President Bush can quit boasting about cutting the deployments of US troops to Iraq from 15 months to 12 months because at the rate US soldiers are getting KILLED in Iraq there won't be anyone left to rotate back to the United States. (see posts below)
Also, President Bush should have made it clearer that the cut in deployment time DOES NOT apply to those who are currently in Iraq and Afghanistan, but only to those who are sent to Iraq and Afghanistan later this summer.
In the past five years, this former GI has heard some stupid rationalizations for the war in Iraq, but the dumbest crossed my emails a week ago when someone actually tried to prove that there were more military deaths during the Clinton and Carter years than since Bush has been in office.
The person actually had the audacity to trot out a list of year-by-year military casualties from the Clinton and Carter years and then went on to say more military deaths occurred during those years than have happened in the Iraq war.
To compare deaths of military personnel away from a combat area is patently absurd and anyone who ever served ONE DAY in the military would know you can't compare combat deaths with deaths that happen during training or even when a GI is stationed at some military installation out of harms way.
The other most stupid thing we have heard in a long, long time is when someone mentioned we have troops in Germany, Japan and Korea and shouldn't they be pulled out too. To begin with NOT one US soldiers has been KILLED due to combat in Germany, Japan or Korea since the wars ended in those countries over 50 years ago. Nothing could be dumber than trying to compare, again, combat deaths in Iraq to GIs stationed in Germany, Japan or Korea.
We're all for bringing ALL of our troops home, but please don't try to compare troops in Germany, Japan and Korea with troops in a "hot" combat zone like Iraq and Afghanistan.
We started this blog on January 1, 2008 and it is dedicated to the men and women serving in the United States military in Iraq and Afghanistan as the header at the top of the page states.
We search reliable news sources for information about the wars in both theaters of operation and we bring our readers the latest from Iraq and Afghanistan because the mainstream media doesn't report on the wars anymore probably because most editors and reporters never served a day of their life in the uniform of the military of the United States of America, nor do they have a family member who is or was in the military recently.
Our blog, CORKSPHERE, is a big hit according to my stat counter which indicates more than 500 people a day log onto my blog at http://corksphere.blogspot.com/ to read the latest on what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan because they aren't getting the news anywhere else.
As long as there is still one GI caught in the quagmire of Iraq or Afghanistan and taking enemy fire on a daily basis, we will continue to report on events on the ground in both war zones.
That is the very least this veteran can do for the men and women of the United States military.
Bill Corcoran, Fmr. Cpl. (E-4), Squad Ldr, 1st Platoon, United States Army Combat Engineers, Korean War veteran with an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America.
Editor of CORKSPHERE which can be found here: http://corksphere.blogspot.com/
Thursday, April 10, 2008
EDITORIAL COMMENT BY BILL CORCORAN, EDITOR OF CORKSPHERE
THURSDAY IRAQ REPORT: 1 GI KILLED; 68 IRAQIS KILLED; 60 IRAQIS WOUNDED
Fighting in Sadr City has subsided dramatically, but violence still took the lives of 68 Iraqis across Iraq. Almost half of them were found in a mass grave. At least 69 Iraqis were wounded as well.
http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12670
An American soldier was killed during an overnight IED attack in Baghdad, and two U.S. soldiers were wounded in separate events. Also, the U.S. government has shifted focus from calling al-Qaeda groups the biggest threat in Iraq.
The U.S. government is now calling Iranian-backed "special groups" the biggest threat to Iraqi democracy. This despite working closely with a party headed by Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, which is also backed by Iran. Typically, "special groups" refers only to rogue Mahdi army elements being supplied with Iranian weaponry, but other Shi'ite groups also receive help from the neighboring country.
The decades long power struggle between these and other dominant Shi'ite groups is being aggravated by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's targeting of the Mahdi Army.
A mass grave containing 33 bodies was found in Mahmudiyah. The bodies were found together in a house and appear to have been dead for over a year.
In Baghdad, a U.S. airstrike left five dead and four injured in Sadr City in one attack; two boys were among the dead. Another person was killed and four more were wounded in a second bombing. At least two other people were wounded during these or other air strikes. U.S. forces killed 13 suspects across Baghdad yesterday. No casualties were reported after an IED blasted a U.S. patrol. Also, the Iraqi army blockade of Sadr City will end on Saturday.
