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Four Marines Were Killed Last Friday In Anbar
2008-05-05 16:00:00 By- Suzie-Q @ 7:00 AM MST From: Think Progress May 4, 2008 By Matt at 8:50 pm Four marines killed by roadside bomb in Anbar.» The military reported today that a roadside bomb attack in Anbar Province killed four marines on Friday in ?one of the deadliest? attacks in months on American troops in the province. Though violence has ...
By: Suzie-Q
Life seems safer for Marines in Anbar
2008-03-23 17:27:00 AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - It's four in the morning and the convoy is staged and ready to roll. Today's run has 70 vehicles 50 trucks loaded with food, water and supplies and 20 military escorts, guns mounted and turrets manned.
By: Get rich
Life seems safer for Marines in Anbar
2008-03-23 17:27:00 AL-ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - It's four in the morning and the convoy is staged and ready to roll. Today's run has 70 vehicles 50 trucks loaded with food, water and supplies and 20 military escorts, guns mounted and turrets manned.
By: Get rich
Suicide Bombing Kills 6 in Anbar, Iraq
2008-01-20 15:14:00 A suicide bombing killed six people in Anbar province on Sunday, but the target of the attack, a U.S.-backed Sunni tribal sheik, was unhurt, police said.
By: Get rich
More progess in Iraq; Anbar to be taken over by Iraqi forces. Where’s
2008-01-13 17:10:00 McQ, over at Q&O, notes progress in Iraq… progress tha very few in the MSM will ever notice: Another real indication of progress in Iraq: Iraq’s western province of Anbar, hotbed of the Sunni Arab insurgency for the first four years of the war, will be returned to Iraqi control in March, a senior U.S. general said Thursday. In terms of pacification and the reestablishment of the rule of law, it doesn’t get much better than this. And Anbar makes the 9th of 18 provinces returned to Iraqi control. Quite right. Meanwhile, The mainstream media is sitting at a green light on this, apparently it’s not green enough for them. Powered by ScribeFire.
By: BitsBlog
Calmer Anbar means U.S. forces may take trim
2007-11-07 06:01:00 WASHINGTON - The U.S. command in Anbar province has plans that could cut one-third of the coalition's combat battalions by next spring, reflecting improved security in what was among the deadliest regions in Iraq.
By: Get rich
Calmer Anbar means U.S. forces may take trim
2007-11-07 06:01:00 WASHINGTON - The U.S. command in Anbar province has plans that could cut one-third of the coalition's combat battalions by next spring, reflecting improved security in what was among the deadliest regions in Iraq.
By: Get rich
A Real Report on the Anbar Province of Iraq
2007-09-19 05:30:00 This is a good report on what is really going on in the Anbar Province of Iraq. It looks like the good guys are winning but you couldn't tell that from what the mainstream media is reporting every day. ~RJH  Michael J. Tottens Middle East Journal article link Anbar Awakens Part II: Hell is OverThis is the second in a two-part series. Read Part One, The Battle of Ramadi, here.RAMADI, IRAQ – In early 2007 Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar Province, was one of the most violent war-torn cities on Earth. By late spring it was the safest major city in Iraq outside Kurdistan. Abu Musab Al Zarqawi’s Al Qaeda in Iraq had seized control with the tacit blessing of many local civilians and leaders because they promised to fight the Americans. But Al Qaeda’s rule of Ramadi was vicious and cruel. They turned out not to be liberators at all, but the Taliban of Mesopotamia. Al Qaeda met resistance, after a time, from the Iraqis and responded with a horrific murder and intimidation campaig...
What Does Anbar Province Say About It?
2007-09-18 20:49:00 Interesting New York Times article: ?In a survey conducted Aug. 17-24 for ABC News, the BBC and NHK, the Japanese broadcaster, among a random national sample of 2,212 Iraqis, 72 percent in Anbar expressed no confidence whatsoever in United States forces. Seventy-six percent said the United States should withdraw now ? up from 49 percent when ...
What Does Anbar Province Say About It?
2007-09-18 20:16:00 Interesting New York Times article: “In a survey conducted Aug. 17-24 for ABC News, the BBC and NHK, the Japanese broadcaster, among a random national sample of 2,212 Iraqis, 72 percent in Anbar expressed no confidence whatsoever in United States forces. Seventy-six percent said the United States should withdraw now ? up from 49 percent when ...
