Monday - November 06, 2006

Saddam’s Circus

Posted by The Skipper     on 11/06/2006 at 05:52 AM   
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   Sunday - November 05, 2006

Hang ‘Em High

A long rope and a short drop. It couldn’t happen to a more-deserving fellow. I only regret that we couldn’t draw-and-quarter the bastard too. Maybe stick his head on a pike at the center of Baghdad. Tar and feathers would be a nice touch also. I’m dreaming - I know. The Wussies In Charge would never stand for it.

It is a sad statement for our times that one of the most brutal dictators and mass murderers in recent history gets a team of lawyers (including a former Secretary Of State of the US), a year-long trial in which he gets to pontificate and throw fits in the courtroom and now gets to appeal the ruling before finally being strung up like the ratbag he is.

You know, back in the good old days (when men were men and women liked them that way), as soon as he was captured he would have been summarily marched out and stood up in front of a wall and filled with lead. No fuss, no mess, no bother. It would have gone a long way to pacifying the country had it been done.

For now though, this farce continues - all in an effort to please the bleeding heart liberals around the world who with their insistence on this namby-pamby treatment of war criminals only play into the hands of the enemy. It’s past time to take off the gloves, use them to slap the crap out of every mealy-mouthed liberal appeaser and get just as damn brutal and vicious as we need to be. After all, no war has ever been won by a pacifist ...

Saddam Hussein Is Sentenced to Death
_{BAGHDAD (NY TIMES) - November 5, 2006}

An Iraqi tribunal today convicted Saddam Hussein of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to death by hanging for the brutal repression of a Shiite town in the 1980s.

As the chief judge read aloud the verdict, a defiant Mr. Hussein shouted, “Long live the people! Long live the Arab nation! Down with the spies!” He thrust his finger emphatically into the air as he spoke, then repeatedly chanted, “God is great!”

The judge, Raouf Rasheed Abdul Rahman, tried to calm Mr. Hussein down. “There’s no point,” Mr. Rahman told him. The verdict, under Iraqi law, will immediately be submitted to an appellate court, which will begin its review within a month, officials said.

Still, today’s verdict represented a moment of triumph and catharsis for many Iraqis after decades of suffering under Mr. Hussein’s tyrannical rule.

Spontaneous celebrations broke out across Iraq in spite of an around-the-clock curfew imposed on the capital and other regions. People fired pistols and assault rifles into the air in a common gesture of jubilation. Residents of Sadr City, a Shiite bastion in northeastern Baghdad, flooded the streets in defiance of a curfew, whooping and dancing and sounding car horns. Even some Shiite police officers joined in the revelry, firing their weapons in the air.

“I feel happy,” said a 31-year-old Shiite shop owner, who was smoking apple-flavored tobacco on the sidewalk in Karrada, an upscale neighborhood in central Baghdad. “I think he got his punishment. There was no Iraqi house that didn’t have damage because of Saddam Hussein.”

But a darker mood settled over predominantly Sunni Arab areas. Immediately following the verdicts, fighting broke out between gunmen and the Iraqi Army in the Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiya in northeastern Baghdad, according to an Interior Ministry official. American forces swarmed the district, however, suppressing the violence, the official reported.

Clashes erupted between supporters of Mr. Hussein and American troops near Bayji, north of Tikrit, Mr. Hussein’s birthplace and a stronghold of support for the Sunni-led insurgency, according to witnesses there.

Iraqi and American security forces had been bracing for a violent reaction among Mr. Hussein’s armed supporters, who constitute a significant corps within the insurgency. A ban on cars and pedestrians was imposed in the capital and other areas, Iraq’s security forces were put on high alert and American jet fighters circled high above the capital throughout the day.

In a national televised address, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said Mr. Hussein’s execution would not compare with “one drop of the blood” of the people who died opposing his rule. “The execution could partially appease the victims,” he continued. “The martyrs of Iraq now have the right to smile.” In recent days, Mr. Maliki publicly expressed his hope that Mr. Hussein would receive the death sentence, saying it would help to dissipate the insurgency.

