The course of war is never linear and the story never continuously favors either one side or the other. Sadly there is always loss that accompanies military success. However, the letters written by al Qaeda in Iraq emirs describing their recent combat losses especially in Anbar offer compelling evidence that the course of military efforts in Iraq is now running in favor of American and multinational coalition forces. This success both confirms the effectiveness of the counter insurgency doctrine developed by General Petreus and others, the surge of forces and small unit activity to defend and protect the population of Iraq rather than concentrate solely on raids to find and destroy al Qaeda terrorists. That the success of this strategy is a by product of the adaptability and courage of American and coalition troops to protect civilians from ideologic extremists should be celebrated by people of all political persuasions as triumph of reason over terrorism.

Gerard O'Dowd, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

Sir,
Who exactly is telling us that we have won again for the thousandth time? Ah yes, US military intelligence, not an oxymoron is it?
I wonder if this is like the so-called "Surge," preparing the field for declaring yet another resounding victory for Commander-in-chief Bush?

SC, London, United Kingdom

The jihadis are waiting with baited breath for the result of the 2008 Presidential election. If the cowardly Democrats (but I repeat myself) take the Oval Office, al Qaeda and their ilk have nothing to fear. Our retreat from Iraq will be so fast that it will create a vacuum as expansive as the depths of outer space.

Rod Smalt, Great Mills, Maryland

Al-Qaeda will be defeated. The Iraqis have tasted freedom--and want to keep their freedom from dictators and tyranny. Keep up the great work, President Bush and American, British and Allied Troops. Jesus Christ is Lord!


http://wallsofjericho.50megs.com

Tim Shey, Kooskia, Idaho, USA

good news but i dont see how this means that bush was right or we've won in iraq. Its quite clear that 6 years after we went in things arent sorted out yet. mistakes, huge mistake have been made by this and our adminstrations. Im glad things seem to be getting better, but i dont think its casue to celebrate rather a reason to be relieved

Russell, London,

I have heard of people like this, they see with their eyes and cannot see and they hear with their ears and cannot hear. any good news in Iraq is discounted it is like the warming thing the debate is over , it has only begun and if the alarmists gets their way we will lose the greatest economy in the world. this could be the beginning of the end for the jihad movement , but we had better be diligent and watch and make sure we are not being duped into thinking it is over . there is much to be done on this war we are not out of it yet .

Kenneth Roberts, Lebanon, Ohio

It doesn't matter if the Sunnis were coerced, paid, or otherwise shown the way by US forces to join the good side. What matters is that AQ in Iraq is dying. For those who may not understand this, Bush stated soon after the invasion that it's better to fight them over there than over here. And that is EXACTLY what we are doing. For those Bush haters out there who cannot and will not EVER admit any positive news coming out of Iraq, sit down and shut up. You can cry your miserable eyes out on the sidelines, jack.

Mark, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Hey folks, lots of good back and forth here, but the fact is we won't know what history will say about the Iraq and Afghan conflicts for 10, 20 or 30 years down the pike. Ask the Iraqis then if it was worth it. If they have a democratic, free and just society I think we can guess what their answer will be. Getting rid of a heinous dictator who headed a hideous regime that mass murdered and tortured its citizens in the most horrible way and who undoubtedly sought weapons of mass distruction may just put George Bush on the correct side of history after all. I bet that proposition scares a lot of the media fed Bush haters. And ask the Afghan women then, who are now in school for the first time whether they thought George Bush did the right thing by ridding their country of the Taliban and Al qaeda. It's noble to have a strong distaste for miltitray action and war, but unfortunately, as we know, there are evil people about who don't have similar reservations.

Tom, Carson City, Nevada

How can you find these guys to get an interview, yet the US military can't seem to locate them?

Edward Jacobs, Raleigh,

Why should we believe ANYTHING that flows from the mouths of US or British governments on this subject?

Peter K Day, Doncaster, UK/ Yorkshire

Some people are so anxious to believe the worst about the U.S. that they will even interpret actual letters from jihadist leaders as propaganda. There is nothing that can convince them of the surge's success. This is what you might call blind dogma. "Don't confuse me with the facts" should be their motto.

Furthermore, WAR is not the economic engine of the U.S. It undoubtedly creates some jobs and injects certain sectors of the economy with investment and business, but the American economy is multi-dimensional. The price Americans are paying to free and defend the Iraqis sucks billions of dollars from the Treasury. It is a heavy burden, not a boondoggle. Is it so hard to believe they are doing what is necessary to quash Islamic terrorism, something that threatens the entire Western world. Join the fight or lose your freedom, security, and way of life.

Christine, Lutz, FL

Big Thank You to The US and Allied forces in Iraq,including Polish contingent !

MARK GRYSZKO, ANNAPOLIS, MD

Brian Bunting of the UK says:
"The only problem with this premise is that I believe that WAR is the economic engine of the United States, and that a lot of Fat Cats in the US would have had a slim time without it."
At the risk of repeating the obvious, good thing for everyone but Hitler, Tojo & Il Duce that the USA didn't renounce war in 1941. The world is a complicated place and war has always been a fog. Short of isolationism or pacificist globalism, my government's imperfect efforts are the only hope for all who do not wish to be enslaved by despotism de jour (today wahabism, yesterday warmed-over Stalinism etc).

Dave The Imperfect, Milwaukee, USA

And to think, Congresswomen Pelosi comments on Late edition Yesterday said, "that Iraq “is a failure,” adding that President Bush’s troop surge has “not produced the desired effect.” This said's much about the defeatist role, she and our Democratic Party still maintains.

Dario, Buffalo, NY

Gosh... the depth of delusion resulting from listening to lifelong cheerleading about how wonderful the US is is truly remarkable. Can we have a comment or two from someone who retains the ability to think for themselves, rather than just playing back their deluded recording of all they have been told?

I thought not.

Kenyon Cramer, Terre Haute, IN

For goodness sake some of you people need to get a reality grip.
The Military Surge did not work, but the Dollar Surge did.

