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Manning The Post
History As It Happened
Monday, March 07, 2022 |
Putin Will Lose, Here's Why
The Bush administration has made clear it wants Israel to stay out of an Iraq war so as not to provoke Arab and Muslim countries assisting the United States. But that won't stop Israel's weaponry and arms technology from being used against Iraqis. ...
Iraqi forces might be on the receiving end of Israeli technology in several scenarios.
Here is a good Strategy Page Article on why there is so much resistance going on in previously taken towns. Scatter a few loyalists around the towns to conduct ops, and it looks like a big guerilla movement.
Maybe this will give the 4th to do when they finally arrive in Kuwait.
Posted
by Nick ( http://arrogantrants.blogspot.com/ ) |
Permalink |
Sunday, March 23, 2003 |
Streaming Al-Jazeera
Little Green Footballs has a link to continuous streaming video from al-Jazeera (Windows Media, broadband needed). Apparently, you don't have to wait long for the video of American POWs to show up, though I haven't seen it so far. Lots of video from Iraq, and interviews with Iraqi military.
Some good news: The Command Post is becoming very, very popular ... and we know Blogger has been slow at times since last night. SO, Michele and I are exploring registering a domain name and hosting the site on a non-Blogspot server as you read this. We'll keep you posted.
Thanks again for everyone's efforts.
UPDATE: Also, we've received very gracious offers for free server space, etc. It looks like we'll be all set, but thank you for this ... we're amazed at how much everyone wants to help.
From Ha’aretz: “…Two of the prisoners, including a woman, appeared to be wounded. One was lying on the floor on a rug. …
…The prisoners were questioned on air and gave their names, military identification numbers and home towns. …
…The first prisoner shown gave his name as Miller and said he was from Kansas. …
…Asked why he had come to Iraq he replied: "Because I was told to come here. I was just under orders. I was told to shoot - only if I'm shot at. I don't want to kill anybody."
On the main road running across the plain, burned-out Iraqi vehicles were still smoldering on Sunday afternoon, and charred ribs were the only recognizable part of three melted bodies in a destroyed car lying in the roadside dust.
"It wasn't even a fair fight. I don't know why they don't just surrender," said Colonel Mark Hildenbrand, commander of the 937th Engineer Group.
"When you're playing soccer at home, 3-2 is a fair score, but here it's more like 119-0," he said, adding that the Iraqi sport utility vehicles (SUVs) stood no chance against tanks.
"You can't put an SUV with a machine gun up against an M1 tank -- it's heinous for the SUV," Hildenbrand said.
Indeed.
"I feel nothing but sorrow for these people," Hildenbrand said as he toured the hideout. "This war is against one man, it's not against the Iraqi people. I just wish they would surrender so we could get it over with."
The contrast between Hildenbrand's attitude and the mindset of a regime that would put these people out as cannon fodder--not to mention murder prisoners and parade the bodies on television--is striking. It should shame anyone who claims there is a moral equivalence between the American and Iraqi regimes. It won't; but it should.
According to what shown on Israeli channel 2 the video was broadcast by Al Jazeera but the microphone in the video says Iraqi TV. So it looks like it was originally taped by the Iraqis and given to Al Jazeera to be broadcast. I think it is being broadcast all over the world by now except for the US.
According to this WaPo story, Russian companies have been selling military items such as anti-tank missiles, night-vision goggles, and satellite jamming equipment to Iraq. Reps of at least one Russian company were seen in Iraq last week instructing Iraqis on the use and maintenance of satellite jamming equipment. The US has expressed its displeasure with this activity at increasingly higher levels since last June. Yet the Russians continue to deny and ignore even when given specific info.
Al-Jazeera is "independent" a la the BBC, but is based in and funded by ally Qatar. If they are violating the Geneva Convention and other international laws, our STATE DEPARTMENT should immediately demand Qatar to force Al-Jazeera to stop.
(sorry to rant, but...
Sunday, March 23, 2003 |
Heavy fighting by the Euphrates; American casualties; Iraqis using human shields
CNN reports a battle between U.S. marines and the Republican Guard near Nasiriyah near the Euphrates, after the RG attempted to ambush an American convoy.
Unsurprisingly, Iraqis seem to be using Palestinian tactics:
Earlier, soldiers on reconnaissance missions reported that they had seen members of the Iraqi Republican Guard herd Iraqi women and children to military positions for use as human shields, a U.S. military source told Rodgers, who is accompanying the 7th Cavalry's 3rd Squadron.
Through Israeli channel 2: Al Jazeera video shows 4 soldiers, man 31 y/o from New Jersey, woman 30, from Texas and another man from Texas. 2 of them are from 507 maintenance unit.