The American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, hailed the verdict as “an important milestone in the building of a free society” in Iraq.  “Although the Iraqis may face difficult days in the coming weeks, closing the book on Saddam and his regime is an opportunity to unite and build a better future,” he said in a statement.

The long-awaited verdict today came nearly three years after Mr. Hussein was hauled from an underground hideaway by American troops, and more than a year after he and seven co-defendants first appeared in an Iraqi court to face charges of orchestrating what the prosecution called a “widespread and systematic persecution” of the townspeople of Dujail, 35 miles north of Baghdad.

The case centered on the execution of 148 men and boys from the town after an alleged assassination attempt against Mr. Hussein by men firing from a nearby orchard on July 8, 1982. Mr. Hussein’s lawyers contended at the trial that the would-be assassins were Iranian-backed Shiite militants, and that he was justified in ordering the crackdown on the town because Iraq was at war with Iran at the time.

In the Dujail case, Mr. Hussein faced multiple charges for his involvement in the crimes. He was sentenced to the death penalty for willful killings, 10 years for forcible deportation and 10 years for torture.

- More at the NY TIMES...

Posted by The Skipper     on 11/05/2006 at 01:11 PM   
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   Wednesday - October 11, 2006

Fireworks In Baghdad

The enemy hides among the populace and strikes without warning. This is no organized army we face but a band of murderous thugs. The only way to stop it is to make a few examples. Public hangings or beheadings, followed by burial in pig pits. Sound like a plan? It may be the only way out.

The majority of people in Iraq may want democracy and freedom but there is a small minority that needs an asshole like Saddam Hussein in charge to keep them under control. Even Saddam, with his ruthless purges and mass murders had to constantly watch for assassination plots and attacks.

Our troops are sitting ducks for the 1% of the population that is determined to continue these attacks. The Iraqi people are getting sick and tired of the violence and the American people aren’t far behind.

The problem is the bleeding heart liberals back in the US will never allow the military in Iraq to adopt a “take no prisoners, kill them all and let Allah sort them out” proactive approach. The liberals are against the war and simultaneously against the only solution for that war.

Does Bush have the ‘nads to go up against the liberals at home and solve the problem in Iraq or will he continue to appease the Leftards while madmen take potshots at our troops from behind concealment? Good question. And the answer is .... ?

Insurgents Attack U.S. Ammo Dump in Iraq
_{BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - October 11, 2006, 7:08 AM EDT}

A massive fire at an ammunition dump at a U.S. base in southern Baghdad was sparked by a mortar round fired by insurgents, which set off a series of explosions from detonating tank and artillery shells that shook buildings miles away, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

The 82mm round was fired from a nearby residential area and hit Forward Operating Base Falcon around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday, spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington said. No injuries were reported.

“Intelligence indicates that civilians aligned with a militia organization were responsible for last night’s mortar attack,” Withington said in a statement without elaborating further on what group it may have been. The Islamic Army in Iraq, a nationalist anti-occupation insurgent group, claimed responsibility earlier in a statement posted on the Internet.

“With the help of God, the mortar and rocket squads of the Islamic Army have shelled a U.S. Army base with two rockets and three mortar shells,” said the statement posted on a Web site known to be used by insurgents. “The rockets and shells fell on ammunition dumps causing them to explode. Sounds of explosions were heard in Baghdad.”

The authenticity of the statement could not be immediately verified. There were no injuries reported, and Withington said the attack had no strategic effect. “The attack does not affect ongoing Baghdad security operations in the focus areas, and the loss of ammunition will not degrade the operational capability of the” U.S. forces in Baghdad, he said. “The base’s essential services were not disrupted.”

Explosions from detonating tank and artillery ordnance and small-arms ammunition stored at the site went off for hours after the fire erupted. Large flames and smoke rose from the region, and flashes from the blasts and showers of sparks were visible on the horizon from several miles away in central Baghdad, where the force of the blasts could be felt.

- More on the attack from AP ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/11/2006 at 09:10 AM   
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   Monday - August 28, 2006

Torture In Iraq!