The US finally caught up with the history of "Arab Revolt" which got rid of the Ottomans in Arabia.

The British handsomely rewarded the arab sheiks with copious amounts of Gold Soveriegns to bring them on our side, hence the defeat of the Ottomans.

If the US State Dept had made a couple of telephone calls to the British Foriegn Office (who invented Arabia) might have learned that lesson a long time ago.

The only problem with this premise is that I believe that WAR is the economic engine of the United States, and that a lot of Fat Cats in the US would have had a slim time without it.

brian bunting, Chorley Lancs, united kingdom

You'd think that with a 97% defection rate that some of defectors
would have named the remaining jihadists...
So that's strange. But all in all, terrificly good news that
should be made generally available.

Upton Smythe, Upper Stains, London/England

This is bad news for the Democrats. They did not want to see any type of success in Iraq or see our soldiers winning. Notice Nancy Pelosi's comments this weekend saying the surge wasn't working!?! If Bush shows that we are winning in Iraq, that could hurt democrats chance of getting elected.
Al Qaida was aiding democrats...as demonstrated when dems took over the congress in 2006, and now when the presidency is within their grasp, along comes favorable news about the surge success and the crippling of Al Qaida.

Vince Hugh, Atlanta, ga

Good news for the Iraqui people, not for the US army. I don't understand why the Bush lovers are so proud.

The letter was written LAST SUMMER! We can infer that during the US campaign more and more of these 'news' will appear.

josu, Spain,

to Jake in Tampa

1 The fact that the US last lost many volunteer lives in Iraq is both a tragedy and a disgrace but not a reason in itself to respect your opinion.

2 There were no al Qaeda training camps in Iraq during Hussein's era. As before, either your imagination or your intelligence is wrong.

3 It is not " the doctrine of freedom ringing in their ears" that has caused the attacks on al Qaeda. The US, democracy and its values are as unpopular as ever in Anbar with the Sunnis attacking al Qaeda. Were you ever there?

4. I never said that al Qaeda was not a threat to the West. I said they were not a strategic threat.

The fact is that the US is losing the war of ideas and making matters worse, not better, by its actions and statements. Al Qaeda in Iraq is finished because the Sunnis have turned on it, not because of "the surge". This is not a war the US military can win - and some are beginning to realise this.

Leon, London, UK

All these people talking about McCain's so-called 100-year war are taking his words out of context. What he means is there may be a Western (US) presence in Iraq for a century, much like the US presence in Europe (68 years) Japan (63 years) and Korea (58 years.) He was not referring to an active, hot war for that length of time. No one would go for that. But to leave precipitously would only allow al Qaida the victory they lament in this article. It would be analagous to withdrawing the troops when the Allies reached the Rhein in 1945.

W, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

I reread the article and I quote from the letter"The Anbar letter conceded that the “crusaders” — Americans — had gained the upper hand by persuading ordinary Sunnis that al-Qaeda was responsible for their suffering and by exploiting their poverty to entice them into the security forces. Al-Qaeda's “Islamic State of Iraq is faced with an extraordinary crisis, especially in al-Anbar”, the unnamed emir admitted.

THE AMERICANS PERSUADED....IT SEEMS THE SURGE WON AND BUSH WAS RIGHT!

SAM, YAKIMA, WA

After reading many of these comments, I dare beg the question:
Does any good news merit any good?
It is strange that evidence of progress is absolutely unbelievable because Wikipedia or some other website gives 'factual' opinion that it isn't, and our own Intelligence shows and proves that there is. But we cant believe our own military, even though we support them. What kind of crap is that?
And Nancy freaking Pelosi, the woman who has proposed and supported billions on nothing but crap will demean our troops in the middle of battle?
On the other hand you have genocide in Darfur and Burma and people like her couldnt give a flying crap about it!
And here is what's worse. Liberals decry the war in Iraq, make a statement of how 'we support our troops!', and then crap all over them by proudly announcing "The war is lost."
Here's a suggestion for something you havent tried.
Get behind your country and lets finish this thing together!

Caine, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

And that whole continent is watching. Make this work and this someday might be considered a great decision. This war saved many a life.

Dan , norwood, ma.

I spent 12 years in the US Marines and am in constant contact with many of my friends that are now in Iraq. Most of them tell the same story. There is nothing for them to do, no fighting going on, just training and helping the Iraqi military and police stabilize the situation.

These letters echo what I have already heard many times over from people in Iraq, that the insurgency has been for the most part beaten. The remainder are a few die-hards that have nothing left to go home to.

It's amazing how rare it is to actually read anything resembling the truth about Iraq in the media, especially in the US.

Thank you, Timesonline, for reporting the news and not shaping it. It's a breath of fresh air.

Greg, Apex, North Carolina, USA

Ok, We win, now lets go home. DUH!!!!!!!!

Mark, Allentown, Pa

My son has been over there 3 times and every time he comes back he keeps telling me how much better it is getting for the Iraqi
people and what kind of great things our service men & women are doing. I refuse to watch the one-sided TV broadcasts of how terrible we are doing. We HAVE to stay there until the job is done. Anything less than that would have a horrific effect on the Iraqis. If you don't believe that these extremists won't attack us again, you are wrong. If you don't think we haven't stopped them repeatedly, you are wrong. At this point in time, forget why we are there. Just accept the fact that we are and we have a job to finish. Get behind it.

Winston, San Antonio, Texas

“It is only the warlike power of a civilized people that can give peace to the world” (Theodore Roosevelt). AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH?... though pacifist/socialists will never get it.

John, Minnetonka, MN, USA

"I may have got this wrong ... "

No 'may' about it.

Achillea, Los Angeles, CA

I'm not a fan of the Bush administration but any bad news for Al-Qaeda is good news for the rest of the world.

