Sunday, November 30, 2003
New York Daily News - Home - Flag fee outrage
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Iraq war news updates
Two U.S. soldiers killed in western Iraq: "Guerrillas ambushed a military convoy in western Iraq near the border with Syria, killing two American soldiers, the military said Sunday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
CIA admits lack of specifics on Iraqi weapons before invasion: "The US Central Intelligence Agency has acknowledged it "lacked specific information" about alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction when it compiled an intelligence estimate last year that served to justify the US-led invasion of Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Japan Diplomats Slain in Iraq, Tokyo Says Undaunted: "Unknown assailants ambushed and murderedtwo Japanese diplomats in northern Iraq, piling new pressure onthe Tokyo government as it weighs a decision on sending troopsto help rebuild that country. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Seven Spanish intelligence officers killed in Iraq attacks: "Seven Spanish intelligence agents were killed in a mortar and grenade attack on their convoy near Baghdad, the deadliest such incident to hit Spanish troops since they deployed in Iraq in August, Spain's defence minister said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq attacks leave 11 dead in CNN - War in Iraq
Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Western Iraq: "Guerrillas ambushed a military convoy in western Iraq near the border with Syria, killing two American soldiers, the military said Sunday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Ambush West of Baghdad: "Guerrillas attacked an American convoywest of Baghdad with small arms and rocket-propelled grenadeson Saturday, killing two U.S. soldiers and wounding one, theU.S. Army said on Sunday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Japan vows to "never give in" to terrorism after two diplomats shot in Iraq: "Japan said it will "never give in" to terrorism after two of its diplomats were shot dead in Iraq, but stopped short of saying whether the attack would affect a plan to send troops to the war-torn country. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq deaths won't deter Japan in CNN - War in Iraq
Japan Diplomats Slain in Iraq, Japan Says Undaunted: "Unknown assailants ambushed and murderedtwo Japanese diplomats in northern Iraq, piling new pressure onthe Tokyo government as it weighs a decision on sending troopsto help rebuild that country. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
7 Spaniards Killed in Iraqi Ambush: "LATIFIYA, Iraq, Nov. 29 -- More than a dozen insurgents ambushed and killed seven Spanish intelligence officers on Saturday on a highway near this town south of Baghdad, according to witnesses and Spanish officials. (washingtonpost.com)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
S.Korea Team Says Need Combat Troops in Iraq -Yonhap: "A South Korean fact-finding team fromIraq would probably suggest the government also needs combattroops to help rebuild the country, the Yonhap News agencyreported on Sunday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Spain Unites to Mourn Seven Killed in Iraq: "Spain put aside political divisions onSunday to mourn seven intelligence agents killed in thedeadliest single attack on Spanish personnel in Iraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Spanish agents, Japanese diplomats killed in Iraq in CNN - War in Iraq
Turks capture synagogue bombing suspect: "A central figure in the suicide bombing of an Istanbul synagogue was captured while trying to slip into Iran, police said Saturday. He was charged with trying to overthrow Turkey's "constitutional order" - an offense equivalent to treason."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraqi Leaders Say U.S. Was Warned of Disorder After Hussein, but Little Was Done: "More than a dozen Iraqi exile leaders said that they had warned the Bush administration about the chaos that could follow after Saddam Hussein was toppled."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqis Learn Bureaucracy at Town Hall Meetings: "Local council members are the vanguard of democracy in Iraq; and they are a most unhappy lot."
In New York Times: World Special
'A Time of Our Choosing': Masters of War: "Based on reporting from The Times, Todd S. Purdum has written a guide to understanding the causes, conduct and consequences of the war in Iraq."
In New York Times: World Special
War is our Common Enemy: "Launched in February 2003 to "offer a humanitarian perspective during the then-looming conflict" in Iraq, Electronic Iraq (eIraq) is the project of two groups who will be familiar to many PN readers - Voices in the Wilderness (US) and Electronic Intifada. Peace News caught up with Nigel Parry, co-founder of both projects, to discuss the ethos behind this online information project. Peace News is a progressive publication that has been publishing since 1936."
In Electronic Iraq
Operation Iron Hammer assessed: "With the US pounding Iraqi towns with bombs and artillery in an effort to step up raids to catch oppositionists, human rights groups have expressed concern over the impact 'Operation Iron Hammer' could be having on local populations."
In Electronic Iraq
Fears of drop in school attendance due to insecurity: "As the school day comes to an end in the southern city of Basra, parents hurry to collect their children, especially if they are girls, from school gates for fear of them being kidnapped or attacked."
In Electronic Iraq
CIA admits lack of specifics on Iraqi weapons before invasion: "The US Central Intelligence Agency has acknowledged it "lacked specific information" about alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction when it compiled an intelligence estimate last year that served to justify the US-led invasion of Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
November Is Deadliest Month: "Seventy-seven U.S. troops died in November, the worst month for the U.S. so far. Seven Spaniards and two Japanese were killed in separate ambushes Saturday. The American military says some U.S.-trained police may be helping the insurgents."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
New Command Post Poll ...: "... over there on the right (below the ol' Ace of Spades)."
In Command Post: Irak
Spain's opposition: Get troops out of Iraq: "Hours after seven Spaniards were killed in an Iraqi ambush, the government doggedly promised Saturday to keep its troops in Iraq. But opposition politicians renewed demands for the soldiers to be returned home."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Hillary Clinton Meets With Iraq Officials: "U.S. senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jack Reed met in this oil-rich northern city Saturday with local officials who urged the visitors to raise the problems of their city with U.S. officials back home. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
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Two U.S. soldiers killed in western Iraq: "Guerrillas ambushed a military convoy in western Iraq near the border with Syria, killing two American soldiers, the military said Sunday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
CIA admits lack of specifics on Iraqi weapons before invasion: "The US Central Intelligence Agency has acknowledged it "lacked specific information" about alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction when it compiled an intelligence estimate last year that served to justify the US-led invasion of Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Japan Diplomats Slain in Iraq, Tokyo Says Undaunted: "Unknown assailants ambushed and murderedtwo Japanese diplomats in northern Iraq, piling new pressure onthe Tokyo government as it weighs a decision on sending troopsto help rebuild that country. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Seven Spanish intelligence officers killed in Iraq attacks: "Seven Spanish intelligence agents were killed in a mortar and grenade attack on their convoy near Baghdad, the deadliest such incident to hit Spanish troops since they deployed in Iraq in August, Spain's defence minister said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq attacks leave 11 dead in CNN - War in Iraq
Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Western Iraq: "Guerrillas ambushed a military convoy in western Iraq near the border with Syria, killing two American soldiers, the military said Sunday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Ambush West of Baghdad: "Guerrillas attacked an American convoywest of Baghdad with small arms and rocket-propelled grenadeson Saturday, killing two U.S. soldiers and wounding one, theU.S. Army said on Sunday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Japan vows to "never give in" to terrorism after two diplomats shot in Iraq: "Japan said it will "never give in" to terrorism after two of its diplomats were shot dead in Iraq, but stopped short of saying whether the attack would affect a plan to send troops to the war-torn country. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq deaths won't deter Japan in CNN - War in Iraq
Japan Diplomats Slain in Iraq, Japan Says Undaunted: "Unknown assailants ambushed and murderedtwo Japanese diplomats in northern Iraq, piling new pressure onthe Tokyo government as it weighs a decision on sending troopsto help rebuild that country. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
7 Spaniards Killed in Iraqi Ambush: "LATIFIYA, Iraq, Nov. 29 -- More than a dozen insurgents ambushed and killed seven Spanish intelligence officers on Saturday on a highway near this town south of Baghdad, according to witnesses and Spanish officials. (washingtonpost.com)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
S.Korea Team Says Need Combat Troops in Iraq -Yonhap: "A South Korean fact-finding team fromIraq would probably suggest the government also needs combattroops to help rebuild the country, the Yonhap News agencyreported on Sunday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Spain Unites to Mourn Seven Killed in Iraq: "Spain put aside political divisions onSunday to mourn seven intelligence agents killed in thedeadliest single attack on Spanish personnel in Iraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Spanish agents, Japanese diplomats killed in Iraq in CNN - War in Iraq
Turks capture synagogue bombing suspect: "A central figure in the suicide bombing of an Istanbul synagogue was captured while trying to slip into Iran, police said Saturday. He was charged with trying to overthrow Turkey's "constitutional order" - an offense equivalent to treason."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraqi Leaders Say U.S. Was Warned of Disorder After Hussein, but Little Was Done: "More than a dozen Iraqi exile leaders said that they had warned the Bush administration about the chaos that could follow after Saddam Hussein was toppled."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqis Learn Bureaucracy at Town Hall Meetings: "Local council members are the vanguard of democracy in Iraq; and they are a most unhappy lot."
In New York Times: World Special
'A Time of Our Choosing': Masters of War: "Based on reporting from The Times, Todd S. Purdum has written a guide to understanding the causes, conduct and consequences of the war in Iraq."
In New York Times: World Special
War is our Common Enemy: "Launched in February 2003 to "offer a humanitarian perspective during the then-looming conflict" in Iraq, Electronic Iraq (eIraq) is the project of two groups who will be familiar to many PN readers - Voices in the Wilderness (US) and Electronic Intifada. Peace News caught up with Nigel Parry, co-founder of both projects, to discuss the ethos behind this online information project. Peace News is a progressive publication that has been publishing since 1936."
In Electronic Iraq
Operation Iron Hammer assessed: "With the US pounding Iraqi towns with bombs and artillery in an effort to step up raids to catch oppositionists, human rights groups have expressed concern over the impact 'Operation Iron Hammer' could be having on local populations."
In Electronic Iraq
Fears of drop in school attendance due to insecurity: "As the school day comes to an end in the southern city of Basra, parents hurry to collect their children, especially if they are girls, from school gates for fear of them being kidnapped or attacked."
In Electronic Iraq
CIA admits lack of specifics on Iraqi weapons before invasion: "The US Central Intelligence Agency has acknowledged it "lacked specific information" about alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction when it compiled an intelligence estimate last year that served to justify the US-led invasion of Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
November Is Deadliest Month: "Seventy-seven U.S. troops died in November, the worst month for the U.S. so far. Seven Spaniards and two Japanese were killed in separate ambushes Saturday. The American military says some U.S.-trained police may be helping the insurgents."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
New Command Post Poll ...: "... over there on the right (below the ol' Ace of Spades)."
In Command Post: Irak
Spain's opposition: Get troops out of Iraq: "Hours after seven Spaniards were killed in an Iraqi ambush, the government doggedly promised Saturday to keep its troops in Iraq. But opposition politicians renewed demands for the soldiers to be returned home."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Hillary Clinton Meets With Iraq Officials: "U.S. senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Jack Reed met in this oil-rich northern city Saturday with local officials who urged the visitors to raise the problems of their city with U.S. officials back home. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Marine called a nazi at Tim Robbins play which vilifies soldiers
'Embedded' by Tim Robbins Opens; Actor's Play Portrays Journos in Fictional War
'Embedded' by Tim Robbins Opens; Actor's Play Portrays Journos in Fictional War: "Robbins told the Los Angeles Times' Richard Stayton last week that vicious attacks on him and his family (especially his 13-year-old son) after he and Susan Sarandon came out against the war in the spring motivated him to write the play, which 'came really fast.' Among other things, Robbins was accused of being a traitor and his appearance at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown to honor Bull Durham was cancelled. "
So in order to assuage his bruised ego he demoralizes the troops, emboldens the terrorists, and crushes the hearts of thousands of military familys with what is truly a pack of lies and calls it art.
Do you feel better Tim?
Art is great, timing is everything, and this isn't the time for that kind of art.
Tom Hanks where are you? We need you.
