*IRAQ: latest news and developments
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Backatcha Bandit
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Barking_Mad
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Mossad chief: invasion has created a holy war
09 November 2003
A former chief of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, has accused the United States and Britain of lack of foresight over the Iraq invasion and warned of even greater violence unless the civic infrastructure is established quickly.
Major General Danny Yatom said the presence of Western forces in Iraq has presented the opportunity for a holy war, or jihad, by Islamists in a country surrounded by Muslim neighbours.
Speaking during a visit to London, Gen Yatom said: "Colin Powell has always said that if the coalition went into Iraq, they had to get out. But it seems America did not have such a plan in place. They are lacking such a plan, and that is what is urgently needed now."
The failure to restore basic amenities such as water and power has been one of the biggest obstacles to winning over the Iraqi people to "show that the democratic system works," said Gen Yatom, whose visit was organised by the group Friends of Hebrew University.
"This must be a priority. It should not be too difficult; after all you don't have to go to the moon to get that kind of thing. Establishing these basic things must give the people the confidence to start on the political process."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=461945
09 November 2003
A former chief of Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, has accused the United States and Britain of lack of foresight over the Iraq invasion and warned of even greater violence unless the civic infrastructure is established quickly.
Major General Danny Yatom said the presence of Western forces in Iraq has presented the opportunity for a holy war, or jihad, by Islamists in a country surrounded by Muslim neighbours.
Speaking during a visit to London, Gen Yatom said: "Colin Powell has always said that if the coalition went into Iraq, they had to get out. But it seems America did not have such a plan in place. They are lacking such a plan, and that is what is urgently needed now."
The failure to restore basic amenities such as water and power has been one of the biggest obstacles to winning over the Iraqi people to "show that the democratic system works," said Gen Yatom, whose visit was organised by the group Friends of Hebrew University.
"This must be a priority. It should not be too difficult; after all you don't have to go to the moon to get that kind of thing. Establishing these basic things must give the people the confidence to start on the political process."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=461945
Barking_Mad
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Turkmen-Kurd Tension in Kerkuk Near the Boiling Point
Tension between Kurds and Turkmens in Kerkuk (Kirkuk) have gradually been growing to the point where hostilities can break out at any time.
Already, there have been some skirmishes here and there. While peshmergas attacked the Iraq Turkmen Front (ITF) leader's car, the ITF office in Musalla was attacked by rockets.
Recently, ITF leader Faruk Abdullah Abdurrahman's car was attacked by Kurdish gunmen says the ITF.
"The Kurds were victims of Saddam yesterday and they have become today's tyrants. The tension is growing; we want American administrators to take measures," said Faruk.
http://www.zaman.com/default.php?kn=4968
Tension between Kurds and Turkmens in Kerkuk (Kirkuk) have gradually been growing to the point where hostilities can break out at any time.
Already, there have been some skirmishes here and there. While peshmergas attacked the Iraq Turkmen Front (ITF) leader's car, the ITF office in Musalla was attacked by rockets.
Recently, ITF leader Faruk Abdullah Abdurrahman's car was attacked by Kurdish gunmen says the ITF.
"The Kurds were victims of Saddam yesterday and they have become today's tyrants. The tension is growing; we want American administrators to take measures," said Faruk.
http://www.zaman.com/default.php?kn=4968
Barking_Mad
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F-16s Turn Iraqi Family Against Americans
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - The Jawal family was one of the few in this flashpoint town who liked the Americans -- until U.S. F-16 jets dropped 500-pound bombs near their home.
"We used to have hopes of the Americans after they removed Saddam (Hussein). We thought they would deliver on their promises," said Khatoun Jawal.
"We liked them until this weekend. Why did they drop bombs near us? Some of my children were so scared they fainted."
A U.S. military source said F-16 fighter-bombers dropped three 500-pound bombs near Falluja, west of Baghdad, on Sunday after unspecified attacks on U.S. troops.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3788362
FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - The Jawal family was one of the few in this flashpoint town who liked the Americans -- until U.S. F-16 jets dropped 500-pound bombs near their home.
"We used to have hopes of the Americans after they removed Saddam (Hussein). We thought they would deliver on their promises," said Khatoun Jawal.
"We liked them until this weekend. Why did they drop bombs near us? Some of my children were so scared they fainted."
A U.S. military source said F-16 fighter-bombers dropped three 500-pound bombs near Falluja, west of Baghdad, on Sunday after unspecified attacks on U.S. troops.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3788362
Barking_Mad
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US troops clash with 'PKK rebels'
American troops have clashed with suspected Turkish Kurd rebels based in northern Iraq.
The US military confirmed that fire was exchanged between "unknown forces" and an Iraqi border patrol supported by US forces.
The statement came after Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that US forces had clashed with PKK rebels.
If confirmed, it would be the first known clash between US forces and the PKK. The "unknown forces" were disbursed with the assistance of Apache attack helicopters and a quick reaction force team, he added.
