Iraqi security forces are al-Qaeda's 'enemy No. 1'

From USA Today.

Al-Qaeda and other militants in Iraq have shifted their sights to the growing number of U.S.-backed neighborhood security groups, quadrupling the number of attacks on the lightly armed volunteers over recent months. Al-Qaeda calls the local security forces "the most dangerous enemy" it faces and ordered more attacks against the groups, according to a document captured last month. The letter from an al-Qaeda regional commander to a subordinate was dated Jan. 3, 2008.

The number of CLC in now over 90,000 and continuing to grow daily. According to this article, Sunnis make up 80% of CLCs, while Shiites make up the other 20%. Not only is Al Qaeda going after CLCs, but so is Iranian backed Special Groups. Why?

Col. Raad Ali Hassan, commander of a volunteer group in Baghdad's Ghazaliyah neighborhood, said the volunteers are a threat to militants because they know the neighborhoods and can point out al-Qaeda and other extremists.

The number one item an insurgency needs to survive is at least tacit support from the populous. All extremists groups in Iraq have lost this tacit support. Iraqis are sick and tired of extremists indiscriminantly killing fellow Iraqis, whether Sunni, Shiite, or Christian. Iraqis are not afraid to come forward because they are seeing a large professional security force able to secure them. This large professional security force is not from the US, but instead is home grown Iraqi.

In Iraq right now, 1 in 20-25 people are involved in security of the country. This means that most Iraqis have brothers, cousins, or some relative in the Army, Police, Badr Corp, Peshmurga forces, CLCs, Sons of Iraq, or Awakening Groups. This is a powerful deterrent.

In addition, in the last five years, probably all people in Iraq have had a relative killed by extremists. It was always stated that Iraqis are the only ones who can stop extremists. This statement is completely true.

What is happening in Iraq is not an isolated incident. Where ever Al Qaeda concentrates itself, it begins to impose strict Islamic Salafist codes on its neighbors resulting in it alienation of the populous. It then indiscriminantly kills fellow Muslims including women and children. This creates what has been coined "intellectional turbulence" among fellow Muslim.

"Intellectual turbelence" among Muslims is created due to three facets.

1. Exaggeration of the Sins of Rival Groups
2. Use of force to settle disagreement among Jihad Groups.
3. Blindly following extremists.

This "intellectual turbulence" came to the forefront in Iraq in middle 2006 when Sunni Tribes began contesting Al Qaeda's role in Al Anbar. The Awakening movement was allowed to grow and flourish by the presence of extra US forces on the ground.

This "intellectual turbuleance" allowed Al Qaeda and the Taliban to be overthrown in Afghanistan and will continue to grow and flourish under NATO.

This "intellectual turbueance" will develop in Gaza now that Al Qaeda has entered Gaza in force.

The beacon of democracy in the Middle East, Iraq, is a light that is shining for all Muslims. The Great Satan, the Infidel, has brought democracy to the heart of the Middle East. Democracy is not easily secured, nor easily maintained as Iraqis are figuring out now. Democracy has to be fought for. All Muslims are now seeing this fact in Iraq. They are also seeing that Al Qaeda is nothing but a bunch thugs.

In addition, they are seeing the Great Satan putting its own forces on the line to bring Muslims freedom and democracy.

In addition to the "intellectual turbulence" described above, Al Qaeda made a grave mistake denouncing democracy. One of the reasons for the growth of Al Qaeda type organizations is a yearning for democracy as a relief from dictatorships in the Middle East.

Many Muslims are now seeing that Al Qaeda is nothing more than another dictatorship, no less violent than Saddam's dictatorship was in Iraq. And no Muslims want to put their life on the line for another Saddam.

All of these factors above are adding to "intellectual turbulence" among Muslims. All of these factors above will result in Al Qaeda's eventual defeat. All of these factors above will eventually lead to a broader democratic revolution in the Middle East. Al Qaeda is nothing but an outgrowth of Nazism from Germany in the 1930s. It took the better part of 70 years to find a dissatisfied faction able to champion its cause in the Middle East.

However, like the Third Reich in Germany, it will not last a 1000 years, but a short decade as fellow Muslims begin to understand what fellow Germans finally understood in the mid 1940s. Their leader is nothing but a crazy man.

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