Michael Ware on the "Miracle of Anbar."

[moondust]

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0709/10/acd.01.html

(Anderson Cooper, 09/10/07)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARE (voice-over): We are driving through Baghdad's streets shortly after dawn. American-allied Sunni insurgents have agreed to smuggle us into Al Anbar Province, where, just months ago, al Qaeda was in control.

(on camera): We are now beyond the capital, Baghdad, on the way to our linkup with the nationalist insurgents. To get this far, we had to pretend to be Sunni and Shia as we pass through al Qaeda- controlled areas of the city and areas controlled by the Shia Mahdi militia.

~snip~

(END VIDEOTAPE)

~snip~

COOPER: And are these -- these tribal groups willing to work with the central government in Baghdad, the Sunni -- the Shia- dominated government, and vice versa? Is -- is the government of al- Maliki willing to work with -- with these Sunni tribes?

WARE: The answer is no on both counts, Anderson.

These guys made it very clear to us on this day and on other days when I have contact with other groups, they are opposed to the Maliki government and any government that they believe is beholden to Iranian influence, a belief shared by many within the U.S. mission. So, these are anti-government forces that America is supporting against the government it created. And, certainly, within the Iraqi government, they believe that this is America building Sunni militias to act as a counterbalance to their influence.

Not exactly reconciliation.

[mod mom]

1. Michael Ware is one of the few CNN reporters committed to truth.

[Kagemusha]

2. Guess the enemy of the friend of our enemy (Iran) is our friend.

Funny to see the US pulled so fully into the region like that. Funny and sad.