CAMP SPEICHER, Iraq, Oct. 28, 2007
Petraeus: Iraqi "Mafia" Is Latest Danger
U.S. Commander Says As Al Qaeda In Iraq's Presence Is Reduced, Focus Is On Crime
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An Iraqi policeman shows photos of the local head of police patrol in Sadr City, Lt. Col. Imad Taklif Sayhud, who was arrested by U.S. troops during an overnight raid, October 27, 2007. Sayhud was believed to hold close ties with rogue radical Shiite militants, many of whom are engaged in "criminal" actions. (Getty Images/Wissam Al-Okaili)
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A car bomb ripped through a bus terminal, in the town of Kirkuk, 180 miles north of Baghdad, killing eight people and wounding 26, on Oct. 28, 2007. Some of the injured are shown being transported to a hospital. (AP Photo/Emad Matti)
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Iraqi army soldiers are deployed to the Turkish border near the town of Zakho, 300 miles northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Oct. 28, 2007. The new U.S. commander for northern Iraqi said that he hopes diplomacy will resolve the standoff over a threatened Turkish incursion against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)
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Amanda Iwasinski and Tracy Taylor of Chicopee, Mass., sister and mother of Army Pfc. Kenneth J. Iwasinski, hold one another during funeral services for Iwasinski in Belchertown, Mass., Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007. Iwasinski, 22, an infantry soldier in Iraq, was killed earlier this month by an improvised explosive device. (AP/The Republican, C. Evans)
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Photo Essay Peace Marches From New York to Los Angeles, demonstrators speak out against the war in Iraq.
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Photo Essay Week In Iraq Photos A daily diary with scenes of the latest attacks and snapshots from the effort to rebuild a nation.
Gen. David Petraeus stressed, however, the terror organization remained "a very dangerous and very lethal enemy" - a comment underscored by the abduction Sunday in Baghdad of 10 Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders who joined forces against al Qaeda (see below).
"Its presence has been significantly reduced and its activity and freedom of action have been degraded," Petraeus told a small group of reporters at a U.S. base near Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad.
He singled out success in what had been some of the most volatile Sunni neighborhoods in Baghdad, including Ghazaliyah, Amariyah, Azamiyah and Dora.
"Having said that ... al Qaeda remains a very dangerous and very lethal enemy of Iraq," he said. "We must maintain contact with them and not allow them to establish sanctuaries or re-establish sanctuaries in places where they were before."
Petraeus said the reduced threat from al Qaeda had given way to nonsectarian crimes - kidnapping, corruption in the oil industry, and extortion.
"As the terrible extremist threat of al Qaeda has been reduced somewhat, there is in some Iraqi neighborhoods actually a focus on crime and on extortion that has been ongoing and kidnapping cells and what is almost a mafia-like presence in certain areas," he said.
Petraeus made his comments after a transition ceremony as the 1st Armored Division, which is based in Wiesbaden, Germany, assumed command of northern Iraq from the Hawaii-based 25th Infantry Division.
The new commander for the region, Maj. Gen. Mark Hertling, said the number of attacks so far in October had dropped by 300 from the previous month, although he did not provide more specific numbers.
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Rear Adm. Greg Smith, a U.S. military spokesman, told reporters that that more than 67,000 Iraqis have so far joined the ranks of "concerned citizens," U.S. military parlance for Sunni Arab groups who have joined them in the fight against al Qaeda. He said of these, 17,000 have applied to join Iraq's security forces. There is in some Iraqi neighborhoods actually a focus on crime and on extortion that has been ongoing and kidnapping cells and what is almost a mafia-like presence in certain areas.
Gen. David PetraeusOn the continuing efforts to resolve the standoff over a threatened Turkish incursion against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus said the military was playing a role in trying to defuse the tensions, but he declined to elaborate. "I am actually not going to say anything about what we may be doing with our longstanding NATO allies [and] Turkey although we clearly are doing things with them, nor will I say what we are doing with our Iraqi partners to endeavor to stabilize the situation to ensure that the sides are talking and taking actions to reduce the tension and eventually resolve some of the differences," he said.