A Soldier's Mom
Patti Patton-Bader
Posted by: Patti / 1:45 PM
Iraq War News
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'Embedded' by Tim Robbins Opens; Actor's Play Portrays Journos in Fictional War: "Robbins told the Los Angeles Times' Richard Stayton last week that vicious attacks on him and his family (especially his 13-year-old son) after he and Susan Sarandon came out against the war in the spring motivated him to write the play, which 'came really fast.' Among other things, Robbins was accused of being a traitor and his appearance at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown to honor Bull Durham was cancelled. "
So in order to assuage his bruised ego he demoralizes the troops, emboldens the terrorists, and crushes the hearts of thousands of military familys with what is truly a pack of lies and calls it art.
Do you feel better Tim?
Art is great, timing is everything, and this isn't the time for that kind of art.
Tom Hanks where are you? We need you.
A Soldier's Mom
Patti Patton-Bader
Posted by: Patti / 1:45 PM
Iraq War News
Six Spanish Intelligence Officers Killed in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Shevardnadze says US planned overthrow as Bush sends delegation to assess Georgia's 'needs' in IraqWar.ru (English)
Talks Could Fail if No N Korea Pledge to Scrap Nukes in IraqWar.ru (English)
Anti-Terror Raids Target Islamists Across Europe in IraqWar.ru (English)
3 held in probe of network recruiting fighters for Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
In Iraq, scorn and praise for Bush visit in IraqWar.ru (English)
Ammunition was source of concern during US invasion of Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
White House's Iraq claims rapped in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush's visit showed US fear of Iraqis : Iran in IraqWar.ru (English)
How do we get out of Iraq? Kennedy, Owen, Alrawi, Rubin in IraqWar.ru (English)
US Is Worried Foe Is Tracking Targets in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Sen. Clinton More Time for Iraq Power Transfer in IraqWar.ru (English)
75 US Troops Die in November in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Turkey synagogue bombing suspect charged: "A central figure in the suicide bombing of an Istanbul synagogue was captured while trying to slip into Iran, police said Saturday. He was charged with trying to overthrow Turkey's "constitutional order" - an offense equivalent to treason."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Governor: Tikrit, Iraq open for business: "In a tightly guarded ceremony, the governor of Saddam Hussein's home province declared Saturday that the region was open for business, and thanked foreign businessmen who attended a gathering wearing flak jackets and helmets."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
77 U.S. troops die in November in Iraq: "November was the deadliest month yet for the American military in Iraq."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
7 Spanish intel officers killed in Iraq: "Attackers ambushed a team of Spanish intelligence officers on a highway south of Baghdad on Saturday, killing seven agents and wounding one, Spanish Defense Minister Federico Trillo said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Spain mourns officers' deaths in Iraq: "Seven members of Spain's military intelligence agency were killed in Iraq and another was injured in an ambush, Defense Minister Federico Trillo confirmed Saturday night."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Troop families go to Iraq on peace mission: "Relatives of U.S. service members said they were nervous but hopeful Saturday as they embarked on a private peace mission to Iraq, where they will bring their message of friendship and doubts about the war."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Six Spanish recon soldiers killed in Iraq: "Attackers ambushed a convoy of Spanish military intelligence officers on a highway south of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least six agents and wounding one, a Spanish defense ministry official said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
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Shevardnadze says US planned overthrow as Bush sends delegation to assess Georgia's 'needs' in IraqWar.ru (English)
Talks Could Fail if No N Korea Pledge to Scrap Nukes in IraqWar.ru (English)
Anti-Terror Raids Target Islamists Across Europe in IraqWar.ru (English)
3 held in probe of network recruiting fighters for Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
In Iraq, scorn and praise for Bush visit in IraqWar.ru (English)
Ammunition was source of concern during US invasion of Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
White House's Iraq claims rapped in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush's visit showed US fear of Iraqis : Iran in IraqWar.ru (English)
How do we get out of Iraq? Kennedy, Owen, Alrawi, Rubin in IraqWar.ru (English)
US Is Worried Foe Is Tracking Targets in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Sen. Clinton More Time for Iraq Power Transfer in IraqWar.ru (English)
75 US Troops Die in November in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Turkey synagogue bombing suspect charged: "A central figure in the suicide bombing of an Istanbul synagogue was captured while trying to slip into Iran, police said Saturday. He was charged with trying to overthrow Turkey's "constitutional order" - an offense equivalent to treason."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Governor: Tikrit, Iraq open for business: "In a tightly guarded ceremony, the governor of Saddam Hussein's home province declared Saturday that the region was open for business, and thanked foreign businessmen who attended a gathering wearing flak jackets and helmets."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
77 U.S. troops die in November in Iraq: "November was the deadliest month yet for the American military in Iraq."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
7 Spanish intel officers killed in Iraq: "Attackers ambushed a team of Spanish intelligence officers on a highway south of Baghdad on Saturday, killing seven agents and wounding one, Spanish Defense Minister Federico Trillo said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Spain mourns officers' deaths in Iraq: "Seven members of Spain's military intelligence agency were killed in Iraq and another was injured in an ambush, Defense Minister Federico Trillo confirmed Saturday night."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Troop families go to Iraq on peace mission: "Relatives of U.S. service members said they were nervous but hopeful Saturday as they embarked on a private peace mission to Iraq, where they will bring their message of friendship and doubts about the war."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Six Spanish recon soldiers killed in Iraq: "Attackers ambushed a convoy of Spanish military intelligence officers on a highway south of Baghdad on Saturday, killing at least six agents and wounding one, a Spanish defense ministry official said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
US press divided on appraisal of Bush's stealth visit to Baghdad: "President George W. Bush's surprise holiday visit to Baghdad was the main course in US newspapers' post-Thanksgiving issues Friday, but the dailies diverged in their assessments of the trip's outcome. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
New purported Bush tape raises fear of new attacks (28 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Paper: Israel weighs removing settlements: "Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is considering dismantling Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip while simultaneously annexing blocs of West Bank settlements if peace efforts fail, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Analyst defends prewar spy data on Iraq: "A top U.S. intelligence analyst who supervised the production of the U.S. government's key prewar findings on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs says he believes those conclusions were sound, even though many have not been validated."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Suspected Iraq Attack Recruiters Caught: "Three North African men were arrested in Italy and Germany as part of efforts to smash a network seeking to recruit Islamic militants for suicide attacks against coalition forces in Iraq, officials said Friday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Pentagon funds pro-U.S. network in Iraq: "One of the chief U.S. weapons in the battle to win Iraqi hearts and minds is Al-Iraqiya - a Pentagon-funded TV station with an optimistic, pro-American slant."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Rice defends Bush trip to Iraq: "President George W. Bush's national security adviser defended his lightning trip to Baghdad, denying it was a political stunt that inadvertently highlighted the chaos still blighting Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Analyst Defends Prewar Spy Data on Iraq: "A top U.S. intelligence analyst who supervised the production of the U.S. government's key prewar findings on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs says he believes those conclusions were sound, even though many have not been validated. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
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In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
New purported Bush tape raises fear of new attacks (28 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Paper: Israel weighs removing settlements: "Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is considering dismantling Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip while simultaneously annexing blocs of West Bank settlements if peace efforts fail, an Israeli newspaper reported Friday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Analyst defends prewar spy data on Iraq: "A top U.S. intelligence analyst who supervised the production of the U.S. government's key prewar findings on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs says he believes those conclusions were sound, even though many have not been validated."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Suspected Iraq Attack Recruiters Caught: "Three North African men were arrested in Italy and Germany as part of efforts to smash a network seeking to recruit Islamic militants for suicide attacks against coalition forces in Iraq, officials said Friday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Pentagon funds pro-U.S. network in Iraq: "One of the chief U.S. weapons in the battle to win Iraqi hearts and minds is Al-Iraqiya - a Pentagon-funded TV station with an optimistic, pro-American slant."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Rice defends Bush trip to Iraq: "President George W. Bush's national security adviser defended his lightning trip to Baghdad, denying it was a political stunt that inadvertently highlighted the chaos still blighting Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Analyst Defends Prewar Spy Data on Iraq: "A top U.S. intelligence analyst who supervised the production of the U.S. government's key prewar findings on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs says he believes those conclusions were sound, even though many have not been validated. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Friday, November 28, 2003
Iraq war news
Bush wows troops with secret visit to Iraq: "US President George W. Bush was headed back to the United States after braving the threat of missiles over Baghdad to join 600 troops for an emotional Thanksgiving dinner in Iraq, in a trip arranged under strict secrecy. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqi oil close to pre-war levels in IraqWar.ru (English)
A Paper Trail Follows Iraqi Merchants of Tyranny in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush makes surprise visit to Iraq for Thanksgiving holiday in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush's Iraq coup unlikely to boost US polls in IraqWar.ru (English)
Iraq's scientists get a new academy in IraqWar.ru (English)
Not enough troops in Iraq: Garner in IraqWar.ru (English)
US 'won't seek Iraq resolution' in IraqWar.ru (English)
Russia Praises IAEA Iran Resolution in IraqWar.ru (English)
Roadside bomb hits convoy outside Baghdad in IraqWar.ru (English)
Ex-U.S. general recalls mistakes made in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush visit underlines commitment to Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
On Secret Iraq Trip, Bush Pays Holiday Visit to G.I.'s: "In one of the most secretive presidential trips in American history, George W. Bush visited U.S. troops in Baghdad."
In New York Times: World Special
Meeting of Iraqi Leaders Gives Lift to U.S. Plan on Power Shift: "The Iraqi Governing Council's president and a senior cleric appeared to be moving toward a compromise on a new government."
In New York Times: World Special
Guarding the Gaudy, G.I.'s Gorge Near a Hussein Palace: "Soldiers in the First Armored Division shared Thanksgiving dinner by the bombed-out palace of Saddam Hussein's youngest son."
In New York Times: World Special
Police ID explosives from Turkish attacks: "Ammonium nitrate-based explosives were used in four deadly suicide truck bombings in Istanbul, police said Thursday, as the bodies of two British diplomats were flown home after a somber ceremony."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Italy arrests five suspected terrorists: "Five people led by a suspected senior al-Qaeda operative were arrested late Thursday by Italian anti-terror police on suspicion of having recruited suicide attackers for strikes in Iraq, the Milan prosecutors office said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Ex-Iraqi General Dies During Interrogation: "A former Iraqi general died while under American interrogation, the U.S. military said Thursday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush stuns troops with Iraq visit: "It was the biggest of holiday surprises."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Wanted to Avoid Label of Occupiers: "American military commanders did not impose curfews, halt looting or order Iraqis back to work after Saddam Hussein's regime fell because U.S. policymakers were reluctant to declare U.S. troops an occupying force, says an internal Army review examined by The Associated Press. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Turkish town in shock after attacks: "His path to radicalism began four years before he blew himself up in front of a synagogue, part of what appeared to be a coordinated chain of deadly suicide attacks."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Secrecy Key to Bush Mission to Baghdad: "Behind President Bush'sextraordinary visit to Baghdad -- the first by any U.S.president -- was an elaborate plan that called for absolutesecrecy. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Didn't Want to Be Called Occupiers: "American military commanders did not impose curfews, halt looting or order Iraqis back to work after Saddam Hussein's regime fell because U.S. policymakers were reluctant to declare U.S. troops an occupying force, says an internal Army review examined by The Associated Press. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush's Iraq coup unlikely to boost US polls: "US President George W. Bush's surprise visit to troops in Iraq was a public relations coup, but is unlikely to boost sagging domestic support for US involvement in Iraq, analysts said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Inside Bush's Secret Trip to Baghdad: "Slouched in the back of a nondescriptvehicle with a baseball cap pulled over his face, PresidentBush sneaked out of Texas on the first leg of his bold trip toBaghdad. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
President Travels to Baghdad and Addresses Soldiers at Airport: "International Herald Tribune"
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqis May Be Moving Toward a Compromise on Government: "The head of the Iraqi Governing Council met with the senior cleric who has raised objections about a provisional government."