In other incidents taking place in the capital, one person was killed and four were wounded during a bombing in a central neighborhood. A roadside bomb near al-Shabb Stadium wounded six people. Two police officers were injured during a bombing near Sheik Abdulqadir al-Gailani Shrine. Three people were wounded when shells blasted their home in Bayaa. Also, two dumped bodies were found.
In Mosul, a pair of bombs killed three policemen and a civilian, while wounded 25 civilians. Amortar barrage left 12 people injured. A bomb injured three people elsewhere. Another bomb injured a woman. Also, gunmen killed one civilian and injured his companion.
U.S. and Iraqi forces raided an al-Sadr office in Numaniya and imposed a curfew on the town. Fifteen people were detained.
Gunmen wearing Army uniforms killed two boys in Hawija and wounded their parents.
In Riyadh, security forces freed a hostage and killed his kidnapper.
Two gunmen were killed in Taji during a Coalition raid.
A weapons cache was found in Diwaniya.
A Ministry of Interior representative and his brother were shot to death while traveling through Tikrit.
The head of the Dor Municipal Council survived an assassination attempt.
A Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) member was kidnapped on a highway between Amian and Ismawa then killed.
ABC REPORTS CONDI RICE MICROMANAGED TORTURE OF TERRORIST SUSPECTS FROM BASEMENT OF THE WHITE HOUSE
White House Micromanage torture According to an ABC report, top Bush aides, including Condi Rice, micromanaged the torture of terrorist suspects from the White House basement.
Top Bush aides oversaw torture sessions
Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:51:41
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=51143§ionid=3510203
Discussions on torture were so detailed, that some interrogation sessions were virtually choreographed by a White House advisory group, ABC's sources told reporters in a program aired on Wednesday.
The torture advisory group included then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, then-defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, then-secretary of state Colin Powell, then-CIA director George Tenet and then-attorney general John Ashcroft and Vice President Dick Cheney ABC's sources said.
The advisory group also approved the use of "combined" interrogation techniques -- using different techniques during interrogations, instead of using one method at a time -- on terrorist suspects who proved difficult to break, sources said.
As the national security adviser, Rice chaired the meetings, which took place in the White House Situation Room and were typically attended by most of the principals or their deputies, reports Jan Crawford Greenburg and a text version posted on ABC site by Greenburg, Howard L. Rosenberg and Ariane de Vogue.
Click on link to read full ABC story.
WASHINGTON POST: SWEDEN CLOSING DOORS TO IRAQI REFUGEES
Iraqi Refugees Find Sweden's Doors Closing Immigrants Overtax System, Critics Say
By Mary JordanWashington Post Foreign ServiceThursday, April 10, 2008; A01
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/09/AR2008040904319.html
SODERTALJE, Sweden -- Behind the wheel of his old Ford Escort, Oshin Merzoian puttered happily along snowy streets. Back home in Baghdad, he said, he always drove at crazy speeds to avoid killers and kidnappers.
But here in "Little Baghdad," as this city that has accepted roughly as many Iraqi refugees as the entire United States is called, Merzoian is enjoying the luxuries of living in peace. He doesn't strap on a gun for protection, and he notes that Swedish police worry more about seat belts than roadside bombs.
"Even if they remake Iraq from gold and diamonds, I wouldn't go back," said Merzoian, 31, a computer programmer who said he arrived last year after a 10-day trip hidden in a smuggler's truck with his wife and two young children.
Sweden, which has one of the world's most welcoming refugee policies, has become the new home of 40,000 Iraqis since the war began in 2003. Last year alone, more than 18,000 Iraqi refugees came to Sweden. According to the State Department, the United States has taken in roughly 6,000 Iraqis in programs for refugees and translators.
Sweden's largess dates to World War II, when it was harshly criticized for remaining neutral while its neighbors suffered. But now Swedish officials say they are shouldering too much of the refugee burden and are urgently calling on other countries to do more.
"People are saying: 'Stop it! It's too much,' " said Sodertalje Mayor Anders Lago, who is to testify before the U.S. Congress on Thursday. "We are a small town in a small country. We didn't start the war. It was the United States and Great Britain. They must now take the responsibility for the refugees."
Sodertalje, a city of 83,000 about 18 miles southwest of Stockholm, the capital, was once known mainly as the home town of tennis great Bjorn Borg. Its reputation is now based more on the fact that Swedish people may soon be in the minority.
Lago said 40 percent of residents are foreign-born or the children of immigrants, many of them refugees from conflicts all over the globe. Since the Iraq war began in 2003, about 6,000 Iraqis have settled in this city, almost all of them Christians (Muslims tend to go to other Swedish cities). Iraqis are lured by the large number of compatriots already here and by Sweden's famous social welfare system.
