From one of my favorite Bloggers, Michael Yon:
Iraqi Islamic Party: "Al Qaeda is Defeated"
"Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated," according to Sheik Omar Jabouri, spokesman for the Iraqi Islamic Party and a member of the widespread and influential Jabouri Tribe. Speaking through an interpreter at a 31 October meeting at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in downtown Baghdad, Sheik Omar said that al Qaeda had been "defeated mentally, and therefore is defeated physically," referring to how clear it has become that the terrorist group’s tactics have backfired. Operatives who could once disappear back into the crowd after committing an increasingly atrocious attack no longer find safe haven among the Iraqis who live in the southern part of Baghdad. They are being hunted down and killed. Or, if they are lucky, captured by Americans.
Colonel Ricky Gibbs, the American brigade commander with responsibility for the Rashid District in south Baghdad today told me, "So goes South Baghdad goes Baghdad." General Petraeus had told me similar things about the importance of South Baghdad. In fact, Rashid is quickly developing into what might be one of the final serious battlegrounds of the war.
During the meeting, another member of the Iraqi Islamic Party said that al Qaeda has changed its strategy now that fomenting civil war between Sunni and Shia has backfired. Al Qaeda has shifted targets, now trying to generate friction between tribes. This time, however, the tribes are onto the game early, and they are not playing.
At least this is being mentioned in some of the mainstream media outlets like CNN. (I'll update this post as links become available.)
CBN News has a great clip of the interview.
Posted on:
November 2, 2007 , by
newyank • Trackback
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From Thursday's Baltimore Sun:
A Baltimore federal jury awarded nearly $11 million Wednesday to the father of a Marine killed in Iraq, deciding that the family's privacy had been invaded by a Kansas church whose members waved anti-gay signs at the funeral.
It was the first-ever verdict against Westboro Baptist Church, a fundamentalist Christian group based in Topeka that has protested military funerals across the country with placards bearing shock-value messages such as "Thank God for dead soldiers."
Thank God.
Read the rest: Man wins case against funeral protesters.
Posted on:
November 1, 2007 , by
newyank • Trackback
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The chickens are coming home to roost for many democrats. After nearly 6 years of trying to subvert President Bush and the military, many of these clowns in Congress are being challenged and held accountable for their words and deeds. It's not surprising that Congress has the lowest approval-rating in History.
All I can say is, it's about time.
Career Army man to challenge Murtha
BY MIKE FAHER
The Tribune-Democrat
After nearly three decades in the military, William T. Russell’s latest mission has brought him to Johnstown.
The career Army man, just two years short of retirement, has left the service and moved to the Flood City in order to mount a political campaign against veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. John Murtha.
As a Republican and first-time candidate facing a powerful congressman in the sprawling, Democrat-dominated 12th Congressional District, Russell faces a tough challenge.
But he is determined to press ahead and will formally announce his candidacy within weeks.
“I recognize this is an uphill battle,” Russell said in an interview last week at The Tribune-Democrat.
“But it’s one that must be fought.”
Murtha, who declined any comment on Russell’s candidacy when contacted through a spokesman last week, has served in the House since 1974.
Posted on:
October 30, 2007 , by
newyank • Trackback
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OPFOR dug this up from somewhere and posted it. Bet you won't see this reported in the mainstream press:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20071026-01
October 26, 2007
Iraqi Army at Besmaya Installation Support San Diego Fire Victims
By U.S. Army Sgt 1st Class Charlene Sipperly
Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Members of the Iraqi Army in Besmaya collected a donation for the San Diego, Calif., fire victims Thursday night at the Besmaya Range Complex in a moving ceremony to support Besmaya's San Diego residents.
Iraqi Army Col. Abbass, the commander of the complex, presented a gift of $1,000 to U.S. Army Col. Darel Maxfield, Besmaya Range Complex officer in charge, Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq, to send to the fire victims in California.
The money was collected from Iraqi officers and enlisted soldiers in Besmaya. In a speech given during the presentation, Col. Abbass stated that he and the Iraqi soldiers were connected with the American people in many ways, and they will not forget the help that the American government has given the Iraqi people. Abbass was honored to participate by sending a simple fund of $1,000 to the American people in San Diego, to lower the suffering felt by the tragedy.
I thought they all [Iraqi's] hated us?
Posted on:
October 29, 2007 , by
newyank • Trackback
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Here we go again. CNN reporting enemy propaganda as news: U.S. forces battle militants in Sadr City. My BS alarm goes off whenever I see reports like this. Especially, when it involves a U.S.-led operation in Sadr City, Baghdad. Why?
Every report seems to focus on how many innocent civilians are either killed or wounded during the operation. Who supplied the news for that particular story?
It is well-known that the Iranian's are conducting operations against coalition interests in the Sadr City. Such operations would include military training and support for militias, psychological-warfare and propaganda aimed at Western media.
Isn't this what the Iranians did through their support of Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine? CNN's report sounds eerily familiar to news stories that have come out of Gaza in years past. You know the story, an aggressive "occupation" force steam-rolls through a neighborhood leaving dead and wounded civilians in its wake. With no apparent reason for being there in the first place. Then pictures of grieving, suffering civilians are shown. Sounds familiar.
Civilians are undoubtedly wounded or killed during military operations in a crowded urban setting and that is tragic. But there is no proof that U.S. forces engage in operations with the intent to cause civilian casualties. My question for CNN is: was a reporter on the ground in Sadr City during the fighting? If so, was he or she a "stringer" or Western journalist? And where is the context for this report?
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Iraqi officials expressed outrage early Sunday at what they say are civilian deaths in the wake of a massive military operation in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood.
The U.S. military said its ground forces are "unaware" of civilian deaths in the early morning raid that it said left 49 "criminals" dead.