By: The Hot Joints
Un-spinning the Anbar Spin
2007-09-18 19:59:00 The spin from General Petraeus was all about his great success in Iraq's Anbar Province. Of course spin is all it was. Well Pepe Escobar does a good job of un-spinning the spin.Behind the Anbar myth Petraeus' key argument this week to prove his steering of the Bush-devised "surge" was a "success" was to spin the close collaboration between the occupation and the Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government in Baghdad on the one side with Sunni tribal leaders in al-Anbar province on the other. Petraeus framed it as if this "sustainable" solution was a huge counterinsurgency success of his own making. Nothing could be further from the truth.The success story in Anbar is not due to the general's wily ways, but to an Iraqi sheikh: Abdul Satter Abu Risha, the leader of a coalition of tribes, including 200 sheikhs, formed in the autumn of 2006 under the name Anbar Sovereignty Council (now it's called Iraq Awakening).Asia Times Online talked to Abu Risha this past spring in Iraq. He explained, ...
Anbar Awakens: Hell is over
2007-09-18 12:06:00 AWESOME piece by Michael Totten. This is the second article in his two part series.
Everything Rosy In Anbar?
2007-09-17 06:18:00 Matt Yglesias ask a really good question; why is this on the opinion page and not on the front page?What They?re Saying in Anbar Province IN his address to the nation on Thursday, President Bush singled out progress in Anbar Province as the model for United States success in Iraq. The president?s claims echoed those made earlier in the week by Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, in his Congressional testimony. And they raised a question worth examining: Do United States military alliances with Sunni tribal leaders truly reflect a turning of hearts and minds away from Anbar?s bitter anti-Americanism?The data from our latest Iraq poll suggest not.So what are they saying in Anbar? In a survey conducted Aug. 17-24 for ABC News, the BBC and NHK, the Japanese broadcaster, among a random national sample of 2,212 Iraqis, 72 percent in Anbar expressed no confidence whatsoever in United States forces. Seventy-six percent said the United States should withdraw now ? up ...
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Lauds Death of Anbar Foe
2007-09-15 09:07:00 BAGHDAD, Sept. 14 -- The Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq asserted responsibility Friday for planting the bomb that killed a prominent tribal leader Thursday, calling the assassination a 'holy operation' that targeted Abdul Sattar Abu Risha for
By: Get rich
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Lauds Death of Anbar Foe
2007-09-15 09:07:00 BAGHDAD, Sept. 14 -- The Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq asserted responsibility Friday for planting the bomb that killed a prominent tribal leader Thursday, calling the assassination a 'holy operation' that targeted Abdul Sattar Abu Risha for
By: Get rich
A Voice for Change in Anbar
2007-09-14 11:14:00 Iraqi tribal leader Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, who founded the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening movement, one year ago today, was assassinated in Anbar province yesterday by a roadside bomb.
By: Get rich
A Voice for Change in Anbar
2007-09-14 11:14:00 Iraqi tribal leader Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, who founded the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening movement, one year ago today, was assassinated in Anbar province yesterday by a roadside bomb.
By: Get rich
Does Anbar Need Reevaluation?
2007-09-14 08:48:00 First there's this..From the BBC: Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, 37, led what was known as the "Anbar Awakening", an alliance of Sunni Arab tribes that rose up against al-Qaeda in Iraq. US President George Bush met and endorsed the sheikh last week in Iraq. The White House, which has held up the movement in Anbar province as an example for the rest of Iraq, condemned his assassination as "an outrage".However that meeting may have actually been causal in his assassination. Over at The American Prospect Marc Lynch writes: While Americans celebrate their cordial relations with certain tribal shaykhs, the insurgency's leaders publicly fumed that the fruits of their victory might be snatched by undeserving interlopers. The widely disseminated pictures of President Bush shaking hands with Sattar Abu Risha, the epitome of such illegitimate bon vivantes, were likely his death warrant.Additionally he goes on to point out that while here Abdul Sattar Abu Rish claims to have told W "that his peop...