In New York Times: World Special
|
Bush wows troops with secret visit to Iraq: "US President George W. Bush was headed back to the United States after braving the threat of missiles over Baghdad to join 600 troops for an emotional Thanksgiving dinner in Iraq, in a trip arranged under strict secrecy. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqi oil close to pre-war levels in IraqWar.ru (English)
A Paper Trail Follows Iraqi Merchants of Tyranny in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush makes surprise visit to Iraq for Thanksgiving holiday in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush's Iraq coup unlikely to boost US polls in IraqWar.ru (English)
Iraq's scientists get a new academy in IraqWar.ru (English)
Not enough troops in Iraq: Garner in IraqWar.ru (English)
US 'won't seek Iraq resolution' in IraqWar.ru (English)
Russia Praises IAEA Iran Resolution in IraqWar.ru (English)
Roadside bomb hits convoy outside Baghdad in IraqWar.ru (English)
Ex-U.S. general recalls mistakes made in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bush visit underlines commitment to Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
On Secret Iraq Trip, Bush Pays Holiday Visit to G.I.'s: "In one of the most secretive presidential trips in American history, George W. Bush visited U.S. troops in Baghdad."
In New York Times: World Special
Meeting of Iraqi Leaders Gives Lift to U.S. Plan on Power Shift: "The Iraqi Governing Council's president and a senior cleric appeared to be moving toward a compromise on a new government."
In New York Times: World Special
Guarding the Gaudy, G.I.'s Gorge Near a Hussein Palace: "Soldiers in the First Armored Division shared Thanksgiving dinner by the bombed-out palace of Saddam Hussein's youngest son."
In New York Times: World Special
Police ID explosives from Turkish attacks: "Ammonium nitrate-based explosives were used in four deadly suicide truck bombings in Istanbul, police said Thursday, as the bodies of two British diplomats were flown home after a somber ceremony."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Italy arrests five suspected terrorists: "Five people led by a suspected senior al-Qaeda operative were arrested late Thursday by Italian anti-terror police on suspicion of having recruited suicide attackers for strikes in Iraq, the Milan prosecutors office said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Ex-Iraqi General Dies During Interrogation: "A former Iraqi general died while under American interrogation, the U.S. military said Thursday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush stuns troops with Iraq visit: "It was the biggest of holiday surprises."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Wanted to Avoid Label of Occupiers: "American military commanders did not impose curfews, halt looting or order Iraqis back to work after Saddam Hussein's regime fell because U.S. policymakers were reluctant to declare U.S. troops an occupying force, says an internal Army review examined by The Associated Press. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Turkish town in shock after attacks: "His path to radicalism began four years before he blew himself up in front of a synagogue, part of what appeared to be a coordinated chain of deadly suicide attacks."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Secrecy Key to Bush Mission to Baghdad: "Behind President Bush'sextraordinary visit to Baghdad -- the first by any U.S.president -- was an elaborate plan that called for absolutesecrecy. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Didn't Want to Be Called Occupiers: "American military commanders did not impose curfews, halt looting or order Iraqis back to work after Saddam Hussein's regime fell because U.S. policymakers were reluctant to declare U.S. troops an occupying force, says an internal Army review examined by The Associated Press. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush's Iraq coup unlikely to boost US polls: "US President George W. Bush's surprise visit to troops in Iraq was a public relations coup, but is unlikely to boost sagging domestic support for US involvement in Iraq, analysts said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Inside Bush's Secret Trip to Baghdad: "Slouched in the back of a nondescriptvehicle with a baseball cap pulled over his face, PresidentBush sneaked out of Texas on the first leg of his bold trip toBaghdad. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
President Travels to Baghdad and Addresses Soldiers at Airport: "International Herald Tribune"
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqis May Be Moving Toward a Compromise on Government: "The head of the Iraqi Governing Council met with the senior cleric who has raised objections about a provisional government."
In New York Times: World Special
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Iraq war news
U.S. arrests wife of Saddam deputy: "U.S. troops arrested the wife and daughter of a top Saddam Hussein deputy suspected of masterminding attacks on U.S. troops, and a major pipeline linking northern Iraqi oilfields to the country's biggest refinery was ablaze Wednesday."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Palestinians salute U.S. on Israeli loan: "Palestinian officials on Wednesday welcomed a U.S. decision to deduct $289.5 million from loan guarantees to Israel, but said the penalty was insufficient to force Israel to stop building a security barrier or to end continued settlement building."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Yemen arrests leading al-Qaida member: "Yemeni security forces captured a man described as one of the country's top al-Qaida leaders and the suspected mastermind of the suicide bombing of the USS Cole, after surrounding his hide-out west of the capital."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
U.S. troops get taste of home on holiday: "Far from the family Thanksgiving table and miles from Mom's turkey and stuffing, American troops deployed overseas during the holidays can still get a taste of home on Thanksgiving."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
|
U.S. arrests wife of Saddam deputy: "U.S. troops arrested the wife and daughter of a top Saddam Hussein deputy suspected of masterminding attacks on U.S. troops, and a major pipeline linking northern Iraqi oilfields to the country's biggest refinery was ablaze Wednesday."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Palestinians salute U.S. on Israeli loan: "Palestinian officials on Wednesday welcomed a U.S. decision to deduct $289.5 million from loan guarantees to Israel, but said the penalty was insufficient to force Israel to stop building a security barrier or to end continued settlement building."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Yemen arrests leading al-Qaida member: "Yemeni security forces captured a man described as one of the country's top al-Qaida leaders and the suspected mastermind of the suicide bombing of the USS Cole, after surrounding his hide-out west of the capital."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
U.S. troops get taste of home on holiday: "Far from the family Thanksgiving table and miles from Mom's turkey and stuffing, American troops deployed overseas during the holidays can still get a taste of home on Thanksgiving."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Iraq war news
Large explosions are heard in Baghdad: "Large explosions were heard after sundown Tuesday in central Baghdad but the precise location was unclear."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Eid Al-Fitr Reflects Iraq's Fragmentation: "For Sunni Muslims, it began Monday. Some Shiites started celebrating Tuesday. Others will wait until Wednesday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Baghdad rattled by mortar attack: "Two mortars are fired in the centre of the Iraqi capital, sparking a security alert at the US-led administration."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Video Shows Iraqi Firing at Cargo Plane: "
Full story...."
In Command Post: Irak
|
Large explosions are heard in Baghdad: "Large explosions were heard after sundown Tuesday in central Baghdad but the precise location was unclear."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Eid Al-Fitr Reflects Iraq's Fragmentation: "For Sunni Muslims, it began Monday. Some Shiites started celebrating Tuesday. Others will wait until Wednesday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Baghdad rattled by mortar attack: "Two mortars are fired in the centre of the Iraqi capital, sparking a security alert at the US-led administration."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Video Shows Iraqi Firing at Cargo Plane: "
A homemade videotape given to a French journalist showed a man firing a surface-to-air missile at a DHL cargo plane, moments after a U.S. helicopter flew overhead - apparently without noticing him.
The tape appeared to record the insurgent operation Saturday in which a missile struck the wing of a DHL cargo plane, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at Baghdad's airport. It was the first time insurgents struck a civilian plane in Iraq. The U.S. military said there were no injuries to the three-member crew.
Full story...."
In Command Post: Irak
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Iraq war news updates
Iraq shuts down Arab satellite channel; Muslim leader urges ceasefire: "Iraq's interim Governing Council said it was banning the Al-Arabiya satellite channel from working in Iraq for incitement to murder as a Sunni Muslim leader called for a week-long ceasefire to celebrate the feast marking the end of Ramadan, during which violence had surged. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq roadside bomb hurts one U.S. soldier: "Gunmen ambushed U.S. soldiers on patrol with a roadside bomb then opened fire on them in Mosul on Monday, wounding one, as fears grew that the anti-coalition insurgency was spreading north a day after two American soldiers were killed here and their bodies mauled."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraq Roadside Bomb Hurts One U.S. Soldier: "Gunmen ambushed U.S. soldiers on patrol with a roadside bomb then opened fire on them in Mosul on Monday, wounding one, as fears grew that the anti-coalition insurgency was spreading north a day after two American soldiers were killed here and their bodies mauled. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Pentagon now considering "post-war" Peacekeeping units in IraqWar.info
The Baath Party faithful were just in it for the money in IraqWar.info
Chirac meets Blair in first Franco-British summit since Iraq war: "French President Jacques Chirac met Prime Minister Tony Blair in London as the two leaders tried to repair a relationship severely strained by the US-led invasion of Iraq in March. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Secret Pentagon memo details Saddam-bin Laden ties: "A conservative US magazine said it had obtained a classified US government memo purporting to prove that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein had contacts with al-Qaeda and was implicated in the September 11, 2001 attacks. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq interim leadership bans al-Arabiya over Saddam broadcast: "Iraq's US-installed interim Governing Council announced it was banning Dubai-based satellite television al-Arabiya from working in Iraq for incitement to murder after it broadcast a Saddam Hussein tape calling for attacks on the council's members. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
|
Iraq shuts down Arab satellite channel; Muslim leader urges ceasefire: "Iraq's interim Governing Council said it was banning the Al-Arabiya satellite channel from working in Iraq for incitement to murder as a Sunni Muslim leader called for a week-long ceasefire to celebrate the feast marking the end of Ramadan, during which violence had surged. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq roadside bomb hurts one U.S. soldier: "Gunmen ambushed U.S. soldiers on patrol with a roadside bomb then opened fire on them in Mosul on Monday, wounding one, as fears grew that the anti-coalition insurgency was spreading north a day after two American soldiers were killed here and their bodies mauled."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraq Roadside Bomb Hurts One U.S. Soldier: "Gunmen ambushed U.S. soldiers on patrol with a roadside bomb then opened fire on them in Mosul on Monday, wounding one, as fears grew that the anti-coalition insurgency was spreading north a day after two American soldiers were killed here and their bodies mauled. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Pentagon now considering "post-war" Peacekeeping units in IraqWar.info
The Baath Party faithful were just in it for the money in IraqWar.info
Chirac meets Blair in first Franco-British summit since Iraq war: "French President Jacques Chirac met Prime Minister Tony Blair in London as the two leaders tried to repair a relationship severely strained by the US-led invasion of Iraq in March. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Secret Pentagon memo details Saddam-bin Laden ties: "A conservative US magazine said it had obtained a classified US government memo purporting to prove that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein had contacts with al-Qaeda and was implicated in the September 11, 2001 attacks. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq interim leadership bans al-Arabiya over Saddam broadcast: "Iraq's US-installed interim Governing Council announced it was banning Dubai-based satellite television al-Arabiya from working in Iraq for incitement to murder after it broadcast a Saddam Hussein tape calling for attacks on the council's members. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Monday, November 24, 2003
Iraq war news updates
Chirac meets Blair in first Franco-British summit since Iraq war: "French President Jacques Chirac met Prime Minister Tony Blair in London as the two leaders tried to repair a relationship severely strained by the US-led invasion of Iraq in March. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Secret Pentagon memo details Saddam-bin Laden ties: "A conservative US magazine said it had obtained a classified US government memo purporting to prove that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein had contacts with al-Qaeda and was implicated in the September 11, 2001 attacks. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq interim leadership bans al-Arabiya over Saddam broadcast: "Iraq's US-installed interim Governing Council announced it was banning Dubai-based satellite television al-Arabiya from working in Iraq for incitement to murder after it broadcast a Saddam Hussein tape calling for attacks on the council's members. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
'More difficult than originally planned': "Read the grim litanyof a single weekend's violence in Iraq: Two U.S. soldiers pummeled by crowds with their throats already slit; another killed by a roadside bomb; successful rocket attacks on an airplane and the suspension of civilian flights; 12 police officials illed in three different incidents; and so on. It makes this understatementseem like a sick joke: "Army planning for Iraq currently assumes keeping about 100,000 United States troops there through early 2006, a senior Army officer said Friday. The plans reflect the concerns of some Army officials that stabilizing Iraq could be more difficult than originally planned.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Hezbollah, in Iraq, Refrains From Attacks on Americans: "Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite group, has established a significant presence in Iraq, but is not taking part in attacks on American forces inside the country."