An Iraqi Interior Ministry source told CNN that 15 civilians were killed — all men — and 52 other civilians were wounded, including women and children.
Sadr City's mayor, Hassan Adhab, told Iraqi state TV there were 10 "martyrs" — including a mother and her three children — and 42 others were wounded.
Coalition forces were targeting a man they said was a leader in an Iranian-funded kidnapping operation. U.S. military spokeswoman Sgt. Nicole Dykstra told CNN the target was "neither apprehended nor killed today."
Adhab described a bloody scene, saying dozens of sheep were killed in the melee, and military aircraft still hovered over the neighborhood hours after the raid.
He blamed American forces for targeting cars carrying people who were heading to work early Sunday.
"We call upon Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to stop such immoral acts in Sadr City," Adhab said.
When asked about the Sadr City raid, the spokesman for the Baghdad Security Plan said Iraqi forces take every measure to avoid civilian casualties.
"If there are innocent civilian casualties in Sadr City or anywhere else then that is unfortunate," Brig. Gen. Qassim Atta said. "We hope both the Multi-National Forces and the Iraqi Security Forces demonstrate military restraint and respect human rights."
He said al-Maliki will be briefed on the details of the Sadr City raid by the Multi-National Forces.
The U.S. military said the joint ground forces were fired upon as they were clearing several buildings in the "target area."
"Supporting aircraft was called in to suppress the enemy fire, killing an estimated six criminals," a military news release stated.
"The operation's objective was an individual reported to be a longtime Special Groups member specializing in kidnapping operations," the military said. "Intelligence indicates he is a well-known cell leader and has previously sought funding from Iran to carry out high profile kidnappings."
The military said its forces were hit by a roadside bomb as they left the area, but the blast did not cause any casualties among coalition forces.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry spokesman said many cars and many homes were damaged in the battle.
The ministry spokesman said the firefight took place between 1:30 a.m. (6:30 p.m. ET) and 6 a.m. (11 p.m. ET) in Sadr City, a densely populated Shiite slum where there is much grass-roots support for Iran and anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
"Special Groups are Shia extremist militant groups trained, funded and supplied primarily by Iran through the Islamic Revolutionary Guards — Quds Force," said U.S. Army Lt. Justin Cole.
"Special Groups have evolved over the past three years into insurgent elements using a cellular structure and operating independently."
"Special Groups operate throughout Iraq," Cole said. "They plan and execute bombings, kidnappings, sectarian murders and more against Iraqi citizens, Iraqi forces and coalition personnel."
Posted on:
October 21, 2007 , by
newyank • Trackback
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This was just too inept to forgo commentary…
In, Democratic Party Fauxtoshops Veteran, LGF chronicles how the democratic party claims a new poll shows our brave American soldiers aren't getting the resources they need to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. There's just one glitch, they're featuring a photo of a Canadian soldier instead of an American.
So the party that criticizes the GOP for not paying enough attention to our service men and women doesn't even have the wherewithal to recognize a member of their own military?
Let's not forget, over the past 20 years it has been democrats and liberals who've voted to cut defense spending, and reduce the size of the military.
Let's also not forget that recently certain high-ranking members of the democratic party have publicly declared their intention to cut the funding for the Iraq war if they take control of the house and senate.
Posted on:
October 8, 2006 , by
newyank • Trackback
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The real headline in Wednesday's edition of the Star Bulletin is "Web videos mock U.S. war deaths", but I thought I'd headline my own post with something more accurate.
Via starbulletin.com:
Posted on YouTube.com, the clips include insurgent slogans and have been viewed thousands of times
The wildly popular video-sharing Web site YouTube.com has dozens of videos purporting to show individual American soldiers being killed in Iraq, in what amounts to snuff films, overlaid with music and insurgent slogans.
Some of the videos, including ones of American soldiers purportedly being picked off by snipers or being blown up by improvised explosive devices, have been viewed tens of thousands of times each in the past few months. Some are posted in YouTube's "news and blogs" category, but others are listed under "entertainment" and even "comedy."
One shows what appears to be three U.S. soldiers in desert fatigues questioning Iraqi men in a street or alley as young boys mingle around. Suddenly, one soldier slumps to the ground, felled by a single bullet, as the children scatter. In another, a U.S. soldier is standing through the top hatch of a Humvee, then slumps over as the sniper strikes.
Their presence on YouTube shows that insurgent propaganda — including genuine footage — already available on more obscure Web sites has seeped in the mainstream of American popular culture, said Eben Kaplan, assistant editor of CFR.org, the Web site of the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonpartisan think tank headquartered in New York.
Read more: Web videos mock U.S. war deaths.
Posted on:
September 13, 2006 , by
newyank • Trackback
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From CBS News:
Quote by Senator Rockefeller:
"Yes. [Saddam] wasn't going to attack us. He would've been isolated there," Rockefeller said. "He would have been in control of that country but we wouldn't have depleted our resources preventing us from prosecuting a war on terror which is what this is all about."
Quote by CBS Reporter:
Rockefeller went a step further. He says the world would be better off today if the United States had never invaded Iraq — even if it means Saddam Hussein would still be running Iraq.
You have to see it, to believe it. So here's the video .
If the democrat party regains control of Congress this November, perhaps they'll put Saddam Hussein back in power?
The Senators' remark is just about the dumbest thing I've heard in weeks coming from a democrat. How does this party expect anyone in mainstream America to take them seriously? I know of more than a few Iraqi's who would question this man's sanity (not to mention whether or not he actually has any testicles.)
This is the same man who used his position on the Senate Intelligence Committee to play dirty political games after the initial phase of the Iraq war ended. And he's at it again.
I know one thing; America would be better off without him in Washington. Perhaps he ought to consider a new career.
Posted on:
September 9, 2006 , by
newyank • Trackback
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