WE HAVE VIDEO OF IRAQ VETS AGAINST WAR TESTIMONY

The mainstream media has turned their backs on coverage of the Iraq Veterans Against the War testimony before Congress yesterday, today and Saturday, but we have obtained a video of the coverage.

Click here http://therealnews.com/web/index.php to see and hear Iraq veterans talk about what they saw with their own eyes when they were in Iraq.

Warning: It is very graphic and the Iraq war veterans don't hold anything back in telling members of Congress about the atrocities they saw committed by U.S. troops in Iraq against innocent Iraqi citizens.

Judging by the "hits" to this blog in the past two days, there are hundreds if not thousands of Americans who would like to know what the Iraq Veterans Against the War are testifying about in Washington, D.C.

Incidentally, the Iraq Veterans Against the War web site http://ivaw.org/ws_live.html has been overwhelmed with traffic and at times has had to shut down due to the volume.

There is hope Americans still care about what is happening to our troops and judging by the "hits" to my blog there are plenty of Americans who care about our troops and what happened when they were deployed to Iraq.

FOOTBALL COACH GUNNED DOWN IN BAGHDAD

The killings, violence and mayhem continue in Baghdad and all across Iraq. The latest fatality was the coach of one of the most popular football teams in Baghdad. He was gunned down in front of his house in Baghdad.

Elsewhere in Baghdad and across Iraq the following took place Friday.

Baghdad:#1: A group of armed men gunned down al-Karkh club's football coach, Munther Khalaf, a former international player, in front of his home in al-Yarmuk, Baghdad, a source from the club said. Khalaf received several bullets in his abdomen. He passed away on Friday morning from the wounds he had sustained in Thursday's attack," Saleh Hamid, al-Karkh club board member, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq. Meanwhile, a physician said that Khalaf was "in a very critical condition because he bled profusely after one of his two kidneys received more than one bullet.

#2: An improvised explosive device went off near a U.S. army convoy on the main street linking the southern Baghdad suburbs of al-Dora and al-Jadiriya on Friday, an Iraqi police source said. "An IED planted by unidentified gunmen went off on Friday morning near a U.S. army convoy, setting one of the U.S. military vehicles ablaze," the source, who did not want his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

#3: Five Katyusha missiles landed on a U.S. army base in al-Dora district, southern Baghdad, on Friday, an Iraqi police source said. "Unidentified gunmen fired five Katyusha missiles at the U.S. base of al-Saqr in al-Dora, but no information could be reached on possible casualties due to the security siege imposed by U.S. forces around its bases," the source, who did not want his identity revealed, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI). "Plumes of smoke were seen rising from within the base," the source added.

#4: U.S. soldiers killed two suspected al Qaeda militants and arrested 24 others during operations in central and northern Iraq on Wednesday and Thursday, the U.S. military said.Najaf:#1: Gunmen killed a policeman on Thursday in a drive-by shooting outside his house in northern Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, police said

Kut:#1: One person was killed and six wounded when a bomb on a parked motorcycle exploded near a municipal council building some 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad.#2: 11 Katyusha rockets launched by gunmen hit several neighbourhoods in Kut, amongst which are Haideriyah and al-Shuhadaa, killing 2 civilians, injuring 4 and burning 2 civilian cars. The rockets were most probably aimed at the security forces’ bases near by, but incompetence and lack of experience on part of the gunmen caused the rockets to hit residential neighbourhoods instead, said Iraqi Police.

Suweira:#1: Two civilians were killed and four more were injured on Friday by unknown gunmen in north of Wassit, a police source said.“Unidentified gunmen killed two civilians and injured four in al-Radisiya region, north of al-Suwiera,” the source, who asked for anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq

Samarra:#1: A 15 year-old girl was killed on Thursday when police opened fire on her family's car when it failed to stop at a checkpoint in Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police and hospital officials said.

Ninewa Prv:#1: A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt attacked the border checkpoint of Rubaiaa, 120 km west of Mosul, on Friday but the casualties could not be known so far, a security source in the Ninewa police said. "The U.S. forces imposed a security cordon on the area and no word yet about casualties," the source, who asked not to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq.

