The Cool Blue Blog

Who you kidding?

Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri released a video tape to their Information Ministry al Jazeera yesterday in an effort to show that we missed him when we attacked a compound in Pakistan.

He also took the opportunity to tell America that we are losing the War On Terrorism

“My second message is to the American people, who are drowning in illusions. I tell you that Bush and his gang are shedding your blood and wasting your money in frustrated adventures...”

Hmmm. Funny, and maybe it's just me, but Zawahri looks like Baghdad Bob in the new video.

More at the Counterterrorism Blog

Public Service

U.S., Coalition Efforts Helping Improve Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

   

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2006 – Humanitarian efforts continue in Afghanistan as coalition forces helped remove snow from impassable roads and built "hygiene facilities" at a small school. In addition, international diplomats visited a provincial reconstruction team Jan. 21.

U.S. troops from Task Force Sword have stepped in to help clear roads that are nearly impossible because of snow and ice, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials said.

"It's a joint effort between the (U.S.) military, Afghan government and contractors hired by the provincial reconstruction teams," Lt. Col. Jud Cook, Task Force Sword deputy commander, said today.

This joint team has successfully cleared roads in Sharona, Orgun-E and various forward operating bases around Afghanistan. Task Force Sword has used equipment from its road construction projects to clear the ice and snow. By next month, the task force also will have 20 sand and salt spreaders attached to 5-ton trucks to help clear the roads.

The snow and ice removal helps accomplish the military mission by allowing trucks to travel to remote locations. It also makes these same roads available to civilian and commercial traffic, Cook said.

In Uruzgan province, Afghan construction workers completed male and female hygiene facilities and a fresh water well at a local boy's school in central Afghanistan over the past week. U.S. forces funded the projects, which cost more than $30,000 and employed eight Afghans for a period of two months. The hygiene facilities were built over existing hot springs, allowing local residents to enjoy hot water in a building where electric water heaters are not available.

"The construction of these facilities not only provided jobs and much needed currency for the local residents, but they also show the Afghan people that coalition and U.S. forces are here to help," said Army Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, Combined Joint Task Force 76 spokesman.

More then 90 construction and renovation projects are currently under way in the Uruzgan province, totaling more than $6 million.

Diplomats from around the world visited the provincial reconstruction team in Panjshir province Jan. 21 to witness reconstruction efforts of Combined Joint Task Force 76 and the newest PRT. Before visiting the Panjshir PRT, CJTF 76 commander Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya briefed government officials from 13 nations and the European Union about reconstruction projects.

"The day highlighted how coalition military and civilian agencies, whether coalition or not, can and should provide effective mutual support on the security and humanitarian fronts," Richard Smyth, the task force's political adviser, said.

The first of its kind, the Panjshir PRT is a joint effort between the members of CJTF 76 and the U.S. Embassy. Fletcher Burton, a U.S. State Department civilian, is its commander.

"Today we had a very interesting visit to Bagram Airfield and then to Panjshir to see how the American PRT is doing," Regis Koetschet, French Ambassador to Afghanistan, said. "Two months ago, we had a meeting with (CFCA Commander Army Lieutenant) General Karl Eikenberry, and he talked about this new type of PRT here in Panjshir. This was an excellent opportunity to see how it worked on the ground.

"The visit was a good opportunity to see this new type of integration of military and civilian agencies," Koetschet said. "I'm quite impressed by this new type of PRT."

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.)

File your complaint with God

It seems that now that Hamas is in charge of the Palestinian Territories, they've become the butt of Palestinian jokes, which must be disheartening for a group that has previously exuded shadowy machismo.

A slew of jokes circulating among Palestinians following Hamas' landslide election victory reflects concerns that the fundamentalist group will impose Islamic law and social codes across the West Bank and Gaza.

As one goes, all police stations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been ordered shut because all complaints must now be filed directly to God.

It seems the jokes are circulating the cell phone circuit. Hamas has rushed to quell the rumor that they intend to impose Islamic Law on the generally secular society

"Rest assured we don't impose our thoughts on anyone," Hamas leader Khaled Maashal said Saturday in the Syrian capital, Damascus. "We will present our thoughts to our people and they have the right to choose."