Someone alert Amnesty International and the ACLU! Notify Ramsey Clark that his client is being abused in an almost inhumane manner. These Marines are shamelessly torturing this wrongly-accused, nice, mass-murdering dictator. Arrrrh, the humanity! ... ... (OK, I’ll turn the sarcasm off now)

Saddam’s Cartoon Torture
_{(THE SUN-UK) - Monday, August 28, 2006}

Toppled dictator Saddam Hussein is being tormented in jail – by being forced to watch HIMSELF in South Park. The evil tyrant is portrayed in the movie version of the cult cartoon as the Devil’s gay lover.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was banned in Iraq on its launch in 1999 for showing Saddam as a homosexual. The film featured him trying to take over the world with Satan.

He is currently behind bars in Iraq as he stands trial on charges of genocide. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone yesterday revealed Saddam is made to watch the movie “repeatedly” by the US Marines guarding him.

Speaking at Edinburgh TV Festival, Matt said: “I have it on pretty good information from the Marines on detail in Iraq that they showed him the movie. That’s really adding insult to injury. I bet that made him really happy.”

Posted by The Skipper     on 08/28/2006 at 08:04 AM   
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   Saturday - August 19, 2006

News from the sandbox

Posted by Christopher     on 08/19/2006 at 09:47 AM   
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   Tuesday - August 08, 2006

The Other News From Iraq

Here is your daily dose of The Other News From Iraq. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to count how many MSM outlets cover this story. Good luck on that.

Seriously, how did the Iraqis manage to get 275,000 troops trained and equipped to the point where they are taking over more and more of US troops’ tasks? When did this miracle happen? The Iraqis now have five divisions in the field handling security and fighting insurgents, and five more are in the works to be deployed soon.

The US plan to stand down US troops when the Iraqi army stands up is at the halfway point now ... and the lamestream media ignores it. Whazzup with that? Don’t our media outlets want us to hear good news from Iraq? ... ... ... that was a rhetorical question, by the way. Carry on ....

4th Iraqi Army Takes Over For
101st Airborne
_{BAGHDAD (CENTCOM PRESS RELEASE)}

As further evidence of the continued progress of Iraqi security forces, the 4th Iraqi Army Division will officially assume the lead for security operations Aug. 8 in most of Salah ad Din and Kirkuk provinces, previously controlled by units from the 101st Airborne Division.

The handover of forward operating bases and security lead demonstrates the progress being made by the Iraqi security forces, reiterates successes, and highlights the progress of the legitimate Iraqi government as a positive move toward full national sovereignty and self-reliance, said a Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman.

This transfer occurs as the Iraqi security force takes charge and shows it is capable of coordinating, planning and conducting security operations with Coalition forces acting in a support role. According to a 101st Airborne Division spokesman, the 4th IAD has demonstrated it is fully capable of assuming security responsibility by taking over security operations in provinces covering major cities of Tikrit, Kirkuk and Samarra.

The 4th IAD is the fifth of 10 Iraqi army divisions to assume security responsibility, which represents the halfway mark of Iraqi divisions assuming responsibility for providing security in their country. In total, Iraqi security forces are in the lead with five Iraqi army divisions, 22 army brigades, and 76 army battalions, and the Iraqi National Police have two battalions, for a total of about 275,000 trained forces.

According to Coalition officials, 48 of 110 Forward Operating Bases have been transferred to the Iraqis; the result of the increased capacity of the Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi government. “This (handover) is a brave quest and significant milestone toward garnering security self-reliance for the Iraqi citizens, the Iraqi security force, and the government of Iraq,” said Coalition officials.

According to a fact sheet released by the 101st Airborne Division, “more than 275,000 trained and equipped Iraqi security personnel work every day to protect Iraq and its people. These numbers continue to grow as more troops are scheduled to assume independent control in the coming months.”

As evidence to the 4th IAD’s capabilities, about 3,000 Iraqi security forces, with support from Coalition troops, recently detained 154 terror suspects and seized a large weapon cache during Operation Gaugamela west of Kirkuk. The 10-day operation was conducted to search for suspected al-Qaida terrorists in and around the cities of Hawaija and Riyadh.

