Letter from Najim Abdullah Abid Al-Jibouri

In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.
To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tall ‘Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

Link

Contrary to what some would have you believe, the US and her allies efforts in Iraq our apreciated by those that live there. Our actions are respected and welcomed by the majority of Iraqi's. This is a Sunni, by the way. He was an officer in Saddams army as well.

The point here is not that everything is fine - there is still more work to be done of course. The point is that in general the Iraqis want and apreciate our help. Not only that, but we are making great progress. Iraq will eventually be a free nation in the middle east, and an example for the rest to follow.

Then the Americans, the mayor, a new chief of police and an emboldened Iraqi army division began the long, hard work of pacifying a frightened city and restoring some semblance of law and order.

How well have they succeeded?

"Go look in our city," the mayor said. "The children run after the American officers. They know their names. These men are heroes in Tal Afar."

Link

How can we believe this to be anything more then propaganda... Which it stinks of. The U.S pays the media to print their stories, even have soliders in Iraq making up stories for Iraqi news, so to me this just seems like more lies from the white house.

Thanks a lot for that link.

There are quite a few of us who know the truth despite what the "liberal media" and many in the left are trying to proclaim. i am pretty sure that some people will start claiming this is not true, it is just propaganda etc, etc...

Anyways, thanks a lot for bringing some truth to light.

Originally posted by HiddenReality
How can we believe this to be anything more then propaganda...

Didn't i tell you?....

Originally posted by HiddenReality
Which it stinks of. The U.S pays the media to print their stories, even have soliders in Iraq making up stories for Iraqi news, so to me this just seems like more lies from the white house.

Really?....

The media only presents the bad news that happen in Iraq, so your bold claim that "the U.S. pays the media to print stories" is not even close to the truth. So you are trying to claim this to be a lie with not even one iota of evidence to back your claim, is that how you pursuit the truth?

Originally posted by HiddenReality
How can we believe this to be anything more then propaganda...

Looks like an official letter head and seal of the city to me in the first link. That being the case I doubt it is US propaganda like you think.

Well I don't doubt that the letter is real - I also don't doubt that the mayor of an Iraqi town might be inclined to kiss the behinds of the big guys cruising around his town with all the body armor and expensive fireworks.

Still I am sure that some Iraqi's are genuinely glad we're there, and that many, many others are delighted to be rid of Saddam Hussein. The question is, how many of them still want us there? The recent elections handed victory to an Iranian-leaning Shiite coalition, one of whose key platform promises was the earliest possible timetable for the withdrawal of coalition forces.

Originally posted by xmotex
Well I don't doubt that the letter is real

Did you bother to open and view the PDF File? Had you donw so you would have found an official letter head from the citities Mayor. I have no doubt it is in fact the real thing.

Originally posted by American Mad Man

Contrary to what some would have you believe, the US and her allies efforts in Iraq our apreciated by those that live there. Our actions are respected and welcomed by the majority of Iraqi's. This is a Sunni, by the way. He was an officer in Saddams army as well.

The point here is not that everything is fine - there is still more work to be done of course. The point is that in general the Iraqis want and apreciate our help. Not only that, but we are making great progress. Iraq will eventually be a free nation in the middle east, and an example for the rest to follow.

Contrary to what you say the majority of Iraqis want us out, but don't believe we are leaving.

A new poll of the Iraqi public finds that a large majority of Iraqis think the US plans to maintain bases in Iraq permanently, even if the newly elected government asks the US to leave. A large majority favors setting a timeline for the withdrawal of US forces, though this majority divides over whether the timeline should be over a period of six months or two years. Nearly half of Iraqis approve of attacks on US-led forces—including nine out of 10 Sunnis. Most Iraqis believe that many aspects of their lives will improve once the US-led forces leave, but are nonetheless uncertain that Iraqi security forces are ready to stand on their own.

Continued....

There is little way to spin this, or any of the polls around to say that they want us on their lands.

Iraq is not liberated until we leave, and the military bases we are building all over show that our intent is not to get out.

How much money are you willing to spend, and how many more lives are you willing to throw away, and how many more enemies are you willing to endure just so that we can set up indirect domination of Iraq?

What would you do if the Chinese military were moving in and building bases while promising liberation as they bombed cities?

Did you bother to open and view the PDF File?

"I don't doubt the letter is real" == I think it is real.
Although any idiot can fake a letterhead anyway, I have no particular reason to think this letter is a fake.

Originally posted by HiddenReality
How can we believe this to be anything more then propaganda... Which it stinks of. The U.S pays the media to print their stories, even have soliders in Iraq making up stories for Iraqi news, so to me this just seems like more lies from the white house.

As was pointed out the media is quick to report the negative in Iraq and not the positive. I have no doubt that we will leave Iraq as soon as the work is complete. What work you ask? Well, how about continuing to rebuild hospitals and schools as well as roads and other such things. Iraq has a long way to go and the rebuilding process is by necessity slow as I recall the rebuilding of Europe was not completed in a matter of months. Coalition forces have been turning bases over to Iraq as well as equipment for sometime according to several soldiers I know one of them being my brother. I think he would know as he was involved in that process before he came home. We are also training and working with Iraqis both in law enforcement, corrections and military. I know that because I have several friends who are currently in Iraq as civilians conducting some of the training. By all reports the Iraqis they are working with are learning quickly and will soon take over most of the duties.

Originally posted by American Mad Man

In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.
To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tall ‘Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

Link

Contrary to what some would have you believe, the US and her allies efforts in Iraq our apreciated by those that live there. Our actions are respected and welcomed by the majority of Iraqi's. This is a Sunni, by the way. He was an officer in Saddams army as well.

