Senior US military officials, however, have cautioned reporters on Sunday that the Iraqi government is still working out details of the truce with the elements of radical cleric Moqtada Al Sadr's Mahdi Army.
"We did see a dialogue yesterday. It is important to emphasise that it is an ongoing dialogue process," says US military spokesman Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll. "It is premature to say there is an agreed truce." The US military has repeatedly emphasised that its clashes are with rogue elements of Al Sadr's Mahdi Army.
The concrete barricade which the US military has been erecting in the southern section of the impoverished area and which had emerged as a key factor in fierce clashes over the past several weeks remained, however.
Rear Admiral Patrick said the 14-point agreement between the Sadrists and the government had led to a "decline in operations from last night" in Sadr City.
The extent of the deal between the government and Al Sadr's supporters, which was brokered by lawmakers and was scheduled to take effect on Sunday, quickly became murky.
Under the terms announced by the cleric's lead negotiator, Shaikh Salah Obeidi, Al Sadr's Mahdi Army militia would set aside their weapons and allow the government to pursue individuals wanted for attacks, provided that there is a warrant.
In return, the government would stop what he called "random" raids and open blocked roads into the cleric's Baghdad stronghold, Sadr City.
Obeidi said the document made no mention of the government's demand that the militia disband and surrender its medium and heavy-grade weapons, points the cleric's representatives are not prepared to discuss.
But Ali Dabbagh, a spokesman for Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, said all sides had agreed that only the government is authorised to maintain an army and impose law.
"The government has the right to raid and search any place that is suspected to contain heavy and medium weapons," he said in a statement.
Here's the real deal breaker...
'US will keep bombing'
"There is no point that prevents the Americans from performing military operations in Sadr City," Ameri said. "The US forces are and will continue bombing ... the places that are launching mortar rounds or rockets at their bases and/or the Green Zone."
That was the one factor that needed to be addressed the most, as it has caused the most death and destruction in Sadr City... Dr. iRack posted an excellent article on our COIN ops in Sadr City...
As fighting broke out in Sadr City after the Maliki government's Basra offensive, and rockets began to rain down on the Green Zone, the U.S. military had to make a choice: Should it finally go in and attempt to employ an all-out COIN effort in the slum of 2 million? The answer was: kind of.
1. Isolate (portions) of the population from militants and create safe zones. It has walled off about a third of Sadr City to limit the area from which JAM can fire off rockets/mortars. It is in the process of completing a 12-foot wall, has set up combat outposts in the area to provide 24/7 security, and is making plans with the Iraqi government to flood the zone with services to win over the population.
2. Discriminately target militants and disrupt their networks. The coalition has aggressively targeted rocket/mortar teams (Dr. iRack's sources say that this has been largely effective -- rockets continue to be fired, especially during dust storms, but the aim is going down as the top-notch teams have been eliminated). It has also continued to engage in targeted raids against high-value JAM/"special group" targets. American rules of engagement require positive identification of military targets before using deadly force, and the coalition has relied on low-yield precision-guided munitions to limit risks to surrounding civilians (yet, reports suggest, significant numbers of civilians have still been caught up in the fray.)
He went on to dissemble where we f*cked it up, and, pointed out that we're caught in a no-win situation. Unfortunately, this truce seems to only free up Iraqi forces to launch Operation Lion's Roar on Mosul. Which commenced today with Maliki, personally flying up to lead the operation like he did when he flew down to oversee the Knight's Assault on Basra...
Lion's Roar was launched against the Sunnis, in and around Mosul. What a brilliant strategy, actively antagonize every disparate political and religious bloc in Iraq! I'm sure he'll receive an overwhelming landslide victory in October's elections for all his efforts!
I'd like to point out an error in yesterday's post, I'd said that it was Maliki's initiative to broker the truce, as Erdla and Mark from Ireland chided me, they stated that it was Sadr who led the initiative... I'm still skeptical of that view, but, I wanted to put it on the record! For all you Mothers out there, I'd like to extend a heart-felt Happy Mother's Day...!
Today, in an amazing turn of events, a tentative deal was brokered between Sadr and Maliki over the Knight's Assault operation occurring in Sadr City. As it is being reported, a ceasefire is to take place starting tomorrow morning, Sunday. Now, as I allude to in the title of the post, the devil is in the details...
Sheikh Salah al-Obeidi, a spokesman for al-Sadr, said that the agreement would be effective from Sunday.
"We will stop the fire, stop displaying arms in public and open all the roads leading to Sadr City," he said on Saturday.
Ali al-Dabbagh, the Iraqi government spokesman, said the authorities support the agreement and "calls upon everybody to commit themselves" to it.
"The agreement contains 14 points representing the government's vision to end public displays of arms, clean Sadr City of bombs, and enforce law in Sadr City," he said.
