NEWSWEEK: DRESSED TO KILL IN IRAQ: PROFILE OF FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBERS

Dressed to Kill
Why the number of female suicide bombers is rising in Iraq.

Farhana Ali
Special Guest Columnist
Updated: 12:16 PM ET Jul 30, 2008
http://www.newsweek.com/id/149531

Muslim female suicide bombers are on the rise. Even before women attackers claimed dozens of lives in Monday's coordinated attacks on Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad and political protesters in Kirkuk, women had carried out more than 20 missions in Iraq this year—the most violent one yet for the women of Al Qaeda. But for those of us who have studied the phenomenon, the assaults should not come as a surprise.

For almost 10 years, we have warned that women would start playing a more aggressive role in groups like Al Qaeda. As more men are captured or killed by security forces worldwide, it was inevitable that terror groups would consider other options to keep their cause alive.

Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, the Al Qaeda in Iraq leader notorious for his videotaped beheading of a foreign captive, may have been one of the first to recruit women, but his death in 2006 hardly brought the drive to an end.

From 2003 to 2006, the rate of female suicide bombers in Iraq was relatively low—five attacks in three years. But in 2007, the increase was exponential. And by the end of this year, there will likely be 50 or more attacks conducted by women mujahidaat in Iraq.

Female fighters are hardly new; Muslim women have proved adept and astute warriors since the birth of Islam in seventh-century Arabia. That, however, fails to answer the question about why modern women—the givers of life—are willing to commit suicide for their cause. Many non-Muslims believe that men choose this course for religious reasons, in the hope that 72 virginal houris will greet them as martyrs in paradise.

Women, however, do not choose suicide for reasons of faith or feminism. Too few Western scholars acknowledge that women conduct acts of violence to protect their men, country and future generations.

While much is unknown about suicidal mujahidaat, there is no doubt that many choose this course to avenge the loss of male family members—especially their sons. A simpler argument revolves around the word "protest."

Women in Iraq today are either using violence to protest the loss of their society or the loss of their country to an occupation they don't believe in. Recall that the first two female bombers in March 2003, who detonated themselves days after U.S. forces entered Baghdad, declared on television that their primary motive was to protect Iraq from a foreign invader.

Continue reading NEWSWEEK story here: http://www.newsweek.com/id/149531

WASHINGTON POST: WHAT BUSH DIDN'T TELL AMERICANS ABOUT IRAQ TROOP DEPLOYMENTS

President Bush stepped into the Rose Garden this morning to make what was called a major announcement about Iraq.

What it boiled down to is deployment of troops to Iraq will have their tours cut from 15 months to 12 months.

WHAT BUSH DIDN'T SAY IS THAT THE 160,000 TROOPS NOW IN IRAQ WILL STILL HAVE TO SERVE 15 MONTHS.

Bush Says Stability in Iraq Allows for Shorter Deployments

By Dan EggenWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, July 31, 2008; 10:24 AM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/31/AR2008073100609.html

President Bush declared today that the gains in Iraq had reached "a degree of durability" allowing shortened military deployments and possibly leading to further U.S. reductions this fall.

"We are now in our third consecutive month with reduced violence levels holding steady," Bush said in a statement delivered outside the Oval Office, moments before he flew to West Virginia to give a speech on energy.

Bush also noted that the Pentagon today is beginning a new policy that will shorten Iraq troop deployments from 15 to 12 months "to relieve the burden on our forces and it will make life easier for our wonderful military families."

The shortened deployment schedule does not apply to troops already in Iraq, but only those who are headed there, officials said.

HILARIOUS VIDEO FROM AIR AMERICA ON JOHN MCCAIN

The mainstream media is "in the tank" for John McCain, but Air America isn't.

Air America has released this video which captures the true essence of John McCain and what he stands for:

http://www.youtube.com/v/mgF39TRCPPE&hl=en&fs=1

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in center of picture to activate video.

CNN REPORTS: $580 MILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS WASTED ON IRAQ REBUILDING PROJECTS

Report: U.S. 'wasted' $560 million on Iraq repairs

Story Highlights
Special inspector general says poor security led to damaged facilities
Government "did not fully anticipate ... unstable working environment," report says
It reflects some optimism about improved conditions, increases in oil money
2008 oil revenues could exceed $70 billion, report says

From Joe Sterling and Adam Levine CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/30/iraq.reconstruction/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States has "wasted" more than half a billion dollars in Iraq repairing facilities that were damaged because of poor security, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction says in a report released Wednesday.

Stuart Bowen's quarterly report arrived at a price tag of $560 million by tallying the results of more than 100 audits his office has conducted.

Further billions had to be diverted from reconstruction to security because the Bush administration did not adequately foresee how volatile Iraq would be when it began rebuilding the country, the report says.

"The U.S. government did not fully anticipate or plan for the unstable working environment that faced U.S. managers when reconstruction began in Iraq," it says.

Contractors spent an average of 12.5 percent of their reconstruction contracts on security, the inspector general found.

Bowen's team also criticizes the government for poor coordination between agencies.
The lack of cooperation "contributed to delays, increased costs, terminated projects, and completed projects that did not meet program goals," the report says.

IRAQ CASUALTY COUNT: NAMES, CAUSE OF DEATH, WHERE, HOMETOWNS

The following is a list of U.S. casualties from the Iraq war through July 17.
Source: http://icasualties.org/oif/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=4-2008

US
Technical Sergeant Jackie L. Larsen
Balad (Balad Air Base) - Salah ad Din
Non-hostile
15-Jul-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant David W. Textor
Mosul - Ninawa
Hostile - hostile fire

US
Staff Sergeant Jeremy D. Vrooman
Knan (died in Baghdad) - Diyala
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
14-Jul-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Aviation Boatswain Mate 3rd Class Daniel R. Verbeke
Paoli, Pennsylvania - NA
Non-hostile - accident (on flight deck)

US
Staff Sergeant Danny Dupre
Ramadi - Anbar
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
13-Jul-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Lance Corporal Jeffery S. Stevenson
Falluja - Anbar
Non-hostile
10-Jul-2008
0
US: 0 UK: 0 Other: 0


09-Jul-2008
3
US: 3 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant Alex R. Jimenez
Jurf al-Sakhar - Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - body found

US
Private Byron J. Fouty
Jurf al-Sakhar - Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - body found

US
Sergeant 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier
Samarra (died in Balad) - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - grenade
08-Jul-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist William L. McMillan III
Baghdad (west of)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
05-Jul-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant 1st Class Anthony Lynn Woodham
Tallil (Camp Adder) - Dhi Qar
Non-hostile - electrocution
02-Jul-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant Faoa L. Apineru
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire
Total
12
US: 12 UK: 0 Other: 0

IRAQ STANDS ON THE BRINK OF ALL OUT WAR

From Fallujah To Diyala, The Target Has Shifted

Posted: 29 Jul 2008 02:36 PM CDT
http://www.vetvoice.com/

I have previously written here concerning the Diyala province heating up.

More recently, it has gotten even worse.

There has been escalating violence and corruption at various levels of the Iraqi government.

There have been reports that the Diyala Operations Commander, Staff General Abdul-Kareem al-Rubaee, has been dismissed, and the MNF arrested the Diyala Deputy Governor. Now, the US military is planning a full assault on the Diyala province.

U.S. military commanders are liaising with top Iraqi brass on a fresh large-scale offensive to subdue the restive Province of Diyala to be launched early in August. The attack will be the second major military operation in less than six months targeting Diyala. The province of which the city of Baaquba is the capital has hardly recovered from the devastation the troops incurred in the previous offensive.

As I have recently mentioned, many of the Sunni Awakening groups are holding out for more money, and threatening to rejoin the ranks of their previous insurgent groups, including AQI and the 1920's Revolutionary Brigade. Our own Alex Horton wrote an insightful post about this here. It seems now that this unrest may be a sign of more to come in Diyala.

The province is predominantly Arab Sunni but sizeable communities of Sunni Kurds and Arab and Kurdish Shiites live there.

So how big of an offensive are we talking about?

Thousands of U.S. troops as well as armored vehicles and helicopter gun ships are reportedly deployed to take part in the operation. Tens of thousands of residents are said to have fled the province in anticipation of the attack. The multi-ethnic and sectarian nature of the province is mirrored in the composition of Iraqi troops and security forces. Units with Shiite majority are feared more than U.S. troops in mainly Sunni areas and there have stories of oppression and massive human rights abuses.

In protest, the U.S.-sponsored Sunni militia in the province known as Sahwa or awakening has been disintegrating with tribal leaders resigning or simply refusing to press ahead with fighting al-Qaeda.

If the Awakening groups fall apart, violence will escalate. Sunni groups are appealing to the IIP and the Sunni Accordance Front in an effort to promote some stability.

TIME FOR A DRAFT? DOD SAYS THEY HAVEN'T ENOUGH TROOPS FOR AFGHANISTAN

DoD Can't Find Troops for Afghanistan; Institutes Catch-22 as Official TACSOP

Posted: 29 Jul 2008 10:07 PM CDT
http://www.vetvoice.com/

It seems as though the situation in Afghanistan might be a little hairy:

BAGHDAD - Nearly twice as many U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan than in Iraq so far this month, marking the lowest death toll of any month since the U.S. invaded Iraq and putting July on course to be the first month in which the American military suffered more casualties in Afghanistan than in Iraq.

Who knew?

It'd be nice if we could send a few boots towards Afghanistan. You know, maybe keep more American soldiers from dying and secure a country from a third-world shadow government that gave sanctuary to terrorists who killed a few thousand people on American soil. Unfortunately, America officially has no troops left:

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2008 - Defense Department planners continue to look for capabilities to send to Afghanistan, a senior Pentagon spokesman said today. ... ?Efforts to identify additional assets for Afghanistan continue, Morrell said. "Progress is being made toward that end, but I don't have anything definitive to stand here before you today and relay," he said.

First of all, I have an idea where they could find a few thousand troops to commit to a fight that, you know... actually matters.

Second, the DoD press release linked above mentioned a specific unit that is available for just this kind of mission (that is, handling shit going wrong because our national security priorities make no fucking sense). The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit is CENTCOM's strategic reserve and stands ready in Kuwait to deploy within the Area of Responsibility when extra forces are needed. However, DoD has other plans for the 15th MEU:

[The Pentagon Press Secretary] did say that for the time being, U.S. Central Command's strategic reserve -- 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit -- will not deploy to Afghanistan. The 2,200 Marines of the unit now are training in Kuwait. ??Military commanders said that as much as troops are needed in Afghanistan, the strategic reserve is an insurance policy in a dangerous part of the world. Morrell wouldn't discuss possible scenarios. ??

"If we were to commit these resources to Afghanistan now, we would be hamstrung in responding to future threats," he said.

So in short, CENTCOM has a brigade-sized unit of ground troops ready to deploy in response to escalated threats. That unit, however, can not respond to an escalated threat in Afghanistan, as it would hamper its ability to respond to escalated threats.

Didn't someone write a book about this once?

IS THIS WHAT THE U.S. SHOULD BE DOING?

US may deploy missile radar in Israel

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 04:29:49

http://tinyurl.com/6gcnzf

The US officials agreed to upgrade Israel's missile capability with new ballistic missile systems that include early warning launch data, a forward based X-Band radar system, and advanced versions of Phalanx automated cannons, AFP quoted a senior US defense official as saying on Tuesday.

The source added that the US also agreed to give Israel a permanent access to its Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites for reconnaissance purposes. "The agreements aim at helping Israel to create a missile capability to protect it from all sorts of threats in the region," Gates told reporters after holding talks with the visiting Israeli war minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday.

Barak arrived in Washington on Monday as part of an attempt to improve the regime's military capability and to oblige the US officials not to drop the option of a military strike on Iran for its nuclear program.

37,000 GUARDSMEN AND RESERVISTS BACK FROM IRAQ FAIL TO GET BENEFITS FROM VETERANS ADMINISTRATION

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs failed to send benefit packages to nearly 37,000 National Guard and Reserve members who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan because it mistakenly thought they were ineligible.

By Les Blumenthal McClatchy Newspapers
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/45262.html

Several senators raised the discovery Wednesday, detailed in a report by the VA's Office of Inspector General, as the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee held a hearing on whether Guard and Reserve members are being adequately informed of the benefits that are available to them.

"While the VA has targeted outreach programs in place to help service members, we still miss far too many veterans who need help and aren't aware of the services and benefits they have earned," said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a senior member of the committee.

Murray and others have long criticized the VA and the Defense Department as not doing enough to ensure that the more than 488,000 members of the National Guard and Reserves who've been mobilized and deployed are notified of and receive the benefits they're entitled to.

Continue reading here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/45262.html

WASHINGTON POST: CALIFORNIA CONTRACTOR PAID $142 MILLION BY U.S. FOR IRAQ PROJECTS NEVER COMPLETED

U.S. Says Contractor Made Little Progress on Iraq Projects

By Dana Hedgpeth and Amit R. PaleyWashington Post Staff Writers
Monday, July 28, 2008; A02
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701768.html

The U.S. government paid a California contractor $142 million to build prisons, fire stations and police facilities in Iraq that it never built or finished, according to audits by a watchdog office.

The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) said Parsons of Pasadena, Calif., received the money, part of a total of $333 million but only completed about one-third of the projects, which also included courthouses and border control stations. The inspector general's office is expected to release two detailed audits today, evaluating Parsons's work on the contract, which is worth up to $900 million.

"Far less was accomplished under this contract than originally planned," the inspector general wrote. "Millions of dollars in waste are likely associated with incomplete, terminated and abandoned projects under this contract." Auditors did not give a dollar figure of how much had potentially been wasted, but they said Parsons got about 10 percent -- or $11.3 million -- of the $108 million of award fees it could have received.

Parsons said in a written statement yesterday that it had "some serious reservations about the conclusions" in the audits, saying the company was hindered by the violent and unstable security situation in Iraq. One of Parsons's subcontractors was shot and killed at close range while in his office, the company said.

Continue reading Washington Post story here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/27/AR2008072701768.html

VETERANS ADMINISTRATION WON'T HELP WOUNDED VETS REGISTER TO VOTE

The travesty of the Bush Administration has now extended to the Veterans Administration where the VA no longer will help wounded veterans obtain absentee ballots so they can vote.

Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth are both spearheading drives to try to get members of Congress to pass legislation making it a law that the VA must assist wounded veterans in voting.

This story is just another example of how the mainstream media continues to prop up the Bush Administration and now John McCain and stick it to the wounded veterans because you will never read one sentence or hear one word mentioned about how wounded veterans are kept from getting voting information by the Veterans Administration.

Studies show that veterans are more likely to vote than non-veterans. However, what about our deployed servicemembers overseas and our veterans in nursing homes and hospitals?

Earlier this year, VA issued a ban on voter registration and voting assistance at VA hospitals and nursing homes and among homeless veterans.


Veterans for Common SenseHome .
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/

First, an update about our lawsuit and, second, VCS is fighting to restore veteran voting rights.

Veterans for Common Sense, in conjunction with Veterans United for Truth, appealed our lawsuit because we believe the courts do have jurisdiction and can force change. We have requested an expedited hearing, citing new statistics that show a veterans’ suicide hotline receives 250 calls a day from people in distress.

The November 4 Presidential Election has captured the nation's attention. Veterans issues are now part of the national debate. Our first reminder is for you to register and vote. The late President John F. Kennedy, a World War II veteran, said, "the margin is narrow, but the responsibility is clear."

As the debate heats up and Americans are urged to choose sides in this election, many are asked to give a financial contribution to their candidate of choice. VCS is fighting to ensure that our wounded and homeless veterans will be able to excercise their right to vote. We are working to keep veteran issues in the national spotlight.

Click here to read an article comparing Senator Obama and Senator McCain's positions on veterans and the Iraq War.

Only 58% of the US adult population registers and votes. Of those registered to vote, nearly 90% voted in the last presidential election. Each day, ask somebody new if they are registered to vote. Include a message in your outgoing e-mail saying: "Remember to register to vote today. Then please be sure to vote on November 4, 2008. This is one way to honor our fellow Americans who stood between an enemy bullet and our beloved Constitution." Many states have registration deadlines well before election day. Click here for state-by-state information on voter registration.

The Senate introduced S. 3308, the Veteran Voting Support Act. VCS has endorsed this bill and we ask you to call Senators and Representatives so this bill passes in time to help our veterans register for the November election.

In a related development, a bill was introduced Friday to allow VA to provide voter registration and voting assistance. "Reps. Bob Brady, D-Pa., who chairs the Committee on House Administration, and Bob Filner, D-Calif., who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a letter to Peake that voter registration drives are one of the most effective tools in promoting veterans’ right to vote."

NEW VIDEO: IS IRAQ READY TO EXPLODE?

This new video from THE REAL NEWS NETWORK explains in detail how many feel Iraq is ready to explode. It is a chilling report.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:
http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1976 OR CLICK ON THIS LINK: http://therealnews.com/permalinkedvideorss/videolatestrealnews.php AND THEN CLICK ON FIRST LISTING: "IS IRAQ READY TO EXPLODE"

NOTE: IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING AUDIO PROBLEM CLICK ON THE MINI PLAYER LINK TO THE RIGHT OF THE PICTURE.

BUSH APPROVES SOLDIER'S EXECUTION

Citing "brutal crimes," President Bush on Monday authorized the execution of an Army private convicted of a spree of rapes and murders in North Carolina in the 1980s.

By: Mike Allen July 28, 2008 09:09 PM EST
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12129.html

It was the first time a commander in chief has affirmed a military death sentence since 1957, half a century ago.

The solider, Ronald A. Gray, committed the crimes in the Fayetteville area while stationed at Fort Bragg. Gray has been on the military's death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., for 20 years.

White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said in a statement on Monday evening: "President Bush this morning accepted the recommendation of the Secretary of the Army to approve a sentence of death for Army Private Ronald A. Gray, affirming the sentence that resulted from a general court martial for multiple charges of murder and rape committed while serving as a member of the Armed Services.

While approving a sentence of death for a member of our Armed Services is a serious and difficult decision for a Commander-in-Chief, the President believes the facts of this case leave no doubt that the sentence is just and warranted. Private Gray was convicted of committing brutal crimes, including two murders, an attempted murder, and three rapes.

