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WASHINGTON D.C. (February 9, 2008) - U.S. troops found a diary
belonging to an al Qaeda in Iraq leader that has Coalition forces
believing the terrorist organization is "on its heels," a senior
military official in Baghdad said this morning.
Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat
Team on Nov. 3, 2007, captured a diary belonging to Abu Tariq, an
al Qaeda emir in control of five battalions within two sectors,
U.S. Air Force Col. Donald J. Bacon, a Multinational Force Iraq
spokesman, told online journalists and "bloggers" during a
conference call.
The soldiers found the diary during a patrol conducted about 15
kilometers south of Balad. Bacon said the 16-page diary contains
records about man power, operations, weapons, and finances, and it
shows that al Qaeda is hurting badly in the belts of Baghdad.
"There were 600 al-Qaeda members in this sector, now there (are)
20 or less," said Bacon.
In the diary, Tariq describes each battalion's number decline
and goes on to describe the 4th battalion as "scoundrels,
sectarians and nonbelievers." Tariq attributes his terrorist
organization's decline in large part to groups of concerned local
citizens, who are also known as the Sons of Iraq.
Many high-ranking al Qaeda members, including Osama Bin Laden,
have spoken out about the negative impact that the concerned local
citizens groups have had on their organization. As a result, the
concerned local citizens are being attacked more frequently by the
terrorists, Bacon said.
Nevertheless, Bacon said the numbers of concerned local citizens
are growing, which indicates that they are less afraid of
al-Qaeda.
"Right now there (are) approximately 77,500 CLC's with 135
different initiatives, and more and more are being hired," Bacon
said.
Bacon said he believes the diary is also in part a will of
sorts, in case anything was to happen to Tariq.
"He wanted to keep a clear record," Bacon said.
Bacon said he believes the diary is indicative of some other
areas in Iraq but not all of Iraq. He cautioned that al Qaeda is
still a dangerous enemy.
"We still believe they are our number one threat," said
Bacon.
"There is a 90 percent decline of violence in Anbar but we are
still fighting them in Diala," he added. "They still have the
capacity and the will but we have the momentum."
Bacon noted, however, that "overall levels of violence in Iraq
are down, and we are seeing positive trends."
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