In New York Times: World Special
2 G.I.'s, Throats Slashed, Found Dead in Iraq: "Three American soldiers were killed in Iraq on Sunday, including two whose throats were slashed after they came under attack in the city of Mosul with rocks and gunfire."
In New York Times: World Special
A Paper Trail Follows Iraqi Merchants of Tyranny: "Documents from the Baath Party's headquarters show that the common passion that drove its members was money."
In New York Times: World Special
Of bombs and bombast (23 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
A High Price for Speaking Up (22 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Canada's egomaniacal king of corporate excess comes a cropper: Lord Black's ignoble fall from grace (23 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Three U.S. troops killed in Iraq: "Attackers slit the throats of two American soldiers who were waiting in traffic in this northern Iraqi city on Sunday, witnesses said. Another soldier was killed in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
IRAQI POLICE STATIONS ATTACKED in CENTCOM: News Release
IRAQIS PREVENT IED ATTACK IN 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION?S AREA OF OPERATION in CENTCOM: News Release
TASK FORCE ?ALL-AMERICAN? OPERATIONS CONTINUE TO MAKE IRAQ SAFER in CENTCOM: News Release
US warns of worldwide terrorism risk (23 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Canada's egomaniacal king of corporate excess comes a cropper: Lord Black's ignoble fall from grace in Radio Free USA
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Chirac meets Blair in first Franco-British summit since Iraq war: "French President Jacques Chirac met Prime Minister Tony Blair in London as the two leaders tried to repair a relationship severely strained by the US-led invasion of Iraq in March. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Secret Pentagon memo details Saddam-bin Laden ties: "A conservative US magazine said it had obtained a classified US government memo purporting to prove that the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein had contacts with al-Qaeda and was implicated in the September 11, 2001 attacks. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq interim leadership bans al-Arabiya over Saddam broadcast: "Iraq's US-installed interim Governing Council announced it was banning Dubai-based satellite television al-Arabiya from working in Iraq for incitement to murder after it broadcast a Saddam Hussein tape calling for attacks on the council's members. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
'More difficult than originally planned': "Read the grim litanyof a single weekend's violence in Iraq: Two U.S. soldiers pummeled by crowds with their throats already slit; another killed by a roadside bomb; successful rocket attacks on an airplane and the suspension of civilian flights; 12 police officials illed in three different incidents; and so on. It makes this understatementseem like a sick joke: "Army planning for Iraq currently assumes keeping about 100,000 United States troops there through early 2006, a senior Army officer said Friday. The plans reflect the concerns of some Army officials that stabilizing Iraq could be more difficult than originally planned.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Hezbollah, in Iraq, Refrains From Attacks on Americans: "Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite group, has established a significant presence in Iraq, but is not taking part in attacks on American forces inside the country."
In New York Times: World Special
2 G.I.'s, Throats Slashed, Found Dead in Iraq: "Three American soldiers were killed in Iraq on Sunday, including two whose throats were slashed after they came under attack in the city of Mosul with rocks and gunfire."
In New York Times: World Special
A Paper Trail Follows Iraqi Merchants of Tyranny: "Documents from the Baath Party's headquarters show that the common passion that drove its members was money."
In New York Times: World Special
Of bombs and bombast (23 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
A High Price for Speaking Up (22 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Canada's egomaniacal king of corporate excess comes a cropper: Lord Black's ignoble fall from grace (23 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Three U.S. troops killed in Iraq: "Attackers slit the throats of two American soldiers who were waiting in traffic in this northern Iraqi city on Sunday, witnesses said. Another soldier was killed in a roadside bombing north of Baghdad."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
IRAQI POLICE STATIONS ATTACKED in CENTCOM: News Release
IRAQIS PREVENT IED ATTACK IN 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION?S AREA OF OPERATION in CENTCOM: News Release
TASK FORCE ?ALL-AMERICAN? OPERATIONS CONTINUE TO MAKE IRAQ SAFER in CENTCOM: News Release
US warns of worldwide terrorism risk (23 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Canada's egomaniacal king of corporate excess comes a cropper: Lord Black's ignoble fall from grace in Radio Free USA
Sunday, November 23, 2003
Iraq War News
British troops in Iraq arrest Australian man suspected of ties to Saddam: "Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said an Australian man, suspected of being a Saddam Hussein loyalist, had been arrested by British troops in Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Republican Governors Voice Concerns on Iraq: "Republicans at a governors' association meeting raised concerns about the Bush administration's ability to communicate its policies on Iraq."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraq Picks American as Ambassador to U.S.: "BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 22 ? An Iraqi-American activist whose foundation has spent much of the last decade devising visions of democratic rule for Iraq and lobbying for a war crimes trial of Saddam Hussein, will become the country's diplomatic representative in Washington, Iraqi political leaders said Saturday."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqi Town Relishes Freedom, but Resentment Runs Beneath: "Kifl, a small, dusty village on the Euphrates, is one measure of America's halting progress since Saddam Hussein's overthrow."
In New York Times: World Special
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British troops in Iraq arrest Australian man suspected of ties to Saddam: "Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer said an Australian man, suspected of being a Saddam Hussein loyalist, had been arrested by British troops in Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Republican Governors Voice Concerns on Iraq: "Republicans at a governors' association meeting raised concerns about the Bush administration's ability to communicate its policies on Iraq."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraq Picks American as Ambassador to U.S.: "BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 22 ? An Iraqi-American activist whose foundation has spent much of the last decade devising visions of democratic rule for Iraq and lobbying for a war crimes trial of Saddam Hussein, will become the country's diplomatic representative in Washington, Iraqi political leaders said Saturday."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqi Town Relishes Freedom, but Resentment Runs Beneath: "Kifl, a small, dusty village on the Euphrates, is one measure of America's halting progress since Saddam Hussein's overthrow."
In New York Times: World Special
Saturday, November 22, 2003
Iraq War News
U.S. rips Iran for nuke program 'lies': "The United States assailed Iran on Friday for "lies" about its nuclear program and voiced unprecedented criticism of the U.N. atomic agency chief, suggesting he glossed over 18 years of deception that included enriching uranium and processing plutonium."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Militants call Palestinians traitors: "A leader of the Hamas militant group told thousands at a rally Friday that Palestinians who negotiated a symbolic peace agreement with Israel are traitors."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Has Too Few Informants in Iraq: "The U.S. military still has too few trained intelligence specialists and Arabic interpreters in Iraq, despite stepped-up efforts, as it works to find out who's behind a surge of guerrilla attacks, the Pentagon's intelligence chief said Friday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
NATO Chief Hopeful on Afghan Aid, Seeks Iraq Talks: "NATO chief George Robertsonvoiced confidence Friday that allies would offer resources toextend Afghan peacekeeping beyond Kabul and called successthere a requirement before discussing any NATO role in Iraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Guerrillas Fire Rockets at Fortified Baghdad Sites: "Guerrillas fired rockets from donkeycarts at Iraq's Oil Ministry and two Baghdad hotels used byWesterners on Friday in audacious strikes on heavily fortifiedsites linked to the U.S.-led occupation. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqis Shut Out of Lucrative Rebuilding Deals: "BAGHDAD, Nov 21 (IPS) - U.S. officials have shut Iraqis out of the business of reconstruction contracts, many local businessmen say. (OneWorld.net)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqis on Iraq: "A fascinating journey through Iraq written up in the Israeli newspaper Haaretzexamines the question of Iraq's future through conversations and encounters with Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis, concluding that "The longing of the Iraqi people for a society based on basic human rights sometimes appears strong enough to overcome fragmentation into ethnic groups and religious differences, but at other times seems fragile and tentative.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
|
U.S. rips Iran for nuke program 'lies': "The United States assailed Iran on Friday for "lies" about its nuclear program and voiced unprecedented criticism of the U.N. atomic agency chief, suggesting he glossed over 18 years of deception that included enriching uranium and processing plutonium."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Militants call Palestinians traitors: "A leader of the Hamas militant group told thousands at a rally Friday that Palestinians who negotiated a symbolic peace agreement with Israel are traitors."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Has Too Few Informants in Iraq: "The U.S. military still has too few trained intelligence specialists and Arabic interpreters in Iraq, despite stepped-up efforts, as it works to find out who's behind a surge of guerrilla attacks, the Pentagon's intelligence chief said Friday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
NATO Chief Hopeful on Afghan Aid, Seeks Iraq Talks: "NATO chief George Robertsonvoiced confidence Friday that allies would offer resources toextend Afghan peacekeeping beyond Kabul and called successthere a requirement before discussing any NATO role in Iraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Guerrillas Fire Rockets at Fortified Baghdad Sites: "Guerrillas fired rockets from donkeycarts at Iraq's Oil Ministry and two Baghdad hotels used byWesterners on Friday in audacious strikes on heavily fortifiedsites linked to the U.S.-led occupation. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqis Shut Out of Lucrative Rebuilding Deals: "BAGHDAD, Nov 21 (IPS) - U.S. officials have shut Iraqis out of the business of reconstruction contracts, many local businessmen say. (OneWorld.net)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqis on Iraq: "A fascinating journey through Iraq written up in the Israeli newspaper Haaretzexamines the question of Iraq's future through conversations and encounters with Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis, concluding that "The longing of the Iraqi people for a society based on basic human rights sometimes appears strong enough to overcome fragmentation into ethnic groups and religious differences, but at other times seems fragile and tentative.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Friday, November 21, 2003
U.S.-Backed Mayor of Fallujah Resigns: "Taha Bedawi, the U.S.-backed mayor of this volatile city west of Baghdad, resigned Thursday amid mounting criticism of his performance, the local U.S. military commander said. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Scholars discover parts of New Testament: "A barely legible clue - the name "Simon" carved in Greek letters - beckoned from high up on the weather-beaten facade of an ancient burial monument."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Bomb Attack in Iraq Kills U.S. Soldier, Army Says: "A bomb detonated as a U.S. convoy drovepast Thursday killed one American soldier and wounded two nearthe restive Iraqi town of Ramadi, a military spokeswoman said. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US forces arrest Saddam's brother-in-law: Iraqi police: "US forces have arrested Arshad Yassin, a brother-in-law of Saddam Hussein who was also his personal helicopter pilot and a senior figure in his close protection force until the early 1990s, a high ranking Iraqi police officer said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush Says Will Send More Troops to Iraq if Needed: "President Bush left open the possibilityon Thursday of sending more American troops to Iraq but saidsecurity on the ground would be the deciding factor. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Arab countries condemn Turkey blasts: "Arab countries joined the rest of the world in condemning Thursday's suicide bombings in Istanbul, Turkey, with the Syrian information minister calling the attacks "a barbarous crime.""
