Informants Guide U.S. Troops In Baqouba
Exclusive: U.S. And Iraqi Forces Use New Tactic To Hunt Al Qaeda In Former Stronghold
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Informants Help Troops In Iraq
Some Iraqis are tired of Al Qaeda's violent control and are coming forward at great personal risk to cooperate with U.S. troops. Lara Logan reports.
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In exclusive CBS News video, an Iraqi informant is led by troops through Baqouba. (CBS)
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U.S. soldiers stand guard during operations in Baqouba, 35 miles north of Baghdad. (AP Photo/Talal Mohammed)
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But it was for his own protection.
He is an informant. Only minutes before he was working with the U.S. soldiers, pointing out al Qaeda's houses, CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports exclusively.
Why is he taking this chance? Because, he says, al Qaeda burnt down his house and killed his brother.
"They blew up houses and arrested people for no reason. They want to make the Americans leave so they can occupy Iraq," he said through a translator.
Al Qaeda was in charge here until 10 days ago, when U.S. and Iraqi soldiers came to liberate the city. If you smoked in public, if you mixed the wrong kind of vegetables on your vegetable cart, you got beaten, tortured or worse.
Col. Steve Townsend says locals told them it was in this square that al Qaeda publicly executed well over 100 people.
"We found an al Qaeda torture house with torture implements in it. We found three al Qaeda aid stations equipped to varying degrees, one pretty sophisticated with oxygen and defibrillators and stuff like that," he said. "So I don't think we've had a lack of contact; what we have had is a heavy lack of fighting."
That has not meant a lack of danger for Townsend's soldiers. One controlled detonation failed to blow up an IED buried deep underground. So they tried again.
With more explosives, the earth erupted, shattering glass and knocking out power. It was one of 15 roadside bombs the soldiers found in an area the size of one U.S. city block.
Finding the culprits is not easy. Wires were traced to this empty house from which IEDs could be triggered across the city. But the family just across the road insisted they knew nothing about the men living there — a familiar tale.
Townsend's Iraqi counterpart compelled the father to swear on the Quran as he grew more and more distressed during the interrogation.
In the end, the soldiers believed him and keep moving through the city. Desperate families approached to find out if it's safe to return to their homes. But that still depends on how long U.S. soldiers are there to keep al Qaeda out.
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It is the people of Iraq that our forces are killing and attacking, and the people of Iraq have every right to defend themselves, period.
It is the people of Iraq that our forces are killing and attacking, and the people of Iraq have every right to defend themselves, period."
Posted by FeelFree1
Yep....all an illusion - you're a genius!!! Thank you for cutting through all the smoke and bringing us the "truth". Only an idiot doesn't realize that both Iran and Al Qaeda have strong strategic reasons (based on their own warped ideologies) for being in Iraq, killing our troops, and ensuring this regime change does not succeed in replacing a tyranny with a strong Muslim (and worse for Iran, Shiite Muslim) democracy. To ignite and foment a civil war that prevents any American victory long enough to ensure we write our won defeat in the halls of Congress and in the media was their strategy - Al Qaeda wants the propaganda victory and the ability to maintain safe havens in the Sunni areas, especially near the Syrian border; Iran wants to ensure its people don't have a REAL Shiite Muslim democracy next door to inspire it to throw out the terrorist mullahs; and even more important they don't want a victorious, battle-hardened US force next door; free to end its actions as the Central Bank of Terror in the World and its pursuit of nukes. To not KNOW they'd of course be in Iraq trying to make things rough is to not understand those two groups at all and to be unbelievably naive.
sssshhhheeeeeeeeeeessssshhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Posted by FeelFree1 at 08:36 PM : Jun 28, 2007
If We stay, the world comdemns us, jihaddist attack us Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others kill Iraqis (in the guise of freeing them from the grip of foreign invaders.) If we leave, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others will massacre the Iraqis (in the guise of stopping the civil war) and take control of the nation while the world condemns US for having left the country defensless with so many enemies nearby. So with that in mind since we are going to be blamed in any situation, maybe we should move our troops to the borders, send every B52 we have to carpet bomb the entire country that our troops won't be in danger any more and take over everything and seal the borders like we should have sealed our own. Then the oil is ours, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others will not want to try us on any more... (sounds good to me.... any takers?) ;)
Games within games, and Americans do not even know who is on their side, because though Al Qaeda may have indeed killed this informant's brother--Iraqis know that it was America's invasion that allowed Al Qaeda to be there in the first place. They do believe in root cause analysis--which is why they say things like "the friend of my enemy is my enemy" Don't be a sucker, America--peel that onion and see the layers--don't always think because of what you are shown on top--that is what IS.
Posted by ToolMangler at 10:51 PM : Jun 28, 2007
Sounds like mass murder of a people who initially had done nothing to us. Forget it. We don't need to add genocide to our torture, illegal invasion, occupation, money wasting, WP bombing and concentration camp portfolio. We also don't need to confirm that all we were there for was the oil and everything else was just a lie and a scam.
After a long period of Lara Logan and other journalists going stone cold silent about US soldiers killing anyone, suddenly they are killing people all over the place and all the people they kill everywhere are Al Qaeda.
Furthermore Lara has an "exclusive" from a informer who testifies that Al Qaeda is ruling the area and that his reading of their minds tells him "They want to make the Americans leave so they can occupy Iraq."