Some of them are injured.
The captured soldiers told their names, age, state, army number and unit.
FoxNews is saying military initial response is that likely it is US POWs, possibly from 507th Maintenance Company out of Ft. Bliss, TX. The executed were shot in the head. The interrogations on camera were a violation of the Geneva Convention Article 13.
Fox News is talking about the video purportedly showing the captured US POWs, which FoxNews is thus far choosing not to show. There's speculation about whether they're really Americans, but it seems likely. Also, as reported before, some may have been killed/executed. The reporters keep noting that the mistreatment and interviewing are "against the Geneva convention", which would be true, but as another military analyst said, "It's Iraq. They don't care about the Geneva convention."
As far as being a propoganda tool, it may work in the Arab countries but it will have the opposite effect in the Western countries.
This kind of thing is a part of war. All we as civilians can do at this point is pray for the POWs and do all we can to make the military success more assured and swift.
UPDATE: At least five in custody, according to Al Jazeera, including at least one woman. Two of the "POWs" are saying they're from Kansas and Texas. The Pentagon has not confirmed the capture yet.
Sunday, March 23, 2003 |
Israelis consider lowering alert
In light of the American capture of the only airfields from which Iraq could have fired SCUDs at Israel, the Israeli government is considering lowering the nationwide alert status.
Listening to Russert's show and I'm hearing that they've got unconfirmed reports that the American POWs mentioned here may have been summarily executed.
(Um. I see WindRider beat me to this one. Can't argue with his headline.)
Sunday, March 23, 2003 |
Must have been after some BIG ones...
Fox News TV reporting that U.S. Navy SEALs have found Iraqi fishing boats "packed with" "very powerful mines" -- about ten. A few days back, they found a couple of tugboats with a total of 87 mines on them. I wonder what the Geneva Convention says on this topic...
I just heard George Stephanopoulos begin an interview by saying, "It does seem like the coalition has had a lot of bad news in the last 24 hours."
Now, while it's true that we've had some bad news, it seems to me that, considering we're in the middle of a war, that we've had amazingly little bad news.
From the first, the U.S. assault force was designed to be fast and lean -- which means it is too small to simultaneously carry out both an invasion and an occupation, dropping off units in each town as it proceeds. And while the outbreak of civil strife is a concern, because of its effect on Iraqi civilians and the image it projects to the rest of the world, officials said they are determined not to allow it to distract the invasion force from its mission.
Good.
"Follow-on forces will be arriving to deal with security eventually, but we're just not going to slow down our combat force," a Defense Department official said. There has been no indication of when those reinforcements might arrive to begin peacekeeping operations.
"You can't have it both ways," said another Pentagon insider. "You have to win the war quickly -- and you can't move fast enough if you are infusing authority along the way." He echoed the view that the violence might help the U.S. military if it targets the secret police and other elements of the regime that might otherwise be able to fight the invasion.
Jobe said he reminded his forces that their job will get harder the longer it goes on, and that it could culminate in a difficult siege of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. But that hasn't stopped many of his charges from referring to their procession north as the "Baghdad 500."
Rummy Speaks: On MTP Rumsfeld just stated that 1) he was aware of no mising paratroopers, 2) that there is possibly a plane missing, and 3) that there "could be" coalition troops in Iraqi hands. He also noted that some journalists are missing.
Excellent piece by Bob Woodward in today's WaPo: Attack Was 48 Hours Old When It 'Began'. It paints a picture of a thoughtful, flexible, and bold war planning effort.
Military analyst on FoxNews: Intel indicates that Saddam and his two sons were all in the bunker hit Wednesday night, and that Saddam was injured. They don't know for sure how badly injured, but the allied forces have seen no evidence that the top Iraqi military commanders have been in contact with the forces on the ground.
A lot of that isn't new info, but just think about the strike on Wednesday night - it was an amazing feat; it was right on the money, just (apparently) not hard enough. We almost destroyed the Iraqi military command in one blow, and we did wing it, possibly quite badly. It will be interesting to read the whole story, whenever it eventually comes out.
According to a military analyst on Fox: Apparently what happened... the Tornado either did not have or did not have working their IFF (Identification Friend or Foe). There was an unidentifiable blip on the radar, efforts to identify it came up empty, so they brought it down.
"We on the bus felt that we were sympathetic to the views of the Iraqi civilians, even though we didn't actually know any. The group was less interested in standing up for their rights than protesting against the US and UK governments.
I was shocked when I first met a pro-war Iraqi in Baghdad - a taxi driver taking me back to my hotel late at night. I explained that I was American and said, as we shields always did, "Bush bad, war bad, Iraq good". He looked at me with an expression of incredulity.