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
HSBC bank says it won't leave Turkey: "HSBC Holdings PLC, the London-based bank targeted in one of Thursday's deadly terrorist bombings in Istanbul, said the attacks wouldn't force it to leave Turkey."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
|
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Scholars discover parts of New Testament: "A barely legible clue - the name "Simon" carved in Greek letters - beckoned from high up on the weather-beaten facade of an ancient burial monument."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Bomb Attack in Iraq Kills U.S. Soldier, Army Says: "A bomb detonated as a U.S. convoy drovepast Thursday killed one American soldier and wounded two nearthe restive Iraqi town of Ramadi, a military spokeswoman said. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US forces arrest Saddam's brother-in-law: Iraqi police: "US forces have arrested Arshad Yassin, a brother-in-law of Saddam Hussein who was also his personal helicopter pilot and a senior figure in his close protection force until the early 1990s, a high ranking Iraqi police officer said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush Says Will Send More Troops to Iraq if Needed: "President Bush left open the possibilityon Thursday of sending more American troops to Iraq but saidsecurity on the ground would be the deciding factor. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Arab countries condemn Turkey blasts: "Arab countries joined the rest of the world in condemning Thursday's suicide bombings in Istanbul, Turkey, with the Syrian information minister calling the attacks "a barbarous crime.""
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
HSBC bank says it won't leave Turkey: "HSBC Holdings PLC, the London-based bank targeted in one of Thursday's deadly terrorist bombings in Istanbul, said the attacks wouldn't force it to leave Turkey."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Thursday, November 20, 2003
Sun-Sentinel: Strange But True
Reservist in Iraq gets word he's fired--again
By Colleen Mastony
Tribune staff reporter
Posted November 19 2003
Email story
Print story
STORIES
Insurer rescinds policy of firing reservists
Nov 19, 2003
Twice since the terrorist attacks of 2001, Army Reservist Anthony Marcukaitis of Carol Stream has answered his country's call to duty, and twice the insurance company he worked for fired him.
Country Insurance and Financial Services, which is based in Bloomington, Ill., said Tuesday that the action is the result of a longstanding policy: Employees who are on leave for more than 9 months are automatically terminated. But it said it rehires servicemen when they return.
Military officials say the policy violates federal law, which prohibits employers from firing people who take time off to serve in the armed forces. Companies are not required to pay salaries or benefits for soldiers on leave, but they must reinstate the person at the same level and with any benefits and promotions they would have earned had they been working.
The law dates to World War II and was strengthened in 1994 after reservists returning from the gulf war reported trouble getting jobs back and recouping benefits.
Marcukaitis, 56, a Vietnam War veteran serving in Iraq with the 814th Military Police Company, was fired days after President Bush declared this National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week.
The incident highlights growing confusion nationwide as companies struggle to meet their responsibilities to employees with increasingly time-consuming military obligations. Reservists who for years spent one weekend a month and two full weeks a year training, often close to home, are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq for a year or longer. Some, like Marcukaitis, are on their second lengthy deployment in two years.
A national hot line that fields questions from companies and reservists about employment issues reported that after Sept. 11, 2001, the number of calls it received nearly tripled, to 22,000 a year from 8,000.
In February, Marcukaitis left his job as an insurance adjuster, expecting to return in January. But the military extended his tour, and Marcukaitis expects to be deployed until June. He heard he had been fired Tuesday during a 5-minute 1 a.m. telephone call home to his wife, who received the termination letter from Country Insurance on Monday.
"He just said, `I can't believe they did this to me,'" said Marcukaitis's wife, Bonnie, 56. "He was hurt and brokenhearted. He said, `I don't think they understand the situation.'
"Poor excuse as far as I'm concerned," she said.
Officials at Country Insurance said they support employees' military service. They said the company gives reservists their full salary for the first 10 days of their leave, extends their benefits for 9 months and fills for 6 months any gap between company salary and military pay--none of which is required by law. The termination policy was crafted to establish consistency with disability leave, which also has a 9-month cutoff, company officials said.
"Technically he has been terminated, that is true," said Cathy Oloffson, a spokeswoman for the company. "This leave policy coincides with other leave policies. ... We believe it is [good] to have a consistent administrative policy.
"We are very proud of our employees serving in the military, and when they return, they have a job."
Since the terror attacks, the federal government has activated 350,000 guardsmen and reservists, the largest call-up since the Korean War. As mobilizations continue and deployments are extended, advocates argue, more needs to be done to educate employers about their responsibilities.
The Department of Labor opens an average of 900 cases on behalf of reservists each year. But after Sept. 11, the number of cases began increasing, with 1,200 cases in 2002 and 1,300 in 2003, according to Mike Biddle, a department spokesman.
Marcukaitis has worked for Country Insurance for five years. His status as an Army reservist had never taken him away from work for an extended period until September 2001, when his unit was dispatched to Texas to guard an Army base for 11 months.
The company issued a termination letter at the time, and Marcukaitis scrambled to respond, thinking he had lost his job, his wife said. He contacted company officials and was rehired upon his return. Marcukaitis was on the job for six months before his unit was called up again in February.
Marcukaitis hit the company's 9-month termination mark again this month.
In addition to the termination letter, Country Insurance sent Marcukaitis a second letter explaining its policy of rehiring servicemen, but that one was delivered to the firm's Insurance's Schaumburg office where he worked, rather than to his home, said Eric Schuller, an aide to Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn who contacted the company on behalf of Marcukaitis.
Sun-Sentinel: Strange But True
|
By Colleen Mastony
Tribune staff reporter
Posted November 19 2003
Email story
Print story
STORIES
Insurer rescinds policy of firing reservists
Nov 19, 2003
Twice since the terrorist attacks of 2001, Army Reservist Anthony Marcukaitis of Carol Stream has answered his country's call to duty, and twice the insurance company he worked for fired him.
Country Insurance and Financial Services, which is based in Bloomington, Ill., said Tuesday that the action is the result of a longstanding policy: Employees who are on leave for more than 9 months are automatically terminated. But it said it rehires servicemen when they return.
Military officials say the policy violates federal law, which prohibits employers from firing people who take time off to serve in the armed forces. Companies are not required to pay salaries or benefits for soldiers on leave, but they must reinstate the person at the same level and with any benefits and promotions they would have earned had they been working.
The law dates to World War II and was strengthened in 1994 after reservists returning from the gulf war reported trouble getting jobs back and recouping benefits.
Marcukaitis, 56, a Vietnam War veteran serving in Iraq with the 814th Military Police Company, was fired days after President Bush declared this National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week.
The incident highlights growing confusion nationwide as companies struggle to meet their responsibilities to employees with increasingly time-consuming military obligations. Reservists who for years spent one weekend a month and two full weeks a year training, often close to home, are serving in Afghanistan and Iraq for a year or longer. Some, like Marcukaitis, are on their second lengthy deployment in two years.
A national hot line that fields questions from companies and reservists about employment issues reported that after Sept. 11, 2001, the number of calls it received nearly tripled, to 22,000 a year from 8,000.
In February, Marcukaitis left his job as an insurance adjuster, expecting to return in January. But the military extended his tour, and Marcukaitis expects to be deployed until June. He heard he had been fired Tuesday during a 5-minute 1 a.m. telephone call home to his wife, who received the termination letter from Country Insurance on Monday.
"He just said, `I can't believe they did this to me,'" said Marcukaitis's wife, Bonnie, 56. "He was hurt and brokenhearted. He said, `I don't think they understand the situation.'
"Poor excuse as far as I'm concerned," she said.
Officials at Country Insurance said they support employees' military service. They said the company gives reservists their full salary for the first 10 days of their leave, extends their benefits for 9 months and fills for 6 months any gap between company salary and military pay--none of which is required by law. The termination policy was crafted to establish consistency with disability leave, which also has a 9-month cutoff, company officials said.
"Technically he has been terminated, that is true," said Cathy Oloffson, a spokeswoman for the company. "This leave policy coincides with other leave policies. ... We believe it is [good] to have a consistent administrative policy.
"We are very proud of our employees serving in the military, and when they return, they have a job."
Since the terror attacks, the federal government has activated 350,000 guardsmen and reservists, the largest call-up since the Korean War. As mobilizations continue and deployments are extended, advocates argue, more needs to be done to educate employers about their responsibilities.
The Department of Labor opens an average of 900 cases on behalf of reservists each year. But after Sept. 11, the number of cases began increasing, with 1,200 cases in 2002 and 1,300 in 2003, according to Mike Biddle, a department spokesman.
Marcukaitis has worked for Country Insurance for five years. His status as an Army reservist had never taken him away from work for an extended period until September 2001, when his unit was dispatched to Texas to guard an Army base for 11 months.
The company issued a termination letter at the time, and Marcukaitis scrambled to respond, thinking he had lost his job, his wife said. He contacted company officials and was rehired upon his return. Marcukaitis was on the job for six months before his unit was called up again in February.
Marcukaitis hit the company's 9-month termination mark again this month.
In addition to the termination letter, Country Insurance sent Marcukaitis a second letter explaining its policy of rehiring servicemen, but that one was delivered to the firm's Insurance's Schaumburg office where he worked, rather than to his home, said Eric Schuller, an aide to Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn who contacted the company on behalf of Marcukaitis.
Sun-Sentinel: Strange But True
Iraq war updates
Six arrested for Turkey synagogues blast: "Authorities arrested six people in connection with the suicide bombings of two Istanbul synagogues as opposition leaders accused Turkey's government on Wednesday of being too lenient toward Muslim radicals."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Bush Acknowledges Iraq Gesture to Iran: "The Bush administration confirmed on Wednesday that Iraq has made overtures to Iran and said it was up to Baghdad to work out its relations with its neighbors. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Accused U.S. commander at pretrial hearing: "An Army officer fought back tears Wednesday as he acknowledged threatening to shoot an Iraqi detainee to extract information about a planned attack, saying that to protect his troops, he would "go to hell with a gasoline can in my hand.""
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Child killed in Iraq car bomb attack: "A car bomb exploded outside the home of a tribal leader in a city west of the capital on Wednesday, killing one child in yet another attack aimed at a U.S. ally."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Rumsfeld: NATO help in Iraq not expected: "More direct help from NATO in Iraq would be welcome but is unlikely, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Ramadi car bomb kills child, hurts others: "A car bomb exploded late Wednesday outside the home of a pro-American tribal leader in Ramadi, killing one child, a resident said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Changes Military Strategy in Iraq: "The U.S. military's counteroffensive in Iraq features a major shift in tactics: aggressive combat against guerrilla hide-outs and training camps using American precision bombs and missiles rarely seen since the war last spring. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq blast targets pro-US leader: "A bomb explodes near the home of a tribal leader in central Iraq, as US forces tackle insurgents in the area."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq
Protests hit Iraq 'Coalition TV': "Iraqis protest against "immodest images" on the coalition-run national television station, reports say."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq
TF ?ALL AMERICAN? CAPTURES ATTACKER OF POLICE CHIEF?S SON in CENTCOM: News Release
Vaccines Eyed In GIs Death: "One health panel says it suspects vaccines may have played a role in the death of a 22-year-old Army medic, but another board disagrees. It's the latest development in a running debate over vaccine safety."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Bush issues Iraq peace vow in London: "George Bush has told an audience of foreign policy and defence experts in London's Banqueting House that he is still determined to bring democracy to Iraq and the wider Middle East."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
US pounds Iraqi targets with massive bombs: "The US Air Force has used some of the largest weapons in its inventory to attack targets in central Iraq as part of the escalating crackdown on suspected guerrilla strongholds."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
|
Six arrested for Turkey synagogues blast: "Authorities arrested six people in connection with the suicide bombings of two Istanbul synagogues as opposition leaders accused Turkey's government on Wednesday of being too lenient toward Muslim radicals."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Bush Acknowledges Iraq Gesture to Iran: "The Bush administration confirmed on Wednesday that Iraq has made overtures to Iran and said it was up to Baghdad to work out its relations with its neighbors. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Accused U.S. commander at pretrial hearing: "An Army officer fought back tears Wednesday as he acknowledged threatening to shoot an Iraqi detainee to extract information about a planned attack, saying that to protect his troops, he would "go to hell with a gasoline can in my hand.""
