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T H U R S D A Y , J U N E 0 2 , 2 0 0 5Iraqi Insurgency -- Apparently It's Led ByIraqisby Michael in New York on
6/02/2005 09:51:00 AMYesterday, the NY Post ran a story saying that 40% of thesuicide bombers dispatched by Al-Zarqawi were Saudis andonly about 9% were Iraqis. That seemed a pretty remarkableclaim since with most suicide bombings, there isn't enough ofthe attacker left to fill a Mason jar, much less make a positiveID.How'd they determine this? The info came from the SITEInstitute, a post 9-11 org founded to track terrorist networksand featuring an Iraqi-born head named Rita Katz. It seems tohave done lots of work for the US government -- including withRichard Clarke -- and is quoted widely in the media. So how'dthey back it up? Simply by looking at a Martyrs' List posted onthe web by Zarqawi to commemorate killers. An "analysis" wasdone of 107 names listed. Since that list included theirbackgrounds, the "analysis" involved adding up the ones fromSaudi Arabia, etc.A couple points: the list is hardly comprehensive and surely itoccured to someone at the SITE Institute that Iraqi-bornmartyrs would be far less likely to have their names listed onthe web for all the world to see. That would invite reprisalsfrom the government, soldiers storming into the homes of theirfamilies, reprisals from Shiite radicals, preemptive arrests ofsiblings to forestall further suicide bombings from a family thatproduced one, job loss for the parents, etc. etc. So theiranalysis should have said that in a list Zarqawi chose to poston the web, very few listed were Iraqis for obvious reasonssuch as....Instead, expect this misleading bit of info to be repeated by theLimbaughs of the world as proof that the Iraqi insurgency is asham and really just the actions of foreign actions. (Agentsfrom Saudi Arabia, the ally we coddle, one might add.)Don't expect them to acknowledge the LA Times article todaythat acknowledges early suicide bombers came from outsideIraq, but that things have changed. Suicide bombings --unpopular at first among Iraqis -- have exploded. In otherwords, not many were done before and many of those wereforeigners. Now they're a lot more common and Iraqis areleading the way.In April, there were 69 suicide bombings, more than the entireyear preceding the handover in June 2004. Yesterday, threesuicide bombers killed at least 20. The US commander ofmultinational forces admitted that the axiom that all suicidebombers were foreigners may not be the case.But others refuse to see this."There is no evidence this is being done by Iraqis," saidU.S. Maj. Gen. John DeFreitas III, intelligence chief for themultinational mission that has about 150,000 troops inIraq. "In every case we've seen, the driver has been aforeigner."
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6/02/2005 09:51:00 AMYesterday, the NY Post ran a story saying that 40% of thesuicide bombers dispatched by Al-Zarqawi were Saudis andonly about 9% were Iraqis. That seemed a pretty remarkableclaim since with most suicide bombings, there isn't enough ofthe attacker left to fill a Mason jar, much less make a positiveID.How'd they determine this? The info came from the SITEInstitute, a post 9-11 org founded to track terrorist networksand featuring an Iraqi-born head named Rita Katz. It seems tohave done lots of work for the US government -- including withRichard Clarke -- and is quoted widely in the media. So how'dthey back it up? Simply by looking at a Martyrs' List posted onthe web by Zarqawi to commemorate killers. An "analysis" wasdone of 107 names listed. Since that list included theirbackgrounds, the "analysis" involved adding up the ones fromSaudi Arabia, etc.A couple points: the list is hardly comprehensive and surely itoccured to someone at the SITE Institute that Iraqi-bornmartyrs would be far less likely to have their names listed onthe web for all the world to see. That would invite reprisalsfrom the government, soldiers storming into the homes of theirfamilies, reprisals from Shiite radicals, preemptive arrests ofsiblings to forestall further suicide bombings from a family thatproduced one, job loss for the parents, etc. etc. So theiranalysis should have said that in a list Zarqawi chose to poston the web, very few listed were Iraqis for obvious reasonssuch as....Instead, expect this misleading bit of info to be repeated by theLimbaughs of the world as proof that the Iraqi insurgency is asham and really just the actions of foreign actions. (Agentsfrom Saudi Arabia, the ally we coddle, one might add.)Don't expect them to acknowledge the LA Times article todaythat acknowledges early suicide bombers came from outsideIraq, but that things have changed. Suicide bombings --unpopular at first among Iraqis -- have exploded. In otherwords, not many were done before and many of those wereforeigners. Now they're a lot more common and Iraqis areleading the way.In April, there were 69 suicide bombings, more than the entireyear preceding the handover in June 2004. Yesterday, threesuicide bombers killed at least 20. The US commander ofmultinational forces admitted that the axiom that all suicidebombers were foreigners may not be the case.But others refuse to see this."There is no evidence this is being done by Iraqis," saidU.S. Maj. Gen. John DeFreitas III, intelligence chief for themultinational mission that has about 150,000 troops inIraq. "In every case we've seen, the driver has been aforeigner."
