Friday, September 12, 2008

Stick a fork in AQI

...they're done. Even they admit as much:
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant has conveyed leaders' dissatisfaction with al Qaeda's operations in Iraq, according to the U.S. military, which says it has uncovered letters authored by the terror outfit's No. 2 man.

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Complaints revolve around the group's recruiting efforts, poor communication between al Qaeda central and al Qaeda in Iraq, ineffective and dishonest propaganda techniques, and the growing difficulty in moving "assets" from other countries into Iraq.

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"[Al-Zawahiri] was concerned he wasn't getting any regular updates on Iraq. He wasn't getting any regular communication from al-Masri," Perkins said. "He was very dissatisfied with the quality of recruits they were getting to conduct operations in Iraq."

When you can't recruit, can't communicate, can't propagandize, and can't get supplies, as an insurgent group you pretty much fail. The military aspect of the Iraq war is pretty much over and has been for more than a few months. Of course, there are still major political issues to be resolved by the Iraqis that could majorly screw things up if they aren't addressed properly (namely, getting the central government to stop f**king over the SoI Sunnis). Still, seeing that even the AQ higher-ups agree that AQI sucks is a good thing.

h/t: the good LT.