Mosul:#1: Two explosive vehicles driven by suicide bombers went off successively on Friday noon near an Iraqi army checkpoint in Sinaat Wadi Akkab area, western Mosul, leaving three soldiers killed and 10 others, including five civilians near the blast site, wounded," Brig. Khaled Abdul-Sattar told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.#2: The incident was followed by clashes between gunmen and security forces that were still going on as of Friday afternoon.

Afghanistan:#1: Afghan and foreign troops clashed with Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan on Friday, leaving three suspected militants dead and two wounded, an official said.Militants ambushed the security forces in Zabul province before troops returned fire, said district chief Mohammad Younus Akhunzada. No troops were hurt but a police vehicle was damaged

NAMES AND HOMETOWNS OF 4 MORE GIS. KILLED IN IRAQ. 9 MORE WAITING DOD CONFIRMATION

The Department of Defense (DoD) has released the names and hometowns of four more U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq. There are nine more U.S. deaths in the past two days waiting confirmation by the DoD.

President Bush, Vice President Cheney and FOX NEWS continue to mislead the American public that all if going well in Iraq.

Source: http://icasualties.org/oif/

U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD:
3978
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation:
9
Total
3987

DoD Confirmation List

03/13/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 3)
Sgt. Phillip R. Anderson, 28, of Everett, Wash...assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas...died Mar. 10 in Balad Ruz, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

03/13/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 3)
Spc. Donald A. Burkett, 24, of Comanche, Texas...assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas...died Mar. 10 in Balad Ruz, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

03/13/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 3)
Capt. Torre R. Mallard, 27, of Oklahoma...assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Hood, Texas...died Mar. 10 in Balad Ruz, Iraq, of wounds suffered when their vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

03/13/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Cpl. Jose A. Paniagua-Morales, 22, of Bell Gardens, Calif., died March 7 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered in Samarra, Iraq, when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment...

6 SIGNS U.S. MAY BE HEADED FOR WAR WITH IRAN

There are many signs the United States is preparing for war with Iran. The resignation/firing of Admiral William Fallon, who was head of CentCom and opposed "the surge" in Iraq, is just one of them.

The constant saber-rattling of President Bush and Vice President Cheney is another, and then, of course, there is the Bush White House propaganda machine, FOX News, which keeps bringing up reason why the U.S. should go to war with Iran.

Published on Thursday, March 13, 2008 by US News & World Report

http://www.commondreams.org/

6 Signs The US May Be Headed for War in Iran
by Terry Atlas

Is the United States moving toward military action with Iran?

The resignation of the top U.S. military commander for the Middle East is setting off alarms that the Bush administration is intent on using military force to stop Iran’s moves toward gaining nuclear weapons. In announcing his sudden resignation today following a report on his views in Esquire, Adm. William Fallon didn’t directly deny that he differs with President Bush over at least aspects of the president’s policy on Iran. For his part, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said it is “ridiculous” to think that the departure of Fallon — whose Central Command has been working on contingency plans for strikes on Iran as well as overseeing Iraq — signals that the United States is planning to go to war with Iran.

Fallon’s resignation, ending a 41-year Navy career, has reignited the buzz of speculation over what the Bush administration intends to do given that its troubled, sluggish diplomatic effort has failed to slow Iran’s nuclear advances. Those activities include the advancing process of uranium enrichment, a key step to producing the material necessary to fuel a bomb, though the Iranians assert the work is to produce nuclear fuel for civilian power reactors not weapons.
Here are six developments that may have Iran as a common thread. And, if it comes to war, they may be seen as clues as to what was planned. None of them is conclusive, and each has a credible non-Iran related explanation:

1. Fallon’s resignation: With the Army fully engaged in Iraq, much of the contingency planning for possible military action has fallen to the Navy, which has looked at the use of carrier-based warplanes and sea-launched missiles as the weapons to destroy Iran’s air defenses and nuclear infrastructure. Centcom commands the U.S. naval forces in and near the Persian Gulf. In the aftermath of the problems with the Iraq war, there has been much discussion within the military that senior military officers should have resigned at the time when they disagreed with the White House.
2. Vice President Cheney’s peace trip: Cheney, who is seen as a leading hawk on Iran, is going on what is described as a Mideast trip to try to give a boost to stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. But he has also scheduled two other stops: One, Oman, is a key military ally and logistics hub for military operations in the Persian Gulf. It also faces Iran across the narrow, vital Strait of Hormuz, the vulnerable oil transit chokepoint into and out of the Persian Gulf that Iran has threatened to blockade in the event of war. Cheney is also going to Saudi Arabia, whose support would be sought before any military action given its ability to increase oil supplies if Iran’s oil is cutoff. Back in March 2002, Cheney made a high-profile Mideast trip to Saudi Arabia and other nations that officials said at the time was about diplomacy toward Iraq and not war, which began a year later.

3. Israeli airstrike on Syria: Israel’s airstrike deep in Syria last October was reported to have targeted a nuclear-related facility, but details have remained sketchy and some experts have been skeptical that Syria had a covert nuclear program. An alternative scenario floating in Israel and Lebanon is that the real purpose of the strike was to force Syria to switch on the targeting electronics for newly received Russian anti-aircraft defenses. The location of the strike is seen as on a likely flight path to Iran (also crossing the friendly Kurdish-controlled Northern Iraq), and knowing the electronic signatures of the defensive systems is necessary to reduce the risks for warplanes heading to targets in Iran.
4. Warships off Lebanon: Two U.S. warships took up positions off Lebanon earlier this month, replacing the USS Cole. The deployment was said to signal U.S. concern over the political stalemate in Lebanon and the influence of Syria in that country. But the United States also would want its warships in the eastern Mediterranean in the event of military action against Iran to keep Iranian ally Syria in check and to help provide air cover to Israel against Iranian missile reprisals. One of the newly deployed ships, the USS Ross, is an Aegis guided missile destroyer, a top system to defense against air attacks.

5. Israeli comments: Israeli President Shimon Peres said earlier this month that Israel will not consider unilateral action to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb. In the past, though, Israeli officials have quite consistently said they were prepared to act alone — if that becomes necessary — to ensure that Iran does not cross a nuclear weapons threshold. Was Peres speaking for himself, or has President Bush given the Israeli an assurance that they won’t have to act alone?
6.Israel’s war with Hezbollah: While this seems a bit old, Israel’s July 2006 war in Lebanon against Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces was seen at the time as a step that Israel would want to take if it anticipated a clash with Iran. The radical Shiite group is seen not only as a threat on it own but also as a possible Iranian surrogate force in the event of war with Iran. So it was important for Israel to push Hezbollah forces back from their positions on Lebanon’s border with Israel and to do enough damage to Hezbollah’s Iranian-supplied arsenals to reduce its capabilities. Since then, Hezbollah has been able to rearm, though a United Nations force polices a border area buffer zone in southern Lebanon.

Defense Secretary Gates said that Fallon, 63, asked for permission to retire. Gates said the decision, effective March 31, was entirely Fallon’s and that Gates believed it was “the right thing to do.” In Esquire, an article on Fallon portrayed him as opposed to President Bush’s Iran policy and said he was a lone voice against taking military action to stop the Iranian nuclear program. In his statement, Fallon said he agreed with the president’s “policy objectives” but was silent on whether he opposed aspects of the president’s plans. “Recent press reports suggesting a disconnect between my views and the president’s policy objectives have become a distraction at a critical time and hamper efforts in the Centcom region,” Fallon, said in the statement issued by Centcom headquarters in Tampa, Fla.

“And although I don’t believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America’s interests there,” he said. Gates announced that Fallon’s top deputy, Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, will take over temporarily when Fallon leaves. A permanent successor, requiring nomination by the president and confirmation by the Senate, might not be designated in the near term.

TWIN CAR BOMBINGS IN IRAQ

When is the Bush administration and their puppet mouthpiece, FOX NEWS, going to stop LYING to the American public about how well things are going in Iraq?