Turkey and the US have agreed an action plan to eradicate the PKK, which is thought to have about 5,000 members living in northern Iraq.
Details of the plan have not been released, but a US official said at the time that any military action would be carried out by American troops.
Ever since the US occupied Iraq, Turkey has been pressing Washington to take action against the group, which both countries regard as a terrorist organisation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3257273.stm
American troops have clashed with suspected Turkish Kurd rebels based in northern Iraq.
The US military confirmed that fire was exchanged between "unknown forces" and an Iraqi border patrol supported by US forces.
The statement came after Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that US forces had clashed with PKK rebels.
If confirmed, it would be the first known clash between US forces and the PKK. The "unknown forces" were disbursed with the assistance of Apache attack helicopters and a quick reaction force team, he added.
Turkey and the US have agreed an action plan to eradicate the PKK, which is thought to have about 5,000 members living in northern Iraq.
Details of the plan have not been released, but a US official said at the time that any military action would be carried out by American troops.
Ever since the US occupied Iraq, Turkey has been pressing Washington to take action against the group, which both countries regard as a terrorist organisation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3257273.stm
Barking_Mad
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Iraq 'faces severe health crisis'
The most vulnerable were hit hard by the war, the report says
The people of Iraq may have poorer health for generations as a result of the war, according to a report.
Medical charity Medact says this year's conflict disrupted immunisation programmes and destroyed water systems, increasing levels of disease.
Environmental degradation and smoke from oil fires are adding to the health problems of Iraqis, it reports. Continuing insecurity in Iraq, along with the breakdown of public health services, are exacerbating the problem.
There has been a reported increase in maternal mortality rates, acute malnutrition has almost doubled, and there is an increase in water-borne diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases
The report says that the conflict and its aftermath have put the most vulnerable in society - women, children and the elderly - at risk. A quarter of a million children were not vaccinated against measles once the conflict started. Although immunisation campaigns have resumed, it has not been possible to confirm if these children received the jab.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3259489.stm
The most vulnerable were hit hard by the war, the report says
The people of Iraq may have poorer health for generations as a result of the war, according to a report.
Medical charity Medact says this year's conflict disrupted immunisation programmes and destroyed water systems, increasing levels of disease.
Environmental degradation and smoke from oil fires are adding to the health problems of Iraqis, it reports. Continuing insecurity in Iraq, along with the breakdown of public health services, are exacerbating the problem.
There has been a reported increase in maternal mortality rates, acute malnutrition has almost doubled, and there is an increase in water-borne diseases and vaccine-preventable diseases
The report says that the conflict and its aftermath have put the most vulnerable in society - women, children and the elderly - at risk. A quarter of a million children were not vaccinated against measles once the conflict started. Although immunisation campaigns have resumed, it has not been possible to confirm if these children received the jab.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3259489.stm
Barking_Mad
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Looks liek the violence is spreading down south, thats a few attacks, albeit unsuccessful in the Basra area....
Four Iraqis killed in Basra bomb
Four Iraqi civilians have been killed by a bomb in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, police say. The explosion took place on a road used frequently by British troops.
The explosion in Basra blew up a civilian car and damaged other vehicles. British forces quickly sealed off the area, but no British troops were reported to be in the area at the time of the explosion, which happened at about 0830 (0530 GMT).
There have been unconfirmed reports of a second explosion a few hours later. The French news agency AFP said there was no immediate report of any casualties. A British military truck was damaged in a bomb blast on Sunday.
British units in Basra have been periodically hit by violence but not on the scale of attacks suffered by US troops in the north and west of Iraq.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas says British troops on patrol in the mainly Shia Muslim area are still met with smiles and extended hands, a sight not common anymore in Baghdad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3259439.stm
Four Iraqis killed in Basra bomb
Four Iraqi civilians have been killed by a bomb in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, police say. The explosion took place on a road used frequently by British troops.
The explosion in Basra blew up a civilian car and damaged other vehicles. British forces quickly sealed off the area, but no British troops were reported to be in the area at the time of the explosion, which happened at about 0830 (0530 GMT).
There have been unconfirmed reports of a second explosion a few hours later. The French news agency AFP said there was no immediate report of any casualties. A British military truck was damaged in a bomb blast on Sunday.
British units in Basra have been periodically hit by violence but not on the scale of attacks suffered by US troops in the north and west of Iraq.
The BBC's Kim Ghattas says British troops on patrol in the mainly Shia Muslim area are still met with smiles and extended hands, a sight not common anymore in Baghdad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3259439.stm
Barking_Mad
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Al-Qaeda suspects quizzed in Iraq
Lieutenant-General Sanchez said the insurgency had intensified
About 20 people suspected of having al-Qaeda links are being held in US custody in Iraq, the US military says. Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of US forces in Iraq, said they were being questioned.
US and Iraqi officials have said they believe that foreign fighters are behind some of the recent attacks against US-led forces in Iraq. In the latest violence, police said four Iraqi civilians were killed by a bomb in the southern city of Basra.
