Dutch Give Up Liberties to Extremists

This is a tamer example of a cartoon by the satirist.

Graphic source: Gregorius Nekschot

A Dutch cartoonist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot, was arrested on suspicion of violating hate speech laws, and insulting people because of their religion, according to Amsterdam public prosecutor spokeswoman Sanne van Meteren. Each is a crime punishable by up to a year in prison under Dutch hate speech laws-—or two years for multiple offenses. Both the cartoonist, and his Dutch publisher, Uitgeverij Xtra, have received death threats so apparently the cartoonist may be threatened but his right to free speech and artistic expression can be silenced. Not surprisingly, Nekschot is known primarily for cartoons mocking Muslims and leftists, but he is a satirist who targets "any strong ideology" including other religions. Nekschot has a web site but has also been featured on the Web site of Theo van Gogh, the filmmaker who was murdered by a Muslim radical in November 2004. The cartoonist's pseudonym, "Gregorius" refers to Pope Gregory IX, who instituted the Papal Inquisition, and "Nekschot" means literally "shot in the neck," a method used by "fascists and communists to get rid of their opponents." Let's hope the Dutch who opposed totalitarianism before will have the good sense to protect their liberties against Islamofascism.

Aynak Valley Attracts Chinese Mining Investment

Graphic source: Times Online

Afghanistan copper deposits worth $88 billion have attracted Chinese investors and if China moves in I would hope the U.N. or international pressure would force the Chinese to provide security in the region. In the Aynak valley, al-Qaeda trained and planned the 9/11 attacks that triggered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

With such an infamous past, a Chinese mining company begins its foray into the Afghanistan economy. The valley’s floor contains one of the world’s largest untapped copper deposits, estimated to be worth up to $88 billion which is more than double of Afghanistan’s entire gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007. A 30-year lease was sold to the China Metallurgical Group for $3 billion, making it the biggest foreign investment and private business venture in Afghanistan’s history.

This deal is so large, the price tag equalled 20 per cent of all foreign aid to the country since 2001, and the annual royalties of $400 million represent 45 per cent of its state budget. The obstacles are huge in this insecure area and the valley is without basic infrastructure. As in the case of Chinese investment in Africa, no one knows the effect of investment in Afghanistan, according to Integrity Watch Afghanistan, a non governmental organisationwhich, is ill-equipped to absorb huge sums of money or even to consider the social and environmental costs. Afghanistan's largest product is opium so it remains to be seen what effect huge and legitimate mining operations might have on the poverty stricken region.

“Afghanistan has abundant known mineral resources,” said Stephen Peters, of the US Geological Survey, which completed a two-year survey of the country last year. The positives are intriguing to consider though, and may act as a corrective to extremism. The mining will create jobs for 5,000 people, 90% Afghans. Up to 4,000 jobs will be created to build a railway to the Pakistani border, and several thousand security guards will be recruited from surrounding villages. The Chinese are contractually obligated to build mosques, schools, hospitals, markets, and small bazaars.

The site was discovered in 1974 by the Soviets, who built the now derelict buildings, mapped the area and took thousands of rock samples.

Their plans were thwarted by Mujahidin rebels who surrounded Aynak and cut it off from the outside. General Hatiqulluh Luddin, who led the rebels around Aynak and still commands 30,000 men in the area.

The Afghan civil war thwarted any development in the area.

When the Taleban took over in 1996 they showed no interest in Aynak and allowed al-Qaeda to turn it into its main training camp.

Only after the Taleban’s overthrow did Aynak arise again when a team from the British Geological Survey arrived to start recovering and organising the 78 reports and 1,300 maps on Aynak, which were mostly in Russian and based on obsolete Soviet methodology.

Germany As Target and Breeding Ground for Terrorism

In Germany, the threat of Islamic terrorism remains "consistently high" according to an annual report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Islamic militants consider Germany as an "operational area" and Islamists regard Germany as a "crusader" as an ally of the United States and Israel. American, Israeli, Russian, and British institutions are also targets. For example, militants were arrested on 4 September 2007, when three individuals allegedly planned attacks on American institutions in Germany and were caught with bomb-making material. In addition, by 2007 there were 30 nationwide active Islamist organisations. Among these groups, 1,390 were active followers of the Muslim Brotherhood, and about 900 were from the Lebanese Shia radical group Hezbollah.

Moving to Mosul

The Coalition is expected to begin operations against al-Qaida operatives in Mosul. The strategy is a typical one which will begin with U.S. military airstrikes. After about three or four weeks the infantry is expected to stage raids and search neighborhoods. In addition to al-Qaida members, the Ansar al-Sunna organization inhabits the area as well. At least three U.S. military brigades will accompany at least a full brigade from the Iraqi military against an estimated 5,000 militia members. Analysts have stated that there may be as many as 7,000 armed men affiliated with al-Qaida or other radical organizations. Operation Lion's Roar nets more than 1,000 suspects.

The Iraqi security forces launched the Operation as a first step in the operation.

This is Al Qaeda's last major ratline into Syria which spans westward from Mosul into Tal Afar and the crossing point at Sinjar.

As the ratline is dismantled, "just under 200" Tier 1 and Tier 2 al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq operatives have been detained, stated Major General Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North.

Tier 1 operatives are operational leaders. Tier 2 operatives are foreign fighters or weapons facilitators, bomb makers, and cell leaders.

The Sahwa, or Awakening, forces in Ninewa are mobilized in the province. Fawaz al Jarba, the leader of the Mosul Sahwa Council, said more than 11,000 tribal fighters were prepared to assist security forces.

McCain First-Term Withdrawal

McCain commented on a possible first-term withdrawal scenario if elected. If he is reading about the new breed of evolving U.S. warfare, the timing may be sooner.

Daily Note

US troops have killed five Mahdi Army fighters in western Baghdad since May 14 as the Mahdi appear to be giving up and seeking an easier environment. US troops killed five Mahdi Army fighters in the western district of Kadamiyah after receiving sniper, small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire. 599 Mahdi Army fighters have been confirmed killed in and around Sadr City since March 25,

NATO Cyberwarfare Center Announced

NATO plans to set up a cyberdefense center in Estonia and when considered in conjunction with the recently set-up U.S. effort it demonstrates just how important this area is becoming. Estonia experiences one of the most significant cyberwarfare attacks to the country is an obvious choice to head up the effort. The Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence will operate out of Tallinn, Estonia, with a staff of 30. Half of the specialists come from its seven sponsoring countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Estonia.

New York Times Admits Wall

Graphic Source: Multinational Forces

Just in the past couple of days The York Times has appeared to hint that events in Iraq might be going better than they have stated previously. They even published the Multinational map which showed the actual dimensions of the Wall. Even if they are not celebrating with the military there is progress that the mass media may be coming around to admitting progress, as tentative as it may be, is occurring in Iraq. That's a big first step.

Daily Note

ز'ير] [أل-سّد] [في] [سولت] [أل-هق] على قبض عمليات 2 [أق] قادة كبريات على الطريق عامّة بين [مكهموور] منطقة و [أل-قرا] منطقة قرب [مكووك] قرية, 40 [كم] غرب [مكهموور]. اعترف المعتقل هم قتل وخطف مدنيّ.

10 مهدي جيش قتلت مقاتلات أثناء صدامات في [سدر] مدينة وثلاثة كثير مهدي مقاتلون كان في مكان آخر في بغداد.

قتل 593 مهدي يتلقّى يكون أكّدت في [سدر] مدينة منذ مارس - آذار 25.

إئتلاف دعا قوّات في هواء إضرابات ضدّ [تليبن], يقتل اثنا عشر مناضلات.

راجستان قد أطلق شرطة الرسم تخطيطيّ من 25 [ير ولد] رجل مع إرتفاع متوسّط الذي يكون شككت أن يكون خلف جايبور انفجارات في أيّ 80 الناس كان قتلت.

Za'eer al-Assad Fi Saulat al-Haq operations captured 2 AQ senior commanders on the high road between Makhmour district and al-Qayara district near Makook village, 40 km west of Makhmour. The detainees confessed they killed and kidnapped civilians.

10 Mahdi Army fighters during clashes in Sadr City and three more Mahdi fighters were killed elsewhere in Baghdad.

A video posted on 14 May 2008 shows an aerial bombing.

593 Mahdi have been confirmed killed in Sadr City since March 25.

Coalition forces called in air strikes against the Taliban, killing a dozen militants.

Rajasthan police have released the sketch of a 25-year-old man with medium height who is suspected to be behind the Jaipur blasts in which 80 people were killed.

حركة الجهاد الإسلامي , Movement of Islamic Holy War Slaughters at Least 80

Graphic source: AFP/Graphic

حركة الجهاد الإسلامي , or, the Movement of Islamic Holy War slaughtered at least 80 people and wounded 200 with seven nearly simultaneous bomb blasts in Jaipur. The trademark blasts appear similar to AQ and since the Movement's founding in 1992 there have been close ties between the two groups.

AQ linked networks or publically declaring Osama Bin Laden their Emir, killed over 10,000 Indian civilians before 9/11. India has a small contingent of troops in Afghanistan and the bombings may be in retaliance for Indian presence there.

I've advocated the greater presence of India in the region especially since its economy is booming and perhaps this latest horrendous attack is an impetus for more direct involvement on the part of India. India could expand its role in Somalia, Darfur, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippians. By the same token, India would be entitled to a greater influence in how the international community is fighting the global Takfiri (excommunicated Muslim) threat. Why not?

Daily Post, Explosions in India

Graphic source: The Long War Journal, an AQ propaganda banner.

