Reporting from Baqubah
Power Line
Don't miss Michael Yon's latest dispatch from Baqubah, where Operation Arrowhead Ripper is ongoing. In brief, Yon says the battle has gone well and is starting to subside, although there are al Qaeda enclaves yet to be cleared. Some of the Iraqi units have fought well, although the police continue to disappoint. Most significantly, the operation has benefited from widespread cooperation by locals who are incensed at al Qaeda. I learned some things I hadn't known about al Qaeda's practices when it takes control of an area:
<<< The AQI installed Sharia court had sanctioned the amputation of the two "smoking fingers" for those who violated anti-smoking laws. *** Most Iraqis smoke and this particular prohibition appeared to have earned the ire of many locals. After an American unit cleared an apartment complex on the 23rd, LTC Smiley, the battalion commander, reported that residents didn't ask for food and water, but cigarettes. In other parts of Baqubah, people have been celebrating the routing of AQI by lighting up and smoking cigarettes. >>>
This is especially weird:
<<< Other AQI edicts included beatings for men who refused to grow beards, and corporal punishments for obscene sexual suggestiveness, defined by such "loose" behavior as carrying tomatoes and cucumbers in the same bag. These fatwas were not eagerly embraced by most Iraqis.... >>>
I should think not. One can understand why locals have enthusiasticaly pointed out muftis in disguise to American troops.
Yon confirms that, as reported, a number of al Qaeda in Iraq leaders got wind of the operation and fled Baqubah before the city was encircled. It is unclear how many got away, nor is it certain that they actually did, since there are reports of an al Qaeda group being trapped not far away. In any event, al Qaeda isn't going to prosper if its proudest boast is that its leaders manage to flee before its foot soldiers are routed.
powerlineblog.com
michaelyon-online.com |