The victims included a civilian and two members of the Army. Because additional legal challenges are expected in this case, we will decline to comment further. The President’s thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these heinous crimes and their families and all others affected."

Continue reading here: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/12129.html

CHENEY DUMPED FROM SPEAKING TO WOUNDED VETS BECAUSE HIS SECURITY DEMANDED WOUNDED VETS WAIT TWO HOURS TO HEAR CHENEY SPEAK

Cheney Uninvited from Convention for Disabled Vets

Cheney's staff insisted the sick vets be sequestered for two hours before Cheney's arrival and couldn't leave until he'd finished talking, officials confirmed.

Posted: 28 Jul 2008 12:46 PM CDT
http://www.vetvoice.com/

Dick Cheney was all set to speak at the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) convention in Las Vegas next month. But now he's no longer welcome:

WASHINGTON - Vice President Cheney's invitation to address wounded combat veterans next month has been yanked because the group felt his security demands were Draconian and unreasonable.

The veep had planned to speak to the Disabled American Veterans at 8:30 a.m. at its August convention in Las Vegas.


"Word got back to us ... that this would be a prerequisite," said the veterans executive director, David Gorman, who noted the meeting hall doesn't have any rest rooms. "We told them it just wasn't acceptable."

When Cheney spoke to the group in 2004, his handlers imposed the same stringent security lockdown, upsetting members, officials said.

No surprises here. This sounds about right.

CNN: 70 KILLED AND 300 WOUNDED BY 4 FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBERS IN BAGHDAD AND KIRKUK: WILL McCAIN CREDIT "THE SURGE" FOR THIS TOO?

Female suicide bombers target pilgrims, rally

Story Highlights
NEW: Kirkuk authorities ban car, foot traffic till Tuesday morning
NEW: Iraq security forces find, destroy bomb in parked car after Kirkuk attack
Triple suicide attack in Baghdad claims more Shiite pilgrims, officials say
Kirkuk bomber detonates device at rally before gunmen open fire on crowd

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/28/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Four female suicide bombers and a gunman killed at least 70 people and wounded almost 300 others during a string of attacks in central Baghdad and Kirkuk on Monday, officials said.

In Baghdad, three suicide bombers detonated their explosives in three locations within 30 minutes of each other. The attacks killed at least 32 people and wounded 102 others, most of them Shiite pilgrims, an Interior Ministry official said.

Continue reading CNN report here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/28/iraq.main/index.html

MSNBC/AP UPDATE: 26 KILLED, 85 WOUNDED IN 3 FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBER ATTACKS IN BAGHDAD

The death toll in the suicide bombings by 3 females in Baghdad is mounting.

Bombs kill 26 during Baghdad pilgrimage

Scores of others wounded after apparently female bombers hit procession

The Associated Press
updated 2:51 a.m. CT, Mon., July. 28, 2008

BAGHDAD - Three suicide bombers and a roadside bomb struck Shiite pilgrims taking part in a massive religious procession in Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 26 people and wounding 85, police said.

The attacks occurred in quick succession as tens of thousands of Shiite worshippers streamed toward a shrine in northern Baghdad for an annual event marking the death of an eighth-century saint. The event climaxes on Tuesday.

Police said there were indications that the suicide bombers were women. At least two children were among the dead, said police officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The attacks took place in the mainly Shiite Karradah district, which is several miles away from the site of the pilgrimage in Kazimiyah, northern Baghdad.

Women increasingly used for attacksInsurgents have increasingly been using women this year to stage suicide bombings in a bid to avoid security measures. Women are more easily able to hide explosives under their all-encompassing black Islamic robes, or abayas, and they often are not searched at checkpoints.

Security forces have deployed about 200 women volunteers this week to search female pilgrims near the Baghdad district of Kazimiyah, where the Shiite saint is buried in a golden domed shrine.

On Sunday, at least seven pilgrims were killed south of Baghdad in an ambush by gunmen near a Sunni town, Madain, south of the capital.

Shiite pilgrims have frequently been targeted by car bombs and gunmen during years of sectarian warfare. In 2005, at least 1,000 people also were killed in a bridge stampede caused by rumors of a suicide bomber in Baghdad during the Kazimiyah pilgrimage.

But recent pilgrimages have been relatively peaceful as a U.S. troop buildup, a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida in Iraq and a Shiite militia cease-fire helped drive violence down to its lowest level in more than four years.

Former insurgent strongholdSunday’s ambush occurred in a former al-Qaida in Iraq stronghold that has been touted by the U.S. military as a success story with its streets now patrolled by U.S.-allied Sunni groups known as Awakening Councils.

Police believe the gunmen were seeking to rekindle sectarian tensions in the area.

The main Iraqi military spokesman in Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, on Sunday said 100,000 Iraqi security forces will be deployed along with U.S. reinforcements and air support to protect the ceremonies in kazimiyah.

Vehicles have been banned from the area and most Baghdad bridges would be closed to traffic, al-Moussawi said, adding that pilgrims were banned from carrying weapons or cell phones — rules that have been widely flouted in the past.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25880699/

CNN: IRAQ: IS THIS WHAT McCAIN CALLS "WINNING?" 3 FEMALE SUICIDE BOMBERS KILL 11 IN BAGHDAD

GOP Presidential hopeful John McCain and the "talking heads" at FOX NEWS like to boast about how "the surge" is working and we are winning the war in Iraq, but how do you define "winning" when events like 3 female suicide bombers blowing themselves up and killing 11 in Baghadad Monday morning and injuring 30 others?

There is no such thing as "winning" in Iraq? Nobody has signed a declaration of surrender and they never will because there are too many factions in Iraq and not one faction speaks for all the insurgents and terrorists.

The Bush White House and FOX NEWS continue to LIE to the American public about how the successs of "the surge" means we are winning or have won the Iraq war.

NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH AS WITNESSED BY MONDAY'S EVENTS IN BAGHDAD.

COMMENTARY BY BILL CORCORAN, EDITOR OF CORKSPHERE

Iraq: Suicide blasts claim more pilgrims
http://tinyurl.com/582mqb

Story Highlights
NEW: New suicide attacks on Monday claim more Shiite pilgrims, Iraq says
Seven pilgrims gunned down on Sunday
Pilgrims walk to Kadhimiya to commemorate the death of Imam Moussa al-Kadhim
New checkpoints have been set up to help secure safe passage for the pilgrims

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Three female suicide bombers detonated explosives vests in central Baghdad on Monday morning, killing at least 11 Shiite pilgrims and wounding 33 others, an Interior Ministry official said.

The attacks took place in three different locations within an hour of each other.

The blasts on Monday followed Sunday attacks, when seven Shiite pilgrims were gunned down in a town south of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said.

The attack occurred at 3 p.m. in Salman Pak when the pilgrims were walking to Kadhimiya in northwestern Baghdad to commemorate the death of revered figure Imam Moussa al-Kadhim, the official said.

The pilgrims, all males, were carrying black flags and chanting religious songs before the attack, the official said.

Authorities are searching for the assailants, the official said.

Salman Pak -- also referred to as al-Madaen -- is a predominately Sunni town. It was controlled by al Qaeda in Iraq before the Iraqi security forces managed to gain control of much the area. Still, there are al Qaeda in Iraq cells in villages around the town.

Over the past few days, hundreds of thousands of Shiite pilgrims started walking toward Kadhimiya, a Shiite neighborhood, for the annual commemoration of al-Kadhim's death. Many have traveled -- either by foot or by car -- from across the country, especially southern Shiite provinces.

Continue reading here: http://tinyurl.com/582mqb

NEW VIDEO: IRAQI SCHOLAR DEBUNKS U.S. MILITARY "SURGE" AS REASON FOR TENTATIVE PEACE IN IRAQ

This video explains why the mainstream media led by BUSH WHITE HOUSE "talking points" is flat out wrong of the impact the U.S. military "surge" had on bringing relative peace to Iraq. An Iraqi scholar explains what REALLY happened.

Source: The Real News Network: http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1942

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1942

IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING AUDIO PROBLEMS CLICK ON THE MINI PLAYER ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS LINK

CNN: McCAIN CAMP POUNCES ON OBAMA TROOP VISIT CANCELLATION

This blogger has already provided proof that it was the Pentagon that canceled the Obama visit to wounded troops in Germany. You can read it here along with a video by NBC/MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell explaining the mixup: http://corksphere.blogspot.com/2008/07/proof-it-was-pentagon-that-blocked.html

McCain surrogate blasts Obama's canceled meeting with wounded soldiers
Obama spokesman says criticism is "wildly inappropriate"
Obama aide says Pentagon nixed visit with wounded U.S. troops in Germany
Spokesman Robert Gibbs says Obama is "comfortable with the decision"

From Alexander MooneyCNN
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/26/obama.troops/index.html

(CNN) -- Sen. John McCain's campaign lashed out at Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday for canceling a visit to an American military base in Germany on Thursday.

"The most solemn duty of a commander in chief is to fulfill his responsibility to the men and women who serve this country in uniform," retired Lt. Col. Joe Reypya, speaking on behalf of the McCain, said in a statement. "Barack Obama ... broke that commitment, instead flitting from one European capital to the next."

And in a McCain ad that began airing Saturday, Obama is chided for making "time to go to the gym" instead of visiting with wounded troops.

The ad is being televised in Colorado, Pennsylvania and the Washington area, according to The Associated Press. Watch the ad at Time.com

The incident is representative of the delicacy with which the Obama campaign has attempted to navigate the Illinois senator's entire journey abroad, at once staging elaborate photo-ops beamed back to the American media while at insisting that Obama's trip is not a political one by definition.
Obama arrived back in the United States on Saturday night.

The presumptive Democratic nominee had planned on visiting a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, housing American troops injured in Iraq. Watch more on the troop controversy »
The visit was expected to come after Obama's speech in Berlin, Germany, but the campaign suddenly announced Thursday that the stop had been canceled, saying Obama had determined that it would be "inappropriate."

(The visit was expected to come after Obama's speech in Berlin, Germany, but the campaign suddenly announced Thursday that the stop had been canceled, saying Obama had determined that it would be "inappropriate."

PROOF IT WAS PENTAGON THAT BLOCKED OBAMA'S TRIP TO VISIT WOUNDED TROOPS

I can appreciate the fact that Republicans aren’t quite sure how to criticize Barack Obama’s international travel over the last week. It has, after all, been an usually successful trip, which the McCain campaign practically goaded Obama into taking.

Pentagon blocked Obama’s access to injured U.S. troopsPosted July 26th, 2008 at 9:35 am

http://www.thecarpetbaggerreport.com/archives/16330.html Click on link to see NBC/MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell report on the incident.

They’ve tried out a few angles, but the attacks have either been foolish, contradictory, or both. Republicans said Obama shouldn’t campaign outside the U.S., but McCain did it first. They said Obama shouldn’t describe himself as a “citizen of the world,” but Reagan used the same line. They said Obama shouldn’t be so popular with people yearning to love America again, but no one’s sure what that actually means.

So, left with literally nothing else, Republicans have turned to an old stand-by: they’re making stuff up.

Obama had planned to visit with injured U.S. troops in Germany before he left the country this week. He scheduled a visit, he wanted to visit, and he arranged for the visit three weeks ago. And suddenly, the meeting was called off, and Obama left the country without having seen the troops.

“A ha!” said the unhinged right. “Obama was blowing off the troops!”

This, not surprisingly, is ridiculous. NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell had a good report yesterday knocking this nonsense down.

This was not, in other words, the fault of Obama or his campaign. The Pentagon called the shots, and the Pentagon prevented the visit. Far from snubbing the troops, Obama and his team were reportedly furious about the interference.Now, as it turns out, some of the confusion started when Obama adviser Robert Gibbs initially announced why the visit had been called off. “The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign,” Gibbs said on Thursday.

Gibbs, in retrospect, seemed to be taking the high ground — he knew the Pentagon had interfered, but didn’t want to blame the Pentagon for the cancellation.

But his statement was seized upon by the McCain campaign and the far-right in general. The unhinged attacks notwithstanding, the reality remains the same. Gibbs set the record straight yesterday.

Senior strategist Robert Gibbs said the visit to the military hospital in Germany had been in the works for about three weeks, with Gration serving as the campaign’s contact with the Pentagon.

The Pentagon cleared the Obama plan to land at the base on either July 15 or 16, Gibbs said. The plane needed the clearance because of restrictions on landing nonmilitary aircraft there, he said.

But then on Wednesday, Gration told Obama aides that the Pentagon had informed him that the visit could be viewed as a campaign stop.
“They cited a regulation,” Gibbs said of th
eir point of contact, described as legislative affairs in the office of the secretary.

“We believed that based on the information we received that any presence, even his own and only his own, would get into a back and forth on whether his own presence was a campaign event,” Gibbs said.

Obama decided on the flight Wednesday from Tel Aviv to Berlin not to visit the hospital.
Asked why he believed the Pentagon would clear the visit, then raised questions about it, Gibbs declined to speculate: “I don’t know what to make of it.”

Asked whether he thought the Pentagon set up the campaign for a political embarrassment, Gibbs said no.

Greg Sargent added:
[I]t turns out that the Pentagon did in fact tell Obama that in this case, it was not only “inappropriate,” but against DOD rules, for him to conduct the visit with campaign staff.
“We have longstanding Department of Defense policy in regards to political campaigns and elections,” Pentagon spokesperson Elizabeth Hibner told me. “We informed the Obama staff that he was more than welcome to visit as Senator Obama, with Senate staff. However, he could not conduct the visit with campaign staff.”

Another bogus McCain campaign attack to add to the list.

SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS BUSH MISUSED IRAQ INTELLIGENCE

This really doesn't come as a suprise to anyone who has followed the Iraq war from the start in 2003.

The Bush administration, according to the Senate Intelligence Committee, misued Iraq intelligence to lead the United States into war with Iraq.

Bush misused Iraq intelligence

By Randall Mikkelsen
http://tinyurl.com/5h8453

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and his top policymakers misstated Saddam Hussein's links to terrorism and ignored doubts among intelligence agencies about Iraq's arms programs as they made a case for war, the Senate intelligence committee reported on Thursday.

The report shows an administration that "led the nation to war on false premises," said the committee's Democratic Chairman, Sen. John Rockefeller of West Virginia. Several Republicans on the committee protested its findings as a "partisan exercise."

The committee studied major speeches by Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other officials in advance of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and compared key assertions with intelligence available at the time.

Statements that Iraq had a partnership with al Qaeda were wrong and unsupported by intelligence, the report said.

It said that Bush's and Cheney's assertions that Saddam was prepared to arm terrorist groups with weapons of mass destruction for attacks on the United States contradicted available intelligence.

Such assertions had a strong resonance with a U.S. public, still reeling after al Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Polls showed that many Americans believed Iraq played a role in the attacks, even long after Bush acknowledged in September 2003 that there was no evidence Saddam was involved.

The report also said administration prewar statements on Iraq's weapons programs were backed up in most cases by available U.S. intelligence, but officials failed to reflect internal debate over those findings, which proved wrong."

WE HAVE PROOF THAT OBAMA DID VISIT TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN

The right wing media led by FOX NEWS keep saying Barack Obama blew off meeting with U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

The claim is a lie and here is the proof that Obama did meet with U.S. troops in Afghanistan:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/afghanistan.asp

IF "THE SURGE" IS SUCH A SUCCESS IN BAGHDAD, WHY DID ALL THIS HAPPEN IN BAGHDAD SATURDAY?

GOP Presidential hopeful JOHN McCAIN and the mainstream media, especially FOX NEWS, continue to LIE to the American public that "the surge" has brought peace and order back to Baghdad.

The following is a report of what happened in Baghdad on Saturday, July 26 ALONE:

SOURCE: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

BAGHDAD:
#1: A roadside bomb targeted an Iraqi army patrol in Ghazaliyah, western Baghdad at 3 p.m. Friday injuring two soldiers.

#2: A roadside bomb detonated in the afternoon inside a popular market in the Karrada district of central Baghdad, wounding six people, including three security members, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.Around 2 pm a roadside bomb targeted civilians in Kamb Sara in Adhamiyah neighborhood (north Baghdad). Six people were injured (including 1 policeman and two Sahwa members).

#3: Another roadside bomb went off before midday near an Iraqi army patrol in Baghdad's northern neighborhood of Sleikh, wounding two soldiers and a civilian along with damaging one of the patrol's vehicles, the source said.

#4: A third explosion occurred in the day near some dustmen in the al-Jihad neighborhood in southwestern Baghdad, injuring two of them and caused damages to a nearby vehicle, the source added.

MEANWHILE, IN KIRKUK THIS HAPPENED:

Kirkuk:#1: On Friday night a gunman with silencer opened fire on an American patrol in downtown

Kirkuk. A 14 year-old kid was killed in that incident .

#2: In the morning gunmen opened fire on a combined patrol from Iraqi security forces and Americans. One Iraqi policeman was killed and another was injured

INSURGENTS IN IRAQ RECRUIT WOMEN SUICIDE BOMBERS

There is a lull in the fighting and violence in Iraq, but sources in Iraq say it is only temporary.

Iraqi insurgents have been recruiting women who are seeking revenge for the loss of loved ones to become suicide bombers.

When the female suicide bombers will take to the streets of Baghdad and other cities is anyone's guess, but many think it will coincide with the Presidential election in the United States.

Women suicide bombers seeking revenge in IraqUS forces say insurgents recruiting women driven by revenge to act as suicide bombers in Iraq.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/features/?id=27111

BAQUBA, Iraq - In the war-ravaged streets of Iraq, US-led forces say insurgents are recruiting women driven by revenge to act as suicide bombers in the latest tactic against coalition troops.

Motivated by poverty, desperation or vengeance against the US-led military they blame for the deaths of family members, Iraqi women are joining the insurgency
.
Thursday evening a female suicide bomber killed eight people and wounded 20 after she detonated her explosives-filled vest in Baquba, the capital of Diyala, one of the most dangerous regions in the country.

The bomber targeted a Sahwa or Awakening patrol of Iraqi forces -- former insurgents recruited to fight Al-Qaeda in Iraq and paid by the US military.

The blast demonstrates a growing trend of using women in insurgent attacks.