Iraqi security forces detained 142 "gunmen" since Operation Lion's Roar began in Mosul on May 10. US and Iraq forces captured seven al Qaeda operatives in Mosul. Iraqi security forces killed one "gunman" and captured 24 in Baghdad. Sheikh Majid Abdul-Razzaq Soliman, the chairman of the Iraq Chieftains & Notables Council of the Dulaimi tribe, said the US and Europe must help stop the "growing Iranian influence" in Iraq.

Details emerged about the two top AQ operatives who were killed yesterday. Abu Suleiman al Otaibi is a Saudi national who served as a senior leader in al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq prior to meeting his end in Afghanistan. He was the former leader of the legal system of al Qaeda in Iraq's political front, the Islamic State of Iraq.The other individual was Abu Dejana al Qahtani, also a Saudi national. He is the brother of Abu Nasir al Qahtani, one of four al Qaeda operatives who escaped from Bagram prison in 2005.

An AQ-affiliated group, Harkat ul Jihad al Islami Bangladesh, or HuJI-B, killed 60 and wounded 200 in multiple bombings in India.

Kirkuk Goes Badly for AQ

Violence in Iraq’s Kirkuk province has plummetted by 70%, and Coalition forces have “virtually destroyed” AQ.

Army Col. David Paschal, commander of 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, noted four developments:

-- Precision targeting against insurgent leadership;

-- The growing capabilities and capacities of the Iraqi police and army;

-- Establishment of a “Sons of Iraq” program, in which citizens aid in the security effort; and

-- Partnership with Kirkuk’s provincial reconstruction team, composed of State Department and military personnel working along with experts from other governmental and nongovernmental agencies to aid local development.

The Coalition has killed or captured 20 high-value targets. U.S. soldiers also captured 63 “persons of interest” in the area.

The Iraqi security forces have improved dramatically and the Sons of Iraq program has contributed 400 men from two months of police training.

Kirkuk is the northern oil center of Iraq and it has exceeded all the pre-war level of exports.

Kirkuk may turn over provincial control to the Iraqis in November or December.

Finally, the Iraqi government also is hosting a small-loans program, anywhere from about $2,500 to $10,000, for small businesses to operate.

Review of Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China, eds., Monroe E. Price & Daniel Dayan

I read this work as an Early Reviewer on LibraryThing.com. I do not believe this is a work for the casual reader and the writers are assuming prior knowledge of media studies in general, and a familiarity with contemporary Chinese affairs.

That being said, this is a worthwhile work for the initiated. The "New China" is revealed today as an Olympic status country in the limelight as a global media event. I can claim to be an expert in neither field (http://blogsmithconsulting.blogspot.com/)--China or media studies--but I would be able to address media studies and am generally knowledgeable in global affairs as an historian. I would therefore characterize a more or less typically educated reader.

My opinion of the book then is that it will be more useful for a rather select audience of readers interested in China, and in particular, for those whose expertise lies in media studies. Most of the selections read like conference papers dedicated to those two fields and there is a cross-pollination of readings and knowledge which may be tedious for those outside the two fields.

As in many conferences as in an edited work such as this there is a range of quality and usefulness in the presenters and topics. I found Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom to be the most helpful since he concentrated on the analysis of the 2008 Chinese Olympic event that relate to history. The casual reader could profit by dipping in the selections and discovering which topics are of interest. The basic import of the text though is for a more specialized audience, and they would profitably benefit from the entire text.

Lastly, a word should be noted on what the book is not. It is not a general book on the "New China," it is not about the Olympics per se, or sports as a category. The reader should realize that this is an academic work for specialists although at points there may be a nugget or two for the more general reader. As the news media has picked up on the conflicts and controversies regarding China as a site for the Olympics, and symbolic protests occurred, I found myself dipping more into the work to provide a context and background for the news coverage. You may too.

Catching Up in Afghanistan as Sadr City Winds Down

قتلت 13 [تليبن], نائب ال [مولّه] [نزير], كبريات [تليبن] زعيمة في [وزيريستن] جنوبيّة, كان في [بكتيكا]. 2 [أق] قتلت زعيمات يهرب [كلأيشن] في العراق, بما في ذلك زعيمة سابقة في الدولة إسلاميّة العراق, كان أيضا.
إئتلاف قتل قوّات [مولنا] [إيقبل] و12 [تليبن] في [بكيتكا]. كان 12 من ال 13 [تليبن] يقتل من باكستان. كان 9 من [تليبن] من [وزيريستن] جنوبيّة, 2 من [بونجب], و1 من حيدراباد.


Thirteen Taliban, including a deputy of Mullah Nazir, a senior Taliban leader in South Waziristan, were killed in a clash with NATO and Afghan forces in the eastern Afghanistan province of Paktika. In a separate clash, two al Qaeda leaders, including a former leader in al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq, were killed during fighting in neighboring Paktia province.

US and Afghan forces killed Maulana Iqbal and 12 other Taliban fighters in a major clash in Pakitka province. Twelve of the 13 Taliban killed during the fighting were from Pakistan, The Hindu reported. Nine of the Taliban were from South Waziristan, two were from Punjab province, and one was from Hyderabad in Sindh province. The bodies of the Taliban fighters have been sent back to Pakistan for burial.

Ten-Point Summary of Miniter's Losing Bin Laden

A quick ten-point list of contents:

1) The never-before-told story of the Saudi government attempt to assasinate bin Laden; 2) Why Bill Clinton refused to meet with his first Director of Central Intelligence; 3) Drawn from secret Sudanese intelligence files, the never-before-told story of bin Laden's role in shooting down America's Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu, Somalia--and how Clinton manipulated the news media to keep the worst off America's TV screens; 4) How Clinton ignored intelligence and offers of cooperation against bin Laden from several Muslim countries; 5) The 1993 World Trade Center attack--why Clinton refused to believe it had been bombed; why the CIA was kept out of the investigation; and how one of the FBI's most trusted informants was actually a double agent working for bin Laden; 6) Why the CIA never funded bin Laden--despite the liberal myths; 7) The untold story of a respected congressman who repeatedly warned Clinton officials about bin Laden in 1993--and why he was ignored; 8) Revealed for the first time: how Clinton and a democratic senator stopped the CIA from hiring Arabic translators--while phone intercepts from bin Laden remained untranslated; 9) How the Predator spy plane--which spotted bin Laden three times--was grounded by bureaucratic infighting; and, 10) Plus much more, including appendices of secret documents and photos, as well as the established links between bin Laden and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Round-Up

تلت تسعة مهدي كان في [سدر] مدينة: أربعة مهدي قتلت مقاتل كان ب [أير وبون] فريق بما أنّ هم زرعوا بتفجّر يشكّل [بنترتور] حافة الطريق قنبلة; قتلت ثلاثة كان بما أنّ هم هاجموا العائق موضع فريق على طول [قودس] شارع; وقتلت اثنان كان بما أنّ هم أطلق النار صاروخ. خمسة كثير مهدي جيش قتلت مقاتل كان ب [أير وبون] فريق في بغداد جديد بما أنّ هم صنّفوا لهجوم, وثلاثة أكثر كان قتلت بما أنّ هم أوصلوا هجوم في [أدهميه].

قتل 562 مهدي يكون أكّدت في [سدر] مدينة منذ مارس - آذار 25.

[أوس] قتل قوّات اثنان [أل] كبريات - [قدا] عميلات في أفغانستان. أبو سليمان [أل] [أتيبي], سابقا زعيمة في [أل] - [قدا] إسلاميّة دولة العراق, وأبو [دجنا] قتلت [أل] [قهتني] كان أثناء يتنازع في [بكتيا] محافظة.

Nine Mahdi were killed in Sadr City: four Mahdi fighters were killed by an air weapons team as they planted an explosively formed penetrator roadside bomb; three were killed as they attacked the barrier emplacement teams along Qods Street; and two were killed as they fired rockets. Five more Mahdi Army fighters were killed by air weapons teams in New Baghdad as they grouped for an attack, and three more were killed as they conducted attacks in Adhamiyah.

562 Mahdi are confirmed killed in Sadr City since March 25.

US forces killed two senior al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan. Abu Suleiman al Otaibi, formerly a leader in al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq, and Abu Dejana al Qahtani were killed during fighting in Paktia province.

CAIR Against Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Exercise

“Pennsylvania’s police prepare for radical Islam” and “Radical Islam: A law-enforcement primer” are two programs offered to law enforcement officers in light of recent events. However, Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) objected. CAIR was listed among organizations tied to the Muslim Brotherhood's American network. Its founders emerged an Islamic organization that two courts have found played a supporting role for the terrorist group Hamas. A lengthy investigation reveals that CAIR's aims are anything but benign and it holds a place front and center in American terrorism.

Barrier Maps Compared Wherein the Washington Post Deceives

Graphic source: The Washington Post

I noted earlier that the Washington Post seemed to miss the story and the dimensions of the wall being built by Multinational Forces.

Map of the disposition of Iraqi and US forces in and around Sadr City, and the progress on the barrier. The red portion has yet to be completed. Graphic Source: Multinational Forces

The disparate illustrations are worth noting for the differences. The actual (red portion) of Quds Street where the barrier is being built is about 3.2 miles according to the US mapping agency. However, in The Washington Post misleading map the scale is completely wrong on a basic bit mapping: 7.5 miles. In addition, the 4 on the miles scale should be a 1. Since the misleading illustration makes the barrier appear 2.5 times longer than it really is, the project seems doomed. As the barrier has unfolded, and is much clearer now, the JAM (the Mahdi) is beatable, and now beaten down and cowed.

Sadrists Buckle Under, Agree to 14 Point Ceasefire

562 مهدي قتل جيب مقاتل يتلقّى يكون أكّدت في وحول [سدر] مدينة منذ مارس - آذار 25; [سدريست] يحدّب كتلة, يوافق أن ترك جيب [إيرقي] في [سدر] مدينة.

