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Bill Roggio, via email:
One of the reasons I started this venture because I believe an education about the nature of the fight is our greatest weakness. Many often look at this war as a fight in Afghanistan, sometimes Pakistan, Iraq if we're lucky. I provided an update on the major theaters in the Long War, and in some minor theaters were are often not familiar with. I called the post "The State of Jihad." It is a one to two paragraph roundup of developments in the theaters over the past year.
Pencil Roving reminded me to go look again at a New Yorker article that's long but useful in explaining concepts I've been trying to push for a while.
My reaction here.
Saddam reaches the end of his rope - Jawa has the video. (No, it's not the CNN version).
The striking thing about this is the room. A dark little chamber somewhere in Baghdad, a fitting doorway to sheol for a man whose entry was long overdue.
Below the fold, a still clip received via email. I debated a few moments with myself over whether I'd share all this, but a lot of folks here went to considerable effort to make this happen.
Sic Semper tyrannis? If only that were true. This will certainly do for a start.
Consistent with the observation made by Michael Yon on Christmas in Kuwait that one "never hear[s] soldiers worried about their own morale sagging," Canadian Soldiers Reenlist for Afghanistan.
HOWZ-E MADAD, Afghanistan -- Sweltering heat in the summer, frigid cold in the winter, sleeping in the desert and the ever-present threat of Taliban attacks doesn't seem to be a downside for some Canadian soldiers serving here.As a matter of fact, with the end of this rotation coming up in February, a number are already talking about coming back for another tour of duty.
Forty-four Canadian soldiers have died in this war-torn country since 2002 and 2006 has been the bloodiest year for our troops since the Korean War.
But individuals like Cpl. Mark Ejdrygiewicz, 22, of Lethbridge, Alta., believe a six-month tour isn't long enough to get the job done.
"On this six month tour we did a lot. There was a lot of progress made: Op Medusa and down in Panjwaii and the districts there opening up the schools and building highways," said Ejdrygiewicz, known as "Edge" to his patrol mates, as he rode in the back of a light armoured vehicle near Howz-e Madad.
"We're doing what we can but we know the Taliban are going to come back. Winter's here and they've gone back to Pakistan," he said, taking a drag from his cigarette. "We've got a foothold on the ground in the area but in the back of your mind you know they will be coming back and it will be another threat."
And Ejdrygiewicz takes his job very seriously. Written in felt pen on the cover of his helmet in Pashtu is "Taliban Relocation Service," a tribute to fallen comrade Master Cpl. Jeffrey Walsh, who was killed by an accidental rifle discharge last summer.
O' Canada. Displaying the resolve of the Poles.
The Jessie MacBeths of the world have always been with us. Visit any local bar and one will find an array of individuals who blather on endlessly about experiences they never had.
The greater question is why are they elevated to 'Hero" status?
Voltair(a pretty smart guy) said, "If God didn't exist we would have to invent him."
In general people who have a God have an omnipotent power to put their faith in, a framework of good and evil, and a mechanism for accepting things that have no clear explanation..I.E. God's Will.
Of more than 20 major actions in the Pacific during World War II, she was there for all but two. She was bombed, hit by Kamikazes and fought on and on, for a time as the lone operational carrier in the Pacific.
She became the most decorated ship of the war.
Sailors know who she was, but you can find more here.
Blair himself also recently caught another one in the act - a small timer, perhaps, but I don't mind shining a little extra light on any of these cockroaches.
That one inspired this response from Iraq vet Diggs at 4 Mile Creek.
Regarding the question Diggs asks, the desire to pretend to be a real GI Joe isn't always a political ploy (gaining a few bucks in unearned VA benefits is probably the prime motivator for most, a desire to simply con folks or a desperate need for acclaim probably accounts for much of the rest), but those who do pose for purely political reasons tend to be lefty, anti-war extremists. Maybe that's just part of the pose? It's possible that since these folks don't really know much about the military they've been duped into believing the Hollywood/media fiction of the recalcitrant soldier. MacBeth might fit this category (I've provided a link to the definition in case he wanders by and wants to see if he's been insulted or not), but Micah Wright and this Mike Hudson clown? Not so much.
But the left is absolutely vulnerable to these types because they desperately "want to believe" (que X-Files theme). Witness the real clowns in the Jesse MacBeth story - his "battle buddies" in the IVAW and the chump that made him a video star.
