US gets quicker on the draw
posted at 8:15 am on March 2, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The US didn’t take very long in finding two al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders who killed five American soldiers in a blast five weeks ago. Both died in an attack on their vehicle in Mosul Wednesday, after a guided missile attack. It demonstrates that US and Iraqi intelligence has improved in the last area where AQI still exercises any cohesiveness:
A U.S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted Saudi Arabian al-Qaida in Iraq leader who was believed responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, a spokesman said Monday.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul. Al-Saudi headed up the al-Qaida network in southeast Mosul, an insurgent hotbed where U.S forces wage daily battles against the group.
According to the military, al-Saudi conducted numerous attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces, including a Jan. 28 bombing that killed the five U.S. soldiers.
In that attack, insurgents blasted a U.S. patrol with a roadside bomb and showered survivors with gunfire from a mosque. The soldiers died in the explosion — the deadliest on American forces since six soldiers perished Jan. 9 in a booby-trapped house north of Baghdad.
Local intelligence told the US where to look for al-Saudi and Hamdan. In fact, the US found out quite a bit about the man in the four weeks before his death. He came to Iraq in August 2007 with a contingent of foreign fighters, dispatched by al-Qaeda from Afghanistan, apparently to help AQI leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri regain some control over the organization. Like the rest of AQI, they got pushed into Mosul after losing ground over the rest of Iraq.
Their arrival from the front in Afghanistan shows once again how critical AQ itself believes Iraq to be. They want to defeat us on this front very badly — and if we withdraw, they will flood Iraq with their terrorists. A loss destroys their argument that they have guidance from Allah, and they get revealed as nothing more than a band of lunatics.
The quick turnaround shows that Petraeus has gained ground in the area where his strategy and tactics first showed success. The Iraqis launched their own series of attacks on known AQI posts in February and have made their own military progress. Residents appear to have gained confidence in the coalition’s ability to defeat AQI, and just as in other areas of the country, Iraqis have responded with more and better intelligence to bring victory more quickly.
AQI got a message today: their days in Mosul are numbered. The only place left to them will be Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Kurds will tear them to pieces if they show their faces there.
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Sweet. If we can see it, we can kill it.
I see you =)
NavyspyII on March 2, 2008 at 8:25 AM
For some reason, the word “democrat” flashes in my mind when I read that.
wildweasel on March 2, 2008 at 8:26 AM
AQ and the Democrats are throwing everything they’ve got at the US in Iraq. So when do military helicopters start taking out Democratic vehicles in DC, which might be more effective.
Hening on March 2, 2008 at 8:26 AM
If it’s wrong that I get a grin of satisfaction everytime an AQI moron meets the business end of a guided missle, I don’t want to be right.
MannyT-vA on March 2, 2008 at 8:46 AM
This good news coupled with the poll results last week that showed that the American people are beginning to see us as winning in Iraq make it look like a major turn around is under way. Bad news for the Democrats who will probably keep their heads in the sand about all this. I’ve also been noticing that some people are returning to the text book definition of recession. So who is the the most conservative and most viable veep for McCain?
snaggletoothie on March 2, 2008 at 8:47 AM
The Captain Qtrs blog had great coverage of the war. I’m really glad Ed’s bringing that with him to HA.
meandchi on March 2, 2008 at 8:57 AM
Good news. It’s always nice to hear about another AQI leader getting what he deserves.
mcrabben7 on March 2, 2008 at 9:02 AM
I don’t think the Peshmerga will give them any sanctuary in Kurdistan anytime soon.
You gotta love those rockets from the sky. I’d buy that helo pilot a drink if we both didn’t fall under the “no-fun-for-you” General Order #1.
LT Nixon on March 2, 2008 at 9:08 AM
This cannot be said often enough.
Buy Danish on March 2, 2008 at 9:18 AM
Good shooting!
Yakko77 on March 2, 2008 at 9:31 AM
“Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah … (was) … killed Wednesday in Mosul.”
Pilot: “Die Jar-Jar DIE!”
(WOOOOSH!)
Jar-Jar: “Meesa hates doze mee-mee-meeeessiles!”
(BOOOOOOM!)
Tony737 on March 2, 2008 at 9:37 AM
I remember when Saddam was caught. I could occasionally tolerate watching Jon Stewart at that time. I remember him saying, he said this means three things for Democrats, Democrats are screwed, Democrats are screwed, and Democrats are screwed. I don’t think were to that point again, but I do think the screw is turning.