The point here is not that everything is fine - there is still more work to be done of course. The point is that in general the Iraqis want and apreciate our help. Not only that, but we are making great progress. Iraq will eventually be a free nation in the middle east, and an example for the rest to follow.

Then the Americans, the mayor, a new chief of police and an emboldened Iraqi army division began the long, hard work of pacifying a frightened city and restoring some semblance of law and order.

How well have they succeeded?

"Go look in our city," the mayor said. "The children run after the American officers. They know their names. These men are heroes in Tal Afar."

Link

I have no doubt that there are people who appreciate the US in Iraq, but I still have a hard time believing that is the only motivation for Bush to have gone there in the first place. The liberation of Iraq seems to be more of a secondary priority.

Also in Iran there are a lot of people who want freedom. The president of Iran doesn't speak for everyone in the country, the problem is that those who oppose his viewpoints aren't allowed to speak out.

Having actually been there, a lot of them listen to rap music, rock music, and are heavily influenced by the culture here. So it wouldn't suprise me if Iraq is the same way.



[edit on 14-2-2006 by Style]

I agree for the most part, a lot of Iraqi's are mostlikely glad to have us there. Then again, there are some that will never forget our boys marching through leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

I'm never going to forget my first phone call from one of my many friends over in Iraq, in the fall of 2003. It was a highschool friend of mine, a grunt in the marines, standard infantry. He was calling as many people as he could for fear that he might not have the chance to again. His voice was shakey, and he was obviously scared. We chatted for a few minutes about the happenings at home, and then he proceeded to tell me about his first official orders. His exact words were, that his orders were to 'kill, kill, and kill'. His comanding officer clarified the order for him. Basically stating that if it moves shoot it. We didn't talk much after this. I asked him what he thought about his orders, and whether or not they pertained to civilians. His answer was ambiguos, he pretty much broke down into tears and told me he had to call his mom.

The next time I spoke with him was a few months later. By this point he was a completely different person. You could hear it in his voice(like an intimidated child) and you could hear it in his choice of words. Once again we talked about nothing for a bit. He liked to hear about what was going on at home, so he could act like everything was normal. Anyways, he told me that he had a present for us(but mainly for one of our closest friends). He changed the subject and we talked about the weather over there. Did you know that people in the middle east brew tea on top of their houses? The temp gets up to 115 degrees Fahrenheite over there! So they just plop their metal tea cans up on the roof and take them down 20 minutes later, lol.

We had a few more phone calls here and there, mostly taking about stuff back at home. One of the last times I spoke with him, before he came home for a bit, was about the gift. To make the story short, it was a knife. The knife he used to kill his first Iraqi. She was an elderly lady, someones grandmother, he claims that the children were present. I asked him why, he told me he didn't know. They were conducting house to house searches and the family was edgey. His CO ordered him to kill the first one that moved, it just happened to be an old woman. He has told me many other horror stories, but I've managed to block them out, subconcsiously. Among other items he smuggled home were tiles from saddam's place, and other culturaly significant items.

Ever since I heard about this from him, I ask myself the same question. Is my friend a murderer?

I have atleast three other friends over there and three more going through basic training. Another one of my friends is in the marines recon unit(i can get specifics later on). He is much more reserved on the stories he tells. All I can really say about the kid, is that he used to really happy and bouncy, great to be around. Now, it seems like he's depressed 24/7. I can see it in his eyes, he's not the same person. I can even feel it when I'm near him. When I've asked him about the things he's seen and done, he basicaly refuses to talk about it. From what I've heard from my other bud, I can't blame him for not wanting to talking about it.

Another one of my friends was 50 meters behind advancing troops who were stuck in the mud in Falluja. I'm sure you all remember the incident near the bridge. Armor or a HMMV(can't remember which) got stuck in the mud on the far side of one of the bridges in Falluja. The combatants witnessed this and took advantage of the situation and killed many of our marines. One of my best friends was 50 meters from this vehicle as he watched it get stuck. He too, has told me many stories. Not too long ago, he was home, I witnessed him tackle one of our friends and scream f'ing iraq's while choking him out(without provocation). Needless to say he was drunk, but can you say vietnam syndrom?

On the positive side I have one friend who was in the Army. He drove a bradley armored fighting vehicle. He didn't have one complaint about his three year stay in Iraq. He said he had a blast driving the tank, and wouldn't have traded his experiance for anything. Yet he too, had his close calls. He was shot down on his way home. I don't feel like digging up a link, but it was one of the first helicopter shootings in Iraq. He got lucky and only broke his leg in the incident. I saw him recently at the bar. It was his first night home, and being a free citizen again. LOL, he was wasted, and the only thing out of his mouth was, 'I missed you guys so damn much'.

Another positive story, would be about one of my buds in the airforce. He is a helicopter mechanic. His bunk was in a airconditioned tent. He too has had more fun there, then here. He said that him and his buddies spent most of thier time goofing around.

All in all, it is my opinion, through heresay; that there has been an excess of bloodshed in Iraq. Nothing anybody says(or writes) will change my opinion. The horror stories that I've been hearing for the past three years will be permanently imprinted in my mind. I can only imagine the emotions and feelings of my friends who have witnessed and perpetrated acts of unprovoked murder and violence. You can have every single Iraqi in Iraq tell me, face to face, that American soldiers are god's saviors. I will look them in the eyes and tell them, 'you do not have to lie to me'.

Originally posted by HiddenReality
How can we believe this to be anything more then propaganda... Which it stinks of. The U.S pays the media to print their stories, even have soliders in Iraq making up stories for Iraqi news, so to me this just seems like more lies from the white house.

It is THE mayor of the town not a citizen or anyone...