Memo from Turner Zarqawi

The Puppy Blender links to a very interesting article from Austin Bey on Abu Musad al-Zarqawi, his recent declaration of solidarity with Al Qaeda and a memo from him to his followers which was intercepted early last year. From the memo: bq. Zarqawi's intercepted message to his Al Qaeda comrades admitted that his terror band was "failing to enlist support" inside Iraq and was "unable to scare the Americans into leaving." bq. Zarqawi lamented "Iraq's lack of mountains in which to take refuge," which many commentators read as an echo of his experience in Afghanistan with Al Qaeda. bq. Zarqawi's document also suggested a strategic solution to his group's failure: launch attacks on Iraqi Shias and start a "sectarian war" that he suggested would "rally the Sunni Arabs" to his cause. This war against Shiites, Zarqawi thought, "must start soon -- at 'zero hour' -- before the Americans hand over sovereignty to the Iraqis." Glen also links to this article about the use of Iraqi forces: bq. Despite the publicity given to the coalition troops in Iraq, some 90 percent of casualties are now Iraqi. The anti-government forces have not given up attacking coalition troops, but realize that it's a lot more dangerous to take a shot at better trained and armed coalition troops. And this observation: bq. Foreigners are mystified at how Iraqis continue to join the police and army, despite the car bombings and other attacks directed against them. It's not just for the money. For many of these recruits, there is a dead relative, murdered by some Sunni Arab thug working for Saddam. It's civil war, and the coalition wants to prevent it from turning into an orgy of revenge. What gets little reported in the West is the enthusiasm among Iraqis, and especially members of the government, for just bombing Fallujah into rubble. For the majority of Iraqis, Fallujah represents the murderous oppressor. "Kill them all, for they are all guilty," is an attitude shared by too many Iraqis, and a little too bloody minded for most Western journalists. Memo from Turner - Rolling Stones, lyrics excerpted: bq. You're the great, gray man whose daughter licks policemen's buttons clean. You're the man who squats behind the man who works the soft machine. bq. Come now, gentleman, your love is all I crave. You'll still be in the circus when I'm laughing, laughing on my grave.