Dead Terrorists

POSTED BY: Hero
UPDATED: Friday, June 30, 2006 06:11
VIEWED: 8309
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HERO

Thursday, June 8, 2006 2:50 PM

"Steadfast in our purpose, we now press on. We have known freedom's price. We have shown freedom's power. And in this great conflict, my fellow Americans, we will see freedom's victory." G.W. Bush, 2002.

Quote:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al-Qaida leader in Iraq who waged a bloody campaign of suicide bombings and beheadings of hostages, has been killed in a precision airstrike, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Thursday. It was a long-sought victory in the war in Iraq.

Al-Zarqawi and seven aides, including spiritual adviser Sheik Abdul Rahman, were killed Wednesday evening in a remote area 30 miles northeast of Baghdad in the volatile province of Diyala, just east of the provincial capital of Baqouba, officials said.

"Al-Zarqawi was eliminated," Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said.

Another fella finding out paradise is long on brimstone and short on virgins. Not at all like the brochure...

H

RUE

Thursday, June 8, 2006 3:31 PM

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED !

Iraq had turned yet another corner !

... and is now going in circles

KHYRON

Thursday, June 8, 2006 3:36 PM

I think we can all agree that this is good news, but I also think that ultimately this won't make a difference. There's always going to be somebody to take his place, which may turn out to be even worse because the military will have no data on the new guy and that guy can work with a certain amount of freedom in the beginning.

Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
Iraq had turned yet another corner !

... and is now going in circles

Lol!

Other people can occasionally be useful, especially as minions. I want lots of minions.

HAYWARD79

Thursday, June 8, 2006 4:01 PM

"I think we can all agree that this is good news, but I also think that ultimately this won't make a difference. There's always going to be somebody to take his place, which may turn out to be even worse because the military will have no data on the new guy and that guy can work with a certain amount of freedom in the beginning."

It's funny, but many people, including many media outlets, said the exact same thing about Hitler in 1945.

SIGNYM

Thursday, June 8, 2006 4:21 PM

It's about time. What about ObL?

There is something that people who refer to Hitler fail to remember- Hitler would not have made a dent in world history if so many people in Germany weren't ready to follow. Not only was Germany paying war reparations from the previous war which led to hyperinflation in 1923, they (like everyone else) got nailed by the Great Depression.

Quote:
In Germany, unemployment rose sharply beginning in late 1929, and by early 1932 it had reached 6 million workers, or 25 percent of the work force.

The strain of the Great Depression led to deep polarization in all societies that it affected. Social turmoil and government flailing led to the rise of both the left AND the right in Germany.

I don't think that a "war on terrorism" can be completely won by waging a "war on terrorists". An entire mileu has to become hostile to terrorism in order to eradicate it's use.

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Don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining.

RUE

Thursday, June 8, 2006 4:24 PM

Al-Zarqawi was a two-bit player both in the larger al-Qaida and in Iraq. We'll ultimately see how it plays out. But my feeling is it's just another meaningless 'milestone', heralded for home consumption.

Nearly everything I know I learned by the grace of others.

SIGNYM

Thursday, June 8, 2006 5:02 PM

Well, I think so too. It's like the Vietnam body counts... although the bodies kept piling up the total result was negative.

People fail to distinguish between a war on terrorism and a war on terrorists much like they fail to distingiush between a war on drugs versus a war on addicts, a war on poverty versus a war on poor people, and a war on illiteracy versus a war on illiterates.

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Don't piss in my face and tell me it's raining.

HERO

Thursday, June 8, 2006 6:03 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:

There is something that people who refer to Hitler fail to remember- Hitler would not have made a dent in world history if so many people in Germany weren't ready to follow.

True. But there was nobody to point to as an example of what could go wrong. You couldn't say 'he's going to be the next Hitler' about the first one.

H

HERO

Thursday, June 8, 2006 6:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
People fail to distinguish between a war on terrorism and a war on terrorists much like they fail to distingiush between a war on drugs versus a war on addicts, a war on poverty versus a war on poor people, and a war on illiteracy versus a war on illiterates.

People don't make the distinction you do because unlike addicts, the poor, and illiterate...terrorists are not the victims.

H

STILLFLYIN

Thursday, June 8, 2006 6:26 PM

I think that the death of Al-Zarqawi might have some temporary impact on the effectiveness of the insurgency in Iraq while the leadership reorganizes. The accomplishment of the attack was that the military showed that it was indeed able to strike directly at the insurgent leadership. It also serves as a morale booster from the US forces because now they can say that they were able to take Al-Zarqawi out.
Trying to defeat an insurgent or guerilla forces by using conventional tactics is nigh on impossible. Counter-insurgency requires that the general populace be on the side of the conventional force and be against the insurgents and willing to work against them.
Thus any offencive action taken to defeat the insurgency must be to win over Iraqis who would otherwise be supporting the insurgents.

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