There was another twin car bombing in Iraq on Friday morning that killed three Iraqi service personnel and left 13 people injured.

Twin car bombing leaves 13 casualties

Ninewa - Voices of Iraq
Friday , 14 /03 /2008 Time 3:57:43

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=72837&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Ninewa, Mar 14, (VOI) – Three Iraqi army servicemen were killed and 10 others, including civilians, wounded in two successive car bombing attacks in western Mosul, on Friday, the official spokesman for the Ninewa operations command said.

"Two explosive vehicles driven by suicide bombers went off successively on Friday noon near an Iraqi army checkpoint in Sinaat Wadi Akkab area, western Mosul, leaving three soldiers killed and 10 others, including five civilians near the blast site, wounded," Brig. Khaled Abdul-Sattar told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI)."Three civilian vehicles were also damaged in the explosions," the source said, not giving more details.Mosul, the capital of Ninewa, lies 405 km north of Baghdad.

ARMY STUDY CONFIRMS ONE IN THREE GIS WILL RETURN FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

The United States of America has sent young men and women off to war in Iraq and Afghanistan without looking ahead to the mental illness they will sustain and without any way of treating the mental illness suffered by the combat troops.

The ARMY has now confirmed one out of every three returning veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be suffering from mental illness and the Veterans Administration is not prepared to handle the cases of PTSD.

Military Stigmas Treat War Trauma as Admission of Weakness

By Penny Coleman, AlterNetPosted on March 14, 2008, Printed on March 14, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/79130/

The seven qualities of leadership itemized in Army Field Manual (FM) 22-100 are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage. Nowhere in that list is there any reference to heartlessness, lack of compassion and a cavalier disregard for the well being of one's troops. And there is certainly no reference to posturing, denial or dissembling. Leading by example trumps mindless stoicism every time.

Back in 1974, when Betty Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer, mastectomy was still considered a taboo topic, too shameful and frightening to be openly discussed. "Too many women are so afraid of breast cancer," she told a gathering of the American Cancer Society, "that they endanger their lives. These fears of being 'less' of a woman are very real, and it is very important to talk about the emotional side effects honestly. They must come out into the open."
Ford's courageous decision to use her position as First Lady to set a visible example for other women made a significant impact on public attitudes. According to the New York Times, "Within weeks, thousands of women who had been reluctant to examine their breasts inundated cancer screening centers. One of those following Mrs. Ford's example was Happy Rockefeller, the wife of the Vice President, Nelson A. Rockefeller. She, too, had breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Mrs. Rockefeller and many others said Mrs. Ford's example gave them the courage to discuss their experiences openly."

Researchers have since dubbed that phenomenon the "Katie Couric Effect" in honor of the co-anchor of NBC's "Today Show" who, in March 2000, underwent a colonoscopy on live TV. Couric, who lost her husband to colorectal cancer in 1998, decided to undergo the procedure on-air to "further the science being done on all aspects of colon cancer and increas(e) awareness about the critical role screening plays in combating the nation's number two cancer killer." According to Mark Fendrick, one of a team of University of Michigan doctors who studied the public response to the Couric demonstration, in the days and months following, the number of Americans who signed up for the exam rose by more than 20 percent. "This test," said Fredrick, "which requires healthy people to undergo an invasive, uncomfortable and often embarrassing exam, especially needed a celebrity advocate to reduce the stigma and fear, and thereby increase participation."

Interesting. A celebrity advocate to reduce stigma and fear.

In our military today, the stigma and fear that attach to post-traumatic stress injuries is a contributing factor to the current epidemic of suicides among American soldiers and veterans, 120 a week according to the recent study by CBS news. The stigma attaches to any admission of weakness, especially weakness of mind. The fear is of being shunned, shamed, punished or encumbered by a health record that might compromise future employment options. That stigma and fear might be profoundly challenged by an officer willing to go public with his -- and I use the male pronoun intentionally -- post-traumatic stress.