Yeah, that's been their track record alright, not trying to impose themselves on anyone (but the State of Israel, that is). Yet, for probably the first time in their existence, they are considered a joke

Mobile phones are abuzz with text messaged jokes prophesying a new police uniform mirroring the short dress and baggy pants worn by the former hardline Taliban rulers of Afghanistan, and a discount on taxes for Christians who convert to Islam within a week.

Speeding ticket? Pay for it with extra prayers.   

Q: How many terrorists does it take to change a light bulb?

A: With or without an AK-47?

Evil hates to be laughed at

Women's Work

Women working for women's welfare<

By Denise Calabria
Gulf Region Division
Army Corps of Engineers

Baghdad, Iraq - While dirt-covered construction workers toil to rebuild Iraq’s decimated infrastructure, two Iraqi-born women more accustomed to “basic black with pearls”, are busy erecting a different type of foundation for their female counterparts in Iraq. Their work may take place out of the limelight, yet both are highly determined in their endeavors and dedicated to realizing their goals.

The first woman, Dr. Azhar Al-Shakhly leads the Iraqi State Ministry for Woman Affairs. The previous government established the office that, unlike most ministries, does not have a budget.

The other woman, Azza Humadi is the Women’s Issue Coordinator for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Gulf Region Division (GRD). Through the GRD’s work funded with Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) monies, many Iraqi women-owned businesses have been highly successful in the Iraq reconstruction efforts. Humadi contributes to this accomplishment and has assumed the lead in establishing an Iraqi women’s database with over 200 registered, women-owned businesses.

She also regularly meets with 250 Iraqi women’s organizations and other non-government offices to enhance women’s participation in Iraq reconstruction. Additionally, she hosted a series of three highly successful Contracting Outreach Conferences and two round-table meetings for women during 2005. The word quickly spread about the Outreach Conferences and participation rose from 120 at the first conference, to more than 400 at the last conference held.

“Traveling out to the Red Zone is not easy for me or anyone else, but you cannot expect people to support and believe in you if you don’t show them that you are willing to take risks for them. I do not believe I can remain within the International Zone if I want to network and develop strong relationships,” said Humadi.

“Seeing the Iraqi women face to face in their own environments makes a huge difference. They want to see how you look and think - and not only via email messages,” she said.

Due to targeted efforts over the past year, over 250 Iraqi women-owned businesses have vetted contracts with GRD for reconstruction work, representing approximately $200 million of construction and non-construction contracts. The contracts range from full-scale engineering design and construction of buildings to digging of wells, to supply of construction and office materials, to custodial services. Each month, women-owned businesses compete for and earn approximately 15 new contracts in Iraq – revealing a pattern of slow-but-steady progress.

In a recent visit to Al-Shakhly’s office, Humadi translated while the official explained that the State Ministry for Woman Affairs’ function is to develop projects and future strategic plans to educate both internal and external audiences about women. Two of its objectives are the education of women and the improvement of laws to help improve Iraqi women’s social and financial standing.

Al-Shakhly’s span of control is limited. Without her own budget, she must rely upon the Minister of Planning to approve her projects. As such, she firmly believes that Iraq needs a Ministry for Woman Affairs. “For the time being, because of the situation of how women are looked at here in Iraq, we need this. We still have many people believing that the woman is less than the man [is] and must be behind him,” said Al-Shakhly.

Iraqi females constitute 61 percent of the country’s total population and Humadi believes that Iraqi women should be both participants in and beneficiaries of Iraqi reconstruction activities. “This is why we have a special program to facilitate the involvement of Iraqi women-owned businesses in the reconstruction process,” she said.

“In addition, we want to assist the capacity development in the Ministry for Woman’s Affairs through internship programs and special training. We would like to see more women in business as well as operating their own businesses and taking leadership positions,” said Humadi.

“These programs help Iraqi women become financially independent.”

Both women admitted that times were not always as difficult for Iraqi women. Iraq appointed its first female judge in the 1950s, and in 1959, the first female Iraqi minister held office. The women said that even into the 1970s, Iraq’s societal roles were much more relaxed and there were mixed clubs, parties, and weddings.

“In the Middle East, sometimes the mentality works against the woman [similar to] the way they used to think in the old days. For us living here in Baghdad, we never had the feeling that society was against women,” said Al-Shakhly. She believes the change spread to Iraq after significant power shifts took place in the Middle East.