Following a request from local Arab leaders to rid the area outside Kirkuk of terrorists, the 10-day operation - covering 25 cities and villages spanning more than 900 square miles - began with a series of smaller Iraqi Army operations targeting 20 objectives in the Rashad area, southwest of Kirkuk. Using their own intelligence information, Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division planned and conducted the missions, detaining nine terror suspects and seizing a cache of weapons.

“This was the first time the Iraqis in our area have self-sustained during an operation,” said Capt. Krista Jekielek, a U.S. logistics representative to the Iraqi security forces. “It was a significant validation, showing they are capable of moving the necessary personnel and supplies required to perform their mission.”

Capt. Lyn Graves, an Army spokesman who patrolled Hawija with the Iraqi security forces during the operation, said the Iraqi forces were extremely proficient and professional. In addition to taking terrorists and weapons off the street, the discipline of the soldiers involved in the mission truly stands out, according to Maj. Greg Bishop, a 1st BCT spokesman.

“The Iraqi and Coalition Soldiers went into two of the most contentious cities in the Kirkuk province, searched hundreds of homes and buildings and detained more than 150 suspects with no violence whatsoever,” said Bishop. “That’s an incredible success and a true measure of the professionalism of everyone involved in the operations.”

U.S. Central Command Public Affairs - Spc. Patrick Ziegler, Spc. Chris Erickson, 1Lt. Anthony Deiss

Posted by The Skipper     on 08/08/2006 at 09:32 AM   
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   Tuesday - July 25, 2006

More from Iraq

My source in Iraq sent this in on Sunday and I just got to it. My apologies. He starts off with a personal statement:

From the FLAPJAWMAN:

Before anyone reads this, here are my comments… For starters, I DO NOT CONDONE TORTURE, NOR DOES THE U.S. ARMY.  If ANYONE disagrees with that last statement, then you are definitely part of the twilight zonian moon bats.  I defy anyone to show me any official regulations that require Interrogations in the Army to use torture!  If holding two bottles of water is an outrageous form of toture, then where is the outcry over the likes of Hizb’Allah hanging people on meat hooks and chopping them up alive?  OH I FORGOT-those evil doers can do no wrong....

Back to the below article.  It is becoming increasingly clear that many want the US to fail in its War on Terror and against these Religious Fanatics.  It is quite odd that those who are so much foaming at the mouth about the U.S. and supposed autrocities would be the first who would get their heads lopped off under the “Utopia” they are so eager to pursue…

Notice how, when there is a lot of good news coming out about the Middle East and the isolation of Terrorists the media has to bring up a criminal act that the Army had ALREADY BEEN INVESTIGATING SIX MONTHS BEFORE IT BROKE IN THE NEWS AND HAD BROUGHT ALL RESPONSIBLE - to INCLUDE THE LEADERSHIP: up to and INCLUDING a Brigidier General (She was booted from the Army in disgrace- a pretty big punishment if you ask me- but she promptly tried to pander to the media in a number of TV appearances)- to JUSTICE… WHERE are the Hizb’Allah Courts Marshall for their Autrocity Perpertrators?  HUH? HUH?

Then again, only read the below article if you can stomache it… I can’t possible look at it again....

FLAPJAWMAN

It’s obvious that Flappy is upset over the below article. Let’s see what we have…

Iraq prisoner abuse ‘was routine’

The torture of prisoners in US custody in Iraq was authorised and routine even after the Abu Ghraib scandal came to light, a US-based rights group says.
Soldiers’ accounts show that detainees routinely faced severe beatings, sleep deprivation and other abuses for much of 2003-2005, Human Rights Watch says.

Soldiers who tried to complain about the abuse were rebuffed or ignored.

Posted by Christopher     on 07/25/2006 at 11:22 AM   
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   Monday - July 24, 2006

Iraqi Logistics Update

Iraqi Army takes on logistics Monday, 24 July 2006

Story and photo by Staff Sgt. Lucia Newman
Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq

BAGHDAD — The Ministry of Defense has taken over life support functions for more than 80 bases throughout Iraq since April, cutting Coalition expenses by $24 million a month.

