Iraqis Deny al-Qaida Fighting U.S. Troops (US propaganda)

[Nambe]

RAMADI, Iraq (AP)

Senior American political and military officials are sending a message that violence against U.S. soldiers in Iraq is increasingly the work of foreign fighters — by implication, Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network — but Iraqis and American officers on the ground say the evidence is stronger that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) loyalists are behind most attacks.

The U.S. officers blamed the persistent resistance on disgruntled Iraqis or officials of Saddam's Baath Party who lost out when his regime crumbled. Iraqis say American heavy- handedness in conducting searches and making arrests were recruiting local people to the insurgency. --

In the past week, the Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff; Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq; and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz all have made statements suggesting foreign terrorists were an increasing problem for American forces.

"Iraq now is the central battle in the war on terrorism," Wolfowitz — one of the administration's leading hawks — declared on Fox television. ---

"They are claiming there are al-Qaida fighters in order to justify to their people their invasion and occupation of Iraq," said Sheik Diyab Younis Zo'ebi, 62, a tribal leader in Fallujah, about 18 miles east of Ramadi.

"We and al-Qaida are two opposite things. Bin Laden (fighters) cannot come into Iraq ... because we will not let them. They are enemies of our religion," he said.

Abdel-Karim Jabar Salman, a staff officer in Saddam's Republican Guard, said that if the Americans had captured attackers who belong to al-Qaida, "Why haven't they paraded them on television?" ---

[LauraK]

1. The more they try to justify this war, the deeper they sink.

They will be forced out before the oil plays off, one way or another.

[0rganism]

2. Newthink: anyone who stands up to the GOP agenda is Al Qaeda

Object to domestic spying? You must be Al Qaeda.

Don't like American imperialism? Say hi to Osama for me.

Growing marijuana for terminal cancer patients? Terrorist!

You want the FDA to label GMOs? Holy crap, have a nice jihad already.

And so on.

[whoYaCallinAlib]

3. Well, call me "Al Qaeda" cuz I'm not buying into this GOP agenda.

They can all kiss my "Al Qaeda" ass if they don't like it.

[Kucinich04]

4. Oh, Come On Now!

Hey, An(dy) Coulter has already informed all of us that such McCarthyism is nothing but a lie-beral myth. Are you questioning the definitive writings of Professor Coulter, here?