By: Dyre Portents
Architect of "Anbar Awakening" killed in Ramadi
2007-09-13 20:14:00 The big international news this morning was the murder of Sheik Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, leader of the Anbar Salvation Council (a.k.a. the Anbar Awakening) and a very shady figure (one I wouldn't have placed as much hope as President Bush did in saving Western Iraq and salvaging his Middle East fiasco). This is a obvious inconvenience for the progress made in al Anbar province by Iraqis but hopefully not a death blow. Sure, some will say that this will unite Sunnis against al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) just like the mass killing of hundreds of Yazidi Kurds was to do back in August. It probably wont. Some, led by General Petraeus, will insist that this was AQI. But there is no evidence yet. Similarly, although the culprit of the mass killing of the Yazidis is said to have been killed and was claimed to be a member of AQI, the complexities of Iraq play host to numerous other scenarios. The same goes for todays news. As unpopular as AQI is currently in al Anbar, so is cooperation with...
By: American Entropy
The Petreus Antidote: Amazing Mini Documentary The Ghost of Anbar
2007-09-12 01:49:00 After the Petreus report, I definitely recommend watching these rather intense clips from Big Noise Films. The Ghost of AnbarFrom an expose on the new American strategy in Iraq, this video examines whether the controversial US policy of joining forces with Sunni tribes in Iraq's volatile al-Anbar province has worked, and who is paying the price. Each clip is just over 10 minutes, and well worth the time.Particularly distressing was the part where they go to a Shiite informal refugee camp (read: slum) on the outskirts of Baghdad. Many of these refugees are from Anbar, and were forced out of their homes by the same Sunni tribes allied with the Americans. Because it is considered too dangerous for international media, theirs was the first camera to film in this neighbourhood. Part 1:Part 2: You can also watch some of this over at Democracy Now (click here to launch segment in Real Player, as well as an interview with Rick Rowley, one of the reporters, to put it all in context.Red Jenny
By: Red Jenny
Anbar safer but critics query the cost
2007-09-07 23:39:00 Sunni Arab tribes' decision to co-operate with the US against al-Qaeda has allowed George W. Bush to point to some progress in next week's assessment of his military 'surge' strategy in Iraq.
By: Get rich
Michael Yon...Ghosts of Anbar, Part IV of IV
2007-09-07 18:11:00 Yet another fascinating report from Michael Yon, spanning the newsworthy void of reality perpetrated from the Lame Stream Media.Well done, Sir...well done.Michael Yon...Ghosts of Anbar, Part IV of IV?They taught me that no man could be their leader except he ate the ranks? food, wore their clothes, lived level with them, and yet appeared better in himself.? T.E. Lawrence, ?The Seven Pillars of Wisdom? The Ghosts of Anbar: Part IV of IV What Defines Need Not Divide From the COIN Field Manual that every soldier and Marine needs to read:Click the link and read the rest.
On How al-Anbar isn't that Safe - and on How its "Calm" is Artificially Pro
2007-09-07 11:28:00 by Juan Cole Bush made a surprise visit to Al-Anbar Province on Monday, as part of his propaganda drive to get Americans to think we should stay in Iraq because "progress" is being made. The debate over al-Anbar province is driven by the Bushies' desire to find any 'good news' to grasp at. Indeed, from 2003 forward, their criterion for objective reporting on Iraq was that it gave the 'good news.' When there obviously wasn't any good news, they started ignoring Iraq, as at Fox [Republican TV] Cable News. Now the 'good news' appears (I swear to God) to be that you can "walk" in Iraq. That's the good news. The 7 billion people in the world walk every day, in most of the world's locales. Now it is an achievement to walk. That's good news of the highest order. Only, if you are American in Fallujah you might need a company of Marines with you so that you can . . . walk. (See below). Is al-Anbar Province really paradise, as Bush suggested? Al...
President Thanks Troops in Anbar Province
2007-09-04 01:58:00 President Bush speaks to troops during a surprise Labor Day visit to Iraq and receives support from Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sept. 3, 2007. President Bush thanked about 700 U.S. troops at Al Asad Air Base for their hard work.Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen. High Resolution ImagePresident Bush Visits and Thanks Troops in Anbar Province, Al-Asad Airbase, Al-Anbar Province, Iraq. In Focus: Iraq 9:43 P.M. (Local)THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. General, thank you very much. It's an honor to be with you.As you know, today is Labor Day back home -- (hooah) -- so I thought I'd come by to thank you for all your hard work. (Hooah.) Every day -- every day -- you show bravery under incredibly difficult circumstances. Every day you're doing work on the sands of Anbar that is making it safer in the streets of America. And every day the United States of America is grateful for what you're doing. I want you to tell your families the ...