Ned on March 2, 2008 at 9:48 AM
The US Military and AQ understand Iraq’s importance, but many Democrats in Congress do not. That is a sad indictment on an elected body of people.
Cold Steel on March 2, 2008 at 9:51 AM
way to go ! but the surge is not working right??
robo on March 2, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Great news, we need a little musical accompaniment to go with this story… another one bites the dust comes to mind.
Zorro on March 2, 2008 at 9:58 AM
Gunfire from a mosque?
How is that even possible?
They are blessed houses of peace.
Islam is certified the Religion of Peace.
I hope someone in the Pentagon took note of this anomaly.
And maybe sent a little note to the Commander-in-Chief himself.
profitsbeard on March 2, 2008 at 9:59 AM
Talk about hitting the ground running. Nice piece Ed.
MM, good choice.
As to the content of the story, OH YEA!!!
jerrytbg on March 2, 2008 at 10:06 AM
McCain is correct to state that the decision to go into Iraq is in the past and what is important now is what we do going forward.
The War in Iraq is critical to regional stability. Failure to win in Iraq will result in the “Lebanonization” of the country (weak central govt, violent factions and the use of the the area as a staging ground for regional proxy wars).
If Obama or Clinton wins the general election, violence will begin to spike as factions position for a post US environment. The whole situation will unravel.
McCain should turn the whole “judgement” argument used by Obama to blugeon Clinton on its head. McCain should slam home the fact that a vote against the surge was the wrong vote and lacked judgement.
moxie_neanderthal on March 2, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Excellent post… close to on par with Roggio, Yon, etc. It’s hard to get that knowledge on a 1 day congressional dog and pony show.
I’m glad MM picked such a good replacement. Now I wish I had read more of your blog before you moved here.
BadBrad on March 2, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Good story ED
It’s good to see the US get things done in a timely manner. If these barbarians have it handed to them swiftly and surely every day of the week, certainly they will eventually get the hint.
I’m also encouraged to see the Iraqi forces conducting their own operations with success. This is their country and the sooner they have responsibility for its safety the sooner we can come home. (for the most part).
RFA on March 2, 2008 at 11:22 AM
AQI decamping to Kurdistan. What a pleasurable thought!
PattyJ on March 2, 2008 at 11:31 AM
Looks like the US has taken to heart that old commercial jingle:
“Reach out, reach out and touch someone….”
irishspy on March 2, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Mosul is where my son is, and as much as I applaud this action, I also know that it has been a tough slog getting the locals on board. In some e-mails he is upbeat, in others he just wants to bulldoze the place because of the frustration. He is all for the mission, and it is succeeding, but there is a way to go folks.
Big tip of the ol’ hat to whoever gave those AQI’s a missle tune-up on their car.
Limerick on March 2, 2008 at 11:37 AM
There’s a chunk of miles between Afghanistan and Syria/Iraq/Iran. How are these lunatics still able to move around so easily from country to country seven years after we started looking for them? Maybe they’re using Musharref’s private presidential jet, or something.
NahnCee on March 2, 2008 at 11:45 AM
We haven’t even taken our gloves off yet methinks.
Montana on March 2, 2008 at 11:46 AM
According to Nir Rosen, the Myth of the Surge, he wrote this article for RollingStone magazine. It- the Surge doesn’t exsist. Now I read the article and I agree, no doubt we are pouring money into this endeavor to keep people from offing each other, we are probably paying Al Sadar what they call a tribute every six months to keep him and his militia on the sidelines….but still if you read Myth of the Surge, it appears Nir Rosen, doesn’t have much use for Shites that being the case it colors the rest of his opinion piece. I mean if you biased in favor of the Sunni’s alot of his argument is with the U.S. getting in the way of the status quo in Iraq. The lastest article on his blog is “Myth of the Surge” I would really like to know if I am on the right track and he is biased or that this is the real situation on the ground in Iraq. Or is this what it looks like through the eyes of someone who sympathizes with Sunnis?
http://www.nirrosen.com/blog/
Dr Evil on March 2, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Jar Allah, meet Jarheads, they’ll introduce you to Allah, in a jar.
Hannibal Smith on March 2, 2008 at 11:51 AM
Go U.S. military.
Johan Klaus on March 2, 2008 at 11:52 AM
I do not think that Rolling Stone magazine is the best place to get objective news on the war.
Johan Klaus on March 2, 2008 at 11:58 AM
We’ve made massive gains in American Intelligence gathering effectiveness since Clinton left office. But that only accounts for a tiny fraction of the al Qaida anal prove that’s going on right now.
