Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Al Qaeda in Iraq faltering according to captured document

Some are questioning the authenticity of the document, but agree with the premise nonetheless...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A purported al Qaeda document published by the U.S. military may or may not be authentic but its message that the Sunni Islamist guerrillas face problems in Iraq could reflect reality, security experts said on Tuesday.

The U.S. military published late on Monday what it said was a captured document that showed the militant group recognized it was weak and unpopular in Baghdad.

The document, an apparent review of the group's strategy in the capital where it has claimed some of postwar Iraq's bloodiest attacks, was seized with videos on April 16 near Yusufiya, just southeast of Baghdad, a U.S. statement said.


Most seem to think the document could just be propaganda but don't think the premise is too far from the truth. A US military statement that accompanied the released document added that even though bombings grab the media attention, recruiting has become more difficult because a majority of Iraqis don't support the jihadis, that there's dissent and disillusionment in the terrorists' ranks, and a split between al Qaeda in Iraq and the domestic Iraqi resistance.

Looks like divide and conquer could be a goal of ours here. The more in fighting there is within the terrorist camps and between the terrorist camps, the less effective they are.