It could be me, but I don’t believe Iraq has been in the news all that much this year. Is that because the war is over, or at least well in hand? Is it because Bush is gone and Obama in? Is it because of our current angst over Afghanistan? In any case, Iraq, which was a daily preoccupation, now seems a side issue.

I was reminded of Iraq by a story that I discuss in Impromptus today. I thought I would talk about it a bit in this forum, too. Iraq had a counterterrorism officer — early 30s — named Ahmed Subhi al-Fahal. He took his work very seriously. He said to al-Arabiya TV, “It is better to kill al-Qaeda’s members, because it is no use to reform them.” He claimed to have killed more than 250 of these people: about 200 homegrown ones, about 50 foreigners.

Last Friday, he was killed by the terrorists he hunted — suicide bombing in Tikrit (Saddam Hussein’s old stronghold). Al-Qaeda is rejoicing over this hit, as well they might: Al-Fahal was a constant, unflinching menace to them. An American colonel, Walter Piatt, wrote of him, “He was controversial, flamboyant, brave, and effective.” Sounds like just the kind of man Iraq could use, if it is to have a life free of nightmare rule.

Anyway, just thought you might like to know about him, after the fact — even posthumously (which is often how we learn about people): Ahmed Subhi al-Fahal. May he have heirs and imitators.