As he realised I was serious, he slowed down and started to speak in broken English about the evils of Saddam's regime. Until then I had only heard the President spoken of with respect, but now this guy was telling me how all of Iraq's oil money went into Saddam's pocket and that if you opposed him politically he would kill your whole family."
A two-pronged “pincer” assault on the Iraqi capital appeared to be taking shape following the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers toward a showdown with Saddam Hussein’s best units, the Republican Guards, now dug in around the capital.
"Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the vice director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon news conference that the Iraqis have not fired any Scuds and that U.S. forces searching airfields in the far western desert of Iraq have uncovered no missiles or launchers."
Sunday, March 23, 2003 |
Yet another reason for war
605 Kuwaiti POWs who have been missing for 12 years now. Plus, as I said in a previous post, one American. If we find him alive and sane, what do we tell him about the delay in his rescue?
On that sombre note, it's Midnight here in Oz, and I'm going to Kip.
Airstrike went in near, rather than directly on, the centre of enemy concentration. White flags now being seen.
Enemy no longer offering resistance, and POWs are being rounded up.
From the looks of it, it's just possible that there may have been no casualties on either side. Certainly no friendlies.
Bravo Zulu (Manouver Well Executed)
But that multi-story building will never be the same again.
There may of course be others. This may have to be repeated a few times.
Fox News military analyst says our forces are being "too cautious" in part due to the embedded media, that what we're seeing is a straightforward skirmish action and that there should've been an air strike called in to end this a long time ago. Not sure if he means that the commander of the forces on camera in Umm Qasr is showing off for the camera, that our forces don't want to risk killing on TV, or what. But an interesting observation nonetheless.
This is surreal, but Fox is split-screen right now, with the feed from Umm Qasr on one the right and a press conference featuring the bloviating minister of information rambling about the heroic resistance of the heroes at Umm Qasr on the left. He's also claiming that after 4 days the allies have only moved 50 meters into Iraq (Umm Qasr is on the Kuwaiti border). Allied timing is off just a bit -- an airstrike is rumored for the holdouts in Umm Qasr, and the juxtaposition of the airstrike with the ministers words would have been... poetic.
Update: Now he's praising the fragging.
Update 2: Now he's claiming that attacks on Basra, Nasriyah, etc. have been repulsed. Five minutes ago he was claiming that coalition troops have yet to cross the border into Iraq.
The USMC M1A1 (I got a good look this time) tanks have withdrawn at speed, along with the convoy. Commentators are talking about an airstrike very soon.
Sunday, March 23, 2003 |
PATRIOT DOWNS BRIT PLANE?
The BBC story I posted earlier has now been updated to include the rumor/report RAF aircraft 'hit by US missile', confirming(?) the reports below on TV reportage.
I'm still skeptical. Why would they fire Patriots at an airplane? What about our IFF (Identify Friend or Foe) equipment?
Channel 7 anchorman Pete Wilson had it close to right when he segued from Iraq coverage to protest coverage and said, "Of course, San Francisco manages to make this about itself."
Sure, there were plenty of people in the streets who care deeply about what happens elsewhere in the world. But as protesters' behavior got worse, it was clear it was about them.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
RAF Aircraft Lost in Blue-on-Blue
According to official spokesmen, it looks like a US Patriot battery shot down the RAF aircraft that's been reported missing. Systems are now being looked at to prevent a repeat. Shit happens in war - but any such error should happen at most once.
My sympathies to the families, the squadron, and also to the guys who did the firing. They must feel like shit at the moment. (I apologise for the language, but I reserve it for such occasions.)
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Um Qasr Mop Up (Live on TV)
Some US Marines, supported by what appears to be 2 British Challenger II Tanks (but could be US M1A2s if I've got the ID wrong) is on MNBC and other channels (see previous posts) doing some mopping-up. A convoy has just arrived, passing through the area.
Latest report: a Republican Guard Officer is civilian clothes captured earlier reports some 120 hostiles in the area. The threat is in 3 regions: a) a bunker or bunker complex which appears to have been neutralised though not occupied, b) a single well-built 3 or 4-story structure which took a few 120mm rounds plus much 40mm AGL (Auto Grenade Launcher) rounds and much other fire, and from which no fire has appeared since and c) A large factory or warehouse complex, with thin walls.
120 hostiles is no longer a mop-up, it's an engagement. Worth an airstrike or an artillery stonk, and I'm glad I'm not handling the insurance on those buildings. Hopefully, with the sight of the "reinforcements" who are actually just passers-by, white flags will start flying soon. If not, the burial detail will be busy, and a lot of Iraqi widows and orphans will be created. So let's hope they see sense, I really don't want to watch a snuff flick.
