Reversal Of Events

By Semperpapa

British newspaper The Guardian had an article recently which discussed a membership drive that al Qaeda is currently conducting in Iraq to lure militia members that had sided with our Military at the Al Ambar Awakening times of 2007/2008.

The article emphasizes that the terrorist group has been successful in offering higher pay for members of the Sons of Iraq, taking away about 100 members of the militia, which is approximately 1,800 strong.
The story was told the reporter from the British publication by the leaders of some of the militias that, with the help of American forces, had practically revolted against the terrorists and become instrumental in the relative calm and security that the country of Iraq has had since 2007.

The reasons for the success of al Qaeda in its attempt to entice some of the militants back is, according to those who spoke with the Guardian are mainly based on the political vacuum that appears to have settled in Baghdad and the planning of the US Military. Moreover, it appears that the finances of al Qaeda have not been disrupted as much as US officials had hoped.

Since the general elections of the end of 2009, no political party had been able to form a stable government in Iraq, with factions favorable to Al Maliki still deep in controversy with the factions of Malawi.
The instability has added fuel to the fire of al Qaeda, who can use the lack of central power as a recruiting tool, accompanied by higher salaries for those who defect.
It remains to be seen, if intelligence will become available, who is behind the renewed financial health that appears to be favoring the leadership of al Qaeda. I have no doubts that if we had the ability to trace back these funds, we would end up in Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries, but I also wonder where George Soros has been lately.

Most disturbing is the other reason behind al Qaeda ability to recruit among those who fought against them, which is the obvious intention on the part of Obama and his administration to remove our troops out of that country and to give a specific time when the withdrawals would happen.
Since Obama made promises and statements of policy about the time frame of American forces leaving Iraq, the terror group has had the time to refurbish its banks accounts and foment the dissatisfaction of some of the militants with promises of higher pay and power.

Those militants who took up arms against al Qaeda in 2007 did so with the hope and understanding that the American Military would remain in Iraq for as long as the need for security demanded. The choices made to revolt against the will of the ruthless terror group was a fatal one for many of the militants, and yet they stepped up with the belief that America would honor its responsibility to their long term security.

The elections of Obama, who had been openly opposed to the war in Iraq and who campaigned on the promise of “bringing the war to an end”, obviously gave our enemy the necessary morale boost needed to engage in a renewed campaign of recruitment in Iraq, and we can now see some signs of success in their efforts.

The worst case scenario everybody had feared would happen with telephoning our plans to the enemy may now be developing, and for every American unit being taken out of Iraq, especially combat units, the enemy is growing bolder and assured that the ground we are leaving in Iraq is fertile for their strong return.

The disturbing part is that the policies of our government in regard to the handling of today’s Iraq appear to be moving in the direction of a reversal of any success accomplished in that country by the previous administration.
Now that would not bother me too much, as such kind of skirmishes among politicians are as common as their corruption. But what makes the whole debacle sickening is the fact that any ground lost in Iraq by the United States has been paid in blood by our Military and in treasure by the people.
Just the possibility that maintaining Obama promise to his lunatic leftist fringe would cause the lives of 4,000 of America’s best to have been lost for nothing, is definitely more than the American people should tolerate.

I am all for the handling of Iraq’s internal issues by the Iraqis, but America CANNOT allow the reversal of the accomplishments that have been so costly for our Nation just to appease the administration’s and the anti-war kooks political agenda.
If Washington wants to stop the trend dead in its tracks, they must tell the Iraqi leadership to get their affairs in order and immediately suspend all troops withdrawals until that is done.
But that would require cajones, so…

Just my thoughts!