Al-Shakhly, however, remains undaunted. She is working on an education project designed to improve literacy for Iraqi women who left school and are too old to go back. The project would target women in the north, south, central, and rural portions of the country and while the Minister of Planning recently approved her proposal, she has not yet received the money. Mobile health care is another of her ideas but that, too, requires funds.

Al-Shakhly admits to worrying about the potential for “brain drain” if younger, educated Iraqis choose to leave their homeland.

“I consider myself the mother of Iraq,” the trained lawyer and mother of three sons said, “so I would offer the following advice to those thinking of leaving the country.”

“You have to be patient … the same as what happened after the earthquake. Usually, after an earthquake, you have many problems. You must be patient to see it through.”

Feminized

Many have noticed that the male population at Colleges and Universities is shrinking. In fact, today, males

Make up less than 44 percent of America's college population.

It didn't use to be this way. There is no doubt that in the past, females had to work pretty darn hard for academic achievement and culturally they weren't expected to need an education. The cultural changes alone would have helped women succeed academically. But recently the Department of Education released a report which concluded, in part, that

At some point in the early '80s, boys' relative academic records and aspirations took a downward turn.

But now, it seems to me, after putting four children through the school system, that boys are experiencing bias; this time against them. One of the this is that us boys need to run and play and yes, sometimes we have to duke it out. It's an honor thing. Girls wouldn't understand. The educator-authored Stepping Stone Blog points out

Developmentally, boys are generally more impulsive and more active than girls, and the development of school-related skills in boys can lag behind same-age girls by as much as a year. Since most schooling requires large blocks of time where children must remain seated, or quiet, or listen and follow directions,  boys often struggle in school. (Boys are also more likely to be harshly disciplined by teachers and parents, according to the authors.) Since schools are also scaling back or eliminating recess entirely (such as at my school and other schools in Chicago-- I recently read that 70% of the public schools in Chicago have no recess), boys are denied a much-needed chance to run and play. All of this adds up to the decision by many boys, by the age of ten or twelve, that school is not for them.

When you consider that boys

• Receive the majority of D and F grades given to students in most schools, as high as 70 percent.
• Create 80 percent of classroom discipline problems.
• Account for 80 percent of high school dropouts.
• Represent 70 percent of children diagnosed with learning disabilities and 80 percent of those diagnosed with behavioral disorders.
• Are an average of a year to a year-and-a-half behind girls in reading and writing skills. (Girls are behind boys in math and science, but to a lesser degree.)
• Represent 80 percent of schoolchildren on Ritalin or other medications used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

This last is something I'm familiar with. Teachers didn't want to deal with a high-energy inquisitive boy, my son. So they decided he was hyperactive and wanted him put on Ritalin which we went along with for a while because a doctor said he just might be hyperactive. But once this was done, I began to watch and from my point of view, he was just a boy. So we took him off the drug and looked around for a different school.

My impression after this ordeal was schools were trying to feminize the boys, and perhaps, the world. They are, in my opinion, being feminized. The problem is, boys are boys and can't be feminized. I'm not the only one to notice.

And some are beginning to fight back.

At Milton High School, girls outnumber boys by almost 2 to 1 on the honor roll. In Advanced Placement classes, almost 60 percent of the students are female.

It's not that girls are smarter than boys, said Doug Anglin,  a 17-year-old senior at the high school.

Girls are outperforming boys because the school system favors them, said Anglin, who has filed a federal civil rights complaint contending that his school discriminates against boys.

Among Anglin's allegations: Girls face fewer restrictions from teachers, like being able to wander the hallways without passes, and girls are rewarded for abiding by the rules, while boys' more rebellious ways are punished.

Grading on homework, which sometimes includes points for decorating a notebook, also favor girls, according to Anglin's complaint, filed last month with the US Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.

''The system is designed to the disadvantage of males," Anglin said. ''From the elementary level, they establish a philosophy that if you sit down, follow orders, and listen to what they say, you'll do well and get good grades. Men naturally rebel against this."

And check this

As for assignments, she said, one teacher expects students to type up class notes and decorate their notebooks with glitter and feathers.

''You can't expect a boy to buy pink paper and frills to decorate their notebooks," Little said.

It goes to the core of a guys code of conduct.

Hey folks, listen up. You are not going to get a more peaceful world by turning boys into girls. Not only is it as stupid as believing in Communism, but you fail to consider that even if you succeeded in America, not everyone lives in America.

