ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) have demonstrated on the streets of Basra over the course of the last month that the rule of the law exists. Basra will be settled soon and this may actually be the tipping point in what continues to be a long struggle, and will persist as such.
A more recent development is the emerging rift within Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda's chief strategist, Ayman Zawahiri, felt compelled to solicit online questions and he responded. In a more than an hour and a half statement, Bin Laden's second-in-command tried to defuse the growing anger in the ranks.
Typical of the rift with AQ circles is the statement of Saudi cleric Salman Awdah who sent an open letter to Bin Laden in September. Awdah condemned violence against innocents and said Al Qaeda was hurting Muslim charities by its purported ties to them.
Along the same lines, the list of defectors is growing. In London this week, former extremists launched the Quilliam Foundation, an organization dedicated to discrediting Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists.
And finally, the U.S. military could not confirm a report that Izzat Ibrahim al Douri is in custody. Douri was Hussein's right hand man.
And last but not least U.S. troops killed 15 Mahdi Army fighters during clashes in Baghdad. Iraqi security forces captured three Mahdi Army fighters and seized weapons during sweeps in Basrah. Coalition forces killed one al Qaeda operative and detained five during raids north of Mosul. Iraqi troops detained two al Qaeda leaders in Mosul.
Blog Smith is inspired by the myth of Hephaestus in the creation of blacksmith-like, forged materials: ideas. This blog analyzes topics that interest me: IT, politics, technology, history, education, music, and the history of religions.