"One of the reasons for women to kill like this is a desire for vengeance," said Captain Kevin Ryan, commander of a US base in Baquba. "Often, they have lost parents, brothers or children in the fighting."

"Some want vengeance for the fact their families have disappeared," said Iraqi army Colonel Ali Al-Karkhi, who is responsible for security in the Khan Bani Saad district 30 kilometres (19 miles) outside Baquba.

"Last year in the Magdadiya district, a woman who had five sons killed by the Iraqi police, blew herself up close to a group of police recruits looking to join up," he said.

Women without education, or even those who suffer from learning disabilities, are Abu Zarra, leader of an Awakening group west of Baquba, described how some months ago he was visited by a young woman dressed in a long black dress which covered her whole body.

"She was about 17 or 18-years-old and she asked for help. She said she needed to see Abu Zarra. She spoke to me without knowing who I was," he explained.

The tribal chief left to go to a wedding and decided to leave the woman in the care of one of his guards. It was a decision which saved the chief's life.

"She opened her dress and blew herself up," he said. "Three were killed and two wounded. One of my guards was burned alive."

Fearful for their safety, US soldiers patrolling the streets avoid women wearing these long dresses. "Each time you see one, you wonder if she is going to blow herself up," one soldier said.

"Women use attacks as a protest. In Iraq, they are protesting at the loss of their men, the loss of their society and the loss of their country," said Farhana Ali, a US international policy analyst.

"We can't assume that all Iraqi women suicide attackers are exploited and recruited. We have to ask how many women are doing this because they want to -- that's the more serious question," said Ali.

MILITARY WOMEN GET READY TO ROCK THE BOAT

For women in the military, this election season has the potential either to focus a spotlight on long-neglected needs or to continue rendering us invisible. Due to our military training, we often struggle to exercise our right to speak out, but now we need systemic and systematic change, both to do justice to service members and to create healthier communities for everyone.

By Jennifer Hogg, Women's Media CenterPosted on July 25, 2008, Printed on July 25, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/92289/

I was still in high school in 2000 when I joined up, looking for a fuller life than I saw available to me in blue-collar Buffalo, N.Y. But would I have ever joined the military if higher education were not so hard to fund? Would the young, the poor, the single mothers feel their only option was to enlist if adequate housing, jobs and health care were more readily available?

These are fundamental social inequalities that funnel people into the military. We hope to escape the injustice of racism, sexism and homophobia by proving ourselves -- by being able to say, "I served. I earned my place here." And service does earn us praise, but only as long as we don't rock that boat.

For the military, this election has heavy stakes, with two occupations taking place simultaneously, in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and a third waiting in the wings. Such high stakes tend to push aside other issues, and we risk being forced into silence for fear that the boat may capsize. But if it's that close to going under, isn't it time for a better boat?

Female veterans know this feeling all too well. All service members are taught to never question a mission.

For female service members, this silence can have particularly dangerous consequences. When I began basic training, I never expected the culture of fear that service women take pride in living through. From a young woman ready to stand for what was right, I was being turned into a person who shrugged off injustice. When I helped another female recruit report a physical assault, I saw her become the target of widespread verbal harassment. The lesson? Bearing indignity silently in private is far better than risking public ridicule from those who choose to make you a target.

Imagine if those flashy recruiting commercials showed the real dangers a woman can face while serving in the military, living her formative years in a hazardous work environment where racism and homophobia are tolerated for the sake of "getting by" and sexual harassment goes unreported so you don't "ruin his career." All this while women work twice as hard to prove themselves as soldiers -- more than just a "bitch," "dyke," "whore."

Continue reading: http://www.alternet.org/story/92289/

WHILE MCCAIN WAS BOASTING ABOUT RESULTS OF "THE SURGE," 20 IRAQIS KILLED AND 39 WOUNDED

GOP Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain lives by the old adage that if you say it often enough eventually people will believe you are telling the truth.

Not necessarily so especially when it comes to the so-called success of "the surge" as witnessed by this report.

20 Iraqis Killed, 39 Wounded

http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=13191

A female suicide bomber ended this week's relative peace when she attacked an Awakening Council patrol in Baquba today. Overall, at least 20 Iraqis were killed and 39 more were wounded in the latest attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported, but U.S. forces came under fire in Kirkuk and killed a teenager in retaliatory gunfire. Meanwhile, Turkey targeted PKK locations in northern Iraq, but the number of casualties there is unknown.


U.S. forces in Kirkuk came under a small arms attack. They returned fire killing a teenager sitting in a sedan. One U.S. soldier was wounded. Three suspects were captured in a separate incident.

A female suicide bomber attacked a group of Awakening Council (Sahwa) members in Baquba. Eight of them were killed, while as many as 30 people were wounded. A Sahwa leader was among the dead.

In Baghdad, two attacks in the Adhamiya neighborhood left three Sahwa members dead and two more wounded; one gunman was injured as he made his escape. In Zaafaraniya, a bomb wounded a senior Shi'ite leader and three of his bodyguards. One dumped body was discovered.

Also, U.S. forces captured 20 suspects across the city, while the Iraqi army detained at least 45 more.

In Mosul, three bodies were found. A suicide bomber killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded two more at a checkpoint in al-Intisar.

Two bodies were found in Yusufiya.

At least 18 more suspects were detained in Hilla during an ongoing security operation in Babel province. A number of weapons was confiscated as well.

A kidnapping victim was freed in Missan province. One of her captors was captured.

In Basra, katyusha rockets landed on the British base at the airport. No casualties were reported but British warplanes returned the fire.

CNN: GAYS IN IRAQ TERRORIZED BY THREATS, RAPE AND MURDER

Editor's note: CNN agreed to change the names of the two men in this article to protect their identities.

By Frederik Pleitgen, Mohammed Tawfeeq and Wayne DrashCNN

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/24/gay.iraqis/index.html

Rami and Kamal, both gay Iraqis, say they rarely show affection for men in public.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Kamal was just 16 when gunmen snatched him off the streets of Baghdad, stuffed him in the trunk of a car and whisked him away to a house. But the real terror was about to begin.

The men realized he was gay, Kamal said, when he took his shirt off and they saw that his chest was shaved.

"They told me to take off my clothes to rape me or they would kill me immediately. This moment was the worst moment in my life," he said, weeping as he spoke of the 2005 ordeal.

"I was watching them taking off their clothes, preparing to rape me. I did not know what to do, so I started shouting loudly, 'Please do not do that! I will ask my family to give you whatever you want.' " Watch the tormented life of gays in Iraq »

His pleas went unheeded. "The other two kidnappers took off my clothes by force, and, at that time, I saw them as three dirty animals trying to tear my body apart."

He was held for 15 days, released only after his family paid a $1,500 ransom. He was raped every day. Only once, he said, was he allowed to talk to his family during captivity. "I told my family that I was beaten by them, but I did not dare to tell my family that I was raped by them. I could not say it, it's too much shame."

CNN spoke with Kamal, now 18, and his 21-year-old friend Rami about what it's like to be gay in Iraq. Coming out as gay is not easy in any country, but to do so in Iraq could mean a death sentence or torture.

The two men rarely show feelings toward each other in public. They spend a lot of time in Internet cafes in Baghdad, surfing gay chat rooms and seeking contacts with other gay men in Iraq and elsewhere.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, the situation for gays and lesbians in Iraq has deteriorated. Ridiculed under Hussein, many now find themselves the targets of violence, according to humanitarian officials.

Lesbians are also victims of harassment and violence, but not nearly as often as gay men.

Rest of CNN story here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/24/gay.iraqis/index.html

CNN REPORTS: 100 U.S. FEMALE MEMBERS OF MILITARY HAVE DIED IN IRAQ

(CNN) -- The death of an Air Force technical sergeant in Iraq last week quietly brought a somber milestone: One hundred American female service members have died in Iraq, according to a CNN count of Pentagon figures.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/24/iraq.main/index.html

A U.S. Army bugler plays taps during burial services for a female soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in 2005.

The latest death was Tech. Sgt. Jackie L. Larsen, 37, of Tacoma, Washington, who died of natural causes July 17 at Balad Air Base, Iraq. She was assigned to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Beale Air Force Base, California, according to the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON POST: ARMY SHUTS DOWN SOLDIER'S BLOG FROM IRAQ

Silent Posting

With His Blog Kaboom, a Young Soldier Told of His War. Last Month, the Army Made Him Shut It Down.

By Ernesto LondoñoWashington Post Foreign Service Thursday, July 24, 2008; Page C01
BAGHDAD
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303970.html

There was a boy who went to war, like many other boys before him. Maybe it made him a man, maybe it didn't. Maybe he already was a man, maybe he wasn't. Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe none of it does, maybe it all does. Maybe.

This Story
Silent Posting
The Lieutenant's Lingo
') ;
// -->
-- Lt. G, March 4

He was an unlikely warrior, this scrawny boy from Reno, Nev., the son of two lawyers, raised in the suburbs.

He had a way with words, this boy. When his Stryker unit deployed to Iraq last winter, he was a rookie platoon leader who had never seen combat. And like many other soldiers before him, he decided he'd chronicle the war on a blog. Intending to keep family and friends abreast of the follies and pitfalls of soldiering in a five-year-old war that now relies less on gunfire and more on diplomacy, this boy, under the pen name Lt. G, launched "Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal."

An indictment of the war it was not. Lt. G's dispatches -- at turns hilarious, maddening and terrifying -- provided raw and insightful snapshots of a conflict many Americans have lost interest in.

Word got around, and more and more readers closely followed the postings of 25-year-old Lt. Matthew Gallagher, with the site drawing tens of thousands of page views. By the time Kaboom went kaput last month -- Lt. G was ordered to take down his blog -- it had a following that would be the envy of many a small-town paper.

The blog's downfall was a May 28 posting that, in violation of military blogging rules, Gallagher failed to have vetted by a supervisor. (That the posting depicted an officer in the unit unflatteringly might have played a role. Gallagher declined a request to comment.)

Continue reading Washington Post story here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303970.html

WASHINGTON POST: "SURGE" DOESN'T HELP UPCOMING ELECTION IN IRAQ

There has been a lot of banter lately about "the surge," but lost in all the bluster by talking heads on TV is "the surge" was designed to help Iraq bring about unification so elections could be held and the Iraqi government could be officially formed.

"The surge" was never about military accomplishments, but you would never know it if you only listened to the blabbermouth on FOX NEWS, CNN and MSNBC.

Now comes word, the President of Iraq says an election will have to be put off until 2009 because factions in Iraq can't get together on certain issues regarding the election.

Iraqi President Vows Veto of Election Bill
Measure Passed After Kurdish Boycott; Balloting Is Now Unlikely Until 2009

By Amit R. PaleyWashington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, July 24, 2008; Page A16
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072301978.html

BAGHDAD, July 23 -- President Jalal Talabani said Wednesday that he would veto a measure governing provincial elections scheduled for this year, making it all but certain that the balloting will be delayed until 2009.

The announcement was a setback for both the Bush administration and the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, which hailed a preliminary election law passed earlier this year as evidence of political progress in Iraq. The ongoing disagreements over the polling have instead highlighted the sectarian fissures that still divide the country.

Talabani, a Kurd, said the bill passed by parliament Tuesday was unconstitutional and had been approved by only 127 lawmakers from the 275-member parliament, after the Kurdish delegation walked out in protest. For a bill to become law, it must be approved by the three-member presidency council, which Talabani heads.

HUFFINGTON POST: BUSH BANS STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS FROM OBAMA RALLY AND SPEECH IN BERLIN

Bush Bans State Department Officials From Obama Rally

http://tinyurl.com/5dzyqb

In a flagrant political act, the State Department has barred its employees from attending Sen. Barack Obama's speech in Berlin tonight.

Under the pretense that he is maintaining political neutrality, the Washington Post reported today, State Department Undersecretary for Management Patrick F. Kennedy has interpreted the Foreign Affairs Manual in the most restrictive way, claiming that he is ensuring that foreign service officials will remain untainted by a "partisan political act." (Spouse and family members, however, have generously been excluded from this ruling.)

The U.S. embassy, which is headed by ambassador Robert Timken, a businessman and crony of George W. Bush's from Ohio, who is widely reviled in Germany for his ignorance of foreign affairs, has instructed officials not to attend the rally.

The American Foreign Service Association has complained about the edict but there's not enough time to dispute it. Funny that.

The truth is that there would probably be few better opportunities for embassy officials to get a feel for the views of the Germans by mixing with them during the rally. Of course, the sentiments expressed by Germans, who worship Obama as much as they loathe George W. Bush, might not be ones that the administration is eager to hear.

Indeed, the administration has a long and tawdry record of trying to browbeat government agencies into submission, whether it's the CIA or the Centers for Disease Control. The State Department is perhaps highest on the list of conservatives and neocons who see it as the center of disloyalty and treachery. But this latest action represents a new low.

If it's going to these lengths, the Bush administration must be really worried about Sen. John McCain's prospects.

WASHINGTON POST: DEFENSE CONTRACTORS GET A BIG BREAK FROM THE PENTAGON

Pentagon Auditors Pressured To Favor Contractors, GAO Says

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072301437.html?wpisrc=newsletter


By Dana HedgpethWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, July 24, 2008; D01
Auditors at a Pentagon oversight agency were pressured by supervisors to skew their reports on major defense contractors to make them look more favorable instead of exposing wrongdoing and charges of overbilling, according to an 80-page report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office.

The Defense Contract Audit Agency, which oversees contractors for the Defense Department, "improperly influenced the audit scope, conclusions and opinions" of reviews of contractor performance, the GAO said, creating a "serious independence issue."

The report does not name the projects or the contractors involved, but staff members on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee who were briefed on the findings cited seven contractors, some of whom are among the biggest in the defense industry: Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Fluor, Parker Hannifin, Sparta, SRS Technologies and a subsidiary of L3 Communications.

Continue reading here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072301437.html?wpisrc=newsletter

WE HAVE NEWS MEDIA DOESN'T TELL ABOUT IRAQ

The mainstream media in the United States is "in the tank" to the Bush administration, and in return to GOP hopeful John McCain, and in so doing they keep from the American public what is really happening in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The purpose of this blog has ALWAYS been to tell the truth about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars which the mainstream media no longer wants to do.

Below is just a partial list of what has been taking place in both Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two days:

SOURCE: http://icasualties.org/oif/ (CLICK ON "BLUE" FOR MORE INFO)


07/23/08 MCT: Iraqi forces aren't quite ready to take charge
It wasn't yet dawn, and the Iraqi army unit was already behind schedule. It was about to launch a major operation against another cluster of towns overrun by Shiite Muslim militiamen, and this time American forces would remain at the rear of the convoy...

07/23/08 MCT: Two bodies found in Baghdad
Police found two unidentified bodies in Baghdad. The first body was found in Zafaraniyah district while the second body was found in Ur neighborhood.

07/23/08 MCT: Roadside bomb kills woman in Abo Saida
A woman was killed in a roadside bomb in Abo Saida area east of Baquba around 11:30 a.m.

07/23/08 MCT: Two Iraqi soldiers killed in east Mosul
Gunmen attacked a checkpoint in al Tahreer neighborhood in east Mosul city on Wednesday afternoon killing two Iraqi soldiers.

07/23/08 MCT: Some Guardsmen, Reservists back from Iraq didn't get benefits
The Department of Veterans Affairs failed to send benefit packages to nearly 37,000 National Guard and Reserve members who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan because it mistakenly thought they were ineligible.

07/23/08 AP: Iraqi president rejects election law
Iraq's president promised to reject a draft law paving the way for U.S.-backed provincial elections, saying Wednesday it would worsen sectarian rifts among Iraqis.

07/23/08 Reuters: Motar fire wounds 2 civilians in southeastern Mosul
Mortar shells wounded two civilians when they landed on a police station in southeastern Mosul, police said.

07/23/08 Reuters: Gunmen kill civilian in cental Mosul
Gunmen shot dead a civilian in front of his house in central Mosul, police said.

07/23/08 Reuters: Iraqi security forces arrest scores of suspected Shi'ite militants
Iraqi security forces arrested scores of suspected Shi'ite militants and confiscated weapons in the town of Haswa, 50 km (30 miles), south of Baghdad, an Iraqi military source said. The town has been under curfew for two days.

07/23/08 Reuters: Roadside bomb wounds 3 policemen in southeastern Mosul
A roadside bomb wounded three policemen when it exploded near their patrol in southeastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles), north of Baghdad, police said.

07/23/08 AFP: Iraqi premier Maliki pitches reconstruction work to German firms
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is confident that German companies will decide "in the coming days" to head back to his country, he said Wednesday after meeting some 120 business leaders here.

07/23/08 NYTimes: Kurdish defiance likely to delay Iraqi elections
The Iraqi Parliament approved legislation to govern provincial elections, but Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the session, vowing to force the measure to be rewritten and probably delaying the balloting for months.

07/23/08 MCT: U.S. military advisers say they're treated as misfits
Standing next to a screen illuminating a long list of tips, Maj. Anthony Nichols looked out at the classroom of neophyte military trainers and began a lecture about the ways that fellow soldiers will look down at them while they serve...

07/23/08 DailyMail: Accused SAS sergeant made £200,000 selling beer
A former SAS sergeant claimed he made profits of more than £200,000 in just 12 weeks by selling alcohol to thousands of Coalition colleagues serving in Iraq.

07/23/08 AP: Iraqi Kurds reject law
Iraq's Kurdish government has denounced a draft law paving the way for U.S.-backed provincial elections and urged the presidential council to reject it.

07/23/08 AFP: 30,000 Iraqi troops poised for assault on Qaeda bastion
Some 30,000 Iraqi soldiers and police are to launch a military assault against Al-Qaeda fighters and insurgents in Diyala province from August 1, army and police officers said Wednesday.

07/22/08 NPR: In Iraq, Tactical Theory Put Into Practice
After years spent studying counterinsurgency, Lt. Col. John Nagl recently put his knowledge of rebellion suppression into practice while serving in Iraq...

07/22/08 AP: Iraqis cast doubt on elections this year
Iraq's parliament passed a law Tuesday meant to pave the way for provincial elections despite a Kurdish boycott, but critics warned it's unlikely the vote will be held this year as had been expected.