The Iraqi government is now responsible for providing food, water, cleaning, supplies, security, maintenance for facilities and equipment, morale items, and clearing of waste products, to name a few, for more than 130,000 Iraqi Soldiers.

Good news indeed. Especially since I posted earlier an article critical of Iraqi logistics.

To fulfill those responsibilities, the MOD planned, funded and executed two contracts for the Army’s life support operations. The contracts will cover support for food and services for the Iraqi security forces.

As a result of them taking on this responsibility, the Iraqi government continues to demonstrate its commitment to achieving logistical independence in their country.

“Taking control of their own life support functions was a huge step toward transitioning them to managing their own battlespace,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Steven Herb, Coalition Military Assistance Transition Team base management superintendent. “This step by MOD showed a partnership with Coalition forces to transition Iraq as soon as possible.”

Posted by Christopher     on 07/24/2006 at 04:19 PM   
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Starving Dictators And A Question

I have a question for you to ponder this morning ....

Think about that while you sit there with your bowl of Cheerios this morning. I’ll wait patiently for an answer while you chew ....

Hunger-Striking Saddam
Is Hospitalized
_{Sunday July 23, 2006 10:01 PM}

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Saddam Hussein was hospitalized Sunday and fed with a tube on the 17th day of a hunger strike to ensure he was healthy enough to continue with his trial, the chief prosecutor said. The procedure came as the ex-leader’s troubled trial nears a verdict that could lead to his hanging.

Prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi said he learned that Saddam’s health had become “unstable because of the hunger strike’’ during a visit to the U.S.-run prison where the former ruler and his seven fellow defendants are held. “We took him to the hospital, and he is being currently fed by a tube,’’ al-Moussawi told The Associated Press without elaboration.

Al-Moussawi said the feeding tube had stabilized Saddam’s health and the former president would appear in court as scheduled this week. Saddam was not scheduled to appear Monday when the trial resumes after a two-week break, because other defendants are to give their final summations.

It appeared that al-Moussawi had become concerned over the impact of televised pictures of a frail, weakened Saddam appearing in court and decided to check on the ex-president himself since the Americans were continuing to insist that a 69-year-old man’s health was unaffected despite two weeks without food.

The hunger strike was launched to demand better security for the defense team. Three of them have been assassinated since the trial began, most recently Khamis al-Obeidi, who was abducted and slain June 21.

The defense rejected an offer of the same security provided to the judges and prosecution lawyers: residence inside the Green Zone, the fortified Baghdad neighborhood where the court is located. Instead, they wanted bodyguards.

Saddam and the seven others have been on trial since Oct. 19 for the deaths of Shiite Muslims after a crackdown in the town of Dujail, which was launched after an assassination attempt there in 1982. They could receive the death penalty if convicted.

But Saddam’s lawyer Khalil al-Dulaimi said none of the defendants or their lawyers would appear Monday unless the court ``meets the minimum requirement ensuring a fair trial for the defendants.’’

Al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press that Saddam was “in high spirits and his health very good’’ despite the hunger strike. U.S. officials had acknowledged that Saddam and three other detainees were refusing food since the evening meal of July 7 but were drinking coffee and sweet tea. The Americans insisted that Saddam was still in good health despite two weeks without food, and that he had been advised by “medical professionals’’ of the dangers of not eating.

A spokesman for the U.S. detention command would not say whether Saddam had been hospitalized but said he was under medical supervision and was “voluntarily’’ taking nutrients through a feeding tube.

Posted by The Skipper     on 07/24/2006 at 07:26 AM   
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   Thursday - July 20, 2006

The War of Civilizations Rages

Edward I. Koch gives a synopsis of the latest round of violence in the Mid-East. It’s a lengthy piece, so I’ll just quote a couple of paragraphs:

The enemies of the Western world in this war of civilizations are the Islamic fanatics.

Those fanatics number hundreds of millions. They truly believe they have the right to kill all infidels. Sometimes, the fanatic warns us in his own words. Adolf Hitler wrote “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle) in 1925 in which he told the world of his plans. A recent leader of al-Qaida, the late Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, spoke openly of his beliefs, “Killing the infidels is our religion, slaughtering them is our religion, until they convert to Islam or pay us tribute.”