As for the Marines - they're acting with professional caution, and although in War nothing is certain, I doubt that there will be any friendly military casualties. The only ones at risk are the camera team, who are putting themselves in an exposed position, ie where they'll draw fire if anyone will.
And the Tanks - Challenger IIs - have got some of the heaviest armour of any MBT in service. Even from the side, there's little that would be a major threat, and nothing the Iraqis appear to have available. But they're not taking chances either.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
DRUDGE HOURS AND HOURS BEHIND:
Nothing on the DRUDGE REPORT that wasn't on the Command Post and elsewhere hours ago. The top half of the page is devoted to an Oscar party. Unbelievable.
Alan checking in ... the site looks absolutely fantastic. Michele was spot-on with her earlier compliments, as well as her reminders -- while we have had a couple of emails noting that the "voice of the site" was starting to move away from cutting-edge news and toward rants and self-links, overall the response has been overwhelmingly positive. Thanks for keeping The Command Post a constant source of the freshest news about the war out there (IMHO).
In other news, I'm playing with some ideas for how we can use the traffic of this site (and of our own blogs, should we choose) to do some good. One idea is to post links to existing charities. Another is to begin our own effort, and I've been thinking about establishing a way to collect donations toward the education of children of American soldiers killed in Iraq. Just a thought, but I've taken it so far as to speak with an attorney and CPA about the possibilities. If anyone has any thoughts or opinions on this, I'd welcome them either in the feedback or via email to avocare at comcast dot net.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Al Qeda in South America
. . . bin Laden spent three days in 1995 in the tri-border area where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay meet and where several Middle Eastern terrorist groups are known to be active. . . . American and regional intelligence officials contend the region is first and foremost a financing hub for the Shiite Lebanese group Hezbollah and to a lesser extent for Sunni groups like Hamas and the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.
. . . an Egyptian called El Said Hassan Ali Mokhles has been sitting in a jail in Montevideo, Uruguay, for the past four years, awaiting a decision by the country's Supreme Court on an Egyptian extradition request. Cairo claims that he participated in a 1997 attack on tourists in Luxor that killed 58 people and that he spent 18 months in a training camp in Afghanistan run by Al Qaeda
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
CNN stealing Fox coverage
CNN is copying, without attribution, video of Fox's sister Sky News live reporting of British firefight in Umm Qasr trying to protect incoming convoy of US tanks. CNN refers to source, David Bowden, only as a "British pool reporter". MSNBC is copying video with proper credit to Sky News.
I know it's a late notice (sorry!) but I was talking to Michele about this and she gave me the ok to post about it:
A group called the Free Republic is organizing a Rally for America in Times Square today (3/23) starting at noon. According to the digital flyer, if you're interested in getting updates about the rally, the group has set up a dedicated number (917-387-8865) that will give you a pre-recorded message update. Just letting you all know...
THE coalition says it has taken the port town of Umm Qasr, although forces were facing semi-organised resistance from Iraqi troops in civilian clothes. "We're seeing onesies and twosies popping up and shooting at us," said Colonel Larry Brown. "Someone will pop up over a berm and fire an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) and run away like hell." The sniping has not caused any casualties.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
3rd Infantry going strong
The Washington Post reports that the 3rd Infantry Division has had, "one good fight," and, well, that's about it really. 150 miles, one skirmish, and one mortar fired at them. That's about it.
Here's Fisk's latest explanation of why war's bad. Read it if you can. I got about half way through the third paragraph. Personally, I already knew war was bad. It's just that some things are worse.
Uruklink the official Iraqi ISP is 101'ing (connection timeout). As Salam Pax uses it for updating his blog, he'll be off-line. My Best Wishes go out to him and his family and friends, and I hope that the US Military-Industrialist complex continues to retain its fantastic record of superb quality control and inhuman accuracy. I dips me lid to all those working on JDAM, PAVE TACK, and various AGMs etc, and to the people who've been delivering them so accurately.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Another human shield recants
This guy has the guts to admit he was wrong. Like several other naive peaceniks, he was enlightened by Iraqis.
. . . . We just sat, listening, our mouths open wide. Jake, one of the others, just kept saying, "Oh my God" as the driver described the horrors of the regime. Jake was so shocked at how naive he had been. We all were. It hadn't occurred to anyone that the Iraqis might actually be pro-war . . . . Perhaps the most crushing thing we learned was that most ordinary Iraqis thought Saddam Hussein had paid us to come to protest in Iraq. Although we explained that this was categorically not the case, I don't think he believed us. Later he asked me: "Really, how much did Saddam pay you to come?"
