Bill Ardolino’s first report for The Long War Journal;
Above all, Hassan and his neighborhood watchmen do not like the Mahdi Army.
“Originally, the Jaish al Mahdi [Mahdi Army] in our area used to deceive people by using the name of the religion to do their purposes,” said Dhia, Hassan’s executive officer. “They were all corrupted. They have history in crime, robberies, murders, rapes, and all kinds of bad things. They even reached the level of kidnapping people and demanding ransoms just because they have money. It didn’t matter if he is Shia or Sunni; just because he has money. They gave a bad reputation for Islam.”
American officials assert that the final factor that has improved security is the citizenry’s fatigue with violence and the militias.
“They’re still intimidated by [the Mahdi Army], but they’re tired of them,” said Thornburg.
Contrast that, with this incredible terror supporting “ebedded report” from the Times Online.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3868043.ece
Incredible that a British paper would publish stuff like that. Talk about aid and comfort to the enemy… that article is simply treasonous.
yet they still and will continue to follow the teaching of the koran, the source of all the jihad violence.
i must say that link on Madame Shaidle’s(please stop staring at me)blog re Hillaire Belloc’s piece on resurgent Islam was a fascinating read…now i understand how big Mo copped the roman catholic thingy as a framework for his ideology…..and i understand the protestant reformation a titch better.
must read more belloc…..all i really knew of him was the “whatever happens we have got the maxim gun and they have not” quote…
This article reinforces what I’ve read and observed about other conflicts and belies a lot of the myths and received wisdom about insurgencies particularly as perpetuated by the MSM.
The first myth is that the insurgents are “freedom fighters”. While, with the most charitable interpretation of that term, the insurgents may start out as “freedom fighters”, the tactics they employ — attacks on infrastructure, indiscriminate bombing, kidnapping for terror or ransom, extortion for money etc — are the tactics best suited to the least virtuous of thugs. The result is that the most thuggish elements of society form the natural recruiting base for these movements and promotion within the movement rapidly becomes a meritocracy of ruthlessness. Whatever ideals may have infused the insurgency at its outset, it rapidly degenerates into a criminal gang fueled by guns, money, and ruthless venality — hardly a combination likely to win the affections of the locals.
The second myth is that time is on the side of the insurgents. Time most certainly is not on the side of the insurgents. Even for the most youthful, enthusiastic, adrenaline junky the constant strain, fatigue, hyper-vigilance, tedium and destruction quickly wear thin. It takes trained, disciplined troops to maintain such a regime over a prolonged period and the turnover of rank amateurs amongst the insurgents eventually depletes the local pool of recruits. Exhaustion sets in, not only amongst the insurgents, but amongst their friends and relatives who bring additional psychological pressure to “just drop it”. Foreigners have to be imported to fill the ranks. Combined with the drift to criminality described above, the insurgency rapidly degenerates into the worst of all worlds — foreign crooks running a local criminal gang. If the security forces can hold on, genuinely try to improve the lot of the locals, and resist over reacting to security incidents, time will allow them to restore calm, order and hopefully prosperity.
Does this partially explain why the left wants to get out of Iraq as soon as possible, Bush and company are wining? Losers hate winers.
Well lori, the Times of London is owned by the same company that owns the NYSlimes. Need I say more?
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“While, with the most charitable interpretation of that term, the insurgents may start out as ‘freedom fighters’, the tactics they employ — attacks on infrastructure, indiscriminate bombing, kidnapping for terror or ransom, extortion for money etc — are the tactics best suited to the least virtuous of thugs. The result is that the most thuggish elements of society form the natural recruiting base for these movements and promotion within the movement rapidly becomes a meritocracy of ruthlessness.”
I remember an episode of “Frontline” I saw about Baghdad before the invasion in February-March, 2003. Apparently, claimed the documentary, [from my memory], Saddam emptied out Abu Ghraib prison and gave each petty thief / criminal / thug / psychopath an AK-47 -> in order to “resist” the invasion, of course. What affect this had later on we can only speculate.