07/22/08 AFP: Tractor bomb kills seven
AN explosives-filled tractor exploded in a restive region of Iraq's Diyala province today, killing at least seven members of a local anti al-Qaeda group, a police officer said. The tractor was parked by the side of road in the village of Wais...

07/22/08 AP: Iraq looks to tourism
Someone had fun tinkering with the airline board at the old, disused terminal at Baghdad International Airport. It advertises a "special flight" on Japan Airlines from Basra to Sydney, Australia, while a flight from Baghdad to Mexico City is "delayed."

07/22/08 NYTimes: Inside Sadr City - The Wall
Sadr City, long one of the most dangerous parts of the Iraqi capital, is calmer now than it has been in years. To be sure, American soldiers and Iraqi judges are still being killed here, but not at the rate of deadly attacks in 2006 and 2007.

07/22/08 Reuters: Gunmen attack health official in central Tikrit
Gunmen opened fire on the convoy of Khalid Burhan, head of the health office of Salahuddin province in central Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad, wounding his guards, police said.

07/22/08 Reuters: Body found in Dibis
Iraqi police found the body of a civilian in Dibis, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. The body bore gunshot wounds.

07/22/08 Reuters: Gunmen kill 5 civilians in Haswa
Gunmen shot and wounded five civilians on Monday in Haswa, 50 km (30 miles), south of Baghdad, police said.

07/22/08 Reuters: Suicide bomber wounds nine people northwest Baghdad
A suicide car bomber wounded nine people including three policemen in an attack on their checkpoint in northwest Baghdad on Monday, the U.S. military said.

07/22/08 Reuters: Roadside bomb kills police lieutenant-colonel in northern Kirkuk
A roadside bomb killed a police lieutenant-colonel and wounded four of his guards on Monday in northern Kirkuk, police said.

07/22/08 AP: 4 US soldiers charged in detainee deaths in Iraq
Four soldiers have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of detainees in Iraq in 2007, a U.S. military spokesman said Tuesday.

07/22/08 MCT: Roadside bomb kills 2 policemen in Kirkuk
On Monday night, a roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in Kirkuk city. Two policemen were killed( including the deputy of Irouba police station Colonel Khabat Aziz) and 5 others were injured.

07/22/08 Reuters: U.S. troop "surge" in Iraq ends
The U.S. military said on Tuesday the last of five extra combat brigades sent to Iraq last year had withdrawn. There are currently just under 147,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. Following are facts about the so-called surge:

07/22/08 Reuters: Iraq's parliament passes poll law, Kurds walk out
Iraq's parliament passed a provincial elections bill on Tuesday despite a walkout by Kurdish parliamentarians angered over how the law would deal with the disputed city of Kirkuk.

07/22/08 metro: British troops to remain in Iraq 'for months'
Britain's military force in Iraq will remain 4,100 strong for the "next few months," the Prime Minister told the Commons today. But troop reductions will be made later as a "fundamental change of mission" occurs in the early months of next year.

07/22/08 Xinhua: Iraqi journalist shot dead in northern Iraq
Iraqi police Tuesday said gunmen have shot dead a Kurdish journalist working for a local magazine in the city of Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad.

LIST OF 25 MOST VICIOUS WAR PROFITEERS

The 25 Most Vicious Iraq War Profiteers

Source: http://www.businesspundit.com/the-25-most-vicious-iraq-war-profiteers/

The Iraq war is many things to different people. It is called a strategic blunder and a monstrous injustice and sometimes even a patriotic mission, much to the chagrin of rational human beings. For many big companies, however, the war is something far different: a lucrative cash-cow. The years-long, ongoing military effort has resurrected fears of the so-called “military-industrial complex.” Media pundits are outraged at private companies scooping up huge, no-questions-asked contracts to manufacture weapons, rebuild infrastructure, or anything else the government deems necessary to win (or plant its flag in Iraq).

No matter what your stance on the war, it pays to know where your tax dollars are being spent.

Following is a detailed rundown of the 25 companies squeezing the most profit from this controversial conflict.

Click on this link to see who is making a killing off the war. Needless to say Dick Cheney's former company, Halliburton, leads the way: http://www.businesspundit.com/the-25-most-vicious-iraq-war-profiteers/

AP VIDEO: MCCAIN FLUBS ON IRAQ TIMELINE

GOP hopeful Sen. John McCain flubbed again and this time it was on the impact of "the surge" on security conditions in Iraq. McCain failed to mention the Sunni Awakening had already started clearing Al Qaeda and other terrorist elements from Iraqi neighborhoods before "the surge" was initiated.

WATCH VIDEO HERE: http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=263881

Click on diamond-shaped arrown in center of pic to activate video

AP REPORTS: IRAQ PASSES ELECTION LAW, BUT DOUBTS RISE ELECTION WILL BE HELD THIS YEAR

Iraqis cast doubt on elections

Disputes stall draft law setting guidelines, allocating funds for election

The Associated Press
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25801070/

BAGHDAD - Iraq's parliament passed a law Tuesday meant to pave the way for provincial elections despite a Kurdish boycott, but critics warned it's unlikely the vote will be held this year as had been expected.

U.S. officials see the voting as another key step in national reconciliation, but the draft law setting guidelines and allocating funds for the elections has been stalled by political disputes as Iraq's myriad ethnic and sectarian factions jockey for power.

The sticking point on Tuesday was a Kurdish objection to an item in the new law that calls for a secret ballot to decide on a power-sharing arrangement in the disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
The Kurds and two deputy parliamentary speakers walked out of the chamber in protest, but the parliament went ahead with the line-by-line vote and passed the law with a quorum.

Deputy parliamentary speaker Khalid al-Attiyah, a Shiite, said the secret ballot was unconstitutional and accused the lawmakers of "arm-twisting."

Read more here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25801070/

CNN REPORTS: SEXUALLY ASSAULTED FEMALE TROOPS STRUGGLE TO RECOVER

Female troops have been raped, sexually harassed while on duty in Iraq

15 percent walking into VA test positive for military sexual trauma

VA opens 16th inpatient ward specializing in treating military sexual victims

Female veteran to daughter in military: Don't let your guard down with male soldiers

YORK, Pennsylvania (AP) -- It took Diane Pickel Plappert six months to tell a counselor that she had been raped while on duty in Iraq. While time passed, the former Navy nurse disconnected from her children, and her life slowly unraveled.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/07/22/military.women.sexual.assault.ap/index.html

Carolyn Schapper says she was harassed by a fellow Army National Guard soldier in Iraq to the extent that she began changing clothes in the shower for fear he'd barge into her room unannounced, as he had on several occasions.

Even as women distinguish themselves in battle alongside men, they're fighting off sexual assault and harassment. It's not a new consequence of war.

But the sheer number of women serving today -- more than 190,000 in Iraq and Afghanistan -- is forcing the military and Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address it.

The data -- incomplete and not up-to-date -- offer no proof that women in the war zones are more vulnerable to sexual assault than other female service members or American women in general. But in an era when the military relies on women for invaluable and difficult front-line duties, the threat to their morale, performance and long-term well-being is starkly clear.

Of the female veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who have walked into a VA facility, 15 percent have screened positive for military sexual trauma,

The Associated Press has learned. That means they indicated that while on active duty, they were sexually assaulted, raped or sexually harassed, receiving repeated unsolicited verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature.

In January, the VA opened its 16th inpatient ward specializing in treating victims of military sexual trauma, this one in New Jersey. In response to complaints that it is too male-focused in its care, the VA is making changes such as adding keyless entry locks on hospital room doors so female patients feel safer.

Rape victim felt numb when returning home

Depression, anxiety, problem drinking, sexually transmitted diseases and domestic abuse are all problems that have been linked to sexual abuse, according to the Miles Foundation, a nonprofit group that provides support to victims of violence associated with the military. Since 2002, the foundation says, it has received more than 1,000 reports of assault and rape in the U.S. Central Command areas of operation, which include Iraq and Afghanistan.

In most reports to the foundation, fellow U.S. service members have been named as the perpetrator, but contractors and local nationals also have been accused.

Read more here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/07/22/military.women.sexual.assault.ap/index.html

WE HAVE NAMES OF 4 U.S. SOLDIERS CHARGED IN DEATHS OF DETAINEES IN IRAQ

4 US soldiers charged by military over deaths of detainees in Iraq last year

The Associated Press
Tuesday, July 22, 2008

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/22/america/US-Iraq-Deaths.php

BERLIN: Four soldiers have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of detainees in Iraq in 2007, a U.S. military spokesman said Tuesday.

Staff Sgt. Jess Cunningham, Sgt. Charles Quigley, Spc. Stephen Ribordy and Spc. Belmor Ramos of the 172nd Infantry Brigade were charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, said Lt. Col. Eric Bloom, spokesman for the Army Joint Multinational Training Command in Grafenwoehr, Germany. The men's hometowns were not given.

Their case now has to be reviewed to determine whether it should be referred to a court-martial, Bloom said. No date has yet been set for a hearing.

In a statement, the Army said the charges "relate to an incident that occurred during April-May 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq."

The statement gave no further details but, in an earlier release, the Army had said the allegations related to "the deaths of several detainees who were captured as part of combat operations last year."

That statement, released in January, said that "preliminary findings indicate the deceased detainees were not persons detained in a detention facility."

CNN: OBAMA: STABILITY ULTIMATELY IN HANDS OF IRAQIS

NEW: Sen. Barack Obama: Iraq political progress needed to match security success

Obama set to meet with king in Amman, Jordan

Jordan is U.S. ally that has received Iraqi war refugees

Senators stop off in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar province before Jordan

SOURCE: http://tinyurl.com/5hwrcd

(CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday he was pleased with the reduction of violence in Iraq since the deployment of more U.S. troops, but added it was a result of several factors, not just the "surge."

"We don't know what would have happened if the plan that I preferred in January 2007 -- to put more pressure on the Iraqis to arrive at a political reconciliation, to begin a phased withdrawal -- what would have happened had we pursued that strategy," Obama said after landing in Amman, Jordan.

"I am pleased that as a consequence of great effort by our troops -- but also as a consequence of a shift in allegiances among the Sunni tribal leaders as well as the decision of the Sadr militias to stand down -- that we've seen a quelling of violence," he said.

But, Obama said, a functioning Iraq ultimately will depend on the capacity of the Iraqi people to unify themselves, get beyond sectarian divisions and set up a government that works for the people.

"There is security progress. Now we need a political solution," he said. Watch Obama describe his plan for Iraq »

Obama's stop in Jordan is the latest on his trip through the Middle East. So far, Obama also has been through Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. The senator from Illinois will visit Israel before embarking on the European leg of his trip, which will take him through Germany, France and the United Kingdom. See the stops on Obama's trip »

Back in the United States, Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, has been criticizing Obama for his opposition to the surge, which began in 2007 when President Bush ordered nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq as part of a campaign to secure Baghdad and its surrounding provinces.

"He railed against it. He voted against the surge, and he said it would fail," McCain told CBS. "He was wrong there, and there's very little doubt in my mind that he will see for himself that he had a gross misjudgment and he will correct that."

The McCain campaign continued its criticism in a statement released after Obama's news conference in Jordan.

McCAIN IS WRONG ON EVERYTHING ABOUT IRAQ INCLUDING "THE SURGE"

Troop Agreement Misses Deadline

Provincial Law Misses Deadline

Bombings in Mosul, Diyala, Fallujah

SOURCE: http://juancole.com/

First there was going to be a status of forces agreement between the US and Iraq, which would be ratified by the Iraqi parliament and would grant the US long-term bases. Private security guards and US troops would be immune from Iraqi law. US commanders would launch operations at will, would decide who a terrorist was, and would arrest and imprison Iraqis at will.Then al-Maliki went to Iran for consultations. And Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani forbade a giveaway of Iraqi sovereignty.

And the Sadrists began demonstrating every Friday. Then the US launched a unilateral operation in al-Maliki's home town and killed his cousin.So the private contractors won't have legal immunity. And the agreement will be just for a year, not long-term. And it won't be ratified by the Iraqi parliament, so it is just a vague agreement between two executives.

It won't stipulate long-term arrangements, but its interpretive context will be one in which the Iraqi leadership has expressed a desire for US troops to leave in 2010. It isn't clear if US troops will have legal immunity or whether they will have full freedom of action or whether they will be able to arrest and incarcerate Iraqis at will.And now, it won't be signed by the deadline of July 31.You have to wonder whether the Iraqis and the Americans in the end won't have to go back to the UN for a troop mandate again.

The Iraqis want out from under the UN but don't want to recognize that the American presence detracts from their sovereignty. D'oh.No provincial election law again on Monday. Maybe Tuesday. Maybe not.The Iraqi legislative calendar is more like "Waiting for Godot" than it is like . . . a legislative calendar.

John McCain thinks that Iraq and Pakistan have a common border.[Hat tip to Think Progress.]Hey, everybody, ask McCain if he'll pull out US troops by 2010 if that is what the Iraqi government says it wants.McCain keeps boasting about being "right" about the "surge" and saying Obama was "wrong."Look, it is more important that McCain was consistently wrong.

He was wrong about the desirability of going to war against Iraq.

He was wrong about it being a cakewalk.

He was wrong about there being WMD there.

He was wrong about everything.

And he was wrong about the troop escalation making things better.

The casualty figures dropped in al-Anbar, where few extra US troops were ever sent.

They dropped in Basra, from which the British withdrew.

Something happened. Putting it all on 30,000 extra troops seems a stretch. And what about all the ethnic cleansing and displacing of persons that took place under the nose of the "surge?"

McCain has been wrong about everything to do with Iraq. And he is boasting about his wisdom on it!

Guerrillas used a tractor bomb to kill 7 persons and wound 8 others in Diyala Province near Iran, where there is a lively contest for power among Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds.

Reuters reports other recent political violence in Iraq:
' * MOSUL - A suicide car bomber killed two private security contractors serving as bodyguards to members of the Kurdish Democratic Party in an attack on their convoy in Mosul . . . The blast also wounded eight civilians nearby.

MOSUL - Gunmen killed two people when they opened fire on their vehicle in southeastern Mosul, police said.MOSUL - Gunmen killed two brothers and their cousin in a drive-by shooting in northern Mosul on Sunday, police said. . . .

MOSUL - One body was found with gunshot wounds to the head in western Mosul, police said. . .

BAGHDAD - A parked car bomb killed one person and wounded four others on Sunday in Alawi district, central Baghdad, police said.

FALLUJA - Five people were wounded by two roadside bombs exploding within minutes of each other on different streets in central Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, police said.

REUTERS REPORTS: KURDS WALKOUT OF IRAQI PARLIAMENT

BAGHDAD, July 22 (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament passed a provincial elections bill on Tuesday, but a walkout by Kurdish lawmakers over the disputed oil city of Kirkuk could mean the law may not ratified by the presidency.

Kurds make up one of the three main groups in parliament, and their boycott of the vote over a dispute on how the elections law would deal with Kirkuk means the bill could be sent back to parliament.The law is meant to pave the way for polls seen as vital to reconciling Iraq's Sunni Arabs, who boycotted the last provincial elections in 2005, with its other communities."Today parliament passed the provincial elections law, in the absence of the Kurdish alliance, which walked out," Hanin Qado, a lawmaker from the ruling Shi'ite alliance, told Reuters.Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L22936003.htm

REPUBLICANS ARE SCREAMING FOUL, NY TIMES DID McCAIN A FAVOR BY "SPIKING" HIS OP-ED WHICH WOULD HAVE EMBARRASSED HIM.

New York Times Spares McCain Embarrassment By Spiking Op-Ed

By Jason Linkins
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/21/inew-york-timesi-spares-m_n_114117.html

As anyone who hasn't been living under a boulder knows by now, John McCain has always enjoyed an extra-special relationship with the press, who care for the Presidential nominee as one might nurture an orphaned lamb, doing him no end of solids.

For example, even though Barack Obama has consistently led in the polls since clinching the Democratic nomination, we are told that this is Good For McCain, because according to something written on the Ancient and Illuminated Manuscript of Press Corps Conventional Wisdom, Obama should be leading by more, and his waste should smell like Springtime in Vermont.

Also, when McCain visits Europe, it burnishes his Presidential pedigree, but if Obama does so, it makes him look un-American.

Now, however, the McCain camp is angry at their special friend, specifically the New York Times, because the paper of record spiked an op-ed column that McCain had prepared in response to a similar offering from Obama. McCain's surrogates are flush with outrage over this.

But I've now read the piece, and it's pretty clear to me that the Times' decision, if anything, is in keeping with the press' traditional friendly relationship. The Times put bros before prose, and in so doing, spared McCain no end of embarrassment, because the op-ed is rivetingly dumb and laden with inaccuracies. None of which would have come to my attention if the candidate had done the smart thing and kept his mouth shut! But since he wants the attention, let's give it to him.

In January 2007, when General David Petraeus took command in Iraq, he called the situation "hard" but not "hopeless." Today, 18 months later, violence has fallen by up to 80% to the lowest levels in four years, and Sunni and Shiite terrorists are reeling from a string of defeats. The situation now is full of hope, but considerable hard work remains to consolidate our fragile gains.

An inauspicious beginning! Surely the last thing McCain, as an Iraq War advocate, needs to be doing right now is pointing out that four years ago, things were really horrible in Iraq, and after an Olympic season of Surge and sturm and drang, we've only managed to almost get the level of horror back to where it was when it was horrible.

Progress has been due primarily to an increase in the number of troops and a change in their strategy. I was an early advocate of the surge at a time when it had few supporters in Washington. Senator Barack Obama was an equally vocal opponent. "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there," he said on January 10, 2007. "In fact, I think it will do the reverse."

As all "Surge" proponents tend to do, McCain overlooks a situation that was unfolding in Baghdad contemporaneously with the "Surge," namely a massive campaign of sectarian cleansing that expelled people from their homes, hardened neighborhoods, and created a massive internal displacement problem.

Violence dropped as a result of the factions getting what they wanted - the people they were killing out of their neighborhoods.

Also, isn't it time that McCain stopped getting credit for being an "early advocate" of the Surge that President Bush was going to implement anyway? I was an early advocate and a vocal supporter of all of the Washington Redskins Superbowl victories, but you don't see me asking for a ring!

