How Al Qaeda Gained A Foothold In Iraq

How Al Qaeda Terrorized Its Way Back in Iraq -- Max Boot, Wall Street Journal

As the country edges closer to civil war, much of the blame goes to Prime Minister Maliki—and the White House.

The climactic battles of the American War in Iraq were fought in Anbar Province, with U.S. forces at great cost retaking the city of Fallujah at the end of 2004 and Ramadi, the provincial capital, in 2006-07. The latter success was sparked by an unlikely alliance with tribal fighters that turned around what had been a losing war effort and made possible the success of what became known as "the surge." By 2009, violence had fallen more than 90%, creating an unexpected opportunity to build a stable, democratic and prosperous country in the heart of the Middle East.

It is now obvious that this opportunity has been squandered, with tragic consequences for the entire region. In recent days the Iraqi army appears to have been pushed, at least temporarily, out of Fallujah and Ramadi by al Qaeda in Iraq militants. A battle is raging for control of Anbar Province with some tribal fighters supporting the government and others AQI. Mosul, the major city of northern Iraq and a longtime hotbed of AQI activity, could be next to fall. If it does, AQI would gain effective control of the Sunni Triangle, an area north and west of Baghdad the size of New England.

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My Comment: This was all predictable .... and I am blaming the Iraqi government for this debacle. And while it would easy to blame President Obama .... the fact is that U.S. influence is severely limited in Iraq .... especially now where the perception in the Middle East is that the U.S. is withdrawing from the region.

Update: Some do not share the perception that Al Qaeda is becoming stronger in the Middle East.