Sunday, December 11, 2005

'Zarqawi is an American agent'

From Aljazeera:

"In a move that would have been inconceivable only months earlier, Saddam Hussein loyalists are urging Sunnis to vote in Thursday's poll and warning al-Qaida fighters not to launch attacks."

This says it all. Sunni clerics in Falluja of all places are telling the people that voting is a religious duty. Iraqis in Anbar (the extremely violent Sunni province) have made it clear that they will protect the polling stations from Al Qaeda in Iraq.

This election won't end all of the violence overnight. However, it is a big slap in the face to Zarqawi, and will be a great victory for America. The Sunnis are going to have a political voice, and hopefully this will draw them away from the insurgency. After Thursday's election, our administative duties in Iraq are over, because this final election is for a permanent, legitimate Iraqi government. America's misson from Thursday on will be to provide security for as long as the new government wants. When they ask us to leave, we will leave.

No mistake would be bigger for Zarqawi than if he was to attack Sunni polling stations on Thursday. Such moves would completely polarize the Iraqi Sunni population against him, and give all native Iraqis a common enemy (aside from the US).

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