The national government budgets $30,000 to help settle each person granted asylum. It pays for Swedish language classes, helps with housing and job training and pays a monthly allowance for living expenses.
Click on link to read full Washington Post story
ROADSIDE BOMB KILLS US SOLDIER IN BAGHDAD: 18 US DEATHS SINCE SUNDAY
Perhaps President Bush, Vice President Cheney, General Petraeus and FOX NEWS should explain to everyone AGAIN how well the "surge" is working in Baghdad. A roadside bomb killed a US soldier on Thursday bringing the total US deaths since Sunday to 18.
Roadside Bomb Kills US Soldier in Iraq
11 hours ago
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGpvzP4ms8uIMfzxJp9b7eK-LhFAD8VUSJOO0
BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military says an American soldier has been killed by a roadside bomb in central Baghdad.
An improvised explosive device struck the soldier's vehicle during operations on Wednesday, the military said.
Thursday's announcement raises to 18 the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq since Sunday.
STAGGERING LIST OF INCIDENTS IN IRAQ IN PAST 48 HOURS: PLUS DETAILED ACCOUNT OF ALL CASUALTIES
It is just beyone comprehension that President Bush, Vice President Cheney, General Petraeus and FOX NEWS can claim things are improving in IRAQ when the following list of incidents took place in IRAQ over the past 48 hours. For further details click on the part in "blue." Also, we have a total breakdown of casualties from the Iraq war.
SOURCE: http://icasualties.org/oif/(khef0h3tagkyl345s00f3znx)/Default.aspx
News Current Time in Baghdad: 10:15:52 PM04/10/08 UPI: Three die in Mosul car blasts
Two car bombs targeting checkpoints in Mosul, Iraq, exploded, killing three people and injuring as many as 30 others, U.S. military officials said.
04/10/08 doncasterfreepress: Amputee soldier takes on the slopes
Sergeant Mick Brennan, 28, a former pupil of North Border Comprehensive School in Harworth, lost both of his legs when a car bomb exploded when he was working as part of a bomb disposal squad in Baghdad in 2004.
04/10/08 Reuters: Roadside bomb kills one civilian and wounds 4 others
A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol, killing one civilian and wounding four, including two policemen, in central Baghdad, police said.
04/10/08 Reuters: Roadside bomb wounds 3 policemen, 3 civilians in central Baghdad
A roadside bomb wounded six people, including three policemen, on patrol near al-Shaab National Stadium in central Baghdad, police said.
04/10/08 Reuters: U.S. soldier wounded by IED attack
A U.S. vehicle in Sadr City, eastern Baghdad, was struck by an improvised explosive device on Wednesday night and one U.S. soldier was wounded, the U.S. military said.
04/10/08 Reuters: U.S. Soldiers kill person at checkpoint in Sadr City
U.S. soldiers manning a checkpoint in Sadr City, eastern Baghdad, with Iraqi police killed one person on Wednesday when they were attacked by small-arms fire, the U.S. military said.
04/10/08 Reuters: U.S. soldiers kill 4 people in northwestern Baghdad
U.S. soldiers killed four people in two different locations in northwestern Baghdad after they were attacked with small-arms fire late on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.
04/10/08 Reuters: Gunmen in army uniforms attacked home in Hawija
In the town of Hawija near Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, gunmen wearing army uniforms attacked a house, killing two boys and wounding the mother and father.
04/10/08 Reuters: U.S. soldier wounded by RPG
A U.S. fighting vehicle took a rocket-propelled grenade round in northwestern Baghdad on Wednesday night, wounding one U.S. soldier, the U.S. military said.
04/10/08 AFP: US air strikes kill six in Baghdad Shiiite bastion
Two US air strikes in Baghdad's embattled Sadr City district on Thursday killed six people as fighting raged for a fifth straight day between Shiite militiamen and security forces, officials said.
04/09/08 turnto23: Soldier Injured By IED Awaits Test Results
Army Specialist Matthew McCool is in a military hospital in Palo Alto and is undergoing testing for his brain injury suffered while on tour in Iraq. McCool 's family said he is doing well and they are waiting for a prognosis...
04/09/08 TheNation: Iraq's Ruined Library Soldiers On
Five years ago this month, US troops stood by as looters sacked the Iraq National Library and Archives (INLA)--one of the oldest and most used in the world. In Arab countries the old expression was "Cairo writes, Beirut publishes, and Baghdad reads."