The BBC's Peter Biles in Baghdad says it has long been suspected that Islamic militants have been slipping into Iraq to join the opposition to the US-led occupation of the country.
Most of the foreign fighters are said to enter the country from Syria and Iran. However, a number of US commanders have said they are uncertain about the numbers of foreign fighters and their role in the insurgency.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3260431.stm
Lieutenant-General Sanchez said the insurgency had intensified
About 20 people suspected of having al-Qaeda links are being held in US custody in Iraq, the US military says. Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of US forces in Iraq, said they were being questioned.
US and Iraqi officials have said they believe that foreign fighters are behind some of the recent attacks against US-led forces in Iraq. In the latest violence, police said four Iraqi civilians were killed by a bomb in the southern city of Basra.
The BBC's Peter Biles in Baghdad says it has long been suspected that Islamic militants have been slipping into Iraq to join the opposition to the US-led occupation of the country.
Most of the foreign fighters are said to enter the country from Syria and Iran. However, a number of US commanders have said they are uncertain about the numbers of foreign fighters and their role in the insurgency.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3260431.stm
Barking_Mad
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Congressional delegation stops to visit patients at Landstuhl
The delegation made a stop at the military hospital in Landstuhl, which has treated more than 7,000 injured and ill servicemembers from the Iraq war. The congressmen met with several injured soldiers, one whose arm had been amputated by a rocket-propelled grenade, and another who was injured by a homemade bomb.
“The impression that you get is that you’re just so proud of these young people who are doing something that our country has made a habit of doing for many, many years,” Akin said. “They’re basically the life-support system of a new, struggling country.”
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=17821&archive=true
The delegation made a stop at the military hospital in Landstuhl, which has treated more than 7,000 injured and ill servicemembers from the Iraq war. The congressmen met with several injured soldiers, one whose arm had been amputated by a rocket-propelled grenade, and another who was injured by a homemade bomb.
“The impression that you get is that you’re just so proud of these young people who are doing something that our country has made a habit of doing for many, many years,” Akin said. “They’re basically the life-support system of a new, struggling country.”
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=17821&archive=true
Barking_Mad
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A War in the Dark
It's hard to know your enemy when you don't speak his language. In Iraq, when guerrillas place an IED (improvised explosive device) by the side of the road, they sometimes write a warning on the street-in Arabic. The locals understand to steer clear; the Americans drive right into the trap. "Everyone knows about it except us," grouses Lt. Julio Tirado of the 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard, patrolling warily in the town of Ramadi.
THE AMERICANS are learning the universal language of insult. They catch on now when Iraqis in the seething Sunni Triangle flash them a backhanded V sign, which conveys roughly the same message as an extended middle finger back in the States. When Americans wish to demonstrate their contempt to the locals, they point to the soles of their feet, deeply offensive to Iraqis.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/988072.asp
It's hard to know your enemy when you don't speak his language. In Iraq, when guerrillas place an IED (improvised explosive device) by the side of the road, they sometimes write a warning on the street-in Arabic. The locals understand to steer clear; the Americans drive right into the trap. "Everyone knows about it except us," grouses Lt. Julio Tirado of the 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida National Guard, patrolling warily in the town of Ramadi.
THE AMERICANS are learning the universal language of insult. They catch on now when Iraqis in the seething Sunni Triangle flash them a backhanded V sign, which conveys roughly the same message as an extended middle finger back in the States. When Americans wish to demonstrate their contempt to the locals, they point to the soles of their feet, deeply offensive to Iraqis.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/988072.asp
Barking_Mad
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Ex Iraqi Oil Minister: Corruption Is Rife In Oil Industry
LONDON (Dow Jones)--Corruption as bad or worse than under Saddam Hussein is already creeping back into the Iraqi oil industry, a former oil minister said Wednesday.
"In Iraq nowadays, signs of corruption, commission and bribery have resurfaced and might be even at a larger scale than whatever happened during (the) Saddam Hussein (era)," Issam al-Chalabi, head of the Iraqi oil ministry shortly before the first Gulf War in 1990, told a London oil conference.
"Sales of oil should be transparent and not subject to interference of local or foreign agents," he said. He also said oil assets shouldn't be privatized.
"Irresponsible calls are made here and there threatening the ultimate role of the state over its national wealth. Privatization except in certain downstream facilities should never be realized as well as calls for mortgaging the oil," he said. He warned privatization could result in the stripping of state-assets seen in Russian privatization.
"Iraq can do without the lookalikes of Russian oligarchs. Any attempt to privatize upstream oil or even industrial plants, for that matter, will be no less dubious and even more harmful to the Iraqi economy than the murky privatization measures of Saddam Hussein in 1998, when a very few took over so much at a very low cost," he said.
Al-Chalabi also warned that Iraq's reservoirs, the second-largest in the world with at least 115 billion barrels of oil, are rapidly deteriorating because engineers are reinjecting harmful mixtures to get production levels back up.
