The Roggio Report

[SWJED]

For those that might not know - SWJ / SWC friend Bill Roggio (The Fourth Rail) has been writing a regular feature for the Weekly Standard. Called The Roggio Report, Bill reports and comments on recent developments in Iraq. The latest installment is The Baghdad Security Plan Beefs Up, AQI Responds. Additional Iraq (and other hot spots) reporting can be found at his Fourth Rail blog. I particularly enjoy his reports and comments on developments along the Afghanistan - Pakistan border.

[SWJED]

29 April from Bill Roggio - Iraq Report: Bombings in Karbala, Hit; AQI and the Adhamiya Wall at the Fourth Rail and Weekly Standard.

... The building of the security barrier, or "wall", around the Sunni neighborhood in Adhamiya is back on track. Dave Kilcullen, the Senior Counter-Insurgency Advisor for Multi-National Force Iraq, explains that Prime Minister Maliki re initiated the project after he was briefed on the need for the barrier and how the protests came about. "As I understand it, once the reasons for the project and the likely benefits in terms of lives saved were explained to the PM, he was happy for it to continue. I understand that the evidence of extremist manipulation was also a factor."

Mr. Kilcullen likened the barrier to an "urban tourniquet," and explained that the propaganda campaign to disrupt its construction came from none other than al Qaeda in Iraq. Omar Fahdil first reported this development early last week...