Al-Dabbagh further said the accord gave powers to the security forces to "raid and search any place it suspects there are heavy and medium weapons" in Sadr City.
There was no immediate comment from the US military.
Al Obeidi said an agreement had been reached between parliament's coalition of Shiite parties and the Sadrists.
"A 10-point agreement has been reached between members from the United Iraqi Alliance and Sadrist movement in Baghdad and we are informed that Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki is committed to it," Al Obeidi said in the southern city of Najaf.
He added that "the agreement stipulates that Mahdi Army will stop fighting in Sadr City and will stop displaying arms in public. In return, the government will stop random raids against Al Sadr followers and open all closed roads that lead to Sadr City."
"We will stop the fire, stop displaying arms in public and open all the roads leading to Sadr City," Obeidi said.
"This agreement will be executed from tomorrow. The Sadr movement has agreed to the contents of the deal and it has now become an official document.
Obeidi, who took part in the negotiations leading to the clinching of the deal in Baghdad, said the two sides had reached agreement on most issues.
"The two groups agreed on 10 of the 14 points discussed. The agreed points do not include disbanding of Jaish al-Mahdi," he said, referring to Sadr's feared Mahdi Army militia.
The Sadr movement says it needs its weapons for self-defence until other Shiite and Sunni groups nurtured by the US military and the Baghdad government are also disarmed.
Now, essentially, 10 of the 14 points that Maliki demanded were agreed to, what is noticeably absent from the agreement is the continued US use of gunships and artillery that has killed 19-20 people(depending upon which report you look at)and wounded over a hundred others, the US claims only one individual was killed, btw, in the past 24 hours in on-going air strikes! As several of the articles point out the US has not commented or participated in the cease-fire, that is one major detail that needs to be addressed ASAP!
It will be interesting to see how the ceasefire is spun, politically, in Baghdad and Washington. Some will argue it is a victory for Maliki because it allows the ISF to assert more control over Sadr City. The McClatchy piece, for example, frames the agreement as "a surprising capitulation that seemed likely to be hailed as a major victory for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki."
Others will argue that Sadr is the winner because he was not forced to completely disband his militia. (In this context, it will be interesting to see if Maliki still tries to bar Sadrists from upcoming provincial elections if JAM remains intact.) Still others will say that Sadr was allowed to have a "partial win," and that this shows that the American and Iraqi governments are going back to their core strategy of trying to co-opt moderate elements of JAM by allowing Sadr to save face. Dr. iRack suspects (and hopes) that this is part of the story given the overall strategy against JAM articulated in the joint campaign plan (which calls for seperating "reconcilable" from "irreconcilable" elements of the movement). It may also help explain the verbal gymnastics and ratcheting down of anti-Iran rhetoric in recent days--which were perhaps part of a concerted effort to provide enough discursive "slack" to allow Sadr (and the Iranians?) a face-saving exit strategy.
How Betrayus and the Odorous One, receives or reacts to it is critical to it's success. I'll reserve judgment until I see what the US response is... In the meantime, I am encouraged to see some action on redressing the tragic conditions imposed on the residents in Sadr City. Hopefully, it'll bring much needed respite and vital food and meds to the beleaguered residents...! We shall see...
The people setting up the displaced camp in the stadium today didn't seem in any rush, despite the fact that some media outlets had announced that the government was advising Sadr City residents to evacuate their homes in anticipation of a security crackdown against the Mahdi Army militia there.
Only Sadr City residents are allowed at this camp, which has made for some awkward moments.
Several families from other areas arrived Thursday but were turned away. "There was also this crazy guy who drove in with his girlfriend and wanted to stay with her overnight. We had to kick them out. He just wanted to have a free honeymoon," Saqr said, laughing.
Sadr City residents have to get accreditation from one of their local police stations to qualify to stay in the stadium.
The next mea culpa, as I had alluded to yesterday when I said it wasn't confirmed by MNF-I, AQI's #1 wasn't captured. As the article points out, it wasn't the first time...
"We called the commander of Ninevah operations 10 times and every time he insisted it was Abu Hamza al-Muhajir because when they caught him, they asked him whether his name was Abu Hamza al-Muhajir and he said yes," the Associated Press quoted Askari as saying.
This isn't the first time confusion has surrounded the reported arrest or death of a high-ranking AQI leader. "Iraqi officials have reported his death three times, his capture twice and a mortal wounding once."
Elusive critter, even with a $5 Million price tag on his head... Now, the biggest mea culpa, or rather, a presumed one through the deafening silence... IRAQ: The elusive Iranian weapons...
There was something interesting missing from Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner's introductory remarks to journalists at his regular news briefing in Baghdad on Wednesday: the word "Iran," or any form of it. It was especially striking as Bergner, the U.S. military spokesman here, announced the extraordinary list of weapons and munitions that have been uncovered in recent weeks since fighting erupted between Iraqi and U.S. security forces and Shiite militiamen.