The need for service members to forego notions of manliness intrinsic to traditional military culture, to "come out of the closet" as it were, was raised poignantly by Mike Bowman, the father of Tim Bowman, when he testified before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs in December. Tim, a Specialist in the Illinois National Guard, suffered from post-traumatic stress and took his own life after returning from Iraq.

Bowman made the point that, like most of the rest of the guys in his unit, Tim refused to go to the VA for help when his symptoms became invasive. Instead, they seek "counseling of some form or another -- privately - away from the military, away from the V.A., some as far as 100 miles away from home, to make sure that that information does not get back to their unit." In his statement, Bowman emphasized the courage and clarity evidenced by a soldier admitting a psychic injury. Instead of punishing or decrying such a soldier, Bowman insisted, "Grab that soldier and thank him for saying, 'I'm not OK,' and promote him. A soldier that admits a mental injury should be the first guy you want to have in your unit because he may be the only one that really has a grasp on reality."

Unfortunately, a soldier who has such a grasp on reality, a soldier who has the insight and education to understand that his or her ability to function reliably in a combat situation is compromised, currently faces a very different scenario, in which the convenience and judgment of commanding officers are prioritized. As of December 2006, new Pentagon guidelines give commanders the right to decide whether or not a soldier with a "psychiatric disorder in remission, or whose residual symptoms do not impair duty performance" may be sent back to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Aside from the obvious question of commanders' qualifications to make decisions about the mental health of the soldiers in their charge, there is something truly insidious lurking behind the new guidelines. According to Dr. Katherine Scheirman, a retired Air Force colonel who served as chief of medical operations in the Air Force's European headquarters from July 2004 to September 2006, a medical discharge can take months, sometimes longer, and all the while the commander is stuck with an undeployable soldier. An administrative separation usually takes a few weeks, at most. So commanders have a choice. They "can send him to the hospital and say, 'Hey, this guy isn't able to do his work. Would you look at him for PTSD?' Or they can just kick the guy out. If you kick the guy out, you'll get somebody to replace him. So that's the incentive for the commanders."

That incentive conveniently merges with beliefs of the many "traditional" officers who continue to insist that PTSD is just an excuse for cowardice, weakness, or the old stand-by, malingering. "I've never had a guy in my unit develop PTSD," one senior general from Iraq recently told CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier. "It's nonsense." Such Neanderthal attitudes are encouraged by a cabal of conservative culture warriors in Congress who believe that PTSD is faux science, touted only by a bunch of anti-war activists to justify their liberal politics. And they are using that reasoning to justify this administration's astonishingly callous health care policies for active and veteran service members.

According to the Army's own studies, one in three soldiers will return from Iraq with significant mental health problems. Like Tim Bowman, far too many are still ashamed to ask for the help they need and, if the CBS report is read as a cautionary tale, far too many will end up as suicides. The lives and futures of every soldier who might be moved by example, who might be saved by the "Couric Effect," should be reason enough for senior officers to finally and definitively disown the stubborn machismo that sustains the stigma, and visibly demonstrate their belief that post-traumatic injuries are not a sign of weakness or cowardice. Such injuries cannot and should not be sucked up. Even by the manliest. Where are they?

I call on our generals and other senior officers to lead by example. And lest your mottos take on a hollow tone: "Leave no man behind." "Be all you can be." "Do Something Amazing. Aim High." "Honor. Courage. Commitment." And "Semper Fi."

Penny Coleman is the widow of a Vietnam Veteran who took his own life after coming home. Her latest book, Flashback: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Suicide and the Lessons of War, was released on Memorial Day, 2006. Her blog is Flashback.

CNN: PENTAGON SAYS ADMIRAL'S RESIGNATION DOESNT MEAN WAR WITH IRAN

Is there anyone in their right mind who believes anyone in the Bush administration anymore after they lied to the American public about the reasons for going to war with Iraq?

Now, the same Bush administration, only this time through Defense Secretary Robert Gates, are saying the resignation of U.S. Navy Admiral William Fallon, who had been in charge of Centcom, does not signal we are going to war with Iran.

As the proverbial saying goes, if you believe that I have a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell you.