But it should also be noted that the sharper lefties are now avoiding the "stolen valor" problem by planting their own "instant heroes." (More recent news on that story here and here, for those who may have missed the updates.)
Here's a stolen valor round-up from the P.O.W. Network.
The body of Saddam Hussein was handed over Saturday to a delegation representing the tribe of the former Iraqi president, Al Arabiya reported, citing unnamed sources...Here's how they reportedly came for the pick-up:Members of the delegation met with advisers to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the governor of Saladin Province and his deputy, the television station said.
The tribal elders want to transfer the body to a cemetery in the Al-Ouja section of Tikrit, where Saddam Hussein's relatives, including sons Uday and Qusay, are buried.
Sheikh Ali al-Nida, head of the Bou Nasser tribe, led a delegation that traveled aboard a U.S. government airplane to Baghdad.And, according to the same story, his last words were "Muqtada al-Sadr".
"This dark page has been turned over," al-Rubaie said. "Saddam is gone. Today Iraq is an Iraq for all the Iraqis, and all the Iraqis are looking forward. ... The [Hussein] era has gone forever."But...Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who didn't attend the execution, used it as an opportunity to plead for national unity to ward off deadly sectarian violence which is straining Iraq's fledgling government.
"In the name of the people I call on all men of the past regime and manipulated by it to reconsider their stances," al-Maliki said in a written statement released after the execution.
Deadly car bombs Saturday struck a mainly Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad and the southern Shiite town of Kufa, officials said.Elsewhere:
Millions of Muslim pilgrims performing the Hajj in Saudi Arabia have thrown stones at three pillars representing the devil, as part of a ritual.CNN is concerned the hanging might create a rift between Sunni and Shiite Muslims:New security measures have been added in an effort to control the movement of pilgrims and prevent stampedes that have killed hundreds in the past.
2006: 345 die in a crush during a stone-throwing ritual
2004: 251 trampled to death in stampede
2003: 14 are crushed to death
2001: 35 die in stampede
1998: At least 118 trampled to death
1997: 343 pilgrims die and 1,500 injured in fire
1994: 270 killed in stampede
1990: 1,426 pilgrims killed in tunnel leading to holy sites
1987: 400 die as Saudi authorities confront pro-Iranian demonstration
Arab pilgrims in Mecca expressed outrage on Saturday that Iraqi authorities had chosen to execute former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on a major religious holiday, saying it was an insult to Muslims.Sunni Arabs at the hajj were shocked at Saddam's hanging which followed his conviction for crimes against humanity against Iraqi Shiites.
"His execution on the day of Eid ... is an insult to all Muslims," said Jordanian pilgrim Nidal Mohammad Salah. "What happened is not good because as a head of state, he should not be executed."
The Eid al-Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice, marks biblical patriarch Abraham's willingness to kill his son for God. Muslim countries often pardon criminals to mark the feast, and prisoners are rarely executed at that time.
The death could harden hatred for Shi'ite Muslims in Saudi Arabia, a bastion of Sunni Islam whose Islamic orthodoxy -- known as Wahhabism -- regards Shiites as virtual heretics.
Unlike in 1943-45, when there were thousands of them - there is only one are only two flyable Lancaster bombers. And those gnomes who spend their spare time poring over the commercial satellite imagery looking for things like airplanes in flight and military installations - found one, flying, in Google Maps.
[Update - over at my place, I've been put in my place as usual by one of my Canadian snipers, positioned to catch all disses Canadian, intentional or unintentional:
Oh dear ... The GoogleEarth image is probably of the Lancaster (PA 474) flying with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight with further details here . However, in TundraLand, we have the Mynarski Lancaster (KB 726) flown by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. I have enjoyed seeing it in flight several times. Hurricane + Spit + Lanc = 6 Merlins in full song.For those who travel, the CWHM is in Hamilton, Ontario. Further info: click here.
Cheers, JMH
Sic Semper Errata. Heh. Twice.
[Remainder of post snipped as being stale and irrelevant per this post from 22 November pointed out by Eagle1 which I obviously never saw. No reason to waste the picture bandwidth on my server or your reading time.]
Let's celebrate the living who paid a hefty price to send Saddam to the house of the dead.
And measure the impact of Project Valour-IT at the same time.