Newsday has a particularly interesting report about the current situation in Baghdad. I was struck by the stuff coming out of the Information Ministry though.
But top Iraqis were, if anything, even more vehement than ever in asserting that not only was the regime holding steady, but also that the Iraqi military was more than bearing the brunt of the American and British attacks around the country.
"In Umm Qasr, the fighting is fierce and we have inflicted many damages," Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf told reporters. "The stupid enemy, the Americans and British, failed completely. They're not making any penetration."
In fact, according to reporters with coalition troops in the southern port, most of the town is under British and American control.
Every similar report of coalition advances or Iraqi troops surrendering was also rubbish, he said: Iraqi divisions reported to have surrendered were in fact fighting bravely; American tanks were being destroyed; the town of Nassariya was not in coalition hands; Iraqi militia fighters were driving the invading forces back; there were "thousands of casualties among American troops."
Encountered by chance at lunchtime, the uniformed Information Ministry spokesman Uday al-Taie had barely sat down before he called across a restaurant to a table of reporters.
"We have got two American pilots," he said, angrily. "They are in Baghdad. They thought it was going to be a picnic with cream cakes and crates of Pepsi but you will see -- they will be slaughtered."
When asked later, he brushed aside a request to see or interview the two allegedly captured American pilots. American and British military spokesmen said that none of their aircraft have so far been hit by enemy fire.
I'm beginning to think that either the Minister of Information or Minister of Defense will be taken into custody by U.S. troops while giving a press conference explaining that the coalition doesn't have troops within a hundred miles of Baghdad.
. . . . as a lone candle flickered in a tent at Camp Commando near the Iraqi border, one of four Jewish soldiers at the evening Sabbath service began to cry when Rabbi Irving Elson put his hands on his shoulders and prayed. “Be strong and of courage and trust in the Lord,” Rabbi Elson said, quoting from the Book of Joshua.
There are between 5000 and 8000 Jews in the US military, and about 1500 now in the Gulf. Jewish organizations have organized to provide them with chaplains (there are 4) and kosher-for-Pesach food. Rabbi Elson, who has been traveling throughout the Kuwaiti desert the last few weeks to conduct weekday and Sabbath services for the Jewish soldiers, described the services last Sabbath as “awesome.”
Saddam Hussein is thought to have needed a blood transfusion after being seriously wounded in the first wave of cruise missile attacks, according to a British intelligence briefing.
British prime minister Tony Blair's War Cabinet was told in the special 40-minute briefing of the injuries suffered by Saddam when his bunker was hit on Wednesday night.
His son, Uday, is also thought to have been badly hurt and may be dead. According to Britain's Sunday Telegraph, American officials claimed that another of Saddam's relatives, Ali Hassan al-Majid - known as Chemical Ali for his involvement the infamous 1988 Halabja chemical weapons attacks - had been killed.
"Saddam Hussein was so badly injured he needed a blood transfusion," an official told the newspaper. "Unfortunately, he was not critically injured. We think he is still alive. We also think his son Uday was killed or badly injured in the attack."
A Muslim-American soldier has been apprehended under suspicion that he was responsible for the grenade attack within a rear base camp of the 101st Airborne Division in Kuwait, Sky News reports. 13 soldiers were injured in the attack.
Taken right from LGF, Some info on the Terror Wars thats going on in our own house:
"We are not Americans," he shouted. "We are Muslims. [The U.S.] is going to deport and attack us! It is us vs. them! Truth against falsehood! The colonizers and masters against the oppressed, and we will burn down the master's house!"
Posted
by Nick ( http://arrogantrants.blogspot.com/ ) |
Permalink |
Howard seems to have left his ultra-brief speaking notes (written on hotel notepaper) at the lectern after he gave a controversial press conference last week in the Kiwi capital Wellington, linking the campaign against Iraq with the Bali bombings. And this is what the PM, who famously shuns speechwriters and typically speaks off the cuff, wrote down: "Disarming Iraq is part of the wider war vs terror, because of Iraqi's past and ongoing support for terrorists. If Iraq is not disarmed there cd be more terrorist attacks like Bali or worse (worse sharply underlined)". So frightfully simple.
Not to be compared with Blair's razor-sharp intellectual analysis, nor even Bush's simple homespun call-to-arms. Just the simple truth.
"Disarming Iraq is part of the wider war vs terror, because of Iraqi's past and ongoing support for terrorists. If Iraq is not disarmed there cd be more terrorist attacks like Bali or worse ".