Every single indicator is pointing to war with Iran around or right after Labor Day. Just in time to influence the upcoming Presidential election.

The Bush administration has ALWAYS used the U.S. military as pawns in their political chess game and there is no reason to believe they would change their game plan now.

Commentary by Bill Corcoran, editor of CORKSPHERE http://corksphere.blogspot.com/

U.S.: Resignation doesn't mean Iran war

Story Highlights
Pentagon: Resignation of Mideast military chief does not mean war with Iran
Esquire magazine portrayed Adm. William Fallon as resisting pressure for war
Fallon had said U.S. must exhaust diplomatic options in disputes with Iran
Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he accepts the resignation with regret

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has dismissed as "ridiculous" any suggestion that the resignation of America's military chief in the Middle East signals the United States is planning to go to war with Iran.

Adm. William Fallon resigned Tuesday as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia after just a year in the post, citing what he called an inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.

Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent Esquire magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear weapons.

In a written statement, Fallon said the article's "disrespect for the president" and "resulting embarrassment" had become a distraction. Watch why some believe Fallon was forced to resign »
"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve America's interests there," Fallon said.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Gates told reporters at the Pentagon he accepted Fallon's resignation "with reluctance and regret."

But, he added, "I think it's the right decision."

"Admiral Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own. I believe it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are in fact significant differences between his views and administration policy," Gates said.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA BLACKOUT ON IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR TESTIMONY

A quick search through the mainstream media indicates the gathering of the new age Winter Soldiers, Iraq Veterans Against the War http://ivaw.org/index.php, which was launched on Thursday in Washington, D.C. with scores of Iraq war veterans testifying about the atrocities they saw while deployed to Iraq, has been swept under the rug by the media.

The mainstream media is much too interested in giving every sleazy detail of the call girl who was involved with former New York Governor Elliot Spitzer than to devote even one line of copy to the Iraq veterans who gave so much to the United States when they were in Iraq.

The Iraq war, and even the Iraq war veterans, are now just a distant memory in the eyes of the mainstream media.

Yesterday we posted a report from Pew Research Center indicating only 28 percent of Americans polled had any idea that nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. There is no other place to place the blame for the lack of interest on the war but on the doorstep of the mainstream media who have dumped the Iraq war and the Iraq war veterans from the pages of the newspapers and reports on network TV news shows and cable news.

Iraq Vets Will Detail U.S. Atrocities in Winter Soldier Hearings

By Editorial Staff, AlterNetPosted on March 11, 2008, Printed on March 13, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/79286/

This week, on March 13-16, a new generation of "Winter Soldiers" -- veterans of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq -- will descend on the nation's capitol to tell America in their own words what they saw during their service in the "war on terror," the Bush administration's signature policy. They'll give a ground's eye perspective on the occupation's toll on the people of those countries and the costs to the military, and they'll tell stories of what it was really like in places like Fallujah and Ramadi -- places that are just names on a map to most of the people back home.

They'll be following large footsteps. In the early months of 1971, a group of Vietnam vets, organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), gave two days of testimony about the Vietnam that they had seen, up close and all-too-personally, in the original "Winter Soldier" investigation. While largely dismissed by the political establishment, their wrenching testimony redoubled the peace movement's efforts to end that war.

In his opening statement 37 years ago, William Crandell, a 26 year-old lieutenant who served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division -- the division that committed the infamous My Lai Massacre -- told the hushed room, "The Winter Soldier Investigation is not a mock trial. There will be no phony indictments; there will be no verdict against Uncle Sam." He promised "straightforward testimony -- direct testimony -- about acts which are war crimes under international law. Acts which these men have seen and participated in. Acts which are the inexorable result of national policy."

And they did just that. Over two days, more than a 100 vets of the Vietnam conflict bore witness to the horrors that they had seen with their own eyes -- "the inexorable result of national policy." One panel examined the question, "What are we doing to Vietnam?" and another asked "What are we doing to ourselves?"

