Sunni Awakening Council Members, U.S. Allies In Iraq, Rejoining Al Qaeda

New York Times:

Members of United States-allied Awakening Councils have quit or been dismissed from their positions in significant numbers in recent months, prey to an intensive recruitment campaign by the Sunni insurgency, according to government officials, current and former members of the Awakening and insurgents.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[1776 or 1984]

01:02 PM on 10/21/2010

Why did the Empire invade Iraq?

[1776 or 1984]

10:05 PM on 10/19/2010

What a good cover story for keeping the Empire's Legionaires garrisoning the oil fields and pipelines - and ensuring the locals don't get any crazy ideas about the Empire's oil.

Wasn't manufacturing AQ the best PR tool an Empire could create? Boy, it sure made getting Iraq easy?

==================
Be a rebel, not a subject

[TheRethuggery]

08:49 PM on 10/19/2010

This is certainly news. They are really clinging to this democracy idea bestowed upon them. "Mission Accomplished".

[battleofmarathon]

03:32 PM on 10/19/2010

Well that was TWO TRILLION (2,000,000,000,000) dollars well spent. Thanks.

Pssssssssst ..... Can I have my 1000 BUCKS back? I didn't get the war I ordered. Wait, what's that ....
THERE IS A FLY IN MY WAR!!!!

[apefool]

02:57 PM on 10/21/2010

true cost, well over 3 trillion, around 4-6 and counting
tell a friend, to stop these wars simply - don't fight

[Aikaterina]

10:08 AM on 10/19/2010

We armed, supplied, trained and provided aid to Bin-Laden, and did the same with Saddam Hussein, until they became our enemies. We made promises to the Kurds and other rebels in Iraq after the first Gulf War, reniged, leaving them to suffer retaliation. Before going into Iraq, back-room deals were cut by the administration ("W" Bush & Cheney) with Iraq's exiled rulers, military leaders, offering them key positions in the "New Iraq," then disbanded the army, police and all local government groups.

Is there any reason why they don't trust us? We wonder why they taking our weapons, after being trained-armed, and go back to their tribal locales to fight us? We sure won the "hearts and minds" of the insurgents.

Our mission was to capture or kill Bin-Laden and top al-Qaeda leaders. After 9 years, he's either still on the lam ~OR~ he's already dead (the government and military know it), but don't want us to, as keeping him at large is a useful means via which to keep the fear, terror-stoking alive, justifying a continuous "War on Terror."

Our troops found & captured Hussein within weeks, buried in a bunker behind a farm, yet want us to believe Bin-Laden's whereabouts are unknown. We've got satellites with sophisticated surveillance enough to read the time off wrist watches from space, yet claim (despite rewards, informants we've paid, officials we've bribed, the hundreds we've tortured for information) they have no idea where Bin-Laden is.

[JoeBlough]

02:50 PM on 10/19/2010

We don't want to get Bin-Laden. He is the carrot we dangle infront of scared voters to get them to vote GOP. He is of no use to us caught. That's why Bush, early on, said he didn't care about Bin-Laden anymore.

[LogicalMathMan]

12:57 PM on 10/21/2010

Well written and fanned.

[tacevad]

09:29 AM on 10/19/2010

Deja Vu , didn't the US supply Saddam before he turned on us?Didn't we also equip and train Osama Bin laden? Now we have trained and equipped a whole new group to fight against our interests. It is a bit obvious to me that the enemy of our enemy is not necessarily our friend

[WhipWillis]

10:12 PM on 10/18/2010

It was fairly obvious some time ago that this war was a waste. One of the "lessons learned" ought to be that these people are Muslims, and as such, act like Muslims.

[apefool]

02:59 PM on 10/21/2010

muslims are people too

[holyghostie]

08:41 PM on 10/18/2010

Lets see they got money, guns, and training from us....and now that we are gone its time to settle century old ethnic wars. It was like peeing money down a rat hole.

Thanks George and Richard.

[LewScannon]

08:04 PM on 10/18/2010

Well, there's $3 trillion down the drain.
Tell me about wasteful government spending again, oh Tea Party members....

[holyghostie]

08:42 PM on 10/18/2010

Someone should as McConnell and Boener about all this money....they never vetoed any of Bush's supplementals or asked for cuts elsewhere to pay for them.

Just another GOP swindle.