Take them at their word. Hitler meant what he said.

And Hamas, Hezbullah, Fatah, etc have always said they want Israel gone. Pushed into the Mediterranean.

One of the reasons, I think, that the American public isn’t behind the war is:

Recently in Iraq, two American soldiers were taken hostage. This past week, the terrorists played a tape showing the body and severed head of a disemboweled American soldier. The other was tortured beyond recognition.

U.S. television channels said the sight was so awful that they would not show the video on their stations.

The media is trying to ‘protect’ us? I’m insulted. Show us exactly what these vermin are doing to those they take captive. Abu Graib is a joke. Show us the videos dammit. You’d show us if what was a fictional movie.

I’m done ranting.

What is the answer? We must be resigned to fighting this war of civilizations for as long as it takes, and it will take years.

Go read the rest.

Posted by Christopher     on 07/20/2006 at 07:58 PM   
Filed Under: • Iraq • RoPMA • Terrorists •  
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   Tuesday - July 18, 2006

More good news from Iraq

800 children will now have a school thanks to the Marines, who not only helped build the school but saved it from an IED planted by terrorists to frustrate the project.

Marines help build, save school
Monday, 17 July 2006

Story and photo by Cpl. Antonio Rosas
1st Marine Division

KARABILAH - Thanks to the work of Marines and Iraqi security forces, 800 elementary-aged girls will now have a school to attend this fall.

Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment unveiled a brand-new grade school in this city of about 30,000 on the Iraq-Syria border in western al-Anbar province on July 7.

About one week before its ribbon cutting, insurgents planted an improvised explosive device inside the school that would have leveled a good portion of the building, destroying nearly three months of work by Marines and locals, said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph S. Mallicoat, team leader for the civil affairs team here.

Posted by Christopher     on 07/18/2006 at 08:24 PM   
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   Friday - July 14, 2006

Iraqi logistics

Another article sent in by an Army Staff officer playing in the big sandbox overseas.

Iraqi Soldiers Trying To Clear Logistics Hurdle
(From Mideast Stars and Stripes By Anita Powell)
July 11, 2006

IRAQI ARMY BASE AL QUDISS, Iraq — To hear it from an Iraqi soldier, the needs of the nation’s developing army are heartbreakingly simple: Soap. Bullets. Weapons. Better food.

To ask an Iraqi officer — or an American soldier from one of the Army’s Military Transition Teams, which help train Iraqi forces — logistics is a serious issue that has stymied an eager and increasingly competent force.

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, which is based in Tikrit, spin a familiar tale: things are improving. Citizens’ trust is increasing. Soldiers are better trained. Patrols and missions are up. For the 3rd Battalion, roadside bombs have decreased by a whopping 70 percent in recent months thanks to greater vigilance on the roads.

But the relationship with American forces is still a dependent one, and may be for years to come, leaders say.

“This battalion cannot conduct the majority of operations without the help of the (military transition) team,” said battalion executive officer Lt. Col. Hamid Ali, 41. “They give us support in fuel, equipment, weapons. Our battalion cannot get any equipment from our chain of command without the team’s support.”

American officials agree that the Iraqi army’s logistical issues — which are ultimately the responsibility of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense — need addressing.

“The only thing keeping them back is their logistical system,” said Lt. Col. Jeff Martindale, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, the Iraqi 3rd Battalion’s sister battalion. “It’s got a lot of problems.”

“It’s something we’ve said all along,” said Maj. Chuck Adkins, a career logistician and head of Military Transition Team 0413, which works with the Iraqi battalion. “(Logistics) was overlooked. Coalition forces and the (Ministry of Defense) have come to the realization that they’re going to have to work on logistics if they want us to be able to get out of here. It’s probably going to have to take a couple more years for that to come together.”

Iraqi battalion officials agree.

“It’s not the right time to make the U.S. Army leave us,” said 3rd Battalion commander Col. Shojaa Jawad, 50. “They help a lot with the intelligence. And they help with logistics, with weapons. The only request I have is to give us better weapons, trucks.”

