Mr. Zarqawi’s Neighborhood
A change in strategy: Al-Qaeda in Iraq appears to be taking a page directly out of the US Army Counterinsurgency Field Manual. David Dryer writes:
Mohammed at Last-of-Iraqis recently reported on rumors that al Qaeda’s Iraqi iteration is fighting the battle of hearts and minds in the predominantly Sunni Adhamiya neighborhood of Baghdad (Recall that Adhamiya is the controversially walled-off neighborhood of Baghdad), presumably trying to win back the love they’ve lost through so much brutality.
According to Mohammed, al Qaeda is doing a few things: first, distributing fliers claiming that the group promotes ethnic reconciliation (don’t confuse this with other al Qaeda efforts to literally and figuratively “break down barriers,†when they participated in Sunni protests against the Baghdad wall — their motive then was to stay within striking distance of Shia neighborhoods). Second, they’ve been passing out cash, as part of what is apparently an Eid Al Fotor tradition. Last, they’ve been doing small jobs around Adhamiya to encourage shuttered shops to reopen.
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3 Responses to “Mr. Zarqawi’s Neighborhood”
You mean the same manual that found its way onto the internet?
hmm….if it looks suspicious…it muet BE suspicious.
Providing social services has worked so well for groups like Hezbollah, I’m surprised AQ in Iraq hasn’t adopted the tactic sooner.
It just gets more and more complex. I’m amazed that anyone would feel able to forecast what this means for the future.
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