Now Senator Obama has been forced to acknowledge that "our troops have performed brilliantly in lowering the level of violence." But he still denies that any political progress has resulted.

I think that when Obama denies that any political progress has resulted, it's probably because no political progress has resulted. Indeed, the "Surge" was supposed to "create space" for the Iraqi government to reach a level of functionality. What's the impediment? Well, according to a majority of Iraqi legislators, that "space" has been occupied by the occupation.

They said so in the letter they sent to Congress, attesting to this:

Likewise, we wish to inform you that the majority of Iraqi representatives strongly reject any military-security, economic, commercial, agricultural, investment or political agreement with the United States that is not linked to clear mechanisms that obligate the occupying American military forces to fully withdraw from Iraq, in accordance with a declared timetable and without leaving behind any military bases, soldiers or hired fighters.

I don't know...it seems like Obama might be aware of this!

Perhaps he is unaware that the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has recently certified that, as one news article put it, "Iraq has met all but three of 18 original benchmarks set by Congress last year to measure security, political and economic progress." Even more heartening has been progress that's not measured by the benchmarks. More than 90,000 Iraqis, many of them Sunnis who once fought against the government, have signed up as Sons of Iraq to fight against the terrorists.

Nor do they measure Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's new-found willingness to crack down on Shiite extremists in Basra and Sadr City--actions that have done much to dispel suspicions of sectarianism.

Wow. That's a mouthful of nonsense to parse. It's not the U.S. Embassy in Iraq who's made such a claim, it's "Surge" architect and editorial-page-welfare recipient Fred Kagan who's contended that the Iraq has had benchmark success. This is a claim that CNN Reporter Michael Ware has already debunked. In truth, on benchmarks, it would be more accurate to say McCain has it precisely backwards.

PRIZE-WINNING MIDDLE EAST REPORTER DAHR JAMAIL SAYS FALLUJAH ABOUT TO EXPLODE WITH VIOLENCE

Fallujah, the second largest city in Iraq and one that the Bush Administration and the U.S. military point to as a model of how "the surge" has worked, is about to explode into massive violence, according to veteran Middle East reporter Dahr Jamail.

Parts of Fallujah have been walled off and tension is mounting as more and more incidents of violence can be seen each day.

On Monday alone, here is what happened in Fallujah:

Al Anbar Prv:Fallujah:#1: A bomb exploded inside the garden of the house of the father of Falluja police deputy chief Lieutenant Colonel Esa Sayer in al Shurta district in downtown Falluja city west of Baghdad around 6:00 a.m. Five people were injured including a 5 years kid who was seriously injured.

#2: A bomb exploded inside the garden of the house of CPT Asif Ghazi, an officer in Falluja police. The explosion took place in al Mualimeen district in downtown Falluja around 6:00 a.m. the explosion caused damages to the house. No casualties reported. Two other bombs were found near the house and there were detonated under control.

#3: (?) Five people were wounded by two roadside bombs exploding within minutes of each other on different streets in central Falluja, 50 km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, police said


The Third Siege of Fallujah

By Dahr Jamail and Ali Al-Fadhily, IPS News
Posted on July 21, 2008, Printed on July 21, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/92198/

FALLUJAH, Jul 21 (IPS) -- U.S. and Iraqi forces are preparing another siege of Fallujah under the pretext of combating "terror," residents and officials say.

Located 69 km west of Baghdad, the city that suffered two devastating U.S. attacks in 2004 has watched security degrade over recent months.

"Ruling powers in the city fighting to gain full control seem willing to use the security collapse to accuse each other of either conspiracy (in lawlessness) or incapability of control," Sufian Ahmed, a lawyer and human rights activist in Fallujah told IPS.

"They suddenly changed their tone from saying that the city was the safest in Iraq to claiming that al-Qaeda is a serious threat. Fallujah residents know their so-called leaders are using security threats to terrify them for their own political interests."

In the face of U.S. military claims of improved security, violence has been rising by the day this month. The city has now been placed under tight curfew while U.S. and Iraqi military forces prepare for a new offensive, according to the local Azzaman daily.

Iraqi security forces have established new checkpoints around the city and are forbidding movement of people and traffic. Pick-up trucks are roaming the city warning residents that al-Qaeda has once again infiltrated Fallujah.

Iraqi police officers insist that the situation is under control despite the "occasional incidents that take place all over Iraq."

The indications on the ground belie these claims. "The Americans and their allies transferred our leader, Colonel Fayssal al-Zoba'i from his post because they have bad plans for the city," a major in the Fallujah police force told IPS. "He has all the right to keep his post because he was the one who led us to defeat the insurgency while the Americans failed. They (the U.S. military) seem to have a plan to destroy the city again."

Iraqi police and troops from other areas are being deployed in the city in what police officials say is a build-up for a huge offensive. U.S. occupation forces are on the ready in nearby bases.

The government in Baghdad has made it clear that direct U.S. military involvement is critical for an "imminent offensive" in Fallujah, sources in the Iraqi military have been quoted as saying in Iraqi media.

The two U.S. sieges of the city during 2004 led to the destruction of approximately 75 percent of the city, thousands of civilian deaths, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, according to the Fallujah-based Iraqi NGO Monitoring Net for Human Rights.


Some officers in the Fallujah police believe Iraqi politicians are using the threat of "terror" for election purposes, ahead of provincial elections scheduled for October.

"The resignation of Colonel Fayssal is not yet definite," another police officer, speaking on terms of anonymity, told IPS. "But I agree that the Americans and the Islamic Party are planning something bad for the city before the provincial elections."

The officer added, "We learned that such plans could not be conducted in a quiet atmosphere, so politicians are adding gas to the fire just to make sure they win the elections. We, policemen and citizens, will be the victims as usual." Residents fear parties will use the violence to accuse one another, and perhaps sabotage the election itself.

A police spokesman told IPS that "the media is exaggerating things once more" in speaking of another military operation in the city. The spokesman declined to give his name.

Everyone IPS spoke with in the city expressed fear of an impending attack.

There are meanwhile no signs of improvement of any other kind in Fallujah.

Walls now divide the city into sectarian sections, with poverty, unemployment and suffering on all sides.

HOTTEST NEW VIDEO: OBAMA MEETS WITH TROOPS IN KUWAIT.SINKS A 3-POINT RANGE BASKETBALL SHOT

You may have seen portions of this tape on your TV, but this is the whole video including Barack Obama sinking a 3-point range basketball shot as he visited with U.S. troops in Kuwait.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bimTBZPYvWM

MILITARY FAMILIES FROM FORT CAMPBELL, KY TELL ABOUT THE HORRORS LONG WARS HAVE TAKEN ON THEIR FAMILIES

With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan lasting longer than five and seven years respectively, the toll on families of the GIs deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan---sometimes on their third and fourth rotation---are suffering even despite the Army's attempts to help them.

The Associated Press talked with families of soldiers deployed to Iraq from Fort Campbell, Kentucky and their stories are heart-breaking.

Below is the first a three-part series by AP of what is not getting reported in the rest of mainstream press about the havoc caused on families by two wars that are showing no signs of ending soon.


As Wars Lengthen, Toll On Military Families Mounts

Last Update: 10:22 am

http://tinyurl.com/5ved92

EDITOR'S NOTE - With troops fighting on foreign soil since late 2001, the United States is learning about the long-term toll of modern war on the home front. In the first of a three-part package of stories, The Associated Press examines some of the consequences for military families. By DAVID CRARY= AP National Writer= FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) -

Far from the combat zones, the strains and separations of no-end-in-sight wars are taking an ever-growing toll on military families despite the armed services' earnest efforts to help.

Divorce lawyers see it in the breakup of youthful marriages as long, multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan fuel alienation and mistrust. Domestic violence experts see it in the scuffles that often precede a soldier's departure or sour a briefly joyous homecoming.

Teresa Moss, a counselor at Fort Campbell's Lincoln Elementary School, hears it in the voices of deployed soldiers' children as they meet in groups to share accounts of nightmares, bedwetting and heartache. "They listen to each other. They hear that they aren't the only ones not able to sleep, having their teachers yell at them," Moss said.

Even for Army spouses with solid marriages, the repeated separations are an ordeal. "Three deployments in, I still have days when I want to hide under the bed and cry," said Jessica Leonard, who is raising two small children and teaching a "family team building" class to other wives at Fort Campbell. Her husband, Capt. Lance Leonard, is in Iraq.

Those classes are among numerous initiatives to support war-strained families. Yet military officials acknowledge that the vast needs outweigh available resources, and critics complain of persistent shortcomings - a dearth of updated data on domestic violence, short shrift for families of National Guard and Reserve members, inadequate support for spouses and children of wounded and traumatized soldiers. If the burden sounds heavier than what families bore in the 20th century's longest wars - World War II and Vietnam - it is, in some ways.

Today's wars entail a deployment pattern of two, three, sometimes four overseas stints of 12 or 15 months - a schedule virtually unheard of in the past. "It's hard to go away, it's hard to come back, and go away and come back again," said Dr. David Benedek, an Army psychiatrist. "That is happening on a larger scale than in our previous military endeavors."

Almost in one breath, military officials praise the resiliency that enables most of these families to endure while acknowledging that the wars expose them to unprecedented stresses and the risk of long-lasting scars. An array of studies by the Army and outside researchers say that marital strains, risk of child maltreatment and other family problems worsen as soldiers serve multiple combat tours.

Continue read here: http://tinyurl.com/5ved92

WHAT FOX NEWS VIEWERS THINK IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN BARACK OBAMA'S TRIP TO BAGHDAD

While the WHOLE world is focused on Sen. Barack Obama's trip to Baghdad, and how his trip will impact on the lives of 160,000 young Americans serving in the military in Iraq, the FOX NEWS web site (http://foxnews.com/) features a block of "Most Read" articles by FOX NEWS viewers.

Here is what FOX NEWS viewers think are the most important stories:

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Amazing, but not one mention of Sen. Barack Obama's trip to Baghdad.

FOX NEWS continues to feed their audience "tabloid"news and that is why the average FOX NEWS viewer hasn't got a clue what is going on in the world.

Bill Corcoran, EDITOR: CORKSPHERE: url http://corksphere.blogspot.com/

IRAQ NEWS SOURCE REPORTS AL-MALIKI AND OBAMA HAVE MET

Maliki, Obama tackle future of U.S. military presence in Iraq – source

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Monday , 21 /07 /2008 Time 1:09:06
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=86499&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1


BAGHDAD, July 21 (VOI) – Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and visiting U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama discussed a number of topics including the future of U.S. military presence in Iraq, according to a cabinet media source on Monday.

"Maliki received Obama as soon as he arrived in Baghdad and the two sides discussed the possibility of U.S. troop cuts in Iraq," the source, who asked that he is name not be revealed, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI).The source said the Illinois Senator would possibly meet other Iraqi officials today.Earlier in the day the U.S. army's media advisor Abdellatif Rayan told VOI Obama arrived in the Iraqi capital as part of a tour he started with Afghanistan earlier this week.Obama had pledged to withdraw U.S. combat troops from Iraq if he won the presidential elections to be held next November.The U.S. White House hopeful had paid a single visit to Iraq in January 2006.

CNN: DEADLY CAR BOMB GOES OFF IN BAGHDAD AS OBAMA ARRIVES

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama arrived in Baghdad and hours later a car bomb went off in Baghdad killing a civilian and wounding four others as a sign that peace in Iraq is still very fragile.

Baghdad hit by deadly car bomb

Story Highlights
NEW: Barack Obama arrives in Iraq for talks with Iraqi officials, U.S. commanders
U.S. military kills two relatives of Salaheddin governor
Police official, who's governor's brother, says dead includes governor's son
U.S. military says troops encountered two armed men, killed in "self-defense"

http://tinyurl.com/5dl5vv


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A car bomb blew up in Baghdad, killing a civilian and wounding four others, an Interior Ministry official said.

The Sunday attack underscored the fragility of relative calm in the Iraqi capital; violence levels have dropped sharply in Baghdad and across the country over the past few months.

Early Sunday in northern Iraq, U.S. forces killed two relatives of Salaheddin's governor Hamad al-Qaisi and identified them as members of al Qaeda in Iraq.

But a Baiji police official who is al-Qaisi's brother said the two males were al-Qaisi's 16-year-old son and the teenager's cousin. Lt. Col. Saad al-Qaisi said the two were "executed," as they headed to morning prayers.

Al-Qaisi said his nephew, Hussam Hamad al-Qaisi, and Badri Khalaf Issa walked out of a house next door to the building that was being raided by the U.S. military at around 3:30 a.m. He said the young men "were taken and executed" by the military.

WASHINGTON POST: OBAMA ARRIVES IN BAGHDAD: "SURGE" TROOPS LEAVE WITH DOUBTS THAT PEACE WILL HOLD

Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has arrived in Baghdad, and many of the "surge" troops are leaving, but according to the Washington Post the troops are not sure that peace will hold in the war torn country.

What many people don't know is the United States has been arming the various militia groups and this could lead to an all out civil war when the U.S. leaves Iraq and there is nobody left to hold the fragile peace together.

For 'Surge' Troops, Pride Mingles With Doubt: Soldiers Leave a More Secure Iraq but Are Unsure if Hard-Won Gains Will Hold

By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign ServiceMonday, July 21, 2008; A01
http://tinyurl.com/6ymm6h

BAGHDAD -- This time last year, Capt. Wes Wilhite's men were getting ready to move into an abandoned house in western Baghdad wedged between cells of Sunni insurgents to the south and strongholds of Shiite militias to the north.

Violence in the Iraqi capital seemed unstoppable. U.S. military vehicles were getting attacked with armor-piercing roadside bombs almost daily, and a raging sectarian war was Balkanizing once-mixed neighborhoods.

"A slaughterhouse," is how Steve Murrani, an interpreter working with Wilhite's men, described it.

The soldiers, who came to Iraq as part of President Bush's troop increase, began returning home last week. They leave with sunburned faces, calloused hands, tattered boots. On their wrists they wear black metal bracelets inscribed with the names of five soldiers killed on a clear afternoon in March, just as progress was starting to seem irreversible.

For more from the Washington Post, click here: http://tinyurl.com/6ymm6h

TIMELINE. TIMETABLE, TIME HORIZON. WHATEVER. DID SOMEONE GET TO IRAQI PM?

Everyone from George Bush to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama has got a different spin on the the word "time."

Last week the Iraqi PM said he wanted a "timeline" for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq.

Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama wants a "timetable."

And now the Bush administration is calling for a "time horizon."

It appears as though all these leaders and prospective leaders have too much "time" on their hands.

Der Spiegel quoted the Iraqi PM as saying he agreed with Obama's 16-month plan for troop withdrawals from Iraq, but now al-Maliki is saying he was misunderstood.

Could it be that someone from the Bush White House told the puppet leader of Iraq to get back in line with President Bush or face having funding cut off?

It sure looks like it.

COMMENTARY BY BILL CORCORAN, EDITOR OF CORKSPHERE


Iraqi PM denies supporting Obama pullout proposal

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki did not back the plan of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to pullout American forces from Iraq and his comments to a German magazine on the issue were misunderstood, the government's spokesman said on Sunday.

According to Ali al-Dabbagh, Maliki's remarks to Der Spiegel were translated incorrectly. The German magazine said on Saturday that the Iraqi leader endorsed Obama's proposal that American soldiers should leave Iraq within 16 months. The interview was released on Saturday.

"U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama talks about 16 months. That, we think, would be the right time frame for a withdrawal, with the possibility of slight changes," Der Spiegel quoted Maliki as saying.

According to Reuters, Dabbagh conveyed statements by Maliki or any other member of the government should not be seen as support for any U.S. presidential candidate.

Maliki's remarks were published a day after the White House said he and U.S. President George W. Bush had agreed that a security agreement currently being negotiated between them should include a "time horizon" for withdrawal of U.S. troops.

Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

THEY'RE GANGING UP ON BUSH: BRITISH PM JOINS IRAQI PM ON OBAMA PLAN FOR TROOP PULLOUT FROM IRAQ

Brown backs Obama on 2010 Iraq troop pull-out

Last updated at 02:52am on 20.07.08
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23518247-details/Brown+backs+Obama+on+2010+Iraq+troop+pull-out/article.do#readerComments

Gordon Brown has privately backed American presidential candidate Barack Obama’s plan for all foreign troops to be pulled out of Iraq by summer 2010.

Downing Street sources say that the UK is ‘working to the same end’ as Mr Obama, who has said that he would remove all US troops from Iraq within 16 months if he won the presidential election in November.

The disclosure came as Mr Brown paid a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday for talks with the Iraqi government.

His meeting with Iraqi premier Nouri al-Maliki, President Jamal Talabani and General David Petraeus, the head of the American military operation, came 24 hours before Mr Obama was also expected to arrive in Baghdad.

Mr Brown and Mr Obama are due to meet in Downing Street later this week.

But any suggestion of a tacit ‘deal’ between the two men is likely to be greeted with fury by Mr Obama’s presidential rival, John McCain, who has not pledged to withdraw American troops.

The complete withdrawal of UK troops on the same timetable would come as a relief to the British Armed Forces, who have complained about the pressure of maintaining 4,000 troops in Iraq and 8,000 in Afghanistan.

Britain has retained a larger troop presence in Iraq for longer than anticipated because of delays in training Iraqi forces to take their place.

However, the task has become easier in recent months because of a dramatic improvement in the political and economic situation in Basra, where the British troops are stationed.

Mr Brown yesterday set out four key objectives for the British operation in Iraq.

These were transferring responsibility for security to Iraqi people, the holding of democratic local elections, economic and social development and transferring the country’s airports from military to civilian use.

He said: ‘We are making very significant progress.

'There have been great steps made since my last visit in December.’

Publicly he refused to say when the last British soldier would leave Iraq.
‘I’m not setting an artificial timetable, but there has been significant progress,’ he said.

U.S. MARINES VIDEO IN IRAQ WITH REAL FOOTAGE: WARNING GRAPHIC

The media would have you believing the war in Iraq is OVER, but there are still pockets of resistance and there is talk of a big offensive right around the time of the elections in the United States.

