Archives for the 'Iraq' Category
Bush Lied, Shopping Carts Dinged People’s Cars
Published on 13 May 2008 at 9:20 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, military.
It’s called ”Bradley Crushes Insurgent Car,” which makes this bit of war zone fun a public service. via Mudville Gazette, for all your on-the-ground war zone vid and reading needs.
Unrelated, entirely different, or not. Two Boston Herald columnists have now weighed in on that key indicator of social decay, the unreturned shopping cart. We’ll start with Alan Lupo:
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Another Quarter Heard From
Published on 12 May 2008 at 9:33 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq.
Ardolino’s latest, a foot patrol with American grunts and some Iraq Shiites and Sunnis who apparently are operating from a different playbook than that described by the mullahs below. Support independent journalism.
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Mother’s Day
Published on 11 May 2008 at 9:01 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Iraq, motherhood.
Alex Jimenez, Byron Fouty and Joseph Anzac went missing a year ago. Only Anzac’s body has been found. The anniversary was marked in Lawrence, Massachusetts, yesterday by Jimenez’s mother and family, friends and comrades. Herald:
Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before
Published on 10 May 2008 at 8:58 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Iraq, Iran.
Sadr says uncle, Mahdi Army will play nice. Really, you can have all the heavy weapons. Any heavy weapon you find, you can have it and whichever idiot is carrying it. McClatchy:
Read ‘Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before’
Wrong al-Masri
Published on 9 May 2008 at 10:20 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, al qaeda.
Bummer. Better luck next time.
Favorable Indicators
Published on 8 May 2008 at 9:31 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, al qaeda.
That old deer-in-the-headlights mugshot probably is a relatively good likeness at this point. Al-Masri, al-Qaeda in Iraq’s Egyptian chief, reportedly nabbed in Mosul. Gateway has his history and a roundup. What it means and more details from Belmont and Roggio.
Sadr City, being emptied out in advance of stepped-up operations. May want to check under the exiting burkhas, make […]
No Nukes
Published on 7 May 2008 at 12:37 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, nukes, Arabs.
Mohammed at Iraq the Model on Iraqi anti-nuke sentiments … they don’t like the idea of any rotten Arab or Persian regime having them. They don’t mind Israel having them. Other Arabs don’t get it. But judging by the Iraqi views expressed, they get that and a lot more:
Frustrating Apathy
Published on 6 May 2008 at 3:04 pm.
3 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, pols, America.
These guys are right. It’s too bad Americans aren’t more concerned about foreign policy. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Suicidal GI Meme
Published on 6 May 2008 at 1:11 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, military, Afghanistan, PTSD.
Keeps marching on. U.S. government shrink reports that Iraq/Afghan war vets’ suicides may outstrip the death rate. Bloomberg:
Great News!
Published on 5 May 2008 at 7:49 am.
5 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran.
NYT reports that Hezbollah is training Iraqis militias at a secret site near Tehran. You know what this means, right?
Sons of Iraq
Published on 4 May 2008 at 11:39 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media.
Ardolino at Long War Journal on Baghdad’s Shia Awakening, some Sadr City neighbors who aren’t crazy about the Mahdi Army.
Viral Insurgencies
Published on 4 May 2008 at 9:17 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, deep thot.
Canadian Army Capt. Nils French, currently at Ft. Leonard Wood, at Small Wars Journal on the epidemiology of counterinsurgency: “tipping points” and how ideas, message and behaviors spread like viruses, and can be fought the way viruses are fought.
Peace Partnership
Published on 2 May 2008 at 11:10 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran.
Iran says talks in Tehran will help end Iraq clashes. Sure, why not? Reuters:
Concern to be Expressed
Published on 1 May 2008 at 8:20 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran.
By Iraqi government team in Tehran. NYT:
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Non-Lethal COIN
Published on 30 Apr 2008 at 8:22 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, military.
Examined by Capt. Gorkowski, operations officer for 25th ID’s 3BCT special troops battalion at Small Wars Journal:
Terrorists > Guantanamo
Published on 30 Apr 2008 at 12:22 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Guantanamo, moronocy.
Jawa does the honors on CBS moron/Stockholm Syndrome sufferer Richard Butler, who is just grateful the murderous Shiite terrorists who starved him, bound him, blindfolded him, and walled him up weren’t Gitmo’s Koran-flushing, jihadi-fattening, AC/DC-playing war criminal turnkeys.
Read ‘Terrorists > Guantanamo’
Counterinsurgency Cliff Notes
Published on 29 Apr 2008 at 8:43 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Iraq, military.
For rifle platoons in Iraq. Another must-read from Small Wars Journal:
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Eff the Troops
Published on 29 Apr 2008 at 8:12 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, moronocy.
The great thing about the Internet is that this will be around to haunt Ian Murphy long after he grows up, if he ever manages that.
More Attacks Like This, Please
Published on 28 Apr 2008 at 11:42 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media.
Insurgents take troops by sandstorm! Exclamation mark mine, as the Sydney Morning Herald, irrationally exuberant, apparently forgot to add one when it was busy missing the point:
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Smoke = Fire?
