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2006-03-16 Iraq

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Posted by Dan Darling 2006-03-16 00:39|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [1748 views since 2007-05-07] Top

1 Question, what happened to the 421 AQ guys??

Posted by Rightwing 2006-03-16 09:02|| 2006-03-16 09:02|| Front Page Top

2 This may turn out to be the great untold good news turning point of the whole adventure, particularly if the answer to Rightwing's question is "they're being used". Used by the government to roll up and mop up.

Gen. Abizaid's comments are noteworthy in both their understatement, and the simple acknowledgement of this event. Finally the Interior Minister's comment about "one bureaucrat's signature away" betrays that the govt. may be getting the bureacracy under control, a huge accomplishment even if it's only begun by the security branch rather than purer civilian offices.

It's from the point of that one signature that the govt. can reverse engineer their way back into the Al Qaeda/insurgent/evildoers order of battle at a strategic level, rather than the accumulated tactical gains we've been rolling up for some time.

Hopefully, this could turn out to be a high watermark of significance.

Posted by Phavilet Grolurt9350 2006-03-16 09:49|| 2006-03-16 09:49|| Front Page Top

3 "I think you can look at it that it's a good thing ..."

One could assume the three-week delay in disclosure of this good information is SOP for not compromising sources or methods. But there seems to be an absent component to this first report. Some have already argued that it's damage control for a shoddy screening process but RWs question has highlighted the missing information from this report that (IMO) is more likely the answer.

Posted by DepotGuy 2006-03-16 10:12|| 2006-03-16 10:12|| Front Page Top

4 OK - but let's hope "421" is a random number chosen from the list of signees which intelligence compiled while they waited to the last moment to upset this operation. Let Al Qaeda continue to wonder who's where and why, and who's flipped. If we see scattered reports of specific activity (like the report of "11 killed" or "4 killed" in US raid) maybe that will show after effects from this.

Here's hoping the hunt is hot.

Posted by Phavilet Grolurt9350 2006-03-16 10:43|| 2006-03-16 10:43|| Front Page Top

5 Wouldn't it be lovely if today's activity beyond Samarra is related!

Posted by trailing wife 2006-03-16 12:21|| 2006-03-16 12:21|| Front Page Top

6 This reads better than a plot from the Sopranos. Hopefully, they won't make AQ heroes, like they do the mobsters.

Posted by Perfessor 2006-03-16 12:26|| 2006-03-16 12:26|| Front Page Top

7 One would hope there is a correlation between the 421 and some of the bodies that are showing up around Baghdad.None of the bodies seem to have grieving relatives.

Posted by john">john 2006-03-16 14:46|| 2006-03-16 14:46|| Front Page Top

23:50 JosephMendiola
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