Clash in Iraq kills 18 al-Qaida members

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer

1 hour, 31 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - Former insurgents who turned against al-Qaida in Iraq launched an attack against the terror group and killed 18 of its members, asking the U.S. military to stay away while the battle raged, an ex-insurgent leader and Iraqi police said Saturday.

Most members of the Islamic Army, a major Sunni Arab insurgent group that includes former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, joined U.S. forces battling al-Qaida in Iraq earlier this year, though some of the group's leaders deny any contact with American troops.

A top Islamic Army leader, known as Abu Ibrahim, told The Associated Press that his fighters ambushed al-Qaida members near Samarra on Friday, killing 18 people and seizing 16 prisoners.

An Iraqi police officer in the area corroborated Abu Ibrahim's account. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because of the situation's sensitivity.

The insurgent commander contacted Iraqi police in Samarra and told them his plans to attack al-Qaida, according to the officer and Abu Ibrahim himself.

"We found out that al-Qaida intended to attack us, so we ambushed them at 3 p.m. on Friday," Abu Ibrahim said.

He asked that Iraqi authorities inform the American military about his plans, and requested that no U.S. troops interfere, they said. He worried that U.S. helicopters might mistakenly fire on his fighters, since they had no uniforms and were indistinguishable from the al-Qaida militants, they said.

Friday's clashes raged for nearly four hours about nine miles southeast of Samarra, Abu Ibrahim said. Police said they knew about the battle, but were unable to reach the site because it was too violent. Abu Ibrahim would not say whether Islamic Army members were killed.

The U.S. military had no immediate comment.

The Iraqi officer said the hostages would not be transferred to Iraqi police. Instead, he said he believed the Islamic Army would offer a prisoner swap for some of its members held by al-Qaida.

Many Sunni tribesmen and former insurgents — some of whom once attacked U.S. and Iraqi forces themselves — have turned against al-Qaida, repelled by the terror group's sheer brutality and austere religious extremism. The uprising originated in Iraq's western Anbar province, and has spread to the capital and beyond.

So-called "Awakening councils" have sprouted up in communities across Iraq, where members swear allegiance to Iraq's U.S.-backed government and disavow militants. U.S. officials say the movement, along with a 30,000-strong American troop buildup, has been key in tamping violence in recent months.

At the Abu Hanifa mosque, Baghdad's most revered Sunni shrine, voices blasted from loudspeakers Saturday urging residents to turn against al-Qaida as well: "We are your sons, the sons of the awakening, and we want to end the operations of al-Qaida...We call upon you not to be frightened, and to cooperate with us."

Meanwhile, roadside bombs and shootings killed at least 12 Iraqis early Saturday, police said, and the American military issued a statement saying a U.S. soldier was killed in Diyala province.

The soldier, assigned to Multi-National Division-North, died from injuries suffered in an explosion on Friday, the statement said. Three more soldiers were wounded in the blast, and evacuated to a U.S. combat hospital, it said.

At least 3,861 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an AP count. The figure includes eight civilians working for the military.

Also Saturday, the U.S. military said its troops detained 10 suspects in raids across central and northern Iraq.

The Iraqi death toll included four civilians who died on minibuses hit by roadside bombs on their way to work, police said.

One of the explosions, which missed the passing police patrol that was apparently its target, struck a minibus, killing two people in a predominantly Shiite area of Baghdad, an officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

One of the victims, Qais Hassoun, was riding in a nearby pickup truck. He spoke to AP Television News at a hospital in the Sadr City area, where the victims lay on gurneys in a grimy corridor.

"We are just construction workers, trying to get to our jobs. We were riding in the minibus when the explosion went off," Hassoun said.

al-Qaida intended to attack them so we ambushed them at 3 p.m. on Friday Abu Ibrahim said.

Iraqi police & Army have learned a good lesson from the United States Troops about using a premptive strike to save their own lives, very good lesson.

US Deaths in Iraq Down Nearly 50 Percent Since Last Month

US Deaths in Iraq Down Nearly 50 Percent Since Last Month

By Fred Lucas and Kevin Mooney

CNSNews.com Staff Writers

October 31, 2007

(1st Add: Corrects statistics in the story's eighth paragraph.)

(CNSNews.com) - U.S. combat deaths in Iraq for the last month have dropped by more than two-thirds compared with October of last year, while the total death toll has been reduced almost 50 percent since September.

An analysis by Cybercast News Service, based on Pentagon casualty reports, reflects a steady decline in the casualties, which the U.S. military says represents progress in Iraq.

There were 31 casualties in October 2007 (as reported through Oct. 28), of which 25 were combat-related. Last month, through Sept. 28, there were 38 combat-related deaths.

