For At Least The Third Time, Officials Take Down A ‘No. 2′ Leader Of Al Qaeda In Iraq
For At Least The Third Time, Officials Take Down A ‘No. 2′ Leader Of Al Qaeda In Iraq
Today, the Pentagon announced that American troops had killed Abu Qaswarah, the No. 2 leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, in a raid in Mosul. U.S. military officials hailed the death of Qaswarah, also known as Abu Sara, as “a major disruption to the terror network, particularly in northern Iraq,” according to the AP.
However, this is at least the third time that U.S. officials have announced the capture/killing of a “No. 2″ leader of al Qaeda in Iraq in the past few years. On each occasion — including when they killed the No. 1 leader — they similarly hailed it as a major victory:
Sept. 2005: U.S. and Iraqi officials announce that they killed al Qaeda in Iraq’s No. 2 leader — Abdallah Najim Abdallah Mohammed al-Juwari, known as Abu Azzam. A spokesman for Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said that Azzam’s death was a “painful blow” to al Qaeda.
June 2006: U.S. and Iraqi officials announce that they have killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the No. 1 leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. President Bush called his death a “severe blow” to the terrorist group.
Sept. 2006: Iraqi authorities capture Hamed Jumaa Farid al-Saeedi, known as Abu Humam or Abu Rana, al Qaeda in Iraq’s No. 2 leader. Iraqi national security adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie said that the arrest left the terrorist organization suffering a “serious leadership crisis.” “Our troops have dealt fatal and painful blows to this organization,” he added.
Al Qaeda continues to remain resilient in the face of these attacks from the U.S. military, who are trying to undo a situation created by Bush’s invasion. No matter how many times troops kill top leaders, new ones emerge, because the insurgency continues to be, in part, fueled by the U.S. occupation. As counterterrorism analyst Evan Kohlmann said in 2005, “If I had a nickel for every No. 2 and Nov. 3 they’ve arrested or killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, I’d be a millionaire.” Similarly, the AP wrote in March:
Al-Qaida is in Iraq to stay. It’s not a conclusion the White House talks about much when denouncing the shadowy group. [...]
The militants are weakened, battered, perhaps even desperate, by most U.S. accounts. But far from being “routed,” as Defense Secretary Robert Gates claimed last month, they’re still there, still deadly active and likely to remain far into the future, military and other officials told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, as the U.S. military continues to focus so much attention on al Qaeda in Iraq, Afghanistan is falling into a downward spiral.
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Remember, Bush wasn’t the swiftest kid in his Andover class when it came to math…That explains 2nd three times as far as I’m concerned.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:41 pmI had the same thoughts this morning when I read the scrawl at the bottom of CNN. I thought to myself, how stupid do they think we are in Washington–we CAN count. This act grew cold a long time ago.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:43 pmI don’t suppose when they’ve killed the previous #2s, that the #3s were promoted?
October 15th, 2008 at 12:43 pmWhen you cut off a head of the hydra, one or two grow back and the hydra’s breath is poisonous.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:44 pmOf course, al-Qaeda in Iraq isn’t al-Qaeda at all, but just another Iraqi Sunni insurgent group loosely controlled by Saddam’s successor Ibrahim al-Douri from his HQ in Syria.
And it seems the U.S. military has fallen into the habit of labeling all bad guys “al-Qaeda,” as a generic term for whoever is shooting at Americans.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pmWell this is good news. Now there is one less Sunni insurgent on the U.S. payroll for $300/month.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:45 pmWith all that turnover you would think that CEO Bin Laden is being mentored by Harvard Legacy MBA grad and partner-in-crime George W. Bush.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:47 pmShoes Says:
I don’t suppose when they’ve killed the previous #2s, that the #3s were promoted?
Al-Qaeda would appoint #3 as interim #2 while George Bush chairs the search committee for a permanent replacement.
October 15th, 2008 at 12:49 pmOctober suprise new’s flash..The worst president in the history of America announced this morning that his pappy found the remain’s of Usama been fogotten in a cave while digging for artifact’s in a cave out side of Pakistan..It was reported by the new’s media tha bush jr. was not happy with pappy…Date stamp October 31, 2008…..Blessings
October 15th, 2008 at 12:49 pmgEEZ, Can’t they come up with a better boogey man that another #2? What is this, Avis?
October 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pmSorry for the cave repeat…Not enough coffee..
October 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pmWitchyOne! Heh!!
October 15th, 2008 at 12:50 pmAbu Qaswarah…isn’t this one Todd Palin’s brother?
October 15th, 2008 at 12:51 pmWhen will they learn that they work in cells and are not dependent on #1’s 2’s or 3’s… these deaths are relatively ineffective, but sure do appear at politically convenient times for Republicans. Even the military has said on countless occassions that there is no military answer to Iraq’s problems.
Support our troops! Bring them home!
October 15th, 2008 at 12:51 pmI Know!@ Let’s kill off more #3s. That way there won’t be anyone left to promote when we kill off the #2s!
Wait, wouldn’t we also have to kill off the #4s too?
October 15th, 2008 at 12:56 pmJust in time for McCain to bledgeon Obama with it tonight in the final debate.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pmMcWars Says:
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Abu Qaswarah…isn’t this one Todd Palin’s brother?
Yes, hes has been bombing US troops in his efforts to gain independence for Alaska.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pmPhenix Says:
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Just in time for McCain to bledgeon Obama with it tonight in the final debate.
