The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaeda in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group, which the Bush administration has long described as the most lethal U.S. adversary in Iraq.
Well, Mark, that's not so bad, you say...they might actually be reporting the good we are doing. But wait, here is what they will spin it with:
Such a declaration could fuel criticism that the Iraq conflict has become a civil war in which U.S. combat forces should not be involved.
OK, we are beating back AQI, however, we cannot declare victory til they are GONE. To do so would be premature and a poor tactical decision.
"I think it would be premature at this point," a senior intelligence official said of a victory declaration over AQI, as the group is known. Despite recent U.S. gains, he said, AQI retains "the ability for surprise and for catastrophic attacks." Earlier periods of optimism, such as immediately following the June 2006 death of AQI founder Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a U.S. air raid, not only proved unfounded but were followed by expanded operations by the militant organization.
There is widespread agreement that AQI has suffered major blows over the past three months. Among the indicators cited is a sharp drop in suicide bombings, the group's signature attack, from more than 60 in January to around 30 a month since July. Captures and interrogations of AQI leaders over the summer had what a senior military intelligence official called a "cascade effect," leading to other killings and captures. The flow of foreign fighters through Syria into Iraq has also diminished, although officials are unsure of the reason and are concerned that the broader al-Qaeda network may be diverting new recruits to Afghanistan and elsewhere.
And just for some liberal clowns (see Wide Open's Jeff) who say the Surge is wrong and is not working, buried in this story is this nugget of truth:
The deployment of more U.S. and Iraqi forces into AQI strongholds in Anbar province and the Baghdad area, as well as the recruitment of Sunni tribal fighters to combat AQI operatives in those locations, has helped to deprive the militants of a secure base of operations
What? The surge is working? Huh? No way! Chuckie Shumer said it wasn't...Drunken Ted Kennedy said it wasn't, and Harry Reid said the war is lost already? Have we been dipping into some Chappaquiddick Ale, Senators? Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.