04/09/08 AP: US commander says he will not request fresh troop buildup for Ira
America's war commander in Iraq says he is unlikely to endorse any fresh buildup of troops even if security in the country should deteriorate, a signal that the limits of the U.S. military have been reached for now.
04/09/08 AP: Military strained by suicides, long deployments
U.S. soldiers are committing suicide at record levels, young officers are abandoning their military careers, and the heavy use of forces in Iraq has made it harder for the military to fight conflicts that could arise elsewhere.
04/09/08 theaustralian: Super sniper kills six Brits in Basra
SIX British soldiers serving in Iraq were killed by the same Western-made rifle within three months last year, an inquest was told yesterday.
04/09/08 whnt: Soldier Killed in Green Zone had Huntsville Ties
Scott lived for the Army and lived for running. Sunday, he took a jog with a buddy in Baghdad's Green Zone. But he didn't expect to be attacked. "He had just got off work. Which is normal. He went for a normal run with a friend which is normal," ...
04/09/08 MCT: Iraqi detainees languish uncharged in crowded jails
Barefoot in his yellow jumpsuit, the young detainee's eyes welled up as he described in a shaking voice how he landed in an Iraqi army detention facility on the outskirts of Baghdad.
04/09/08 Reuters: Blockade on Iraq's Sadr City to be lifted Saturday
A two-week old ban on vehicles in Baghdad's eastern Shiite slum of Sadr City will be lifted on Saturday, the Iraqi military said on Wednesday.
04/09/08 MNF: Iraqi Police checkpoint attacked, 3 killed, 33 wounded
An Iraqi Police checkpoint was attacked by two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, killing three IPs in Mosul, April 9.
04/09/08 AP: AP photographer granted Iraqi amnesty
An Iraqi judicial committee has dismissed terrorism-related allegations against Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein and ordered him released nearly two years after he was detained by the U.S. military.
04/09/08 Reuters: 23 people killed, 83 injured in Sadr City
23 people were killed and 83 injured in the eastern Baghdad slum of Sadr City on Wednesday, Iraqi security sources said.
04/09/08 Reuters: Gunmen kill civilians and policeman near Kirkuk
Gunmen killed a civilian in Tal al-Hadeed village near Kirkuk, 250 km north of Baghdad, police said...Gunmen killed a policeman and a civilian in Tuz Khurmato, south of Kirkuk, police said.
04/09/08 Reuters: Car bombs kill 3 policemen, 1 civilian in Mosul
Two successive car bombs killed three policemen and a civilian and wounded 20 people including three policemen when they targeted a police patrol in central Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
04/09/08 Reuters: Two bodies found in Baghdad on Wednesday
Two unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad on Wednesday, police said.
04/09/08 AP: Violence kills 16 in Iraq's Sadr City
Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen clashed Wednesday in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, where attacks killed 16 people on the fifth anniversary of the U.S. capture of the capital.
04/09/08 AFP: Australia offers residence to Iraqis who helped troops
Australia said Wednesday it would offer permanent residence to hundreds of Iraqi employees when Canberra pulls its combat forces out of the strife-torn country later this year.
04/09/08 AP: More assaults reported
A woman who worked as a paramedic for a contractor in Iraq has testified she was raped in February by a soldier and co-worker. The assault on Dawn Leamon came a little more than a month after Congress began investigating other similar assaults.
04/09/08 AFP: Top Qaeda militant arrested in western Iraq
Iraqi police on Wednesday arrested a senior militant and close aide of Al-Qaeda in Iraq chief Abu Ayyub al-Masri in western Iraq's Anbar province, the provincial police chief said.
04/09/08 AP: 7 killed in blast in Baghdad's Sadr City
Seven people died in Baghdad's Sadr City as clashes between security forces and Shiite militiamen continued in the capital on Wednesday, the fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.
04/09/08 AFP: Soldiers' mothers lose bid for Iraq inquiry
The House Of Lords Wednesday rejected a bid by the mothers of two soldiers killed in Iraq to force the government to hold a public inquiry into Britain's involvement in the conflict.
04/09/08 Reuters/AFP: 'Children killed' in Baghdad mortar attacks
Three mortar rounds have slammed into Baghdad's Shiite bastion of Sadr City, killing at least seven people and wounding 24 others, Iraqi officials said. "Two of the seven killed are children less than five years old,"...