Published on 28 Apr 2008 at 11:18 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, al qaeda.
Omar of Iraq the Model at Pajamas explores the question: Are al-Sadr and al Qaeda teaming up in Iraq? Also, Omar’s thoughts last week re AQ woes in Iraq.
Band of Sisters
Published on 28 Apr 2008 at 7:34 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, military, women.
Castle Argghhh!!! with some people you should know.
Mullahing Options
Published on 25 Apr 2008 at 9:19 am.
1 Comment.
Filed under Iraq, Iran.
Always a tad skittish, Moqtada Al-Sadr would like to divide and conquer but his appetite for battle has always been limited. Sadr, via AFP, he didn’t really mean it about open war. And if he did, that only applies to the occupier.
Musings and Memories
Published on 23 Apr 2008 at 7:45 pm.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, embeds, shameless self-promotion.
(crossposted at Acute Politics)
Who’s up for some war stories? Ok, maybe not *exactly* war stories, but I’ve been mumbling through old memories of Iraq recently. This post will be pretty much stream-of-consciousness, so continue reading only if you want a look inside.
Reports: We Got Izzat! Saddam’s #2 Captured in Iraq!
Published on 23 Apr 2008 at 7:45 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Saddam.
WE GOT IZZAT— Says the Al-Arabiya News Agency in Iraq.
The AFP reported:
Al-Arabiya television channel reported that a man suspected to be Duri, who tops the Iraqi government’s list of most-wanted fugitives, has been captured in Iraq.
The man suspected to be Duri was captured by Iraqi forces and handed over to the US military, it said […]
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Mookie’s Family Turns On Him– Disowns “Rogue Son”
Published on 22 Apr 2008 at 9:29 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Iraq.
The following is a translation by Iraqi-American Haider Ajina from Nida’a al Rafidain News published on April 17, 2008. Although Mookie is safe in Iran, this news won’t make him want to rush back to Iraq:
Iraq’s Josef Al-Sadr says that Muqtada Al- Sadr has tainted Our Family Reputation;
–We will deal with him internally. […]
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Charming Offensive
Published on 20 Apr 2008 at 7:45 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq.
Brits, Iraqis apparently got organized in the wake of last month’s draw. I like the “fleeing militiamen” part. Roundup on this charming offensive, coupled with an Iranian charm offensive, and al Qaeda’s jealous bid for attention, starts with the Times of London:
Public Safety Issues
Published on 17 Apr 2008 at 12:05 pm.
1 Comment.
Filed under Iraq, cars.
Iraq cracks down on seat belt scofflaws. NYT:
Sadr News … Stryker That
Published on 17 Apr 2008 at 11:43 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq.
Bill Ardolino is headed back to Baghdad to hang out with 2/1 Stryker Cav in Sadr City. Support independent journalism and check Bill’s Sadr City reading list here.
Meanwhile, Totten has an interview with a Marine captain re his dealings with the tribes in and around Karmah. You can read that and support more independent journalism here.
Thanks to […]
Read ‘Sadr News … Stryker That’
Marine Seeks Assistance from Local Cabbie
Published on 16 Apr 2008 at 10:22 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, cabbies.
“You know any insurgents? You don’t know any insurgents? Well, if you get where you’re going … right now it’s 1600 … just, uh, let the insurgents know Sierra Deuce is on Bug, and we’ll be here for about another hour if they want to come and shoot at us. All right?
(Marine holds up shotgun, points to […]
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Band of Mothers
Published on 15 Apr 2008 at 2:49 pm.
5 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, pols, Afghanistan, motherhood.
Gateway: Murtha refuses to meet with them. The word “coward” gets throw back and forth. Someone calls the cops.
Brave New World
Published on 14 Apr 2008 at 9:41 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media.
That’s what Bilal Hussein will walk into when he is freed Wednesday, if he’s heading home to Fallujah.
Thoughtful Question
Published on 13 Apr 2008 at 10:20 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, guns, military, free speech.
From the forward-deployed Badger Six: “Is it too much to ask that newspapers such as the New York and Los Angeles Times publish OPED pieces by people that actually know what they are talking about?”
Saddam Drop
Published on 12 Apr 2008 at 10:32 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, blogs.
The first, that is, and everything that’s happened since. Bill Roggio, Michael Totten, Glenn Reynolds and I talked about it with Austin Bay for Pajamas. Podcast and transcript.
“Despite It All …
Published on 12 Apr 2008 at 10:01 am.
8 Comments.
Filed under Iraq.
… April 9 is a national holiday.”
People who think we’ve wasted 5 years, billions of dollars and 4,000 American lives, and would like to throw those sacrifices away, may want to read MEMRI’s roundup of liberal Arab reax to the 5th anniversary. It starts, with poetic beauty, in Baghdad and wends its way through the Arab world, waxing […]
Tactical Jenga
Published on 12 Apr 2008 at 8:28 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, military.
Former Australian Army LTC/US counterinsurgency advisor David Kilcullen was playing it at Joint Urban Warrior 08:
Reality Checks
Published on 10 Apr 2008 at 9:31 am.
