by Rod D. Martin
May 1, 2007

The Surge is working, not least in its stiffening of the resolve of even the most intransigent native Iraqis to make a go of their country instead of helping al Qaeda create chaos. It’s a difficult process, but every day we see more fruit, as evidenced by today’s reports that the most recent leader of al Qaeda in Iraq to get himself killed — Abu Ayyub al-Masri — was killed today by native Sunni insurgents.

According to Reuters:

There has been growing friction between Sunni Islamist al Qaeda and other Sunni Arab insurgent groups over al Qaeda’s indiscriminate killing of civilians and its imposition of an austere brand of Islam in the areas where it holds sway.

If true, the death of Abu Ayyub al-Masri would signal a deepening split at a time when the Shi’ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is trying to woo some insurgent groups into the political process.

This has been a growing trend since January, and once which could be the fatal blow for the enemy if we’ll pursue it to its logical conclusion. Surrender (which Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid now demand) makes as much sense today as it did when their Democrat predecessors called for it in the election of 1864, after the fall of Atlanta (and just six months before Appomattox). We have to start saying so, loudly.