[ز'ير] [أل-سّد] [في] [سولت] أوصل [أل-هق] بقوّات [إيرقي] عمليات عسكريّ ضدّ 92 هدف في موصل. الأمن أنجزت عملية أن يرسّخ خارجا [أل-قدا] كان مع التعاون من المدينة مقدمات.

ساعد شرطة [أفغن] بالإئتلاف قوّات قتل سبعة [تليبن] متمردات في [بكتيا] محافظة.

562 Mahdi Army fighters have been confirmed killed in and around Sadr City since March 25; Sadrist bloc buckles, agrees to let Iraqi Army in Sadr City.

Za'eer al-Assad Fi Saulat al-Haq by Iraqi forces conducted military operations against 92 targets in Mosul. The security operation to root out al-Qaeda was performed with the cooperation of the city's residents.

Afghan police backed by the Coalition forces killed seven Taliban insurgents in Paktia province.

Militia Capitulates: Iraqi Army Enters Sadr City

Soldiers from Company A, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division set concrete barriers in place in the surroundings of the southern portion of the Sadr City district of Baghdad May 3. (US Army photo/Specialist Joseph Rivera Rebolled)

ثلاثة وعشرون مهدي جيب قتلت مقاتل يتلقّى يكون ب [أوس] وقوّات [إيرقي] منذ الالعصر شهر ماي
8. [أوس] خاصّ عمليات قتل أفرقة يشغل داخليّة [سدر] مدينة تسعة مهدي جيب مقاتل بما أنّ هم هاجموا عراقيّ و [أوس] قوّات يبني العالقة مادّيّ على [قودس] شارع. وجّه الفريق أيضا غارة جويّة أنّ قتل اثنان كثير مهدي جيب مقاتل. بالأمس, [أوس] قتل قوّات خاصّة اثنان مهدي جيب مقاتل في [سدر] مدينة.

[أوس] قتل جنديّ 12 كثير مهدي جيب مقاتل في [سدر] مدينة من شهر ماي 8-9. [أوس] استعمل قوّات [أونمنّد] جوّيّة عربة, هليكوبتر, [أبرمس] دباب, و [سملّ-رمس] نار [إين رسبونس تو] مهدي جيب هجوم داخليّة [سدر] مدينة.

Followers of rebel cleric Muqtada al Sadr agreed late Friday to allow Iraqi security forces to enter all of Baghdad's Sadr City and to arrest anyone found with heavy weapons in a surprising capitulation that seemed likely to be hailed as a major victory for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

Twenty-three Mahdi Army fighters have been killed by US and Iraqi troops since the afternoon of May 8. US Special Operations teams operating inside Sadr City killed nine Mahdi Army fighters as they attacked Iraqi and US forces building the concrete barrier on Qods Street. The team also directed an air strike that killed two more Mahdi Army fighters. Yesterday, US Special Forces killed two Mahdi Army fighters inside Sadr City.

US soldiers killed 12 more Mahdi Army fighters inside Sadr City from May 8-9. US troops used unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, Abrams tanks, and small-arms fire in response to Mahdi Army attacks inside Sadr City.

Note on Oren, Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present

The history of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East by Michael Oren portrays American involvement in the region but without the usual canard that the American interest in the region is simply about oil. An historian and senior fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem, Dr. Oren authored the recent bestseller Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present to this end. With its fledging navy, the United States began as a nation dependent on trading. Two centuries before the oil boom, 20% of this trade was with the Middle East.

The pirates of the Muslim Barbary corsairs attacked the U.S. and Europe. Thomas Jefferson did not wish to employ bribery, as had been the case, and he violated his own anti-state tendencies to argue that the United States should build a naval force to protect its maritime interest. The John Adams argument advocated the continued policy of payoffs to building a navy. Finally, Jefferson's view prevailed and in fact one of the primary arguments for the U.S. Constitution was that a stronger federal government was needed to raise funds for just such a naval force.

In contrast to an emphasis on oil acquisition, Oren demonstrates that the earliest American presence in the Middle East has revolved around three themes: faith, fantasy, and power. He makes no bones about the American pursuit of power in the region, military, diplomatic, or economic as the case may be, in the pursuit of tangible American interests in the Middle East.

In addition, faith informed American thought on the Middle East as evangelists sought to impart their own faith to an unbelieving world. America was to be the "city on a hill" or that divine example of freedom, morality, and human rights all on display for the world.

Finally, the theme of fantasy informed the illusory and mystical images of the Middle East suggested to the minds of many Americans, who saw the Arabic tradition as a land of unrivaled romance and exoticism.

The overwhelming predominance of Americans who visited the Middle East in the 19th century traveled either to enjoy the exotic lands to be discovered there, or, they were there to convert Muslims, or at least educate them, to the American gospel.

In the twentieth century, U.S. policy toward the Middle East was dictated by the intersection of faith and power as exemplified by Theodore Roosevelt who insisted that the United States should declare war on the Ottoman Empire. He argued that the U.S. was obligated to spread its faith and its democracy to the backward and recalcitrant Turks. We should realize the failure of this policy once President Woodrow Wilson's refused to commit the U.S. During WW I then, more than a million troops from Britain and France were stationed in the Middle East but not one American soldier. The Frence and the British dictated post-War policy without the Americans.

Throughout the subsequent administrations, to that of Harry Truman in 1948, the U.S. faithfully endorsed Jewish restoration to the Holy Land while supporting the spread of democracy in the region.

In the final concluding section, Oren switches gears and describes the complex and nuanced policy of the U.S. in the Middle East.

The major takeway to consider is how the U.S. has had a nearly parallel history to that of the U.S. itself. This nation and the Middle East have been intertwined for nearly the same amount of time that the nation has existed. Partly based on a desire to promote faith in America's institutions, and exert power in the region, American presidents have sought to export America's faith in itself and its institutions, while being captivated and seduced by the exotic Middle East.
Today, many Middle Easterners are unaware of this history, not realizing that the United States has long enjoyed multifaceted and mutually beneficial relations in the region. Although its policies, perceptions, and motives have sometimes been a bit muddled, the United States has done vastly more good than harm in the Middle East over the course of more than two centuries, in unexpected ways that often foreshadowed some of this century's most complex challenges.

Daily Round-Up

The picture of AQ's failed hope of a collapsed Iraqi state: Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Ninawa, and other parts of the governorate of Babel.

Graphic source: AQ

ال [إيرقي] عسكريّة يدّعى أبو [أوب] [أل] [مسري], [أق] زعيمة على قبض في [نينوا] محافظة. كان 14 من العلويّة 30 [أق] عميلات يقتل أو على قبض في الساحقة 3 شهور [أق] زعيمات في موصل, بما في ذلك 3 من [سودي ربيا]. 19 مهدي قتل مقاتلات. أكّد 539 مهدي يقتل في [سدر] مدينة منذ مارس - آذار 25. أمرّ الحكومة [إيرقي] أنّ ال [أل] [أهد] محلة لاسلكيّة, [سدر], يعطّل.

The Iraqi military claimed Abu Ayyub al Masri, AQ leader captured in Ninewa province.

14 of the top 30 AQ operatives killed or captured in the past 3 months were AQ leaders in Mosul, including 3 from Saudi Arabia. 19 Mahdi fighters killed. 539 Mahdi confirmed killed in Sadr City since March 25. The Iraqi government ordered that the Al Ahad radio station, Sadr's, be shut down.

AQ Disintegrating in Iraq

ئتلاف يجبر يقتل أو على قبض 50 أعضاء كبريات [أل] - [قدا] هذا شهر. من العشرة [أل] كبريات - [قدا] [نبّد] زعيمات, خمسة أمير, أو زعيمات, واحدة خليّة زعيمة, وخمسة [فسليتتور] وقنبلة صانعات يتلقّى يكون. [أل] [بغددي] يصحّ اكتشفت هويّة كان عقب إستجوابات مع [ا نومبر وف] [أل] - [قدا] زعيمات الذي كان أوقفت في [هديثا]. [أل-ربيا] عيّن الزعيمة والشبكة إذاعة صورته. قال ال [دوبي-بسد] شبكة الاسم حقيقيّ [أل-بغددي] حميد [دووود] [أل-زوي].


Coalition forces killed or captured 50 senior members of al Qaeda this month. Of the ten senior al Qaeda leaders, five emirs, or leaders, one cell leader, and five facilitators and bomb makers have been nabbed. Al Baghdadi’s true identity was discovered after interrogations with a number of al Qaeda leaders who were arrested in Haditha. Al-Arabiya identified the leader and the network broadcast his photograph. The Dubai-based network said the real name of al-Baghdadi is Hamid Dawoud al-Zawi.

Al Qaeda Network Nabbed, April-May 2008

Graphic source: Multinational Forces Iraq

While most of the good news from the front arises from Sadr City lately, the pressure has been kept on al-Qaeda as well. A list of the 10 most senior al Qaeda leaders killed or captured in April and May is now available. In April and May, US and Iraqi security forces have killed or captured 50 senior members of al Qaeda over the past month. Of the ten senior al Qaeda leaders, five emirs, or leaders, one cell leader, and five facilitators and bomb makers have been nabbed. Mosul remains hot. Three of the leaders captured were in Mosul, and one was responsible for operations in Bayji, close to Mosul. AQ's last major ratline into Syria spans to the west from Mosul into Tal Afar and the crossing point at Sinjar.