Production needs to be capped at 2.2 million barrels a day for 2004, with exports limited to 1.6 million b/d to preserve the reservoirs from getting worse, and all reinjecting to boost well productivity has to stop, he said.
http://www.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003110516430011&Take=1
LONDON (Dow Jones)--Corruption as bad or worse than under Saddam Hussein is already creeping back into the Iraqi oil industry, a former oil minister said Wednesday.
"In Iraq nowadays, signs of corruption, commission and bribery have resurfaced and might be even at a larger scale than whatever happened during (the) Saddam Hussein (era)," Issam al-Chalabi, head of the Iraqi oil ministry shortly before the first Gulf War in 1990, told a London oil conference.
"Sales of oil should be transparent and not subject to interference of local or foreign agents," he said. He also said oil assets shouldn't be privatized.
"Irresponsible calls are made here and there threatening the ultimate role of the state over its national wealth. Privatization except in certain downstream facilities should never be realized as well as calls for mortgaging the oil," he said. He warned privatization could result in the stripping of state-assets seen in Russian privatization.
"Iraq can do without the lookalikes of Russian oligarchs. Any attempt to privatize upstream oil or even industrial plants, for that matter, will be no less dubious and even more harmful to the Iraqi economy than the murky privatization measures of Saddam Hussein in 1998, when a very few took over so much at a very low cost," he said.
Al-Chalabi also warned that Iraq's reservoirs, the second-largest in the world with at least 115 billion barrels of oil, are rapidly deteriorating because engineers are reinjecting harmful mixtures to get production levels back up.
Production needs to be capped at 2.2 million barrels a day for 2004, with exports limited to 1.6 million b/d to preserve the reservoirs from getting worse, and all reinjecting to boost well productivity has to stop, he said.
http://www.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003110516430011&Take=1
Barking_Mad
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Woolsey Pushes Constitutional Monarchy for Iraq
Former CIA director James Woolsey and Princeton scholar Bernard Lewis penned an opinion article last week in The Wall Street Journal calling for the temporary re-adoption of the 1925 Iraqi constitution until a permanent constitution can be written.
The article proposed the reinstatement, with some amendments and on an interim basis, of a constitutional monarchy in which there would be an elected parliament and a king would appoint the prime minister.
While the piece did not specify any candidates for those positions, some observers saw the proposal as a backhanded strategy to advance two regional actors - former Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan and Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmed Chalabi - who are longtime favorites of neoconservative officials in the Bush administration.
Lewis and Woolsey wrote that the king "should be a Hashemite prince with political experience and no political obligations or commitments." Hassan, who was the crown prince until a few weeks before the death of his brother King Hussein, was touted as a possible ruler of Iraq by neoconservatives before the war and appeared at a meeting of the Iraqi opposition last spring.
Further, they wrote that the king would appoint the prime minister, who "should be a modern Shiite with a record of opposition to tyranny and oppression," a description that would seem to fit Chalabi.
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.11.07/news3b.woolseyside.html
Former CIA director James Woolsey and Princeton scholar Bernard Lewis penned an opinion article last week in The Wall Street Journal calling for the temporary re-adoption of the 1925 Iraqi constitution until a permanent constitution can be written.
The article proposed the reinstatement, with some amendments and on an interim basis, of a constitutional monarchy in which there would be an elected parliament and a king would appoint the prime minister.
While the piece did not specify any candidates for those positions, some observers saw the proposal as a backhanded strategy to advance two regional actors - former Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan and Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmed Chalabi - who are longtime favorites of neoconservative officials in the Bush administration.
Lewis and Woolsey wrote that the king "should be a Hashemite prince with political experience and no political obligations or commitments." Hassan, who was the crown prince until a few weeks before the death of his brother King Hussein, was touted as a possible ruler of Iraq by neoconservatives before the war and appeared at a meeting of the Iraqi opposition last spring.
Further, they wrote that the king would appoint the prime minister, who "should be a modern Shiite with a record of opposition to tyranny and oppression," a description that would seem to fit Chalabi.
http://www.forward.com/issues/2003/03.11.07/news3b.woolseyside.html
Barking_Mad
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George is at it again.....When will he work out that bombing people is only going to make more terrorists....
Bush Vows To Establish Democracy In Iraq, Afghanistan
President George W. Bush said Tuesday that the country's resolve is being tested by terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and he vowed to "finish the mission" of bringing stability and democracy to both nations.
"Our mission in Iraq, in Afghanistan is clear to our service members and clear to our enemies. Our men and women are fighting to secure the freedom of more than 50 million people who recently lived under two of the cruelest dictatorships on Earth," Bush said in a speech at the Heritage Institute.
"Our men and women are fighting to help democracy and peace and justice rise in a troubled and violent region. Our men and women are fighting terrorists, enemies thousands of miles away in the heart and center of their power, so that we do not face those enemies in the heart of America," he added.
Bush noted that past retreats by the U.S. served only to embolden the terrorists worldwide and created a greater danger.