Dave, Lancashire, UK

" initially all Iraqis liked us. Remember the news and the hitting the statues of Saddam in the face with the shoes? Ok, then they support Al Qaeda in Iraq, cause they think we are dictators "
If you are trying to make sense of events in the region, to make the assumption that all iraqis are of one mindset is an instant failure. Sadly, here in America, many people (including some of my friends) seem to think that not only are all iraqis of the same mindset, but all muslims as well, and that they of course ALL want to kill us. PURE IGNORANCE It doesn't take an expert to tell you that peoples feelings, opinions, and loyalties are going to vary from person to person, and that no nation/religion is populated by people of one mindset. The Sunnis and Shiites in particular have a relationship that bears resemblance to the Catholic/Protestant dichotomy. Bitterly divided people that just happen to believe in the same god. Stop caling Iraqis or Muslims "They" as if you can speak for them

Brian F, Phoenix, US

Pelosi and Reid are two of a kind...surrender monkeys with a white flag waving profusely in the wind. The Democrats do not want the USA and the UK to win this war,and they will use the MSM or any other conceivable means to insure our defeat. If this war is won,then Bush was right and they would all have to eat all of their venomous words.If you were in battle,would you prefer Pelosi or Reid or a US Marine by your side?Ann Coulter is right..."If Democrats Had Any Brains,They Would Be Republicans" The Liberal Congress and Senate's popularity is at an all time low.They have done nothing but whine and complain. There is nothing worse than a crying Senator.

William , Noway, Norway

LOL at these comments !

Read a blog from an embedded reporter for accuracy ? LOL

US empire better than a communist one ? LOL

US acting for "the greater good of nations" ? LOLOLOL

You people need a serious awakening. With the dollar crashing, you might get it real soon. Good luck with martial law !

Peace, NY,

Ryan from WA - Thank you for your service. You say the surge had nothing to do with Anbar, that is was political. You don't think the surge played a part in that. Sunni's were hedging their bets, helping Al qeada, not sure if the US would stay. Makes perfect sense, once they realized we would be there to help them for the next few years, they turned against the murders of al qeada. That is a direct result of the surge.

Patriot, San Carlos, USA

And this from Nancy Pelosi...

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said twice Sunday that Iraq “is a failure,” adding “There haven't been gains, Wolf,” the speaker replied. “The gains have not produced the desired effect, which is the reconciliation of Iraq. This is a failure. This is a failure."

Keep saying it crazy lady

Dante, Pittsburgh, PA

What does the continued level of successful operations say in light of these setbacks?

dudelookslikeachimp, Kansas City,

Right Travis...and another factor in our arming of Saddam: At that time, Iran was considered a greater threat to United States national security than Iraq, and the possibility of the radical Islam of the Iranian Ayatollahs overthrowing secular governments in the Middle East from Lebanon to Jordan to Egypt was very real. The idea was to keep Iraq and Iran engaged in a war for as long as possible...we armed Saddam to prevent a Shiite domino effect. As long as Iran and Iraq could keep each other militarily occupied, neither could wreak havoc on its neighbors. It worked for a while and it served to stem Iranian influence in the region for decades.

Almost as soon as the "Coalition Of The Willing" invaded Iraq, Saddam was deposed, his sons were killed and Moammar Ghadaffi gave up his nuclear weapons programs. Iraq and Libya are not presently threats to their neighbors and the possibility exists that a Democracy in the heart of the Arab world may flourish for a century. Bush was right.

Tom, Decatur, GA

For Clive in Surrey:

Lincoln suspended Habeus Corpus during the Southern Rebellion and went on to win the Civl War. Armed conflict is about destroying the enemy, plain and simple. Not about liberal acts of kindness.

Al Queda was rampant in Iraq before the United States and its allies went in. The article above supports the growing evidence that the Surge has succeeded and that the Sunnis are becoming aware of who their enemy is. Send Abu-Tariq and all Al Queda to Hell where they belong.

JJ, Washington , DC

To Clive in surrey,

What are you going to tell the world to do when someone punches you in the face? Fighting is not a good thing, but there are times when you have to stand up and fight. Unfortunately as you point out the liberals are the biggest propaganda machine for Al-Qaeda.

P.s the last time we had the rise of this sort of fascism in the world it was

1) The liberal tree hugging left wanting to make friends with hitler
2)The us our ally then and now that supported us.

A better thing to teach the world, and indeed NATO is that sometimes you have to stand up and be counted.

Chris, ex pat, Zurich, Switzerland

No Democrat denies this is good news. BUT THE SURGE HAD ESSENTIALLY NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH THIS GOOD NEWS. "We" aren't winning - the Sunni tribes themselves are doing this. REREAD THE ARTICLE!

If "we" let McCain have his 100 year war, it will bankrupt our country and our military might. Be very careful in November!

John, Springfield, Missouri, USA

Headlines from this mornings Canada "Globe & Mail": Canadian Forces winning in Kandahar! But wait...Maybe it's not too late to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

JP, Ft. Myers, FL

Janis Prinkalns, Cape Coral, FL

US can't find Bin Laden, but Times can get an Al-Qaeda leader to interview. Maybe they can't find Bin Laden because he is dead.

James, Greensboro,

Let's get out of Iraq, and let the Iranians have their way. Result: one big chunk of the world's oil supply (assuming the Iranians don't overrun Kuwait and Saudia Arabia also -- there goes another big chunk!). Let Chavez cut off oil exports (as he is threatening to do today), there goes another piece. Problems in Nigeria; let them have their way, too -- now we're getting down to the nitty gritty. Europe has to buy Russian oil just to keep somewhat warm, effectively putting the EU into Russia's 'sphere of influence', and all that implies. The U.S. has to impose mandatory conservation measures to keep the country from tanking completely. But there is a silver lining: global warming is solved. Everbody wins!

RJ, Redlands,

Good thing that Nancy Polosi and Barack Obama aren't running the war! We would be loosing for sure. In fact, that's what they desire.