Number of US troops wounded, KIA in Iraq down from last year.
Surely that will be big headline news, right?
Ahhh, well now I understand completely...
However, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who heard arguments from attorneys by phone, rejected the challenge Friday night. She said U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction to interfere in another country's judicial process.In a 21-page request filed Friday, Saddam's attorneys argued that because Saddam also faces a civil lawsuit in Washington, he has rights as a civil defendant that would be violated if he is executed. He has not received notice of those rights and the consequences that the lawsuit would have on his estate, his attorneys said.
A couple of interesting side items from the execution story:
...a U.S. district judge refused a request to stay the execution.He was executed on Saturday in Iraq.Attorney Nicholas Gilman said in an application for a restraining order, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, that a stay would allow Hussein "to be informed of his rights and take whatever action he can and may wish to pursue."
Haddad had called Gilman's filing "rubbish," and said, "It will not delay carrying out the sentence," which he called "final."
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There had been speculation that Hussein would be executed before Eid Al-Adha -- a holiday period that means Feast of the Sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims around the world at the climax of the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The law does not permit executions to be carried out during religious holidays.Eid began Saturday for Sunnis and Sunday for Shiites and lasts for four days. Hussein is a Sunni Muslim.
Hussein executed, Iraqi TV stations report
The witness reported that celebrations broke out after Hussein was dead, and that there was "dancing around the body."Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not attend the execution, according to an adviser to the prime minister who was interviewed on state television.
The execution was videotaped and photographed, state television reported, and those images will be distributed to the media.
Al-Arabiya television network reported that Barzan Hassan, Hussein's half-brother, and Awad Bandar, former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, were hanged after Hussein. All three were convicted of killings in the Iraqi town of Dujail nearly 25 years ago.
Jules Crittenden hits his (blogging) stride in Dead by Dawn? - which segues to a brief glimpse at reporting in the early days of the invasion.
I think Jules and I are in about the same frame of mind on the execution.
I's add that it's a damn rare thing to see a tyrant meet his maker in such a manner. Unprecedented in modern history?
WMD and other (IMHO) unfortunate advertising gimmicks aside, the fundamental reason for invading Iraq in the first place was a notion that perhaps if freed from Saddam's oppressive rule the Iraqis could build a model democracy*. I'll admit I believed that in 2003 (with the "perhaps" qualifier included, I'm a bit too old to live without it) but I'd like to see more evidence of it now - say more folks acting instead of wishing (or awaiting Allah's will). But perhaps too many were his children after all, and he the only model to which they aspire.
However few there may be to oppose such as that, I'm still on their side.
This war is strange. I never hear soldiers worried about their own morale sagging. Contrary, the war-fighters here are more concerned to bolster the morale of the people at home. Here in Kuwait, where the dining facilities are bedecked in Christmas decorations, soldiers stream in from Iraq on convoys and stream back north along those bomb-laden roads. The service members here are not all rear-echelon people who never see fighting or blood. Yet their overall morale obviously is high. Few of them know I am a writer, and so they speak freely at the tables around me. In Qatar, from which I’d just departed, I spoke with troops taking four-day R&R passes, some having just returned from the most dangerous parts of Iraq, and others heading straight back, and their overall morale was also very high. The morale at war is higher than I have ever seen it at home; makes me wonder what they know that most Americans seem to be missing.We'll know soon enough. Michael says va email: "I've landed in Baghdad and am preparing to re-embed with U.S. Force."
So is Bill Ardolino, whose INDC journal has a new name. He says he's headed to the airport to manifest for a flight - which shouldn't in any way be confused with the act of getting on a plane that takes you where you want to go.
They arrive in interesting times.
Iraq the Model will be worth a frequent read tonight.
*The "Yeah, but why the f--- should we care?" angle being another issue altogether, and one that good people can argue reasonably.
WSJ Online's Best of the Web Today leads off a look at reporting on Iraq with an extensive quote from Russ Vaughn. Quoteworthy from top to bottom, so there's no point pulling one out for inclusion here.
SADDAM HUSSEIN will be executed no later than 0600 Saturday Baghdad time (2200 Friday EST; 1900 PST).
So long, sucker!
Coming out of the breakwater, four washed overboard in restricted waters; two didn't survive. Details at my place. The Sub Report has the updates.
Sailors, rest your oar.