Not once did Bergner point the finger at Iran for any of these weapons and munitions, which is a striking change from just a couple of weeks ago when U.S. military officials here and at the Pentagon were saying that caches found in Basra in particular had revealed Iranian-made arms manufactured as recently as this year. They say the majority of rockets being fired at U.S. bases, including Baghdad's Green Zone, are launched by militiamen receiving training, arms and other aid from Iran.
All those armaments and no accusations leveled at Iran, hmmm...
This article has several different perspectives on the Iran issue...
First, the Iran response...
Hussein Shariatmadari, a representative of Iran's Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and editor of the hardline Kayhan newspaper, responded, "When Americans and Iraqis bring such accusations, they are facing difficulties in Iraq. When they face difficulties, they blame Iran for them and not themselves." Speaking to the pan-Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat, he added that evidence presented to Tehran by Iraqi officials "was not conclusive".
Next, the Sadrist response...
A spokesman for the Sadrist movement of Muqtada al-Sadr, accused by the Americans of receiving funds and weapons from Tehran, added, "Iran sells weapons to anyone who wants and the Sadr movement, al-Qaeda and the parties in Iraq's political process have Iranian weapons." He added, "Therefore, it is quite natural to find Iranian weapons because they are sold and bought and any party can buy them."
Here's another pertinent quote...
Strangely, the Bush White House now condemns Muqtada's Mahdi Army, but turned a blind eye to its activities when Muqtada was working with Maliki in 2006-2007. And it says nothing about the Badr Brigade, another Shi'ite militia that is equally dangerous, but unlike the Mahdi Army it is pro-American.
As the BBC and MSNBC report today, Iraqi and American troops told residents of Sadr City to take 'sanctuary' in several key locations. Through leaflets dropped out of helicopters and Iraqi soldiers using loudspeakers mounted on vehicles, they ordered residents to go to nearby soccer stadiums.
One can easily predict what is being readied. A massive push in Sadr City! The audacity is astounding, and, I doubt the effectiveness of this tactic. I truly bemoan the actions of Maliki and MNF-I... Well, I'll report further as the gruesome details come in. In related news on Sadr City, GG reported the forced closure of a radio station in Sadr City...
“An Iraqi-U.S. force stopped al-Ahad radio station’s broadcast, according to a memo that carried Premier Nouri al-Maliki’s signature,” Abid Abu-Zahra told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).
“The force did not show a legal memo to stop the station,” he said.
“This step made by the government is a dangerous measure that deprives people from the voice that represents their pains,” he added.
Also in Iraq, Iraqi forces are saying they've captured AQI's Number One, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, MNF-I has yet to confirm it, as it was first announced by the Iraqi Defense Ministry and reported by the BBC.
"The commander of Nineveh military operations informed me that Iraqi troops captured Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq," he said.
Interior ministry spokesman Maj-Gen Abdul-Karim Khalaf told al-Iraqiya TV that security forces had "arrested one of al-Qaeda's leaders at midnight and during the primary investigations he admitted that he was Abu Hamza al-Muhajir".
Al Jazeera had an interesting interview with L. Paul Bremer, "I regret the term 'Occupation'."...
In my view, one of the more unfortunate aspects of having lawyers involved in the project was they determined that under international law, we became an occupying force and that was confirmed by the UN security council resolution.
I used to say to the Iraqis it is also not very fun being an occupier, especially for an American; I always thought it was an unfortunate term.
There was nothing I could do to change the noun, occupation. When Iraqis raised their concerns with me all I could do is sympathise and say "I understand you’re problem but there it is, it’s the international law."
The political ramifications and psychological ramifications I think were in many ways more important because of the implication to the Iraqi’s that we were an occupying and not a liberating force.
For many Iraqis they were delighted we had thrown out Saddam Hussein and his cronies. But they wake up the next day and hear that we’re occupying them and look out the door of their house and see Americans in tanks… I think it had an important, negative political ramification.
I think it was the case that as we were unable to provide security for Iraqi citizens, that’s when the coalition became less and less popular.
We could see in the opinion polls we did starting in September of 2003; there was a steady decline in the Iraqi view of the occupation as their concerns about security rose - you could see a direct relationship.
Yep, that's where we got it wrong, it's all in the name...! F*ckers...!
Update-The AP is reporting this; "US troops deny asking Sadr City residents to leave." Hmmm... that refutes McClatchey, BBC, NBC,... etc...! Time shall tell!
The Christian Science Monitor filed this report...
Meanwhile, Sadr City residents in the embattled southeast corner of the district reported that soldiers – some said Iraqis, others said Arabic speakers in US military vehicles – used loudspeakers to encourage residents of the area to leave. The US military called the reports "rumors," but some residents said the messages confirmed speculation running through the neighborhood for days that the government is planning a major offensive.