04/09/08 AP: Baghdad anniversary curfew fails to stop violence
At least a dozen people were killed in Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City despite a partial curfew to stop Wednesday's fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad being marked in blood.
04/09/08 Reuters: Roadside bombs wound 17 in Tuz
Two roadside bombs exploded on Tuesday in the town of Tuz, 70 km (40 miles) south of Kirkuk, wounding 17 Iraqis, the U.S. military said.
04/09/08 Reuters: Mortar fire kills 1, wounds 4 in Dhuluiya
A mortar shell landed on a house in Dhuluiya, 70 km (45 miles) north of Baghdad overnight, killing a woman and wounding her four sons, police said.
04/09/08 Reuters: Body found in Kirkuk
Iraqi police found a body hand-cuffed and riddled with bullets east of the northern city of Kirkuk on Tuesday.
Notes
Latest Military Fatality Date: Apr 09, 2008
Total Fatalities since May 1, 2003: 4169March 20th through May 1st: 140
Hostile US Fatalities Since May 1, 2003: 3191
Hostile Fatalities Since May 1, 2003: 3396
US deaths since July 22, 2003: 3795(the deaths of Odai & Qusai Hussein)
US deaths since July 2, 2003: 3825(Pres. Bush announces, "Bring Them On")
Total Hostile Fatalities since December 13, 2003: 3156(Saddam Hussein is captured)
Coalition Deaths Since January 30, 2005: 2743(First Nationwide election since the toppling of Saddam Hussein
Coalition Deaths Since December 15, 2005: 1985(General election to elect a permanent Iraqi National Assembly)
Coalition Deaths Since June 7, 2006: 1626(Death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi)
Estimate of Iraqi Deaths Since February 22, 2006: 39271(Al Askari Mosque bombing)
Estimate of Iraqi Deaths Since April 22, 2006 36902(al-Maliki tapped as Iraq's prime minister designate)
Estimate of Iraqi Deaths Since June 7, 2006 35313(Death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi)
12 NAMES OF GIS KILLED IN IRAQ: 5 STILL PENDING DOD CONFIRMATION
U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD:
4027
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation:
5
Total
4032
DoD Confirmation List CLICK ON PART IN "BLUE" FOR MORE DETAILS
Latest Coalition Fatality: Apr 09, 2008
04/10/08 MNF: Coalition force Soldier attacked by IED
A Coalition force Soldier was killed when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle during convoy operations in central Baghdad April 9.
04/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Maj. Mark E. Rosenberg, 32, of Miami Lakes, Fla., died April 8 in Baghdad, Iraq of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment...
04/09/08 MNF: MND-B Soldier dies of non-combat related cause Multi-National Division
A Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldier died from non-combat related injuries at approximately 6:30 a.m. April 9.
04/09/08 MNF: MND-N Soldier attacked by IED (Salah ad Din Province)
A Multi-National Division – North Soldier was killed in an improvised explosive device attack in Salah ad Din Province, April 9.
04/09/08 MNF: MND-B Soldier attacked by IED
A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device attack at approximately 2 p.m. in northeastern Baghdad.
04/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Sgt. Timothy M. Smith, 25, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., died April 7 in Baghdad, Iraq of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team..
04/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 2)
Sgt. Michael T. Lilly, 23, of Boise, Idaho...died April 7 in Sadr City, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked using a rocket propelled grenade. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
04/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 2)
Spc. Jason C. Kazarick, 30, of Oakmont, Pa...died April 7 in Sadr City, Iraq, when enemy forces attacked using a rocket propelled grenade. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.
04/09/08 MNF: MND-C Soldier attacked by IED
A Multi-National Division - Center Soldier was killed in an improvised explosive device attack while conducting operations east of Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom April 8.
04/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Jeremiah E. McNeal, 23, of Norfolk, Va., died April 6 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 237th Engineer Company, 276th Engineer Battalion...
04/09/08 MNF: MND-B Soldier dies of non-combat related cause
A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died from non-combat related injuries at approximately 5:30 a.m. April 9. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.
04/10/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Jeffery L. Hartley, 25, of Hempstead, Texas, died April 8 in Kharguliah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery Regiment...
04/10/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Jeremiah C. Hughes, 26, of Jacksonville, Fla., died April 9 in Balad Iraq, of injuries sustained in a non-combat related incident in Abu Gharab, Iraq. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Stryker)...
