US Forces in Iraq announced the capture of the highest ranking Iraqi in the Al Qaeda organization inside Iraq.
The flag of the Islamic State of Iraq
The AP reported:
The U.S. command said Wednesday the highest-ranking Iraqi in the leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq has been arrested, adding that information from him indicates the group's foreign-based leadership wields considerable influence over the Iraqi chapter.Pajamas Media and HotAir have more.
Khaled Abdul-Fattah Dawoud Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, also known as Abu Shahid, was captured in Mosul on July 4, said Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a military spokesman.
"Al-Mashhadani is believed to be the most senior Iraqi in the al-Qaida in Iraq network," Bergner said. He said al-Mashhadani was a close associate of Abu Ayub al-Masri, the Egyptian-born head of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Bergner said al-Mashhadani served as an intermediary between al-Masri and Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri.
"In fact, communication between the senior al-Qaida leadership and al- Masri frequently went through al-Mashhadani," Bergner said.
"Along with al-Masri, al-Mashhadani co-founded a virtual organization in cyberspace called the Islamic State of Iraq in 2006," Bergner said. "The Islamic State of Iraq is the latest efforts by al-Qaida to market itself and its goal of imposing a Taliban-like state on the Iraqi people."
In Web postings, the Islamic State of Iraq has identified its leader as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, with al-Masri as minister of war. There are no known photos of al-Baghdadi.
Bergner said al-Mashhadani had told interrogators that al-Baghdadi is a "fictional role" created by al-Masri and that an actor is used for audio recordings of speeches posted on the Web.
Bill Roggio has more on the Al Qaeda front group and includes this photo released of Al-Mashhadani.
Good for you Jim!
ReplyDeleteI just noted this little nugget of that failing surge (ha! ha! make that all night kumbaya fest look even sillier & more inane) on Drudge myself...
BTW I don't know if it interests you but Sweetness & Light has something about how Elizabeth Edwards wants to stalk Ann Coulter...
All good stuff, bet he sings like the proverbial bird.
ReplyDeleteI am watching BBC (our commie run broadcaster here in the UK) seeing if they ignore this story or spin it into the usual ...but we are still losing b/s
For lots of info on this guy go to the pentagon channel and watch the Iraq Briefing of 18 July.
ReplyDeleteThis does not excuse the fact that the Bush Administration lied to the American people about this war in the beginning and invaded a country that proposed no harm to us. It is even more frustrating to see that the majority of the Republican Party still believes in this failed war. American people are fed up with lies and arrogance from the Bush administration. Not only does this war and the defense policies in this country has very little to prove to its people, also it is causing great violence, terror and poverty around the world and in this nation. There are more critical issues that affecting the lives of millions of americans and people world wide that our president is not taking actions against. Now the war has proven to be a failure and is causing more violence, terror and poverty in this world. According to the Borgen Project, it only takes $19 billion dollars annually to eradicate world hunger and poverty. However, our government has already spent more than $450 billion dollars over this fruitless war in Iraq. It is time for the Bush Administration to take a real interest in the lives of the American people as well as people who are in desperate needs around the world. Stop the lies and stop poverty now. Put away the arrogance and put the needs of the people before political gains.
ReplyDeleteJeez, Mstessyrue, just get stuffed already, will ya.
ReplyDelete++
ReplyDeleteEarth to Mstessyrue..
just a sample for you..
UN Agencies in Rome
excerpt:
[America ’s philanthropy is exceptional not only in the magnitude of contributions but in its ability to build partnerships. We understand the power and potential of partnerships. As one of the most generous nations, we are instilled with compassion that is translated into many altruistic acts – through volunteerism such as the Peace Corps, and through billions of dollars of private contributions annually. In 2006, U.S. foreign assistance topped $22.7 billion, which includes the $1.2 billion contribution to WFP and a 33% increase or $1.4 billion to sub-Saharan Africa alone (to reach a record $5.6 billion for the region).
But U.S. private sector grants and personal remittances, which also contribute to increased growth and improved living standards in developing countries, significantly exceed our foreign aid budget by a factor of three: the Index of Global Philanthropy estimates U.S. private giving at a whopping $71 billion in 2004 -- the latest figures available (broken down: $3.4 billion from U.S. foundations, $4.9 billion from U.S. business, $9.7 billion from U.S. NGOs, $4.5 billion from religious ministries, $1.7 billion from U.S. scholarships, and $47 billion from personal remittances).
And let’s not forget the significance that trade, another form of partnership, brings to the table. Recognizing that trade generates important capital flows in countries, the United States’ main strategy under aid through trade is to provide developing countries with the tools that will help them build their capacity to maximize opportunities and improve the linkage between trade and development.
Partnerships through U.S. initiatives such as the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the U.S. commitment to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), for example, will help governments to achieve broad-based reforms that will lead to an accelerated decline in the number of people living in poverty, addressing broader transition issues so that rural farmers, small businesses and women can benefit from agricultural and other alliances. The U.S. is the largest contributor of aid for trade, giving approximately $1.4 billion in 2006, more than double the level of 2001.]
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