Al Qaeda's fantasy US exit from Iraq

Reuters:

The leader of an al Qaeda-backed group offered to refrain from attacking U.S. forces if they withdrew from Iraq within a month and left their heavy weapons behind, according to an audio tape posted on the Internet on Friday.

"We call on (President George W.) Bush not to waste this historic opportunity which insures you a safe withdrawal," said the speaker, identified as Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, head of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq, which was announced in October by al Qaeda and groups linked to it.

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"We are awaiting your response within two weeks of this announcement," said the speaker in the tape, which was dated December 22. He said insurgent groups would refrain from attacking withdrawing U.S. forces if they left within a month.

Baghdadi was a little-known militant before Sunni militant groups including al Qaeda announced what they described as an Islamic state in Iraq. Baghdadi was named as the head of the state and in November, the leader of Iraq's al Qaeda wing -- Abu Hamza al-Muhajir -- vowed allegiance to him.

The recording was posted on the Internet hours after Defense Secretary Robert Gates ended a visit to Iraq aimed at finding a new strategy to curb violence and allow U.S. troops to withdraw.

"You (Bush) wasted the opportunity of the truce offered to you by the sheikh of the mujahideen,
Osama bin Laden, may God protect him," the speaker on the tape said.

In January, bin Laden warned in an audio tape that al Qaeda was preparing new attacks inside the United States, but said the group was open to a conditional truce with the Americans. Washington said it did not negotiate with terrorists.

"In these holy days (before the annual Muslim haj pilgrimage) we announce a new campaign ... to step up the fight against the crusaders," the speaker said.

"The withdrawal is to be carried out with personnel carriers and passenger planes, with troops only carrying (light) arms ... and not heavy weapons," he added.

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These guys are really reading a lot into the Democrats squeaker election to Congress. Not even Murtha would go for a deal like this, although Pelosi might. This is the fantasy world of our enemy that the media and the Democrats have helped to perpetuate. Obviously this offer comes from someone with less presence than a blogger. One of the ways you can tell these guys are losing is that they are afraid to appear in public and have a media event. They still have to slink around in the nether regions of the internet to get out their ludicrous proposals.