Well today I see a few headlines, including but not limited to: The New York Times with "Anti-Buildup measure to have bipartisan stamp", "Senators introduce resolution opposing Bush's Iraq policy" from the Washington Post, and another Wapo article "Dodd introduces bill to cap US Troops in Iraq".
Well boys and girls of the Congress and Senate, get your votes in QUICK, because the latest news is not looking too good for you.....because your plan to get your votes in BEFORE the new plan sees any progress has just gone up in smoke and I TRULY would love to have your votes IN and counted so the American people can finally see you for what you are.
For those unaware of Iraq The Model Blog is a blog authored from Iraq itself....a firsthand view right on the frontlines and the news is that al-Qaeda is retreating already because of...YOU GOT IT...the presidents new counterinsurgency strategy for Baghdad. (The one that is getting such opposition in congress and the senate right this very second)
Via Pajamas Media:
Al Qaeda terrorists are fleeing Baghdad in advance of President Bush’s 21,500-man troop surge, a senior military intelligence officer told Pajamas Media today. Under orders from the al Qaeda commander in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, fighters are streaming toward the Diyala region of Iraq.
This confirms reports posted on Iraq the Model, which cited al-Sabah, an Iraqi government-owned newspaper.
In speaking with Pajamas Media the military intelligence officer supplied several new details of the al Qaeda retreat.
The apparent evacuation of Baghdad by al Qaeda forces comes from direct orders issued by al-Masri, the former soldier who took control of the Iraqi wing of al Qaeda following the June 2006 bombing death of Zarqawi.
Initially, the intelligence officer informed Pajamas, the Baghdad-based AQ fighters did not want to leave. Al-Masri had to send unequivocal orders for their retreat, adding that one of the lessons from the Fallujah campaign was that Americans have learned how to prevail in house-to-house fighting. Masri said that remaining in Baghdad was a ‘no-win situation’ for the terrorists.
“In more than ten years of reading al Qaeda intercepts, I’ve never seen language like this,” the intelligence officer said. Usually, al Qaeda communications are full of bravado and false confidence, he added.
Iraq The Model quotes from a government owned newspaper which details this news further:
In Diyala, politicians, religious and tribal figures demanded that their province be included in the security plan of Baghdad. This came after dozens of foreign Arab militants ran away from Baghdad to areas across Diyala in order to avoid raids by the Iraqi and American forces during the incoming security plan to secure Baghdad.
Eyewitnesses told al-Sabah that areas such as New Baquba, Gatoon and al-Zour in Miqdadiya have become convenient bases for terrorists and foreign al-Qaeda members from Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
This movement of terrorists forced most of the families in these areas to leave either to neighboring countries or to the southern provinces.
The people are asking the interior and defense ministries and the MNF to seal the entrances and exits in order to contain and capture those terrorists in order for Baghdad's plan to succeed. In the same regard a knowledgeable security source stressed that the success of Baghdad's plan depends on the stability of surrounding provinces, especially Diyala…
Read the rest.... seems this surge, as well as the counterinsurgency strategy is already showing the potential, so the congress and senate better get their votes in quick.....this way we, the American people, will know WHO voted for America's defeat and who decided that success was worth giving this new strategy a chance to work.
Captain's Quarters comment is worth a note here:
No other media outlets have reported on this story yet, but both Miniter and Omar are on the ground in the area. The al-Sabaah site appears to be down at the moment, and it may not have an English translation of any statements in any case. If confirmed, it would be the first public retreat by al-Qaeda forces, a damaging development for the network, which had just started to earn back some of its luster thanks to its efforts in Iraq.
The fact is the administration should have damn well included "counterinsugency" into their strategy long before now, they didn't...it was a mistake not to....better late than never.
The political posturing in congress and the senate just might blow up in their faces and I, for one, hope it does.
Some of us believe success is possible, others do not.
Time will tell, but this news is showing a damn good start to the President's New Plan.
And They Said It Wouldn't Work...NewsFlash Part #2 can be found here.
Tracked back by:
The Sane War Manifesto from Right Truth...
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