I Have Seen The Horror
Al Qaeda is guilty of monstrosities in Iraq - no matter what anyone says
MICHAEL YON
Sunday, August 5th 2007, 4:00 AM
Amid all this talk of timetables for the War in Iraq, blurred as they are by a strange lemming-like compulsion to declare the “surge” strategy a failure almost before it actually began, one deadline looms larger with each passing day: It’s time for a reckoning with the … truth.
The problem is that almost none of those who have cast themselves as truth-tellers have the requisite credibility for the job. The one man who does was told he had only until September to evaluate progress.
I’m not suggesting that I make a worthy substitute for the commanding general, David Petraeus, on this or any subject, but since December of 2004, I have spent roughly a 1½ years on the battlefields of Iraq.
I’ve traveled alongside American Army and Marines and British forces, from Basra to Mosul and just about anywhere of note in between.
When it comes to Iraq, being there matters because of the massive disconnect between what most Americans think they know about Iraq, and what is actually going on there.
The current controversy about the extent to which Al Qaeda is a threat to peace in Iraq is a case in point. Questions about which group calling itself an offshoot of Al Qaeda is really an offshoot of Al Qaeda is a distraction masquerading as a debate.
Al Qaeda is in Iraq, intentionally inflaming sectarian hostilities, deliberately pushing for full scale civil war. They do this by launching attacks against Shia, Sunni, Kurds and coalition forces. To ensure the attacks provoke counterattacks, they make them particularly gruesome.
Five weeks ago, I came into a village near Baqubah with American and Iraqi soldiers. Al Qaeda had openly stated Baqubah was their worldwide headquarters — indeed, Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed just a short drive away.
Behind the village was a palm grove. I stood there, amid the crushing stench of death, and photographed the remains of decapitated children and murdered adults. I can still smell the rotting corpses of those children.
Clearly, not every terrorist in Iraq is Al Qaeda, but it is Al Qaeda that has been intentionally, openly, brazenly trying to stoke a civil war. As Al Qaeda is now being chased out of regions it once held without serious challenge, their tactics are tinged with desperation.
This may be the greatest miscalculation they’ve made in their otherwise sophisticated battle for the hearts and minds of locals, and it is one we must exploit.
In fact, some Sunni insurgents who formerly were allies of Al Qaeda have turned on them simply because Al Qaeda has proven it will murder anyone — and in the most horrible ways. One of these groups is called the 1920 Revolution Brigade, which turned on Al Qaeda and joined forces with the U.S.
On July 16, I was with American Army forces, Iraqi Army forces and 1920 fighters when together they went off to hunt Al Qaeda. The 1920s guys were in front of us. They got hit by a bomb that was almost certainly planted by terrorists. A major gunfight ensued.
Anyone who says Al Qaeda is not one of the primary problems in Iraq is simply ignorant of the facts.
I, like everyone else, will have to wait for September’s report from Gen. Petraeus before making more definitive judgments. But I know for certain that three things are different in Iraq now from any other time I’ve seen it.
1. Iraqis are uniting across sectarian lines to drive Al Qaeda in all its disguises out of Iraq, and they are empowered by the success they are having, each one creating a ripple effect of active citizenship.
2. The Iraqi Army is much more capable now than it was in 2005. It is not ready to go it alone, but if we keep working, that day will come.
3. Gen. Petraeus is running the show. Petraeus may well prove to be to counterinsurgency warfare what Patton was to tank battles with Rommel, or what Churchill was to the Nazis.
And yes, in case there is any room for question, Al Qaeda still is a serious problem in Iraq, one that can be defeated. Until we do, real and lasting security will elude both the Iraqis and us.
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“When it comes to Iraq, being there matters because of the massive disconnect between what most Americans think they know about Iraq, and what is actually going on there.”
That’s because the prostitute of liberty (MSM) is on her period.
“The current controversy about the extent to which Al Qaeda is a threat to peace in Iraq is a case in point. Questions about which group calling itself an offshoot of Al Qaeda is really an offshoot of Al Qaeda is a distraction masquerading as a debate.”
