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Sunni sheiks help U.S. fight al-Qaeda in Iraq

MARK MACKINNON

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 10:17 AM EDT 22/03/08

In exchange for cash and jobs, tribal leaders have agreed to take on common enemy, bringing relative calm to their neighbourhoods ...Read the full article

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  1. Simon Croswell from Toronto, Canada writes: Don't you love how Sunnis can be bribed into betraying their own. Isn't there anyone who doesn't want to be a whore on the CIA payroll? Not even Saddam could resist the lure of CIA money.
  2. Paul Jones from kitchener, Canada writes: Great Idea! Pay, arm and train our future enemies. Its worked SO well in the past. cough cough
  3. Michael Sharp from Victoria, Canada writes:

    Ya.

    You liked it better when Hussein was killing millions, eh?
  4. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Yes. Money can buy loyalty, but for how long?

    The US may be falling in the same trap again. The Reagan Administration promised the Mujahideen moons and the stars, but when the Soviets left, the Afghans were left high and dry.

    The result was 9/11

    The stakes in Iraq are higher, so more $$$,$$$,$$$,$$$ would be required. But as in Afghanistan, when the gravy train stops (as it will when the Democrats take over the White House) then the Sunnis will come back to the US with a vengeance.

    You sleep with the devil you pay the price later.
  5. Sceptical Observer from Canada writes: Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Yes. Money can buy loyalty, but for how long?
    >>>Depends on the market condition. Demand/Supply ration mainly.
  6. Sceptical Observer from Canada writes: Simon Croswell from Toronto, Canada writes: Don't you love how Sunnis can be bribed into betraying their own. Isn't there anyone who doesn't want to be a whore on the CIA payroll?
    >>>Who exactly is their own? El Qaeda terrorists and the rest of the Jihadi filth is their own? Do you know one real reason why both Sunnis and Shiites can't start building more civilized place to live? That's what the people of Japan and the people of Germany did after the WW2. The USA army presence was not an obstacle then.
  7. Alastair james Berry from Nanaimo BC CANADA, Canada writes:

    Money subverts...........Does the RCMP not use the same technique to break into DRUG DISTRIBUTION GANGS IN MONTREAL(along with dropping charges etc etc).?

    Certainly in Anbar, the province that is mainly desert, things have quietened down, with the DISTRIBUTION OF BIG MONEY TO THE SHEIHKS(and lesser to the prols) and with the SUNNIs in a majority still 'Clan Loyal' to their Chiefs.
    The USA's interest there, is the "H 3" pumping station, the H pipeline. airfield and US Military base which is to retain a garrison of 10,000 after the rest of the US military leaves the country.

    Money can be fickle in a country that is basically MUSLIM as no matter what the US TROOPS do THEY ARE STILL REGARDED AS INFIDEL OCCUPYING TRIIPS!

    BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER........Buying loyality with money is OK, if you plan to withdraw, but rather foolish in this case, where the Pentagon is aiming to stay(in perpetuity?)
  8. Sam Patel from Vancouver, Canada writes: Finally. The Americans enlisted the aid of a local cultural anthropologist and figured out how best to bring local tribal leaders onto their side. Bravo. You finally realized Iraq is not Belgium or Japan. Tribal groups exist and wield power, both militarilyand financially. They need to be brought on side in the same way political factions need to be brought on side.

    Now we need to sart applying this in Afghanistan to local tribes which the Taliban depend upon.
  9. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes: Sceptical Observer: Greetings

    " .... Yes. Money can buy loyalty, but for how long?
    >>>Depends on the market condition. Demand/Supply ration mainly...."

    The demand is fathomless, but the supply is drying. The supplier is 9 Trillion $ in debt, and counting.
  10. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Sam Patel: Greetings

    " ...... Now we need to sart applying this in Afghanistan to local tribes which the Taliban depend upon....."

    The same was applied to Afghanistan 27 years ago, with 8 years of success.

    But when the gravy train stopped, we had 9/11.

    Afghanistan was a small fish. Iraq is a more expensive fry. The US should start printing loads of greenbacks if it wants to hold on to Iraq. These guys were used to helping themselves with oil that did not belong to them. Replacing that lost money is no easy task. If we addict them to freeloading then we have to keep it in perpetuity (e.g. Israel) or else, deluge.

    Sunni Province is high maintenance. I wonder if McCain/Obama would go for that come 2009.
  11. Jim **** from Canada writes: The US has given up on democracy in Iraq, and is now funding militias which will in the end make Iraq ungovernable as a unitary country.

    It has done this purely as an expediency to bail itself out of responsibility for an incompetently managed invasion and occupation.

    In many instances the US has funded proxy fighters, and it is a policy that has come back to bite, notably in Afghanistan.

