Unconfirmed report indicates Bagdadi captured in Salahadin province
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A map of the Sunni Islamic State of Iraq. |
Iraqi Security Forces are reporting that Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of al Qaeda’s political front organization the Islamic State of Iraq, has been captured in the northern city of Duluiya in Salahadin province, according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur. The report has not been confirmed by the U.S. military at this time. The mid February news that Abu Musab al-Masri was wounded and subsequently captured by Iraqi Security Forces turned out to be a false report from the Interior Ministry. However today’s report of al-Baghdadi’s capture was issued by the Salahadin provincial administration.
Al-Baghdadi’s real name is reported as Muharib Mohammed Abdullah, and he is “a former legal expert from the city of Balad.” Baghdadi’s capture would be a largely symbolic victory, as al-Masri is the real power behind al Qaeda and its Islamic State.
However, his arrest would signal that U.S. and Iraqi intelligence is penetrating al Qaeda in Iraq’s security. And Baghdadi may have information on the whereabouts of senior or mid-level al Qaeda leaders and members of the Islamic State’s Shura (or execute council).
al Qaeda established the Islamic State of Iraq in October of 2006 to put an Iraqi face on al Qaeda’s operations in Iraq and unite the Sunni disparate elements of the insurgency. al Qaeda claims the Islamic State of Iraq is comprised of “Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninawa, and in other parts of the governorate of Babel.” The declaration of the Sunni Islamic State of Iraq followed the creation of the “Mutayibeen Coalition,” which includes six Anbar tribes, as well as three smaller insurgent groups.
But not all Sunni insurgent groups have united under the banner of al Qaeda’s Islamic State. Sunni tribes and elements of insurgent groups such as the 1920s Revolution Brigade and the Islamic Army in Iraq in Anbar province have formed the Anbar Salvation Council and have fought pitched battles against al Qaeda, the most recent in Amiriya.
Update: The Ministry of the Interior is now claiming the Abdullah Latif al-Jaburi – aka Abu Abdullah – the second in command of the Islamic State of Iraq – has been captured, and not al-Baghdadi.
13 Comments
Getting Baghdadi would be great.
Bill are you also hearing chatter of a possible HVT capture in Afghanistan?
ECH, nothing on Afghanistan. Personally, I don’t see why AQ leaders would leave the safe havens in Waziristan, Bajaur, etc. Pakistan’s arrest of Obaidullah and company is a show IMO.
It is amazing how Pakistan always manages to arrest an HVT around the time a high level offical like Bush or Cheney comes to Pakistan.
Got a Big One, A Very Big One?
Bill Roggio says the US military hasn’t confirmed the arrest…
Hoping we captured him for intel purposes. Would be a great blow.
Regarding Musharraf’s usual obligatory HVT captures after Cheney’s visit. It appears there may be a squeeze play going on from the Pashtun tribal leaders who called for NATO forces along with their meeting in Jalalabad.
I’m curious to see the next installment of discussion at CFR. Ms. Gannon offered up much criticism with not many solutions. And she mistakenly did not differentiate between short and long term goals.
Washington had no choice after 9/11 during an immediate reaction but to utilize Musharraf. Obviously Washington long term would want to encourage a civilian government that breaks from hardliners and zealots. But what is desired and hoped for is not always pragmatic at the time.
In Dec. 2006 Musharraf when asked by Times of India journalist said he would not allow Bhutto or Sharif back in the election polls since a court convicted them. Some are pushing heavily Bhutto as a civilian return. And while he hinted he wanted a moderate government to take over in 2007/08, he referred to the polling as the “Mother of all Elections” a term he affectionately lifted from… yes, you guessed it, Saddam Hussein. Musharraf has an odd sense of humor? Or is there something more sinister in this man’s mind?
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Im_not_scared_of_anybody_Musharraf/articleshow/730465.cms
It will be interesting to watch developments with the Pashtun. The tribal areas eventually will have to come under control of legitimate governence or forever be a haven for criminals, thugs, drug runners, terrorist and those who live off of them and finance them.
The question that comes to mind. Does this lead to eventual war with the Pashtuns and Pakistan’s ISI and military? Is NATO ready for such a predicament? Or will Musharraf see the light?
Question: Besides his nomme de guerre (Abu Omar al Baghdadi), and some reports that he’s from the Quraishi tribe, is there any info on his background? It was my impression that his identity was basically a mystery to the news media and the public face of the military.
