July 4, 2005
WHAT DICK CHENEY KNOWS:
US delight as Iraqi rebels turn their guns on al-Qa'eda (Oliver Poole, 04/07/2005, Daily Telegraph)
American troops on the Syrian border are enjoying a battle they have long waited to see - a clash between foreign al-Qa'eda fighters and Iraqi insurgents.Tribal leaders in Husaybah are attacking followers of Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born terrorist who established the town as an entry point for al-Qa'eda jihadists being smuggled into the country.
The reason, the US military believes, is frustration at the heavy-handed approach of the foreigners, who have kidnapped and assassinated local leaders and imposed a strict Islamic code.
Fighting, which could be clearly heard at night over the weekend, first broke out in May when as many as 50 mortar rounds were fired across the city. But, to the surprise of the American garrison, this time it was not the target.
If a shell landed near the US base, "they'd adjust their fire and not shoot at us", Lt Col Tim Mundy said. "They shot at each other."
The trigger was the assassination of a tribal sheikh, from the Sulaiman tribe, ordered by Zarqawi for inviting senior US marines for lunch.
Even the North Vietnamese only gave up on the Cong, didn't actually start fighting them.
MORE:
Meanwhile, in Laos, Syrians Clash With Fighters Linked to the Iraqi Insurgency (HASSAN M. FATTAH, 7/05/05, NY Times)
Syrian security forces clashed early Monday in the hills overlooking Damascus with men believed to be militants connected to Iraq's insurgency, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported.Posted by Orrin Judd at July 4, 2005 8:31 PMSome of the militants were believed to have been former bodyguards for Saddam Hussein, the report said, but it gave no further details and did not say how it was known who they were or where they might have escaped to afterward.
The predawn firefight on scenic Qassioun Mountain left one police officer dead and several others wounded, the report said. It was the second clash in as many days between the Syrian authorities and people believed to be militants, perhaps from the same group.
There have been some stories like this before. The sooner the Iraqis (both govt and rebels) take care of the foreign fighters (who appear to make up the bulk of the insurgents) the quicker things will calm down (hopefully in time for the 2006 US elections).
Posted by: AWW at July 4, 2005 10:14 PMThe Viet Cong were recruited and trained by the NVA, why would they have fought?
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at July 4, 2005 11:11 PMmy understanding is that the northern communists manipulated the southern communists (viet cong) into taking the least survivable roles during the Tet offensive, after which the southern communists were essentially extinct. why ? leftists abhor competition.
the syrian incicdent involved agroup of terrorists opening fire on syrian tourists (within syria).
Posted by: cjm at July 4, 2005 11:30 PMSometimes one must love red-on-red.
Posted by: Sandy P at July 4, 2005 11:50 PMThe NLF was a bought and paid for subsidiary of the NV government. From it's inception. It would be like Chevrolet running ads attacking GM products.
Posted by: Pete at July 5, 2005 1:47 AMThe NLF was a bought and paid for subsidiary of the NV government. From it's inception. It would be like Chevrolet running ads attacking GM products.
Posted by: Pete at July 5, 2005 1:47 AMi think a better analogy would be a corporate take-over and the subsequent flushing of competing executives.
Posted by: cjm at July 5, 2005 9:58 AM