And while you were out trying to turn boys into girls, girls have started to realize they can kick butt too.

Now whatcha gonna do about that?

"What people don't get to see is how resolute and how determined these courageous Iraqis are"

Tal Afar Has Restored Hope, Life, Commander Says

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

   

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2006<–

The efforts of the U.S. military and Iraqi security forces in Tal Afar, Iraq, have transformed the region from an insurgent hotbed to an area of life and hope with restored security, a U.S. military commander in the area said today.

When the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrived in the region in summer 2005, Tal Afar was a support base that insurgents used to organize, train and equip terrorist cells, the unit's commander, Army Col. H.R. McMaster, said in a live news conference from Tikrit. Insurgents were drawn to the area because of its access to external support through Syria and its tendency toward sectarian conflict, he said.

Insurgents terrorized the people of Tal Afar, making them afraid to cooperate with coalition or Iraqi security forces, McMaster said. An average of five civilians were killed each day, and the insurgents spread anti-coalition propaganda, he said.

"This enemy was particularly brutal, and this enemy had choked the life out of the city," he said.

Through Operation Restoring Rights, conducted between August and October, U.S. and Iraqi forces were able to address main problems in the city and reverse damage insurgents had done, McMaster said.

The first problem addressed was security, McMaster said. Once insurgents were subdued, the entire atmosphere of the city changed and people returned, he said.

Another issue was political participation, McMaster said. It was impossible for the people of Tal Afar to participate in previous elections because of the insurgents, he said. But in the Oct. 15 constitutional referendum and Dec. 15 election, 90 percent of eligible voters went to the polls.

Sectarian violence is ending in Tal Afar, McMaster said. Before the operation, Turkmen Sunnis, who comprise 75 percent of the population, were not able to join the police force because of threats to their families. Now, all citizens work together on a police force that has grown from 150 to 1,765, and the people want to reconcile their differences, he said.

"We began to see the Iraqis taking more and more ownership of this reconciliation process, meeting on their own, for example," he said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces are also restoring basic services to Tal Afar, McMaster said. Before the operation, about 60 percent of the people had electricity and 40 percent had water. Now, virtually all the people have both services, he said.

Statistics can prove success to a certain point, McMaster said, but the most convincing proof is what is only visible to troops on the ground.

"The most tangible thing we can see is the people are happy," he said. "Hope is rekindled; children rush to our soldiers; people spontaneously express their gratitude to us and the Iraqi army. There are bonds of trust, mutual respect and common purpose forming between the Iraqi army and the people."

The success of operations in Tal Afar can be attributed to a few things, McMaster said. Cooperation between Iraqi government leaders, security forces and police created a unity that inspired confidence in the people, he said. "The people of Tal Afar understood that this was an operation for them, an operation to bring back security to the city," he said.

The insurgents' brutality also contributed to U.S. and Iraqi success, because it isolated insurgents from the people and revealed their true intentions of making the city fail, McMaster said.

The operation couldn't have been successful without the discipline, dedication, compassion and endurance of the U.S. soldiers, he said. "Our soldiers ought to be exhausted now, but they're not," he said. "It seems like we're gaining energy every day because we see the difference we are making in real people's lives."

Attacks in Tal Afar have decreased significantly, McMaster said, and the insurgents are no longer organized and can't move freely. Citizens are providing tips to the Iraqi army, many times right after incidents occur, he said. In one dramatic case, a tip came in immediately after a mortar attack and the Iraqi police responded and captured the individuals responsible right away.

Iraqi people in the area are tired of the insurgents' violence and are committed to making positive changes, with many of them volunteering for the police force despite threats, McMaster said.

"I guess what people don't get to see is ... how resolute and how determined these courageous Iraqis are," he said. "There are so many good people in this country who deserve security and who are doing everything they can to build a future for their families, their towns and their country."

Standing up and down

A bank is refusing to give loans to developers who have obtained their land through eminent domain, an activity recently endorsed by the Supreme Court.

BB&T, Washington D.C.'s second-largest bank, announced it won't lend money to developers who obtain land for commercial projects through eminent domain, according to A Washington Times story.
"The idea that a citizen's property can be taken by the government solely for private use is extremely misguided; in fact, it's just plain wrong!" said John Allison, the bank's chairman and chief executive officer in the article. Meanwhile, Chief Credit Officer Ken Chalk reportedly has admitted the North Carolina-based bank expects to lose only a tiny amount of business, but considers itself "obligated to take a stand on the issue."