NAMES AND DETAILS OF US CASUALTIES IN IRAQ: PLUS LIST OF 13 ACTS OF VIOLENCE IN BAGHDAD THURSDAY
Here is a list of names of the latest casualties from the Iraq war followed by a breakdown of violence all across Iraq on Thursday.
Source: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/
CASUALTY REPORTS: Click on "BLUE" for more details
Staff Sgt. Brian Moore, a New Hampshire National Guard member from West Topsham, Vt., was hospitalized after an attack on a base in Iraq. Fourteen soldiers from the 237th Military Police Company were wounded in the attack on Camp Rustamiyah in southeastern Baghdad on Sunday. Brian Moore sustained a severe concussion when he was thrown into a cement wall by the force of the blast, according to his brother. He was also treated for wounds to his back caused by shrapnel from the explosion. While Moore initially lost feeling in his lower body, he now has sensation in all his limbs and is making a full recovery, his brother said.
U.S. Army Sgt. John Borders was engaged in a routine security patrol On January 5, 2006, about an hour and a half outside of Taji, Iraq. An improvised explosive devise went off under the driver's side of the Humvee that Borders was driving. The vehicle was blown apart. Borders landed, critically injured, in a grimy canal. He suffered from burns, a lacerated liver, lung contusions and multiple shrapnel injuries. Nearly all his bones were broken, said his father-in-law, John Lovill. Since then, Borders has had more than 50 surgeries, including one to remove his right leg.
MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier in a roadside bombing in an northeastern neighborhood of Baghdad on Wednesday, April 9th. No other details were released.
MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier in a non-combat related injuries on Wednesday, April 9th. No other details or the location of death were released.
MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Coalition force Soldier in a roadside bombing in an central neighborhood of Baghdad on Wednesday, April 9th. No other details were released.The U.S. Air Force is reporting the death of an Airman in combat operations near Forward Operating Base Poliwoda, Balad, Iraq on Wednesday, April 9th. No other details were released. We assume this to be a death previously unreleased by CENTCOM.
ED. NOTE: ALL THIRTEEN (13) OF THESE INCIDENTS TOOK PLACE IN THE CITY OF BAGHDAD WHICH GENERAL PETRAEUS, REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE JOHN MCCAAIN AND FOX NEWS IS TELLING PEOPLE IS FREE OF VIOLENCE.
Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: At least four people have been killed in a US raid in Baghdad's Shia stronghold of Sadr City amid fresh fighting between Shia fighters and Iraqi security forces. Six people were also wounded in the air raid after midnight near the Al-Albaith mosque.
#2: In one incident, a combined US-Iraqi checkpoint was attacked from a nearby rooftop by small arms fire and troops retaliated, killing one of the attackers, a military statement said.
#3: Another four fighters were killed when troops retaliated after they were attacked with rocket-propelled grenades at a checkpoint.
#4: while a air raid on Wednesday night killed four armed men after they attacked Iraqi troops.
#5: The U.S. military said four gunmen were killed late Wednesday by Hellfire missiles targeting a group of men who firing at troops putting up concrete barriers around a checkpoint. However, police who declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said two of those killed in the attack were brothers aged seven and nine.
#6: General Qassim Atta, spokesman for the Baghdad operations, said in a statement that the Iraqi forces killed three militants in Azamiya district, while three Iraqi police were also killed. #7: US helicopters continued Thursday to strike the Sadr City, witnesses told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa. Loud explosions could be heard in Sadr City, a stronghold of the Mahdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, which has been encircled by US and Iraqi troops since March 25. Intensive attacks were reported occurring Wednesday and lasting until the early hours of Thursday. There however was no word as to the number of casualties.US military carries out air strikes in Sadr city, northwest Baghdad, and Shoala, northeast Baghdad around dawn Thursday. No casualties report was available at the time of publication.
#8: A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol, killing one civilian and wounding four, including two policemen, in central Baghdad, police said.
#9: A roadside bomb wounded six people, including three policemen, on patrol near al-Shaab National Stadium in central Baghdad, police said.
#10: A U.S. fighting vehicle took a rocket-propelled grenade round in northwestern Baghdad on Wednesday night, wounding one U.S. soldier, the U.S. military said.
#11: A U.S. vehicle in Sadr City, eastern Baghdad, was struck by an improvised explosive device on Wednesday night and one U.S. soldier was wounded, the U.S. military said.
#12: An IED targeted a US military convoy on the main route from Baghdad al-Jadeeda to Sadr city at 3 am Thursday. No casualties were reported.
