BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces have begun a "decisive" final offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq to push the Sunni Islamist militants out of their last major stronghold in the north, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Friday.
He said Iraqi soldiers and police were being sent to Mosul, where a massive blast blamed on al Qaeda killed 40 people and wounded 220 on Wednesday, and an operations room had been set up in the city, 390 km north of Baghdad.
U.S. military commanders say al Qaeda, blamed for most big bombings in Iraq, has regrouped in the northern provinces after being squeezed out of western Anbar province and from around Baghdad during security crackdowns last year.
They describe Mosul, capital of Nineveh province, as al Qaeda's last major urban stronghold in Iraq.
"We have set up an operations room in Nineveh to complete the final battle with al Qaeda along with guerrillas and members of the previous regime," Maliki said, referring to other Sunni militants the Shi'ite-led government says remain loyal to former leader Saddam Hussein.
"Today our forces started moving to Mosul. What we are planning in Nineveh will be decisive," he said during a ceremony for victims of violence in the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala in southern Iraq, broadcast on state television.
Maliki gave no details of the number of Iraqi troops involved or the scale of the operation. Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari did not have details but said it had been launched at Maliki's request.
"Security is very weak there and the security forces need to be reinforced," Askari said.
Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul-Kareem Khalaf said the Mosul push would include 3,000 extra police. Iraqi security officials in the city said no reinforcements had arrived yet.
BIGGEST THREAT
U.S. and Iraqi troops have launched a series of offensives in northern provinces this year targeting al Qaeda in Iraq.
The U.S. military calls the group, which commanders say is largely foreign-led, the biggest threat to Iraq's security. The military said this week that al Qaeda militants killed 3,870 civilians and wounded almost 18,000 in 4,500 attacks last year.
"We defeated al Qaeda, now there is just Nineveh province where they escaped to, and Kirkuk," Maliki said, referring to another northern city.
During his trip to Kerbala, Maliki met Sheikh Abdul Mehdi al-Karbalai, a representative of Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Karbalai was lightly wounded in a bomb attack in the city late on Thursday.
Maliki called the bombing a "criminal act."
U.S. military commanders say al Qaeda's influence in its former strongholds has been greatly diminished but that it remains a dangerous enemy in Mosul and other northern areas.
Despite frequent attacks in northern Iraq, overall violence has fallen sharply across the country, with the number of attacks down 60 percent since last June.
The fall in attacks has been credited to an extra 30,000 U.S. troops that became fully deployed last June, the growth of neighborhood police units after Sunni Arab tribal sheikhs turned against al Qaeda and better Iraqi security forces.
"Now we have a real army. The days when the militants could do anything in front of our armed forces are gone," Maliki said.
U.S. commanders in northern Iraq said Wednesday's massive blast, which left a crater the size of a multi-storey building, was in an unoccupied building they said was used by al Qaeda to store weapons and tons of explosives.
On Thursday, the Nineveh province police director was killed by a suicide bomber as he toured the site of the original blast.
Now is it just me or does this stooge prime minister sound as stupid or more stupid than Bush? He claims they have 'defeated' Al-Qaeda in Iraq, yet as he says that American Forces right now are still carrying out major operations south, and north of Baghdad against Al-Qaeda in Iraq. so how did they defeat AQI yet at the same time operations and battles are still going on between AQI?!!!!
At the same time just a few days ago AQI carried out major attacks in Diyala province, and Anbar province, so how are they defeated?
I guarentee you his words will backfire against him sooner or later, just as they did for Bush when he announced victory, and told insurgents to bring it on.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by The_Prince
Now is it just me or does this stooge prime minister sound as stupid or more stupid than Bush? He claims they have 'defeated' Al-Qaeda in Iraq, yet as he says that American Forces right now are still carrying out major operations south, and north of Baghdad against Al-Qaeda in Iraq. so how did they defeat AQI yet at the same time operations and battles are still going on between AQI?!!!!
At the same time just a few days ago AQI carried out major attacks in Diyala province, and Anbar province, so how are they defeated?
I guarentee you his words will backfire against him sooner or later, just as they did for Bush when he announced victory, and told insurgents to bring it on.
I do think that he is incorrect in that AQI is defeated, as you obviously stated, there are still operations being carried out daily. However, at the same time, they have been drastically reduced to over 70% less than they were, but this is by no means a win.
Lets hope for the Iraqis that the insurgents do not reappear and lets hope that they disappear all together in the interest of peace for the Iraqis. The less of these attacks we see, the less reason US troops have to be there, which means less occupation, more freedom for Iraqis and less violence. Ultimately the Iraqis are the ones who are being killed in extreme numbers by the attacks, not the US troops or anyone else for that matter.