Somehow this track record does not seem like journalism.
Something else maybe.
I never trust any report or opinion that includes mind reading.
The informant seems uninformed. :)
If you are looking for a flower-throwing, street-dancing finish to the criminal Bush League debacle in Iraq, I think that you are in for a major disappointment.
How much more blood-treasure-dignity shall we donate to the effort?
Informative, yet amusing.
Well done!
There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq 5 years ago. Now CBS and Lara Logan want us to believe that they are the main enemy - pure propaganda spoon fed from the White House. Listen to Bush rant and rave:
"Al Qaida is the main enemy for Shia, Sunni and Kurds alike," Bush asserted. In a major speech at the Naval War College he referred to al Qaida at least 27 times, calculated to use lingering outrage over the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
U.S. military and intelligence officials, however, say that Iraqis with ties to al Qaida are only a small fraction of the threat to American troops. The group known as al Qaida in Iraq didn't exist before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, didn't pledge its loyalty to al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden until October 2004 and isn't controlled by bin Laden or his top aides.
BUSH LIES and LIES and LIES and LIES... It never stops. JAIL the SOB for LYING us into this DISASTER WAR.
How do you find all the time to post while fighting in Afghanistan or Iraq?
Posted by Smirk5
They are politicians. Politicians stick-up their finger to see which way the wind is blowing. The democrats found that opposing the war in Irag is popular with many people. Many of those politicians who voted to support the war are now against it. Why should republican politicians be any different?
Only 6 Republicans voted against it.
In the Senate, 21 Democrats voted against the war.
Only 1 Republican voted against it.
Who's starting to do the most flip-flopping here?
Obviously, it's the Republicans.
If the Republicans can't stand on their convictions, how can they stand against Al-Qaeda?
Posted by toldyouso21
Let Al Qaeda, the Iranians, and other terrorist groups have Iraq. That way, genocide, torture, and murder will be acceptable. Many people see these people as the underdog thus justifying their actions. Some of us may not care what happens to the Iraqis, therfore it may be in our interest to let the chips fall where they may. To many people, Arabs shedding Arab blood or Muslims shedding Muslim blood is ok as long as Americans are not involved.
Posted by Smirk5
They are all politicians. Holding onto their power is more important than "doing the peoples work." Why give the democrats more credit when both democrats and republicans put themselves before the people first and foremost?
Look at the facts I posted. More Dems were against the war when the war was POPULAR with the people.
The Repubs supported it when it was popular.
Now that the war is unpopular, who's doing most of the switching?
The Republicans.
The complex attack Thursday began with a roadside bomb, the military said in a statement. Small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades followed shortly after the blast, it said.
All seven wounded soldiers were evacuated to a military hospital, and one has since returned to duty, the military said.
More U.S. soldiers dead on Bush's losing gamble.
Well, so much for the favorite BIG LIE of the radical right, that "the media never reports positive developments in Iraq."
"Freedom's on the march"
"Victory"
THIS IS A CIVIL WAR. It is not the fight of the American soldiers....how long will these degenerate leaders prolong it and how many more young men and women must die FOR OIL, EGOS, and MONEY?
Sounds like mass murder of a people who initially had done nothing to us
Posted by toldyouso21 at 11:09 PM : Jun 28, 2007
You still don't get it do you feely1? or you either toldyouso21. That is the same thing that is happening right now except it's not the US thats doing it. We kill as defense, they kill as offense. Look around and think with the mind of a fanatic (unless thats what you are already doing). It will be clear just as soon as we leave.
besides both of you know me better than that.
June29, 2007-06-30
Dear Ms. Logan:
I really hope you get to read this. It's a thousand-to-one chance, but here it is:
You are a journalist. You are doing exactly what you are supposed to do. If war, poverty, child abuse are dirty, so be it. You are there to capture the things that you see, not things the way you see them. Yes, people are tired of war scenes and atrocities, only because they are afraid of becoming immune to the dark side of humanity. Perspective...perspective is probably the only thing that matters in this world. Without it, we cannot function with others. With it, we can change things. It is sometimes necessary for people to scream out repeatedly to people who have been numbed with bloodshed. It doesn't help to "balance" the news with "feel good" stories. I know. Read the below link about my brush with becoming a "Duplessis Orphan", undoubtedly THE biggest child abuse scandal in history, involving not 24, but 7000 orphans.
I wish you well, Ms. Logan. You're there, I'm here.
And I depend upon you.
Thank you so much.
Dan Vojir
http://thedevilanddanvojir.blogspot.com
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by prinzowhales
June 30, 2007 12:17 PM PDT
- Nice way to reward an informant--keep his face uncovered in an area where he could be under observation by opposing forces and blow his cover in a CBS story...of course, 'al Qaeda' doesn't read CBS...they release much of their news releases from their London offices...probably somewhere in the Ministry of Defense.
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See all 33 CommentsIts just like 'al Qaeda' being stumped by Bush's 13 miles of border fence on our southern border..."we cannot penetrate the defenses of the Great Satan...let us be content to wage jihad so as to regulate the vegetables in the Baqouba market," one high-ranking 'al Qaeda' was reported to have said by an informant. Just another sorry chapter in the Stupid People's War.