Peace Like A River


It was a wide river, mistakable for a lake or even an ocean unless you'd been wading and knew its current. Somehow I'd crossed it... Now I saw the stream regrouped below, flowing on through what might've been vineyards, pastures, orhards... It flowed between and alongside the rivers of people; from here it was no more than a silver wire winding toward the city. - Leif Enger, Peace Like A River

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Another facilitator taken

Coalition Forces have captured a facilitator of foreign fighters. This one is Abu Ahmed, the al Qaeda in Iraq Emir of Sadah. He was responsible for all terrorist operations in Sadah.

(And don't overlook the fact that "numerous terrorists and foreign fighters" were also detained. There will be some good intelligence coming out of this group.)

According to this MNF press release:

Abu Ahmed, as one of the five senior al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist leaders in the al Qaim region, which includes Husaybah, Karabilah, Sadah, Ubaydi, and al Qaim, was connected to numerous al Qaeda in Iraq senior terrorist leaders. He admitted associations, as well as conducting coordinated terrorist operations, with other senior terrorists and foreign fighters in the region. These senior terrorists were responsible for all terrorist and foreign fighter activities in the region to include the smuggling of foreign fighters into the al Qaim region from Syria.


Note that he was captured on November 7. The fact that we are hearing about this today, November 16, is not an accident, or an oversight. The fact this capture has been kept under wraps for over a week likely means Coalition Forces were trying to get as much information out of Abu Ahmed as they could, using secrecy to preserve the ability to act on the information. It is quite possible Abu Ahmed divulged information that led to other raids in the last week, raids we have not yet heard about.

Sadah is smack in the middle of the area where Operation Steel Curtain is taking place. With the large scale operations taking place in Husaybah, Karabilah and Ubaydi, it is quite possible Abu Ahmed's capture resulted in raids in Sadah during this same period. We shall see what CentCom releases in coming days. (For a good map of the area, see Bill Roggio's map here.)

Abu Ahmed is the first facilitator actually captured in some time. There have been a number of facilitators killed, as I have been tracking in this table.


FacilitatorKilled inDate killed
Abu AliJaramilSept 7
The SheikUbaydiSept 10
Abu NasirUshshSept 26
Abu DuaUshshOct 26
Abu MahmudHusaybahOct 28
Abu Sa'udUbaydiOct 29
Abu AsilHusaybahOct 29
Abu UmarUbaydiOct 31
Abu AsimHusaybahNov 2
AsadallahHusaybahNov 2

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home