The Proof’s in the Puddin’

Al Qaeda’s influence in Iraq continues to wane, as moderate Muslims grow increasingly tired of its terrorist acts to stir sectarian violence, and its attempts to instill its own brand of Islam on the people. More proof of this came Thursday, as Al Qaeda fighters attacked a pair of villages near Baqouba in the province of Diyala.Coalition forces had recently swept through Diyala in a massive 3-week operation called Phantom Thunder. The successful operation cleared 50 villages, yielded the capture of almost 500 insurgents, more than 50 large weapons caches, and the discovery of a type of “al Qaeda shadow government,”[1] including a courthouse, jail, and torture center. However, the major gains made by Phantom Thunder appear to be in the hearts and minds of the people of the Diyala Province.

“The most remarkable thing about these gains is that the actions are increasingly a result of local Iraqis coming forward with tips (an Iraqi forces) responding to those tips,” [Army Brig. Gen. Perry Wiggins] said.

The Iraqi people know who the enemy is, they know where caches are, and they are turning enemy fighters in to Iraqi security forces, he said.
…
These operations go hand in hand with U.S. and Iraqi special operations forces going after al Qaeda leaders and Jaysh al Mahdi special groups and car bombs networks throughout Iraq.

Phantom Thunder operations continue to squeeze insurgent forces, Wiggins said. He added that he expects the enemy to oppose the coalition effort by launching spectacular attacks on the Iraqi people. [2]

And that is just what the enemy did Thursday. Two community leaders were killed in the early-morning attack, one being forced from a mosque and executed in the street. The men had been trying to form an anti-al Qaeda tribal alliance in what was once a stronghold for the terrorist group. It seems that al Qaeda doesn’t like us making too many friends in Iraq. Associated Press reports:

The attack on the Sunni village, Ibrahim al-Yahya, began when about 25 gunmen exploded a bomb at the house of Sheik Younis al-Shimari, destroying his home and killing him and one member of his family. Ten people were wounded, including four other members of the family and passers-by. Some of the wounded were hit by gunfire.

“They were shouting ‘Allah Akbar and a curse be upon the renegades,’” said Umm Ahmed, a woman who was wounded in the attack. She refused to give her full name fearing retribution. “This attack will cause the uprising against them to spread to other villages.” [3]

And the attacks did not stop there:

While the Sunni village was under attack, another band of alleged al-Qaida fighters stormed Timim, the nearby Shiite village and an obvious sectarian target, according to Baqouba police Brig. Ali Dlaiyan, who reported both assaults and gave the casualty tolls. He said the villagers were able to fight off the attack in a 30-minute gunbattle. [4]

Attacks like this show the growing desperation of al Qaeda in Iraq, and will likely have a negative domino effect for the terrorist group. But don’t take my word for it:

Kara Driggers, a Mideast analyst at the Terrorism Research Center, said al-Qaida attacks on the leaders of opposing groups have prompted more Iraqis to turn against them.

“The al-Qaida tactic of targeting leaders of anti-al-Qaida movements is counterproductive in that Iraqi society’s tribal leanings requires reprisal killings,” she said. “The tribal loyalties of Iraqi civilians are ignited to increase anti-al-Qaida sentiment among the population.” [5]

Pretty interesting stuff for the surge that isn’t working on the group that has no presence in the place that isn’t central to the War on Terror.