Iraq Report: Feb 21/05

Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from Iraq that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. This briefing is brought to you by Joel Gaines of No Pundit Intended and Andrew Olmsted of Andrew Olmsted dot com.

TOP TOPICS

• Is the United States conducting secret negotiations with Iraqi insurgents to deliver their surrender? That's the report coming out of Time magazine, though it has been denied by the White House. The negotiations are reported to be with one or more indiginous Iraqi groups seeking to shift from open warfare to political recognition. Chester offers some analysis, and explains the dynamics involved. Wretchard puts this story together with several other reports to suggest the insurgency in Iraq is in dire straits, though this will not mean that it will be clear sailing from here on out.

• Patrick Ruffini has a map of the Iraqi Electoral results, and some analysis.

• Operation River Blitz has begun, an attempt to restore order to Iraq in the wake of the election. The operation may yet involve an attack on Ramadi, one of the last remaining strongholds of the insurgency, but U.S. generals are playing close to the vest thus far to keep the enemy guessing.

• At least 91 Iraqis died in Friday's bombings in Baghdad. The bombings, coming on a Shiite holy day, aimed at triggering an Iraqi civil war. Thus far the Shiites refuse to take the bait, increasing security measures while vowing to use their new government to address the problem.

Other Topics Today Include: A report from a Marine sniper; a little time in the rear; decentralizing Iraq's economy; speculation on the new Iraqi government's makeup; the Sunni's want in; Carnival of the Liberated; searching for the missing; a father and son head to Iraq; Clinton says insurgency failing; Support the troops.

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

• Cpl. Paul Leicht tells us what a well motivated Marine and his M40A3 accomplished against terrorist targets during Fallujah II. Sgt. Herbert B Hancock engaged and neutralized targets at over 1000 yards.

• M. Simon of Power and Control tips us off via email to a detailed story about Ahmed Abdullah Abdul-Rahman Alshai, a 20-year-old middle class high school dropout suicide bomber from Saudi Arabia. He's one of many young volunteers from across the Arab world who have come to Iraq to wage jihad, or holy war - they make up most of the suicide bombers there. But Alshai survived his "suicide" attack, unlike 12 Iraqis and a Sudanese guard at the Libyan Embassy.

• Questing Cat's unit is spending a short time "in the rear with the gear" before returning to Germany on that long awaited - and well deserved - Freedom Flight. See what he has to say about spending time in REMF-ville.

RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY

• USAID advisors are working with Iraqi officials in efforts to create an industrial private sector in Iraq. The "privitisation" or de-centralization of industry in Iraq will go a long way toward economic growth - especially with regards to foreign investments.

IRAQI POLITICS

• While there has been great rumination about the potential lack of diversity in governing Iraq, it should be noted the consensus in Iraq today is the next Iraqi President will be a Kurd, the Prime Minister a Shia and the National Assembly Speaker a Sunni. The vaunted position is that of Prime Minister, and there is great debate regarding who should fill the post - Adel Abudl Medhi from SCIRI or Ibrahim Jaafari of DAWA.

• Some Sunnis appear to be turning their attention to the more civilized conflicts of politics. Sunni tribal chiefs from six Iraqi provinces issued a list of demands for the new Iraqi government, a significant shift from earlier denunciations that the vote was illegitimate.

• Ibn Al Rafidain (Son of the Two Rivers) provides a brief history of Baathist, along with Saddam Hussein's, rise to power in Iraq and Syria.

• The latest Carnival of the Liberated is up at Dean's World.

ETCETERA

• The Iraqi insurgency is failing, acording to... Sen. Hilary Clinton.

• SPC Matt Maupin is the only US servicemember unaccounted for in Iraq. Timothy Bell is the only US contract civilian unaccounted for. Where are they?

• Scott Ritter, a former Marine and UN weapons inspector is, apprently, writing now for the Al- Jazeera website - where he accuses the US forces, which is allegedly a broken force today, with working with Iraqi assassination squads to cause the current post-war violence in Iraq. (Hat tip: Junkyard Blog.)

• En route to Iraq: Major Chris Phelps and Master Gunnery Sergeant Kenneth Phelps. The son and his father will serve seven months together as part of the Marine 5th Civil Affairs Group.

• The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!

• Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!

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