Three weeks ago the South Korean government announced they were going to suspend the USFK relocation to Camp Humphreys to 2013. The SK government announced this decision at this time because they hoped the Pentagon would be to preoccupied with the transition between Rumsfeld and Gates and the on going Iraq debate to care about events going on in Korea. The Korean government was right because there was no response from the Pentagon. This lack of response gave the Korean government the green light to pass a bill during the Christmas holiday that cut all governmental funding for the USFK relocation.
Many people in Korea complain about the US presence in Korea, especially the Yongsan Garrison in Seoul, but when it comes time to cut US troops and consolidate the remaining troops in an out of the way area south of Seoul the Korean government every time does whatever it can to stop it because the Korean government prefers the status quo.
The current status quo prevents the US from taking any action against North Korea because of where the majority of US forces are currently stationed would be easily destroyed by a North Korean artillery strike. Plus the Korean government doesn't want to pay for the move to Camp Humphreys. Though the South Korean government is more than willing to send over an billion dollars in aid next year to North Korea they have always funded USFK on the cheap. So from the South Korean viewpoint if the US government decides to go ahead and completely finance the move to Camp Humphreys themselves, then when the US eventually pulls out of Korea, the Korean Army will receive a state of the art military base for free.
Other economic factors is the fact that by consolidating USFK bases the US military will be able to cut jobs of Koreans that support the bases. The move would instantly cause massive unemployment in the cities of Dongducheon, Uijongbu, and the Yongsan area of Seoul where the majority of US forces are located.
Another factor that keeps Yongsan where it is at is the fact that Korean politicians love to demagogue this issue for short term political advantage. The usual rhetoric goes, "Vote for me and I will kick the Yankee imperialists off of Yongsan and return this land to Korea!" Yet when this person gets elected they do everything possible to ensure it stays right where it is at ensuring that the USFK gravy train rolls on.
Spook86 is - at In From the Cold- where he has a nice piece on the DPRK and some analyis of the military capability thereof which he (correctly in my opinion) deems "faulty".
A good section:
In other words, why should we be so concerned about North Korea's miniscule arsenal, since the U.S. has enough nukes to flatten the DPRK many times over. But such arguments are specious--and ignore the larger point. The last time I checked, 70% of U.S. military wasn't sitting on the border, prepared to invade our closest neighbors. We don't fire ballistic missiles over Mexico, Canada, Russia, or anyone else to make political points, and the United States hasn't conducted nuclear tests to gain attention on the world stage. As for Pyongyang, guilty on all counts.Additionally, the United States is not part of a global proliferation network that is actively engaged in the transfer of ballistic missile and (possibly) nuclear weapons technology. Pyongyang, on the other hand, is already the world's largest exporter of ballistic missiles, and there is great concern that the bankrupt DPRK will share its nuclear expertise as well. There is justifiable fear that a North Korean nuke design (or a finished weapon) will wind up in the hands or Iran, Syria, or terrorist organizations--regardless of how large or small the U.S. nuclear arsenal might be.
A quote from that story:
But Olson, who received her subpoena Thursday, acknowledged she has no legal grounds to refuse to testify, since she is being asked only to confirm the accuracy of what she wrote about Watada and not to disclose confidential sources or unpublished material.In short, the reporters are simply being required to testify whether what they wrote is truth or fiction. I completely understand their discomfort on this one - such a precedent could destroy the industry as we know it.
This late entry is a contender:
Hundreds of Iraqis Apply to be Hangman
Cliff May posts some interesting notes from a Marine in Iraq.
The IED: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet anti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. … Most were detonated by cell phone, and the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1 tank. Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there. Lately, they are much more sophisticated "shape charges" (Iranian) specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made IED's are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. That's why the attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are ingenious, the latest being shape charges, in Styrofoam containers spray painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are unsung heroes of this war.
"Blogger may be malfunctioning like crazy, but the News is still up!"
Our buddy Ehren Watada apparently talked to a lot of journalists. Funnily enough, this is of interest to the people prosecuting him.
Army prosecutors have sent subpoenas to journalists in Oakland and Honolulu demanding testimony about quotes they attributed to an officer who faces a court-martial after denouncing the war in Iraq and refusing to deploy with his unit.