"The terrorists cite the examples of Beirut and Somalia as evidence that America can be made to run. Five years ago, one of the terrorists said that an attack could make America retreat in less than 24 hours," Bush said.
"The terrorists are mistaken. The United States will complete our work in Iraq and in Afghanistan," he added.
http://framehosting.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003111119370004&Take=3
Bush Vows To Establish Democracy In Iraq, Afghanistan
President George W. Bush said Tuesday that the country's resolve is being tested by terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan and he vowed to "finish the mission" of bringing stability and democracy to both nations.
"Our mission in Iraq, in Afghanistan is clear to our service members and clear to our enemies. Our men and women are fighting to secure the freedom of more than 50 million people who recently lived under two of the cruelest dictatorships on Earth," Bush said in a speech at the Heritage Institute.
"Our men and women are fighting to help democracy and peace and justice rise in a troubled and violent region. Our men and women are fighting terrorists, enemies thousands of miles away in the heart and center of their power, so that we do not face those enemies in the heart of America," he added.
Bush noted that past retreats by the U.S. served only to embolden the terrorists worldwide and created a greater danger.
"The terrorists cite the examples of Beirut and Somalia as evidence that America can be made to run. Five years ago, one of the terrorists said that an attack could make America retreat in less than 24 hours," Bush said.
"The terrorists are mistaken. The United States will complete our work in Iraq and in Afghanistan," he added.
http://framehosting.dowjonesnews.com/sample/samplestory.asp?StoryID=2003111119370004&Take=3
Barking_Mad
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I wonder what in particular Bremner has flown back to the US for, sounds like some really serious decision making is going off.......
Baghdad HQ in fresh rocket attack
Several rockets have exploded in the heavily-fortified compound used by the US-led administration in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The attack caused damage to vehicles but no reported deaths or injuries.
It comes as Paul Bremer, the top US civil administrator in Iraq, returned to Washington for what officials say is a "decision-making session". The number of attacks against troops occupying Iraq has risen to 30 a day, the US army commander said on Tuesday.
The spokeswoman described the meetings as "routine", although a US official quoted by Reuters said: "When decisions need to be made, Bremer comes. Some decisions need to be made."
Correspondents say Mr Bremer's return comes amid growing frustration with the US-appointed Iraqi interim ruling council and what some officials say is increasing friction with Mr Bremer himself.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3262147.stm
Baghdad HQ in fresh rocket attack
Several rockets have exploded in the heavily-fortified compound used by the US-led administration in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
The attack caused damage to vehicles but no reported deaths or injuries.
It comes as Paul Bremer, the top US civil administrator in Iraq, returned to Washington for what officials say is a "decision-making session". The number of attacks against troops occupying Iraq has risen to 30 a day, the US army commander said on Tuesday.
The spokeswoman described the meetings as "routine", although a US official quoted by Reuters said: "When decisions need to be made, Bremer comes. Some decisions need to be made."
Correspondents say Mr Bremer's return comes amid growing frustration with the US-appointed Iraqi interim ruling council and what some officials say is increasing friction with Mr Bremer himself.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3262147.stm
Barking_Mad
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This is a beauty........
What Would Gandhi Do?
Harper's magazine reports that Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, recently said that Palestinians should "adopt the ways of Gandhi" the same day Israeli soldiers shot dead a ten-year-old Palestinian boy who apparently wandered into a forbidden area while he was trying to catch birds. Wolfowitz made no mention of who the Israelis should emulate nor did he mention what Gandhi would have made of our own extended Iraqi occupation.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/2003/11/001381.html
What Would Gandhi Do?
Harper's magazine reports that Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy defense secretary, recently said that Palestinians should "adopt the ways of Gandhi" the same day Israeli soldiers shot dead a ten-year-old Palestinian boy who apparently wandered into a forbidden area while he was trying to catch birds. Wolfowitz made no mention of who the Israelis should emulate nor did he mention what Gandhi would have made of our own extended Iraqi occupation.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/2003/11/001381.html
Barking_Mad
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I know its not Iraq, but hey.....
6 Afghans Die in U.S. Raid
ABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 10 — American forces began a large-scale airborne assault against suspected Taliban and other antigovernment forces in two mountainous northeastern provinces over the weekend, a United States military spokesman said Monday.
But some tribal leaders who support the government objected to the operation. One said an attack by American forces on Oct. 30 had killed several of his family members.
"Three planes came," Mr. Rabbani said. "First they bombed the mosque. My 18-year-old son was sleeping in the mosque and he was killed. When they started bombing, the people in the village started fleeing and my 21-year-old daughter was shot down by a plane as she was running in the street." A 75-year-old woman was trying to take three of Mr. Rabbani's young cousins — ages 15, 7 and 5 — to shelter when they were all killed by gunfire from a plane or helicopter, he said. The children's father, carrying his blind mother on his back, escaped, he said.