Adding to residents' expectations of an imminent escalation was an early Thursday raid by Iraqi Army soldiers that shut down Al Aahad, a local radio station run by Sadr loyalists
I find it astonishing that so many of the 'players' in Iraq recognize the situation on the ground, and still fail to act accordingly. A case in point, as Al Jazeera reports today...
A fourth round of talks between the United States and Iran over the security situation in Iraq is unlikely to go ahead, says Hoshyar Zebari, the Iraqi foreign minister.
"I don't think we will succeed in holding the fourth round of talks ... there is increased tension in the area," Zebari said on Wednesday.
What would that tension be?
"We can't currently make this happen,with both countries trading accusations against each other."
Zebari said fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City between US forces and Shia militia have contributed to the tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Zebari said the situation in Sadr City has "contributed definitely to tension".
"Tension has always been there but it escalated. Since the drive began in Basra, Baghdad and other areas ... tension increased."
So Maliki's Foreign Minister recognizes Sadr City as the main culprit, yet, they persist... And, persist they do...
Iraqi soldiers yesterday detained dozens of policemen and closed down a hospital suspected of treating Shiite militiamen in a Baghdad stronghold of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
The soldiers detained 42 policemen suspected of collaborating with "outlaws" yesterday, an officer of Baghdad's security spokesman Major-General Qassim Moussawi's office said.
Iraq's police are being seen as infiltrated by Shiite militiamen, using the cover of their uniforms to mount attacks.
The soldiers also raided the Mohammed-Bakr Hakim hospital, arresting 35 workers, including orderlies and cleaners, and forced its closure, said hospital chief Dr Yassin al-Rikabi.
Hmmm... The National Police is infiltrated... What's going on with the Sunnis and Maliki's efforts to incorporate them into the Iraqi Army...
The Awakening fighters are growing increasingly frustrated that Iraq's Shiite-led central government has been slow to integrate them into the Iraqi police and military services. U.S. officers say the fighters appear to be breaking into factions.
"Everyone in our chain of command acknowledges that the government of Iraq would be wise if they were to acknowledge the Sunnis," said Maj. Ike Sallee, operations officer for the 3rd Squadron. "Just give these guys a paycheck, a weapon and ID cards. Just acknowledge them and get them into shape. Hold them accountable."
Yes, give them a paycheck and acknowledge them, sounds simple enough, eh? But nooo...
One Army civil affairs officer in Adhamiyah said applications had been returned because they were submitted in the wrong color of ink. The Americans say they are not sure if it's just bureaucratic fumbling or if the applications are being blocked as sectarian payback.
Wrong color ink? WTF?
Dr iRack posted another excellent post today, summing up the situation...
The notion of "special groups"--JAM factions that supposedly have close ties to Iran's Quds force--is, in many respects, a useful fiction. Now there is no doubt in Dr. iRack's mind that there are some JAM elements that deserve the title, but the U.S. military has made a habit of describing all JAMsters who violate the "freeze" on armed activities declared by Moqtada al-Sadr last August as "special groups."
More than ever, as fighting has escalated in Sadr City, the fiction of special groups has seemed especially fictional. It's been clear throughout the recent conflict that rank-and-file JAM have entered the fray. Now, to be clear, some of these regular JAMsters also receive Iranian weapons, but they are not trained, directed, or controlled by Iran. They are simply opposed to the U.S. presence in Iraq and are willing to take weapons from anybody who will help them fight Americans.
That assessment meshes nicely with this Dar Al Hayat article...
This explains why Iran's position was as confusing as it seemed to be. It demanded an end to the bloodbath but also supported the efforts of the Iraqi government to disarm the militias "without a confrontation with the residents." This position includes an implicit criticism of the ongoing battles and an accusation to the government of harming civilians in its campaign to impose security as it claims. If reports of Muqtada al-Sader's presence in Iran and his refusal to meet the Alliance's delegation are added to this position, all this leads to serious conclusions about Iran's real position and its negative perception of the accusations directed by Al-Maliki's government at the Revolutionary Guard of supporting anti-government militias, accusations that Tehran considers as nothing but the reiteration of American accusations.
Like all "wars of elimination" that aim at wiping strong opponents out, al-Maliki's battle with al-Mahdi Army is not likely to be decisive in settling the security situation in Iraq. It will not redraw the political map in al-Maliki's favor either. All it can accomplish is to dismember the Shiite power on the inside just as the case was between the "Awakening" and al-Qaeda on the Sunni side. This would reinforce Iran's position as a major power that can single-handedly resolve the conflict between the two Shiite sides since neither side is capable of breaking up with Iran's influence. It would also reinforce the position of the United States as the only military power that al-Maliki can rely on to impose his faltering authority on his opponents.
The first article mentions a significant rise in women as suicide bombers...