(h/t Insta)
The MSM is big on their narratives. It's the "storyline" through which every news item adheres to in some form or another. So what happens when two major MSM narratives conflict? In this case: "The economy is in the tank and only the poor enlist in the Army as it's their only option."
How then to explain this little nugget in this NYT article about challenges facing recruiters in the wake of the proposed increase of the permanent size of the Army?
Part of the struggle, recruiters said, is economic. Attracting young people to military service is difficult when jobs are plentiful and wages are on the rise.
Darn it, I'm confused. Thankfully, new recruits, being the ignorant troglodytes they are, won't pick up on this fine distinction either.
Intesting report from the LA Times at the end of this:
Somalian government officials said they had no immediate plans to use heavy force to take the capital, a campaign they said could inflict heavy civilian deaths on the city of 2 million people. Instead, Ethiopians and transitional government troops encircled Mogadishu, shut down the seaport and airport, and pressured Islamic leaders to give up.Well, if true, good for us."We are cutting off the roads and begging them to lay down their weapons," said Abdikarim Farah, the transitional government's ambassador to Ethiopia.
He said the United States was among the countries helping to seal off access along the Indian Ocean coastline. (emphasis adde)
When Iowahawk finds a charity, he finds a good 'un. American Legion Post 360's got a pinup calendar for sale. There's also the Dolphin Scholarship calendar for those who aren't into the pinups...
Besides, we were getting too serious anyway.
"The Corps has this reflex when it feels threatened at home. It has a history of eating its young."You'll find the source for that below.
At this point, if we're going to send 20 or 30k extra troops into Iraq, it seems they'd better be qualified to serve as investigating officers, and they better find results compatable with whatever subsequent media coverage may arise.
A.L., there's an interesting tone to the story you linked - it seems to imply that guilt has been determined. I suppose sentencing is all that remains. I'm not at all implying that you share that (perhaps Murtha-inspired) mind set, in fact I'm confident you don't.
Vanity Fair (yes, Vanity Fair) has put their Haditha story back on their online "front page" - and it's one everyone should read. (I linked it when it was new and said the same thing.) It includes this observation on the aftermath of Murtha's declaration of guilt:
Following his statements, Haditha became yet another test in a polarized nation, and never mind the details: if you liked President George W. Bush, you believed that no massacre had taken place; if you disliked him, you believed the opposite.Which is one of countless reasons why anyone in that position should think twice about trying to get his quotes in the press - though for the weaker among us the tempatation will always be entirely too strong.
Another key reason is that guilt is determined in courts, of course, a position I believe we've maintained here from the get-go. (And if anyone knows of a previous example of a case so utterly corrupted in advance by one inept politician, by all means let me know.)
Of course, this case began in the exact same manner - someone released a very ill-considered official comment before all the facts were in (see below). Avoiding such is exactly why the military usually has "no comment" in the first draft of any story on anything.
Again, read the whole thing. For the time-constrained among us, I've excerpted the portion addressing the investigation issue below.
Always better to have them retreat than to have them moving forward.
Triumphant Somali government forces and their Ethiopian allies marched into Mogadishu on Thursday after Islamist rivals abandoned the war-scarred city they held for six months.More to follow, I am sure - but this is a better trend than what we have see for most of the year.The flight of the Islamists was a dramatic turn-around in the volatile Horn of Africa nation after they took Mogadishu in June and spread across the south imposing sharia rule.
Terrified of yet more violence in a city that has become a byword for chaos, some Mogadishu residents greeted the arriving government troops, while others hid.
"People are cheering as they wave flowers to the troops," said resident Abdikadar Abdulle, adding scores of government military vehicles had passed the Somalia National University west of the city center
...you'll find the text of a comment recently left at Mudville. I can't verify the author is who he says he is (or even that "he" is a "he") but the individual expresses an opinion I've heard before, more than once. Outside of some of the political views I agree with much of the core of what he says regarding courses of action in Iraq.
Not how anyone wants to come home for the holidays, but hopefully there's a valour-it laptop waiting under the tree.
Chuck Ziegenfuss - whose similar experience got the whole Valour-IT project started (hopefully readers here know that story) - visits Walter Reed for some follow-up, and meets Three Kings.
J.R. SALZMAN writes:
it is hard for me to tell you all this but i was hurt by an ied here. my right arm has been amputated below the elbow, my left has four working fingers. my legs are fine so l can still logroll! i am on my way to the hospital in germany, then back to the states for more care. i am in high spirits. i am going to be ok, but i will have a long road to recovery. please remember me in your prayers, as well as those who were injured with me. i will let you know more as time passes.