I hadn’t seen any. Whether he’s a cleric, a tribal sheikh, an Al Qaeda veteran, a jihadist convert formerly of Saddam’s regime, or just some shopkeeper from Haifa Street.
The article makes the claim that the man captured is Muharib Mohammed Abdullah and is a former legal expert from Balad, but that is all info I hadn’t previously seen in describing al Baghdadi.
Great news if its true.
Since December, US and the allies really have done a great job of diminishin gthe terror leadership around the world.
About the HVP in Afghanistan…. I would hope for and expect an update from the Blotter this coming week.
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Report: Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of Islamic State of Iraq, captured
Courtesy of The Fourth Rail:
Unconfirmed report indicates Bagdadi captured in Salahadin province
Iraqi security forces are reporting that Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of al-Qaeda’s political front organization the Islamic State of Iraq, ha…
Michael —
NATO for all practical purposes does not exist any more than the Holy Roman Empire. NATO in Afghanistan consists of the US, and a small contingent of Brits who fight. The rest sit around and have tea with the Taliban rather than fight them (the Dutch) or specifically avoid combat (all the others).
The French Defense minister at a NATO meeting where the need for more helicopters was discussed picked up a model helicopter and sneered “here is your helicopter.”
As a force capable of mustering military capability to fight and defeat enemy forces NATO does not exist. The Brits are cutting their RN, RA, and RAF to the bone, and the rest could not fight their way out of a wet paper bag.
Success or failure in Afghanistan depends entirely on the US Military (and support at home).
Already Leftists are seizing upon allegations of civilians shot near the Pakistan border in an ambush of Marines by the Taliban. Supposedly AP photographers tried to take pictures of the dead and had the photos deleted etc.
Expect the organized campaign of the Taliban / Al Qaeda plus leftists and the Media to start up on Afghanistan, manufacture allegations of “war crimes” and call for a retreat in the face of the “unbeatable” Taliban and Al Qaeda. This is a well-worn playbook that’s worked in Vietnam, is working in Iraq, and will very likely work in Afghanistan.
I’ll remind you Michael the Prodi Government fell over the question of Italy’s participation in Afghanistan. NATO is nothing more than an obsolete joke.
Thank god for our men and women in uniform.
Now, for the purpose I stopped by was to post another story. It appears Maliki is going forward with those changes in cabinets – hopefully.
And there’s talk of charges against corrupt officials as well.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/4600240.html
Hope he’s serious in holding corrupt officials accountable. If he does, Iraqis will have a chance. Its a start, clear out the garbage.
Times they are a changin…
Jim,
Yep, aware NATO is NATO-INO for the most part. I think Germany refuses to fire on the enemy. Great.
Canadians, Australians are kicking butt. NATO is strategically important still. Remember, many in the Italians and Spanish forces were not happy with their civilian governments choices.
I’ve been to Italy. There’s a fierce bunch there wanting to kick butt. They’re not all leftist or socialist.
What many in Europe are going thru is a decadent period, God is dead group. But there are many faithful. And Eastern Europe understands it all to well.
The problem is their media. Government owned most of it. It is far worse than ours in many ways. And many still depend on TV are locked out from hearing any good news.
I see signs of hope from younger generation reporting on the net, just like here.
They need our prayers too. And yes, God Bless and protect our troops. And may he raise up new leaders who hear clearly his voice to do what is right.
“… his arrest would signal that U.S. and Iraqi intelligence is penetrating al-Qaeda in Iraq’s security. ”
Good to see that there is such a thing as an “Iraqi intelligence”, after all. They used to be called the Mokhaberat and they knew how to find bomb makers and trouble makers.
But today, we hear “Iraqi intelligence” means some desk job at the Ministry of Interior, modelled after the FBI, and which is effectively run by Dawa, SCIRI, and Sadr.
The only way to bring security to Iraq is to empower an Iraqi intelligence service that can swiftly go to the heart of the matter, and unlike its Pakistani counterpart, does not cater to the Islamists, but would be a deadly secular force. The reluctance of American officials to embrace this idea is baffling, and points to some deep seated disonance in US policies for a secure Iraq.
This is not simply a matter of budget and training and time (to create an effective Mokhaberat). This is a matter of strategic military philosophy.