The media largely ignored the hearings. The East Coast papers, with the exception of a New York Times article a week after the event, refused to even cover them. The VVAW complained of an "official censorship blackout."

That was before the right had built its formidable echo chamber -- before Fox News, the Washington Times, the New York Sun and the emergence of the right-wing blogosphere, with its instinctive attacks on any who question the morality of the "war on terror." It's difficult to imagine the kind of character assassinations the soldiers who gather in Washington this week will face from the war's supporters, but it's likely that they're going to redefine courage and genuine patriotism in the face of withering criticism.

But the progressive community is also better prepared to push back against those attacks this time around. A robust alternative media, of which AlterNet is proud to play a role, will at least allow this new generation of Winter Soldiers to be heard.

You can get involved as well by supporting IVAW, by tuning in to the proceedings live via the internet, satellite TV and select Pacifica Radio stations, or you can organize an event to view the testimony with others in your community.

AlterNet will feature special coverage of the hearings.

Several members of the AlterNet team will be in Washington this weekend, and we'll bring you the sights and sounds and in-depth coverage that the commercial media won't.
http://www.alternet.org/story/79286/

WE HAVE NAMES OF FOUR OF FIVE GIS KILLED MONDAY IN IRAQ

We have discovered the identities for four of the five soldiers killed from Mondays suicide bombing attack in the Mansor market. They were part of the Army’s 164th Armored Division, 3rd Infantry. There names are Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Suzch; Robert Taylor McDavid III; no rank listed David Julian; and U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Ernesto Guadalupe Cimarrusti.

Marine Cpl. Evan Morgan lost both legs and the sight in his right eye in an explosion in Iraq three years ago. Three years have passed since Morgan was severely wounded in Iraq, and after spending 15 months in a military hospital.

A program manager for the military's joint amputation care system said 800 troops had lost limbs in Afghanistan and Iraq since the end of 2001

THE LIST OF VIOLENCE ALL ACROSS IRAQ ON THURSDAY

Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: A parked car bomb that exploded in a commercial district of central Baghdad killed eight people and wounded 41 on Thursday, police said. The bombing took place off a bridge in Tahrir Square, a district of clothing shops just outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government, an Iraqi police official said.A parked car bomb exploded in a commercial district of central Baghdad Thursday, killing 11 people and wounding 57, police said.A parked car bomb exploded in a commercial district of central Baghdad Thursday, killing 18 people and wounding dozens more.

#2: A roadside bomb wounded five people near a market in al-Shurta al-Khamissa in southwestern Baghdad, police said.

#3: A car bomb killed one person and wounded four in central Baghdad, police said.

#4: One Iraqi journalists was killed on Thursday by unknown gunmen in central Baghdad, the Syndicate of Journalists said. “Unknown gunmen opened fire on Qassem Abdul Hussein al-Eqabi, journalist in the local al-Muwaten newspaper, in al-Karada neighborhood in central Baghdad, killing him on the spot and fled to unknown place,” Muaayad al-Lami, the syndicate’s secretary, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq

#5: Mortar rounds hit the Green Zone this morning at 11.15. No casualties were reported. The US Military do not generally comment on indirect fire

#6: An IED was successfully detonated under control in Oqba Bin Nafi' Square, Karrada, central Baghdad.Diyala Prv:

#1: U.S. soldiers shot and killed a young Iraqi girl after firing a warning shot at a woman who "appeared to be signaling to someone" along a road where several bombs had recently been found, a military official said early Thursday. The shooting, which took place Wednesday afternoon, happened in the volatile Diyala province north of Baghdad. An exact location was not given in a military statement. The girl appeared to be "around 10 years old," said Maj. Brad Leighton, a military spokesman.

Muqdadiya:#1: Security forces on Wednesday discovered three unknown corpses dumped in Diala province, north Baghdad, an Interior ministry source. “Police forces found two unknown bodies dumped in the main road of Muqdadiya town, 45 km north-east of Baaquba,” a Diala security source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of IraqBalad

Ruz:#1: Elsewhere, the source added “police forces found an unknown body dumped in the main road of Baladruz town, 45 km south-east of Baaquba, riddled wih bullets mainly to the head.

