2008 at 8:51 am

    One additional view, which didn’t post for some reason last night, is from one of the brightest opinion writers for the leading Arabic International daily newsletter. No one says it better.
    Amir Taheri-Decision Time for Iraq.

    To be sure, Al Qaeda is still capable of buying a few children or insane women from their families and using them as human bombs. It is also still capable of planting some bombs here and there, hoping to kill indiscriminately. But it can no longer develop a coherent strategy even in the four provinces where it had built a support base.

    However while that noose is loosening another is beginning to tighten. This one represents the time factor in the US-led coalition’s military presence in Iraq.
    ——————————–
    Thus, the US-led coalition’s is needed, at least for the time being.

    But, whether or not the Americans will stay does not solely depend on Iraqi politicians. Ultimately, Washington must be convinced that its continued commitment is in its own interest.
    ——————————–
    Nevertheless, an Obama administration, pursuing some of the same illusions that led Jimmy Carter into disaster in the Middle East three decades ago, could do a lot of damage before the American public, as fickle as a monarch of fairy tales, wakes up to the reality of US national interests. Carter’s illusions at the time helped produced the fundamentalist-military coup d’etat in Pakistan, the Khomeinist seizure of power in Iran and the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Obama’s illusions could encourage all those who wish to reshape the Middle East against American interests that their time has come. And that could mean fresh trouble for new Iraq.

    The argument that Obama Democrats use in support of disengagement from Iraq is that the new Iraq leadership is unable to sort out its differences and unite the nation and that there is no reason why the US should support one faction against another in what looks like an ongoing or at least an impending civil war.

    Anyone familiar with Iraq’s current realities would instantly recognise the hollowness of that argument. Iraq is neither in a state of civil war nor heading towards it. Even if the Americans were to leave, the main danger would be a resurgence of Al Qaeda terrorism and a disguised Iranian military intervention rather than an Iraqi civil war.

    Reply
11. 

    adam says:

    2/27/2008 at 9:44 am

    patty-so the “occasions” where insurgents use the handicapped to kill innocent iraqi civilians is more prevelant than i suggested? please elaborate…it is tough to keep a straight face discussing global affairs with folks who insist they understand reality yet shut down when confronted with it.
    anon-you exemplify this point well. you may want to reread the post as it doesn’t even subtly imply that the american mission is accomplished. it may be getting there militarily, but reconstruction and democracy are not objectives achievable overnight. it does however flatly state that progress continues to be made; i wonder why you choose not to dispute it’s claims. actually, no i don’t.

    Reply
12. 

    Pat says:

    2/27/2008 at 10:43 am

    I am so impressed with your obejective unbaised sources, Ok, you win Iraq is freee..wheee!!! Semper Cheetos, where’s my clicker?!

    Reply
13. 

    Pat says:

    2/27/2008 at 10:46 am

    Thenagain…

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_politics

    BAGHDAD – Iraq’s presidential council rejected a measure Wednesday setting up provincial elections, sending it back to parliament in the latest setback to U.S.-backed national reconciliation efforts.

    Reply
14. 

    adam says:

    2/27/2008 at 11:06 am

    gee patty- those fact based criticizms of sources make me skeptical. i especially enjoyed your response to the big half of the conflict scorecard that you commonly forget to mention; perhaps what i liked so much is that you didn’t.

    Reply
15. 

    no2liberals says:

    2/27/2008 at 1:50 pm

    Henh.

    For instance, liberals are uniformly glum, not only in their grim demeanors and persistent anger, but also in their outlooks. Even in the flush of their midterm victory, they could hardly conceal their endemic rage, in spite of a brief moment of toothy, appliquéd smiles.

    This is because their worldview is uniformly negative. When things are good, they see only the bad and invoke the Misery Index cited routinely by Jimmy Carter and resurrected by the dour wannabe president John Kerry. When things could be better, they see only that things could be worse. When their theories are refuted by hard fact, they are unable to process the true from the untrue because their feelings tell them otherwise.

    The Fifth Column-Joann Swirsky.
    This column explains Pat and his fellow liberals perfectly.
    So in honor of Pat and his feeelings about life in general, I dedicate this song.

    Reply