This VIDEO shows the U.S. Marines in action in Iraq...a country that is far from total peace:

http://www.youtube.com/v/C_LTvGSHHh4&hl=en&fs=1

CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW IN PICTURE TO ACTIVATE VIDEO

REAL COMBAT VIDEO FOOTAGE FROM AFGHANISTAN---THE NEW HOT SPOT

Afghanistan has emerged as the new "hot spot" for American troops and this video shows an American combat patrol under heavy attack in a mountainous area of Afghanistan.

The war in Afghanistan is going to be fought in the hills and mountains of Afghanistan unlike Iraq which was a war conducted mostly in urban areas.

Watch the video here: http://www.youtube.com/v/Emr1tFK5wBc&hl=en&fs=1

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in center of picture to activate video.

NEW GRAPHIC VIDEO: ATTACK ON MARINE CONVOY IN FALLUJAH. VERY GRAPHIC

This new video shows an attack on a U.S. Marine convoy in Fallujah where hostilites have heated up despite what FOX NEWS and the Bush administration are telling AMERICANS

http://www.youtube.com/v/fUFg0wYtZXg&hl=en&fs=1

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in picture to activate video. WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC

FIRST VIDEO REPORT OF 9 U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN

AP has released the first video of the attack in Afghanistan which killed 9 U.S. soldiers. The Army is investigating whether intelligence was lacking and the soldiers were walking right into a trap.

See VIDEO here: http://www.youtube.com/v/gOqDdobMbf0&hl=en&fs=1

Click on diamond-shaped arrow in picture to activate video

BRAND NEW VIDEO: AP REPORTS VIOLENCE UP SHARPLY IN AFGHANISTAN AS WAR ENTERS 7TH YEAR

The war in Afghanistan and casualties from the war are up sharply as this video from the Associated Press tells.
The video was released four days ago and reports on the nine U.S. servicemen killed in Afghanistan a week ago.

See video here: http://www.youtube.com/v/j9IC_tSj-co&hl=en&fs=1

CBS REPORTS: IRAQI PM SUPPORTS OBAMA'S PLAN FOR TROOP WITHDRAWAL

Iraqi PM Supports Obama's Withdrawal Plan

BAGHDAD, July 19, 2008
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/19/iraq/main4275137.shtml

(CBS/AP) In an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said he supported a plan proposed by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months.

When asked when he thinks U.S. troops should leave Iraq, al-Maliki told the magazine, "As soon as possible, as far as we are concerned." He added, "U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months." Al-Maliki deferred, however, from offering outright support for Obama's candidacy. "Of course, this is by no means an election endorsement," he said. "Who they choose as their president is the Americans' business."

The prime minister, who has spoken of setting a timetable for U.S. withdrawal - an option that has been anathema to the White House - discounted the Bush adminstration's concerns. "So far the Americans have had trouble agreeing to a concrete timetable for withdrawal, because they feel it would appear tantamount to an admission of defeat," al-Maliki told Der Spiegel.

WE REPORT: YOU DECIDE. WHO IS TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT IRAQ AND OBAMA'S TRIP TO IRAQ?

RUPERT MURDOCH not only owns FOX NEWS but he also owns the New York Post. As would be expected, the New York Post slams Barack Obama's trip to Iraq and lies to their readers about the success of "the surge." The New York Post, naturally, believes everything Republican candidate for President John McCain says about Iraq.

Following this propaganda piece in the New York Post, we present to our blog readers the REAL TRUTH ABOUT IRAQ including the latest list of casualties from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rupert Murdoch and his "news" empire continue to LIE to the American public about IRAQ through FOX NEWS and the New York Post as well as scores of other media outlets the foreign-born Rupert Murdoch owns.

We begin with the NEW YORK POSTS' propaganda piece followed by the TRUTH about Iraq from the TRUE source of events on the ground in Iraq, Iraq Today, http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

COMMENTARY BY BILL CORCORAN, EDITOR OF CORKSPHERE


BARACK'S IRAQ TRIP
Posted: 4:38 amJuly 19, 2008

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07192008/postopinion/editorials/baracks_iraq_trip_120597.htm

Barack Obama is headed for the front - including a stop in an Iraq that would look far different had Washington adopted the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's strategic imperatives.

Indeed. For the troop surge so vehemently opposed by Obama has clearly succeeded - as GOP candidate John McCain declared yesterday.

"We have succeeded in Iraq - not 'we are succeeding' - we have succeeded in Iraq," said McCain.
"The strategy has worked, and we now have the Iraqi government and military in charge of the major cities in Iraq. Al Qaeda is on [its] heels and on the run."

McCain has every good reason to be outspoken about the good news.

Back when Gen. David Petraeus and President Bush announced plans for the surge, McCain went way out on a limb and endorsed it - indeed, he'd long been pushing for precisely such a strategy.

Democrats, with Obama to the fore, predicted a military disaster and piles of American corpses. (Indeed, even many Republicans were afraid to back the Petraeus plan openly.)

But McCain, a combat veteran who's made repeated trips to the front, knew otherwise.

As for Obama, until recently he was still insisting that the surge would fail.

Now he knows otherwise - which is why his aides moved quickly to purge all signs of his earlier opposition from his campaign Web site.

Fact is, as McCain rightly notes, "If we had done what Sen. Obama wanted to do, there would be no situation to evaluate because we would've lost."

"There would be chaos," he added. "There would be an increase in sectarian violence. There would be widening Iranian influence - and we would be facing disaster."

So it's a good thing that Sen. Obama is headed for Iraq and Afghanistan. He'll probably learn something important about how the war is being conducted.


Maybe he'll even come to realize that this hard-won success is too fragile to be put at risk by a too-hasty retreat.

Something John McCain also has understood all along.

AND THEN THERE IS THE TRUTH ABOUT IRAQ WHICH THE NEW YORK POST AND FOX NEWS ARE INCAPABLE OF TELLING.

THE FOLLOWING U.S. CASUALTIES AND ACTS OF VIOLENCE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN HAPPENED ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND STAND IN STARK CONTRAST TO THE LIES PUT FORTH BY THE NEW YORK POST AND FOX NEWS.


SOURCE: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

Casualty Reports:Army Sgt. Matthew Gobble, 24, who was injured in Afghanistan was hit by shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade during an attack by Taliban insurgents against a U.S.-led outpost near Pakistan. The shrapnel sprayed across much of Gobble’s body, his father said. “It was basically his entire left side from his head all the way down to his feet,” he said. Gobble was flown to Germany, where he underwent surgery to remove the shrapnel and repair cartilage and ligaments.

U.S. Army Spc. Aaron Davis, 21, and his comrades in the 173rd Airborne Brigade. According to military officials, 200 insurgents fired on the base with machine guns, grenades and mortars. He had been hurt in the leg and head, she said. She did not have details about the injuries, but noted that her son had already been presented with the Purple Heart. He remained in a hospital Friday in Italy and at some point will be flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Reported Security incidents:Baghdad:

#1: Friday One unidentified body was found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today in Amil neighbourhood.

#2: A roadside bomb wounded four civilians in central Baghdad, police said.Around 3 pm a roadside bomb targeted an American patrol in Karrada neighborhood. 4 Iraqi people were injured.

#3: Around 7 am a roadside bomb targeted an American patrol near Ghadeer bridge in Zayuna neighborhood. One Humvee was damaged with no casualties reported.Diyala Prv:

Khalis:#1: Meanwhile, an official source in Diala police told VOI that security forces found on Saturday three headless bodies in al-Karama neighborhood, al-Adhim district, al-Khalis, (150 km) north of Baaquba. "The three bodies were of brothers that had been kidnapped on Wednesday," the source said, not giving more details.

Nassiriya:#1: An explosive charge on Saturday detonated near a police patrol vehicle in southern Thi-Qar province, causing no casualties or damage, a local police media and relations director said. "An improvised explosive device (IED) planted in downtown Souk al-Shoyoukh district (30 km south of Nassiriya city) blew up while a police patrol car was passing by, causing no casualties or damage," Colonel Sadiq al-Mashrafawi told Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq.

Tikrit:#1: Gunmen killed three policemen in an attack on their patrol outside Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.Sulaiman Bek.#1: A roadside bomb targeted a patrol for the south oil company guards in Sulaiman Beck in Tuz Khurmatu ( south of Kirkuk and northeast of Tikrit) Friday night. 4 guards were injured.Sulaimaniyah:#1: Police found two dead bodies for a woman a her daughter in Sulaimaniyah city today.

Mosul:#1: Two Iraqi armed forces members died and eight others were wounded Saturday in a car bomb explosion in northern Iraq, military sources said. The incident happened in the mainly Kurdish city of Mosul, al-Sumaria Iraqi Satellite TV reported.

#2: A handcuffed body was found with gunshot wounds on Friday in western Mosul, police said

.#3: Gunmen killed one person on Friday just outside his house in northern Mosul, police said.#4: A sniper shot dead a policeman at a checkpoint in central Mosul, police said.

Afghanistan:#1: Meanwhile, the chief police of Kandahar told Deutsche Presse- Agenture (dpa) Saturday that a roadside blast in southern Afghanistan killed four policemen and wounded another. Khan Mohammad - a police official in Kandahar province - said the blast struck a patrol in Maiwand district of restive Kandahar province on

Saturday.#2: In another development, two French aid workers were kidnapped at gunpoint on Friday in central Afghanistan, officials said Saturday. The two were abducted when a group of armed men entered into their organization's guesthouse in Neli, capital of Daikundi Province, late Friday, said Mohammad Nadir, the provincial police chief. "The armed men tied up the guards and dragged the aid workers into their vehicles," he said. The two French nationals were employed at the Action Contre la Faim (ACF) (Action Against Hunger) organization providing aid relief to Afghan communities at risk of acute malnutrition, the organization said in its website.

#3: A suicide bomber wounded one policeman when he detonated his explosives next to a passing police convoy in Daman district of Kandahar province on Saturday, district chief Mohammad Rasul said

.#4: Taliban militants attacked the district headquarters in Garda Serai district in the eastern province of Paktia on Saturday, wounding four policemen and capturing two more, district police chief Enayatullah said.

#5: One Afghan security guard was killed and three more were wounded on Saturday when their vehicle, which was providing security for a NATO supply convoy, struck a roadside bomb on the main highway between Khost and Paktia provinces in the east of the country, a district chief Lutfullah Baba Karkhel said.

CNN: OBAMA IS IN AFGHANISTAN

Obama makes first trip to Afghanistan

Story Highlights
Sen. Barack Obama arrives in Afghanistan for first stop of global tour
Obama's visit comes as U.S. officials want to send more troops to region
Obama also expected to visit several countries in Middle East, Europe

http://tinyurl.com/6zynek

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama arrived Saturday in Afghanistan on the first stop of his tour of the Middle East and Europe, aimed at boosting the U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful's foreign policy credentials, his campaign confirmed.
The U.S. senator from Illinois also plans to visit Iraq, although details of the trip have have not been made public for security reasons.
Obama spoke briefly to a pool reporter about his trip just before leaving Washington.
"I'm looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is," Obama said. "I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they've been doing."
Asked if he would have tough talk for the leaders of Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama said he was "more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking."
"I think it is very important to recognize that I'm going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it's the president's job to deliver those messages," Obama said. Watch Obama's foreign policy adviser discuss overseas trip »
The fight in Afghanistan has become a more pressing issue on the political radar. Three times as many coalition soldiers and other military personnel have died in July in Afghanistan than in Iraq.
On Sunday, nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a fight with about 200 Taliban militants in eastern Afghanistan. It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that U.S. officials are looking for ways to send more troops to Afghanistan, amid the resurgence of violence nearly seven years after the ousting of the Taliban government.
Gates said the hope is to send additional forces "sooner rather than later."

NEW VIDEO: LAURA INGRAHAM LOSES IT BEHIND THE SCENES AT FOX NEWS

Laura Ingraham, the ultra-Conservative talk radio host, lasted just one week at FOX NEWS and this video could be the reason why. Four of her producers QUIT after one week.

http://www.mydamnchannel.com/Harry_Shearer/Found_Objects/FoundObjectsLauraIngraham_823.aspx

LAURA INGRAHAM LOSES IT BEHIND THE SCENES AT FOX!
by Bob Carson

First it was the infamous "Do it live" Bill O'reilly clip, now we see Laura Ingraham lose it behind scenes. In this video, Laura can be seen yelling and complaining at just about everyone on the set. It's no wonder 4 of her producers/assistants have left in the last few months.
These tirades are relatively mild compared to what Laura said behind the scenes about Diane Sollee, a guest on Ingraham's radio show, but they are none-to -less amusing. One thing I have to agree with Laura on- "This is a train wreck." I'm going to try to embed the video. If that doesn't work, the link below leads you to it.

WATCH LAURA INGRAHAM LOSE IT HERE:

http://www.mydamnchannel.com/Harry_Shearer/Found_Objects/FoundObjectsLauraIngraham_823.aspx

Comment: We hope we contributed to Laura Ingraham's downfall at FOX NEWS when we pointed out how she and Conservate blogger Michelle Malkin failed to provide all the facts re the Marines who were charged with killing innocent civilians in what became known as the "Haditha Street Incident."

Bill Corcoran, Editor: CORKSPHERE url: http://corksphere.blogspot.com

BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AGAINST U.S. TROOPS: WATCH VIDEO

HALLIBURTON, the company which Vice President Dick Cheney was once CEO, has been providing food, water and other supplys for U.S. troops in Iraq, but this VIDEO tells the alarming story on how HALLIBURTON has been providing contaminated water and food to U.S. troops.

HALLIBURTON has been making money hand over fist off the Iraq War and the U.S. taxpayer is absorbing the cost of Dick Cheney's former company reaping huge profits.

Watch former HALLIBURTON employees talk about what they saw when they were in Iraq working for HALLIBURTON here: http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/369.html

This is how George Bush and Dick Cheney support the troops.

And you can thank Congress for it too while you're at it. Simple biological warfare - poisoning the troops' water supply - is the most cost effective way of neutralizing the effectiveness of an armed force.

The problem is how do you get to the supply?

In Iraq, that's no problem. Bush and company have brought in private contractors to provide the water supply to troops and the private contractor,HALLIBURTON, Dick Cheney's former employer, has deemed it unnecessary to provide uncontaminated water to US troops serving in Iraq.

Take the money? Sure.

The actual safety of the water? Not our concern. Neither the flag-waving rabble-rousers of the Bush administration nor the gutless, venal cowards in Congress seem to care about the problem.

Too busy gearing up for the attack on Iran I guess.

VETVOICE AND ABC NEWS REPORT ON MCCAIN'S HISTORY OF BEING WRONG ON AFGHANISTAN

McCain: A History Of Being Wrong On Afghanistan

by: Chris LeJeune
Fri Jul 18, 2008 at 11:29:37 AM EDT
From ABC News:
http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1629

ABC News' Z. Byron Wolf reports from Capitol Hill: The McCain campaign criticism of Sen. Barack Obama's hearing record on Capitol Hill led us to put the shoe on the other foot. It turns out that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain has attended even fewer Afghanistan-related Senate hearings over the past two years than Obama's one. Which is a nice way of saying, McCain, R-Ariz., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Service Committee, has attended zero of his committee's six hearings on Afghanistan over the last two years.

Meanwhile, Obama attended the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan in March 2007, although he used the opportunity to ask Gen. James L. Jones, then the commander of NATO, about Pakistan.

McCain's campaign claims that his years of previous foreign policy experience make up for his recent lack of attendance at hearings. But, as any combat veteran will tell you, the battlefield is fluid. It is dynamic. It is always changing. Simply because you know how Afghanistan was running in 2001, does not mean you have an idea of the reality on the ground today.

A review of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings as listed on the committee Web site for the past two years reveals that McCain's committee has held six hearings that included the word "Afghanistan" in the title or Central Command -- which overseas U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

McCain missed them all.

He missed the hearings with Adm. William Fallon, then the CentCom commander, with authority over Afghanistan, on March 4, 2008, and May 3, 2007.

There was also hearing on June 7, 2007, on the nomination of Gen. Douglas Lute to be the White House war czar with oversight over Afghanistan.

Gen. Jones testified before the Armed Services Committee on Sept. 6, 2007, but that hearing was on Iraq and while McCain showed up late for his opening statement, he was there.
But he missed the hearing on Afghanistan strategy Feb. 14 with representatives from the State Department and Marine Lt. Gen. John Sattler.

He also missed the hearing April, 10, 2008 on the war in Iraq and the "situation in Afghanistan" where Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Michael Mullen both testified.
McCain also missed the Feb. 6, 2008 hearing where the committee considered the fiscal year request for authorizations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, to be honest, even if he attended the meetings I'm not sure how much he would learn from them or be able to contribute. The following video (click on this link to see video: http://www.vetvoice.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1629) is from a McCain speech in 2003 where he downplays the importance of the fight in Afghanistan, and refers to President Karzai as the leader of Iraq. According to McCain in 2003, we can just "muddle through in Afghanistan".

And this is the experience that qualifies him to miss the above mentioned hearings.

'IT'S GONNA BE A BLOODBATH' FALLEN SOLDIER TOLD HIS FATHER---CNN REPORTS

U.S. soldiers who died in Afghanistan were a few days from completing deployment

Some wanted money for school; others wanted to start a career in military

Relatives seek to reconcile their grief with their anger toward the military

By Emanuella GrinbergCNN
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/17/airborne.soldiers.family/index.html

(COMMENT BY BILL CORCORAN, EDITOR OF CORKSPHERE. We are printing this story in its entirety because we feel it is story everyone should read, and because we know other than CNN the rest of the mainstream media will ignore a story like this as they do almost everything having to do with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.)

(CNN) -- Cpl. Gunnar Zwilling suspected his days were numbered last week, while he and his band of brothers in the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team prepared for a mission near Wanat, Afghanistan.

"It's gonna be a bloodbath," he told his father, Kurt Zwilling, on the phone, in what would be their last conversation.

Kurt Zwilling braced himself for the worst but held out hope that his son would make it home.

"They were in the most dangerous place on Earth. They were in mortal danger, and there was nothing they could do it about it," he said. "But they were soldiers, so they had to do their job."

With just a few days left in their 15-month tour, Gunnar Zwilling and eight of his comrades were killed July 13 in a clash with as many as 200 Taliban militants during a mission to set up an outpost near Wanat. It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years.

