Monday, February 19, 2007
and i'd probably feel a whole lot better when you're gone:
More news on the emerging al-Qaeda/Sunni insurgent split. My friend Nibras Kazimi translates a report from the colorful Mishaan al-Jabouri -- ex-self-proclaimed governor of Mosul, ex-corrupt parliamentarian, rather contentious sectarian rabble-rouser -- on his insurgent TV network, al-Zawraa. The takeaway:
-Al-Qaeda provoked the Shi'as and then failed to protect the Sunnis from retaliation.

-Al-Qaeda is forcing all the other insurgent groups to pledge allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq under Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, and is punishing the hold-outs.

-Al-Qaeda is killing and abducting Sunni notables who were part of the insurgency.

-Al-Qaeda wants to impose a Taliban-like Islamic State on Iraqi Sunnis, who are the worse for it—they don’t even have enough to eat.

-Al-Qaeda killed an emissary sent by al-Jebouri, who has wanted to negotiate with al-Baghdadi.

-Iraqi Sunnis across the board are preparing to clash with Al-Qaeda as is already happening in Anbar Province.

Al-Jebouri gets into details and names names, and he addresses his speech to Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, questioning the validity of pledging allegiance to an anonymous phantom.
Beautiful. Al Qaeda's miscalculations in Iraq are becoming plainer and plainer to see.
--Spencer Ackerman
Isn't it "I'll," not "I'd"? I didn't expect to see Byrds lyrics on here.

I love the blog post titles. "What are you doing in my garden, subhuman subhuman?" has to be my favorite. Any hints as to where that's from?
Blogger Mr Saturday Pants | 6:27 AM

Man, I love that Byrds track. As for the lyric you mention, it's from "Subhuman" by Throbbing Gristle.
Blogger Spencer Ackerman | 7:17 AM