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| Iraq |
| Insurgents offer to halt attacks in Iraq |
| 2006-06-28 |
| Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks — including those on American troops — if the United States agrees to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq in two years, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Withdrawal is the centerpiece of a set of demands from the groups, which operate north of Baghdad in the heavily Sunni Arab provinces of Salahuddin and Diyala. Although much of the fighting has been to the west, those provinces are increasingly violent and attacks there have crippled oil and commerce routes. The groups who've made contact have largely shunned attacks on Iraqi civilians, focusing instead on the U.S.-led coalition forces. Their offer coincides with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's decision to reach out to the Sunni insurgency with a reconciliation plan that includes an amnesty for fighters. The Islamic Army in Iraq, Muhammad Army and the Mujahedeen Shura Council — the umbrella group that covers eight militant groups including al-Qaida in Iraq — were not party to any offers to the government. Naseer al-Ani, a Sunni Arab politician and official with the largest Sunni political group, the Iraqi Islamic Party, said that al-Maliki should encourage the process by guaranteeing security for those making the offer and not immediately reject their demands. "The government should prove its goodwill and not establish red lines," al-Ani said. "If the initiative is implemented in a good way, 70 percent of the insurgent groups will respond positively." Al-Maliki, in televised remarks Wednesday, did not issue an outright rejection of the timetable demand. But he said it was unrealistic, because he could not be certain when the Iraqi army and police would be strong enough to make a foreign presence unnecessary for Iraq's security. In Washington, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said that President Bush's "view has been and remains that a timetable is not something that is useful. It is a signal to the enemies that all you have to do is just wait and it's yours. "The goal is not to trade something off for something else to make somebody happy, the goal is to succeed," he said. Rest at link. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #13 Oh, and of course, GPS coordinates would be an acceptable substitute if the Wiley's have any reluctance to giving addresses. |
| Posted by: Kristine Kid 2006-06-28 23:52 |
| #12 Mr Besoeker, Please, add "mug shot" to your fine list. Red cross hairs can be added later. |
| Posted by: Kristine Kid 2006-06-28 23:48 |
| #11 Sorry Iblis, for saying the same thing as you. But as you know, you are right on. |
| Posted by: plainslow 2006-06-28 23:25 |
| #10 What's sad, is we would of left last year if they did this then. But they are like the Palestinians. Hurt me so Good, should be thier motto. |
| Posted by: plainslow 2006-06-28 22:39 |
| #9 WELLLLL, from what I hear ole al-Maliki kinda likes us around. So I bet he told them to not let the door hit them on the butt on the way out and to quit wasting his time.......and next time you clog up his appointment calendar, take a bath and have something meaningful to say. I wonder if he asked them for a mailing address or a cell phone number? |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2006-06-28 20:45 |
| #8 Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks — including those on American troops — if the United States agrees to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq in two years The US response should be favorable, pending receipt of the Sunni insurgent group's member names, addresses, telephone numbers, and weapons. A great deal can happen in 2 years. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2006-06-28 19:43 |
| #7 Terrs are reading off Democratic talking points. Period! |
| Posted by: Lancasters Over Dresden 2006-06-28 19:37 |
| #6 Sounds like a Palestinian hudna to me. Remember what happened in Vietnam? North Vietnam negotiated a ceasefire. We left. Saigon fell just over 2 years later. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2006-06-28 19:31 |
| #5 Damn, smellz like Napalm in the morning! |
| Posted by: 6 2006-06-28 19:29 |
| #4 Beg. Not offer, beg. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-06-28 19:22 |
| #3 We'd leave a lot sooner if they just stopped now. And they know it. So this is a bunch of crap. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2006-06-28 19:22 |
| #2 If I was cynical, I'd say that the numerous anti-American interests, internal and external, calling for a withdrawal timetable were, y'know, colluding. |
| Posted by: flyover 2006-06-28 19:01 |
| #1 Actions speak louder than words. Just stop it, assholes. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-06-28 18:56 |