This was last week; presumably, he's in Landstuhl now. Salzman is from the same Minnesota National Guard unit that created the "Halp us Jon Carry" poster.
We wish him the best of luck in his recovery and rehabilitation.
Like it needs to be said, but if you're tasked with conducting an investigation or suspect malfeasance in your command, don't half-ass it, otherwise you can get your own ass in a sling.
Charges over Haditha killings seen as "significant"
Rather understated headline there.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The decision to charge four Marine officers accused of failing to properly investigate the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians was a rare step and might never have occurred had the media not brought the incident to light, experts said on Friday.
...
Four officers -- a lieutenant colonel, two captains and a lieutenant -- also were charged, accused of dereliction of duty and other counts for their role in the aftermath. An investigation concluded that reporting on the killings up the chain of command was inaccurate and untimely.
Part of my job entails reviewing investigations. In the Army, such investigations are typically informal, in the sense that until there's evidence of criminal conduct, they are not criminal investigations involving law enforcement (Mil Police or Criminal Investigative Division). Such investigations are really just attempts to first figure out what happened. If there is evidence of criminal conduct, then the investigating officer can recommend UCMJ action as appropriate to include a more specific inquiry by the relevant law enforcement agency.
Regrettably, investigating officers don't often do a very good job. Sometimes they do a great job and the investigation is tight, presents sufficient evidence to support its findings and doesn't make any wild leaps of logic or reason. I like those days, they make my job easy when reviewing the investigation and I can say "legally sufficient/mighty fine." Other times, however, the things are a trainwreck. You'll have investigating officers talking to two or three people, asking them a handful of questions each and then determining that "oh well, nothing can be done."
I'm reluctant to call it intentional since I think it's moreso straight up laziness. When good enough will do, so long as they get some statements they're done. Lord knows how many times I've had to talk to an investigating officer and tell him that just because you have two statements that conflict doesn't mean you're done--you actually have to make a FINDING as to which statement you believe.
Ultimately, it's a failure to recognize the importance of producing a coherent and thorough investigation. Stories like this underscore that importance.
I thought that we just finished the argument about triremes already!
As Eagle knows, this argument is on the periodic maintenance schedule.
But there is that argument about the awesome presence of a battleship off your coast..
According to early press reports, former President Gerald R. Ford passed away Tuesday at age 93. President Ford served aboard the USS Monterey (CVL-26) in WWII.
Some more thoughts on the Ethiopian push into Somalia (and links) here. Might be the first time I have ever linked to an African Union press comunique in French...
Time to embargo heavy weapons from entering Somalia?
I think so.
Somalia calls on Islamists to surrenderMeanwhile, the New York Times' proxy site, the International Herald Tribune, declares:Islamic fighters retreated Tuesday as Somali government and Ethiopian troops advanced on three fronts in a decisive turn in the battle for control of this Horn of Africa nation.
Somalia's internationally backed government called on the Council of Islamic Courts to surrender and promised amnesty if they lay down their weapons, spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said from Baidoa, the seat of the interim administration.
In Somalia, a reckless U.S. proxy warUndeterred by the horrors and setbacks in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon, the Bush administration has opened another battlefront in the Muslim world. With full U.S. backing and military training, at least 15,000 Ethiopian troops have entered Somalia in an illegal war of aggression against the Union of Islamic Courts, which controls almost the entire south of the country.
Although for some folks he never will:
BAGHDAD - The death sentence on Saddam Hussein and two co-defendants in his trial for crimes against humanity will be carried out within 30 days, appeals court judge Arif Shaheen said Tuesday."It cannot exceed 30 days. As from tomorrow the sentence could be carried out at any time," the judge said, after confirming that the sentences had been upheld and that the trial process was complete and without appeal.
The deaths of six more American soldiers in Iraq pushed the U.S. death toll to at least 2,978 -- five more than the number killed in the September 11 attacks -- as bombs killed more than 20 people in Baghdad on Tuesday.
The Reuters article also notes that December was the higest month for US casualties this year except for October which was higher than December (other months in previous years have had higher death tolls), and calls for the US to surrender now.