#13: A roadside bomb targeted a police patrol near Sheik Abdulqadir al-Gailani Shrine, downtown Baghdad wounding 2 policemen and destroying their vehicle.
ELSEWHERE IN IRAQ CHAOS AND VIOLENCE CONTINUES
Tuz Khormato:#1: Gunmen assassinated the Ministry of Interior's representative in the Directorate of Police in Tuz Khormatu, 110 km to the east of Tikrit. He was driving in the city centre with one of his relatives when gunmen opened fire upon the vehicle killing both the MOI representative and his relative at around 9.30 pm Wednesday.
Dor:#1: Head of the Municipal Council of Dor, 160 km to the north of Baghdad survived an assassination attempt as a roadside bomb targeted his car when he drove to work at 9.30 this morning.Hawija:#1: In one incident, militants wearing police uniforms attacked a house in Kirkuk's Howija area in the early hours of Thursday. Two brothers were killed and their father was wounded in the attack, police sources said.In the town of Hawija near Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, gunmen wearing army uniforms attacked a house, killing two boys and wounding the mother and father.
Kirkuk:#1: A police officer and his nephew were killed when militants attacked them on their way to work in Jamila district in Kirkuk.#2: Another civilian was killed when militants open fire at him near his house in Rashad area, southern Kirkuk, police said.
Mosul:#1: Two car bombs targeting checkpoints in Mosul, Iraq, exploded, killing three people and injuring as many as 30 others, U.S. military officials said. In the Mosul bombings, officials told CNN a police truck was destroyed and two buildings were set on fire because of the bombings aimed at police checkpoints.
Afghanistan:#1: A suicide attack on a NATO convoy killed eight civilians and wounded 22 others today in southern Afghanistan, an official said. The car bomber blew himself up shortly after a NATO convoy passed near him in Kandahar city, said provincial police chief Sayed Agha Saqib. No NATO troops were wounded in the blast, he said. The 22 wounded included two policemen and seven people who were in serious condition, Saqib said.
MILITARY MOM SAYS SHE WAS BRUTALLY RAPED IN IRAQ
Military Mom Says She Was Brutally Raped in Iraq
Dawn Leamon, Who Alleges She Was Raped by Two Men, Told Her Story on Capitol Hill
By MADDY SAUER
April 9, 2008—
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4618275&page=1
Yet another woman has come forward saying she was brutally raped in Iraq while working for the U.S. contractor Kellogg Brown Root (KBR).
Dawn Leamon, who has two sons on active duty, says she was raped earlier this year by a U.S. soldier and a KBR colleague.
She will tell her horrific story to members of Congress today at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Leamon says that following her rape, she spoke with a woman at the KBR Employee Assistance Program. "She discouraged me from reporting, saying, 'You know what will happen if you do,'" Leamon said.
Leamon says KBR then assigned full-time security guards to her which gave her no privacy to talk about the incident, and her movements around camp were restricted, yet her attackers' movements were unrestricted.
"KBR did little or nothing to restore my sense of safety after I reported being raped," said Leamon.
KBR release a statement today saying, "Ms. Leamon's allegations are currently under investigation by the appropriate law enforcement authorities. Therefore, KBR cannot comment on specifics of the allegations or investigation. The safety and security of all employees remains KBR's top priority. Any allegation of sexual harassment or assault is taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. As such, Ms. Leamon's allegations have been referred to law enforcement authorities and are being investigated accordingly."
Also at today's hearing, for the first time the Department of Justice is slated to answer questions on the investigation and prosecution of alleged sex crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan. No one has yet been charged in Leamon's case.
Last December, the department declined to send an official to testify before the House Judiciary Committee hearing on law enforcement efforts to protect U.S. contractors in Iraq. The hearing featured testimony by Jamie Leigh Jones, a young Texan woman who also says she was gang-raped while working for KBR in Iraq.
BREAKING NEWS: US AIR STRIKES KILL IRAQI CITIZENS THURSDAY
In a continuing effort to "win the hearts and minds" of the Iraqi people, the US Air Force has again killed four more Iraqi citizens and wounded six others with air strikes in the Sadr City district of Baghdad on Thursday.