Sending a clear message in Anbar
2007-09-03 23:33:00 I’m really glad Bush made this surprise visit. (Video of his speech here)Hopefully this will send a clear message to the democrats and some republicans in Washington that we are winning and we are staying the course. The surge has obviously worked, and we are inching closer and closer to a secure Iraq. Redstate has ...
Bush visits Iraq, speaks to heroes in Anbar
2007-09-03 22:10:00 President Bush visited Iraq today and spoke to the troops. The first 90 seconds are his press conference to the media this morning. It then jumps to the awesome ovation Bush received when speaking to the troops. It’s great to see the high morale of the troops is very uplifting for many Americans at ...
Michael Yon...Ghosts of Anbar, Part III of IV
2007-08-31 00:29:00 All of us should keep men like Michael Yon in our thoughts and prayers in an ever present debt of gratitude for risking all there is to risk in bringing us the Real News and for being the Armed Forces Voices From The War...Thank you Michael Yon...keep your head down!!Click the link and read the rest...Ghosts of Anbar Part III of IVA Model for Success While some Iraqi Army and Police officers searched for the suspected bomber, we searched for the bomb supposedly planted along this stretch. A culvert under a 4-lane road is a likely place. To many of the Iraqis I?ve spoken with, terrorists are fair game. Kill them. But if we kill justice while doing so, we will create terrorists out of farmers. Here the Marines are creating farmers, police officers, shepherds, and entrepreneurs out of insurgents. To do that, they have to be seen as men who respect and honor legitimate systems of government and justice.
Michael Yon...The Ghosts of Anbar, Part II of IV
2007-08-27 19:00:00 The American people should always and forever be in a constant state of gratitude for what men like Michael Yon risk to bring us the REAL news.The Ghosts of Anbar, Part II of IVThe Ghosts of Anbar, Part II of IV Through the window, clearly 7-15. Success in COIN operations requires small-unit leaders agile enough to transition among many types of missions and able to adapt to change. They must be able to shift through a number of activities from nation-building to combat and back again in days, or even hours. Alert junior leaders recognize the dynamic context of a tactical situation and can apply informed judgment to achieve the commander?s intent in a stressful and ambiguous environment. COIN operations are characterized by rapid changes in tactical and operational environments. The presence of the local populace within which insurgents may disappear creates a high degree of ambiguity. Adaptable leaders observe the rapidly changing situation, identify its key characteristics, ascert...
Michael Yon...The Ghosts of Anbar, Part 1 of 4
2007-08-22 20:44:00 The Ghosts of Anbar, Part 1 of 4Part One: The Paradox of Counterinsurgency The principles and imperatives discussed above reveal that COIN presents a complex and often unfamiliar set of missions and considerations for a military commander. In many ways, the conduct of counterinsurgency is counterintuitive to the traditional American view of war?although it has actually formed a substantial part of America?s actual experience. Counterinsurgency December 2006 FM 3-24MCWP 3-33.5 To know a man, follow his tracks.Click the link and read the rest.Buzzings...
Daily Links (August 21, 2007): The Duke of Anbar?
2007-08-22 02:44:00 Andrew Sullivan has proof that it’s still very early in the election. Mike Huckabee is really ramping up criticism of Mitt Romney. Giuliani and Fred Thompson are trading shots over New York City gun laws. Bill Richardson plays God and says what he would do in his first six days. A Bush insider predicts Obama has a ...
By: 2008 Central
Gen. Petraeus: Insurgency Has Been Quashed In Anbar
2007-07-19 22:16:00 Straight from the top dog’s mouth, General Petraeus gave a wide-ranging interview to Hugh Hewitt yesterday (read the whole thing!). I found the following exchange very interesting: Hugh Hewitt: You and Marine Lt. General Amos coauthored the new field manual on counterinsurgency, and it talked about counterinsurgency has to adapt to local conditions. How long does it ...