    When the US cash has run out, these Sunni militias will not go away, they will turn to seeking political power and fighting Shiites. The suffering of the Iraqi people will go on and on.
  12. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Jim **: Greetings

    The US plan to divvy up and reorganize the Middle East is described in lurid detail in the American Military Journal in an article written by Col Ralph Peters. Google it.

    The break of Iraq is part of the same grand plan.

    Would it work? So far the Iraqi scenario has been written by Iran.

    (VIII:30) They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah.
  13. Sceptical Observer from Canada writes: Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:
    (VIII:30) They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah.
    >>>Which of them Shiah Allah or Sunni Allah? Actually both are hopeless loosers. Just take a look at Iran or Saudi Arabia. Even 110$ per a barrel of oil does not help.
  14. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Sceptical Observer:

    " .... (VIII:30) They plot and plan, and Allah too plans; but the best of planners is Allah.
    >>>Which of them Shiah Allah or Sunni Allah? Actually both are hopeless loosers. Just take a look at Iran or Saudi Arabia. Even 110$ per a barrel of oil does not help...."

    Which Allah? Why ask me. Ask them.

    Yes. $110 per barrel is helping both Iran and Saudi Arabia.

    The Western enemy Shia Iran is better able to resist pressures from the US.

    The Western ally Saudi Arabia is better able to finance the Sunni Jihadis to plan to blow up the West, possibly with dirty nukes. Stupidity knows no bounds.
  15. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Paul Jones: Greetings

    " ... Great Idea! Pay, arm and train our future enemies. Its worked SO well in the past. cough cough ..."

    How true.

    When the Reagan Republicans decided to take Saddam's side in war against Iran, Khomeini is said to have proferred that the Americans were cultivate a snake that will come to bite them later.

    He was ignored. How farsighted the old cleric was.

  16. Bohemian Grove Club Member from Canada writes: What? You mean the Iraqis are interested in the future of the country of Iraq? I mean it's not like it's their country or anything, is it? I know they live there and have raised their families and own the properties or anything is it? Let's face it, it's not like the state of their country is their responsibility in anyway, it's all the Americans fault so they should just sit back and watch their own people killed everyday and do nothing about it.
  17. Gen Niazi from Canada writes: "The Western ally Saudi Arabia is better able to finance the Sunni Jihadis to plan to blow up the West, possibly with dirty nukes. Stupidity knows no bounds."

    syed, don't wish for dirty nuke.
    Planes hit WTC and result is obvious in iraq and afg'stan.
    Dirty nuke and you can imagine!
    And don't forget, next on list is your favourite iran.
  18. deliciously uncanadian from Canada writes: Congrats to al-Hatem and the Sahwa council for cleaning up their backyard so effectively.

    I wouldn't make too much of US payments. Consider it seed money. Al-Hatem will be around long after the US has gone home. He clearly has ambitions of a leader.
  19. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes: Gen Niazi: Greetings

    I wrote:

    "The Western ally Saudi Arabia is better able to finance the Sunni Jihadis to plan to blow up the West, possibly with dirty nukes. Stupidity knows no bounds."

    You wrote:
    " .... syed, don't wish for dirty nuke.
    Planes hit WTC and result is obvious in iraq and afg'stan.
    Dirty nuke and you can imagine!
    And don't forget, next on list is your favourite iran...."

    Sorry. Your comment is hanging in the air. What is your point. How does it relate to what I posted?

    Or is it that you are simply trying to make your point not related to the story.
  20. Inner Eye from Canada writes: Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    "Which Allah? Why ask me. Ask them."

    Are you disowning your previous statement? I am sure, most of the time you don't believe what you express and you do not express what you believe. It happens when a person's secterian (shiaite) sense overrides his human sense. In the language of Islam there is one word to describe such a soul "monafeque".

  21. Syed Abbas from Toronto, Canada writes:

    Inner Eye: Greetings

    Sunni Shia god and prophet are called the same yet different. Shia Allah is external abstract, like the Christian. Like Jesus, Shia Mohammed is divine with divine knowledge, so is his Family.

    Sunni Allah is classical Judaic homo-morphic, and Mohammed not divine - but unlettered. As in Talmud, he also married a 6 year old and slept with her when she was 9.

    Sunnis made common cause with the Judahists, so Talmudic influences crept in. The persecuted minority (shia) remained close to the Christians, and their theologies coalasced.

    Mohammed's all 80 skirmishes and battles were with Big business, Bankers, Trade Monolopists, and Judahists, none with Christians. Mohammed would not have succeeded without timely and material Christian help.

    Later his Revolution was over-turned by Jihadis and Jews who allied against Christians and Shia.

    In 680AD at Kerbala 2 Christians died with Hussain's 72 against 30,000 Jihadis. In Crusades Shia allied with Franks.

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