What debate? The surrender monkeys aren’t interested in a debate? They want power at any cost.
August 5th, 2007 at 7:22 amJust read this on the Daily News web site and came over hear to see if you had it pegged, Pat. You must have been up early today. LOL. Great to get up, have coffee and read a report that paints a real picture of Iraq.
August 5th, 2007 at 7:23 amHopefully America doesn’t have to see them first hand again, to get the picture…
August 5th, 2007 at 7:30 amJarhead68
I have to agree. I find myself living off the reports I find here. Pat nails it every time. Its nice to come here and see the truth in print.
August 5th, 2007 at 7:45 amThe truth used to come to us in very short bursts from time to time and lots of BS in between..but this site puts the truth out there all the time. I cant say it enough, Thanks to Pat for bringing it to us. The tide is turning against AQ and its time people hear about it
August 5th, 2007 at 8:43 am[…] More Pat Dollard […]
August 5th, 2007 at 8:56 am[…] Read More at Pat Dollard […]
August 5th, 2007 at 9:04 amThank you Pat Dollard for this account by Michael Yon. Both Michael and you are who I trust the most to bring us the most important news from the front of this War on Terror.
I fear the most that people will not get it until it is in their own back yards. When they themselves have to breathe in the stench of death by innocent men, women, and children like Yon, Dollard, and all our troops and allies have had to do first hand. Not to mention contend with having to see their brothers in arms give everything they have to save the good people in this world. I hate to even think that of our people in the U.S. but I do not think they fully realize what will happen if we do not continue to hold the line against this enemy. Complacency Kills. They have been reading anti American propaganda for way too long and do not see the real truth. They trusted the mainstream media to report the truth and have sucked up all the lies they have told instead. They also seem to think if we just leave everything will be peaceful again. It is so far from the truth. They do not want to have any of the real causes of the brutality to enter into their narrow scope of life as they know it and think they can ignore it out of existance. Talk about having blinders on.
I do pray they wake up soon. The anguish felt as a result of the denial of the public is indescribable for me.
August 5th, 2007 at 10:13 amMichael Yon does an outstanding job. I think the MSM may have to start telling the truth about Iraq, because they are plaining “out of the loop.” Yon is “in the loop,” and does a fantastic job. I agree with him about Petraus, the right man for the job. He has a greater than even chance of turning out to be an “Einsenhower” type figure.
August 5th, 2007 at 4:08 pmIrish Gal: Call me pessimistic, but I don’t think they’ll get it unless something really horrible happens. Something that surpasses the horror of 9/11. It will take destruction by our enemies on a massive scale to wake these people up. By then it will almost certainly be too late… and there’s no guarantee that they’ll wake up then either. They’ll likely blame the attack (once again) on Bush.
August 5th, 2007 at 5:55 pmYour average Kos Kid will still blame BOOOOOSH as he feels the dull, rusty blade start to saw back and forth. They are the enemy just as much as the muj. They intend to commit suicide and plan on taking us with them. Jihadis, Reds, and Greens all have one thing in common: a profound self-hatred that is expressed through a burning need to destroy everyone and everything good in this world. And the whole time, they’ll be telling us it’s for our own good.
August 5th, 2007 at 6:28 pmWhat a wonderful article-I think we should really think about what he is writing-since has seen what is going on,we should really listen to him.
August 5th, 2007 at 6:29 pmWhat really grinds my ass, while our troops are giving their all over there, our leftist appeasers are bending over backward to accommodate radical muslim organizations like cair. Granting them special religious accommodations like foot baths in airports and schools, providing special workout rooms for muslim women.Now they want to prosecute someone for putting a koran in the toilet.And the rest of the leftist appeasers are cheering them on.
August 5th, 2007 at 7:06 pmEnjoy yourself, Mike, have a good rest. The cats preggers again.
August 9th, 2007 at 5:21 am