In the wake of their deaths, the paratroopers have become symbols of what many say is a forgotten war, prompting the U.S. military to draw up plans for putting more troops and resources into the war in Afghanistan. Watch why troops may have to wait for help »

But before they were national heroes, the young soldiers were beloved sons, brothers, fathers and husbands who were drawn to the Army for different reasons.

Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tennessee, joined the Army against his family's wishes with the intention of jump-starting his college education.

Before joining the service in 2006, Hovater was a "man of God" who divided his time between his father-in-law's landscaping company and playing songs of worship with his family.

"Everything that God deposited in that boy came out when he played the piano," said his mother, Kathy Hovater, who home-schooled her son and his three siblings.

Shortly after Hovater joined his combat team in Italy, his sister said he called home and said he had made a "mistake," but was committed to following through with his service.

"He was a dedicated soldier. He did what he was supposed to do because he said if he weren't over there, all that horror and torment that was going on in the war, it would be over here," said his sister, Jessica Davis.

Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, North Carolina, also joined the Army as a means to pay for his college education so he could become a teacher, according to Jeff Terrell, the leader of the youth group at the Glen Hope Baptist Church.

"He wasn't going to be a career military guy, but he believed in what he was doing," said Terrell, who knew Rainey since his teen years. "He felt like this would help him. He enjoyed it, but he had other plans.

"He really wanted to teach. He had a good way with kids. Kids flocked to him."

Before joining the Army, Rainey spent his time doing martial arts, a pastime that came naturally to the high school wrestling star, and volunteering for his church's youth ministry.

"The kids loved to jump on him like he was a big bear," Terrell said. "He was a big kid, but he was gentle."

Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Georgia, seemed destined for military service since childhood.

"Jon was just very military since he was 3 years old. He looked at your shoes, and if they weren't perfect, they were no good," said his father, Bill Ayers. "He loved the regiment of the military; he loved order and schedule."

Despite his fastidious tendencies, Ayers' father remembers him as a "cutup" who never failed to amuse with his Jeff Foxworthy impersonation.

"He loved to see people smile and laugh," Ayers said. "He was not a prankster, but he loved to tell jokes."

For the free-spirited Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Georgia, the armed forces satisfied a need for adventure while providing a service to his country.

"Matt had a very individualistic personality. He loved living life," said his father, Michael Phillips. "Even though he was afraid at times, in every photo from Afghanistan, he had a big smile on his face."

Phillips, who left a wife behind, died on the same day that his sister gave birth to her first son, whom she named after him.

Like other grieving relatives, Phillips' father is attempting to reconcile his emotions with concerns over how the military handled the situation.

"We're torn between incredible pride and anger. We're having a difficult time reconciling that after 14 months, someone who served his country well and paid his dues, why would he be placed in such a perilous situation?" Phillips said.

"There have to be some answers for the family."

Dean Bogar, the grandfather of Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle, Washington, said he was troubled by the fact that his grandson was fighting in a Taliban stronghold with little reinforcements.

"That's a big question mark," he said.

Watch how the Pentagon is investigating the attack »

Even so, he said he is proud of his grandson for bringing "valor" to the Bogar name.

"He was a nifty boy. He had a great sense of humor and was outgoing and very bright and upfront with everything," he said. "Kind of clever little imp."

In the beginning, Kurt Zwilling said his son enjoyed the camaraderie, discipline and excitement that Army life offered.

"Everything he did, he did with a passion," Kurt Zwilling said of his son, who graduated from high school in Florissant, Missouri. "That's why he wanted to join the paratroopers, he wanted to go into the toughest thing and be with the best."

Even as the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan became apparent, Zwilling said his son applied the same determination to his service that had carried him through high school theater, sports and music.

"He walked into the valley of death and didn't flinch. He knew what was going to happen and he went anyway. That's bravery," he said.

For the parents of 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Aiea, Hawaii, knowing that their son died doing what he felt was right brings some sense of closure.

"He was very happy doing what he was doing, and he wouldn't have had it any other way," said his mother, Mary Jo Brostrom. "That was what he wanted to do, defend our freedom and serve with his brothers."

Brostrom's parents said they are grateful they had the chance to spend time with their son in May, when he showed up unexpectedly at their door on Mother's Day with a bouquet of flowers.
He spent the next few weeks surfing, fishing and spending every waking moment with his parents and his 6-year-old son, Jase.

"When he came home, he would wrestle around and try and make us laugh," Mary Jo Brostrom said. "He had a beautiful smile and a beautiful heart and that's what we'll miss."

MIXED SIGNALS: TOP IRAQI GENERAL TELLS NEW YORK TIMES HE LIKES OBAMA, BUT SAYS IRAQI TROOPS ARE NOT READY TO HANDLE SECURITY

In Iraq, Mixed Feelings About Obama and His Troop Proposal

By SABRINA TAVERNISE and RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

http://tinyurl.com/65ca89

BAGHDAD — A tough Iraqi general, a former special operations officer with a baritone voice and a barrel chest, melted into smiles when asked about Senator Barack Obama.

“Everyone in Iraq likes him,” said the general, Nassir al-Hiti. “I like him. He’s young. Very active. We would be very happy if he was elected president.”

But mention Mr. Obama’s plan for withdrawing American soldiers, and the general stiffens.
“Very difficult,” he said, shaking his head. “Any army would love to work without any help, but let me be honest: for now, we don’t have that ability.”

Thus in a few brisk sentences, the general summed up the conflicting emotions about Mr. Obama in Iraq, the place outside America with perhaps the most riding on its relationship with him.

There was, as Mr. Obama prepared to visit here, excitement over a man who is the anti-Bush in almost every way: a Democrat who opposed a war that many Iraqis feel devastated their nation. And many in the political elite recognize that Mr. Obama shares their hope for a more rapid withdrawal of American forces from Iraq.

But his support for troop withdrawal cuts both ways, reflecting a deep internal quandary in Iraq: for many middle-class Iraqis, affection for Mr. Obama is tempered by worry that his proposal could lead to chaos in a nation already devastated by war. Many Iraqis also acknowledge that security gains in recent months were achieved partly by the buildup of American troops, which Mr. Obama opposed and his presumptive Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, supported.

Continue reading here: http://tinyurl.com/65ca89

NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS: SHODDY ELECTRICAL WORK BY KBR PUTS SOLDIERS AT RISK IN IRAQ

Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR), a onetime subsidiary of Halliburton which Vice President Dick Cheney served as CEO, has been charged with not providing proper electrial wiring for U.S. bases in Iraq and the situation is worse than previously reported.

July 18, 2008
Electrical Risks at Bases in Iraq Worse Than Previously Said

By JAMES RISEN
THE NEW YORK TIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/world/middleeast/18contractors.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

WASHINGTON — Shoddy electrical work by private contractors on United States military bases in Iraq is widespread and dangerous, causing more deaths and injuries from fires and shocks than the Pentagon has acknowledged, according to internal Army documents.

During just one six-month period — August 2006 through January 2007 — at least 283 electrical fires destroyed or damaged American military facilities in Iraq, including the military’s largest dining hall in the country, documents obtained by The New York Times show.

Two soldiers died in an electrical fire at their base near Tikrit in 2006, the records note, while another was injured while jumping from a burning guard tower in May 2007.

And while the Pentagon has previously reported that 13 Americans have been electrocuted in Iraq, many more have been injured, some seriously, by shocks, according to the documents.

A log compiled earlier this year at one building complex in Baghdad disclosed that soldiers complained of receiving electrical shocks in their living quarters on an almost daily basis.

CNN: DID ARMY HAVE INTELLIGENCE BEFORE DEADLY AFGHAN CLASH THAT KILLED NINE U.S. SOLDIERS?

Military looking at intelligence before deadly Afghan clash

Names and hometowns of 9 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghan attack

Story Highlights
Army unit trying to set up observation post when attacked
Nine soldiers killed Sunday in fight with about 200 Taliban insurgents
Pentagon begins formal probe of battle
British say troops kill Taliban leaders

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/17/afghan.probe/index.html#cnnSTCText

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A formal investigation into an attack on a U.S. Army unit by about 200 Taliban insurgents will examine whether the Army had intelligence about a possible assault and whether the troops had access to it.

Taliban militants take up a defensive position at a undisclosed in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on Saturday.

The fact-finding mission was launched Thursday, several military officials said, after nine American soldiers were killed in Sunday's assault in Afghanistan.

When the attack occurred, the U.S. and Afghan soldiers were scouting for a location in the remote area to set up a coalition observation point. The Taliban never breached the main coalition base near the village of Wanat in Kunar province, which borders Pakistan.
It was the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years, underscoring how the conflict is escalating.

Since May, the deaths of U.S. and allied troops have far outpaced the toll in Iraq. On Thursday, the toll in Afghanistan was 21, compared with six in Iraq.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force did not provide the nationality of a soldier who died in Afghanistan on Thursday. See casualty figures for Afghanistan, Iraq »

U.S. military officials are searching for ways to send more troops to Afghanistan in response to urgent requests from commanders there, given the increase in violence. Watch how U.S. trying to boost Afghan force »

U.S. soldiers killedThe Defense Department on Wednesday identified the U.S. soldiers killed Sunday when their outpost was overrun in Afghanistan. • 1st Lt. Jonathan P. Brostrom, 24, of Aiea, Hawaii. • Sgt. Israel Garcia, 24, of Long Beach, California. • Cpl. Jonathan R. Ayers, 24, of Snellville, Georgia. • Cpl. Jason M. Bogar, 25, of Seattle, Washington. • Cpl. Jason D. Hovater, 24, of Clinton, Tennessee. • Cpl. Matthew B. Phillips, 27, of Jasper, Georgia. • Cpl. Pruitt A. Rainey, 22, of Haw River, North Carolina. • Cpl. Gunnar W. Zwilling, 20, of Florissant, Missouri. • Pfc. Sergio S. Abad, 21, of Morganfield, Kentucky.

A senior U.S. Army official says "all options are on the table," including the possibility of diverting a combat brigade of up to 3,000 troops to Afghanistan later this year. Those troops are now scheduled to go to Iraq.

The commanders are asking for troops as soon as possible. Several officials say it's most likely that the fastest option would be to send a small number of "enabler" troops such as security forces, helicopter units and surveillance aircraft. There is a Marine Corps unit in the region on standby for emergencies that could be sent, officials said.

In Afghanistan on Thursday, local security forces and coalition soldiers in western Afghanistan killed several insurgents in what the NATO command called a "successful operation against high-priority Taliban targets."

The operation took place in the Shindand district of Herat province. Two Taliban leaders, Haji Dawlat Khan and Haji Nasrullah Khan, and a "significant number of other insurgents" were killed, according to a statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force.

There was no evidence of civilian casualties or accidental damage in the operation, in which a "number of men were discovered handcuffed and imprisoned in appalling conditions in one of the insurgent compounds."

One of the toughest fronts in the war has been the southern province of Helmand.
In Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the British Defense Ministry said, British troops killed a senior Taliban leader.

WHY CAN'T THE MEDIA TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT McCAIN'S TRIPS TO IRAQ

When Sen. John McCain visited Baghdad on several occasions, the military made sure there was plenty of security including Apache helicopters flying overhead, and snipers perched on the roofs of nearby buildings.

In all, more than 400 troops (that is two combat companies) were assigned to guard McCain.

And then to add insult to injury, the military in cooperation with the puppet Iraqi government arranged to have shop owners open their stores and stock them with fresh fruit and vegetables.

As soon as McCain left the Baghdad street, the shops were closed, the snipers came off the roofs and Apache Helicopters flew off into the setting sun.

Oh, and when McCain returned some months later and wanted to visit the same street in Baghdad, General David Petraeus had to break the news to McCain that it was too dangerous to go back to the same Baghdad street.

WHY CAN'T THE MEDIA TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT McCAIN'S TRIP TO BAGHDAD?

When Barack Obama goes to Iraq next month, I'm sure he will get the same protection as well he should.

Perhaps he can even wear McCain's flak-jacket.

It's practically NEW.

Commentary by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE url: http://corksphere.blogspot.com

WHY CAN'T THE MEDIA TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT McCAIN'S TRIPS TO IRAQ

When Sen. John McCain visited Baghdad on several occasions, the military made sure there was plenty of security including Apache helicopters flying overhead, and snipers perched on the roofs of nearby buildings.

In all, more than 400 troops (that is two combat companies) were assigned to guard McCain.

And then to add insult to injury, the military in cooperation with the puppet Iraqi government arranged to have shop owners open their stores and stock them with fresh fruit and vegetables.

As soon as McCain left the Baghdad street, the shops were closed, the snipers came off the roofs and Apache Helicopters flew off into the setting sun.

Oh, and when McCain returned some months later and wanted to visit the same street in Baghdad, General David Petraeus had to break the news to McCain that it was too dangerous to go back to the same Baghdad street.

WHY CAN'T THE MEDIA TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT McCAIN'S TRIP TO BAGHDAD?

When Barack Obama goes to Iraq next month, I'm sure he will get the same protection as well he should.

Perhaps he can even wear McCain's flak-jacket.

It's practically NEW.

WORLD HEALTH ORG FINDS CHOLERA, TYPHOID MAIN HEALTH RISKS IN IRAQ

Thousands of Iraqi civilians have been displaced to neighboring foreign countries since the United States invaded and occupied Iraq in 2003, but what you will never hear or see on FOX NEWS, CNN or MSNBC is how the leading health risk in Iraq is cholera and typhoid for returning refugees.

Here are the findings from the World Health Organization:

WHO says cholera, typhoid main health risks in Iraq

Thu Jul 17, 7:11 AM ET
http://tinyurl.com/652bec

The World Health Organisation said Thursday that cholera and typhoid pose the key risks to health in Iraq, with refugees and displaced people particularly vulnerable to any outbreak.

"The fear of cholera and typhoid is our immediate and urgent priority," said Nae'ema al-Gasseer, the WHO's country representative in Iraq.

Millions of Iraqis have been displaced within and without the country since the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003, and these people are particularly vulnerable to disease risks due to their precarious circumstances.

The WHO opened a permanent office in the Iraqi capital Baghdad last month, after scaling down its operations in the wake of a devastating terrorist attack against the UN headquarters in the city in August 2003.

Gasseer, who works in the permanent office, said being based in the capital enabled her to be "much closer to decision making" and improve cooperation with the Iraqi authorities.

The WHO said earlier this year that an average of 120 Iraqi adults died a violent death every day in the three years following the 2003 invasion.

The WHO estimated the daily death toll by averaging the overall estimates out at 151,000 dead.

The survey was based on interviews conducted in 9,345 households in nearly 1,000 neighbourhoods and villages across Iraq.

In 2006, another study by US doctors in the British medical journal The Lancet claimed that 655,000 Iraqis had died as a result of the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

NEW VIDEO: HOW THE MEDIA EDITS OUT ANYTHING DAMAGING TO BUSH ADMINISTRATION ABOUT IRAQ WAR

Pepe Escobar of THE REAL NEWS NETWORK interviews Tom Englehardt of Tom Dispatch about how the media in Iraq and Afghanistan edit out anything that would be damaging to the Bush admnistration.

THIS VIDEO WILL GIVE YOU AN INSIGHT ON WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING IN IRAQ AND NOW THE WATERED DOWN VERSION YOU SEE ON FOX NEWS, MSNBC AND CNN.

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=1884

LATEST JULY U.S. DEATHS IN IRAQ: NAMES, HOMETOWNS AND CAUSE OF DEATH

The following is a list of the latest July casualties ONLY carried here but not in the mainstream media in the United States.

SOURCE: http://icasualties.org/oif/prdDetails.aspx?hndRef=4-2008

US
Staff Sergeant Jeremy D. Vrooman
Knan (died in Baghdad) - Diyala
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
14-Jul-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Falluja - Anbar
Hostile - hostile fire
13-Jul-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Falluja - Anbar
Non-hostile
10-Jul-2008
0
US: 0 UK: 0 Other: 0


09-Jul-2008
3
US: 3 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant Alex R. Jimenez
Jurf al-Sakhar - Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - body found

US
Private Byron J. Fouty
Jurf al-Sakhar - Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - body found

US
Sergeant 1st Class Steven J. Chevalier
Samarra (died in Balad) - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - grenade
08-Jul-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist William L. McMillan III
Baghdad (west of)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
05-Jul-2008
1

CNN REPORTS: 15 KILLED AND 90 WOUNDED IN IRAQ

NEW: 15 killed, 90 wounded in car bomb explosion in Tal Afar, west of Mosul
U.S. Marine dies from injuries sustained in Anbar province
Injuries happened in "action against an enemy force," military says
Five members of the U.S. military have died in Iraq in July

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/16/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- At least 15 people were killed and 90 wounded Wednesday when a car bomb exploded in a popular outdoor market in northern Iraq, a police official said.

The bomb, which went off around 7 p.m. in the al-Talia neighborhood of Tal Afar, appeared to target civilians at the market, the official said.

Tal Afar is 43 miles west of Mosul, the site of two other bombings on Wednesday.
Two people were killed and eight wounded in the first explosion in an outdoor market near central Mosul around 4:30 p.m., the official said.

Comment: The television outlets of FOX NEWS, CNN and MSNBC continue to ignore the violence in Iraq and keep telling the American public "the surge" has been a success despite stories like this.....Bill Corcoran, editor of CORKSPHERE

FOX NEWS. MSNBC AND CNN CONTINUE TO LIE TO AMERICA ABOUT IRAQ WAR

The three cable news stations, FOX NEWS, MSNBC and CNN, continue to LIE to the American people about the war. To hear EVERY anchor/commentator and reporter on the three stations say it you would think "the surge" had been a roaring success.

Here is an example of what FOX NEWS, MSNBC and CNN will NOT report because it would upset the McCain applecart about how well "the surge" is doing"

18 KILLED, INCLUDING CHILDREN, IN LATEST SUICIDE BOMBING IN BAGHDAD

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq;_ylt=AvIrZHt0ZYyBfm29VrXr3GZX6GMA

109 KILLED OR WOUNDED IN TALAFAR FROM CAR BOMB

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=86027&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

BOMBINGS KILL 22 IN IRAQ'S NORTH

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071600470.html

ONE U.S. SOLDIER, 26 IRAQIS KILLED: 129 IRAQIS WOUNDED

http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=13144

Does this look like "the surge" is a roaring success like they keep saying 24/7 on FOX NEWS, MSNBC and CNN?