At least 89 U.S. soldiers have died so far this month, making it the deadliest this year after October's toll of 106, and adding pressure on President George W. Bush to find a strategy to extricate 135,000 U.S. troops from the messy war.The death toll in Iraq has exceeded that of a couple hours one September morning mere weeks after the length of the war exceeded that of WWII. The percentage of Americans killed in hostile action in Iraq remains at .15% (point-one-five percent, or fifteen-hundredths of one percent) of those deployed in the war on terror.
Once more, someone has suggested bringing back the battleships.
I don't agree.
See here.
Iraq protests at US arrest of Iranian diplomatBAGHDAD - Iraq’s president protested on Monday against the arrest by US forces in Iraq of two Iranian diplomats who US officials said were seized in raids against Iranians suspected of planning attacks on Iraqi security forces.
<...>
“Two Iranian diplomats were detained by the Americans,” said Hiwa Othman, media adviser for Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.“The president is unhappy. He is talking to the Americans about it as we speak."
<...>
“We suspect this event validates our claim about Iranian meddling,” said a White House spokesman.
<...>
In Tehran, the ISNA student news agency said the Foreign Ministry had summoned the Swiss ambassador to Tehran to discuss the arrests. The Swiss embassy represents US interests in Iran since diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington were cut after the 1979 Islamic revolution.“This move is not compatible with any international regulations and will provoke unpleasant repercussions,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said, ISNA reported.
Now ain't this interesting...
U.S. Is Holding Iranians Seized in Raids in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Dec. 24 — The American military is holding at least four Iranians in Iraq, including men the Bush administration called senior military officials, who were seized in a pair of raids late last week aimed at people suspected of conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces, according to senior Iraqi and American officials in Baghdad and Washington.
...
Gordon D. Johndroe, the spokesman for the National Security Council, said two Iranian diplomats were among those initially detained in the raids. The two had papers showing that they were accredited to work in Iraq, and he said they were turned over to the Iraqi authorities and released. He confirmed that a group of other Iranians, including the military officials, remained in custody while an investigation continued, and he said, “We continue to work with the government of Iraq on the status of the detainees.”It was unclear what kind of evidence American officials possessed that the Iranians were planning attacks, and the officials would not identify those being held. One official said that “a lot of material” was seized in the raid, but would not say if it included arms or documents that pointed to planning for attacks. Much of the material was still being examined, the official said.
Nonetheless, the two raids, in central Baghdad, have deeply upset Iraqi government officials, who have been making strenuous efforts to engage Iran on matters of security. At least two of the Iranians were in this country on an invitation extended by Iraq’s president, Jalal Talabani, during a visit to Tehran earlier this month. It was particularly awkward for the Iraqis that one of the raids took place in the Baghdad compound of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq’s most powerful Shiite leaders, who traveled to Washington three weeks ago to meet President Bush.
Over the past four days, the Iraqis and Iranians have engaged in intense behind-the-scenes efforts to secure the release of the remaining detainees. One Iraqi government official said, “The Iranian ambassador has been running around from office to office.”
Iraqi leaders appealed to the American military, including to Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior American ground commander in Iraq, to release the Iranians, according to an Iraqi politician familiar with the efforts. The debate about what to do next has also engaged officials in the White House and the State Department. The national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, has been fully briefed, officials said, though they would not say what Mr. Bush has been told about the seizure or the identity of the detainees.
A senior Western official in Baghdad said the raids were conducted after American officials received information that the people detained had been involved in attacks on official security forces in Iraq. “We conduct operations against those who threaten Iraqi and coalition forces,” the official said. “This was based on information.”
But what about their access to lawyers?!
At Mudville, a holiday season tradition continues for a fourth year. Milbloggers far from hearth and home this holiday season have time to check their blogs on Christmas day. Will they find tidings of comfort and joy in their comments sections? Perhaps...
Hooah, hooah, hooah! Merry Christmas:
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Despite being pounded by the Holiday Blizzard of 2006, North American Aerospace Defense Command remains on alert for the nation and ready to track Santa Claus, according to NORAD officials.“NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center is schedule to begin operations as scheduled at 2 a.m. Christmas Eve,” said Michael Perini, Director of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs.
More than 800 Santa tracking volunteers will cycle through the center answering telephone calls and e-mails from children around the world wanting to get a fix on Santa Claus’ whereabouts.