Most Americans dont’ have the slightest idea how drastically public sentiment has changed in Iraq over the past few years.
American MP’s in Iraq these days are spending most of their focus on PROTECTING al Qaida detainees from Iraqi citizens who want to murder the terrorists before they can be fully interrogated.
logis on March 2, 2008 at 12:07 PM
I also like the strategy of hitting back hard when attacked. Eye for and eye is about all that works with those mutts.
JAW on March 2, 2008 at 12:21 PM
None of this should be taken as evidence of success in Iraq. There’s still…uh…wait…what about benchmarks…elections…no policital reconcil….well, anyway its costing us too darn much!
Pelosi
Cicero43 on March 2, 2008 at 12:41 PM
I wonder who in the top realms of policy came up with the Mosque immunity concept? These are well known to everyone to act as sanctuaries, arsenals and headquarters for militant Islam.
Remember that disgusting scene of Marines going down on one knee and lowering their weapons in front of one of their “holy” dumps?
Would it be possible to trace back the policy to a source?
And there still safe ground. Something wrong with that.
BL@KBIRD on March 2, 2008 at 1:05 PM
Was either Reid or Pelosi available for comment?
jukin on March 2, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Johan Klaus,
RollingStone has a readership and when I started reading Matt Taibbi’s articles on politics in the RollingStone, I took a look at what else they were printing in the same vain hard news opinion pieces. Is this influencing anyone’s opinion of the Surge? I don’t see anyone questioning these recent articles (The Myth of the Surge) & (McCain Ressurected)
Dr Evil on March 2, 2008 at 1:48 PM
BL@CKBIRD,
.
Ref. “gunfire from a mosque” and “who in the top realms of policy came up with the Mosque immunity concept?”.
.
The 3rd Geneva Convention of 1949 states that places of worship, hospitals, schools, etc. have immunity from military attack.
.
HOWEVER, the Geneva Convention also states that if one side uses a place of worship, e.g. a mosque, for military purposes, using such as a place from which to fire at the other side, that place of worship loses it’s immunity.
.
The attacked party has the right to self-defense and counter-attack, using all “reasonable measures” that are militarily necessary to protect itself and defeat the enemy.
.
The attackers who initiated fire from the mosque are themselves guilty of a war crime for doing that and it’s they, not those who fire back, who are held legally accountable for all damage or destruction done to the previously-protected site.
.
Additionally, the Geneva Convention also specifically defines three types of persons in warfare:
1. civilians, who are immune from military attack;
2. lawful combatants, who must wear distinctive uniform or insignia clearly showing their conbatant status; also must adhere to the laws of warfare; be organized under a command structure and taking lawful orders from a formal entity (normally a sovereign state)
3. unlawful combatants, which category includes spies, saboteurs, otherwise lawul combatants who are captured in the other side’s uniform; and terrorists. After the briefest of summary proceedings or procedures, ALL unlawful combatants may legally be summarily executed on the spot.
.
(As an example of this: During the Battle of the Bulge in WW2, the German Army made use of German soldiers dropped by parachute behind American lines, wearing US Army uniforms. Their purpose was to create as much confusion, havoc and sabotage as possible. A large number of those German soldiers in US Army uniform were captured and, after brief summary court martials in the field, were put up in front of firing squads. If anyone is curious about this, google it and you can even see online photos of the executions.
.
So, for those bleeding-heart “progressives” so upset about those poor Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists held at Guantanamo Prison-hey, take a reality-break: we could have legally just shot them all on the spot.)
DavePa on March 2, 2008 at 1:51 PM
About time we whacked these people instead of thinking about “Rehabilitation”or “Negotiations”.
Also, the side benefit: Tells Iraqis–don’t screw with us.
98fromCA on March 2, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Harry Reid’s Army is getting its A$$ kicked.
Travis1 on March 2, 2008 at 1:59 PM
Hooah! More dead tangos!
Mommynator on March 2, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Reid to Pelosi - We can still loose this war yet.
Kini on March 2, 2008 at 2:00 PM
Say bye bye Jar!!
Bubba Redneck on March 2, 2008 at 2:07 PM
AQ and the Democrats are throwing everything they’ve got at the US in Iraq. So when do military helicopters start taking out Democratic vehicles in DC, which might be more effective.