However, leaders in this ethnically mixed area northeast of Baghdad say the ethnically mixed battalion (just more than 50 percent is Shiite, the rest Sunni) has met with great success given the logistical constraints.

The 3rd Battalion regularly accompanies the American 1st Battalion on missions and large operations, and the two units collaborate at the company level, Martindale said.

But the Iraqi battalion also has grown to be more autonomous.

“Before we got here, they ran combined missions with coalition forces,” said Capt. Jamal Hatcher, a member of the training team. “Now they run independent missions … This battalion is light years ahead of its sister battalions in its division.”

Iraqi battalion officials say they have more control of their battle space than ever before.

“We can secure our area of operations 100 percent: 75 percent ourselves and 25 percent with American help,” said Hamid, the battalion executive officer.

“The trust is building,” Adkins said. “Not just at the personal level, but at the professional level.”

Posted by Christopher     on 07/14/2006 at 06:07 PM   
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   Thursday - July 06, 2006

Flag officer’s conference on Iraq

I received this from an Army Staff officer who is serving “in the desert.”

Saturday, June 10, 2006
Subject: Fort Carson General and Flag Officers Conference on Iraq, at Fort Carson, CO

Earlier this week I (a Rear Admiral) attended a retired general and flag officer conference at Fort Carson, Colorado. The conference was hosted by Major General Bob Mixon, Commanding General of Seventh Infantry Division, which calls Fort Carson its home.

Fort Carson is a huge installation located to the south of Colorado Springs; its becoming one of the larger Army installations in the country (26,000 soldiers) It is also the home post of the largest number of troopers who have served multiple tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and, regrettably, the largest number of troopers who have died in combat there over the past three years. There are Fort Carson units going to and returning from the combat area virtually on a monthly basis.

The conference was primarily organized to explain the modular brigade concept, and it featured a panel of officers who had either very recently returned from commands in the combat zone or were about to deploy there in the next two months. Three of the recent returnees were Colonel H.R. McMaster, Colonel Rick S., and Captain Walter Szpak.

McMaster is the commander of the 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment, the unit that, through very innovative and population-friendly tactics, rid the city of Tal Afar of insurgents. The mayor of Tal Afar came back to Carson two weeks ago to thank the troopers and their families personally for freeing his people. (You say you didnt hear about that in the mainstream media?) McMaster is considered the foremost U.S. expert on modern insurgent warfare, has written a book on the subject which is widely circulated at the war colleges and staff colleges, and he was asked to testify before Congress when he returned from the 3rd ACR combat deployment. He is obviously one of the great combat leaders that has emerged from the war and is highly respected (some would say revered) by his troopers and his superiors alike.

Posted by Christopher     on 07/06/2006 at 06:26 PM   
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   Saturday - June 24, 2006

Cheeseburger In Paradise

Question: How many missed meals is a murdered lawyer worth? Answer: Only one, it seems. Personally, I wouldn’t give up even one potato chip but then again I’m not a mass-murdering dictator on trial for my life. Neither am I a grandstanding, egomaniacal, bloviating, bulls**t artist like Saddam. Well ... I can be full of s**t at times but I’m not in Saddam’s league. Feed him more pork chops, I say. Bring on the pork rinds. Mmmh-hmh, good!

Saddam Ends Hunger Strike After Missing One Meal
_{Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:54am ET7}

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein ended a brief hunger strike after missing just one meal in his U.S.-run prison, a U.S. military spokesman said Friday. The former Iraqi leader had refused lunch Thursday in protest at the killing of one of his lawyers by gunmen, but the spokesman said he ate his evening meal.

Former Saddam aides being held in the same prison had refused to eat three meals since Wednesday evening but ended their fast with the ex-president. “They all took their dinner meal,” the spokesman told Reuters.

Saddam is on trial for crimes against humanity for his role in the 1982 killing of 148 Shi’ites in Dujail. His lead counsel, Khalil al-Dulaimi, has blamed pro-government Shi’ite militias for the murder of his deputy Khamis al-Obaidi Wednesday.

Posted by The Skipper     on 06/24/2006 at 10:57 AM   
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Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:

1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere

It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

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