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Child killed in Iraq car bomb attack: "A car bomb exploded outside the home of a tribal leader in a city west of the capital on Wednesday, killing one child in yet another attack aimed at a U.S. ally."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Rumsfeld: NATO help in Iraq not expected: "More direct help from NATO in Iraq would be welcome but is unlikely, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Ramadi car bomb kills child, hurts others: "A car bomb exploded late Wednesday outside the home of a pro-American tribal leader in Ramadi, killing one child, a resident said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Changes Military Strategy in Iraq: "The U.S. military's counteroffensive in Iraq features a major shift in tactics: aggressive combat against guerrilla hide-outs and training camps using American precision bombs and missiles rarely seen since the war last spring. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq blast targets pro-US leader: "A bomb explodes near the home of a tribal leader in central Iraq, as US forces tackle insurgents in the area."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq
Protests hit Iraq 'Coalition TV': "Iraqis protest against "immodest images" on the coalition-run national television station, reports say."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq
TF ?ALL AMERICAN? CAPTURES ATTACKER OF POLICE CHIEF?S SON in CENTCOM: News Release
Vaccines Eyed In GIs Death: "One health panel says it suspects vaccines may have played a role in the death of a 22-year-old Army medic, but another board disagrees. It's the latest development in a running debate over vaccine safety."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Bush issues Iraq peace vow in London: "George Bush has told an audience of foreign policy and defence experts in London's Banqueting House that he is still determined to bring democracy to Iraq and the wider Middle East."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
US pounds Iraqi targets with massive bombs: "The US Air Force has used some of the largest weapons in its inventory to attack targets in central Iraq as part of the escalating crackdown on suspected guerrilla strongholds."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
Iraq War News
Japan PM Set for Re-Election, Iraq Dispatch on Hold: "Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was setto be re-elected on Wednesday at the start of a briefparliamentary session as Japan grappled with the touchyquestion of when to send non-combat troops to help rebuildIraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US says new UN resolution on Iraq could be a "possibility": "The United States said that a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq's accelerated transition to self-rule could be a "possibility," but officials underlined the US is not actively seeking such a measure. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
List of Victims in Iraq Copter Collision: "Two Black Hawk helicopters collided Saturday in Iraq, killing 17 soldiers from the 101st Airborne based in Fort Campbell, Ky. The Department of Defense and family members have identified those killed as: (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Plans New U.N. Iraq Resolution: "The United States wants a new U.N. resolution to endorse the agreement between the Iraqi Governing Council and the U.S.-led coalition for a handover of power to a provisional Iraqi government in June 2004, U.N. diplomats said Tuesday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
A Look at U.S. Daily Deaths in Iraq: "As of Tuesday, Nov. 18, 422 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Mosul's pacification messages: "Mosul could have been a firecracker in post-war Iraq, but understandings on both sides have allayed trouble."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Italy honours its Iraq dead: "A final tribute has been paid to the 19 Italians killed in Iraq last week with a state funeral and a national day of mourning."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
Bush flies in to Fortress London (18 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
82D AIRBORNE DIVISION CONTINUES CRACK DOWN ON INSURGENTS in CENTCOM: News Release
101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION DISCOVERS WEAPONS CACHES in CENTCOM: News Release
101ST ROUNDS UP EIGHT SUSPECTS, WEAPONS DURING SEARCHES in CENTCOM: News Release
International seminar on the Role of the Media in Peacebuilding in RISQ
|
Japan PM Set for Re-Election, Iraq Dispatch on Hold: "Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was setto be re-elected on Wednesday at the start of a briefparliamentary session as Japan grappled with the touchyquestion of when to send non-combat troops to help rebuildIraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US says new UN resolution on Iraq could be a "possibility": "The United States said that a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq's accelerated transition to self-rule could be a "possibility," but officials underlined the US is not actively seeking such a measure. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
List of Victims in Iraq Copter Collision: "Two Black Hawk helicopters collided Saturday in Iraq, killing 17 soldiers from the 101st Airborne based in Fort Campbell, Ky. The Department of Defense and family members have identified those killed as: (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Plans New U.N. Iraq Resolution: "The United States wants a new U.N. resolution to endorse the agreement between the Iraqi Governing Council and the U.S.-led coalition for a handover of power to a provisional Iraqi government in June 2004, U.N. diplomats said Tuesday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
A Look at U.S. Daily Deaths in Iraq: "As of Tuesday, Nov. 18, 422 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Mosul's pacification messages: "Mosul could have been a firecracker in post-war Iraq, but understandings on both sides have allayed trouble."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Italy honours its Iraq dead: "A final tribute has been paid to the 19 Italians killed in Iraq last week with a state funeral and a national day of mourning."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
Bush flies in to Fortress London (18 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
82D AIRBORNE DIVISION CONTINUES CRACK DOWN ON INSURGENTS in CENTCOM: News Release
101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION DISCOVERS WEAPONS CACHES in CENTCOM: News Release
101ST ROUNDS UP EIGHT SUSPECTS, WEAPONS DURING SEARCHES in CENTCOM: News Release
International seminar on the Role of the Media in Peacebuilding in RISQ
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Sharon says he'll meet Palestinian PM: "Israeli and Palestinian premiers will meet soon, Israel's prime minister said Monday, opening prospects for talks to end more than three years of conflict as a top Egyptian official came to the West Bank to promote a cease-fire."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Brit Envoy: We Warned U.S.: "A former British ambassador to the United States says British officials warned their American counterparts that more postwar planning was needed, but were ignored."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Did Saddam Dupe His Generals?: "Writing in The Weekly Standard, former CIA director James Woolsey says U.S. intellgence may have thought Saddam had WMDs because that's precisely what Saddam's own generals thought."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
CIA: Not Sure Saddam Tape Real: "An audiotape supposedly made by Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to escalate attacks against the occupation and "agents brought by foreign armies." The CIA says it can't tell whether that's really Saddam on the tape."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
|
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Brit Envoy: We Warned U.S.: "A former British ambassador to the United States says British officials warned their American counterparts that more postwar planning was needed, but were ignored."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Did Saddam Dupe His Generals?: "Writing in The Weekly Standard, former CIA director James Woolsey says U.S. intellgence may have thought Saddam had WMDs because that's precisely what Saddam's own generals thought."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
CIA: Not Sure Saddam Tape Real: "An audiotape supposedly made by Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to escalate attacks against the occupation and "agents brought by foreign armies." The CIA says it can't tell whether that's really Saddam on the tape."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Bush to find warmth, antagonism in London: "President Bush is joining with America's staunchest ally in the war in Iraq for a state visit that promises contrasting pictures of elegant ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and noisy street protests by thousands of anti-war demonstrators."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Muhammad seeks to avoid death sentence: "Was John Allen Muhammad a man who tenderly looked after his children while they lived in a shelter, or a callous killer who deserves to die for masterminding the Washington area sniper shootings?"
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
U.N. agency begins Afghan withdrawl: "The U.N. refugee agency began pulling foreign staff out of large swaths of southern and eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday in the wake of the killing of a French worker, a decision that could affect tens of thousands of Afghan returnees."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Bomb blast wounds 2 U.S. troops in Mosul: "A bomb blast wounded two U.S. soldiers Tuesday in the northern city of Mosul while U.S. aircraft and tanks blasted trees and abandoned buildings along a road north of Baghdad to deny insurgents cover for rocket attacks."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
|
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Muhammad seeks to avoid death sentence: "Was John Allen Muhammad a man who tenderly looked after his children while they lived in a shelter, or a callous killer who deserves to die for masterminding the Washington area sniper shootings?"
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
U.N. agency begins Afghan withdrawl: "The U.N. refugee agency began pulling foreign staff out of large swaths of southern and eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday in the wake of the killing of a French worker, a decision that could affect tens of thousands of Afghan returnees."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Bomb blast wounds 2 U.S. troops in Mosul: "A bomb blast wounded two U.S. soldiers Tuesday in the northern city of Mosul while U.S. aircraft and tanks blasted trees and abandoned buildings along a road north of Baghdad to deny insurgents cover for rocket attacks."
In JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press
Monday, November 17, 2003
Has Iraq reached Quagmire stage?
THAT IRAQIS WOULD overwhelmingly receive American power and American troops as saviors and models to emulate we had serious doubts about from the beginning.
It certainly does not appear so now. In Iraq, anti-American resentment and resistance mounts by the day. Civilian deaths and American casualties grow (40 dead American soldiers in the first 10 days of November). American generals despair of having no useful intelligence while the soldier on the ground grows hair on his trigger-finger. Frustration and anger grow apace. The dictum speaks now of hammering with overwhelming force. Two thousand pound bombs drop again. Trent Lott called it not long ago in his remark about “mowing them down,” if need be.
With America on the brink of war back in November 2002 we stated the lives of many - including American Indian soldiers and citizens - depended on the good judgment of President George W. Bush and the people around him in power in America. Given the tremendously high stakes and dangers weapons of mass destruction pose (should they fall into the hands of murderous ideologues), it was entirely appropriate for the world community to cooperate on holding Iraq accountable and halting their proliferation. On that point it seems the world agreed. But on the rush to war it did not.
AMERICANS IN HARMS WAY
We further stated the safety of American people at home and particularly abroad - the very perception the world has about Americans - perhaps for decades to come, hangs in the balance. That balance has now titled away from America as it has become more clear that the Administration’s judgments were based on bad or fictitious intelligence and motivated by foreign policy and national security strategies that, while they may have looked good on the blackboard, have not squared with political, social and cultural realities on the ground.
• Indian Country Today front
More and more people seem to notice that Iraq has gone from a despicable and controlled society, to a chaotic violent situation, extremely difficult to rein in and one that fuels on itself as spiraling social violence always tends to. Blame the Baathists, terrorists and the Jihadists, but this is like blaming sharks for coming to blood in the water. You knew there were sharks and how they respond, yet you spilled the blood and then left your people in the water.
With the smart bombing, so-called collateral damage - that is, the killing of innocent civilians - mounts accordingly. Mowing them down, as predicted by Lott, seems to be happening. Here, the American-appointed mayor of two million Shiites in the town of Sadr, is shot to death by soldiers supposed to be guarding his compound; there, six professional Iraqi oil workers are shot and killed in their van by an American patrol. Nationalism and resentment entwine while the talk at high administration levels is to remold the present Iraqi Council, an almost whimsical shift in policy that only proves to everyone what everyone already knows - that the whole democracy-building exercise in Iraq is a singularly American adventure. Growing hatred of the outside occupier leads to even less intelligence, even as foreign Jihadists (who never would have dared under Saddam) work to carve out a piece of Iraq for themselves. It is an old pattern for occupying armies. Throughout history, the specter of war without end spelled the final collapse of many an empire.
LEAD FOR PEACE
America can not change that historical pattern with war. America must lead for peace. Resolving old hatreds is not easy and calling to dialogue, even with your own worst enemy, is the only true path to peace and world prosperity. Nothing else can work, even for a country with the power to destroy the world. Americans, by definition, tend to talk to a certain class of people - the technocratic rational world of professionals, which understands itself, regardless of country. The common people everywhere, however, endure differently and suffer most horribly. Among the masses of suffering families, mostly the emotional commonality rules. Any foreigner that makes your family suffer long enough, that kills enough of your people, regardless of purpose, will incur intense and long-term wrath. This is a rule of both family and country that throughout history has proven inevitable and incontrovertible in its truth.