More Iraqis killed in US airstrikes Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:00:39
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=51040§ionid=351020201
A fresh US air strike has left at least four people dead and six others wounded in Baghdad's Sadr City district, Iraqi officials say. The air strike just after midnight was near Al-Albaith mosque in the centre of Sadr City, the stronghold of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Police say that two of the dead were brothers aged seven and nine. The Mahdi Army and Iraqi forces along with US troops have been involved in fierce clashes since March 25 after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered a security crackdown in the southern city of Basra. Some of the Iraqi cities have seen numerous US air and ground strikes since March 25. Scores of civilians including women and children were killed during the strikes.
NEWS ALERT: 2 US SOLDIERS KILLED IN BAGHDAD THURSDAY
Two more US soldiers were killed in Iraq on Thusday bringing the total for the month of April to 30 deaths of Americans in just ten days---or an average of THREE DEATHS a day.
Baghdad, Apr 10, (VOI)- Two U.S. soldiers were killed in two separate incidents in Baghdad and Salah el-Din, the U.S. army said on Thursday.
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq Thursday , 10 /04 /2008 Time 10:52:53
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=75902&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1
“A Multi-National Division – North Soldier was killed in an improvised explosive device attack in Salah ad Din Province, April 9,” the U.S. army said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).“A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device attack at approximately 2 p.m. in northeastern Baghdad,” the army said in another statement.
The deaths bring to 4030 the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the beginning of military operations in March 2003. 18 U.S. soldiers have so far been killed in April.Of this number, 38 were killed last month, 29 killed in February, while 40 were killed in January 2008.December 2007 saw the death of 23, thus becoming the month with the second lowest number of U.S. fatalities after February 2004 during which 20 soldiers were killed.November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, remains the month that witnessed the highest U.S. death toll with 137.April 2004 comes second with 135, followed by May 2007 during which 126 U.S. soldiers were killed.
MILITARY STRAINED BY SUICIDES, LONG DEPLOYMENTS
President Bush will try to pull a fast one today and say he is cutting the amount of time for military people in Iraq and Afghanistan from 15 months to 12 months, but what he won't be telling the American public is this order does not apply to those military people already in Iraq and Afghanistan. The order will apply ONLY to those going to Iraq or Afghanistan for the FIRST time.
Editorial comment by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE
Military strained by suicides, long deployments
Problems are undermining the health and readiness of the troops
The Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24036546/
WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers are committing suicide at record levels, young officers are abandoning their military careers, and the heavy use of forces in Iraq has made it harder for the military to fight conflicts that could arise elsewhere.
Unprecedented strains on the nation's all-volunteer military are threatening the health and readiness of the troops.
While the spotlight Wednesday was on congressional hearings with the U.S. ambassador and commanding general for Iraq, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody was in a hearing room explaining how troops and their families are being taxed by long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the prospect of future years of conflict in the global war on terror.
"That marathon has become an enduring relay and our soldiers continue to run — and at the double time," Cody said. "Does this exhaust the body and mind of those in the race, and those who are ever present on the sidelines, cheering their every step? Yes. Has it broken the will of the soldier? No."
And it's not just the people that are facing strains.
Equipment is wearing outMilitary depots have been working in high gear to repair or rebuild hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment — from radios to vehicles to weapons — that are being overused and worn out in harsh battlefield conditions. The Defense Department has asked for $46.5 billion in this year's war budget to repair and replace equipment damaged or destroyed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army and the Marine Corps have been forced to take equipment from non-deployed units and from pre-positioned stocks to meet needs of those in combat — meaning troops at home can't train on the equipment.
National Guard units have only an average of 61 percent of the equipment needed to be ready for disasters or attacks on the U.S., Missouri Democrat Ike Skelton lamented at Wednesday's hearing of the House Armed Services Committee.
Cody and his Marine counterpart, Gen. Robert Magnus, told the committee they're not sure their forces could handle a new conflict if one came along.
An annual Pentagon report this year found there was a significant risk that the U.S. military could not quickly and fully respond to another outbreak elsewhere in the world. The classified risk assessment concluded that long battlefield tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with persistent terrorist activity and other threats, are to blame.
The review grades the armed services' ability to meet the demands of the nation's military strategy — which would include fighting the current wars as well any potential outbreaks in places such as North Korea, Iran, Lebanon or China.
Similarly, a 400-page January report by the independent Commission on the National Guard and Reserves found the force isn't ready for a catastrophic chemical, biological or nuclear attack on this country, and National Guard forces don't have the equipment or training they need for the job.
Strain on individuals has been repeatedly documented.
Recruiting is more difficultIt contributes to the difficulty in getting other Americans to join the volunteer military. The Army struggles to find enough recruits each year and to keep career soldiers.
