Al Qaeda Assassinates True U.S. Ally
From the Full Story at the Washington Post:
"Mourners vowed revenge and perseverance Friday at the funeral of the leader of the Sunni Arab revolt against al-Qaida militants who was assassinated just 10 days after meeting with President Bush in Iraq's Anbar province.
More than 1,500 mourners marched along the highway near the home of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who was killed along with two bodyguards and a driver Thursday by a bomb hidden near his house, just west of Ramadi.
Scores of Iraqi police and U.S. military vehicles lined the route to protect the procession as it followed the black SUV carrying the sheik's Iraqi-flag draped coffin.
"We will take our revenge," the mourners chanted along the six-mile route to Risha's family cemetery, many of them crying. "We will continue the march of Abu Risha."
Readers will remember we first mentioned the Sheikh on Monday in a post about the success of the surge.
Most interesting is the reaction of his people. They aren't wondering if they should clam up and start fighting. They aren't rueing the day they helped the Americans. They want Al Qaeda dead.
That's exactly what many Americans want. Continues
While Harry Reid spent his July calling the war a loss, the Sheikh and his followers were fighting Al Qaeda in al Anbar. The death is a loss for Iraq and those who wish to see a stable Middle East, but it isn't the end of the war and it won't affect the coming destruction of Al Qaeda. The Sheikh's followers will make sure of that.
The one serious point to take away from this is that the people of Al Anbar have made Al Qaeda desperate enough to try a stupid, useless assassination. They didn't do it through negotiations, they did it by killing so many in Al Qaeda that the terrorists decided to assassinate the leader in hopes of scaring the people. It didn't work.
Perhaps that is what Reid fears, and thus will capitulate at a moment's notice. Perhaps it isn't greed or ambition that animates Reid and his Democrats, but fear and cowardice drive their decisions. The Sheikh was killed, and that's a loss, but all of us die. On the other hand, his people have a chance to live free of Al Qaeda if they finish the battle now. In his assassination, he leaves a legacy of courage.
That's less than I can say for a half of the United States Senate.
Labels: Al Qaeda, iraq, iraq surge, news, Sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Reisha, war
2 Comments:
" you say that all of us die" about the death of Sheik Abu Reisha.
Some are mourned more than others: Abe Lincoln and Martin Luther King and JFK were more important than you or I and the death of that sheik is about that important to those people in Anbar. It is their 9-11 It will discourage other sheiks from a photo opportunity with Bush which is plastered all over the Middle East news. Where are our troops in protecting that sheiks house? Where were our troops protecting the Golden dome? Out doing combat?@$%&* We need to change mission- lower profile, more training troops and protecting high value targets- not as glamerous but not as disgusting as making a poster boy out of a sheik who was our ally and selling his thereby down the river- How smart is Petraeus? these sheiks were winning against Al Qaida before he showed up in January 2007. Just goes to show that we need a smaller military footprint and stop the surge. I could say more- very dissapointed in the key stone cops that cannot manage and go before Congress saying that yes, Petraeus son will serve in Iraq soon- are you kidding or lying or stupid? His son is a high value target and no soldier wants to sleep near his bunk. What if he gets kidnapped? Petraeus was not sworn in during his testimony which was a PR campaign from Bush who shares resposibility for the death of the Sheik because he wanted him in a photo. Shame! My opinion of Bush is now even lower if that is possible. I am a patriot and very upset.
...the death of that sheik is about that important to those people in Anbar.
Correct, but they also consider Sheik Abu Risha a hero and a martyr in their fight against al-Q. He is now honored more than mourned in al Anbar and his successor will continue the fight (and be happy to pose with Bush) until he is killed. Then *his* successor will continue the fight, and, if need be, *his* successor, until al-Q is destroyed in al Anbar.
Where are our troops...?
Out performing their missions. Iraq is the size of California, and there aren't enough troops in all four branches of the Armed Forces to protect everything, everywhere. Sheik Abu Risha died, but perhaps a school full of kids five blocks away did *not*...
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home