The Long War Journal lists several AQ bagged:

Senior AQ operatives killed or captured in Mosul, Baghdad, Salahadin Province:

Mosul:

• Ibrahim Ahmad Umar Nasir al Sabawi: Al Qaeda's emir of eastern Mosul. Sabawi facilitated the movement of foreign al Qaeda operatives into Mosul and worked closely with Abu Yasir al Saudi, also know as Jar Allah, one of two Saudi al Qaeda leaders killed in a US airstrike in Mosul in February.
• Ayyad Jasim Muhammad 'Ali: Al Qaeda's emir for northeastern Mosul.
• Adnan Muhammad: An Al Qaeda cell leader in Mosul.
• Nawaf 'Ali Muhammad Sultan: An Al Qaeda suicide car bomb cell leader in Mosul.
• Husam Asim Sayid Mahmud: An al Qaeda suicide car bomb facilitator for Mosul.

Baghdad:

• Abbas’ ‘Abd Ahmad Hamad: An al Qaeda car bomb maker for the South Karkh network.
• Riyad 'Abbas Husayn: Al Qaeda's sharia emir, or religious leader in charge of enforcing al Qaeda's Taliban-like religious rule, in South Karkh.
• Sa'ad Abdullah Salih: An al Qaeda bomb maker who facilitated the movement of foreign al Qaeda operatives into Baghdad.

Salahadin Province:

• Yusif Dhalaf 'Abd Fayyad: Al Qaeda's security emir in Bayji.
• Najah Husayn 'Ali Ismail: An Al Qaeda weapons facilitator in Tikrit.

Turning the Corner

US, Iraqi forces kill 18 Mahdi fighters during clashes, raids in Baghdad. The Iraqi government arrested 42 policemen for colluding with outlaws and arrested 35 hospital workers for assisting the Mahdi. Iraqi police discovered a weapons cache in the Imam Ali Mosque in the Al Ghadeer neighborhood in New Baghdad. 520 Mahdi have been killed in Sadr City since 25 March.

يقتل [أوس], قوّات [إيرقي] 18 مهدي مقاتل أثناء صدامات, غارة في بغداد. أوقف الحكومة [إيرقي] 42 شرطيات ل يتآمر مع يحظّر وأوقف 35 مستشفى عامل ل يساعد مهدي. اكتشف شرطة [إيرقي] أسلحة مخبأ في [إيمم] علي مسجد في ال [أل] [غدير] جوار في بغداد جديد. قتلت 520 مهدي يتلقّى يكون في [سدر] مدينة منذ 25 مارس - آذار.

Daily News

تباعد الجيش ال [أل-موستفا] ([أ.ك.] "[جيش] [أل-موستفا]") - [سونّي] مجموعة متمرّد أيّ قد ادّعى اعتمادات ل على الأقلّ ثلاثة عمليات مشتركة مع [أل-قيدا] "دولة إسلاميّة من العراق" ([إيس]) منذ يناير - كانون الثّاني 2008 يتلقّى فجأة علاقة مع ال [إيس], يتّهم قادته محلّية من يشبك في "تهديدات" و" عمليّة ابتزاز."
إئتلاف قتل 18 مهدي منذ شهر ماي 3. ما من [أوس] أفدت جنديّ كان يقتل في حادثات [أني وف ث].

The Army of al-Mustafa (a.k.a. “Jaish al-Mustafa”)—a Sunni insurgent group which has claimed credit for at least three joint operations with Al-Qaida’s “Islamic State of Iraq” (ISI) since January 2008—has suddenly broken off relations with the ISI, accusing its local commanders of engaging in “threats” and “blackmail.”
Coalition killed 18 Mahdi since May 3. No US soldiers were reported killed in any of the incidents.

Cole Killers Get a Free Ride

Graphic source: U.S. Navy / AFP file.

This photo from Oct. 12, 2000, shows the damaged port side of the guided missile destroyer USS Cole after an attack blamed on the al-Qaeda terror network during a refueling operation in the Yemeni port of Aden. Quote courtesy of MSNBC.

U.S. Sailors Dead; killers freed.

As frustating as that statement may be, that is about the size of it. The probe of the USS Cole bombing unravels as the plotters are freed by the state terrorists running Yemen. Al-Qaeda nearly sank the USS Cole with an explosives-stuffed motorboat, killing 17 sailors, all the defendants convicted in the attack have escaped from prison or been freed by Yemeni officials.

Jamal al-Badawi, a Yemeni who helped organize the plot to bomb the Cole on Oct. 12, 2000, has broken out of prison twice. He was recaptured both times, but then secretly released by the government last fall. U.S. officials have demanded the right to ensure he is actually jailed.

Two suspects, described as the key organizers, are being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. courts. They may never be tried by the military.

The United States government failed to bring al-Qaeda operatives to justice.

Other Cole conspirators have been freed after short prison terms and at least two went on to commit suicide attacks in Iraq.

Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent and a lead investigator into the bombing, was one of the most valuable assets the country had in the investigation and his frustration with the case is palpable. A riveting account of Soufan's clever investigation informs Lawrence Wright's, The Looming Tower about al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda celebrates the Cole attack as one of its signature victories. They are correct. The U.S. response has been tepid at best.

Very few of the individuals and countries who played a role in the Cole assault have been questioned.

The Cole investigation paled after 9/11.

Once dispatched to Yemen, the investigation was bogged down by internal bickering and the clash of culture between sophisticated FBI techniques and the backwardness of Yemeni culture.

The U.S. investigation, headed up by the FBI however, identified the ringleader as Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national of Yemeni descent who served as al-Qaeda's operations chief in the Arabian Peninsula.

The Yemeni authorities protected him and U.S. officials could not arrest him.

Nashiri eventually left Yemen to prepare other attacks on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf, U.S. officials said. He was captured in the United Arab Emirates in November 2002 and handed over to the CIA. He was detained in the CIA's secret network of overseas prisons until he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006.

Another al-Qaeda leader, Tawfiq bin Attash, who also played an organizing role in the Sept. 11 hijackings, was arrested in Karachi, Pakistan, in May 2003 and confessed last year to overseeing the Cole plot.

Bin Attash and Nashiri were both named unindicted co-conspirators in the Justice Department's investigation into the Cole attack. A decision was made not to indict them because pending criminal charges could have forced the CIA or the Pentagon to give up custody of the men.

Quotes courtesy of © 2008 The Washington Post Company, URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24449741/.

Afghanistan Ambassador Calls Korea

Afghanistan expects bigger Korean role, at least this is what Afghanistan Ambassador Mohammad Karim Rahimi said. In an interview with The Korea Times the Ambassador hoped that Korea would take an active role in assisting Afghanistan. Korean troops were deployed during 2002 in Afghanistan as part of the International Security Assistance Force under the command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and stayed until last December. Korea decided not to renew the deployment. However, last month, the Korean government announced it would dispatch a dozen policemen to Afghanistan for training purposes.

The Ambassador went on to point out that security is still the biggest challenge in Afghanistan. He stressed terrorist threats in Afghanistan were a threat to the region and, at large, to the world, implying full-fledged action against it on the international level is needed to tackle the problem. The Ambassador stated: "Terrorism is an enemy of humankind. No matter where you live, in Korea, the U.S. or France. As human beings we need to join our hands to get rid of the common enemy." No secret there and it would be assisted solved effectively by the increasing presence of the international community. Most importantly for the U.S., it would lessen this country's stance of largely going it alone and Korea should increase its involvement to be more of a regional power.

To date, nearly 40 (NATO and some non-NATO) countries have a military presence in Afghanistan under the UN resolution working for reconstruction and stability of the war-torn country. In June 2008, member states of G8, neighboring countries and other countries that have contributed to Afghan reconstruction will meet at the Paris Conference.

مصر تدرس امكان اعادة فتح سفارة لها في بغداد

الإثنين 05 أيار 2008 05:58 GMT

أعلن وزير الخارجية المصرية احمد ابو الغيط أن القاهرة على اتصال مع حكومة المالكي لتأمين زيارة وفد أمني مصري بهدف درس امكان اعادة فتح السفارة المصرية في بغداد.
وأكد ابو الغيط عقب محادثات اجراها مع نظيره البحريني الشيخ خالد بن احمد آل خليفة أن الوفد جاهز للسفر فور تحديد موعد له. وقد اشترط وزير الخارجية المصرية توفير الأمن للبعثة اذا ما استأنفت عملها في بغداد****، فيما اعتبر وزير خارجية البحرين أن التواجد في العراق مهم للغاية، مذكّرا باستشهاد سفير مصر في بغداد ونجاة السفير البحريني من محاولة اغتيال.

Questions for The New York Times

Graphic source: Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images, for The New York Times

In one of those annoying major news media stories that is misleading, factually incorrect, and unduly biased, a productive counter-insurgency move is missed by The New York Times.

The question is, why does The New York Times insist on missing the story and providing incomplete coverage? For example, in the misleading article written by Alissa J. Rubin, she does not explain how, even in her published news article, that you can see a road on the right hand side of the damaged vehicles. What she does not explain but you can see in the picture is that the hospital is on the left hand side of the road.

From the blast pattern, it is obvious that the GMLRS (Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System) hit across the road to the right and avoided the hospital.

Graphic source: Global Security.org

U.S. Army commanders and troops have come to view the missiles as their 70-kilometer sniper rifle, but the insurgents understand the weapon in a far more ominous light. The insurgents are calling it the 'Hand of Allah.' For the insurgents, the rockets seemingly come from nowhere. With their vertical trajectory, ability to cover 70 kilometers (43 miles) in 82 seconds and close-combat precision, the rockets are decisive.

Finally, how come Ms. Rubin does not publish a picture of the target and show the Mahdi compound and the criminal activities taking place? The U.S. military targeted and destroyed a Special Groups command and control center. The Special Groups are a unit of the Mahdi Army that receives backing from Iran's Qods Force, the foreign clandestine operations wing that has supported Shia terror groups in Iraq. The Mahdi Army used hospitals as staging areas for sectarian attacks and weapons storage depots. The target was selected for elimination precisely because it was an insurgent headquarters and located in a difficult to hit area because of its sensitive location.

