Things the BBC forgot to mention # 5,964,312

http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2007/03/one-thing-al-qaeda-excels-at-making-new.html

According to this Iraqi blogger,

"With this series of dirty chemical bombings a war between al-Qaeda and the tribes in Anbar is no longer a possibility. It just became a fact.I've read at least two very optimistic reports from al-Almada in the last week about purported victories of the tribes and police over al-Qaeda in Ramadi and Fallujah. I was reluctant to trust the accuracy of the reports which sited unnamed sources but now seeing the reaction of al-Qaeda suggests that the action of the tribes was so painful that al-Qaeda retaliated in the way we see today."

Funny how this very important aspect of the multi-partite war going on in Iraq has completely escaped the notice and/or interest of the BBC. Some US officers who have learned in detail over the last four years the cultural and political factors that drive both the insurgency and day-to-day politics in Iraq have been talking about the tribes-vs-al qaeda potential conflict for at least a year, yet the MSM have completely ignored it. When I heard the first report about the chemical weapon attacks (which have received virtually no special condemnation from the MSM let it be noted), my thought was that this was punishment. The randomness of gas and the fact that it is instantly recognised as an escalation screams that Al Qaeda will do pretty much anything to get their way. As the Iraqi blogger points out, Al Qaeda are superb at alienating even their natural allies due to their unflinching sadism.

Forgotten in the MSM narrative of disaster and failure in Iraq is how Al Qaeda will be percieved all round the world should they fail in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even for an organisation better at spinning its PR than any organisation based on Madison Avenue, the stigma of defeat will be tremendous. Al Qaeda have trumpeted this location as the epicentre of its (supposedly) titanic struggle against the Great Satan. Failure here means worldwide embarrassment and humiliation. I don't expect it to fold up its operations and disband, but its recruiting in many of the more marginal Muslim areas will decline precipitously I'm predicting.