"Between January and April, there were 12 suicide attacks by women in Iraq. That marks an exponential increase," Farhana Ali, a US international policy analyst of Pakistani origin, said after a symposium on terrorism at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting in Washington.
Twelve women carried out suicide attacks in Iraq in the first few months of this year compared with 11 between 2003 and 2007, according to Ali.
Ali goes on to explain why they're participating...
"So long as this conflict continues, you will see greater instability in Iraq and women will be greatly victimized -- you will see more women in Iraq choose suicide terrorism in the next few months," she predicted, adding that she had warned US officials and policy makers of the threat since 2005.
"It's only in the past two months that we have given serious attention to this issue. Why? Because female attackers in Iraq are hurting our efforts for peace and stability in that country."
"Iraqi women, slowly, over the course of the conflict have been marginalized," she said.
"They were at the forefront of their society. They were in the Iraqi cabinet, in government, in NGOs. We stripped them of those opportunities.
"Many have left but those who stayed behind are also victims of rape and torture and kidnapping. So they are being victimized twice," she said.
"Women use attacks as a protest. In Iraq, they are protesting at the loss of their men, the loss of their society and the loss of their country," said Ali.
I would agree with much of what she says, but, I would disagree with her premise that they're a threat to peace and stability. They are, in essence, but, it's our actions that precipitated their actions, and, we need to address our actions, first! The Kurds are similarly dispossessed, in that, it's our actions(giving the Turks actionable intel and overflight allowances) that is fostering their actions...
Kurdish rebels could launch suicide attacks against American interests to punish the US for sharing intelligence with Turkey after Turkey bombed rebel bases, a spokeswoman for a wing of a rebel group warned.
Derseem blamed the United States for helping Turkey in an interview late Sunday.
She said some rebels want to join suicide squads to avenge the deaths of their comrades but that "combatants are under the control of the organization," which she said is against such attacks. That may change, Derseem hinted.
"We have changed our stand toward the United States government and we are standing against them now," she said. "Maybe some day ... individual combatants might launch suicide attacks inside Iraq and Turkey, and even against American interests."
Kurdish rebels have staged several suicide attacks against Turkish targets in the past in Turkey.
"They want to annihilate us. But we will not surrender," said Derseem. "We have been hiding in caves and nearby mountains."
It's amazing what desperate people will resort to... When will we wake up and realize what our bad policies and actions are wreaking on the Iraqis? I am truly saddened to see this level of desperation, but, it doesn't surprise me! We need to leave now!
Michael Gordon is at it again! Dutifully 'reporting' all of the Pentagon's talking points as truths, and, as par for the course, from anonymous sources...
BAGHDAD — Militants from the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been training Iraqi militia fighters at a camp near Tehran, according to American interrogation reports that the United States has supplied to the Iraqi government.
According to American officials, the four Shiite militants who provided the information on Hezbollah’s role were captured between last September and December after they had returned from training in Iran. They were questioned individually and provided similar accounts, the American officials said.
The captured men described themselves in the accounts as part of a class of 16 militants who crossed into Iran from southern Iraq and were taken to a camp near Tehran, where they studied in a classroom and in the field. Some had been in Iran several times as part of a program that American officials said was aimed at turning them into “master trainers” and which could last several years.
According to their interrogation reports, the militiamen believed that militants from other countries were also being trained at the camp, an impression based on hearing snippets of conversations in other dialects and languages. But the group was kept separate and was not allowed to mingle with others.
Cool, first we're relying on the fruits of interrogations, then, impressions from snippets of conversations in other dialects and languages... Wow, how much more credible proof do you need than that to gin up another war, eh? But, it's not just Gordon... The WSJ's Fouad
Ajami, an early supporter of the Iraqi 'project', chimes in...
The leaders who oversee the American project in Iraq now see Iran as the principal threat to our success there. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, a diplomat with a thorough knowledge of the region, has spoken of an Iranian attempt to "Lebanonize" Iraq – to subvert the country through the use of proxies.
In Iraq, the Iranians have been able to dial up the violence and dial it down, to make promises of cooperation to the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki while supplying Shiite extremists with weapons and logistical support. "Lebanonization" may be an exaggerated fear, because Iraq is much larger and wealthier than Lebanon, and more jealous of its own sovereignty. But the low-level warfare against American soldiers by Shiite groups – aided and abetted by Iran – may be responsible for hundreds of American deaths.
The hope entertained a year or so ago, that Iran would refrain from playing with fire in Iraq, has shown to be wishful thinking. Iran's nuclear ambitions are of a wholly different magnitude. But before we tackle that Persian menace, the Iranian theocrats will have to be shown that there is a price for their transgressions.
Yep, we need to show'em a thing or two, eh? This just might do the trick...