And last but not least, who is Tareq Mahir, listed at the bottom of the article, who is he affiliated with, and if Rubin gets major credit in writing the article, what does Mahir have to do with the article? I think that The New York Times is performing a major disservice in not being upfront with its readers.

Who Said This and When?

And today we salute our unseen allies in occupied countries, the underground resistance groups and the Armies of Liberation. They will provide potent forces against our enemies......

There have always been cheerful idiots in this country who believed that there would be no more war for us if everybody in America would only return into their homes and lock their front doors behind them.

Who said this and when?

24 December 1943, Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Saif Al Adel, Al Qaeda Document, Zarqawi In Iraq Before Americans

On February 17 2008, Al-Ekhlaas which is the largest terrorist forum on the internet published an Al Qaeda document that talks about the life of Abou Musaab Al Zarqawi and indicates that Zarqawi came to Iraq before the war to prepare the terrorist insurgency against the US troops. According to the document Zarqawi arrived to the Sunni areas in central Iraq. This document was written by one of Al Qaeda top leaders called “Saif Al Adel”. There were many accounts about Zarqawi's presence in Iraq before the war in particular in Northern Iraq with “Ansar Al Islam” an active Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist group that was present in the Kurdish areas of Iraq long before the war started. The document also proves that Ansar Al Islam helped Al Qaeda members establish themselves in Iraq before the war started. The author of the document wrote that there were no relation between Saddam regime and Al Qaeda but this does not negate at all the most important fact that Al Qaeda was in Iraq before the war for the sole purpose of preparing for its most important front to fight the U.S and it is now in Iraq where Al Qaeda is suffering its most crushing defeat since its existence. It is very important to note that despite the author's denial of a relationship between Saddam regime and Al Qaeda, it does not mean that Saddam regime was not aware of Al Qaeda presence in Iraq. In fact the document clearly points out that Zarqawi went to the Sunni areas in Central Iraq before the war and these areas were totally controlled and loyal to the Saddam regime and it was very hard to imagine that Zarqawi stayed and prepared his terrorist sleepers cells in these Sunni areas without the approval of the Saddam regime.

30 April 2008 Order of Battle-Iraq

Iraqi troops are being improved as the Mahdi have collapsed in and around Sadr City.

Pulverizing Mahdi: GMLRS Deployed

14 Mahdi Army fighters have been killed during clashes over the past 24 hours.

The US Army targeted and destroyed a Special Groups command and control center in a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System.

465 Mahdi Army fighters have been confirmed killed in and around Sadr City since March 25.

14 مهدي جيب قتلت مقاتل يتلقّى يكون أثناء صدامات على السابق 24 ساعات.

ال [أوس] استهدف جيب ودمّر مجموعة خاصّة يمرّ و [كنترول سنتر] في يرشد يتعدّد إطلاق صاروخ نظامة.

465 مهدي قتل جيب مقاتل يتلقّى يكون أكّدت في وحول [سدر] مدينة منذ مارس - آذار 25.

Rear Window

Rear Window is a 1954 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story It Had to Be Murder. The movie stars James Stewart as photojournalist L. B. Jefferies, Grace Kelly as his fashion-model girlfriend, Lisa Carol Fremont, and Raymond Burr as the suspected killer, Lars Thorwald. The film combines its main theme, a murder mystery, with a critical examination of the ethics of marriage and voyeurism.

Hitchcock's fans and film scholars have taken particular interest in the way the relationship between Jeff and Lisa can be compared to the lives of the neighbors they are spying upon. Many of these points are considered in Tania Modleski's feminist theory book, The Women Who Knew Too Much. (ISBN 0-415-97362-7)[2]

* Thorwald and his wife are a reversal of Jeff and Lisa (Thorwald looks after his invalid wife just as Lisa looks after the invalid Jeff). However, Thorwald's hatred of his nagging wife mirrors Jeff's arguments with Lisa.
* The newlywed couple initially seem perfect for each other (they spend nearly the entire movie in their bedroom with the blinds drawn), but at the end we see that their marriage is in trouble and the wife begins to nag the husband. Similarly, Jeff is afraid of being 'tied down' by marriage to Lisa.
* The middle-aged couple with the dog seem content living at home. They have the kind of uneventful lifestyle that horrifies Jeff.
* The music composer and Miss Lonely Heart, the depressed spinster, lead frustrating lives, and at the end of the movie find comfort in each other (the composer's new tune draws Miss Lonely Heart away from suicide, and the composer thus finds value in his work). There is a subtle hint in this tale that Lisa and Jeff are meant for each other, despite his stubbornness. The piece the composer creates is called "Lisa's Theme" in the credits.

The film received four Academy Award nominations: Best Director for Alfred Hitchcock, Best Screenplay for John Michael Hayes, Best Cinematography, Color for Robert Burks, Best Sound Recording for Loren L. Ryder, Paramount Pictures. In 1997, Rear Window was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". This film was ranked #14 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills. It was ranked #48 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition). To this day, the film gets a 100% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_Window

Post, Wall, Barriers to Erect for Security/Understanding

Graphic source: Washington Post

Please note the bias on the part of the respected source. The red part of Quds Street is about 3.2 miles according to NIMA, the US mapping agency. The Washington Post, with a cohort of local stringers and the efforts of Columbia University types, still make a mistake. The scale is wrong on such a basic aspect of mapping at 7.5 miles. On the other hand, perhaps its a typographical mistake. In this case, the 4 on the miles scale should be a 1. In any event, the Washington Post's typo seems to have permit a bias. By making Quds Street appear 2.5 times longer than it really is, they want to send a message that this project is doomed, and that JAM (the Mahdi) is unbeatable. They are not. The incorrect scale should be about 1.5 miles, which is not a standard. Thus the scale was arbitrary and pulled out of a hat to serve a bias.

The recent attacks in Sadr City have centered around the barrier that U.S. Army engineers are building. The Mahdi Army attacks are hampering progress here on Qods Street, dividing the Ishbilyah and the Habbibiyah neighborhoods, which are controlled by the US and Iraqi military, from the northern neighborhoods. The four goals are: to restrict the movement of weapons and supplies into the southern neighborhoods, prevent the Mahdi Army from using these areas as launch sites for mortar and rocket attacks against the International Zone, establish the writ of the government, and provide humanitarian assistance to Iraqis living in these areas in order to wrest control from the Mahdi Army, according to the Long War Journal. A total of 465 Mahdi Army fighters have been confirmed killed in and around Sadr City since March 25. The Iraqi government has stated that the Sadrist political movement would not be able to participate in upcoming provincial elections if it failed to disband the Mahdi Army.

Terrorist Attack Rise: al Qaeda Kills 2,400 Children

Recruits of Saudi-born Islamic militant Osama bin Laden are seen marching in this frame grab from an undated training video at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.

Graphic source: REUTERS/Stringer (I would imagine this is an AQ photographer. Who else would be allowed inside a training camp to take a picture? Reuters is not going inside.)

Attacks for which al Qaeda claimed responsibility killed or wounded 5,400 civilians, including 2,400 children, and Muslims accounted for more than 50 percent of al Qaeda victims, the center's data showed.

The number of people killed in attacks rose to 22,685, from 20,872 in the previous year, the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center said. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for killing or wounding 5,400 civilians: including 2,400 children, and Muslims accounted for more than 50 percent of al Qaeda victims.

More non-Italians Than Italians In Italy Oppose Mosques

Recently I noted that Italy was plagued by a new appearance of al-Qaeda in an Italian website. Today, one out of three Italians oppose the building of new mosques according to a survey. There are an estimated one million Muslim immigrants in Italy and 258 mosques throughout the country. Rome's Grand Mosque is the biggest mosque in Europe. The survey commissioned by the government and conducted by Italian consultants, Makno Consulting, revealed that 31% of Italians are against the construction of new mosques. The Italians are afraid of intolerance of Catholicism and possible terrorist attacks by Islamists. Interestingly, non-Muslim immigrants showed even less tolerance than their Italian counterparts and 50% of them rejected the idea of opening new mosques. 55% of Italians think that immigration from Islamic countries is the biggest problem. The survey also found that Italians should take precedence over immigrants--legal or illegal0--for social services, schools, nurseries, hospitals and emergency care. Italians desired a greater police presence, a limit on the number of immigrants per classroom in schools, and more frequent checks of mosques, licenses and businesses.

12 Somali Insurgents Killed in American Airstrike

Twelve people have been killed in an air strike by American planes which targeted an Islamist insurgent organisation in Dusamareb, central Somali. Reuters carried a story with a biography of the insurgents killed.

Two commanders of the Islamist militia died in the attack. The air strike targeted senior Shabab and al Qaeda leader Aden Hashi Ayro. In a propaganda audiotape released by Shabab in November 2007, Ayro expressed his wishes of "someday beheading women and children in Addis Ababa." The second commander killed is Fazul Abdullah Mohammad. Fazul is al Qaeda's operations chief responsible for planning the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as the 2002 car bombing attack in Kenya and missile attack on an Israeli airliner.

The insurgents form part of the Somali branch of al-Qaeda. Since being removed ousted by allied Somali and Ethiopian troops, the insurgents have continued guerrilla attacks. The successful strike is the fifth known US-led air strike against al Qaeda operatives in Somalia since the Ethiopian operation to drive the Islamic Courts from power was launched in late December 2006.

Bill Roggio Appears on al-Jazeera and Gets a Word In Edge-wise

Peace talks between the Pakistani government and Taliban rebels have collapsed as the government refused to pull its troops out of its tribal border region with Afghanistan.