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Iraq Information Minister refuses to answer questions about Saddam
From the New York Times (of all places)...scroll to bottom of article:
Today, attempts by reporters to gain some elucidation met with a blank wall. At a news conference, an American reporter asked when Mr. Hussein would be making another address on the war to the Iraqi people.
"Next!" the information minister, Muhammad Said al-Sahhaf, said sharply, beckoning to another reporter for a new question.
Moments later, a different reporter tried again. Had the minister seen Mr. Hussein in person at any time in the last few days?
"Next! Next!" Mr. Sahhaf replied, still more testily, then demanded: "Please ask something reasonable."
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Why The Old Media is Useless
This is the huge headline at Boston.Com, the Boston Globe's "continuously" updated website:
"Baghdad Ravaged by Bombardment". One of the story's first paragraph reads..."Warplanes targeted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's palace on the banks of the River Tigris, government and military targets and other symbols of his rule. The precise scale of Iraqi fatalities from the bombing and the hostilities was not clear."
There are still 600 Kuwaitis missing, believed captured, by the Saddam regime during the 1991 contretemps. Their release, or an accounting for them, should have been one of the non-negotiable demands of the cease-fire.
"Asalamu Alikum Wa Rahmatu Allah Wa Barakatu,
I always thought (and still think) it's a great idea to join the US ground forces for a simple reason: they're all getting shipped off to the Middle East for FREE! So, you go there, free, with US equipment and weapons, yada yada yada, then when you get there, you change sides and fight the kufar! After changing your uniform of course! And while you're at it, you can sabotage some of their stuff from the inside! "
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Iraqis and Americans To Rally
There is an Iraqi-American on Fox reporting that there is going to be a rally tomorrow at the Lincoln Memorial made up of Iraqis and Americans who support the military action taking place. I didn't catch the specific time, but it sounds like something that should get some press. This gentlemen has family there and he is looking forward to seeing his country being liberated.
dateline NBC is showing some "objectivity." They just ran a bleak piece about the economy post-war. The concern? People might learn how to "live lean" and not bother to pick up spending after the war is over.
I think they're spinning in a different direction than fox or cnn.
Courtesy of Bargarz, PBS has an interesting article about Free Iraqi Forces now training in the USA. Given that there's 4 million refugees from Saddam, that's about 15% of the Iraqi population, there isn't likely to be a shortage of volunteers. This is how we'll deal with the Werewolves in the cities - we won't, the Iraqis will.
The several hundred people who showed up get signed up with the Titan Corporation, a private contractor providing interpreters for the military, sign a personal services contract with or become a term employee of the military, join the reserves or in one of the most popular options, join the Free Iraqi Forces, or FIF.
MAN: You'd be in uniform in a free Iraq... a special Free Iraqi Force uniform.
ELIZABETH BRACKETT: The Pentagon says nearly 1,000 Iraqi-Americans have already been sent to Hungary for a four-week army training course for FIF fighters.
Someone in the Puzzle Palace* is thinking long-term, and is smarter-than-the-average-bear.
* As the Pentagon is known to those who work within it... even some Aussies have been known to call it that.
Just a quick remark : as I've often found when telecommuting from Australia to Europe, the time-zone differece can really work for you. CommandPost is a 24-hour service, with shifts in the US, Australia and the UK each taking about 8 hours. This wasn't planned, it just self-organised. Call it the Coalition of the Willing, you see a job that needs doing, and do it..
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Armed masked thugs attack major American cities
Even Justin Raimondo is seriously fed up with the antiwar protesters.
Masked thugs stopped cars, and tried to drag people out. These "peaceful" protesters had quite an array of weapons: stun guns, crowbars, brass knuckles, and other instruments of mayhem were confiscated from arrested demonstrators. They deliberately blocked streets, tied up the entire city for 8 hours, broke windows, threw rocks, and wreaked havoc, acting like the hooligans they are. Some of them wore masks, demonstrating that they are also cowards. News crews were assaulted with spraypaint, rocks, and other objects.
A milder version of these tactics were replicated in Chicago, Washington, D.C., New York City, and elsewhere, but San Francisco was, naturally, the worst. Over 1,000 people were arrested in the City by the Bay, but most were, unfortunately, released. Shouting their defiance – "We’ll be back! We’ll be back!" – they are still out there, as I write [10:00 PM, March 20], moving in groups from intersection to intersection, creating as much chaos as possible. They are organized, they are violent, and they are nuts.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Shock and Awe downgraded?
Jim Micklashefki (I know that's not right) on NBC now reports that Baghdad is relatively quiet tonight because "Shock and Awe" has been downgraded today, with only 500 missiles being fired throughout the country.