Commentary by Bill Corcoran, editor, CORKSPHERE:

I'm more convinced than ever that because the mainstream media are owned by big corporations who are raking in tons of money off the Iraq war they have been given instructions to just keep lying to the American public on how well "the surge" has worked.

There is only one major problem with the lies FOX NEWS, MSNBC and CNN are peddling and that is they are TRAITORS to the brave young men and women serving in Iraq and their loving families back in the United States.

SECURITY HAS COLLAPSED AGAIN IN FALLUJAH DESPITE U.S. CLAIMS

Unrest Surfaces in Fallujah Again

Inter Press Service

By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*

FALLUJAH, Jul 16 (IPS) - Security has collapsed again in Fallujah, despite U.S. military claims.
Local militias supported by U.S. forces claim to have "cleansed" the city, 70 km to the west of Baghdad, of all insurgency. But the sudden resignation of the city's chief of police, Colonel Fayssal al-Zoba'i, has appeared as one recent sign of growing unrest.

Authorities may have controlled the media better than the violence.

"Assassinations never stopped in Fallujah, but the media seems unwilling to cover the actual situation here," a human rights activist in Fallujah, speaking on terms of anonymity given the tense situation, told IPS. "The two bomb blasts that killed six policemen earlier this month and another two that killed three on the weekend seem to have terminated the silence."

People in Fallujah say they still suffer despite the relative improvement in the security situation. 'Relative' is the key word here, because the improvement is measured against two massive U.S. military operations in 2004 that killed thousands in the city, and displaced hundreds of thousands.

"Fallujah was slaughtered by the Americans when her people decided to fight, and then were suffocated when they decided to reduce the fighting against the occupiers," former intelligence officer Major Ahmed al-Alwani told IPS. "There was strong resistance against American occupation forces since May 2003, but it was the Americans who pointed their guns at the innocent civilians and their houses.

"When the American military plans failed, they decided to hire local tribal militias to do the job for them," Alwani said, referring to the 'Awakening Group' militia created by the U.S. military. "Those also failed, despite the executions and the crimes they committed against people."

Many people throughout Iraq complain of the brutality and unlawful behaviour of these Awakening Groups. Members of these groups are paid 300 dollars per month by the U.S. military.

IPS talked to Sheikh Wussam al-Hardan, known as the 'engineer' of the Awakening Forces of Anbar Province. He blamed the Islamic Party for abuses carried out against civilians in Fallujah.
"We had a very limited role in Fallujah, and the police force was in charge of all security operations there," Hardan said. "We know that all detentions and executions were committed in our name, but people of Fallujah now know that it was the Islamic Party that controlled the police force that was active since January 2007."

On Jun. 26, a suicide bomber attacked a city council meeting of local tribal sheikhs affiliated with Awakening Groups and military officials. Three Marines, two interpreters and 20 Iraqis died in the attack. Among the Iraqis killed were the mayor of nearby Karmah town and three leading sheikhs. The sons of two sheikhs and the brother of the third also died. All were members of the local Awakening Council, according to U.S. and Iraqi authorities.

"Security events take place all over Iraq and people get killed," Captain Jamal of the Fallujah police told IPS. "But we wonder why all this huge echo for two incidents in a city that exiled the U.S. marines with all their military machine."

Click on this link to continue reading Inter Press Service

CBS NEWS: WOUNDED VETERANS ARE STILL NOT GETTING PROPER CARE

Gen. Admits Flaws In Soldier Care Units

WASHINGTON

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/11/eveningnews/main4254945.shtml


(CBS) The government came under fire last year over the treatment of America's wounded warriors, when shoddy conditions were exposed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Since then, the Army has overhauled its outpatient program. But, as CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports, many soldiers still aren't getting the medical treatment they were promised. In the wake of the Walter Reed scandal, 35 so-called "Warrior Transition Units" were set up at bases around the world.

They were supposed to be places where soldiers could be cared for until they either returned to duty or were discharged. But the general in charge of the program admits it hasn't been working the way it was supposed to. Here's why. "How many soldiers in these units were actually wounded in combat?" Martin asked. "About 12 percent were wounded in either Iraq or Afghanistan," Brig. Gen. Gary Cheek said. "Only 12 percent?" Martin said. "Only 12 percent," Cheek said. If you include those whose injuries could be called combat-related - a stressed-out soldier in a car accident after returning from Iraq, for instance - the percentage goes up to 48 percent. The rest have injuries or illnesses which have nothing to do with combat.

As a result, the number of soldiers in Warrior Transition Units exploded from 6,000 to 12,000 - even as casualties in Iraq were going down. "We were putting soldiers into the Warrior Transition Unit that really didn't need that complex, managed care," Cheek said. "So did somebody say, 'Hey, this isn't how it was supposed to work?'" Martin asked. "I would say yes," Cheek said. With the number of soldiers in transition units increasing by about 600 a month, the Army can't hire health care workers fast enough.

HOW McCAIN GOT THE SURGE WRONG

To hear John McCain tell it, you'd think the fall-off in American casualties in Iraq is due solely to his foresight and foreign policy experience. It's amazing to me just how many people have bought the McCain line, even those who should know better. "As we now know nearly four years later," a Newsweek commentator recently noted, "McCain was dead on in his analysis of what went wrong in Iraq ... McCain was so right that, among military experts today, the emerging conventional wisdom about Bush's current 'surge' is that if had occurred back then -- when McCain wanted it and the political will existed in this country to support it for the necessary number of years -- it might well have succeeded."

From Huffington Post and by Lt. General Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.)

Huntington Post link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lt-general-robert-g-gard-jr-/marketing-a-myth-how-john_b_112477.html

http://tinyurl.com/59tqfu

What a bunch of bunk.

Since the beginning of this year, military experts that I've talked to argue that the fall-off in violence in Iraq had almost nothing to do with the increase in American troop levels -- and everything to do with actually talking with and supporting the previous insurgents.

Recent published reports confirm that talks with the insurgents began all the way back in December of 2003, when military officers met with Sunni insurgent leaders in Amman, Jordan. Not only that, but when those talks were actually opposed by the administration, the military went ahead with the talks anyway.

But don't take my word for it, go back and read what General David Petraeus told the Congress in April of 2007, before the surge was actually in place. Back then, Petraeus told the Congress that the levels of violence in Iraq were down significantly and that "the tribes" were the key to that transformation.

Let me repeat that: recruiting the Sunni tribes (and not the surge) has been the key to success in Iraq, along with the stand-down of the Mahdi Army. Petraeus is not alone in his thinking. The tribes of Anbar joined U.S. forces, according to U.S. Captain Jay McGee -- an intelligence officer with the 69th Armored Regiment -- because "everyone is convinced Coalition forces are going to leave and they are saying, 'We do not want Al Qaeda to take control of the area when that happens."


This isn't exactly new information. Dozens of American newspapers and magazines have documented how the military recruited Iraq's Sunni tribes as our allies -- the same tribes that had once been fighting us. And all of this began before the U.S. increased the number of troops in the country. So let's stop taking John McCain's claim, his myth, at face value.

The increase in American troops in Iraq had nothing to do with defeating the Iraqi insurgency and everything to do with actually talking with them. To claim otherwise is to market a myth and it's time for John McCain to acknowledge it -- to give credit where credit is due: to those fine officers of our military who decided to talk, even as the administration continued to beat the war drums.

Lt. General Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.) is the steering committee chairman of Vets for Obama. Visit their official site or join them on Facebook.

BREAKING NEWS: LATEST REPORT ON VIOLENCE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The following is a list of violence in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, we start off our report with the latest casualty report of a U.S. soldier. For additional details click on the "BLUE" in each incident.

SOURCE: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

Casualty Reports:Lance Cpl. Justin Rokohl, 21, suffered numerous injuries in a roadside bomb blast that tore through his Humvee on June 20 as he and his unit were delivering mail in southern Afghanistan. Since then, Rokohl has undergone multiple surgeries to repair his broken back and most recently lost his legs, the left above the knee and the right below the knee, according to family spokesman David Cole, pastor of Cross Trails Cowboy Church in Orange Grove.

War News for Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Reported Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: An Iraqi minister survived a roadside bomb explosion near his convoy in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday morning, an Interior Ministry source said. "Waheed Kareem, minister of electricity, escaped unhurt from a roadside bomb explosion targeting his convoy in Zayouna neighborhood," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Kareem was heading for his work during the attack which wounded two bystanders, the source said.Three bodyguards of Electricity Minister Kareem Waheed and two civilians were wounded when his motorcade came under an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.

#2: Monday Two unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today; one in Waziriyah and the other in Sheikh Maroof.Diyala Prv:

Baquba:#1: Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden vests, one after the other, outside an Iraqi army base Tuesday, killing at least 28 people and wounding 55 others, officials said. Most of the casualties were army recruits, the Interior Ministry and hospital officials said. The attacks occurred outside the recruitment center at Saad military base in Baquba, about 37 miles (60 km) north of Baghdad. An Interior Ministry official said the attacks targeted recruits who were waiting outside the base Tuesday morning. The U.S. military confirmed the twin attacks but gave a lower figure for the casualties.At least 35 people have been killed and more than 50 injured in a double suicide bombing north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, army sources say. The two attackers mingled with a crowd of would-be recruits at an army base in the city of Baquba and then blew themselves up simultaneously, they say. At least one of the bombers is said to have been disguised as a soldier

.Iskandariya:#1: A bomb killed one member of a U.S.-backed neighbourhood patrol unit and wounded another on Monday in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Basra:#1: An Iranian Coast Guard patrol opened fire upon an Iraqi fisherman fishing in Iraqi waters off the coast of Fao district 100 km to the south of Basra City, said Iraqi Police. The fisherman was hit squarely in the back and barely made it to hospital.

Tikrit:#1: Around 9am a bomb planted inside a police car detonated in downtown Tikrit city. The policeman was injured in that incident.

Kirkuk:#1: Three Quick Intervention Force personnel were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near their patrol in central Kirkuk on Tuesday, a police source in the city said. "An IED went off today near the Baghdad Garage, in central Kirkuk, when a Quick Intervention force patrol was passing by, wounding three of them and causing damage to their vehicle," the source, who asked not to have his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

Mosul:#1: Two Iraqi women were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in eastern Mosul city on Tuesday, a security source in Ninewa province said. "Two gunmen in a civilian vehicle opened fire at two women in the area of al-Karama, eastern Mosul, killing them instantly," the source, who refused to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

#2: "A roadside vehicle rigged with explosives went off near an Iraqi army patrol in the area of 17 Tammuz, western Mosul, wounding six people, including two patrol men," a police source who spoke only on condition of anonymity told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

#3: In another incident, "a suicide bomber was trying to ram his explosive vehicle into an Iraqi police checkpoint in al-Nour neighborhood, eastern Mosul, when security personnel opened fire on him before he could reach the point. One of the policemen was killed in the explosion," Maj. General Khaled Hussein al-Hamadani, the Mosul police chief, told VOI.

#4: An explosives-rigged car detonated on Tuesday in front of a security agency building in northern Mosul city, but no casualties were reported, a local security source said. "Today, a car bomb parked in front of a security agency building in al-Hay al-Arabi area, northern Mosul, blew up, leaving no casualties," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq.

Afghanistan:#1: Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense says that seven insurgents have been killed in fighting in eastern Afghanistan. The statement says the clash on Monday happened in Wanat, a village in Nuristan province where on Sunday nine U.S. soldiers were killed when militants breached their remote base.

#2: Unknown gunmen kidnapped two Turkish nationals working on construction project in western Afghanistan, a senior police official said. Kidnapping has become a lucrative business in Afghanistan, where dozens of locals and foreigners have been abducted by criminals or Taliban-linked militants. "The Turkish engineers were working on a project in the town of Islam Qala, bordering Iran, where they were kidnapped from the vehicle yesterday afternoon," regional Police Chief Abdul Rahoof Ahmadi said.

#3: Taliban insurgents killed eight civilian passengers they seized from vehicles in Ghazni province on Monday, an official said on Tuesday. A Taliban source in the province confirmed the incident, saying those killed were spies of U.S.-led forces.

#4: A roadside bomb killed six civilians in southeastern Paktika province on Monday, an official said.

#5: Insurgents have suffered "heavy casualties" after attacking national army posts overnight in Wardak province which lies on a vital highway linking the capital with the southern and western regions, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

CNN BREAKING NEWS: TWIN ATTACKS KILL 22 IRAQI ARMY RECRUITS AND WOUND 57 OTHERS AND STILL FOX NEWS CLAIMS IRAQ IS PEACEFUL

Twin attacks kill Iraqi army recruits

From Mohammed Tawfeeq
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/15/iraq.violence/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden vests, one after the other, outside an Iraqi army base in Baquba Tuesday morning, killing at least 22 people and wounding 57 others, officials said.

Most of the casualties were army recruits, the Interior Ministry said.

The attacks targeted them, as they were waiting outside the base, an official at the Ministry said.

Baquba is about 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

With all this happening in Iraq, FOX NEWS still has unmitigaed gall to try and peddle to their braindead audience that things are getting better in Iraq.

Show me ONE person in this world who gets their news from FOX NEWS and I will show you th dumbest SOB that ever walked the face of this planet.

Bill Corcoran, Editor of Corksphere, the hottest blog on the internet about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, url: http://corksphere.blogspot.com/

TAKE THAT JOE LIEBERMAN: SYRIA WARNS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO U.S. AND ISRAEL IF THEY ATTACK IRAN

Sen. Joe Lieberman has been doing everything he can to get the United States into war with Iran, but now the turncoat former Democrat and now a so-called Independent is hearing from Syria that any attack on Iran by the U.S. or Israel will have dire consequences for the United States.

Everyone knows Sen.Joe Lieberman has wanted the U.S. to go to war with Iran to save his beloved Irsrael.

Syria warns against incalculable Iran strike

Samia Nakhoul
Reuters North American News Service
Jul 14, 2008 09:41 EST
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=251562

PARIS, July 14 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned on Monday that an assault on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme would have grave consequences for the United States, Israel and the world.

Read full story here: http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=251562

WHY DOES THE PRESS INSIST ON SAYING ALL IS CALM IN IRAQ? WHAT KIND OF KOOL-AIDE ARE THEY DRINKING?

It doesn't take a lot of effort to find out things are not as hunky dory in Iraq as the mainstream press continues to misreport.

The mainstream press in the U.S. continues to LIE to the American public about conditions in Iraq and I have now come to the conclusion the press is trying to get McCain elected and if they don't report on the violence in Iraq everyone will think things are wonderful in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan sinks further and futher into a quagmire.

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC CONTINUE TO BE LIED TO BY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Source: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/ Click on "BLUE" for more info

War News for Mondat, July 14, 2008

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier in an explosion in northern Afghanistan on Friday, July 12th. No other details were released. The Pak Tribune is reporting that Hungarian explosives expert Captain Krisztian Nemes was killed by a bomb on Saturday in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, according to the Hungarian Defense Ministry said.

The Washington Post is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a roadside bomb attack in southern Helmand province on Sunday, July 13th. No other details were released.NATO is reporting the deaths of nine ISAF soldiers in fighting in northeast Afghanistan on Sunday, July 13th. 15 other soldiers were wounded in the attack. The Washington Post is reporting that the attack was in the village of Wanat in Kunar Province.

More Casualty Reports:Cpl. Mark Fuchko lost both his legs below the knee and he suffered a shattered pelvis when the armoured vehicle he was driving, while in operations in the Kandahar province in Afghanistan, was struck by one of the largest improvised bombs the Canadians have faced to date.

Martyn Compton was burned in an ambush in Afghanistan: he lost his hair, hose and ears and was told he will most probably never walk again. Two years ago, British soldier Martyn Compton was seriously injured in an ambush in Afghanistan, which burned his entire face, Daily Mail writes. Three months later, he work up from a coma, but the attack`s consequences remained visible. He lost his ears, nose, and hair and was told he would most probably never walk again.

Fred Goss, of Rio Rancho, was working as a contractor in Iraq when he was badly injured and the man working with him died after a bomb blast underneath them in June. It happened on Friday, June 13. Gaus was working as a senior mechanic in Iraq. He had the responsibility of recovering damaged military and civilian vehicles out in the battlefield. An improvised explosive hit the semi-sized wrecker Gaus and his partner were riding in and tore it to pieces. "This part of my face was opened up," Gaus said. For now, Gaus said he keeps the wheel chair and walker close with at least three months of recovery ahead.

U.S. Army Sgt. Mary Dague, a 2003 graduate of Superior High School, lost both arms defusing a bomb while serving with the 707th Explosive Ordnance Disposal in Iraq last November. Last Nov. 4 in Iraq, Dague picked up a partially defused homemade bomb to be transported to a secure area and detonated. It slipped from her arms and exploded. A protective vest she wore saved her life and that of the team leader behind her. Besides losing both arms, Dague suffered burns and bruises to her face, a fractured occipital bone, abrasions to a cornea, pinhole punctures in both eardrums, and sand blasted into her ears that was not fully flushed out until surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

July 11 airpower summary:

Airpower Summary for July 12:

Reported Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: Three people were killed including a traffic policeman when a hand-grenade was thrown at gathering in the Alawi district in central Baghdad, police said. Thirteen people were wounded, including four traffic policemen.

Diyala Prv:#1: "The three Sahwa fighters were passing on the main road in the village of al-Makhifa, Abi Saida district, east of Baaquba, when an IED went off near their vehicle, leaving them wounded," the source, who is from the joint security coordination center in Diala province, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq

.Muqdadiya:#1: In another incident, the same source said policemen, in association with local residents, found on Monday morning three decomposed unidentified bodies in the district of al-Muqdadiya.

Mahaweel:#1: One handcuffed, blindfolded body was found with gunshot wounds to the head in Mahaweel, 60 km (35 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Sulaimaniyah Prv:#1: A roadside bomb targeted members of the Border Guard near Peshta border point between Iraq and Iran, 150 km to the southeast of Sulaimaniyah City injuring one officer and one guard who were taken to hospital for transportation.