Regular Guy, Redneck, GA

I may have got this wrong, but isn't Al Queda in Iraq substantially a creation of the United States? The invasion, launched on a false pretext, gave Al Quaeda a foothold from which to attack American forces and the Iraqi people - no serious analyst suggests they had any sort of presence before the invasion. Now they're claiming credit for partially defeating the monster they created. Well, good news, but maybe Bush should take responsibility for the original gross miscalculation - wasn't this war supposed to have been won years ago?

Albert Fogey, Plymouth, Dunmonia

I'm glad to see the main stream media finally report that some good things are beginning to happen in Iraq. For far too long all we've heard was how things were going to hell in a handbasket.

Whether we should have invaded Iraq in the first place is a discussion for historians 30 years hense. For now, we are there and should do everything we can to prevail. A safe and, at least moderately, democratic Iraq could well reshape the Middle East, and help bring it into the 21st Century. How could any American see this as a bad thing?

That these letters exist should give us hope that Iraq wil not be the quagmire some would have us believe. It won't be easy, but we can win in the end.

This won't happen if Hillary or Barack win in November. Both promise immediate withdrawal if elected. So just when we're beginning to win they would throw in the towel. Perhaps they (and Nancy Pelosi) should read this article. But then they've already made up their minds . . .

Wepcar, Carmel Valley, California

Dave from Median - time to start thinking for yourself.

The U.S. did not supply any nerve gas to Hussein that has been a classic mass lie that the intellectually lazy are all too willing to believe.

U.S. did give aid to Iraq during their war with Iran - mainly because Iran kidnapped our people and help them for 444 days illegally.

Now I don't know about England, but the U.S. was not getting any oil from Hussein, so us invading Iraq did not effect our oil prices at all.

We did not make any profit from selling arms to Iraq in the 90's.

We did not make any money robbing from the Iraqi people from the shameful Oil for food program.

I can tell you never served in the armed forces as I did. I can also tell that you only read websites that tilt the info the way they want you to hear it and you are incapable of actaully reading the source information. Try that just once - on a report about the war or about Global warming and then your eyes may begin to open - just a crack

Chad, Houston, Texas

It will be interesting to see how the Bush hateing, "American Communist", (Progressives, Liberals, Democrats, old media, etc.) will spin this. They take every bit of good news that comes out of Iraq and turn it into a negative, or ignore it alltogether. One of the "American Communist" greatest fears is that Bush wins the war in Iraq.

Deep Blue, Vincennes,, IN. USA

To 'Dr' Michael Watson: what has the BBC got to do with this? What a puerile comment.

These letters do show the extent to which Iraq is now simply a battleground between the US/UK and 'Al Quaeda'. So much for liberation.

Will Duffay, London,

To all those who say we should never have invaded Iraq... did you ever read the RED CROSS report on Saddam Hussein? I hope you didn't. Because if you had, and you were content to sit on your behind ignoring the plight of a people who could be fed into plastic shredders, whose loved ones routinely disappeared if they disagreed with Saddam, or any of of a hundred other atrocities against humanity, you would be inhuman yourself.

Get a grip. War is tough. Was this thought out well? Nope. We should have listened to the Brits. They have far more experience in nation building than we have. We could have learned a lot and gone in with a much better plan.

But to say we shouldn't have ever gone simply exposes your either your ignorance or your inhumanity. Take your pick.

Steven Newman, Charlotte, North Carolina

So the US military wants us to believe that on the one hand they are defeating Al queda to the extent that they are in a panic and complete disarray and are a spent force. Yet on the other hand they want us to believe that Al Queda are still a globally dangerous force presenting us with a vision of a threat so dire it exceeds the old Soviet threat during the cold war, thus legitimising their collateral damage all over the world???

Sorry, the US military is spouting utter rubbish.

Oh and to all the troops who have sacrificed their limbs and lives in the lie that it would lead to cheaper fuel? Actually I would be paying a lot less for my fuel if the regional wars kicked off by the deranged US Administration (Not the Americans, there IS a difference) had not happened. Thanks for making it so my tiny and fuel efficient Clio Diesel now costs me £50.00 to fill up.

The cheaper fuel argument was only ever postulated to fool the right wing rednecks to support the war.

Ken Hall, Barrow in Furness, UK

The progress of the surge has been far more than just Anbar. The decline is US and Iraqi casualties across Iraq simply cannot be argued with. Here are the US fatalities over the past 6 quarters (i.e. back to August 2006); 243, 265, 266, 305, 187, 100. The casualties first rose as the surge built up and the new strategy of deploying out into towns in small bases was pursued. But look at the last 2 quarters - the casualties drop sharply. The US casualties for Nov 2007 - Jan 2008 are possibly the lowest casualties over a 3 month period of the entire war.
There is a similar picture with Iraqi casualties over the last 6 quarters. These are; 8044, 5418, 7812, 5015, 3201, 1662. Again, the drop off over the past 2 quarters is remarkable. The last figure is also one of the lowest of the whole war.

Charles, Bath, UK

I just hope most americans will realize these people want to kill us.God Bless our Troops my kids will in fact sleep better tonight because of them.

Andy, mooresville, usa

How typical. Having been complicit in heaven knows how many suicide murders, it's now "poor us!" Whatever happens, it's never the Islamists' fault, is it, and the bitterness and expectation of betrayal by everyone is their strong suit.

Perhaps the way to psychological and actual victory is to play on that

Rose, London, UK

As usual, one pro-iraq story sees any republican jumping on it to show how right they were. One story does not win an extended military engagement. It's traditional for republican administrations to have 1 bumper good year in every 4, this is just the first of many Pro-Republican stories to come out this year, some will be true, many will be fabricated, I doubt we'll be able to tell which is which. Does 1 good year of stories make up for 3 bad ? It did at the last election.

Robert, Jersey,

For Dave in Fresno.

The stated reasons for attacking Iraq NEVER included claims it was connected to 9/11 or harbored AL Qaeda.

The reason to attack Iraq had everything to do with the widespread belief that Saddam was pursuing wmds. That poor intel was spun by Saddam himself--he admitted it. He also admitted he would try to make them as soon as he was safe to do so...