Part II of the interview including Bill Roggio in which a Taliban apologist attempts to denounce Bill Roggio. Even the al-Jazeera talking head attempts to intervene on Roggio's behalf.

US troops kill 28 Mahdi fighters in Sadr City

An additional 27 Mahdi Army fighters and a senior Special Groups leader were killed during a series of engagements in the afternoon and throughout the night in Sadr City. The US troops were attacked with rocket propelled grenades and small arms fire as they were building a concrete security barrier in Sadr City to prevent rocket attacks on the Green Zone. US soldiers responded and killed three Mahdi fighters. Ten minutes later, US troops killed seven Mahdi Army fighters as they attacked the soldiers with mortars and machine guns. No US casualties occurred in either incident.

US troops killed another 17 Mahdi Army fighters in a series of engagements throughout the day as they transported weapons, set up rockets for launching, planted roadside bombs, and attacked US troops in Sadr City.

Coalition Special Forces also conducted a daylight strike today inside Sadr City to target a known Iranian-sponsored senior Special Groups leader. The leader was killed.

463 Mahdi Army fighters have been killed in recent fighting.

The unprecedented buildup of forces indicates the Iraqi government and the US military are serious about advancing into Sadr City beyond the southern third of the district being hemmed in by the security barriers being erected.

Sadr City Cleaning Up for Fall Elections

U.S. troops killed six Mahdi Army fighters in a series of engagements, while the Iraqi government reported that 925 have been killed since fighting broke out in Sadr City at the end of March. 435 Mahdi Army fighters have been killed in and around Sadr City since the fighting broke out on March 25. Maliki seems committed against the militias. Clearing the impoverished areas will allow humanitarian groups in, will permit legitimate political activity without the intimidation of an armed group of thugs, and the Fall elections can continue on schedule. The rule of law came to Fallujah in ridding the area of AQ which is happening in Sadr.

وّات قتلوا ستّة مهدي جيش مقاتلات [إين ا سريس وف] إلتزامات, بينما الحكومة [إيرقي] أفاد أنّ قتلت 925 يتلقّى يكون منذ يتنازع [بروك ووت] في [سدر] مدينة في النهاية مارس - آذار. 435 مهدي جيش قتلت مقاتلات يتلقّى يكون في وحول [سدر] مدينة بما أنّ ال يتنازع [بروك ووت] في مارس - آذار 25. [مليكي] يبدو يرتكب ضدّ الميليشيا. سيسمح يخلي المناطق ناضب مجموعة إنسانيّة داخل, سيسمح نشاط شرعيّ سياسيّة دون التخويف من مجموعة مسلّحة سفّاح, والسقوط إنتخابات يستطيع استمرّت على جدول. أتى ال [رول وف لو] إلى [فلّوجه] في يخلّص المنطقة من [أق] أيّ يكون يحدث في [سدر].

Syrian Nuke Nuked

The Syrian reactor bombed by Israel last 6 September had the capacity to produce enough nuclear material to fuel one to two weapons a year according to CIA Director Michael Hayden. It could have produced enough material for at least one weapon. The reactor was of a "similar size and technology" to North Korea's Yongbyon reactor, Hayden said. This is the first we have really heard and seen the Syrian operation from an American view, a development that for the world's sake seems like a good thing to destroy.

28 Mahdi Killed in U.S. Rescue/Ambush

Another heavy-duty day found U.S. troops killed 28 Mahdi fighters during a Sadr City ambush. A four-hour battle in southern Sadr City erupted after a US soldier was wounded by gunfire and U.S. forces began to evacuate the soldier. In a standard tactic used by insurgents, during the evacuation, Mahdi Army fighters triggered three roadside bombs and fired rocket propelled grenades and machineguns at the U.S. patrol. Five more soldiers were wounded in the attacks; none of the soldiers' injuries are reported as life-threatening.

Daily Round-Up

US, Iraqi troops killed 41 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad clashes; there were no U.S. Soldier or ISF casualties in the attack. 11th Iraqi Army Division and MND-B Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, were attacked by a large group of criminals engaging with small-arms fire while manning a security checkpoint. U.S. Soldiers used 120 mm fire from M1A12 Abrams tanks and small-arms fire to kill 22 criminals, forcing remaining enemy forces present to retreat. The criminals’ small-arms fire was ineffective. The same day, US soldiers killed 16 Mahdi Army fighters during a series of engagements in northeastern Baghdad. There were no U.S. casualties. US and Iraqi troops have killed 151 Mahdi Army fighters in northeastern Baghdad since Sadr issued his threat on April 20.

تل [أوس], قوّات [إيرقي] 41 مهدي جيش مقاتلات في بغداد صدامات; هناك كان ما من [أو.س.] جندية أو [إيسف] إصابات في الهجوم. [11ث] [إيرقي] جيش هاجمت تقسيم و [مند-ب] جنديات من [1ست] فرقة, [64ث] درع فوج, [3رد] ماشية تقسيم, يربط إلى [3رد] لواء قتال فريق, [4ث] ماشية تقسيم, كان بمجموعة كبيرة مجرم يشبك مع [سملّ-رمس] نار بينما يجنّد أمن نقطة تفتيش. [أو.س.] استعمل جنديات 120 [مّ] نار من [م112] [أبرمس] دبّابة و [سملّ-رمس] نار أن يقتل 22 مجرم, يجبر [إنمي فورسس] متبقّي حاضر أن ينسحب. المجرم [سملّ-رمس] كان نار غيرفعّال. [ث سم دي], [أوس] قتل جنديات 16 مهدي جيش مقاتلات أثناء [سري] الإلتزامات في بغداد شماليّ شرقيّ. هناك كان ما من [أو.س] إصابات. قد قتل [أوس] وقوّات [إيرقي] 151 مهدي جيش مقاتلات في بغداد شماليّ شرقيّ بما أنّ [سدر] أصدر تهديده في أبريل - نيسان 20.

"Truth Is the First Casualty of Warfare"

Graphic source: BBC

This is what happened today:

"US, Iraqi troops killed 41 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad clashes"

This is how NPR reported this event on "Morning Edition" today.

The statement was: "38 people killed in Iraq in the past 24 hours."

If you had not really listened, or since NPR did not identify who was killed, the unfortunate impression is that any number of random persons were killed, civilians and such, and many listeners would understand that simply more violence occurred. Buried within the story is that many fatalities were in fact, "militants."

On NPR's website, the story was re-written: "In Baghdad, the U.S. military is reporting the deaths of 38 Iraqi militants who launched attacks during a sandstorm."

The Philadelphia Inquirer did not run the story.

The BBC world edition ran: DOZENS KILLED IN BAGHDAD CLASHES, as the headline, in small print, "Thirty-eight Shia militia fighters have been killed in two days of fierce clashes in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the US military has said."

CNN reports the story thusly, "U.S. authorities in Iraq reported more attacks in Baghdad's heavily fortified International Zone Monday following the deaths of 38 militants in battles on Sunday in the eastern section of the city."

In this version, it sounds as if damaging attacks occurred once militants were killed, as if so many were killed and then a counter-offensive followed.

The point I'm trying make here is that news sources are not reporting in a forthright manner. The alternative news sources are scooping the major outlets. Today, you have to look for the news to find a semblance of the truth.

Europol Votes for Jolly 'Ole England

Europol, the European police force, reports that terrorist plots linked to groups in Pakistan had been "almost exclusively focused on the UK." Just last week it was revealed that 15 plots to attack British targets have been foiled in the three years since the London bombings. British authorities said that 203 people had been arrested on suspicion of terror offences in 2007, representing a 30 per cent increase on the previous year. The motivation is attributed to Islam. In contrast, only 201 people were detained in the rest of Europe. French police made 91 arrests.

Pentagon Readying for Catostrophic Plans: and, Drones to Buzz U.S. Citizens

The Pentagon will be prepared by the Fall with the first specially trained task force designed to rapidly respond to a catastrophic attack against the U.S. The unit will consist of between 4,000 and 4,500 people. Interestingly enough, the Pentagon may also use unmanned aerial vehicles over the continental United States. The drones, remotely controlled aircraft, are considered a “critical enabler” that has proved its worth by helping firefighters battle wildfires and border patrol agents protect the northern and southern borders. The Air Force used the Global Hawk unmanned surveillance aircraft during the southern California wildfires last fall.

More Than Tang

Years ago the Universities were tied to the military establishment and they produced harmful chemicals. Then again, there were supposed to be advantages behind the millions poured into the space race. I would hope though for all the money spent there would be more than just Tang. The gaming video application dealing with PTSD from troops in Iraq has civilian applications as well for anyone struggling with a traumatic event.

Coalition Advance in Sadr: Karzai Escapes

US air weapons team killed seven Mahdi Army fighters in Sadr City on Saturday and early Sunday morning. Iraqi and US troops currently control the Ishbilya and Habbibiyah neighborhoods and have walled off these areas to restrict the movement of weapons and supplies. Afghan president Hamid Karzai narrowly escapes assassination after Taliban gunmen attack a military parade he attended in Kabul.

An Iraqi Army soldier used a flashlight to signal cars to turn off their headlights as a sandstorm enveloped central Baghdad, Iraq on Sunday. Militants fired rockets in the heavily guarded Green Zone, taking advantage of the sandstorm that blanketed the Iraqi capital and forced US helicopters and drones, which usually track militant activites, to be grounded.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Graphic source: Khalid Mohammed/AP

وس] [أير وبون] قتل فريق سبعة مهدي جيش مقاتل في [سدر] مدينة على يوم السّبت ومبكّر يوم الأحد صباح. يحتشد عراقيّ و [أوس] حاليّا تحكّم [إيشبيلا] و [هبّيبيه] جوارات ويحوّط من هذا أمنان أن يقيّد الحركة من أسلحة وإمداد تموين. يهرب رئيس [أفغن] حميد [كرزي] بشقّ النّفس إغتيال عقب [تليبن] رجل مسلّح يهاجمون إستعراض عسكريّة هو حضر في كابول.