The US military is drawing up plans for a “surgical strike” against an insurgent training camp inside Iran if Republican Guards continue with attempts to destabilise Iraq, western intelligence sources said last week. One source said the Americans were growing increasingly angry at the involvement of the Guards’ special-operations Quds force inside Iraq, training Shi’ite militias and smuggling weapons into the country.
Despite a belligerent stance by Vice-President Dick Cheney, the administration has put plans for an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities on the back burner since Robert Gates replaced Donald Rumsfeld as defence secretary in 2006, the sources said.
However, US commanders are increasingly concerned by Iranian interference in Iraq and are determined that recent successes by joint Iraqi and US forces in the southern port city of Basra should not be reversed by the Quds Force.
“If the situation in Basra goes back to what it was like before, America is likely to blame Iran and carry out a surgical strike on a militant training camp across the border in Khuzestan,” said one source, referring to a frontier province.
They acknowledged Iran was unlikely to cease involvement in Iraq and that, however limited a US attack might be, the fighting could escalate.
I swear they are completely out of touch with reality, while they acknowledge that even a 'Surgical Strike' would escalate the fighting, they still endorse it... WTF is going on with these 'experts'...? Can we impeach these b*stards already...?
"My friends, I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East that will -- that will then prevent us -- that will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East,”
U.S. commanders in Iraq are for the first time seeking private contractors to form part of the small military teams that train and live with Iraqi military units across the country, according to a notice for prospective bidders published last week.
The solicitation, issued by the Joint Contracting Command in Baghdad, says the individuals that a contractor recruits -- who would include former members of the U.S. Special Forces and ex-Iraqi army officers -- will be trained in the United States with military transition teams (MiTTs) and shipped as a single team to Iraq. The recruits will live on Iraqi military bases "under Iraqi living conditions and participate with MiTT special operations and convoy duties," the solicitation says.
Last March, the Boston Globe reported that KBR — one of the top profiteers of the Iraq war — has avoided paying more than $500 million “in federal Medicare and Social Security taxes by hiring its workers through shell companies” based in the Caymen Islands.
Today, the Globe reports that another Pentagon contractor, Virginia-based MPRI, has also established offshore havens that have the appearance of avoiding payment of millions of dollars in Medicare and Social Security taxes and also evading scrutiny from the IRS.
In March, House Oversight Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) announced that he was investigating the accidental electrocution of troops in Iraq and pressed Defense Secretary Robert Gates for uncensored details on at least a dozen deaths since 2003. Contractor KBR is at the center of the probe, with questions about whether it irresponsibly ignored wiring problems.
Today, The New York Times has more details on this malpractice, including the fact that senior KBR and Pentagon officials repeatedly ignored warnings by KBR electricians.
Let me know what you have laying around... I take requests for UTubes, too!
Today, Erdla sent me this tragic story! Here's an excerpt...
According to the director of health services for Sadr City the bombing of the hospital by an American warcraft:
“resulted in the injury of 20 patients who are hospitalised, a number of senior medical workers, also damaged were nine ambulances, and about 40 civilian cars.”
The bombing of the hospital also damaged the right rear entrance to the hospital and the emergency unit. One of our members working in the hospital contacted by ‘phone said the toll is expected to rise as the wounded succumb to their injuries. She added that the wounded were mostly children and some women.
"I can confirm that we conducted a strike in Sadr City this morning," a US military spokesman told AFP. "The targets were known criminal elements. Battle damage assessment is currently ongoing."
However, witnesses and an AFP reporter at the scene said the main Al-Sadr hospital had been badly damaged and a fleet of ambulances were destroyed.
Just outside the hospital, a shack which appeared to be the target was reduced to a pile of rubble.
A shack? Are you kidding me? Ahh, but, it wasn't just any ordinary shack...
The military said it destroyed a "criminal element command and control centre" at approximately 10 am (0700 GMT).
"Intelligence reports indicate the command and control centre was used by criminal elements to plan and coordinate attacks against Iraqi security and coalition forces and innocent Iraqi citizens."
Hospital staff said at least 20 people wounded in the air raid were taken to the same hospital which had its glass windows shattered, and medical and electrical equipment damaged.
Doctors and hospital staff were livid they had been hit.
Wow, sounds like a real hot bed of criminal activity, so what did we hit it with...?
Hospital guard Alaa Mohamed, 26, was at a side entrance when the bombs exploded. "There were five missiles that exploded outside the parking lot," he said.
An AFP reporter saw three huge craters, each with a diameter of six metres (yards), created by the impact of the explosions. Youngsters climbed on top of the rubble and looked for anyone trapped underneath.
Residents said the shack that appeared to be the main target of the air strike was a transit point for Muslim pilgrims.
The AFP reporter witnessed several US helicopters sweeping above Sadr City amid a steady barrage of gunfire.