Yea that’s going to help him.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:08 pmWTF? Six months ago, al-Qaeda, Iraq, was an ineffective fighting force when the Sunni Awakening (SA), after an infusion of US Dollars, beat the crap out of them. Now al-Qaeda is resurgent in Mosul, the US is cutting the SA loose, al-Maliki and the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council are sending the Badr Brigade to arrest SA leaders and reneging on promises to include the SA in Iraq militias.
We continue to be the pivot man in a cluster f**k.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:10 pmThey keep killing the number 2 guy, and I think it has been more than 3 times. When I read this my first thought was, again??? Does this #2 come back to life, and they kill him again? What is going on? Sounds like wack a mole to me.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:13 pmWith numbers like that, I’d guess that the “house” will always win.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:16 pmThe GOP should check their pants, if they want to find the #2. They are really grasping at straws. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch. LANDSLIDE.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:18 pmSo this guy named his son Sara?
Poor kid.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:19 pmThat “Number 2″ job in al-Qaeda really sucks. Frankly, I don’t know why anyone ever accepts the promotion.
From a purely careerist perspective, it seems obvious that the Number 3 job is the one to shoot for, at least until bin Laden dies. Sure, the corner/window office sounds sweet, and the retirement plan/golden parachute rocks, but there’s just not the longevity in the Number 2 job there that a lot of your professional career terrorists are looking for.
Frankly, I wouldn’t advise anyone to accept that offer.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:20 pmPhenix Says:
Just in time for McCain to bledgeon Obama with it tonight in the final debate.
Bledgeon? Never heard of it. Is this some sort of Medieval tactic that we’re not aware of??? Is this McCain’s October surprise? Bledgeoning his opponent????
October 15th, 2008 at 1:25 pmThey always call it a “severe blow”, but it’s just cutting another head off the hydra. Our policies have ramped up Al Qaeda recruiting beyond OBL’s wildest dreams, and there will be plenty of candidates to fill Abu Qaswarah’s spot.
I doubt we will see a whole lot of difference as a result of this “severe blow”.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:27 pmPhenix Says
October 15th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Just in time for McCain to bledgeon Obama with it tonight in the final debate.
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Oh, I’m sure McSame will find a way to bring it up, even though it will be off-topic (tonight’s debate is on domestic policy and the economy). Because that’s all he has.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:28 pmbeing a #2 al qaeda leader is kinda like being a drummer in a rock and roll band.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:30 pmDoes this bledgeoning somehow involve flag pins?
October 15th, 2008 at 1:31 pm.
Legend has it, there out to capture a dead OBL, too.
.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:33 pmHere’s the way this #2 deal works. It’s like college football polls. Say Osama is #1. Bama is #2 and Missouri is #3. They knock off #2, Bama then that makes the old #3, Missouri, the new #2. Knock off the new #2, Missouri and who ever was #3 then becomes #2.
Get it? We could just keep knocking off #2’s until there is no one left below to become #2…. then all we have to do is knock off #1 and we win the war.
It’s really quite simple.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:39 pmLook it’s worked for 7 years why stop now. Americans just listen to what is told by the Govenment and the Media. Once you go on the web or watch BBC or the Middle East news you know it’s all bull. This is the reason the WH developed the Propaganda Dept. in Washington DC. We might here the US has captured Saddam again if it brings McCain votes.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:42 pm#31: Wow, that sounds great. So how many #2s do we have left to kill before we win the war?
October 15th, 2008 at 1:46 pmNow why would we expect someone who can’t spell Phoenix correctly to spell bledgeon with a u instead of the e. eh?
October 15th, 2008 at 1:49 pmRUCerious Says:
Now why would we expect someone who can’t spell Phoenix correctly to spell bledgeon with a u instead of the e. eh?
Good point, Ragnar.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:52 pmI think maybe I came across as elitist…
Al-Qaida is in Iraq to stay. It’s not a conclusion the White House talks about much when denouncing the shadowy group.
If there really are AQ in Iraq (which is a controversial subject) they will not leave until we leave. Once we leave, they will leave because they will know that if they don’t leave, the Iraqi’s will kick them out. The Iraqi’s don’t tolerate foreigners in their country.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:51 pmI’m curious. Do these Al Qaida members run around wearing #2, #3, #4 t-shirts? Why don’t they ever find the #6 0r #7 guys?
October 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pmHow does our government expect our economy to get better when they are doing nothing about creating jobs for Americans? They can throw all the money they want to the banksters but it won’t fix the real problem and we will see another crisis in the future. It’s the jobs stupid!
October 15th, 2008 at 3:17 pm“For At Least The Third Time, Officials Take Down A ‘No. 2? Leader Of Al Qaeda In Iraq”
And for the third time: who in the hell is this guy? Aren’t we supposed to be finding Bin Laden? Oh, I am sorry. It’s been 7 years and he has been missing without a trace. And Grandpappy Mighty Mouse McSame “promised” us thathe knows where to find Bin Laden and will find him. Again, another diversion by the clown President to get the American people less focused on the economic crisis. Sorry, George, the public is not buying the beans.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pmOnly 3? Are you sure? The first thing that popped into my head this AM when I saw the story was *what is this, Like number 13*?
October 15th, 2008 at 3:51 pmI had to laugh when I saw this. This always seems to come out when the republicans are in trouble. I thought they gave up on these timely terrorist kill/captures. How many number two’s are we at now? Who’s knows if any of these are even true or even matter. Iraq as a country is pretty much destroyed anyway. A shell of its former self. I think this story was pretty much ignored mostly. No one really cares about this stuff any more. It’s the economy stupid.
October 15th, 2008 at 11:42 pmyeah and dont forget..one of their other number 2’s was so nasty they had to kill him twice….remember that?
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