Demise of AQI in Iraq
Topic: Iraq War| No Comments »Good news continues to flow from Iraq. The sweep through the last urban stronghold of Al Qaida in the country is almost finished as is the terrorist organization there. In the latest report, Al Qaida in Iraq (AQI) is little more than a few armed bands hiding in rural areas. Their attacks are less frequent and have little impact. As temperatures in the region approached 106 degrees the war against the Sunni terrorist organization is cooling down. Last month the leader of AQI Abu Khalaf, a protégé of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed and the deterioration of the organization has followed.
The best news, however, is the fact there were no US combat deaths in Iraq this week. This is the first time that has occurred since the start of the war.
In the one issue Barrack Obama has failed to move on, Iraq, we are beginning to see a nuance of his campaign message to remove US troops as fast as possible. This is a welcome change. Iraq needs the time to initiate its reconstruction. McCain has an albatross of his own around his political neck. America doesn’t belong in Iraq for an extended occupation a la Germany or Japan following WW II. With Afghanistan deteriorating and the need to force the hand of Pakistan, we need to wrap up our stay in Iraq. As Obama nuances his stand on the Iraq War, McCain needs to do the same. But as we all know this election will not be about the Iraq War but it may be about what lies below the ground in Iraq, oil.