Colonel Davis, the spokesman, said by e-mail that he was unable to confirm whether Americans had attacked the village. A United Nations official in Kabul said the Americans had bombed the village by mistake, trying to hit the house of one of Mr. Hekmatyar's commanders.
Source NY Times: http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=03/11/10/9250155
6 Afghans Die in U.S. Raid
ABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 10 — American forces began a large-scale airborne assault against suspected Taliban and other antigovernment forces in two mountainous northeastern provinces over the weekend, a United States military spokesman said Monday.
But some tribal leaders who support the government objected to the operation. One said an attack by American forces on Oct. 30 had killed several of his family members.
"Three planes came," Mr. Rabbani said. "First they bombed the mosque. My 18-year-old son was sleeping in the mosque and he was killed. When they started bombing, the people in the village started fleeing and my 21-year-old daughter was shot down by a plane as she was running in the street." A 75-year-old woman was trying to take three of Mr. Rabbani's young cousins — ages 15, 7 and 5 — to shelter when they were all killed by gunfire from a plane or helicopter, he said. The children's father, carrying his blind mother on his back, escaped, he said.
Colonel Davis, the spokesman, said by e-mail that he was unable to confirm whether Americans had attacked the village. A United Nations official in Kabul said the Americans had bombed the village by mistake, trying to hit the house of one of Mr. Hekmatyar's commanders.
Source NY Times: http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=03/11/10/9250155
Barking_Mad
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Well, the bombing and resistence has truly spread around the country. One yesterday in Basra, and now in the far south.....They truly are getting desperate.
Twelve Italians die in Iraq bomb
Nine Italian police officers and three soldiers have been killed in a truck bomb attack on their base in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya. Several other Italians and local Iraqis are said to have been injured in the powerful explosion which partially destroyed the building. Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi called the bombing a "terrorist act".
They serve under British command in southern Iraq as part of the US-led coalition. Until Wednesday, they had suffered no combat-related fatalities. The blast rocked the police base at about 1045 local time (0745GMT). Witnesses said the vehicle was driven into the entrance of the building before it exploded. The Italian defence ministry confirmed the casualties.
Vehicle bombs have been used in attacks on numerous organisations in Iraq since the war ended, including the United Nations and the International Red Cross. Nasiriya, a Shia Muslim city that saw heavy fighting during the war, had been relatively quite in recent months.
However, the BBC's Peter Biles says the bombing of a minibus in Basra on Tuesday and the killing of a Polish soldier near Karbala last week point to a possible upsurge of attacks in southern Iraq. Elsewhere in Iraq, the US military is reporting that another of its soldiers has been killed in an explosion north of Baghdad. More than 150 US troops have been killed in attacks by unknown groups since major combat operations in Iraq ended.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3263087.stm
Twelve Italians die in Iraq bomb
Nine Italian police officers and three soldiers have been killed in a truck bomb attack on their base in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya. Several other Italians and local Iraqis are said to have been injured in the powerful explosion which partially destroyed the building. Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi called the bombing a "terrorist act".
They serve under British command in southern Iraq as part of the US-led coalition. Until Wednesday, they had suffered no combat-related fatalities. The blast rocked the police base at about 1045 local time (0745GMT). Witnesses said the vehicle was driven into the entrance of the building before it exploded. The Italian defence ministry confirmed the casualties.
Vehicle bombs have been used in attacks on numerous organisations in Iraq since the war ended, including the United Nations and the International Red Cross. Nasiriya, a Shia Muslim city that saw heavy fighting during the war, had been relatively quite in recent months.
However, the BBC's Peter Biles says the bombing of a minibus in Basra on Tuesday and the killing of a Polish soldier near Karbala last week point to a possible upsurge of attacks in southern Iraq. Elsewhere in Iraq, the US military is reporting that another of its soldiers has been killed in an explosion north of Baghdad. More than 150 US troops have been killed in attacks by unknown groups since major combat operations in Iraq ended.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3263087.stm
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
I think this is the sound of a penny dropping........
CIA Report Offers Bleak View of Iraq
A new CIA report on Iraq warns of growing popular support for insurgents combating U.S. occupation forces and says efforts to rebuild the country could collapse without immediate corrective action, the Philadelphia Inquirer said on Wednesday.
The newspaper, quoting unnamed administration officials, also said in an article that the classified document's bleak view of the situation in Iraq has been privately endorsed by Iraq's U.S. governor, Paul Bremer.
The CIA analysis, which was issued to senior U.S. officials on Monday, suggests that the escalation of the U.S. military campaign against guerrillas could cause new civilian casualties and drive more Iraqis to the side of the insurgents, the newspaper said.
Meanwhile, the inability of U.S. forces to crush the insurgents is convincing growing numbers of Iraqis that the occupation can be defeated, the newspaper said.
The report warns that none of the postwar Iraqi political institutions and leaders have shown an ability to govern the country or even preside over drafting a constitution or holding an election, the Inquirer said.