PEACE
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
Americans are looking to establish long term bases in Iraq similar to that of Saudi Arabia. What this means for that state and the other state is anyones guess.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by Omar_Mukhtar
Americans are looking to establish long term bases in Iraq similar to that of Saudi Arabia. What this means for that state and the other state is anyones guess.
Are there still bases in Saudi Arabia then? I was under the impression they had all been removed.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
al-Qaida have never killed civilians in Iraq, they are only after the governments soldiers and the american soldiers, but ofcourse america blaims them for everything and anything that has to do with civilians being killed.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by krypton6
al-Qaida have never killed civilians in Iraq, they are only after the governments soldiers and the american soldiers, but ofcourse america blaims them for everything and anything that has to do with civilians being killed.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by Omar_Mukhtar
Americans are looking to establish long term bases in Iraq similar to that of Saudi Arabia. What this means for that state and the other state is anyones guess.
Unless you mean the American Embassy, there are no American bases in Saudi Arabia. Try reading a Western news source every 10 years or so just for kicks.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by krypton6
al-Qaida have never killed civilians in Iraq, they are only after the governments soldiers and the american soldiers, but ofcourse america blaims them for everything and anything that has to do with civilians being killed.
Oh dear. It really is Krypton then, the 6th planet of the Alfa Centauri system? Welcome! Welcome to Earth. I am sorry we have been poor hosts. Tell us all how long you have been here.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by wilberhum
OMG is there any thing that you know? (Try Google)
Your lack of knowledge is exceeded only by your denial.
I know more about him than what you would imagine, and as far as I know, every single one of his attacks were directed to government soldiers, leaders and american soldiers and leaders, a few attacks were on shia areas inside of Iraq where he bombed shiits responsible for drilling of sunni schoolars inside of Iraq.
You only know what your being told by your government.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
:quote:Try reading a Western news source every 10 years or so just for kicks.:
What's it with you and Westerner, this and that? I'm a Westerner too, by the way!
P.s, according to "western" news sources, the U.S still has "military trainers" in Saudi Arabia and they moved the troops from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, not out entirely of of the region. Thus the long term presence of US troops in the Middle East continues. Gates hinted that the U.S would attempting to stay in Iraq for a long time to come, albeit with reduction in troop sizes. According to trusted "Western" news sources, most Iraqis want foreign troops out!
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by krypton6
I know more about him than what you would imagine, and as far as I know, every single one of his attacks were directed to government soldiers, leaders and american soldiers and leaders, a few attacks were on shia areas inside of Iraq where he bombed shiits responsible for drilling of sunni schoolars inside of Iraq.
You only know what your being told by your government.
BS. Al Jazeera is my main source of ME news.
That just the same old thing that you spread in the fields to make things grow.
Last edited by Intisar; 01-27-2008 at 10:18 PM.
Reason: please refrain from swearing.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by Omar_Mukhtar
What's it with you and Westerner, this and that? I'm a Westerner too, by the way!
Cool! You should be able to get the Washington Post of Wall Street Journal or even Mother Jones.
format_quote Originally Posted by Omar_Mukhtar
P.s, according to "western" news sources, the U.S still has "military trainers" in Saudi Arabia and they moved the troops from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, not out entirely of of the region. Thus the long term presence of US troops in the Middle East continues. Gates hinted that the U.S would attempting to stay in Iraq for a long time to come, albeit with reduction in troop sizes. According to trusted "Western" news sources, most Iraqis want foreign troops out!
I am sure there are a few instructors in Saudi to show the Saudis how to maintain F-15's and AWACS, but there is no "US base", which is what you claimed.
As for Qatar..yes..and Dubai too (I think) and Yemen...which are not part of Saudi Arabia
As for troops in Iraq..it might come to pass that the US would be told to leave. It happened in the Philippines. The US Navy and Air Force just abandoned huge bases. Of course, later the locals regretted their decision as the economy tanked.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by wilberhum
BS. Al Jazeera is my main source of ME news.
Al-Jazeera have never ever claimed a attack on civilians in Iraq to be done by Al-Qaida, and nor have they ever called Bin Laden a terrorist.
In fact they always talk anti-israeli not to mention that they never state any of the Hamas attacks to be acts of terrorism.
Re: Iraq Prepares "Final" Battle with Al-Qaeda in Iraq
format_quote Originally Posted by krypton6
Al-Jazeera have never ever claimed a attack on civilians in Iraq to be done by Al-Qaida, and nor have they ever called Bin Laden a terrorist.
In fact they always talk anti-israeli not to mention that they never state any of the Hamas attacks to be acts of terrorism.
Clearly Al-Jazeera is not your main news channel.
Right, they don't call them terrorists.
The just describe the terrorist acts they do.
Calling someone a terrorist is not objective reporting. A good news source reports news not opinions.
Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
When you create an account, we remember exactly what you've read, so you always come right back where you left off. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and share your thoughts. Sign Up
Hide
Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.
Bookmarks