Meanwhile, Google will concede to the demands of China's Communist government to curtail free speech

To obtain the Chinese license, Google agreed to omit Web content that the country's government finds objectionable. Google will base its censorship decisons on guidance provided by Chinese government officials....

"This is a real shame," said Julien Pain, head of Reporters Without Borders' Internet desk. "When a search engine collaborates with the government like this, it makes it much easier for the Chinese government to control what is being said on the Internet."

Of course Google picks and chooses the governments with which they will collaborate. For instance, they refuse to collaborate with the US Government's efforts to catch child pornographers and sexual predators.

The Justice Department has asked a federal judge to compel  Google, the Internet search giant, to turn over records on millions of its users' search queries as part of the government's effort to uphold an online pornography law.

Go figure

Kos is my Canary

TPM Cafe points to a letter authored by a few "scholars of constitutional law and former government officials" and published in the New York Review of Books wherein the authors criticize the President's use of the NSA to monitor terrorist contacts within the US. They say

The basic legal question here is not new. In 1978, after an extensive investigation of the privacy violations associated with foreign intelligence surveillance programs, Congress and the President enacted the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Pub. L. 95-511, 92 Stat. 1783. FISA comprehensively regulates electronic surveillance within the United States, striking a careful balance between protecting civil liberties and preserving the "vitally important government purpose" of obtaining valuable intelligence in order to safeguard national security....

and concludes by saying

the DOJ letter fails to offer a plausible legal defense of the NSA domestic spying program. If the administration felt that FISA was insufficient, the proper course was to seek legislative amendment, as it did with other aspects of FISA in the Patriot Act, and as Congress expressly contemplated when it enacted the wartime wiretap provision in FISA. One of the crucial features of a constitutional democracy is that it is always open to the President—or anyone else—to seek to change the law. But it is also beyond dispute that, in such a democracy, the President cannot simply violate criminal laws behind closed doors because he deems them obsolete or impracticable.

All of this is pretty much the basic position of the Democrats in Congress: The whole program is fine, but the President didn't have the power to do this Congress needed to grant that power to him. To paraphrase Senator Clinton and Senator Durbin, among others "all you had to do was ask and we would have said fine."

This is because they know that most people approve of the project. The Far Left, on the other hand looks at things differently. They believe the President broke the law and is trying to enslave the nation by becoming a dictator.

Bush’s lawless behavior can and should be opposed through an appeal to both strength and the defining traditions of our country. Our country was borne of a rebellion against a central authority who claimed monarchic powers that put him above the law. It was precisely to avoid such authority that the Founders made the country one based on the rule of law and checks and balances of the Executive. They made expressly clear that the President is bound by the law to the same extent as everyone else is. There is no such thing as the power to break the law in America. That power is completely foreign to our history and traditions.

Those are the principles and traditions under assault by this Administration and those were the principles invoked by Gore in his speech today. This scandal is not about whether liberal or conservative approaches to terrorism are best. It is about whether we will continue to be a country that is based on the rule of law and not subject to George Bush’s unrestrained power. This fact ought to lay to rest the paralyzing fears of overly cautious Bush opponents who keep fretting about the scary political costs of standing up to George Bush’s law-breaking.

Now what is it we're talking about here? Big Brother? Fine. What was Big Brother all about? It was about surveilling people to assure that there was no political opposition. Think the Soviet Union. Think China. So here you have the Maoists and the Marxists in our nation worried that President Bush might use the tools of, um, Maoists and Marxists.

Sweet

The problem with all this is that no one sees the President using the power he has assumed for any purpose other than what he says hes using it for: Protecting the people of America.

Now I am very aware that affording the government any powers, be they secret surveillance or the ability to collect taxes has its risks and needs to be watched vigilantly. And I do.

I use the Far Left, virulently anti-Bush (though not anti-Government) Daily Kos as my canary in a coal mine.

I also use the less well known Traceless Warrior because he too is anti-Bush and he is a Muslim.

So how does this work? Yeah well its simple; if either of these guys mysteriously disappears (as they would have under, say Hitler, Stalin or Mao) then I will begin to worry. If they even begin to become guarded in their (hate) speech, I will worry.