It also raises concerns that majority Shi'ite Muslims could join Sunnis in an insurgency against the U.S. occupation, citing intensifying U.S.-Shi'ite friction fueled by this week's U.S. killing of the mayor of the Shi'ite enclave of Sadr City, according to the newspaper.
The Inquirer said administration officials did not detail any recommendations contained in the report.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3804121
CIA Report Offers Bleak View of Iraq
A new CIA report on Iraq warns of growing popular support for insurgents combating U.S. occupation forces and says efforts to rebuild the country could collapse without immediate corrective action, the Philadelphia Inquirer said on Wednesday.
The newspaper, quoting unnamed administration officials, also said in an article that the classified document's bleak view of the situation in Iraq has been privately endorsed by Iraq's U.S. governor, Paul Bremer.
The CIA analysis, which was issued to senior U.S. officials on Monday, suggests that the escalation of the U.S. military campaign against guerrillas could cause new civilian casualties and drive more Iraqis to the side of the insurgents, the newspaper said.
Meanwhile, the inability of U.S. forces to crush the insurgents is convincing growing numbers of Iraqis that the occupation can be defeated, the newspaper said.
The report warns that none of the postwar Iraqi political institutions and leaders have shown an ability to govern the country or even preside over drafting a constitution or holding an election, the Inquirer said.
It also raises concerns that majority Shi'ite Muslims could join Sunnis in an insurgency against the U.S. occupation, citing intensifying U.S.-Shi'ite friction fueled by this week's U.S. killing of the mayor of the Shi'ite enclave of Sadr City, according to the newspaper.
The Inquirer said administration officials did not detail any recommendations contained in the report.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3804121
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
Civilian vanishes in Iraq - $40,000 found in car left behind by Army contractor
Baghdad -- A Moss Beach man working as a contractor for the U.S. Army in Iraq has mysteriously disappeared while driving along an isolated road north of the country's violence-plagued Sunni Triangle.
Fears are growing that Kirk von Ackermann, 37, might have been abducted or killed after his car was found abandoned between the cities of Tikrit and Kirkuk. Found inside the vehicle were his satellite phone, a laptop computer and a briefcase containing around $40,000, suggesting that he had not been the victim of a robbery. There was no sign of a struggle at the scene.
Since his disappearance on Oct. 9, the Army has conducted an "aggressive" investigation aided by Iraqi police, said Chris Grey, spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Command, based in Virginia. But so far they are baffled.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/11/11/MNG7O2UUMF1.DTL
Baghdad -- A Moss Beach man working as a contractor for the U.S. Army in Iraq has mysteriously disappeared while driving along an isolated road north of the country's violence-plagued Sunni Triangle.
Fears are growing that Kirk von Ackermann, 37, might have been abducted or killed after his car was found abandoned between the cities of Tikrit and Kirkuk. Found inside the vehicle were his satellite phone, a laptop computer and a briefcase containing around $40,000, suggesting that he had not been the victim of a robbery. There was no sign of a struggle at the scene.
Since his disappearance on Oct. 9, the Army has conducted an "aggressive" investigation aided by Iraqi police, said Chris Grey, spokesman for the Army's Criminal Investigation Command, based in Virginia. But so far they are baffled.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/11/11/MNG7O2UUMF1.DTL
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
More dead Iraqis. 
US troops open fire on truck, killing five Iraqis
(Fallujah, Iraq-AP) -- Iraqis say U-S troops shot and killed five Iraqi civilians aboard a truck full of live chickens near the tense town of Fallujah. Relatives say the dead include a father and his two sons, killed at a roadblock last night. Fallujah is the site of numerous anti-American attacks and U-S soldiers in the area have been on a high state of alert.
Reporters today saw U-S troops delivering one body from an Army ambulance to waiting families. In a morgue, reporters saw several bodies with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. A military spokesman in Baghdad had no immediate information on the incident.
http://www.wokr13.tv/news/world/story.aspx?content_id=8493E222-758E-4C3D-9C16-B68D69D54DE5
US troops open fire on truck, killing five Iraqis
(Fallujah, Iraq-AP) -- Iraqis say U-S troops shot and killed five Iraqi civilians aboard a truck full of live chickens near the tense town of Fallujah. Relatives say the dead include a father and his two sons, killed at a roadblock last night. Fallujah is the site of numerous anti-American attacks and U-S soldiers in the area have been on a high state of alert.
Reporters today saw U-S troops delivering one body from an Army ambulance to waiting families. In a morgue, reporters saw several bodies with what appeared to be gunshot wounds. A military spokesman in Baghdad had no immediate information on the incident.
http://www.wokr13.tv/news/world/story.aspx?content_id=8493E222-758E-4C3D-9C16-B68D69D54DE5
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
hmm
Four soldiers accused of stabbing to death a unit member after return from Iraq
Four soldiers at Fort Benning have been arrested and accused of stabbing to death a member of their infantry unit, setting the body on fire and leaving it in the woods just days after their return from Iraq.