Daily News

Mohammed Jahim al-Harbuni, an Iraq AQ operational head in Salaheddini, was killed in the Al-Jillam district northeast of Samarra, also killed were 2 Iraqis and 1 Saudi. The U.S. military reported a relative lull in fighting Saturday.

British troops in Afghanistan could hand control of key areas to Afghan forces in Helmand.

محمّد [جهيم] قتلت [أل-هربوني], العراق [أق] رأس عمليّاتيّة في [سلهدّيني], كان في ال [أل-جيلّم] من شمال شرق [سمرّا], أيضا يقتل كانوا 2 عراقيّ و1 [سودي]. ال [أو.س] أفاد جيش خمود نسبيّة في يتنازع يوم السّبت.

قوّات [بريتيش] في أفغانستان استطاع ناولت تحكّم من أمنان أساسيّة إلى قوّات [أفغن] في [هلمند].

"Let the soldiers of this Administration go to hell."

Graphic source: Actualite Internationale

Zawahiri pictured with Osama Bin Laden

On April 18th , a new 15-minute 52- second audio message by Al-Qa’ida's second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri entitled: "Five years after the Invasion of Iraq and Decades of Injustice by the Tyrants" was released. The message is produced by Al-Sahab Media Production Organization, the media wing of Al-Qa'ida organization. The following includes excerpts from the full translation of Al-Zawahiri’s audio message.

"Let the soldiers of this Administration go to hell."

Zawahiri summarizes and associates Americans, Asian colonialism, the French-British mandate, and Truman's decision to deploy atomic weapons. He states: "The age of the Monroe Doctrine, the Opium War, the Sykes-Picot Agreement, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has gone, and the age of rejecting peace, capitulation, and normalization; the age of confronting the invaders in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine, has begun."

The fact that Iraq is central to terrorist aims is clear. He states: ""Iraq today is now the most important arena in which our Muslim nation is waging the battle against the forces of the Crusader-Zionist campaign."

The young should "must transfer their anger to the streets. . . . high schools [are] . . . centers for supporting jihad and resistance." The entire Ummah (Islamic nation) must unite, everyone, including "children," in order "to drive out the Crusader and Jewish invaders from the land of Islam and establish the Islamic state that rules by the Islamic sharia."

Major Political Benchmark Possible

One of the unmistakable indications of counterinsurgency victory, and the recent promotion of Petraeus is a sound indication that events in Iraq have recently gone well, is when the insurgents stand down and join the political process. The Sunnis are formally announcing their intention to rejoin the Maliki government. What seemed unthinkable a year ago, the parties that walked out of Iraq's government have agreed to rejoin, in what could amount to a long-awaited political breakthrough. The necessary military step achieved by Petraeus and the surge allowed sufficient breathing room for the chaotic Iraqi political process to develop in a positive direction. And with this latest political development, the main Sunni Arab bloc, the Accordance Front, said it intended to submit a list of candidates for cabinet positions within days and could be back in Maliki's government soon. Its return has been a major goal of the United States.

Sadr Rebellion Quelled.

In less than a week the Sadr threat to rebel against the Iraqi government and US forces has collapsed. Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army, has called for his fighters to maintain the self-imposed cease-fire. The Maliki government has proved its mettle.

Interview: Not!

I find the indiscretion of a time gap on a resume amusing in this cartoon. Maybe its just me but I think its funny. What not to say in an interview.

Daily Iraq Story

ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) have demonstrated on the streets of Basra over the course of the last month that the rule of the law exists. Basra will be settled soon and this may actually be the tipping point in what continues to be a long struggle, and will persist as such.

A more recent development is the emerging rift within Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda's chief strategist, Ayman Zawahiri, felt compelled to solicit online questions and he responded. In a more than an hour and a half statement, Bin Laden's second-in-command tried to defuse the growing anger in the ranks.

Typical of the rift with AQ circles is the statement of Saudi cleric Salman Awdah who sent an open letter to Bin Laden in September. Awdah condemned violence against innocents and said Al Qaeda was hurting Muslim charities by its purported ties to them.

Along the same lines, the list of defectors is growing. In London this week, former extremists launched the Quilliam Foundation, an organization dedicated to discrediting Al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists.

And finally, the U.S. military could not confirm a report that Izzat Ibrahim al Douri is in custody. Douri was Hussein's right hand man.

And last but not least U.S. troops killed 15 Mahdi Army fighters during clashes in Baghdad. Iraqi security forces captured three Mahdi Army fighters and seized weapons during sweeps in Basrah. Coalition forces killed one al Qaeda operative and detained five during raids north of Mosul. Iraqi troops detained two al Qaeda leaders in Mosul.

Military Historian Weighs In

Military historian General Barry McCaffrey (Ret.) presented the Donald J. Sutherland University Lecture in the Liberal Arts, "Iraq, Foreign Policy and the 2008 Elections," on April 22, 2008.

Sadr Sadder

Iraqi and US military ignore Muqtada al Sadr's threat to conduct a third uprising. US troops killed 15 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad yesterday and have killed 56 fighters since Sadr issued his threat last weekend. General Mohan al Freiji, the chief of the Basrah Operational Commander and leader of the security operation in the province, has issued warrants "for 81 people," The Associated Press reported.

Iraqi forces seized a cache containing more than (1000) mortar rounds of different calibers, explosive equipment, and improvised explosive devices.

Twenty-seven Mahdi Army fighters were killed during clashes in Sadr City and Baghdad on April 20. US troops killed five Mahdi Army fighters in Sadr City and another seven fighters in New Baghdad on April 21. US soldiers killed another fifteen Mahdi Army fighters inside Sadr City on April 22.

Sadrist politicians appear to be working to disband the Mahdi Army and conduct negotiations with the US to end the fighting.

The assassination of Riyad al Nouri, Sadr's brother-in-law and a senior aide in Najaf, continues to spark reports that his death was carried out from within the Sadrist movement. Nouri was pushing for the Sadrist movement to disband the Mahdi Army and US military officers believe he was killed because of his views.

تجاهل عراقية و [أوس] جيش [موقتدا] [أل] [سدر] تهديد أن يوصل ثورة ثالثة. [أوس] قتل قوّات 15 مهدي جيش مقاتل في بغداد بالأمس ويقتل 56 مقاتل بما أنّ [سدر] أصدر تهديده نهاية أسبوع متأخّر. جنرال [موهن] قد أصدر [أل] [فريجي], الرئيس من [بسره] قائد عمليّاتيّة وزعيمة من الأمن عملية في المحافظة, أميات "ل 81 الناس," الصحافة موحّدة يفاد.

على قبض قوّات [إيرقي] مخبأ يحتوي أكثر من (1000) مدفع هاون دورات من العيار مختلفة, تجهيز مادّة متفجّرة, و [إيمبروفيز] أدوات مادّة متفجّرة.

[تونت-سفن] مهدي جيش قتلت مقاتل كان أثناء صدامات في [سدر] مدينة وبغداد في أبريل - نيسان 20. [أوس] قتل قوّات خمسة مهدي جيش مقاتل في [سدر] مدينة وآخر سبعة مقاتل في بغداد جديد في أبريل - نيسان 21. [أوس] قتل جنديات آخر خمسة عشر مهدي جيش مقاتل في [سدر] مدينة في أبريل - نيسان 22.

[سدريست] يظهر سياسيات أن يكون عملت أن يحلّ مهدي جيش وأوصلت مفاوضة مع ال [أوس] أن ينهي ال يتنازع.

يستمرّ الإغتيال من [ريد] [أل] [نووري], [سدر] الصهر ومساعد كبريات في [نجف], أن ينشّط تقرير أنّ موته كان وفيت من ضمن [سدريست] حركة. دفع [نووري] كان ل [سدريست] حركة أن يحلّ مهدي جيش و [أوس] ضابطات عسكريّ يصدقون هو كان قتلت بسبب منظره.

Students Want Gaming

Students Want More Use of Gaming Technology in Schools
Results from annual survey reveal disconnect between students', adults' views on technology in schools
By News Report

Project Tomorrow's fifth annual Speak Up Survey -- which addresses the attitudes and opinions of K-12 students, teachers, parents and school administrators toward the use of technology in education -- reveals this year that online or electronic gaming is one of the technologies that students use most frequently, and that educational gaming is one of the emerging technologies that students would most like to see implemented in their schools. Yet, only one in 10 teachers has adopted gaming as an instructional tool.

Project Tomorrow collected the data through online surveys conducted last fall and verified the results through a series of focus groups and interviews with representative groups of students, educators and parents.

During the past four years of the survey, the technology that students most wanted to see in their classrooms was a personal laptop for each student. For the first time this year, laptops for students also topped the list of teachers' and school leaders' most desired technologies.

However, this year's survey also reports that gaming is now listed by students as a classroom must-have.

In fact, 64 percent of students in grades K-12 say they play online or electronic-based games regularly. On average across all grade levels, students are playing electronic games about eight to 10 hours a week. More than 50 percent of students in grades three through 12 would like to see more educational gaming in their schools -- yet only 19 percent of parents and 15 percent of administrators favor the idea.

"What was really interesting to see in this year's survey is how the pervasiveness of gaming has really taken a stronghold," said Julie Evans, Project Tomorrow's chief executive. "Students are really articulating their interest in gaming, as well as the many benefits educational gaming can provide, such as helping them to learn difficult math concepts. Even the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recognizes the huge potential for gaming technologies (in education)."