If Al Qaeda opened up shop in Iraq to fight our troops I have one thing to say---better they moved to Iraq than HERE!

What matters is winning, not approaching national security as a lawyer would approach a case.

PAt, Charleston, SC

Leon in the UK
As a former US Marine and having served with many who have seen Al Qaeda in Iraq and involved in the intelligence community for several years, I disagree completely with you.
First, the US has sacrificed MANY volunteer lives in Iraq. Respect our opinion.
Second. Third Battalion/3rd Marines hit 3 Al Qaeda training camps within 1 week in Iraq.
This was WITH Saddam in power.
Third. The reversal in Iraq is because of the violence of Al Qaeda and to many inocent bystanders losing their lives. They see that their fight is pointless and the doctrine of freedom is ringing loudly in many ears.
Fourth, remember September 11th, 2001? That was Osama Bin Ladin, Al Qaeda leader, recall that? Never a threat? What about all those planes in the UK that were almost blown up?
Last, Al Qaeda has more money and military strength (albeit widely spread) then some smaller countries.

Jake, Tampa, Florida

"Why is it so hard to believe that the forces for good, liberty, and freedom will win in the end? ...Robert Donohue, fallsburg, ny"

Good, liberty and freedom ?

1) UK forces are there will no popular support
2) US/UK arrests and detains people with no warrant
3) US/UK gives those arrested no access to lawyers or courts
4) US (UK ?) tortures people, or moves them to countries that will do the torture for the US
5) US/UK etc support/encourage Pakistan - a military dictatorship

Are these the good, liberal, free acts we want the rest of the world to emulate ?

Funny - when we see such behaviour from other countries, we call them oppressive or tyrants.

Clive, Surrey,

If you want more in-depth on the ground info on Iraq then look at Michael Yon's blog. He has been there time and time again embedded with the troops.

Petreaus for President!

William, Taylors, SC.,

"To all the usa lovers and bashers....

Who sold saddam the Halabja Nerve gas supplies and the equipment to deliver it......American Government.

Who doubled the aid from 500 million USD to 1 Billion USD the year after he gassed the kurds.....American Government."

Hey Dave,
I am a USA lover and Bush supporter, and you are right we did aid Saddam, and we did it during a time when Communist Russia was in the midst of taking much power of the middle east. If they(Russia) would have taken control, then we (USA) would perhaps be sitting here in a WWIII situation. You better thank the lord for our Government of what they had to do during a time of two superpowers trying to gain control of the middle east for the future of our society. Too bad people like you just don't understand the art of warfare. It may not be pretty but its better than living under a communist government. Think about it.

Travis

Travis, Los Angeles,

Dave from Median-You may be one of the hate and blame America crowd, as it seems you do, but without the United States the world economy will collapse, medical advances will be severely impacted, and who then will you depend on to sacrifice their own for a greater good? China?HA! Putin and the new KGB? HA! or the French? HA! No other country in the world is more willing to donate, sacrifice, and help those in need then the United Sates. Whether that is from private funding or Federal funding. Peace be with you Dave.

Dave, Kansas City, US

I'm sure the BBC will do its best to restore AQ numbers and morale... and all at our expense.

Dr Michael Watson, Birmingham,

These comments are so sad. The primary desire of most seems to be to be proved correct in whatever they believe. Not whatever is best for the Iraqis. I oppossed the invasion for I felt it was both built upon deceiving arguments and unworkable in its aims. If I were religious I would pray to God that I am proved wrong. This is one piece of encouraging news. If and when a truely safe, stable and free society is built in that country, then at that point can we humbly ask the Iraqis if the process which they never requested was worth it.

Dave Williams, Beijing, China

To all the usa lovers and bashers....

Who sold saddam the Halabja Nerve gas supplies and the equipment to deliver it......American Government.

Who doubled the aid from 500 million USD to 1 Billion USD the year after he gassed the kurds.....American Government.

On a side note may i thank all of the troops who gave their lives and limbs, without their lives being destroyed i would have to pay an extra 50$ a week for my fuel.

dave, median,

Grant in Huntington cautions against making fools of ourselves by thinking before we speak. He talks about the "mental capacity to examine history" while coming out with the absolute gem "initially all Iraqis liked us." How does he think the Ba'thists felt? Could it be that these people chose to stay at home during the celebrations that Grant watched on Channel 5 news?

Muss, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Wow, before anyone else makes a fool of themselves and comments on the ""There were almost 600 fighters in our sector before the tribes changed course 360 degrees . . ." comment. I'd like to point out that initially all Iraqis liked us. Remember the news and the hitting the statues of Saddam in the face with the shoes? Ok, then they support Al Qaeda in Iraq, cause they think we are dictators and causing them pain and suffering, and now they like us cause we aren't the ones blowing up kids and mosques. I think thats 360 degrees...geniuses. I have an idea!! If you don't have the mental capacity to examine all of history, culture, and current events along with a a decent reading comprehension maybe you shouldn't attempt to discuss foreign policy. Also, it helps if you think before you speak.

Grant, Huntington,

Good wins over evil... it is that simple... the fight may not be but the victory will come. The US is once again doing the noble thing most countries can not muster. History has shown this more than once. America is the world's best allies.., why is it still so hard to admit?

P.S. I would say that the Democrats in the states are in deep trouble.. again.

Jay, Toronto, Canada

Madame Speaker was , no doubt shopping for comfortable shoes for the soon-to-be-announced upcoming trip to visit the troops in Iraq, and missed the press release!

Neil, Bellingham, USA/WA

I was just scanning Drudge. In order, the headlines read; Pelosi Calls Surge a Bust, which is followed by, Al-Qadea in Iraq is in Crisis.

I don't know where the esteemed Pelosi is getting her information, but I tend to believe the Al-Qaeda people over the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. That in itself says a lot.

Scott, High Point, NC

Never underestimate the ability of Democrats to ignore reality, and the MSM to enable them.

I boldly predict that no questions about this will be asked in the upcoming Democratic debate.

