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| Iraq |
| Locals Clean Out Mosques |
| 2007-08-06 |
| Fed-up with violent and indiscriminate terror tactics, a group of more than 80 residents of the Adhamiyah District on the east side of the Iraqi capital banded together to oust suspected terrorists from a local mosque Aug. 5. This is outstanding! The uprising led to a string of events over the next 12 hours that ultimately resulted in the arrest of 44 suspected terrorists and the capture of three weapons caches. The initial take-over of the Abu Hanifa Mosque occurred at approximately 2 p.m., apparently triggered by news that terrorists had murdered two relatives of a prominent local sheik. As the news spread, angry residents joined the sheik to storm the mosque, long-believed to be a sanctuary for terrorists operating in the area, and ousted the suspected terrorists inside from the building. Iraqi Army troops from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 11th Infantry Division responded quickly to control the situation and secure the area around the mosque. Residents led them to several individuals among those ousted from the mosque, who were suspected of being involved in terrorist activities. Thirteen suspects were eventually detained. After order was restored, the Iraqi Army received a tip about a weapons cache hidden in the vicinity of the mosque. At approximately 7 p.m., Iraqi forces returned to the Abu Hanifa Mosque and uncovered a massive illegal weapons cache in an outside courtyard. The cache contained several already-assembled improvised explosive devices, dynamite, mortars, rockets, landmines, bomb-making materials and various weapons. Shortly after midnight, acting on information volunteered by Adhamiyah residents, Iraqi forces and Coalition Forces from the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, attached to the 82nd Airborne DivisionÂ’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, mounted a combined cordon and search operation of the Al Assaf Mosque in the nearby Maghrib neighborhood. The mosque was entered and cleared by the Iraqi Soldiers, who took three suspects into custody. Immediately afterwards, Iraqi and U.S. forces returned to the Abu Hanifa Mosque area to investigate reports of additional weapons caches. Iraqi soldiers again entered the building to search the mosque compound and the cemetery behind it. They discovered two more weapons caches, which contained two IEDs, 16 mortars, two hand grenades, a sniper rifle, remote detonation devices, radios and more than a dozen weapons. Twenty-eight suspects were taken into custody. |
| Posted by:Chuck Simmins |
| #18 Better late than never is bad news to the last innocent lost... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-08-06 19:27 |
| #17 It takes good people doing the right things to keep this world right. Judging by how mankind has managed to survive and progress over hundreds of millenia, it appears as though the vast majority of humans tend to do the right thing. That much cannot be said for Islam. It brings about so much death, abuse, cruelty and stagnation that there is little—if anything—that redeems it. Sadly, it took the murder of a popular neighborhood leader to motivate some cleanup at the mosque, even though it was "long-believed to be a sanctuary for terrorists operating in the area". These people needlessly countenanced terrorists in their presence for quite a while before acting. While their actions are laudable, their timing still raises other questions. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-06 17:35 |
| #16 It takes good people doing the right things to keep this world right. If you keep your mouth shut and sit on your hands you are not assisting society or humanity. There is a time and place for all things - and sometimes it is necessary to take a hard choice action. Even if you put yourself in personal danger or break a man made law. There are three types of laws. Only one need be obeyed. |
| Posted by: CB 2007-08-06 17:07 |
| #15 It takes good people doing the right things to keep this world right. If you keep your mouth shut and sit on your hands you are not assisting society or humanity. There is a time and place for all things - and sometimes it is necessary to take a hard choice action. Even if you put yourself in personal danger or break a man made law. There are three types of laws. Only one need be obeyed. |
| Posted by: CB 2007-08-06 17:07 |
| #14 Perhaps some friendlies can be issued M202A1 FLASH kits for their cleanup crews. |
| Posted by: Steven 2007-08-06 15:43 |
| #13 Sometimes I think there might be hope for Iraq. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-08-06 15:28 |
| #12 http://www.magnacartaplus.org/briefings/nine_police_principles.htm Anonymoose see Princple 7 above |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2007-08-06 13:06 |
| #11 Iraq has pretty conclusively proven the high value of "every man being a lawman" in making a strong and safe society. This is not vigilantism, but the radical notion that real security is in the hands of the people, with policemen as just their proxies. In the civilized West, this concept has been strongly discouraged, the insistence that people rely totally on the police to enforce the law--even forbidding people to protect themselves--but it is a false security. Iraq will truly find peace only when every person who sees a crime or criminal takes it upon themselves to do something, anything, about it, not just ignore it and walk away. And that is a lesson the civilized West needs to relearn. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-08-06 12:44 |
| #10 Rodger on that rattlesnake. Throw in a coupla skorpeens an' a black widow spider too... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-08-06 12:18 |
| #9 I'd rather have the pet rattlesnake. |
| Posted by: Squinty Ulineting8047 2007-08-06 12:15 |
| #8 These shitbags are like having a pet rattlesnake. Bwahahahahaha!!! When they're done whacking each other, they'll be back to whacking our people. Lest anyone forget, this is the bottom line. Period. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-06 11:31 |
| #7 "terrorists had murdered two relatives of a prominent local sheik" This is what's really turning the tide. These shitbags are like having a pet rattlesnake. Sooner or later the snake thinks, what the hell, there's no one else around to bite. After offing too many relatives of those very Sunni sheiks who were providing the protection, these idjits piss them off and get terminated or turned over. Just Muzz on Muzz action. We shouldn't take any credit in the results. When they're done whacking each other, they'll be back to whacking our people. |
| Posted by: Woozle Elmeter2970 2007-08-06 11:26 |
| #6 Out-fucking-STANDING! |
| Posted by: Albemarle Glulet4077 2007-08-06 10:43 |
| #5 More and faster please. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-08-06 10:29 |
| #4 PS: Great catch, Chuck! We need this sort of news more often. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-06 10:22 |
| #3 You've got a pretty high threshold for opening pretty cheap booze. Sorry you weren't at the Rantapalooza. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-08-06 10:22 |
#2  Almost six years too late but still a refreshing and welcome change. Please let me know when this happens in every major city around the world. Then I might have some hope for a reformed Islam's survival. Three cheers for the good and worthy citizens of the Adhamiyah District. They have my deep respect. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-06 10:21 |
| #1 When we hear about this sort of thing happening in KSA, pakiwakiland and Oakland, CA mosques, it might be time for 1 bottle of cheap champagne in celebration... |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-08-06 09:47 |