Note that the deployment of "militant" has become global to the corporate media discourse, whether it be Haiti or Iraq. This is part of the US capitalist media's rhetorically thuggish terrorist campaign against the Left. It is a conscious campaign. "Just don't get militant", or we'll come and get you. Tell me we are not sliding towards fascism, no matter who gets elected President. US ruling class sees hard times ahead.
U.S.: Iraq Extremists Signal Danger Period 2 hours, 1 minute ago
By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Americans can expect more casualties in Iraq (news - web sites) as extremists try to derail the transfer of authority and security responsibilities to a new government, the commander of coalition troops said Wednesday.
Latest headlines: · U.S. Links Jordan Militant to Iraq Blasts AP - 18 minutes ago · Letter: al-Qaida Denies Bombings in Iraq AP - 31 minutes ago · U.S. Fears Zarqawi Is New Militant Vanguard Reuters - 36 minutes ago
"This is going to be a dangerous period that we move toward, there's no doubt about it." said Gen. John Abizaid, head of U.S. Central Command.
"The extremists on either end of the spectrum ... will move very hard to derail this effort," continuing to target American occupiers and the Iraqis working with them.
["On either end of the spectrum"...what other end of the spectrum?]
Abizaid told reporters after his appearance before the House Armed Services Committee that he believes "there is no doubt" that Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was behind a series of suicide bombings Tuesday in Iraq against pilgrims.
"The level of organization and the desire to cause casualties among innocent worshippers is a clear hallmark of the Zarqawi network and we have intelligence that ties Zarqawi to this attack," Abizaid said.
The general was asked by several lawmakers to explain what he expects in the planned June 30 handover of sovereignty to a transitional Iraqi government, how perilous the period might be and whether there is a likelihood the country could dissolve into a civil war as the transition unfolds.
He said "civil war is possible" if there are missteps by Iraqi political leaders or because extremists and outside fighters are trying to foment it.
"While I say it is possible, I do not believe it is probable," Abizaid said. "I think there is a much greater chance that Iraq will emerge through this political process as a stable and modern state."
Abizaid said he is "optimistic that we have a chance, but it is not a 100 percent chance" of success.
Americans must have patience and stay the course in Iraq, where progress toward rebuilding has been "absolutely incredible," Abizaid said in the appearance with Peter Rodman, assistant defense secretary for international affairs.
"The real story is not that there are people trying to derail this process," Rodman said. "The real story is that this process is moving forward regardless."
And..
Top Stories - Reuters
U.S. Fears Zarqawi Is New Militant Vanguard 41 minutes ago Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Caroline Drees, Security Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fugitive militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the chief U.S. suspect in a recent wave of deadly attacks in Iraq (news - web sites), has rapidly moved from relative obscurity to the big league of Washington's most wanted men.
"Zarqawi is really high up there" on the U.S. list of wanted terrorists, an administration counter-terrorism official told Reuters. "To keep together an effective, functioning network under the pressure he must be under says a lot about his persistence and organizational ability."
More than any other militant in Washington's sights, Zarqawi concerns the Bush administration not only because of the casualties he might inflict, but because of the damage he could do to U.S. political ambitions in Iraq and the region.
"He's in a theater where he can do quite a bit of damage to not only Americans and American lives, but to our political objectives in Iraq," the counter-terrorism official said.
U.S. officials see Zarqawi as an emerging kingpin with possible links to al Qaeda who is spearheading attacks to sow chaos and discord in Iraq.
But some critics say Washington is using questionable intelligence on Zarqawi, a Jordanian with Palestinian roots, to back its claims that foreign militants are behind the bloodshed in Iraq.
The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Army Gen. John Abizaid, on Wednesday linked Zarqawi to the attacks this week against Shi'ite Muslims in which Iraqi officials say at least 169 people were killed. He provided no details.
U.S. officials suspect Zarqawi's handiwork in a string of other bloody bombings, and say they intercepted a letter from him last month urging attacks on Shi'ites.
The United States recently doubled the bounty on his head to $10 million.
Analysts say the administration also worries Zarqawi could undermine its future influence in the greater Middle East by denying a U.S. foothold in Iraq and destroying hopes of creating a new Arab ally.
"Insofar as the future U.S. role in the Middle East is largely mortgaged to success in Iraq and Zarqawi is considerably diminishing the likelihood that we're going to get a good outcome in Iraq, he's one of the really big, important players," said Daniel Benjamin, a former senior National Security Council official.
CRITICS WARY
When Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) sought to prove a "sinister nexus" between Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) and ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) through Zarqawi in the run-up to the Iraq war, few people had heard of the Afghanistan (news - web sites) war veteran who lost a leg in a U.S. air raid after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Critics say they are wary of Washington's focus on Zarqawi, noting questionable intelligence on Iraq from the presence of weapons of mass destruction to the links between Saddam and al Qaeda. No evidence of either has been found.
Some also worry the emphasis on Zarqawi is designed to bolster Washington's disputed claims that the Iraq attacks are spearheaded by foreign "terrorists" rather than local resistance to the occupation.
Before the Iraq war, Powell called Zarqawi "an associate and collaborator" of bin Laden and al Qaeda, but the extent of any ties, if they exist, is unknown.
"In a sense, he is the classic (al Qaeda) affiliate. He has a cooperative relationship with them. That doesn't mean that he acts in lock-step with them. For example, I don't think they would sign up to his Sunni-Shi'ite agenda," the administration official said.
Some analysts say links may not go beyond ideological inspiration.
Zarqawi, also known as Ahmad Fadheel Nazal al-Khalayleh, first emerged as a terror suspect when Jordan indicted him in absentia for his role in a plot to attack a hotel and other sites during celebrations for the millennium. He was sentenced to death in absentia.
U.S. officials say he was behind several deadly attacks in Iraq, including the August bombing of the United Nations (news - web sites) headquarters in Baghdad.
He is thought to have links with Ansar al-Islam, a militant group whose bases in Kurdish-held northern Iraq were destroyed in the U.S.-led war.
Washington also believes Zarqawi orchestrated the murder of a U.S. diplomat in Amman in 2002 and ran an Afghan camp specializing in poisons. He is believed to have been born in 1966 in Jordan's industrial city of Zarqa.