It was at least 120 degrees today, depending on which thermometer you look at. Some were reading 130. The supposedly funny thing is: Summer does not start for another 4 days... Anyway, I am taking this chance to write a little bit about the challenges of finding and fighting the arhabi here in Iraq. While the expectations by others of the intelligence community are very high, the fact of the matter is that because terrorists hide among innocents and do not care about the welfare of those innocents, it is very hard to isolate them from normal human beings. Another frustrating aspect is the language barrier. Not only is arabic a completely different language, but it has a completely different alphabet, which is why every time an arabic word or name is transliterated into english, it seems to have a different spelling. e.g. Al Queda, Al Qaida, Al Qaeda, etc.
The most annoying thing as far as intelligence goes, is the fondness for aliases. It is cultural phenomenon. Having children is such a mark of social distinction in the arab culture, that it creates a whole new name for the parent. Men become known as "Abu" which means "father of." So, if your name was Khaled, and you named your son Muhammed, your new nickname/alias is Abu Muhammed. The arhabi make good use of this dynamic. Half of the guys we are chasing here are only known by such "fatherly names." In case you hadn't noticed, the same is true of #1 scumbag Abu Musab al Zarqawi. His name means "father of Musab of the Zarqawi tribe." While these aliases make finding these scumbags frustrating, they do not make them invisible. We continue to put the puzzle together, and then go grab the guys that are shown by the completed puzzle. The raids are the part of the job that everyone is trained to do, and the part that everyone wants to do. Developing the intelligence that gives you the raid target is the hard part. It reminds me of math homework...
I think, considering the obstacles you guys have to deal, you intel types are among outr unsung heros. I do not mean to take anything away from all our other troops. But, let's face it, at this point in the war, your job has taken on a new level of significance.
Posted by: devildog6771 | June 17, 2005 at 12:55 PM
Thanks for the info on the names, I assumed it was such, just never had it clarified.
Oh, You mean there is a good reason to pay attention during math?lol
Good words DD, you have a way of saying what I feel gal.
Posted by: MOM | June 17, 2005 at 09:17 PM
Pleas do not get discouraged. I think that you (plural) are doing a geat job.
The commie-news does not let much through but, what DOES get through sounds like things are accelerating in a positive direction.
Posted by: Dan | June 18, 2005 at 01:04 AM
Not to mention:
Abu al-Hosayn: Father of the Fortlet = fox
Abu Shamah: Father of a Smeller(nose)
Abu Shawarib: Father of Mustachios
Abu Faris: Father of Spoils = lion
Abu Kurrat: Father of Coolness = chamaeleon
Posted by: Bill | June 18, 2005 at 02:45 AM
I think there is a similar honorific for mothers as well. Um Faisel ... means Faisel's mother, I think.
Take care over there.
Posted by: Adriane | June 18, 2005 at 03:11 AM
The results of a debate from a 9 & 11 year old: You can tell the good guys because they have "scopes".
The point: Good guys hit thier target, terriosts don't care who they hit.
Sometimes it's hard being the good guy and having to be so careful.... (alias's, etc.) But that's OK, your still getting the job done.
Posted by: Basha | June 20, 2005 at 12:27 PM