We troubled about this likelihood as the American neo-conservative movement circled its wagons around President Bush to hastily pursue the strategy of war on Iraq. It did not seem right to commit a huge chunk of the American army to permanent guard duty in the most dangerous corner of the world. It did not seem at all strategic or wise to insult and disregard the importance of a United Nations structure in these perilous times. What seemed proper and not at all idealist to us was for the U.S. to lead global dialogues for peace in the world, which hosted by the greatest superpower on earth, would set a tone and a pace for a true and new international agenda. This to be done while moving resolutely to squash Al Queda, thus continuing to directly attack the main source of violence against the U.S. We could see that the world relished U.S. enforcement against Al Queda, and understood the need for the Afghanistan campaign. But the invasion and occupation of a country not currently a threat, and as it now appears under poor and false intelligence concerning weapons of mass destruction, and misleading pretexts in its dealing with the international community, seemed prematurely adventurous and ill-conceived.
Perhaps the intent was positive in the minds of some of the war planners. Certainly the valor of so many U.S. servicemen and women is heart-strengthening. But as the weeks drag on, security indicators are all clearly negative. The new war policy has clearly harnessed the most intensified international condemnation and hostility ever directed at the American people, with layers upon layers of enemies. The Muslim world sizzles with undercurrents of boiling anger that drives a cruel, all-or-nothing strategy, while Europe as a whole looks with condescension upon an American folly.
America is in Iraq full force. It can not stay without shedding blood and from all indications, it can not afford to leave. An adventure of great magnitude now leads the U.S. through a war-without-end, with young Americans of every race and color, including American Indians, dying merciless deaths over political designs and cultural hatreds beyond their understandings and certainly not of their making. Sure seems like a quagmire now.
Has Iraq reached Quagmire stage?
|
It certainly does not appear so now. In Iraq, anti-American resentment and resistance mounts by the day. Civilian deaths and American casualties grow (40 dead American soldiers in the first 10 days of November). American generals despair of having no useful intelligence while the soldier on the ground grows hair on his trigger-finger. Frustration and anger grow apace. The dictum speaks now of hammering with overwhelming force. Two thousand pound bombs drop again. Trent Lott called it not long ago in his remark about “mowing them down,” if need be.
With America on the brink of war back in November 2002 we stated the lives of many - including American Indian soldiers and citizens - depended on the good judgment of President George W. Bush and the people around him in power in America. Given the tremendously high stakes and dangers weapons of mass destruction pose (should they fall into the hands of murderous ideologues), it was entirely appropriate for the world community to cooperate on holding Iraq accountable and halting their proliferation. On that point it seems the world agreed. But on the rush to war it did not.
AMERICANS IN HARMS WAY
We further stated the safety of American people at home and particularly abroad - the very perception the world has about Americans - perhaps for decades to come, hangs in the balance. That balance has now titled away from America as it has become more clear that the Administration’s judgments were based on bad or fictitious intelligence and motivated by foreign policy and national security strategies that, while they may have looked good on the blackboard, have not squared with political, social and cultural realities on the ground.
• Indian Country Today front
More and more people seem to notice that Iraq has gone from a despicable and controlled society, to a chaotic violent situation, extremely difficult to rein in and one that fuels on itself as spiraling social violence always tends to. Blame the Baathists, terrorists and the Jihadists, but this is like blaming sharks for coming to blood in the water. You knew there were sharks and how they respond, yet you spilled the blood and then left your people in the water.
With the smart bombing, so-called collateral damage - that is, the killing of innocent civilians - mounts accordingly. Mowing them down, as predicted by Lott, seems to be happening. Here, the American-appointed mayor of two million Shiites in the town of Sadr, is shot to death by soldiers supposed to be guarding his compound; there, six professional Iraqi oil workers are shot and killed in their van by an American patrol. Nationalism and resentment entwine while the talk at high administration levels is to remold the present Iraqi Council, an almost whimsical shift in policy that only proves to everyone what everyone already knows - that the whole democracy-building exercise in Iraq is a singularly American adventure. Growing hatred of the outside occupier leads to even less intelligence, even as foreign Jihadists (who never would have dared under Saddam) work to carve out a piece of Iraq for themselves. It is an old pattern for occupying armies. Throughout history, the specter of war without end spelled the final collapse of many an empire.
LEAD FOR PEACE
America can not change that historical pattern with war. America must lead for peace. Resolving old hatreds is not easy and calling to dialogue, even with your own worst enemy, is the only true path to peace and world prosperity. Nothing else can work, even for a country with the power to destroy the world. Americans, by definition, tend to talk to a certain class of people - the technocratic rational world of professionals, which understands itself, regardless of country. The common people everywhere, however, endure differently and suffer most horribly. Among the masses of suffering families, mostly the emotional commonality rules. Any foreigner that makes your family suffer long enough, that kills enough of your people, regardless of purpose, will incur intense and long-term wrath. This is a rule of both family and country that throughout history has proven inevitable and incontrovertible in its truth.
We troubled about this likelihood as the American neo-conservative movement circled its wagons around President Bush to hastily pursue the strategy of war on Iraq. It did not seem right to commit a huge chunk of the American army to permanent guard duty in the most dangerous corner of the world. It did not seem at all strategic or wise to insult and disregard the importance of a United Nations structure in these perilous times. What seemed proper and not at all idealist to us was for the U.S. to lead global dialogues for peace in the world, which hosted by the greatest superpower on earth, would set a tone and a pace for a true and new international agenda. This to be done while moving resolutely to squash Al Queda, thus continuing to directly attack the main source of violence against the U.S. We could see that the world relished U.S. enforcement against Al Queda, and understood the need for the Afghanistan campaign. But the invasion and occupation of a country not currently a threat, and as it now appears under poor and false intelligence concerning weapons of mass destruction, and misleading pretexts in its dealing with the international community, seemed prematurely adventurous and ill-conceived.
Perhaps the intent was positive in the minds of some of the war planners. Certainly the valor of so many U.S. servicemen and women is heart-strengthening. But as the weeks drag on, security indicators are all clearly negative. The new war policy has clearly harnessed the most intensified international condemnation and hostility ever directed at the American people, with layers upon layers of enemies. The Muslim world sizzles with undercurrents of boiling anger that drives a cruel, all-or-nothing strategy, while Europe as a whole looks with condescension upon an American folly.
America is in Iraq full force. It can not stay without shedding blood and from all indications, it can not afford to leave. An adventure of great magnitude now leads the U.S. through a war-without-end, with young Americans of every race and color, including American Indians, dying merciless deaths over political designs and cultural hatreds beyond their understandings and certainly not of their making. Sure seems like a quagmire now.
Has Iraq reached Quagmire stage?
Iraq War Updates
What Iraq will get isn't self-rule (17 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Questions for President Bush's next press conference (17 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Bush pulls out of speech to Parliament (17 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Top Iraqi Scientist Flees to Iran: "The Iraqi scientist who headed Saddam Hussein's long-range missile program has fled to neighboring Iran, a country identified as a state sponsor of terrorism with a successful missile program and nuclear ambitions, U.S. officers involved in the weapons hunt told The Associated Press.
Dr. Modher Sadeq-Saba al-Tamimi's departure comes as top weapons makers from Saddam's deposed regime find themselves eight months out of work but with skills that could be lucrative to militaries or terrorist organizations in neighboring countries. U.S. officials have said some are already in Syria and Jordan.
Full story at Fox"
In Command Post: Irak
|
What Iraq will get isn't self-rule (17 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Questions for President Bush's next press conference (17 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Bush pulls out of speech to Parliament (17 Nov 03) in Radio Free USA
Top Iraqi Scientist Flees to Iran: "The Iraqi scientist who headed Saddam Hussein's long-range missile program has fled to neighboring Iran, a country identified as a state sponsor of terrorism with a successful missile program and nuclear ambitions, U.S. officers involved in the weapons hunt told The Associated Press.
Dr. Modher Sadeq-Saba al-Tamimi's departure comes as top weapons makers from Saddam's deposed regime find themselves eight months out of work but with skills that could be lucrative to militaries or terrorist organizations in neighboring countries. U.S. officials have said some are already in Syria and Jordan.
Full story at Fox"
In Command Post: Irak
Iraq war news
U.S. Launches "Massive" Offensive: ""The 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse has launched a series of combined arms operations to include air and ground strikes against identified targets," a statement from U.S. Central Command said, "along with precision raids against non-compliant groups and individuals focused on neutralizing paramilitary, former regime loyalists, foreign fighters and other extremist and subversive elements with task force area of responsibility."
More at CNN"
In Command Post: Irak
U.S., Canadian Jews head to Jerusalem: "More than 4,000 U.S. and Canadian Jews on Sunday began a four-day convention in Israel, the largest of its kind, planning to discuss issues like immigration and anti-Semitism and show support for the embattled country."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Palestinian groups seem ready for truce: "Palestinian militants are sending "very positive" signals that they are ready for a cease-fire with Israel, a top aide to the Palestinian prime minister said Sunday, a day before Egypt's intelligence chief arrives for truce talks."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. troops take on guerrillas in Iraq: "Troops flooded a Baghdad neighborhood in a new U.S. military offensive against guerrillas Sunday, as an audiotape purportedly made by Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to escalate their fight against the occupation."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraq handover too slow - France: "The French foreign minister urges the US to act sooner on the creation of a provisional Iraqi government."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
|
U.S. Launches "Massive" Offensive: ""The 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse has launched a series of combined arms operations to include air and ground strikes against identified targets," a statement from U.S. Central Command said, "along with precision raids against non-compliant groups and individuals focused on neutralizing paramilitary, former regime loyalists, foreign fighters and other extremist and subversive elements with task force area of responsibility."
More at CNN"
In Command Post: Irak
U.S., Canadian Jews head to Jerusalem: "More than 4,000 U.S. and Canadian Jews on Sunday began a four-day convention in Israel, the largest of its kind, planning to discuss issues like immigration and anti-Semitism and show support for the embattled country."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Palestinian groups seem ready for truce: "Palestinian militants are sending "very positive" signals that they are ready for a cease-fire with Israel, a top aide to the Palestinian prime minister said Sunday, a day before Egypt's intelligence chief arrives for truce talks."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. troops take on guerrillas in Iraq: "Troops flooded a Baghdad neighborhood in a new U.S. military offensive against guerrillas Sunday, as an audiotape purportedly made by Saddam Hussein urged Iraqis to escalate their fight against the occupation."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraq handover too slow - France: "The French foreign minister urges the US to act sooner on the creation of a provisional Iraqi government."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Sunday, November 16, 2003
French U.N. worker killed in Afghanistan
JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press: "One of two Afghan men on a motorcycle opened fire Sunday on a marked United Nations' car, killing a French aid worker, the first international U.N. staff member slain in postwar Afghanistan. Police identified the captured assailants as Taliban militants."
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JuneauEmpire.com: Associated Press: "One of two Afghan men on a motorcycle opened fire Sunday on a marked United Nations' car, killing a French aid worker, the first international U.N. staff member slain in postwar Afghanistan. Police identified the captured assailants as Taliban militants."