A bit of over-kill doncha think? WTF are our military geniuses thinking about when they ordered the airstrike? Sadr City is the most densely populated area in Iraq, why are we caught up in MOUT ops? We are only further enraging the Iraqi populace, it's a lose-lose situation all around! I am thoroughly fed up with our misguided and immoral leadership, enough is enough! Please, help atone for our sins, by contributing to the Red Crescent!
Today, Dar Al Hayat published this op-ed from Harvard Professor Roger Owen, entitled: "Understanding The Recent Changes In Iraqi Political Dynamics." By and large, I concur with much of what he asserts, but, I do take issue with some of his premises. Most notably...
I have often argued that, whether they intended to or not, the American and British occupiers have forced Iraq into a pattern of political sectarianism with many similarities with Lebanon. To work, it needs cooperation among the sectarian leaders at the top, a prospect that has become more of a possibility as a result of al-Maliki's actions in Basra.
Yet, like Lebanon, there are many obstacles to permanent agreement even after the exit of the major occupying forces. Neighboring states can continue to exercise a powerful influence from outside. While internal actors, like Hizbollah, like al-Sadr's Mahdi's army, are able to play a positive or a negative role by turns, cooperating with the other sectarian parties where they feel it useful, but determined at all costs to hang on to their militias for self-defence and on the grounds that they are needed to protect the country from dangerous enemies outside.
You don't have to be a Max Weber to understand the importance Iraqis attach to the notion that governments seek a monopoly of violence. If you are powerless you may welcome it. If it appears threatening, you will seek to offset it with military power of your own. Iraq has now reached one of those turning points where, with a large number of its citizens beginning to welcome the appearance of a strengthening national army, the problem of either disarming or
incorporating the sectarian militias has at last reached the political table.
Even if there is still no consensus as to how it can most properly be
addressed.
I'd say that the prospect of cooperation amongst the major political blocs has been diminished by the current Knight's Assault operation of Maliki, in both Basra and most certainly Sadr City! As I pointed out in this post , this rhetoric is not gonna win him any friends...
Iraq's prime minister has threatened to disarm Shia militias and Sunni fighters by force if they refuse to lay down their weapons.
The tough talk from Nuri al-Maliki, who launched a crackdown on Shia groups last month, came as at least 13 people died on Wednesday in the latest clashes in Baghdad's Sadr City.
Al-Maliki said that the al-Mahdi army of Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia leader, along with groups such as al-Qaeda in Iraq must be dissolved.
He demanded that they hand over their weapons, stop interfering in state affairs, give up wanted men and stop running their own courts.
"The alternative is the continuation of force and clashes until we reach the end, to get rid of the weapons and the gangs who are carrying weapons," he said.
"We can't build a state along with militias."
That's a piss-poor way of extending your hand across the aisle... I would also dispute the notion that the Iraqi people are beginning to embrace the strengthening National Army, as I've posted about before, the use of the IA in Sadr City has been rejected by all the Political Parties in parliament with the exception of Maliki's SCIRI party and Dawa which is also affiliated with Maliki... We're talking about opposition from the Sunnis, Shi'a, and Kurds! So where's the love...?
Also, Maliki failed to get this memo from Betrayus...
"The important focus has to be on the way ahead and Iran truly wanting its neighbour to the west... a fellow Shia-led government, to succeed, so there can be a constructive relationship," Petraeus said.
"I think it's very important to recognise that the Sadr trend, as a political movement, has every reason to be engaged in the political spectrum, in the political arena, in Iraq."
"It represents an important constituency in the citizenry of Iraq."
Juan Cole recently delved into the hazards of our Sunni policy in "Is the U.S. creating another Al- Qaeda in Iraq...?"
Given these political and sociological realities in Iraq the emergence and strengthening of the Al-Sahwa forces is a matter of concern. By arming a Sunni segment of the population, which had been close to Saddam Hussein, the U.S. is re-enforcing sectarian and political divisions within Iraq. The Al-Sahwa, much like the Taliban, is attempting to achieve its religious and political aims through the U.S. The activities of Al-Sahwa clearly demonstrates this fact. In February this year, the group suspended cooperation with the Coalition Forces and demanded resignation of the Police Chief of Diyala Province, who happens to be a Shia.
The common people still live in the midst of fear as according to them members of the Al-Sahwa have merely changed allegiance from Saddam Hussien to the Coalition Forces. A representative from the Iraqi Interior Ministry has expressed the opinion that Al-Sahwa has emerged as third security force in the country along with the Army and Police. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki has agreed that intelligence reports establish that the Al-Qaeda operatives have been able to sneak into the Al-Sahwa groups creating major security concerns. The members of the Al-Sahwa are operating with a strategic purpose in mind and have clearly stated that they will resist any attempt by the U.S. to abandon the group after the short-term goals of the Coalition forces are achieved. In an interview with Patrick Cockburn, one of the Al-Sahwa leaders threatened to go war against the U.S. forces and Iraqi government if the demands of his group were not complied with.