Police said the soldiers had gotten mad at Spc. Richard R. Davis for insulting a dancer at a strip club and getting them kicked out of the place.
Davis, 24, of St. Charles, Mo., was stabbed repeatedly in July. His skeletal remains were found Friday, nearly four months after he was reported missing. Fort Benning investigators had received a tip to search the woods near the Army post.
http://cbsnewyork.com/national/SoldiersCharged-aa/resources_news_html
Four soldiers accused of stabbing to death a unit member after return from Iraq
Four soldiers at Fort Benning have been arrested and accused of stabbing to death a member of their infantry unit, setting the body on fire and leaving it in the woods just days after their return from Iraq.
Police said the soldiers had gotten mad at Spc. Richard R. Davis for insulting a dancer at a strip club and getting them kicked out of the place.
Davis, 24, of St. Charles, Mo., was stabbed repeatedly in July. His skeletal remains were found Friday, nearly four months after he was reported missing. Fort Benning investigators had received a tip to search the woods near the Army post.
http://cbsnewyork.com/national/SoldiersCharged-aa/resources_news_html
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
Originally posted by Barking_Mad
hmm
Four soldiers accused of stabbing to death a unit member after return from Iraq
Four soldiers at Fort Benning have been arrested and accused of stabbing to death a member of their infantry unit, setting the body on fire and leaving it in the woods just days after their return from Iraq.
Police said the soldiers had gotten mad at Spc. Richard R. Davis for insulting a dancer at a strip club and getting them kicked out of the place.
Davis, 24, of St. Charles, Mo., was stabbed repeatedly in July. His skeletal remains were found Friday, nearly four months after he was reported missing. Fort Benning investigators had received a tip to search the woods near the Army post.
http://cbsnewyork.com/national/SoldiersCharged-aa/resources_news_html
Is this news, or a development, from Iraq?
Where exactly is Fort Benning: I always thought it was in Georgia.
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
JC2 said: "Is this news, or a development, from Iraq?
Where exactly is Fort Benning: I always thought it was in Georgia.[/B]
Given the thousands of posts on here I dont think one small deviation is going to cause anyone to drop down dead in horror Johnny.
Where exactly is Fort Benning: I always thought it was in Georgia.[/B]
Given the thousands of posts on here I dont think one small deviation is going to cause anyone to drop down dead in horror Johnny.
Barking_Mad
Non sibi sed omnibus
Closing off a road at both ends to keep civilians from being injured, allowing the Humvee in, then blowing it up, thats showing a good degree of control, if true...
Roadside bomb hits U.S. vehicle in Iraq
A bomb planted on a road in the flashpoint Iraqi town of Falluja hit a U.S. military vehicle on Thursday and residents spoke of three American casualties. The U.S. military had no immediate word on the attack, which left a crater in the main street of the town west of Baghdad.
Local witnesses told reporters at the scene after the incident that they believed one American soldier had been killed and two wounded in the attack. They said three U.S. Humvee vehicles had been passing through Falluja when a bomb planted on a traffic island exploded, hitting the rear vehicle.
''I saw the gunner who had been standing on top of the last Humvee with a large piece of shrapnel in his head,'' one local resident said. ''Two soldiers checked him and he seemed to be dead so they put him in the back of another Humvee.'' Another said that just before the blast, Iraqis with headscarves concealing their faces had used two cars to block each end of the street where the Humvees were, apparently to keep civilian traffic away and minimise Iraqi casualties.
Jubilant young Iraqis gathered around the bomb crater, beneath a sign reading ''Welcome to Falluja,'' and jumped for joy. ''Bush, Bush, listen well, you are not worth your shoes,'' they chanted, clapping their hands. ''Falluja has hit America.''
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters11-13-011948.asp?reg=MIDEAST
Roadside bomb hits U.S. vehicle in Iraq
A bomb planted on a road in the flashpoint Iraqi town of Falluja hit a U.S. military vehicle on Thursday and residents spoke of three American casualties. The U.S. military had no immediate word on the attack, which left a crater in the main street of the town west of Baghdad.
Local witnesses told reporters at the scene after the incident that they believed one American soldier had been killed and two wounded in the attack. They said three U.S. Humvee vehicles had been passing through Falluja when a bomb planted on a traffic island exploded, hitting the rear vehicle.
''I saw the gunner who had been standing on top of the last Humvee with a large piece of shrapnel in his head,'' one local resident said. ''Two soldiers checked him and he seemed to be dead so they put him in the back of another Humvee.'' Another said that just before the blast, Iraqis with headscarves concealing their faces had used two cars to block each end of the street where the Humvees were, apparently to keep civilian traffic away and minimise Iraqi casualties.
Jubilant young Iraqis gathered around the bomb crater, beneath a sign reading ''Welcome to Falluja,'' and jumped for joy. ''Bush, Bush, listen well, you are not worth your shoes,'' they chanted, clapping their hands. ''Falluja has hit America.''
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters11-13-011948.asp?reg=MIDEAST
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