Just over half of the students surveyed (51 percent) said they're interested in educational gaming because games make it easier to understand difficult concepts. Fifty percent said gaming would make them more engaged in the subject, 46 percent said they would learn more about the subject, and 44 percent said it would be more interesting to use gaming when practicing math and science problems.

Yet, while more than 50 percent of teachers said they would be interested in learning more about integrating gaming technologies into their teaching and 46 percent would be interested in professional development on this topic, only 11 percent said they are currently incorporating some gaming into their instruction.

What's more, there seems to be a disconnect between what students want from their own education and what the adults in charge think is best.

According to the survey, students' frustration with school filters and firewalls has grown since 2003, with 45 percent of middle and high school students now saying that these tools designed to protect them inhibit their learning. And 40 percent of students in grades six through 12 cite their teacher as an obstacle to their use of technology in school.

As one high school student in a recent focus group told Project Tomorrow, his vision for the ultimate school is one where the teachers and the principal actively seek and regularly include the ideas of students in discussions and planning for all aspects of education -- not just technology.

"This is our future, after all," said the student. "Our ideas should count, too."

Cf. Converge

Clinton Takes PA, No Thanks to the Young

The lowest percentage of voting age blocs, 12% are voters 18-29 years old; the next lowest percentage, 19%, derives from 30-44 year olds; 37% of the 45-59 year old contingent votes; and, 32% of those 60+ years or older voted. Clinton was elected by older, female, working-class, and Catholic voters, all of whom have made up Clinton's base so far.

Daily Round-Up

US and Iraqi forces killed 27 Mahdi Army fighters in Baghdad and captured 40 in Nasariyah as Sadr threatens to withdraw the cease-fire. Coalition forces killed four al Qaeda operatives north of Baqubah and captured 22 suspects in northern Iraq.

Daily Round-Up Iraq & Afghanistan

Graphic source: Khaldoon Zubeir/Getty Images

Iraqi forces cleared out the Hayaniya neighborhood of Basra with little resistance on Saturday. By evening, with Coalition assistance, Basra calmed.

Iraqi soldiers took control of the last bastions of the cleric Moktada al-Sadr’s militia in Basra on Saturday, and Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad strongly endorsed the Iraqi government’s monthlong military operation against the fighters. An Afghan child was killed and two others injured during an insurgent rocket attack near an army base in eastern Kunar province. Afghan soldiers killed four Taliban in Kandahar after thwarting an ambush against their convoy in the Panjwai district.

أخذ جنديات [إيرقي] تحكّم من الحصن متأخّرة من الرجل دين [موكتدا] [أل-سدر] ميليشيا في البصرة في يوم السّبت, وإيران سفيرة إلى بغداد بقوّة ظهر ال [إيرقي] حكومة [مونثلونغ] عملية عسكريّة ضدّ المقاتلات. قتلت طفلة [أفغن] كان واثنان أخرى يجرح أثناء صاروخ متمرّد يهاجم قرب [أرمي بس] في شرفيّة [كونر] محافظة. قتل جنديات [أفغن] أربعة [تليبن] في [كندهر] بعد يثبت كم ضدّ قافلتهم في [بنجوي] من.

Daily Run-Down

Iraqi troops captured 35 "wanted men" during sweeps in Basrah. Iraqi troops have surrounded a Sadrist office in Basrah. Border troops prevented 164 German and Italian-made mines from being smuggled into the country from Iran. US troops captured a Special Groups cell leader in Baghdad's Rashid district. Coalition forces detained 12 al Qaeda operatives during raids near Samarra, Baghdad, and Mosul.

Sadr Bluster Fails

I am going to say the Iraqi move against Sadr was about time. Today, the Iraqi Army, with Coalition advice, moved into the Hayaniyah District in Basra. Although it is too early to tell, this may be the last major military move in Iraq. The way is not easy but the corner on military offensives has certainly been turned now.

Sadr Retreats, al-Maliki Advances

I am beginning to think the al-Maliki government is more than just bluster. The government has pursued Sadr and has been tenacious. No doubt Sadr will claim a victory regardless but it looks like he is losing his grip. His fighters are not following him, he is having the shots called from Iran, and he is on the defensive against the Iraqi government. All told, this is a dramatic turn around from the story just a year ago. Much has gone under the bridge in the meantime.

Brief Daily Summary

Bara bin Malek Front Commander killed in Pakistani shootout. He was a Taliban and behind the 2005 shootdown of a US Army Chinook. Coalition forces killed 9 Taliban in Ghazni. A Coalition UAV team killed 4 Mahdi in Basrah. Iraq's Sunnis have agreed to return to the Shiite-led government of al-Maliki.

AQ leader begs Sunni fighters who joined Americans to come back.

[برا] خانة مالك قائد أماميّة يقتل في [شووتووت] [بكيستني]. هو كان [أتليبن] وخلف ال 2005 [شووتدوون] من [أوس] جيش [شنووك]. إئتلاف قتل قوّات 9 [تليبن] في [غزني]. إئتلاف [أوف] قتل فريق 4 مهدي في [بسره]. العراق قد وافق [سونّيس] أن يرجع إلى ال [شييت-لد] حكومة ال [أل-مليكي]. [أق] يتسوّل زعيم [سونّي] مقاتلات الذي تلاقى [أمريكنس] أن يعاود.

Summary of AQ Degeneration: March - April 2008

Graphic source: The Long War Journal

US and Iraqi forces killed or captured 53 senior members of AQ in Iraq’s network over the past month. The 10 senior AQ leaders include 5 emirs, 3 cell leaders and 2 facilitators. 9 of 10 seniors have been captured, allowing interrogations.

The following data was compiled by the Long War Journal:

• Abd-al-Rahman Ibrahim Jasim Tha’ir: Al Qaeda in Iraq’s Military Emir in Mosul. He was responsible for the planning and execution of operations in the city. He was the former Military Emir of Bayji. Tha’ir was captured on March 2nd.

• Ahmad Husayn Ghanim ‘Ali: Al Qaeda in Iraq's Security Emir for East Mosul. [Captured]

• Abu Mansur: Al Qaeda’s Deputy Emir for Mosul who also served as a judge for al Qaeda’s sharia courts in the city. “His job was to try to cloak their corrupt ideology with religious sanction,” Bergner said. [Killed]

• Muhammad Fathi Hammad Husayn: An al Qaeda cell leader in Sharqat. [Captured]

Senior Al Qaeda in Iraq operatives killed or captured in Baghdad and the Center

• Mahmud ‘Abd-al-Hamid ‘Isa ‘Aaywi: Al Qaeda’s Military Emir for South Karkh. “His operations focused on trying to use car and truck bombs in East and West Rashid, Karrada and Mansour,” Bergner said. [Captured]

• Jasim Najm Khalaf Muhammad: A leader in al Qaeda’s network in Khark. Muhammad was attempting to rebuild al Qaeda’s network in the Baghdad Belts. [Captured]

• Ali Mustashar ‘Ali: An Al Qaeda in Iraq facilitator for car bombs in Baghdad. [Captured]

• Hamid ‘Awayd Muhammad: An Al Qaeda in Iraq facilitator for truck and car bombs in Baghdad. Muhammad was al Qaeda Emir for Anbar province prior to moving operations in Baghdad. [Captured]

• Tu’mah Khalaf Mutar Hassan: An al Qaeda cell leader in Samarra. [Captured]

• Muqdad Ibrahim ‘Abbas Husayn: The Military Emir for Jalam. Husayn coordinated operations with leaders in Tikrit, Samarra, and Mosul. He also facilitated meetings with al Qaeda’s leadership. [Captured]

All the News That's Fit to be Missed

This story is one of those choice matters of material and information that is shaped and framed in certain ways. Major news outlets are deceptively presenting events in Iraq. The story I'm thinking of is The New York Times' Michael Gordon who describes the desertion of an Iraqi company in Sadr City. The story is factually accurate and this is the main focus of the article. The soldier's action, although true, is a serious breach of military discipline. But is it the whole story?

Gordon notes how the Iraqi and U.S. military scrambled to replace the recalcitrant unit, and he mentions how other Iraqi units held, he states they “fought hard.” The import of these minor comments are lost in the bombast of his key point.

This episode was a blow to the American effort to push the Iraqis into the lead in the struggle to wrest control of parts of Sadr City from the Mahdi Army militia and what Americans and Iraqis say are Iranian-backed groups.

Although one company broke, the remainder of the Iraqi Army fought well. But Gordon fails to relate that the broken unit is less experienced and is likely a young brigade from the 11th Division. The 44th Brigade of the 11th Division, which is in Sadr City, went through what is called “Unit Set Fielding”--where a unit is formed and receives its equipment--in December of 2007. The 43rd Brigade went through the training in January of this year. The 11th Division was commissioned to form in November 2007.

Bill Roggio of the stellar Long War Journal points out that we can know which unit broke from the meticulous tracking from the Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle, updated monthly at The Long War Journal. If the Journal can do it, can't the prestigious and seemingly limitless resources of the Times do the same?

The big picture is lost to readers of the Times. What was unthinkable and impossible for Iraqi units to perform in 2006 - 2008, in just three weeks in 2008 when the Iraqi security forces took on the Mahdi Army in Basra, which sparked fighting in Baghdad, the Iraqi Army is 1/3 of the way into Sadr City.

The story of a major accomplishment by the burgeoning Iraqi security forces is missed by readers of the Times. The Times is not telling the truth.

Coalition in Basra

Graphic source: The Long War Journal

The Coalition continues to press insurgents in Basra.