David Rogers, Round Rock, Texas

If not for Drudge, very few American would see this news. It makes the US MSM nuts to lose control of Iraq story. Good news from Iraq is bad news for the Dems.

Jim, Annapolis, MD

I don't like the second person being referred to as "unnamed emir" - I think an English equivalent, like leader or commander would do! I feel that use of the word 'emir' lends legitimacy to this person.

James, Adelaide, Australia

Why is it so hard to believe that the forces for good, liberty, and freedom will win in the end? For if they do not, all you naysayers will not have the opportunity to freely express yourselves so easily. Why is it so hard to buck up for the fight against evil tyrany? Why do you want to give those responsible for 9-11-01 a free pass? These are the people we are fighting. We fight them there in order to surround Iran. Is it really your belief that we would be better off and safer if we retreat now? What will be gained? Will you be able to negotiate away the risk of another attack on our behalf? I would much rather leave it to the United States military and the belief that the spreading of freedom and liberty will clear the path to peace. Why do you not stand with those that defend the ideals that created this great nation? They started the worst of this fight and we need to end it on our terms. Retreating is no victory.

Robert Donohue, fallsburg, ny

Nancy Pelosi - Take responsibility for your comment that Iraq is a failure, and RESIGN.

Paul Francis, Brisbane, Australia

It is depressing to see so many US contributions to this discussion totally failing to understand the nature of the war they've got themselves into. Firstly, this reversal for al Qaeda in Iraq has nothing to do with "the surge" - it is a local phenomenon with the Sunnis turning on an oppressive gang. Secondly, Al Qaeda in Iraq has nothing to do with al Qaeda proper - it's a business: think Sopranos. Thirdly, al Qaeda in Iraq didn't exist before the US invasion, so it is a by-product of US action, not a reason to be there to fight. Forthly, al Qaeda is not and never can be a strategic threat to the West. It is more of an idea than an organisation and its global popularity is being fed by US military action and foreign policy. It can never, therefore, be defeated militarily - or indeed by the US with its present mentality.

It is pathetic to see US readers so eager to believe that they "are wininng." No they're not. Al Qaeda is not a popular movement unless the US makes it so.

Leon, London, UK

Bush State of the Union declared war on terrorist network(s) - e.g., al Qaeda, and terrorist states - e.g, Sadam's Iraq. Following Clinton's Policies toward Saddam, Bush prioritized Sadam for his continuing mass murders, mass graves and state sponsor of terrorism through out the world - e.g., $25k checks to families of palestinian suicide bombers. Bush is taking Iran to task for exporting terrorism through Hezbollah in Lebanon, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina et al. Unfortunately, Bush gave up on N. Korea's, but I'm certain even naive LIBs can agree its political gulags with 250k prisoners make Club Gitmo look like a spa resort! Pick your poison - Saudi wahabbism, Pakistani talaban(ism) or Iranian mullahtacracy. Mindless, endless diplomacy ala Hitler/Chamberlain, will doom Libs to learning the Sharia dhimmitude waltz. Ghandi advocated Jews surrender to Hitler. Thankfully NO ONE LISTENED TO the FOOL! Where's Churchill when you Need Him? We are at war, get used to it.

Chris Djernaes, Larkspur, USA/CA

I am always amazed to hear those who still declare G.W. Bush to be a courageous and Godly man. I suppose that P.T. Barnum was right, after all. While I agree that it would be a disaster to leave Iraq at this point, I can not forget the short-sighted, idiotic foreign policy decisions that put our country there in the first place. Election of McCain will only result in additional miscalculations that will cost thousands of lives, hundreds of billions of dollars, loss of the real objective, economic chaos at home and lost opportunities for surgical operations that will never be recovered. The good news? A McCain presidency and its "more of the same" approach will leave the modern conservative movement in complete disarray, revealing it as the self-serving enemy of true Christian and American values that it is. This will be the final blow that relegates it to the trash heap of history. Only then will Americans begin to export true freedom to the world, as we will again live it at home.

James Anderson , Nashville, USA

A major reason for a lot of these Iraqi born fighters changing sides is pay. They are simply being better paid. Also, as happened in Bosnia, the foreign jihadis are interfering with their daily lives, enforcing islamic doctrine at a level which causes resentment among the locals. The craziest part of this is that a lot of these men were in the Iraqi army, which was disarmed, disbanded and the troops sent home to no jobs. That made them easy recruits for the insurgency, giving them an income and a purpose in life, and their AK47 back to boot, probably a shiny new one paid for by Saudi oil dollars. What a howler that decision was, directly causing significant loss of life among coalition troops and the Iraqi civilian population. All this is just a result of some fundamental mistakes being corrected years too late for all those killed. it is nothing for anyone to give themselves a pat on the back about.

Andy, Bath (England!),

meh, this will be taken in by the republican Propaganda artists and turned into a great victory for the surge. What is really described here is the empowerment of tribal leaders - not democracy, not modernization, not America, not even the Iraqi government. A bunch of traditional leaders now control these areas, and they can turn on us at any time.
I'm glad the Jihadi Fighters are hurting, but this isn't the victory call by any streach.

Jason, Norman, Oklahoma

People who are fundamentally opposed to war will see a quagmire wherever they look.

The above story is proof that we are winning -- albeit slowly. The anti-war types complain that because we couldn't instantaneously solve the problem that we would NEVER solve it. That's just not the way the world works. Things take time and sometimes sacrifice.

Al Quaida never succumed the belief that they COULD NOT win the war -- and look at all the trouble they have caused. We are the strongest military power in the history of the world -- why should we mope around fearing that we CANNOT win? Of course things take a long time sometimes, but, good grief, all good things take effort and time.

Further, Al Quaida started this war. The anti-war types act like George Bush did it personally. Ok, the invasion of Iraq was a mistake -- I give you that. But dudes, you don't get to step back from your mistakes and say "oh, my bad. Someone else clean up for me!"

Lowell, Lewisville, TX

Well, this is certainly good news, though I would suggest caution. They are not out of it yet.