Hening on March 2, 2008 at 8:26 AM
Suweet!
oakpack on March 2, 2008 at 3:16 PM
*hurridly scrolling through comments*
Dang, Tony!! Beat me again.
labrat on March 2, 2008 at 3:58 PM
Anyone holding their breath to hear what Herr Billowery or Obama have to say about it? She’s too busy throwing balls down airplane isles to amuse her staff/media and he’s too busy posing for pictures where he looks messiahlike.
Thank you Davepa@1:51PM on the quotes from the Geneva Convention…..our rules of engagement appear to have been tweaked a bit to protect our enemy’s culture than for the physicla protection of our combat personnel. Let’s blame it on Pelosi and Reid, throw in Murtha for good measure. I’ll volunteer to bake their humble pie.
24K lady on March 2, 2008 at 4:10 PM
Physicla s/b - physical (I make coffee stronger than Starbucks…..time to cut back some!)
24K lady on March 2, 2008 at 4:13 PM
Somehow I’m afraid this will not be brought up in the next briefing.
labrat on March 2, 2008 at 4:20 PM
Nice, advocating assasination of the other political party is a great way to get people to vote our way!
Squid Shark on March 2, 2008 at 5:28 PM
This is true, for thos at GTMO captured on the battlefield but what about the “suspected terrorists” we pulled out of other countries?
Squid Shark on March 2, 2008 at 5:32 PM
Somebody thinks McCain is the choice, well according to the blog roll many think McCain is the choice.
http://chickaboomer.blogspot.com/2008/02/black-friday-citadel-gores-core-more.html
Dr Evil on March 2, 2008 at 5:34 PM
Sorry this is the McCain links. Chickaboomer is a media industry blog.
http://standupformccain.com/
Dr Evil on March 2, 2008 at 5:35 PM
The Huckster does this too, with oranges, Reagan as well, some think he started it.
Squid Shark on March 2, 2008 at 5:37 PM
This is all true, but I wish McCain would stop dodging the question whether the resumption of the Iraq war (which began in 1990) was the correct decision. It certainly was, and McCain knows it, and should be defending George W. Bush for making it.
Sure, arguably the Bush administration misjudged the situation after capturing Baghdad, but the decision to take out Saddam was the right one, dammit!
MrLynn on March 2, 2008 at 5:47 PM
I think it’s the blue serge suit and/or pants-suit that’s not working for the Dem’s…
landlines on March 2, 2008 at 6:03 PM
Sorry about that, I guess there should of been a smiley after that post for Pelosi fans so they know it’s joke?
The fact that the Democrats are causing as many problems for our side in Iraq as the “other” enemy should be obvious to all, even if you don’t comprehend sarcasm.
What’s your side Squidzo, Obama for change?
Hening on March 2, 2008 at 8:03 PM
If you notice lately the democrats have changed their point of attack on the war to the financial costs. First it was that we could not win the war, then that the surge would not work, and after that, the premise that there was no political progress there, vis-a-vis the benchmarks being met.
carbon_footprint on March 2, 2008 at 8:05 PM
Yes Sir, Cap’n. But I think you stopped a little short in that last sentence, and if you permit me, I will finish it for you: …”they will flood Iraq with their terrorists” and perhaps control the entire country AND IT’S OIL RESOURCES AND REVENUES TO ESCALATE THEIR TERRORISM ANOTHER MAGNITUDE WORLDWIDE.
This is exactly what we face if we cut & run in Iraq: worldwide terrorism the likes of which no one has ever seen.
jimbo2008 on March 2, 2008 at 8:17 PM
Since I am a Republican and at best a person who does not care for Pelosi’s policies (I am active duty military so I will not say anything about her job as speaker), I am assuming that you are talking to someone else.
I do understand sarcasm, but I guess you have not met many hard-core righties, to whom that would be said with only a little bit of whimsy. The Dems arent the only ones causing the problem in Iraq though.
“What’s your side Squidzo, Obama for change?”
McCain, Heningzo :P I despise Obama.
Squid Shark on March 2, 2008 at 8:44 PM
This is sounding better and better all the time,
and it appears that AQ can’t find a rock to crawl
under,and thats great!
With the deafening silence coming from the left on
Irag,and the War on Terror,just a guess,but maybe
the left know’s Irag is slowly returning to normal!
For the left,we don’t seem to be hearing them in
their shrill voices to surrender,so far at this
election process!
canopfor on March 2, 2008 at 9:32 PM
The Dhimmicrats just can’t seem to get their surrender together. By November it will have been too late as we’ll have won.
Mojave Mark on March 3, 2008 at 12:05 AM