Question: What do you call a "downgraded" Shock and Awe? Sudden Jolt and Mild Astonishment? Suggestions?
NBC also had some eerie video of the car bomb explosion that killed the journalists.
More evidence of a link between Al Qeada and Iraq, via the Ricin in Paris
Posted
by Nick ( http://arrogantrants.blogspot.com/ ) |
Permalink |
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
The Werewolf Principle
One thing about Saddam Hussein: he is ( or rather, was ) a student of history. In talking with many Iraqi refugees here in Australia over the years, I was always struck by the similarity of methods between Saddam and Stalin.
In the military area, Saddam appears to have learnt two distinct lessons: Firstly, that Stalingrad managed to destroy an entire German Army: and secondly, the use of Werewolves as a weapon of war.
Of course, the Werewolf Nazi Resistance Movement was an abject failure, but expect to see attacks by people out of uniform over the coming few days at least. Probably weeks, possibly much longer. And the Coalition has also learnt a lot about MOUT ( Military Operations in Urban Terrain ). The first rule of which is not to engage in them if we don't have to. Remember, the war has 3 objectives. The first is to get rid of Iraq's WMD capability. This can be accomplished by occupying the country, and confining any resistance to small areas, like cities. We don't need them, providing we can get supplies to the populace. The second is to get rid of Saddam's regime, and Saddam and his sons. This may well have been accomplished on Day 1, we'll see. The third is to make a reasonably humane, democratic and stable regime in Iraq. This won't be done overnight, and will require both a "Hearts and Minds" and de-Ba'athification campaign, a la Germany in 45-48.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
What's going on at Camp Pennsy?
Shep on FoxNews is reporting that one soldier is missing there, a search is going on for him, and the two translators who were suspected have been located. The report seemed to indicate that there is confusion about precisely what happened, that the missing soldier may be involved and the two translators may not be. Very confusing.
UPDATE: Okay, I misunderstood. Now he's saying, the two translators threw in the grenades and opened up with small arms fire. They're in custody, the soldier is still missing.
UPDATE: Back to the original story - from Stuart Ramsey at Camp Pennsy, it could be the missing soldier, and the two translators are "accounted for", which seems to indicate not in custody.
UPDATE: Ramsey said the info on the soldier says he was guarding some materiel, that some of that is missing as is the officer, who may or may not be involved. Ramsey is reporting the information based on listening to the two-way radio he has that is keying in on conversations by the military there.
Missing British TV reporter Terry Lloyd and two of his news crew may have been hit in crossfire from coalition forces in Iraq, it has been reported.[...]
The Ministry of Defence has said it is possible the crew got caught in crossfire between coalition forces and Iraqis.
MoD sources have said the ITN group had gone through several checkpoints where they had been warned to turn back but instead they chose to carry on.
[Emphasis mine.] They ended up in the midst of a firefight between coalition tanks and Iraqi forces.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Don't Expect This To Last Just 100 Hours
In his radio address, the President was working to set expectations about how long this will take:
A campaign on harsh terrain in a vast country could be longer and more difficult than some have predicted. And helping Iraqis achieve a united, stable, and free country will require our sustained commitment. Yet, whatever is required of us, we will carry out all the duties we have accepted.
Fox News confirmed 10 wounded, six seriously; one or two terrorists apparently infiltrated the camp, the reporter said. The unit is US 101 Airborne in Camp Pennsylvania; most of the unit is apparently already in Iraq. They're not sure yet if the one(s) responsible have been caught.
UPDATE: Stuart Ramsey of Sky News is at Camp Pennsylvania; he reports on Fox News that it was two Kuwaiti or Arab nationals. They threw the explosive device into the command tent. A medical evacuation helicopter has arrived to take the injured away. Ramsey says the terrorists may have been in the translation staff used by the unit, and were wearing camouflage uniforms. It's unknown if the terrorists were caught, got away or were injured in the attack.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Rather on grenade attack
Dan Rather just broke in on the NCAA tourney to say that someone threw grenades into those officers' tents (referred to below in John's post); 8 are injured, four seriously.
Three people were martyred in Baghdad last night and we are preparing for more deaths because the situation is developing rapidly," Iraqi Health Minister Umeed Midhat Mubarak told a news conference.
Baghdad is a big city. Coalition forces have been bombing the bejeezus out of it for three days. Shock and awe, and all that. And we have killed only three civilians? I knew our "brilliant bombs" were good; I had no idea they were that good.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
media critical of shock&awe show
At the afternoon Pentagon briefing, media reporters expressed disappointment that the Shock & Awe Show was much less spectacular than expected, apparently having concluded in advance that the unilateral coalition's goal was to give the world a fireworks display rivaling Epcot. Military leaders took pains to translate their remarks to a lower grade level trying to explain that 'shock & awe' should be viewed as perceived by its intended recipients as opposed to casual remote spectators.