Until then, I don't worry. Because the only people really worried about secret surveillance are criminals and political dissidents. Criminals I could give a shit about. Political dissidents are, however, important to me.

But you know what? Kos and Mushtaq don't need to be secretly surveilled for people to discover their anti-Bush sentiments and opinions. It's right there and out in the open!

Now, what's really going on is two-fold: there is the age-old power struggle between the executive branch and the legislative branch about power. And there's nothing wrong with that. The President feels that since he is in charge of protecting Americans from the threat of Terrorists, a power Congress charged him with, then this program is in line with Executing the Congressional Mandate.

Some in Congress on the other hand say that the President can not assume this power because they did not bestow it to him.

So who's right? In one sense, it's "who cares" because by Senator Durbin and Clinton's own admission the President is doing the right thing by employing this program.

In another sense it matters that we settle the issue of whether or not Congress merely has to give the President go-ahead to protect the people for him (or her) to assume broad powers. (Remember, Lincoln during the Civil War was able to suspend habeas corpus, while Clinton assumed the right to domestic spying without a mandate from Congress to protect Americans).

But under cover of this seemingly reasonable argument, Democrats on Capital Hill are attempting to both cater to their extreme Left wing while at the same time retain the center by saying things like

"Obviously, I support tracking down terrorists. I think that's our obligation. But I think it can be done in a lawful way," the New York Democrat [Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton] said.

and

"If the president believes there are other areas that we need to move into to protect America, he will have a warm and positive response from members of Congress on both sides of the aisle," Durbin said. "But instead, what the president has said is, he is not bound by any law. He can say as often as he wants that what he's doing is legal or constitutional, but he can't point to a law that gives him that authority."

Again the Democrat strategy is to hedge their bets and string the "progressive" wing along.

Dead Letter Office

Mayor Najim Abdullah al Jabouri of the City of Tall Afar Iraq, a city in Iraq near the Syrian border, wrote a letter to General Casey, Commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq. It read

"our city was overrun by heartless terrorists, Zarqawi and his followers, who unloaded their bloodthirsty and voracious action of evil on this city for several months by indiscriminately killing men, women and children. Tall Afar was a human slaughterhouse. Simple services were not possible, causing the people to suffer, till the day you dispatched your troops, who were our lion-hearted saviors. Your troops came to rescue Tall Afar led by our heroes, whom Tall Afar will never forget. After the major operation, your wonderful soldiers started nursing the wounds of this city by rebuilding the damaged lives and buildings with great compassion and speed. These soldiers have done more than their original mission required of them. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

Strangely, the story didn't make the New York Times.

(from The Will to Exist)

Red on Red

Iraqi Insurgents Now Battling Al Qaeda Terrorists

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

   

WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2006 – The al Qaeda in Iraq network has lost scores of key leaders as the result of anti-terrorist operations and now it's being attacked by Iraqi insurgents, a senior U.S. military officer told reporters at a Baghdad news conference today.

Al Qaeda in Iraq has had 111 of its leaders killed or captured in the past year, Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, said. Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi runs al Qaeda in Iraq.

"We indeed have had significant impact on terrorists and foreign fighters, al Qaeda in Iraq, in terms of their leadership," Lynch said.

In addition, U.S., other coalition and Iraqi security forces, Lynch said, have been getting help from an unexpected quarter in the past several weeks.

"The Sunni rejectionists, if you will, are conducting planned attacks against Zarqawi and his network," Lynch said. The Sunni Iraqis were favored under now-deposed dictator Saddam Hussein. Some Sunnis are suspected of carrying out a home-grown insurgency against U.S. and other coalition troops in Iraq.

However, al Qaeda has routinely killed innocent Iraqi citizens during its attacks. That's a situation that Lynch said has galvanized most Iraqis -- including home-grown insurgents -- against the foreign terrorists.

In fact, Iraqi insurgents have killed six key al Qaeda in Iraq leaders since September 2005, Lynch said. 

And "recently we've seen significant operations where the local insurgency has turned on the Zarqawi network and forced them out of Ramadi," he said. Ramadi is an Iraqi town in Anbar province.

Al Qaeda in Iraq's ability to conduct operations has become degraded, Lynch said. Iraqi insurgents' actions, he said, are now contributing to this state of affairs.

"Zaqawi's on the ropes," Lynch said, noting U.S., other coalition and Iraqi security forces will continue offensive operations against the terrorist leader and his network.