Iraqi forces seize 131

ABC reported Iraqi soldiers, backed by US helicopters, are reported to have seized 131 suspects in a dawn raid on insurgents planning attacks on the holy city of Kerbala. The Defence Ministry says troops also retrieved tons of explosives. The Defence Minister, Hazim al-Shaalan, described it as a very successful operation based on intensive surveillance.

Several suspected militants were reported killed in the operation, which began late on Friday and culminated in the dawn raid just outside Kerbala, about 100 kilometres south-west of Baghdad. Officials say say those arrested included foreigners using fake Iraqi identification papers.

Jan Haugland: blogged Good news. Speaking of which: Arthur Chrenkoff's Good News from Iraq part 24 is out. It begins with the shopkeepers.

CQ blogged Next week brings an expected large pilgrimage to Kerbala for Arbain, one of the mourning rites of the Shi'a. Undoubtedly, the Wahhabist Sunni foreigners expected to cause a civil war by butchering Shi'ite pilgrims during one of their major observances. With the foreign networks already declining due to significant leadership losses and the general contempt for them that has grown tremendously in Iraqi society, the loss of 131 terrorists signifies a tremendous blow to their operative capacity.

I wonder if Joe Biden and the editorial board of the New York Times, who spent so much oxygen eight weeks ago telling Condoleezza Rice that the Iraqi security forces had zero credibility, might be considering that their own credibility has dropped farther into negative numbers with each successful operation they conduct.

On this blog Vulgorilla commented Joe Biden and the New York Times? - Does anyone even pay attention to them any more? Are they still consuming oxygen on this planet? Gads! I hope not. What a waste! and Gary commented If Sen. Biden had better political instincts, he'd start changing his tune but we know that he's another senator who's tone deaf. Don't expect his tune to change. Instead, expect the MSM to change the conversation in an effort to hide Biden's ineptitude..

Good job