Saturday, June 19, 2004

Hearts and Minds

It is being widely reported that A U.S. air strike in the Iraq city of Fallujah has killed at least 18 and as many as 24 Iraqis. It is being reported that women and children are amongst those killed.

The strike was ostensbly an effort to kill Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - who may or may not be linked to al-Qaeda. As we've reported previously, al-Zarqawi's group, Jamaat al-Tawhid wa'l-Jihad, was at odds with bin Laden's al-Qaeda, and a member proclaimed that al-Zarqawi's group was created to be an alternative terrorist group for "Jordanian's not wanting to join al-Qaeda."

The U.S. military hasn't said anything that I can find as of posting time that would lead one to believe that al-Zarqawi or any of his people were killed in the strike.

Stating the obvious, this is likely to further inflame anti-U.S. sentiment ahead of the 'transfer of sovereignty' to Iraq on 30 June.

It doesn't matter how we perceive this event. What matters most is how Iraqis and the Arab Street views this operation, and how they will respond.

I read the English version of Islam Online to get a perspective that the U.S. corporate media simply will not be allowed to broadcast.

A breaking story without any link I can find is that Iraqi women are marching to show support of Moktada al-Sadr.

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Random bs.

I think the U.S. should abolish the oxymoron: smart bomb

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