The bulk of deaths are still occurring in Baghdad, which was also true last year, and improvised explosive devices are still the most frequently used weapon by the terrorists. But IED attacks have still declined steadily.

Nonetheless, Maj. Winfield Danielson, a spokesman for the Multi-National Force-Iraq, was cautious in assessing the situation.

"I don't want to be too optimistic and say we turned a corner," Danielson told Cybercast News Service. "But success breeds success. The more havens we are able to find, the more encouraged Iraqi citizens will be to come forward and help us find people."

October reportedly marks the fifth consecutive month of decline in deaths, and the lowest level of casualties since March 2006. As noted, there were 31 American military casualties in Iraq reported by the Department of Defense through Oct. 28 -- 25 of those deaths were combat- related.

In the first 28 days of October 2006, the Pentagon reported 90 U.S. military casualties, 86 of which were combat-related. That's compared to the first 28 days of October 2007, when the Pentagon reported 31 U.S. military casualties, 25 of which were combat-related. That''s a 71 percent drop in combat deaths from October 2006 compared with October 2007.

This October also showed a 48 percent reduction from last month's total deaths, as the first 28 days of September saw 60 casualties, 38 from combat. That''s a 34 percent reduction in combat deaths.

The military credits much of the progress to the surge of 30,000 new troops, led by Gen. David H. Petraeus. However many war critics are quick to note that, despite the military progress, Iraq has been slow to achieve political progress.

"The additional troops we've had here as part of the surge allowed us to go into places since June and basically deny the terrorist organizations safe haven from which to plan their attacks and launch attacks from," Danielson said. "Our soldiers are more present on the ground with the Iraqi people. We found that has given us increased intelligence. They share with us a lot more where caches might be located and where terrorists might be found, and that also has enabled us to find a lot of terrorists that have previously been hidden."

After years of fending off the insurgency, military success was almost inevitable, said James Jay Carafano, defense and national security scholar with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

"Leave the Army there long enough and they will figure out how to get the job done," Carafano told Cybercast News Service. "It's no different than Normandy or the trenches of World War I or any other place."

The change in the U.S. strategy made the difference, Carfano said.

"Three years ago, if you wanted to make money, you would just get yourself a video camera, plant an IED, blow something up, and take the video back to show that you did it and somebody would give you a couple of thousand dollars. Now you go out and plant an IED and what happens is you get your head blown off," Carafano said. "They've pretty much driven the amateurs off the battlefield. The only people left out there are the really bad people."

The tough part isn't over and political stability is still the key, Carafano said, adding this is primarily needed at the local level, such as the Al Anbar province, where Iraqis turned against al Qaeda terrorists.

"Obviously, you need Iraqi security forces that actually can provide security," he said. "You don't necessarily need political stability at the national level. It doesn't really matter that everyone in Baghdad agrees. Like you've seen at Anbar, you need local political leaders to get together to say we don't want these murderers in our area."

Update: Please read corresponding relevant news story.
The day nobody was killed in Iraq -- by Michelle Malkin


This is good news it points out definite progress in Iraq!

Awww Did I forget the poor libtards Boooohooo Don't worry babies maybe next time
bwahaaha

US military prepares to transfer Karbala to Iraqis

AFP/File Photo:

File picture shows US
soldiers on patrol in Karbala. The US
military said it will...

US military prepares to transfer Karbala to Iraqis

Mon Oct 29, 3:44 AM ET

KARBALA, Iraq (AFP) -

The US military prepared on Monday to transfer the security of the central Shiite province of Karbala to Iraqi forces at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

The handover was being held amid tight security in a sports stadium in Karbala, which now becomes the eighth of Iraq's 18 provinces to be transferred to Iraqi control.

Maliki went to Karbala on Sunday evening for the ceremony.

The province, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Baghdad, is relatively peaceful compared to some other central and western regions of Iraq, but is emerging as a flashpoint of Shiite rivalry.

Karbala, home to the shrines of two of Shiite Islam's most revered imams -- Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas -- was the site of a bloody firefight in August during a major religious festival.

At least 52 people were killed in the clashes between Shiite fighters and police as tens of thousands of pilgrims marked the anniversary of a 12th century imam.

On Saturday, Karbala governor Akhil al-Khazali told AFP that his forces were prepared to take over the control of the province from the US military.

The other Iraqi provinces handed over by US-led forces to date are Maysan, Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Najaf in the central and southern regions and the three northern Kurdish provinces of Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniyah.

This is being handled the way that it should be.
This is going well, the U.S. Military given the proper time to see to it that the Iraqi Forces are able to handle a little bit more each time.
Just goes to show that the lunatic left don't know diddly squat never has never will, huhhh the left or otherwise known as the DUMB party.