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October 11, 2008 10:12:53 PM CDT

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Diary of a Bitter al-Qaeda Leader

Posted Feb 10, 08 12:49 PM CST in World 

(Newser) – Al-Qaeda’s once indomitable force in Iraq is suffering from diminished ranks and low resources: That’s the word not from US generals but from one of the insurgent group’s leaders. In a bitter 16-page diary, Abu Tariq blasts former members who deserted al-Qaeda to join American forces. “We were mistreated, cheated, and betrayed by some of our brothers,” the emir wrote.

Tariq, whose army dwindled from 600 to about 20, also cataloged the names of loyal tribesmen, al-Qaeda’s weapons arsenal, and how it financed missions. The US military will use the diary to launch a new al-Qaeda offensive, the Washington Post reports. “The information part of this conflict is as vital as the armed element of it,” said an official.

Source Washington Post

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Members of an armed group of local citizens jubilate while patrolling the streets of north Baghdad's Azamiyah neighborhood, Iraq. Armed groups of local citizens, the so-called "Awakening councils", have...   (Associated Press)
Members of the Sunni Awakening council of Baqouba take positions after closing their offices, in Baqouba, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 8, 2008. In a 16-page diary, Abu Tariq, an al-Qaeda leader, bitterly blasts...   (Associated Press)
Members of the Sunni Awakening council of Baqouba take positions after closing their offices, in Baqouba, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 8, 2008. In a 16-page diary, Abu Tariq, an al-Qaeda leader, bitterly blasts...   (Associated Press)
Armed groups of local citizens, the so-called "Awakening councils", have sprouted up in communities across Iraq, where members swear allegiance to Iraq's U.S.-backed government and disavow militants....   (Associated Press)
Members of an armed group of local citizens secure the perimeter from a rooftop in north Baghdad's Azamiyah neighborhood, Iraq. Armed groups of local citizens, the so-called "Awakening councils", have...   (Associated Press)
US commanders have recovered the bitter diaries of an al-Qaeda commander, Abu Tariq, who detailed the insurgent group's decline in Iraq.   (Gettty Images)
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Iraq  • al-Qaeda  • US military  • insurgents  • Sunnis  • Awakening Councils


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