Sunnis in Anbar (Iraq) Fight Back Against al-Qa'ida

[The Wizard]

A glimmer of hope (http://www.guardian.co.uk/video/page/0,,2033085,00.html)

Video: Attack on al-Qaida
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GuardianFilms penetrates Iraq's most dangerous province to report on how the Iraqis themselves have turned on al-Qaida.

[ShadeHonestus]

Western propaganda!!!!!

Beat the rest of you tin hatters to it, didn't I?

[Cataphract_Of_The_City]

I don't see something new. Factions have been fighting other factions since 2003. If Sunnis are fighting al-qa'ida (is it even news?) then it only add a new dimension in this "civil war". The point remains that the goverment of Iraq has little to no control over these groups.

[Tribesman]

Don't be quite so negative Cataphract , just because its the same spiel they gave when Al-Sadr stopped fighting the coilition and went fighting "Al-qaida" it doesn't neccesarily mean that the sheik is going to do the same .

[Cataphract_Of_The_City]

I am not being negative. I just don't see how this news can be percieved as positive. Sure, it would sound good on a Bush speech given the whole "we are fighting al-qa'ida" angle, but the facts for the Iraqis have not changed. Iraqis are were fighting Iraqis. Now they are fighting Iraqis and Saudi Arabians, Pakistanis etc.

[Lord Winter]

Arn't both of those countrys citizens contribuiting to Al quidai?

It's a faint ray of hope but not much, it should lower the numbers of deaths for a while at least as al quidia has to split their resources. Perhasp if the sunni's win it could be permenent.

[Del Arroyo]

The fact is that Al-Qaeda has been behind most if not all of the high-body-count bomb attacks on large crowds of Shia civilians in public places. This, in addition to the fact that they are the only group in Iraq who are sworn, long-term enemies of the US, means that the quicker they get gone the better.

Also, Al-Qaeda is Wahabi and has been promoting themselves for several years now as the defenders of the Sunnis and the "true" form of Islam. Because you see, the reason they are willing to kill such large numbers of Shia civilians and fuel a genocidal civil war, is because according to their theology the Shias are infidels. So are most Sunnis, but I guess they figured on sorting them out later. So looking at it in this light, a serious rift between Al-Qaeda and the Sunni mainstream would be quite significant, and would make it much harder for them to do business in Iraq.

[The Wizard]

The one main difference between the factional strife in the rest of Iraq and this sheik's army's turnabout concerning the Coalition is that they are capturing people and then turning them in to authorities -- not giving them the much simpler and more often seen neckshot.

This is also Iraq's most dangerous province, and the one through which most foreign fighters and terrorists enter the country... it's a serious ray of hope if you ask me. What needs taking care of is how the U.S. and the other allies deal with this new situation. They need to get it down just right or face the prospect of a Sunni al-Sadr.

[Kralizec]

The fact is that Al-Qaeda has been behind most if not all of the high-body-count bomb attacks on large crowds of Shia civilians in public places. This, in addition to the fact that they are the only group in Iraq who are sworn, long-term enemies of the US, means that the quicker they get gone the better.

Also, Al-Qaeda is Wahabi and has been promoting themselves for several years now as the defenders of the Sunnis and the "true" form of Islam. Because you see, the reason they are willing to kill such large numbers of Shia civilians and fuel a genocidal civil war, is because according to their theology the Shias are infidels. So are most Sunnis, but I guess they figured on sorting them out later. So looking at it in this light, a serious rift between Al-Qaeda and the Sunni mainstream would be quite significant, and would make it much harder for them to do business in Iraq.

I don't think Al-Quada's "official" position is that Shia are infidels who must be crushed along with the Great Satan - at least not according to Bin Laden. Al Zarqawi was a special case in that respect.

[BDC]

I was under the impression everyone hated Al-Qaeda. There's only so many civilians of every sides you can blow up before people get annoyed.

[Kralizec]

I was under the impression that a significant portion of the middle east only thought of them as "naughty".

[BDC]

I was under the impression that a significant portion of the middle east only thought of them as "naughty".
A significant portion hasn't had friends, relatives and neighbours blown up by them.

[Somebody Else]

I suppose it might help people realise just how much of a mess it is out there, and perhaps even why we should be there doing what we can to prevent any more violence if possible. All this factional fighting is the genie we let out of the bag when we invaded Iraq and toppled Saddam (at least he kept order - something that could have been worked with). And this is why we should not leave until we have fixed it. We broke it.