The weird part is the comments from posters who read the article and then go about claiming we've lost. It's like they live in an alternate world of some kind.

As for being to quick declare the job done, may I remind everyone that it took 11 years, after the fall of Berlin and surrender of Germany, to pacify th NAZI sympathizers who used the same tactics as Al Qaeda does today.

I also noticed another similarity. The words of an Al Qaeda leader wanting to hunt down the former members. If memory serves there was a German officer at Remagen Bridge who said something to the effect of "A dying dog will bite at it's own wounds". Authenticity of the remark I cannot provide, but the meaning is surely clear.

John Campbell, Bakersfield, CA., U.S.A.

I thought something good for the US must be happening in Iraq; I haven't heard much about it lately in the news. I guess its time to elect a Jimmy Carter type president like Barack Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton so we can give back all the gains earned by our military.

Dan , South Brunswick, NJ

My favourite part is: Abu-Tariq, al-Qaeda leader says, “There were almost 600 fighters in our sector before the tribes changed course 360 degrees . . ."

360 degrees? Isn't that a circle? Obviously the education of some of these fighters is not too high.

Sam , Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

I knew when I saw Pelosi's "Iraq 'is a failure, surge was a bust" comments there was reason for it. And this story is the reason. I hope we as a country wise up come election time and toss the Dems out once and for all.

David, USA,

McCain or Democrat? Only McCain will let us keep facing these people down -- people who pose a direct threat to the US and the West. Both Obama and Clinton would tuck tail and run. Vietnam was a quagmire. Americans were not directly threatened by the Vietnamese. But these Islamic extremists clearly have it out for us. And whether Iraq was an Al Qaeda hotbed or not before the war, it is now!

The big question for the next president is what to do with Pakistan.

And since this comment is in a British newspaper, I will add that I hope the Europeans don't lose their nerve. They seek to change your way of life.

Bill, Tacoma, USA/WA

"There were almost 600 fighters in our sector before the tribes changed course 360 degrees . . ." . . . terrorist apparently don't study geometry in terror training school.

Perry, Gainesville, FL

“We were mistreated, cheated and betrayed by some of our brothers,” he says. “Those people were nothing but hypocrites, liars and traitors and were waiting for the right moment to switch sides with whoever pays them most.”

I had no idea hardened terrorists could be so naive.

Jonathan C., Kissimmee, FL

Al Qaeda was not in Iraq before 911--they were in the US
Iraq was attacking Coalition aircraft more than 100 times a year before the US invaded
Iraqi leaders portrayed they were producing WMD and would have if not for the watchful eye of the coalition
Saddam murdered more than 300,000 people--guess you would be more likely to be for the war if those were California citizens and not Iraqis

Jim, Wichita Falls, TX

The American mission in Iraq is not a football game. My son and thousands of others have been killed there because the Bush administration botched the entire operation until early last year. Neverthless, America has no choice but to prevail against Ialamic radicalism. Failure means future 9/11 attacks, interruption of the Middle East oil supply and economic disaster worldwide. Please save your "rah rah" comments for the Super Bowl. Instead, contact Pelosi and Reid and let them know that America is in a fight for its life.

Stephen Castner, Cedarburg, Wisconsin

Andrew Meador wrote: "It'll be impossible for the Democrats' nominee to dodge news like this."

Andrew, of course they will dodge this news. Their willing accomplices, the Liberal Mainstream Media, won't report this news properly and then the candidates will never get asked about it. Why do you think we're reading about this in a British paper, not an American paper? Why is that none of the Democrats are asked hard questions about the war in Iraq?

As always, good news for America is bad news for the Democrats. You can rely on that like you can rely on the Sun rising in the morning. It's just a fact of Nature!

Read Montag's World on blogspot.com

Gregory Indelicato, New York City, New York, USA

Blah, blah, blah...

Every "victory" we claim is in the face of continued bombings, the lack of a stable government and the continued wasting of TRILLIONS of US taxpayer money.

It is truly like fighting the hydra. One day in Iraq was too long for our nation's weary soul.

Mike, Philadelphia, PA

...and
David of Fresno is clinging to the past. The people of Iraq are living life free of a murderous dictator and with a promise of a far better life ahead of them. Get over it, man. Be happy.

Wayne, Reedley, CA

Keep in mind this is concerning Anbar province, not Baghdad, not Mosul, and not anywhere else in Iraq but Anbar province. The decline of insurgent activity in Anbar is no secret and these memos are no surprise.

The fate of this single insurgent cell, however large it may have been in years past, does not reflect anything except this single cell, in this single province.

Do not read into these letters that the same exact thing has been happening everywhere else in Iraq. It hasn't.

The Surge has NOTHING to do with Anbar province. The surge was centered on reducing Baghdad violence. It is Anbar Awakening that caused this man's troubles, and those were domestic political shifting winds. And in Iraq the winds are always shifting. And they shift in both directions, sometimes quite dramatically (as was the case with Anbar Awakening).

I served in both Anbar and in Baghdad with the 172d Stryker Brigade in 05-06, including the vanguard of the surge, so I have some degree of knowledge

Ryan, Olympia, WA

For David in Fresno. I agree with you. However, that was then and this is now. Al Qaeda is now in Iraq (regrdless of that being our fault or not) and we have to deal with the situation at hand. If we leave there before the "New Iraq" can stand alone, then Iraq will become what Afghanistan was pre-9-11. For the billionth time, isnt this clear?

Mike, Las Vegas, USA

For those who are asking who we are fighting now if these letters were months ago...

There are still terrorists in Iraq this is a small section that had a complete turnaround as the result of the surge. The military is making similar work of other pockets and terrorist hold out and that will take time.

Justin, Toccoa, Georgia

This is good news, and no doubt the surge has had some affect.

However the problem still remains, leave today or leave in 20 years and some other facist dictator will take over once again. Stay and you will face huge debts, a weak dollar and the loss of yet more lifes for what ?!