8 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran, media, military.
Lots of talk out there about what’s real, what’s not. Big reality roundup below, but first, this week’s Irony Cross with oakleaf clusters to repeat honoree Harry Reid.
“We are stuck in a twilight zone in Iraq,” Reid said.
He hasn’t been in the news much lately. You’ll remember him as part of the war-ending Democratic mandate. No cruel Twilight […]
Long Walk
Published on 10 Apr 2008 at 8:14 am.
No Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media.
One more anniversary nod to the late, great Michael Kelly from my friend Sig at the San Antonio Express-News. Sig describes a long walk and some talk along Gulf Road. Familiar ground along the bay in Kuwait City, my old running route from the apartment at Bibi House. Then,
Hopes Quashed
Published on 10 Apr 2008 at 12:12 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media.
This is really terrible. It looks like the murdering Americans have made a real mess of things in Baghdad. Again. AP:
Memo to McCain
Published on 9 Apr 2008 at 7:54 am.
9 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran, al qaeda.
And the snarking classes. Hamas Iraq accuses al-Qaeda in Iraq of ties to Iran, and gets specific. “The U.S. is our main enemy but a more dangerous enemy is Iran.” MEMRI:
Now You Sadr, Now You Don’t
Published on 9 Apr 2008 at 7:12 am.
3 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran.
Last week, al-Sadr promised a million Shiite march for today’s anniversary of the statue being pulled down. Today, that’s been cancelled, because Sadr is concerned about the shedding of Iraqi blood. He always is, when there’s any chance it might be his own. Two days ago, al-Sadr was offering to stand down, if al-Sistani and other […]
Read ‘Now You Sadr, Now You Don’t’
“Failure of Leadership”
Published on 8 Apr 2008 at 7:29 am.
9 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, pols.
Is what McCain is calling his Dem rivals’ campaign-motivated withdrawal demands. Also, “height of irresponsibility.” This is going to be a great campaign. via Herald. Meanwhile, guess which flag-pin eschewer is now wearing his AmeriKKKan flag on his sleeve. Big day ahead on the Hill for the candidates, Gen. David Petraeus, the United States military, the Iraqi […]
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Wife-Beatage Journalism 101
Published on 7 Apr 2008 at 8:47 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media.
A fascinating exercise in elementary “When Did You Stop Beating Your Wife” journalism at a top-shelf deep-think venue is made all the more ironic because it involves 60 Minutes’ Kroft misrepresenting what Douglas Feith is saying about the administration’s line on the Iraq invasion. It could be used as a textbook case of Bush lied, people died logic:
Read ‘Wife-Beatage Journalism 101’
Israel = Hamas
Published on 7 Apr 2008 at 6:33 am.
5 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media, vietnam, Israel, Palestinians.
That’s the official NYT Radio position. Powerline.
Meanwhile, in other NYT distortions, Basra = Tet. Malkin.
It’s The Mullahs, Stupid
Published on 6 Apr 2008 at 11:49 am.
7 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran, pols.
Petraeus is expected to tell Congress our partner-for-peace, Iran, took part in the fight in Basra. Times of London:
Read ‘It’s The Mullahs, Stupid’
Mission Creep
Published on 5 Apr 2008 at 8:31 am.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, pols.
NY Sun with another Obama advisor off the reservation on Iraq, advocating 60,000 to 80,000 troops at least two years on.
Here Is Your War
Published on 4 Apr 2008 at 1:04 pm.
2 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media, military.
Title borrowed from the collected columns of another great dead war correspondent. As long as we’re on war correspondent tributes. Kelly was a literary big-picture guy. Bloom was a gritty this-is-what-it’s-like TV guy. But nowadays GIs can tell their own stories in real time every bit as well as Ernie Pyle, as the great Gordon Alanko […]
Michael Kelly
Published on 4 Apr 2008 at 11:28 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, media.
Newsbusters on Krauthammer, looking for Obama’s Michael Kelly. Hillary already got hers. He was killed five years and a couple of days ago. Wehner at NRO remembers that. I remember Kelly, when I met him and David Bloom on March 11, 2003, the last time I saw him on March 31, 2003, and April 6, 2003, after […]
Perspective on Whinage
Published on 3 Apr 2008 at 8:25 am.
6 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, military.
Grumpy old officers re whiny young ones:
Pro-Liberation
Published on 2 Apr 2008 at 8:54 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Iran.
Pro-acts of resistance vs. the occupiers, aka the Great Satan. That’s us. It’s Moqtada al-Sadr a couple of days ago, via MEMRI. Saddam was bad but America is worse. Baathists are still abroad in the land. The goal of the Mahdi Army is to liberate Iraq, whatever it takes. Also, a more Islamic society, the Mahdi will be […]
Not Normal
Published on 2 Apr 2008 at 6:59 am.
4 Comments.
Filed under Iraq, Saddam.
John Hawkins with a tale of life under the psychopath who was removed by the 2003 invasion.
George Packer at World Affiars Journal, Iraq the Place vs. Iraq the Abstraction, an insightful ramble over the ground we’ve covered.
