[log1c]

Ansar Al-Sunna is thought to be loosely aligned with al Qaeda in Iraq, the group whose leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in a U.S. airstrike Wednesday near Baquba.

All of a sudden, al-Zarqawi is "thought to be loosely aligned" with al-Qeada. Give me a fucking break! I am really appalled at the mainstream media's response to the death of this al-Qeada leader, thug and murderer. They are brushing it off like it wasn't a big deal...

CNN has now become part of the push to downplay this victory for the United States. It'll have no problem carrying the Abu Grhab(sp?) or Hadith stories for weeks without letting up, but I barely see the al-Zarqawi story anywhere anymore, and now I see it being presented as not a big deal...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/...ing/index.html

[mistawiskas]

I know, it's total bullshit. I've gotten to where I don't pay any heed to what the slanted, liberal, editorial media puts out there any longer. Fuck 'em in the ear running sideways.

[MSP]

I believe he wasn't as big a deal as he was made out to be. But yeah, the Liberal media just won't let any good news come out of Iraq.

On a related note my wife went out and bought the Dixie Chicks new album this week. It's pretty damned good, particularly "Not Ready to Make Nice". Personally I would have downloaded it on torrent, but my wife wanted to "support" the band. I support the music, but their frothing at the mouth political ideology not so much. It's just like Jeannine Garofalo - I liked her as an entertainer until she went rabid. It's OK to have and express a political view, but they take it too far.

[mistawiskas]

Having a "political view" is one thing; using their celebrity status to sway the ignorant, naive, can't think for themselves voters is another thing. I have a thing about celebs flaunting the success that 'we the people' gave them as a means to say "I'm right, you're wrong". Something about that just eats at me.

[Eavanr]

Hmmm, maybe because it isn't such a big deal. I mean, the guy got replaced with another fanatic before Bush even released a statement. They multiply faster than the coalition can kill them.

There have been no significant reductions in attacks, in fact 38 people died in insurgent attacks the day immediately after. Oil prices rose as well.

So yes, it was such a major a victory.

[log1c]

Originally Posted by Eavanr

Hmmm, maybe because it isn't such a big deal. I mean, the guy got replaced with another fanatic before Bush even released a statement. They multiply faster than the coalition can kill them.

There have been no significant reductions in attacks, in fact 38 people died in insurgent attacks the day immediately after. Oil prices rose as well.

So yes, it was such a major a victory.

Wow. Absolutely amazing. I am officially giving up on you.

[Eavanr]

If you disagree with me, either

a) prove what I have said is wrong

or

b) show how his death has contributed to some element of stability in Iraq

[HEAVY-D]

Is it possible that "loosely aligned" simply means not under the direct control of? Ansar Al-Sunna is a group onto itself which works with other groups such as al Qaeda.

[Karrionhardt]

I was always under the impression Al-Queda in Iraq (which was their full title, by the way - it wasn't like: Al-Queda, Iraq Branch) was sort of the President's Choice, the I-Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Organized-Terrorism alternative to to the traditional Al-Queda. You might even say they were what the Spice Girls refer to as, "Wannabes". They lacked the restraint and focus (and PR skillz) of Al-Queda as a whole, who has very specific goals in the region. From what I understand, al-Zarqawi was a tad unruly and didn't exactly fit their agenda there. So there does exist the possibility that he may very well be replaced by someone better to co-ordinate attacks on Americans and recieve orders from the upper echelons of Al Queda. Maybe he'll be replaced by a retarded chimp. We can only hope.

It's not that it isn't a victory, because it is. But ultimately - retribution for 9/11 is why we're in this to begin with, so I think everyone's just holding out for Bin Laden. When Americans remember terrorism, they remember 9/11 - simple. And as al-Zarqawi had fuck all to do with that, it's not like everyone's just going to pat themselves on the back and call it a day.

Just my opinion. Could be wrong.

[log1c]

-- A speaker purported to be al Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden endorsed the terror campaign of insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and urged Iraqis to boycott next month's elections, in an audio tape broadcast Monday on the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera television network.

When it broadcast the tape, Al-Jazeera said the voice was bin Laden's. A CIA analysis finished Monday found that the tape appears to be authentic, a U.S. official told CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/...binladen.tape/

Kind of in a pinch for time, but I'd just like to remind everyone of the very real connection between Bin Laden and al-Zarqawi. Taking out top leiutenants of Al-Qaeda, wherever they are, (in France, England, Canada, Australia, Iraq...) naturally deals a blow to the organization as a whole. In addition, they recovered documentation, information and leads on other "freedom fighters" that are hiding behind religion to commit mass murder.

[MSP]

His death, along with all of the intelligence gathered from it and the other raids that went on, are possitive for the US war effor it Iraq - period.

[namelessentity]

Of course it's good news, but Eavanr is right. You can kill a leader, but you can't destroy the group. Same goes for us. It would be a blow if the president was killed, but it's not like the US would suddenly just completely crumble because he was gone. Groups move on and re-build, all it did was stall, not fix the problem.

[MSP]

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Of course it's good news, but Eavanr is right. You can kill a leader, but you can't destroy the group. Same goes for us. It would be a blow if the president was killed, but it's not like the US would suddenly just completely crumble because he was gone. Groups move on and re-build, all it did was stall, not fix the problem.

I don't think that anybody belives that his death marks the end of al-Quaeda, just good news. It's just irritating that there are people who are trying to shit on that news.

[mistawiskas]

It's just a goal reached. The only way to actually stop the shit over there is to....well, you know....it's got something to do with mushrooms. But that's called genocide and we haven't gone there yet.

[Lazaredz]

Personally I found the reaction of the Iraqis MUCH more interesting. They've been suffering alot more from Al-Z and his thugs than anyone else. Even better was the reaction in Jordan (outside of his family of course) and compairing both to the reaction in "Palistine".

Anywho, glad he's dead. Hopefully the fact that whomever betrayed him got away with $25 million will encourage someone else to do the same to OBL.

[Goofus Maximus]

His successor has already been named. In a sense, the entire Al Quaida network is a collection of "loosely aligned" cells in "loosely aligned" subgroups.

In the end, I don't see this making any difference in what happens in Iraq. This thing is a starfish; it doesn't have a head to cut off, it's limbs regenerate, and the severed limbs can grow into whole new starfish...

[MSP]

Yeah, it's a small victory. But I'm still enjoying it. The fact the he survived and suffered for almost an hour after the attack is awesome. I've been in a good mood since I found out.

[#Empty]

Anywho, glad he's dead. Hopefully the fact that whomever betrayed him got away with $25 million will encourage someone else to do the same to OBL.

hahaha i remmeber watching on the news, they interviewed some people about what they would do with the rewards and they said they would buy a few donkeys or some shit like that.


but ya, his death is great news, but its not the end of al-Quaeda.

[log1c]

Originally Posted by namelessentity

Of course it's good news, but Eavanr is right. You can kill a leader, but you can't destroy the group. Same goes for us. It would be a blow if the president was killed, but it's not like the US would suddenly just completely crumble because he was gone. Groups move on and re-build, all it did was stall, not fix the problem.

I'm hoping this won't be the line when OBL is caught or killed.

[Eavanr]

Logic, if you think the death of one man is going to stop a global social-ideological phenomenon centuries in the making, your bat shit crazy.