Roggio: Al Qaeda And Its Role In The Iraq Insurgency
Bill does some sorting of fact from fiction.
The attempts to minimize the role played by al Qaeda in Iraq in the larger Sunni insurgency took a significant step over the past week. Clark Hoyt, the public editor of the New York Times, claimed that the media had become complicit in the government’s attempts to paint the entire Sunni insurgency with an al Qaeda brush. Also this week, Malcolm Nance published an article at the Small Wars Journal claiming al Qaeda is being given too much credit for the violence in Iraq. In the article, titled “Al Qaeda in Iraq–Heroes, Boogeymen or Puppets?,” Nance claims al Qaeda is but a bit player in the Iraqi insurgency and is largely controlled by the Baathist remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime. To Nance, al Qaeda is both a U.S. Boogeyman and Baathist Puppet.
If taken seriously, these theories are likely to have a significant impact on the political battle over the war in Iraq as it is played out back here in the States. I took a look at the major points advanced by Nance and found his argument to be unpersuasive. Nance makes several factual errors and contradicts himself on several important points. And he fails to recognize the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq, the continually evolving nature of the Sunni insurgency and our understanding of it.
His theory that the insurgency is dominated by Baathist Former Regime Leaders (FRLs) was popular circa 2003-2004, and has long since been discredited. While Baathists and Former Regime Elements certainly play a role in the insurgency, their influence has diminished over time as al Qaeda and its puppet Islamic State of Iraq have coopted significant elements of the Sunni Insurgency.
CONTINUE HERE
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“The claims that al Qaeda in Iraq is a bit player in the Iraqi insurgency do not match the facts on the ground. Everyone from military commanders to intelligence specialists to the troops on the ground understand the nature of the insurgency and al Qaeda’s role in it. Attempts to sideline al Qaeda’s role in the insurgency are both misguide, and dangerous.”
Well, duh. The only pinheads that don’t get it are members of the leftist demedia and their talking head pals, and screwey leftist trolls that have a Zinnian view on history.
Everybody else gets it.
Islamic imperialism and Das Koran are the real threats to Iraq and the Western World. Whether you choose to call the disparite groups AQ, Hamas, Hizbollah, MMA, or Al Quds, you’re talking about the same snake.
Kill it and the body will die.
July 14th, 2007 at 4:17 amAmen, Dan.
They have a fucking FLAG, for shit sakes??!!??
Find the damn factory putting out that flag and J-Dam it … damn it!
July 14th, 2007 at 5:26 amdrillanwr:
Thanks.
July 14th, 2007 at 6:03 amEven though I have heard so much of it since 9/11/01, the amount of stupidity on behalf of the media still shocks me. Its time to roll these leftist news stations, the only people who listen to and believe this garbage are the self loathing nitwits on the left. Americans is always in the wrong to these people. They need to wake up and realize that we were sucker punched 6 years ago and no matter how much they piss and moan this train isnt stopping until AQ and all groups like it are wiped out
July 14th, 2007 at 6:47 amWho gives a shit what they are called? They need serious killing until they can all be called dead.
July 14th, 2007 at 9:35 am