The Department of Defense announced today the identities of four U.S. Marines killed in a CH-46E helicopter crash on March 20 in Kuwait. Killed were:
Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, of Waterville, Maine
Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, of Bloomington, Ill.
Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, of Houston, Texas
Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Watersbey, 29, of Baltimore, Md.
Aubin was assigned to the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron - 1, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz. Beaupre, Kennedy and Watersbey were assigned to the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron - 268, 3d Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif.
The Pentagon Comms. Director just made a great point: that the burning of oil in trenches around Baghdad is not about air defense, it's about creating dramatic images that make our targeting process look less accurate than it is. And I think she may be right.
Several newsies annoyed that Pentagon warns against non embedded newsies roaming the battlefield. It's dangerous, especially if you go between our forces and Iraqi forces, according to Pentagon.
Others annoyed that we will not tell them exactly where we are or what route we're taking to Baghdad.
Even though he wanted more time for inspections, Blix said yesterday that he didn't know if he could ever be sure that Iraq wasn't hiding the illegal missiles. "I could not guarantee that we would come to clear conclusions even after some months more," he said
If this sentence doesn't sum up the stupidity of the UN weapons inspections, I don't know what does.
"We have a bad impression of the human shields. Some of them are crazy," said an Iraqi Foreign Ministry official, who requested anonymity. "Yes, there are some fruitcakes among us," said Marc Eubanks, a Wyoming native and Air Force veteran who now lives in Athens, Greece. He was referring to some anarchists, who he said could provoke major culture clashes with Iraqi officials at joint meetings.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
Greek universities encourage antiwar protests
A four-hour nationwide strike called in opposition to the war brought Greece to a standstill,with schools and universities closed to allow students to protest. [emphasis mine - JW ]
Well I see that Fox is now down to using ex Captains as expert commentators. No offense to Capt Custer formerly of the 101st Airborne, he seems OK, but I was a Major in Airborne Ranger forces. I suppose I'd better saddle up and get on down to LZ Fox.
On 4/17 New Yorker reporter Jon Lee Anderson (in Baghdad at the time) reported:
Later, in a situation without minders or translators, I told a man who is highly placed in Baghdad that I had seen trenches and foxholes on the road to Kut, and he laughed. That was just to keep people busy doing things, he said. It was obvious that the regime did not intend to defend anything but Baghdad itself. The Republican Guard and the Special Republican Guard had been pulled to Baghdad from the south and the north and had been dispersed throughout the city, in civilian areas. This seemed like a foolhardy policy to him, but there it was. “If everything else is gone,” he said, “then why fight for Baghdad? What is the point in that?”
Reuters Raw Iraq Video: Reuters has launched a free streaming video feed online that shows raw war-related footage such as government briefings and footage from on the ground in Iraq -- including battlefield images. The service is free, although Reuters plans to charge for it eventually.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
That woul be embarrassing (And so was my initial spelling in this headline.)
Bad roads and falling asleep at the wheel are listed as two of the biggest threats to journalists and soldiers alike in this story. (Warning, the font size is like pt. 6 on this page.
Fox is reporting the Pentagon is saying that the four presumed KIA from the Third Infantry are, in fact, wounded. Also, an embed with the Marines reported that two Navy Corpmen stepped on a mine, with limb loss. Marine aviation landed under fire to extract them.
The Pentagon has released the names of the two Marines killed in action Friday: 2nd Lt. Therrel Childers, 30, of Harrison, Miss. and Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, of Los Angeles. They were assigned to the 5th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
CNN Clarifies The Air War
CNN's pentagon correspondent is reporting that the coalition has flown 2,000 missions, 1,000 of which have been combat missions. Also saying we are in the middle of a 3-4 day campaign against fixed targets with the intention of getting the Iraqi regime to capitulate. If they don't by then, the air war will shift to Iraqi combat forces.
A top-secret U.S. intelligence operation, working in Baghdad weeks before the war, provided the crucial targeting information for the attack on Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, which may have killed Saddam's son Qusay, administration officials said...the "most important" information was obtained by a small group of Delta Force operatives who infiltrated a fiber optic communication center in Baghdad, compromising its communications... "They were able to triangulate phone calls and determine their point of origin," this source said.
Saturday, March 22, 2003 |
More on the captured Americans
According to a Russian television network and Hizballah Al-Manar TV station the Iraqis have captured at least 3 Americans after they parachuted in West Iraq near the Syrian border. (NFC - Hebrew link)
