Tragic. The leader of the local Awakening Council in the city of Baqouba, which is in Diyala province, was killed today along with seven of his bodyguards as a female suicide bomber of al Qaeda in Iraq approached them in traditional dress and set herself off. Here's the latest from CBS News:
As tragic as this is, I would say this is a panicked attempt from al Qaeda to create some chaos in the province of Diyala. I just blogged here at Holger Awakens about the upcoming operation in Diyala that will see nearly 40,000 Iraqi and American troops sweep the province for the dredges of al Qaeda. Perhaps this was a warning from al Qaeda that it wasn't going to be easy (and I did point that out in my other post), but the fact is that al Qaeda will not make it out of the new operation if they are kept contained prior to the operation.
It's important to recognize though, that in other instances where leaders of the Awakening Councils have been killed or injured, it has NOT stopped them from going after al Qaeda and I doubt it will stop them here. Diyala is a tough area and al Qaeda still has roots here but with 40,000 troops coming soon, this kind of attack won't save a one of their sorry asses.
Sidenote: I want to call your attention to the headline of the article from CBN News that I linked above. First of all, I rarely link to any major MSN news sources because they are shills for the terrorists and the leftists. But look at the title of this article:
A female suicide bomber blew herself up near U.S.-allied Sunni Arab fighters walking in a crowded area of Baqouba, killing at least eight of the guards and wounding 24 other people Thursday evening, police said.It appears that the U.S. military is investigating and there is some rumor that the bomber wasn't a woman but I will bet you, that if this was a male, he was dressed in woman's garb to get this close to this group.
The woman, who was shrouded in a traditional black Islamic robe, detonated her explosives belt at about 8:30 p.m. as she approached a group of Awakening Council guards in the central New Baqouba area, a police officer said. The officer, who read the police bombing report but spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, and witnesses said the local Awakening Council chief, Naaim al-Duliami, was killed along with seven of his bodyguards.
As tragic as this is, I would say this is a panicked attempt from al Qaeda to create some chaos in the province of Diyala. I just blogged here at Holger Awakens about the upcoming operation in Diyala that will see nearly 40,000 Iraqi and American troops sweep the province for the dredges of al Qaeda. Perhaps this was a warning from al Qaeda that it wasn't going to be easy (and I did point that out in my other post), but the fact is that al Qaeda will not make it out of the new operation if they are kept contained prior to the operation.
It's important to recognize though, that in other instances where leaders of the Awakening Councils have been killed or injured, it has NOT stopped them from going after al Qaeda and I doubt it will stop them here. Diyala is a tough area and al Qaeda still has roots here but with 40,000 troops coming soon, this kind of attack won't save a one of their sorry asses.
Sidenote: I want to call your attention to the headline of the article from CBN News that I linked above. First of all, I rarely link to any major MSN news sources because they are shills for the terrorists and the leftists. But look at the title of this article:
Now, maybe it's just me here being paranoid but to me that looks like CBS' best effort at trying to disguise this for headline readers as Americans being killed in Iraq. Why would they say "U.S.-Allied" ???? Why include "U.S." in it at all? Why not " 8 Awakening Council Fighters...." or " 8 Sons of Iraq ....." I saw this story headline as a substory at another site and at first glance, I thought we had lost some U.S. troops today. I'm thinking CBS wanted me to think that all along.8 U.S.-Allied Fighters Killed In Iraq
8 U.S.-Allied Fighters Killed In Iraq
(CBS/ AP) A female suicide bomber blew herself up near U.S.-allied Sunni Arab fighters walking in a crowded area of Baqouba, killing at least eight of the guards and wounding 24 other people Thursday evening, police said. The attack comes as the U.S.-backed Iraqi military is promising to launch a major offensive in Diyala province aimed at taming the last major insurgent belt north of Baghdad. Baqouba is the province's capital. The woman, who was shrouded in a traditional black Islamic robe, detonated her explosives belt at about 8:30 p.m. as she approached a group of Awakening Council guards in the central New Baqouba area, a police officer said. The officer, who read the police bombing report but spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information, and witnesses said the local Awakening Council chief, Naaim al-Duliami, was killed along with seven of his bodyguards. The U.S. military in northern Iraq said troops were investigating the bombing and it could not immediately confirm that the attacker was a woman. The Sunni turn against al Qaeda has been credited by the U.S. military as a key factor in driving down Iraq's violence to its lowest point in more than four years. Also cited are the U.S. troop buildup and a cease-fire declared by anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr for his Shiite militia. Members of the U.S.-allied Sunni groups have frequently been targeted by al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgents seeking to derail the security gains. Earlier Thursday, gunmen killed three Awakening Council members in drive-by shootings at checkpoints in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah in northern Baghdad, according to a leading member of the group, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns. Baqouba and other areas in Diyala been hit by several bombings in recent months as Sunni insurgents show they retain the ability to cause casualties. Two suicide bombers attacked army recruits at a Baqouba military camp last week, killing at least 28 people and wounding 57. Insurgents have increasingly been using women to stage suicide bombings in a bid to avoid security measures. Women are more easily able to hide explosives under their cloaks and they often are not searched at checkpoints. Laying the groundwork for the expected new Diyala offensive, American soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment have been searching caves and blowing up suspected hideouts believed used by al Qaeda near the mountain town of Qara Tappah, about 50 miles northeast of Baqouba. They also checked IDs of adult males in each house and detained some on suspicion of being al Qaeda operatives as part of this week's sweep, "Operation Cat's Eye." U.S. commanders have said they will assist Iraq's government in pursuing the Diyala offensive against militants who are trying to regroup in the area.
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