[LaBrayne35]

03:27 PM on 10/18/2010

Did anyone doubt it would all go to hell if Obama got elected? He's not interested in anything but power...and now he has the power to run from the fight with his tail between his legs and everyone in here cheers. What a country we have.

[dadw5boys]

04:00 PM on 10/18/2010

What a load of BS your selling !!!!!

[Dunkleberger Karl]

01:47 AM on 10/21/2010

The 97 ers( Tro//s with less than 99 fans ) ave little to say because the only brains they posses are in their mice " fully Funtioning Human brains inside their mice" and of course their midnight snacks of sweat Breads!

[SmileDocMiami]

04:34 PM on 10/18/2010

Do you have any concept of reality whatsoever???

[Fred Ricardo]

02:38 PM on 10/18/2010

HOORAY FOR BUSH!! while bloggig againts the Iraq war here are the top ten phrases the Republican fear-mongering, war profiteer, extremists love to use while describing the benefits of the Iraq war:

10. hate America
9. terrorists
8. typical liberal
7. George Bush has kept you safe
6. crippling Al Qaida
5. anti American
4. liberating a country
3. they hate us
2. Hitler
And the number 1 phrase the anti-American fear-mongering extremists love to use: (and I quote)

"NINE FREAKING ELEVEN"
REPUBLICAN CRIME AND GREED HAS TORN THE MORAL FIBER OF AMERICA.

[CFL68]

08:31 PM on 10/18/2010

Wow did you research that all yourself? Or copy it from somewhere?

I believe everything I read on the internet.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

01:49 AM on 10/21/2010

How many pearls when nitting a cross hatch?

[CFL68]

01:49 PM on 10/18/2010

Can we puhleeeze capture bin laden in pakistan so we can declare victory and go home?

[capt ayhab]

02:01 PM on 10/18/2010

We need him around to keep the fear alive. Why do you think Rumsfield let him flee in Tora Borah?

[CFL68]

03:23 PM on 10/18/2010

What is the average number of posts per thread on huffpo before a conspiracy theory emerges?

[Dunkleberger Karl]

01:50 AM on 10/21/2010

Dick Cheney believed in an early withdraw in 2003 , thats why he got 5 Differments , like the draft dogger he is!

[LaBrayne35]

03:28 PM on 10/18/2010

bin Laden has been dead for years.

[apefool]

04:05 PM on 10/18/2010

and a movie too, "weekend with bin laden"

[Hallucinocynic]

04:37 PM on 10/18/2010

bin Laden is alive and well; still on the GOBPTP payroll.

[breakfast]

01:26 PM on 10/18/2010

It has always been just a matter of time. They have more time than we have resources. Probably the only way for us to finally leave will be the unavoidable realization that we have recklessly spent ourselves into bankruptcy and can no longer afford this insane folly in Arabia and Asia.....

[delta7777]

01:18 PM on 10/18/2010

.
at least this time they will be better armed

-------By US----

Gee--now that we have learned how
to properly arm insurgencies that will turn on us,

Lets do it again in Afghanistan.
.

[Hallucinocynic]

04:38 PM on 10/18/2010

No, it's Colombia's turn.

[LewScannon]

08:10 PM on 10/18/2010

No, Iran's next, followed by Venezuela.....

[LogicalMathMan]

01:14 PM on 10/18/2010

What? This is a shock, I tell you! You mean to tell us that bribing Sunnis $300 a month is not working? Calling Patraeus! Patraeus, do you read? Over.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

02:00 AM on 10/21/2010

The Not bribing the sunnis at 300 a month is what caused the problem , if you mean what your community does to keep your police force fom demanding protection money or your fire department from roasting marshmellows when you dont pay your firemans benevolent "donation", Small goverment is ineffective goverment! And what we paid the sunni's for was maintaining check points and finding their old partners in the Al Kida! What we paid them and hat you pay your Police department and fire deptment is a paycheck! Perhaps you think civil servents should just do their jobs so they can smell your sweat sweet Farts and renditions of the alphabet Belched like a 2nd grader ? I for one am not amused!

[LogicalMathMan]

12:52 PM on 10/21/2010

Your response makes no sense. What does bribing Sunnis not to bomb Shiites have to do with local enforcement agencies? Al Qaida (not al Kida) was marginalized by bringing the Sunnis on board.