Iraq War News
'Saddam' tape taunts US military: "A recording purportedly of Saddam Hussein says the occupying forces in Iraq have reached "a dead end"."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Bremer: US in tough fight in Iraq: "America's top man in Iraq says the US is in "a tough fight" there and its forces will stay on after political power is handed over."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Gambling on Plan B: "The US decision to hand over power by the end of June is a recognition that its policy has failed, writes Paul Reynolds."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Unreported attacks: "The BBC's Martin Asser sees victims of violent crime at a Baghdad hospital."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
US To Help Ink Iraqi Constitution: "Iraq?s new constitution will embody American values, including a bill of rights, says America's chief postwar administrator, L. Paul Bremer. Enemy fire may have caused the crash of two U.S. helicopters Saturday that killed 17 American soldiers."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
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'Saddam' tape taunts US military: "A recording purportedly of Saddam Hussein says the occupying forces in Iraq have reached "a dead end"."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Bremer: US in tough fight in Iraq: "America's top man in Iraq says the US is in "a tough fight" there and its forces will stay on after political power is handed over."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Gambling on Plan B: "The US decision to hand over power by the end of June is a recognition that its policy has failed, writes Paul Reynolds."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Unreported attacks: "The BBC's Martin Asser sees victims of violent crime at a Baghdad hospital."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
US To Help Ink Iraqi Constitution: "Iraq?s new constitution will embody American values, including a bill of rights, says America's chief postwar administrator, L. Paul Bremer. Enemy fire may have caused the crash of two U.S. helicopters Saturday that killed 17 American soldiers."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Two Black Hawks Down; 17 Dead: "Five troops were hurt and one was unaccounted for, military officials said. One chopper was said to have been hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, and witnesses reported the two aircraft collided in mid-air."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Timetable set for Iraq transfer: "The US-led coalition in Iraq will hand over power to a transitional government by next June, it is announced."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
CIVIL AFFAIRS, PATROLS MAKE IRAQ BETTER PLACE FOR RESIDENTS in CENTCOM: News Release
PROGRESS MADE IN AL ANBAR PROVINCE in CENTCOM: News Release
101ST RAIDS NET ALLEGED TERRORISTS OPERATING IN NORTHERN IRAQ in CENTCOM: News Release
US to hand over power by mid-2004: "The US-led coalition will hand power to a transitional Iraqi government by June, the Iraqi Governing Council says."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
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In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Timetable set for Iraq transfer: "The US-led coalition in Iraq will hand over power to a transitional government by next June, it is announced."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
CIVIL AFFAIRS, PATROLS MAKE IRAQ BETTER PLACE FOR RESIDENTS in CENTCOM: News Release
PROGRESS MADE IN AL ANBAR PROVINCE in CENTCOM: News Release
101ST RAIDS NET ALLEGED TERRORISTS OPERATING IN NORTHERN IRAQ in CENTCOM: News Release
US to hand over power by mid-2004: "The US-led coalition will hand power to a transitional Iraqi government by June, the Iraqi Governing Council says."
In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)
Saturday, November 15, 2003
U.S. soldiers who survive attacks in Iraq often face lasting injuries
The wounds of war
U.S. soldiers who survive attacks in Iraq often face lasting injuries
By John Simerman
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
The ambush came in darkness, as an Army convoy rolled past dirt fields 25 miles south of Baghdad.
Through night-vision goggles, Pfc. Reed Rosenkranz of Pittsburg could make out rubble in the distance. He sat behind the driver in the lead Humvee, a radio pack strapped across his back. A heavy Kevlar vest shielded his torso -- but not his legs, not his arms, not his eyes.
The explosion sent the Humvee spinning. It ripped the goggles from his head. It tore him up.
"All it was was a flash of light, ears ringing and you've got wounds all over you," he said of the Oct. 6 blast that took his right eye, shot shrapnel through his limbs and killed two soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter in the same vehicle.
"They can't shoot worth the darnedest," said the 24-year-old private, who returned home last week. "The only thing they're getting us with is improvised explosive devices." (IEDs)
Now home on convalescent leave, he is among a rising count of U.S. troops wounded or killed in Iraq with powerful makeshift bombs. Fashioned from old ordnance, rigged with trip-wires or remote triggers, they are set off along U.S. troop routes with alarming frequency and brutal force, military officials say.
Roadside bombs have killed dozens of U.S. soldiers and caused a swelling number of severe wounds to arms, legs and other body parts left unprotected by helmets, flak vests and new "interceptor" body armor.
"There's no real 100 percent protection out here," said Sgt. Danny Martin, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq. "When you rig three or four or five tank rounds together, it can create a rather large explosion."
Since President Bush on May 1 declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq, 1,416 soldiers have been wounded in action, compared to 551 prior to May 1, according to the Department of Defense. Of the 270 U.S. troop deaths attributed to hostilities in Iraq, 156 have come after May 1.
Many of the deaths and injuries were the result of roadside explosives, now "the most widely used weapon out here," said Martin. "They're extremely tough to find."
In October alone, IEDs killed 17 U.S. troops. Since Nov. 1, 11 more soldiers have been killed by IEDs or mines, according to Defense reports.
"It's a whole different war than the war that was going on before (May 1)," said Dr. Lynn Welling, a Navy captain who was attached to a shock trauma platoon in Iraq. "You're cruising around on a routine patrol and a car bomb goes off nearby. It's a terrorist fight right now."
Perhaps 70 percent of the wounds now are to extremities, said Welling. U.S. military medical staff have met greater success saving soldiers' lives than in past wars. In Korea, Vietnam and the first gulf war, about one in four wounded U.S. soldiers died. In this war, about one in eight die.
Welling credits better body armor, more soldiers wearing it, and a strategy to place better-equipped medical units closer to the action. Most battlefield deaths, he said, are from blood loss.
"We're getting the wounded back," he said.
As the toll rises, U.S. military hospital beds are filling with soldiers.
When Rosenkranz reached Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington a week after the blast, he saw many soldiers who lost eyes or limbs. According to the Army Medical Command, 52 U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq have had one or more limbs amputated.
"I'm seeing guys with missing hands, with two hooks he'll have for the rest of his life. A lot of people lost eyes," said Rosenkranz. "I'd rather have a missing eye than a missing leg. I can still see with my left eye."
A shard of shrapnel, about a quarter-inch long, lodged in the back of his right eye. Doctors told him an infection in the blinded eye could creep over to the other eye. They removed the eyeball.
In two plastic bottles, he keeps the sharp chunks that ripped into his face, a wrist and both legs in al-Haswah. About five other pieces remain lodged deep in his leg. His muscles tighten around them. At some point, doctors told him, his body will reject them.
Now relaxing at home in Pittsburg with his wife, Allison, Rosenkranz will return to the East Coast next month for further treatment. The couple wed in January, five days before he left for basic training.
Rosenkranz counts himself lucky. A radio telephone operator, he usually sat behind the passenger seat, closer to where the bomb exploded, he said. On this ride, Lt. Richard Torres wanted the interpreter in that seat.
"I should've been sitting where he was," said Rosenkranz. "I definitely feel God was on my side."
Torres, Pfc. Kerry D. Scott and the interpreter died in the blast. The driver, an Army specialist, was the only other survivor. He also lost an eye -- the left one.
Rosenkranz still keeps his dark hair closely cropped. Drawn to military service after the Sept. 11 attacks, he wishes he could return to Iraq, to finish the job.
"I know my platoon needs me," he said. But with one eye, the young private is considered non-deployable. He seems resigned to a discharge and a Purple Heart.
He spent barely a month in Iraq -- a tour cut short, but long enough to see the rubble ahead.
"There's just tons of resistance over there," he said. "There's no way we can stop all of it. It's going to take a while."
Army Private First Class Reed Rosenkranz lost an eye and suffered many shrapnel wounds during an ambush south of Baghdad. (Susan Tripp Pollard/Contra Costa Times)
Ohio.com - Northeast Ohio's Home Page
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U.S. soldiers who survive attacks in Iraq often face lasting injuries
By John Simerman
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
The ambush came in darkness, as an Army convoy rolled past dirt fields 25 miles south of Baghdad.
Through night-vision goggles, Pfc. Reed Rosenkranz of Pittsburg could make out rubble in the distance. He sat behind the driver in the lead Humvee, a radio pack strapped across his back. A heavy Kevlar vest shielded his torso -- but not his legs, not his arms, not his eyes.
The explosion sent the Humvee spinning. It ripped the goggles from his head. It tore him up.
"All it was was a flash of light, ears ringing and you've got wounds all over you," he said of the Oct. 6 blast that took his right eye, shot shrapnel through his limbs and killed two soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter in the same vehicle.
"They can't shoot worth the darnedest," said the 24-year-old private, who returned home last week. "The only thing they're getting us with is improvised explosive devices." (IEDs)
Now home on convalescent leave, he is among a rising count of U.S. troops wounded or killed in Iraq with powerful makeshift bombs. Fashioned from old ordnance, rigged with trip-wires or remote triggers, they are set off along U.S. troop routes with alarming frequency and brutal force, military officials say.
Roadside bombs have killed dozens of U.S. soldiers and caused a swelling number of severe wounds to arms, legs and other body parts left unprotected by helmets, flak vests and new "interceptor" body armor.
"There's no real 100 percent protection out here," said Sgt. Danny Martin, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq. "When you rig three or four or five tank rounds together, it can create a rather large explosion."
Since President Bush on May 1 declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq, 1,416 soldiers have been wounded in action, compared to 551 prior to May 1, according to the Department of Defense. Of the 270 U.S. troop deaths attributed to hostilities in Iraq, 156 have come after May 1.
Many of the deaths and injuries were the result of roadside explosives, now "the most widely used weapon out here," said Martin. "They're extremely tough to find."
In October alone, IEDs killed 17 U.S. troops. Since Nov. 1, 11 more soldiers have been killed by IEDs or mines, according to Defense reports.
"It's a whole different war than the war that was going on before (May 1)," said Dr. Lynn Welling, a Navy captain who was attached to a shock trauma platoon in Iraq. "You're cruising around on a routine patrol and a car bomb goes off nearby. It's a terrorist fight right now."
Perhaps 70 percent of the wounds now are to extremities, said Welling. U.S. military medical staff have met greater success saving soldiers' lives than in past wars. In Korea, Vietnam and the first gulf war, about one in four wounded U.S. soldiers died. In this war, about one in eight die.
Welling credits better body armor, more soldiers wearing it, and a strategy to place better-equipped medical units closer to the action. Most battlefield deaths, he said, are from blood loss.
"We're getting the wounded back," he said.
As the toll rises, U.S. military hospital beds are filling with soldiers.
When Rosenkranz reached Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington a week after the blast, he saw many soldiers who lost eyes or limbs. According to the Army Medical Command, 52 U.S. soldiers wounded in Iraq have had one or more limbs amputated.
"I'm seeing guys with missing hands, with two hooks he'll have for the rest of his life. A lot of people lost eyes," said Rosenkranz. "I'd rather have a missing eye than a missing leg. I can still see with my left eye."
A shard of shrapnel, about a quarter-inch long, lodged in the back of his right eye. Doctors told him an infection in the blinded eye could creep over to the other eye. They removed the eyeball.
In two plastic bottles, he keeps the sharp chunks that ripped into his face, a wrist and both legs in al-Haswah. About five other pieces remain lodged deep in his leg. His muscles tighten around them. At some point, doctors told him, his body will reject them.
Now relaxing at home in Pittsburg with his wife, Allison, Rosenkranz will return to the East Coast next month for further treatment. The couple wed in January, five days before he left for basic training.
Rosenkranz counts himself lucky. A radio telephone operator, he usually sat behind the passenger seat, closer to where the bomb exploded, he said. On this ride, Lt. Richard Torres wanted the interpreter in that seat.
"I should've been sitting where he was," said Rosenkranz. "I definitely feel God was on my side."
Torres, Pfc. Kerry D. Scott and the interpreter died in the blast. The driver, an Army specialist, was the only other survivor. He also lost an eye -- the left one.
Rosenkranz still keeps his dark hair closely cropped. Drawn to military service after the Sept. 11 attacks, he wishes he could return to Iraq, to finish the job.
"I know my platoon needs me," he said. But with one eye, the young private is considered non-deployable. He seems resigned to a discharge and a Purple Heart.
He spent barely a month in Iraq -- a tour cut short, but long enough to see the rubble ahead.
"There's just tons of resistance over there," he said. "There's no way we can stop all of it. It's going to take a while."
Army Private First Class Reed Rosenkranz lost an eye and suffered many shrapnel wounds during an ambush south of Baghdad. (Susan Tripp Pollard/Contra Costa Times)
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