War on Terror Update

This post dedicated to my personal friends who are now serving in Iraq and elsewhere

Map of Success and Failure (Courtesy of Gateway Pundit)

The big news tonight is President Bush's speech to the nation about the war in Iraq. Iraq has been a success with one critical flaw- Greater Baghdad. In the north the Kurds crushed the Baathists and Ansar al Islam (al Qaeda's Kurdish branch), in the south the British are doing a good job keeping Badr militia and al Sadr's Mahdi militia separate for the most part.

The failure has been Baghdad where al Qaeda in Iraq has battled al Sadr's Mahdi militia in a contest to score the most civilian causalities. After failing to engage al Qaeda during the First Battle of Fallujah, the US/Iraqi alliance has changed course starting with the Second Battle of Fallujah and been constantly wearing Sunni insurgents down. With the Shiite al Sadr things have been different. Twice al Sadr has engaged, lost, and yet been allowed to rebuild his army. This has allowed al Sadr to wage an indirect war against the US and the Iraqi government. It has also made him a target of envy to the Sunnis who see him as Satan's pawn.

Hopefully things are going to change. Bush's plan is to "surge" into Baghdad, mop up the loose confederation of al Qaeda and its allies, and finally destroy al Sadr he does not disarm as warned.

But the War on Terrorism continues on many fronts. After suffering defeat, Islamists in Somalia are on the run with their al Qaeda allies being bombed from the air. It might be possible that the resumption of peace talks in Darfur, Sudan are due to renewed American interest in fighting Islamism in Africa. The Chinese are fighting the East Turkestan Islamic Movement who have been known to send fighters to Afghanistan and Iraq. Elsewhere the battle in the Philippines continues as terrorists bomb public gathering places.

In the Middle East continues along. The often ignored war in Palestine between Hamas and Fatah continues to kill more Palestinians. Meanwhile Hezbollah enjoys fruits of its victory, ruin, while Druzes, Sunnis, and Christians try to move on in Lebanon.

Finally a message to all those who wish to hurt my friends