EschatonOvernight - Folk On. Newish.11 minutes ago
HuffPost PoliticsMichael Likosky: Ed Rendell: Hardest Working Manin Infrastructure - At this year's National GovernorsAssociation (NGA) meeting, Governor Ed Rendell'stenure as Chair fittingly came to a close with aplenary session on infras...14 minutes ago
Daily KosOpen Thread and Diary Rescue - *Today, srkp23(pulling a double shift), ybruti, taylormattd,ItsJessMe and vcmvo2 combed through hundredsof diaries to find this powerful list. Today's...30 minutes ago
Crooks and LiarsOpen Thread - Open Thread below...40 minutes ago
FiredoglakePecora in Perspective: Investment Banking,Commercial Banking, and Glass-Steagall - ThePecora Commission report devotes a substantialamount of pages to discussion of the evils ofallowing the commingling of commercial bankingservices, i...1 hour agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S
Show AllA M E R I C A B L O G T V
In honor of SenatorDeMint
For the GOPers, healthcare is politics. They justNext 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Iraqi I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/06/iraqi-insurgency-apparent...
1 of 57/23/09 12:14 AM
Visit our AMERICAblog TV site.see all 322 videos >I collect with
vodpod
Traditional media has todebunk the birthers
One small step...
The right-wing media, thevoices of the GOP, in
REM - Orange CrushAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Iraqi I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/06/iraqi-insurgency-apparent...
2 of 57/23/09 12:14 AM
Ezra KleinTab Dump4 hours agoWonk RoomSen. Byron Dorgan:The ‘Trade’ InCap-And-Trade ‘MakesNo Sense To Me’6 hours agoHealth BeatTruth Squad: WallStreet Journal HealthCare Editorial Wrong onthe Facts . . .6 hours agoThe TreatmentHatch Is Out8 hours agoDaily DoseProviders Endorse 'Payfor Value' Proposals14 hours agoG AY P O L I T I C S
Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S
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Top AdAdvertise in this spot.H E A LT H C A R ER E F O R MAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Iraqi I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/06/iraqi-insurgency-apparent...
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S E A R C H
AMERICAblog
Web
SearchS E N D U S T I P S &C O M M E N T Samericablog@starpower.netB L O G A R C H I V E
Blog ArchiveS I T E S W E L I K EAir America RadioAlan Colmes' blogAri Melber (The Nation)Ben SmithBicycleMark's blog &podcastBilericoBradBlogBring It OnCarrie FisherCrooks and LiarsDailyKosDan Savage's "Slog"Daou ReportDemocratic UndergroundEschatonEzra KleinFire Dog LakeFiveThirtyEight.comFreeway BloggerThe Gavel (SpeakerPelosi's blog)Good As YouGlenn GreenwaldHoly Bullies and HeadlessMonstersHuffington PostHullabaloo (Digby)Jack and Jill PoliticsJed ReportJesus' GeneralKenneth in the 212Margaret and HelenMatthew GrossMedia MattersMike Signorile's "The Gist"MudflatsMyDDOpen LeftPlum LinePolitical Punch (JakeTapper)Political WirePolitics 1Pop SurfingProgressive Blog DigestQueers UnitedRawStoryRex WocknerRude PunditSmirking ChimpTalk LeftTappedTaylor MarshThink ProgressTowleRoadVetVoice.comWashington NoteWayneBesen.comWonketteWorth Repeating
N E W S L I N K SUSWashington PostNYTAP PoliticsReuters PoliticsRasmussen PollsTimeNewsweekRoll CallThe HillABCNews
P L E A S E S U P P O RTA M E R I C A B L O GOne-time donation$
Recurring monthlydonation$
Donations are nottax-deductible.L A B E L S
Select a labelL A S T 1 0 0 V I S I T O R SRecent Visitors
A B O U TA M E R I C A B L O GWhy AMERICAblog?Because a great nationdeserves the truth.What issues do youcover?US politics overall with aparticular focus on theObama Administration, theradical right, and civilrights.Who are you?John AravosisEditorWashington, DCJoe SudbayDeputy EditorWashington, DCChris RyanAssociate EditorParis, FranceRobert ArenaContributing EditorBaltimore, MarylandJacki SchechnerContributing EditorWashington, DCAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Iraqi I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/06/iraqi-insurgency-apparent...
4 of 57/23/09 12:14 AM
© 2009 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason RosenbaumSend me your tips: americablog@starpower.netAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Iraqi I...http://www.americablog.com/2005/06/iraqi-insurgency-apparent...
5 of 57/23/09 12:14 AM