Biden: Iraqi killings devastating blow to Qaeda

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN1921341820100419

Biden: Iraqi killings devastating blow to Qaeda
Mon Apr 19, 2010 6:58pm BST


(Updates with quotes)

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Monday said the killings of al Qaeda leaders in Iraq was a potentially "devastating" blow to the group.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said earlier that an Iraqi intelligence team had found and killed al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Ayyub al-Masri. Maliki said the team had also killed Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the purported leader of al Qaeda's local affiliate, the Islamic State of Iraq.

"Their deaths are potentially devastating blows to al Qaeda Iraq," Biden told reporters.

"But equally important in my view is this action demonstrates the improved security strength and capacity of Iraqi security forces," Biden said. "The Iraqis led this operation, and it was based on intelligence the Iraqi security forces themselves developed following their capture of a senior AQI leader last month."

Biden said an American soldier was killed while supporting the counterterrorism operation. He called the soldier, who was not named, a "young hero."

The War you voted for killed over million Iraqis. You are no better than those you criticize, sir.

...that some of the most vocal opponents today had a huge part in getting into these wars in the first place.

Comparing VP Biden, or any other U.S. Senator or Congressmen, to Al Quaeda is disgusting and shows that you are no better than the wingnuts who call Obama a terrorist.

Joe Biden, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton among others, were wrong to vote for that war (in my opinion), but no one can honestly or reasonably say they did it with malcious intent because they specifically wanted to kill Iraqi civilians. Al Quaeda intentially targets civilians, we do not.

Your hyperbole is also quite ludicrous.

How come their deaths weren't "devastating" and these are?

Can we bring them home now?


**crickets**

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_04/023407.php

snip//

Good. A strategy memo published in March encouraged the White House be more aggressive in highlighting successes like these, encouraging officials to "hype hit lists and body counts."

That strikes me as a politically sound strategy. Nearly "three times as many terrorists were killed in Obama's first year as there were in all of President Bush's second term," but the vast majority of the public has no idea that this is true.

Indeed, recent successes on counter-terrorism are one of the best-kept secrets in American politics today. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's top military commander, was captured. High-profile terrorists have been killed -- Hakimullah Mehsud, Baitullah Mehsud, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan -- while many more have been arrested -- Najibullah Zazi, Talib Islam, and Hosam Maher Husein Smadi.

For 14 months, President Obama and his team have been very reluctant to exploit these counter-terrorism victories. That's admirable, to be sure. But a little chest-thumping now and then is hardly out of the question. If the White House doesn't draw more attention to their victories, the public may not hear about them. Worse, when GOP hacks suggest the administration isn't "tough" enough, a lot of the public may not realize immediately how idiotic the rhetoric is.

Biden's remarks today were heartening, both as a matter of national security, and as a matter of political strategy.

I wonder what the ratio of American/NATO combat troops to al Qaeda actually is? I bet it would be embarrassing if it became known.

that is why we have to keep killing the same two guys repeatedly.

Al-Masri? Haven't we killed him 3 times already? This guy has more lives than my damn cat.

They should have waited until Friday the 13th to announce this BUNK.

last year's #14 and #15 AQ leaders got bumped up and then killed. Ok, so can we come home yet? Guess what? They'll have a new #1 and #2 leader tomorrow!

we can kill them. There never will be a shortage of jihadists when
they are promised 72 beautiful virgins upon martyrdom.