Sweep punctures insurgent stronghold

[gilliam]

Most wanted terrorist in Tal Afar nabbed

TAL AFAR, Iraq – A joint U.S.-Iraqi force punched deep into Tal Afar, a key insurgent staging ground near the Syrian border, and the Iraqi army said Thursday it arrested 200 suspected militants in the sweep – three-fourths of them foreign fighters.

The sweep in Tal Afar came as election officials tallied figures from three Sunni-dominated provinces, where the voter registration was extended a week in preparation for the Oct. 15 nationwide referendum on the new constitution.

“Turnout was unbelievable, and people were very enthusiastic, especially in Fallujah and Ramadi,” said Farid Ayar, an electoral commission spokesman in Baghdad. Those cities are Sunni insurgent bastions in Anbar province, which stretches west from Baghdad to the Syrian, Jordanian and Saudi borders.

In the Tal Afar sweep, Iraqi army Capt. Mohammed Ahmed said one of the captured insurgents was Amr Omayer, an Iraqi who allegedly was the most-wanted militant in the city and the commander of all insurgent operations launched from there.

Ahmed said some of those arrested could not speak Arabic.

(Excerpt) Read more at pittsburghlive.com …

 

[Matt25]

gilliam:

Ahmed said some of those arrested could not speak Arabic…

thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/5165179p-4696866c.html

The U.S. soldiers sensed something wasn’t right when an ambulance carrying two bodies arrived Thursday morning at a checkpoint for people evacuating an Iraqi city under siege. Hanging off the sides of the vehicle in Tal Afar were three young men who said they were escorting the remains of family killed in the previous night’s bombardment to a local hospital. But when an Iraqi policeman looked them over, he pointed to a man who wore white sweat pants and a white shirt and appeared to be in his early 20s.

“I know him. He must be detained,” the officer said. “He murdered a policeman.”

The interrogation by American soldiers initially went nowhere. The man insisted he spoke Turkish, not Arabic, and therefore could not communicate with the Americans’ interpreters. Asked his name, he alternated between “Habib” and “Faris.”

At one point, he made retching noises as if he were going to throw up. But everything changed when exasperated soldiers said they had no choice but to turn him over to the Iraqis.

“Yes, I am a terrorist, yes,” the man said in perfect Arabic, his ailment forgotten. “I would rather you shoot me in the head than give me to them.”

The episode underscored what many U.S. troops have said is among the most difficult tasks they face in battling the insurgency: identifying fighters who blend into the population.

 

[Matt25]

dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_9-9-2005_pg7_11

Tal Afar is 90 percent Turkmen and about 70 percent of them are Sunnis. After the ouster of Saddam Hussein, the United States installed a largely Shia leadership in the city, including the mayor and much of the police force.

The Sunni majority has complained of oppression by the government and have turned to the insurgents – who are mainly Sunnis – for protection.

 

[gilliam]

United Press International’s Pam Hess has some excellent background information on Tal Afar, including the mosaic of tribal and ethnic relationships in the city; “Tall’ Afar is home to 82 different tribes. Each with up to 12 sub-tribes. Tribes are comprised of both Sunnis and Shi’a, as the two groups intermarry regularly.” While the tribal, religious and ethnic makeup of the neighborhoods and cities in Iraq can seem daunting, positive results in formerly violent areas such as Sadr City in Baghdad shows that success can be had.

She also highlights the deftness of Lt. Col. Christopher Hickey in dealing with the local tribal politics and culture. This knowledge is a crucial element in fighting a successful counterinsurgency campaign. LTC Dickey, the Sabre Squadron commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, has skillfully engaged the tribes and ethnic groups of Tal Afar.

Hickey and his troopers have only been coming to this Sunni section of Tall 'Afar for the last two months; it took them that long to negotiate a way into the neighborhood, which is believed to be home to a number of the town’s insurgents. Protected by tanks and Bradley armored vehicles, Hickey could have muscled his way in. But the military’s secret weapon in Iraq is men like Hickey – officers who take the lay of the land and figure out how to pursue their mission by means other than overwhelming force.LTC Hickey is not unique to Iraq. Michael Yon has documented LTC Kurilla’s grasp of Iraqi culture and his skill at fighting the insurgency in Mosul (LTC Kurilla has been wounded in action and is now stateside). Grim has pointed pointed out the efforts of Captain Leggett, USMC, and Army Staff Sergeant Dale Horn. The list goes on. These men and others like them are able warriors and diplomats, well suited to conduct insurgency warfare despite their training in Cold War tactics.

billroggio.com/archives/2005/09/tal_afar_calm_b.php

 

[gilliam]

Alert: Talaafar

At least 130 terrorists have been arrested and others killed in Talaafar which is now fully under the control of the Iraqi forces.

Among the terrorists are Afghanis and Arabs some of them worked with Al-Zarqawi including one of his drivers.

On the other hand there are many indications that the Arab terrorists from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Jordan and other countries will go back to their home lands as some had already done so. They will create problems similar to those who returned from Afghanistan.

The terrorist attacks have low in the last few days however some terrorists planning for major attack soon. They are planning a major hit in one of the regional countries soon.
hammorabi.blogspot.com/2005/09/alert-talaafar-at-least-130-terrorists.html

 

[Matt25]

How do we know that everyone arrested is a terrorist? If we do know this does that mean we don’t need to bother with trials and the law and stuff like that?

“Among the terrorists are… Arabs” gosh, Arabs! In Iraq! Who would have anticipated such an unlikely event?

 

[KathleenElsie]

Matt25:

How do we know that everyone arrested is a terrorist? If we do know this does that mean we don’t need to bother with trials and the law and stuff like that?

“Among the terrorists are… Arabs” gosh, Arabs! In Iraq! Who would have anticipated such an unlikely event?

How does anyone know anothers intentions? We don’t. But, past experiences and the fact that the majority of “terrorists” are Arab should give us a clue.