“In 2005, the volunteers at the Operations Center received 563,452 telephone calls and 103,156 emails from children around the world,” Perini said.The NORAD Tracks Santa Web site, www.noradsanta.org, went live Nov. 17 and has already garnered an amazing 48,695,357 page views. Last year the site received 907,958,865 page views from 204 countries and territories around the world.
Beginning at 2:00 a.m. MST on December 24, the Web site will provide minute-by-minute updates on Santa’s journey around the world.A toll free number is also available at 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) for children to call and personally speak to a Santa Tracker on Christmas Eve.
Our friends at JTF-HOA just went from busy to busier. This is going to be nasty.
Ethiopia sent fighter jets into Somalia and bombed several towns Sunday in a dramatic attack on Somalia's powerful Islamic movement, and Ethiopia's prime minister said his country had been "forced to enter a war."They know they live in a tough neighborhood about to get tougher. Ungh. Peace on Earth?
There are those who stand watch and those who've come home.
God rest ye merry gentlemen. Be you in sand, snow, swamp, or solid ground, Merry Christmas.
The "world's longest running humanitarian airdrop" and a great holiday tradition:
Christmas Drop.
...from James Hooker:
I'm offering, to the troops, downloads my new album FREE until 1 Jan. 2007 over at my place. Homemade SinCool stuff, thanks!Permalink to the post, which I've made a sticky, is HERE.
For those unfamiliar with the man and his music, here's Hooker's Hanging Out With The Boys
Lots more (including Christmas tunes) at Hooker's.
For Christmas 2004, Noah came just weeks before his deployment in OIF3. He couldn't be with us last Christmas as he was working at Fort Benning after being returned to duty after his wounding and was preparing for the return of his unit (Our Guys) early in '06. We were particularly pleased that he could spend this Christmas with us as he is slated to return to the battlefield in '07...So Noah arrived from Ft Benning safe and sound to spend Christmas with us... and he brought along an early Christmas present...
To see our gift, keep reading at Some Soldier's Mom
Some folks over at my place do. I disagree, mostly. Here's my conclusion for Reader's Digest fans:
Fundamentally - absent the most dire and immediate exigency - we cannot be a truly free country if we are forced to rely upon the indentured service of a conscript class for the maintenance of our freedoms. If the day should ever come that we can no longer provide for our defense with the service of courageous volunteers, then the day has perhaps come when we no longer deserve to be defended.
The rest is here, if you're curious.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE TIGER, Iraq – The 2nd Iraqi Army Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Jamal, assumed independent authority to control all actions in their battle space during a transfer of authority ceremony held Dec. 18 at Forward Operating Base Tiger in Mosul.“This ceremony marks a special time in the 2nd Iraqi Army Division’s history,” said Maj. Gen. Randy Mixon, commander, 25th Infantry Division. “This day also signifies the last [Iraqi Army] division to assume Iraqi Army lead in Multi-National Division – North, and the 2nd Iraqi Army Division will fall under the control of the Iraqi Ground Forces Command on Jan. 15.”
In other belated news
via DVIDS
NAJAF, Iraq – The security and governance of nearly one-million An Najaf citizens was officially transferred to Provincial Iraqi Control in a ceremony here in southern Iraq Dec. 20.
This makes 3 provinces under Iraqi Control, 8 IA Divisions "In The Lead", 3 IA Divisions under Iraqi Ground Forces Command.
Normally, I mock and belittle MSM reports of "we're sending more naval forces to the Persian Gulf so we can attack Iran". The most recent reports, though, have a ring of truth -- not that we're about to attack Iran, but that we are going to plus-up our carrier presence in the Fifth Fleet AOR in the near term to maybe "send a message" to Tehran. I discuss it in more detail at my home blog.
VOA:
Four U.S. Marines have been charged with murder in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the city of Haditha November 19 2005. Mike O'Sullivan reports, another four Marines face related charges, announced Thursday at Camp Pendleton, California.
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Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich, who led the squad, faces 12 counts of murder of Iraqi civilians. A 13th count charges him with the murders of six others killed inside a home on his orders.Sergeant Sanick Dela Cruz is charged with five murders. Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt is charged with three. Lance Corporal Steven Tatum will face two murder charges, another four charges of negligent homicide, and two counts of assault.
The Marines are charged with unpremeditated mur