Freedom cannot be forced on someone lacking the desire to fight for it themselves? If freedom is so dear to the people of Iraq, then why didn't they fight with IED's and suicide bombers to achieve it when Saddam was in? The Scots did it, the English, the Americans, etc, etc.

William, Mechanicsville, Va., USA

Yes, this absolutely is great news. But let's not pat ourselves on the back here. After all, don't forget that Al-Qaeda had virtually no presence in Iraq prior to our invasion. CIA, military, and even foreign intelligence estimates all tend to agree that prior to the launch of the Iraq war, Al-Qaeda was a poorly organized fringe group with only a few hundred members. It is our lack of a well designed foreign policy that caused Al-Qaeda's ranks to swell in the first place. So self-congratulations on a job well-done now are certainly not in order...

Joel, Cleveland,

Maybe Mr. Abu-Tariq should check his tribe again as they may have come back when he said.."There were almost 600 fighters in our sector before the tribes changed course 360 degrees".
Or maybe his lack of navigational knowledge has him in the wrong country!

jim, Iowa city,

If Martin Fletcher doesn't undertand that 360 degrees is back to where you started than my opinion of msm has been confirmed.

jeffro, vail, co

OK, now Iran and Syria. Let's finish this thing.

Michael Spencer, Conway, Arkansas

For the zillionth time:

France, Germany, Israel, Russia, and even the U.N. had intelligence which suggested Iraq had WMD. Saddam bluffed, and was called on it. I'm glad Iraq is on a better path now. I hope Iraqi's will see peace and prosperity in the near future.

David Sparkman, London, Ontario, Canada

Remembering the trustworthiness of US intelligence in pre election times I read this article to enjoy the famous PR skills from the new continent - with success.

Elias, Bremen, Germany

McCain broke after just 4 1/2 days in captivity, so how is he an American hero?

Bill, Granbury,

For the billionth time,

Saddam used WMD's on Kurdish people. 17 resoultions in 13 years,and Saddam laughed at the world, refusing to come clean. There were Al Qaeda traing camps in Iraq. Read Khiddir Hamza's book on how Saddam was pursuing Nukes.
Al Quaeda loves people like David from Fresno.

Anthony, New York, NY

Today, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi called Iraq a "failure". Apparently she doesn't read much.

Paulw, Minneapolis, MN, USA

The US Miliary (with the help of the Brits) have done their best work in decades. We salute you.

Fred, Milton, MA,

A fantastic story, and I stand behind George W, a fantastic man that cares about freedom, GOD, and his military. I just hope and pray that we don't get another Clinton, Monica, etc. Please vote!

GRABLE, watertown, sd

They should turn 180 degrees not 360 degrees. I guess, they aren't good in math either.

roger Sears, Indep/MO, US

Cool !

When do we pull out ?

jayil, london, uk

Al-Qaeda in Iraq was always only 1-3% of the resistance in Iraq. Al Qaeda in Iraq is mostly a Pentagon Propganda Campaign. What about Al Qaeda in Pakistan? regards

Brian Fejer, Albuquerque, The US Homeland

Andrew, it WILL be easily possible for them to dodge this---with the MSM on their side.

Page 28 or later on the NYT, bet on it.

Frederick, Mobile, Alabama

What was it that Pelosi said today???"The surge has failed"... Great leaders we have in congress....Gods bless the soldiers!

JOhn, Bucksport, Maine

This insurgent has discovered what any good commander knows - it is impossible in the medium term to operate without the consent of the populace. Why haven't the Americans learned that? Any of their allies could have told them in the earliest days of this conflict, but then they thought they knew it all. They may be learning, slowly. But their recent lecturing to their allies in Afghanistan about counter-insurgency implies that they don't have mechanisms to spread any learning they may be achieving.

Tim, Sydney, Australia

I thought there was no al Qaeda in Iraq.

Jon, Washington, DC

Boy oh boy, here we go again for the billionth time:

Al Qaeda was not in Iraq before America invaded.
Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
Iraq was not producing WMD.

David, Fresno, CA

This is good news, but let's not get too pleased with things yet. It only takes a small handful of terrorists to kill crowds of innocent people, and there are still quite a few running around Iraq. This is going to be a long, ugly fight before the terrorists decide to go home.

Tom, Chicago, USA

The media and the left wing always tried to make it look like a lost war, but when you speak to people in the military you get a completely different picture

Scot Rosenberg, Netanya, Israel

Sure sounds like a quagmire to me...

Richard S, Indianapolis,

The liberal lemmings will be all over the message boards,, tomorrow,,,,, spreading Nancy's speech.....


And every one of them will deny this information..

Francis, Minneapolis, USA ,MN

What you people seem to miss is that these letters were written months ago. If we have destroyed their organization that much, then who are we fighting now? Iraqi's? Why can't we send our men home now? We've won...twice...Do we really have to lose more soldiers so we can win three times?

Grant, Huntington,

yippee!

Mike Johnson, nashvlle , TN USA

Thank-you for your fascinating story. Nice to hear about Al-Qaeda's crisis and more good news out of Iraq. Good job.

Brenda Carrillo, Portland, OR

Bush knows what he is doing, after all..

Nan Mughrabi, Cramden, Illinois

This is exactly why Senator John McCain will be the next President of the United States. He is the greatest American hero!

Mark D, Branford, CT, USA

Just a minute here, folks! It's quite clear that Al Qaeda doesn't realize that Senate Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid already declared the U.S. has LOST the war! Obviously, his -ahem- intelligence must be better than theirs...

Stukaman, Iowa, Peosta, Iowa

I am so confused. Nancy Pelosi says the surge is a bust! And she's ALWAYS right about foreign policy and military ops, isn't she?

Bob, New York, NY

"There were almost 600 fighters in our sector before the tribes changed course 360 degrees . ."

Doesn't that mean they're marching in the same direction now?

arlo, jasper, al,

It'll be impossible for the Democrats' nominee to dodge news like this.

Andrew H. Meador, Winnetka, IL, USA

Excellent news!!!

Bryan, Houston, USA