Under these given conditions will the Al-Sahwa emerge any different from the Al-Qaeda after the Coalition Forces withdraw and these armed Sunnis are deprived of any role in the regular Iraqi Army?
What a Cluster F*ck! BTW, we killed two 'outlaws' today in Sadr City...! If ya have a little extra time, Pepe Escobar wrote an excellent article; The Iranian Chessboard
Today marks the fifth anniversary of Commander Codpiece's swaggering across the deck of the USS Lincoln, all dolled up in his flight suit, and, boldly proclaiming that major combat operations have ended...! Meanwhile, fluttering high above the podium was the banner proudly proclaiming "Mission Accomplished!" In honor of this infamous anniversary, I offer you this nifty little anniversary gift! Have fun!
Let's look back on the various different spins on the banner the WH has put forward over the years...
The president told reporters the sign was put up by the Navy, not the White House.
"I know it was attributed somehow to some ingenious advance man from my staff -- they weren't that ingenious, by the way," the president said Tuesday.
-snip-
White House spokesman Scott McClellan told CNN that in preparing for the speech, Navy officials on the carrier told Bush aides they wanted a "Mission Accomplished" banner, and the White House agreed to create it.
"We took care of the production of it," McClellan said. "We have people to do those things. But the Navy actually put it up."
“I wish the banner was not up there,” White House political strategist Karl Rove said Thursday at an editorial board meeting with The Columbus Dispatch in Ohio. “I’ll acknowledge the fact that it has become one of those convenient symbols.”
Rove echoed Bush’s contention that the phrase referred to the carrier crew’s completing their 10-month mission, not the military’s completing its mission in Iraq.
After shifting explanations, the White House eventually said the "Mission Accomplished" phrase referred to the carrier's crew completing its 10-month mission, not the military completing its mission in Iraq. Bush, in October 2003, disavowed any connection with the "Mission Accomplished" message. He said the White House had nothing to do with the banner; a spokesman later said the ship's crew asked for the sign and the White House staff had it made by a private vendor.
"President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific and said `mission accomplished' for these sailors who are on this ship on their mission," White House press secretary Dana Perino said Wednesday. "And we have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year."
She said what is important now is "how the president would describe the fight today. It's been a very tough month in Iraq, but we are taking the fight to the enemy."
Here's some critical snippets from Shrub's speech...
• Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.
• We have difficult work to do in Iraq. We're bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous. We're pursuing and finding leaders of the old regime, who will be held to account for their crimes. We've begun the search for hidden chemical and biological weapons and already know of hundreds of sites that will be investigated. We're helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself, instead of hospitals and schools. And we will stand with the new leaders of Iraq as they establish a government of, by, and for the Iraqi people.
• The transition from dictatorship to democracy will take time, but it is worth every effort. Our coalition will stay until our work is done. Then we will leave, and we will leave behind a free Iraq.
• The liberation of Iraq is a crucial advance in the campaign against terror. We've removed an ally of al Qaeda, and cut off a source of terrorist funding. And this much is certain: No terrorist network will gain weapons of mass destruction from the Iraqi regime, because the regime is no more.
• Other nations in history have fought in foreign lands and remained to occupy and exploit. Americans, following a battle, want nothing more than to return home. And that is your direction tonight.
And, finally, here's an awesome takedown of the MSM's salacious responses to Shrub's performance...
On May 1, 2003, Richard Perle advised, in a USA Today Op-Ed, "Relax, Celebrate Victory." The same day, exactly five years ago, President Bush, dressed in a flight suit, landed on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and declared an end to major military operations in Iraq -- with the now-infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner arrayed behind him in the war's greatest photo op.
Chris Matthews on MSNBC called Bush a "hero" and boomed, "He won the war. He was an effective commander. Everybody recognizes that, I believe, except a few critics." He added: "Women like a guy who's president. Check it out. The women like this war. I think we like having a hero as our president. It's simple." PBS' Gwen Ifill said Bush was "part Tom Cruise, part Ronald Reagan." On NBC, Brian Williams gushed, "The pictures were beautiful. It was quite something to see the first-ever American president on a -- on a carrier landing."
Bob Schieffer on CBS said: "As far as I'm concerned, that was one of the great pictures of all time." His guest, Joe Klein, responded: "Well, that was probably the coolest presidential image since Bill Pullman played the jet fighter pilot in the movie Independence Day. That was the first thing that came to mind for me." Everyone agreed the Democrats and antiwar critics were now on the run.
When Bush's jet landed on an aircraft carrier, American casualties stood at 139 killed and 542 wounded.
Since that day we've added 3,912 KIA's and 28,853 WIA's, sounds like the end of major military operations to me! Definitely, Mission Accomplished...!