In Other Developments:
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- Didn''t hit the link button...time for another cup of Irish breakfast tea...
http://www.counterpunch.org/price10302007.html - Reply to this comment
- Speakingup and Sayingnothing--I hope you take the time to read the article linked below on the plagirists who concocted the new counterinsurgency manual that Barney''s protege, General Betrayus was responsible...
- Reply to this comment
- Prinzowhales - crawl back under your rock you terrorist loving piece''oshit.
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- Barney''s protege, Betrayus, should know about the ''Iraqi Mafia''...Let''s hear from CBSNBCABCPBSFOXCNN how thousands of weapons that this four-starred pant-load was in charge of ended up in the hands of the PKK to launch terror attacks on Turkey--over 1000 have been seized by the Turks...Only 3% of the weapons had their serial numbers recorded so as to be traceable--a rudimentary measure in arms inventory as anyone who has run an arms room or gun shop would know--the disregard of this measure served the purpose of making these weapons untraceable through US inventories. THIS WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT...AND IF THE TURKS ARE DUMB ENOUGH TO TRUST THE WASHINGTON REGIME ON THIS THEN THEY DESERVE MORE TERROR ATTACKS ON THEIR SOLDIERS AND CITIZENS.
For this job well done, the detestable, fawning Betrayus moved up the War Pig feeding chain to his present position, where he obsequiously tends to the contents of Admiral Fallon''s chamber pot. Currently, he is busy praising the lying dog, Chalabi, the creature who with Judith Miller of the Israel-first War Pig rag, the NEW YORK TIMES, invented lie after lie to sell the war in Iraq to the American people.
Justin Raimondo has a good story on the PKK that deals with Betrayus at:
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=11828
Here is a story on Betrayus praising the Interpol-wanted Chalabi:
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Guess_whos_back_in_Iraq_1029.html - Reply to this comment
- "THE PROSTITUTION AND DRUGS CARTELS CAME IN IRAQ WHEN THE U.S. INVADE IRAQ Posted by V_1618
And, I thought OBL was there all along. Silly me. - Reply to this comment
- SO, THAT''S WHERE JIMMY HOFFA IS.
- Reply to this comment
- THE PROSTITUTION AND DRUGS CARTELS CAME IN IRAQ WHEN THE U.S. INVADE IRAQ
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- The only way out of this New World Order morass is to elect a President who is not of the War Pig Mainstream. Americans have a choice Paul, Kucinich or Gravel--otherwise they can continue the Stupid Peoples'' War and even expand it into Iran.
You''ve already seen how useless it is to vote for the Democratic mainstream--they are not a genuine opposition party...the fact that a former IDF''er representing Israel in the guise of a congressman from Illinois ran the Democratic Congressional Election effort and actively sabotaged the efforts of anti-war Democrats should clue Americans into this.
Troops Home Now! The enemy is in Washington!
Not only should the monsters who run the Washington Regime be arrested and brought to justice, but their acts should be overturned--their debts disavowed and the funny-money entity...the FED...from which they take an endless supply of paper to run their war...should be taken from their hands and a Constitutional Money restored. - Reply to this comment
- Its presence has been significantly reduced and its activity and freedom of action have been degraded," Petraeus told a small group of reporters at a U.S. base near Saddam Hussein''''s hometown of Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad."
What Petraeus might have said if he were more honest is that the "al Qaeda" branding program for insurgents had outlived its usefulness and that a new insurgent branding program will be brought forward to replace it.
Posted by CBS_Oliver at 03:43 PM : Oct 28, 2007
-rightly said, Oliver. - Reply to this comment
- "Is Petraeus behind the times?" Posted by mcdazz
Or is he behind the crimes.... - Reply to this comment
Author Thomas Friedman on Obama's Afghanistan plan and the war on terror.