By: GayPatriot
In Anbar the Seeds of Hope are Sown
2007-04-30 02:02:00 The NY Times is reporting that tribal and militia leaders have joined forces with the US military in rooting out Al Qaeda in Iraq. Why? Because as much as they may dislike us Al Qaeda has proven itself far worse. I am wondering if they aren't looking ahead to a time when the US isn't there and Al Qaeda finds itself with too much free time and ammo on its hands. How long till they start punishing/terrorizing the citizens and leaders wantonly for violations of Shariah law? An insurgency can only be effective if it has the support of people in the area in which it operates. Al Qaeda has apparently lost that in Anbar. Uneasy Alliance Is Taming One Insurgent Bastion RAMADI, Iraq ? Anbar Province, long the lawless heartland of the tenacious Sunni Arab resistance, is undergoing a surprising transformation. Violence is ebbing in many areas, shops and schools are reopening, police forces are growing and the insurgency appears to be in retreat. ?Many people are challenging the insurge...
By: Dyre Portents
The Exit and Anbar
2007-04-29 22:55:00 Author: Andrew SullivanRepublicans are beginning to realize that fundamental change in the current strategy in Iraq is needed if they aren't to face electoral collapse next year. My money is on John Warner forcing redeployment by the fall if only to save the U.S. military from being chewed up entirely by one war. Bottom line from my Sunday Times column today:The question, of course, is whether Americans are being defeatists or realists. One way of answering this question is to ask another: if they are being defeatist in Iraq, who are they conceding defeat to? If it?s to Iraq?s Shi'ite majority, then it's not a defeat but a victory. If it?s to the Kurds, then, again, it?s a win. Saddam is gone. There is no longer any potential threat of weapons of mass destruction from a failed Iraqi state. The actual reasons for fighting this war in the first place have therefore evaporated. Bush says it would be a defeat against Al-Qaeda. But Al-Qaeda was not the presence in Iraq before the w...
By: Munaeem's Blog
Sunni sheiks in Anbar to form new national party to oppose al-Qaida
2007-04-23 15:40:00 More than 200 Sunni sheiks in Iraq's western Anbar province have decided to form a new political party to oppose al-Qaida. The men met Thursday in Ramadi, Anbar's provincial capital, and agreed to form a new party called Iraq Awakening, said Sheik Jubeir Rashid, a participant at the meeting. The group would be a national party, with a platform of opposition to al-Qaida and cooperation with the Shiite-led government in Baghdad. Rashid is also an aide to Sheik Abdul Sattar al-Rishawi, leader of the Anbar Salvation Council — an alliance of clans in the province which back the government. Al-Rishawi is one of the chief organizers of the new party as well. The Iraq Awakening party would not be linked to any existing Sunni groups, Rashid said.More
CBN News on the Anbar Salvation Front
2007-04-15 23:38:00 Last week CBN News terror analyst Erick Stakelbeck and I developed a story on the Anbar Salvation Front, a group that includes a broad mix of Sunnis who are united in their goal of expelling al-Qaeda from Iraq. An excerpt: The Anbar province has served as a nerve center for al-Qaeda since the early days of ...
Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti Opens Escape
2007-04-03 19:48:00 Finally Eva's dream came true - the opening of her Vivre boutique! Located in the new Cove Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas, Eva's store Escape by Vivre, showcases a collection of many hand-picked items you will find at http://www.vivre.com/ - Jewelry, bags, home items and more crowd the walls of this gorgeous store. Check it out! ....Congrats EVA!
Iraqi Post Destroyed in Anbar Province
2007-03-19 10:46:00 BAGHDAD, March 18 -- Insurgents disguised as mechanics slipped into car repair shops on the ground floor of a hotel used as an Iraqi army post in Anbar province, a hub of the Sunni insurgency, then furtively planted bombs before fleeing and blowing up
By: Get rich
No soldiers killed in Anbar Province last week
0000-00-00 00:00:00 Rob over at Say Anything, yesterday, points to facts the left doesn't want you to know: Â Weird... U.S. combat troop deaths and other violence in Iraq are down significantly in some of the most dangerous places of insurgent activity, including Al Anbar province, military officials in Washington and Baghdad said Wednesday. Maybe most ...
By: BitsBlog
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