Bahraz:#1: Armed confrontations flared up late Wednesday in al-Biejat village in Bahraz district, south of Baaquba, between popular committees elements and al-Qaeda group,” the source, who asked anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).“Six popular committees’ fighters were killed and three were injured in the clashes,” he added.He did not provide further details.

Baquba:#1: 1 civilian was killed by gunmen near al-Farouq Mosque, central Baquba this morning.

Nasiriyah#1: Another two soldiers and a civilian were wounded in the same area where a civilian bus was hit by a roadside bomb on Tuesday.Kut:#1: An Iraqi police official, who asked not to be identified, said as many as 11 Katyusha rockets landed on the U.S. base near Kut, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad, late on Wednesday. Two Iraqi men, who the police source said were brothers, were killed and four others, including a 6-year-old girl, were wounded when U.S. soldiers responded to the rocket attack with mortar rounds, the official said.

Tikrit:#1: In other violence on Thursday, five members of an Awakening Council were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked two separate checkpoints near Tikrit, 80 miles north of Baghdad. Nine others were wounded in the attacks.Gunmen killed 3 Sahwa (Awakening Councils) members and kidnapped 4 from a location close to al-Hajaj village, 25 km to the north of Tikrit early this morning.

#2: 1 policeman killed and 2 Sahwa members injured by an attack by gunmen in west Tikrit this morning.Sumarra:#1: two people died and 10 others were injured in a roadside bomb explosion that targeted a U.S. Army patrol in the al-Amin region, al-Sumaria, the Iraqi satellite television network, reported Thursday.

Udhaim:#1: Two soldiers were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded close to an Iraqi army convoy near the town of Udhaim, north of Baghdad, police said.Al Zab:#1: Two members of a U.S.-backed neighbourhood security patrol were killed and six wounded by a suicide bomber wearing an explosives vest in the town of al-Zab near Kirkuk, police said.

Baiji:#1: Two people were killed and two wounded when gunmen attacked a neighbourhood security checkpoint near the city of Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.#2: Gunmen attack a checkpoint manned by Support Forces of Baiji and kidnap 4 on the highway between Baiji and Tikrit at dawn today.Tuz

Khormatu:#1: A Kurdish citizen, Mwaffaq Raheem Kereem was kidnapped this morning near Tuz Khormatu district, to the south of KIrkuk by gunmen. The kidnappers took Kereem and left his car on the side of the highway. District Police towed his car to Sulaiman Bek military garage for further investigation as to why this person was abducted.#2: 3 IEDs were detonated under control by Iraqi Army in Tuz Khormatu district on the main route between Tuz and Baghdad.

Kirkuk:#1: A roadside bomb wounded three people in Kirkuk, police said.#2: A suicide car bomber killed an Iraqi army soldier and wounded 10 others in an attack on a security checkpoint near the city of Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Mosul:#1: Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop in Iraq who was kidnapped last month, has been found dead, an Italian Catholic news agency quoted an Iraqi bishop as saying on Thursday. "Archbishop Rahho is dead. We found his lifeless body near Mosul. The kidnappers had buried him," Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad was quoted as telling SIR, the news agency of the Italian Bishops Conference.

Irbil:#1: A body was found on the side of the route between Erbil city and Makhmoor district in Nineveh province. The body was found near Daybeka village, to the southwest of Erbil, it was the body of a 40 year old male and has not been identified yet.

Qindal Mountains:#1: Iran shelled bases used by Kurdish separatist rebels in the Qandil Mountains in northeastern Iraq for about 90 minutes, said the spokesman for Kurdish security forces in northern Iraq, Jabbar Yawar. There were no reports of any casualties.

Afghanistan:#1: NATO-led forces in Afghanistan killed four Pakistani civilians, including two children, when they fired artillery across the border, a Pakistani military spokesman says. Up to 2,000 villagers protested against the artillery strike that happened on Tuesday in Pakistan's North Waziristan border region where militants opposed to both the Afghan and Pakistani governments are based.

#2: In southern Helmand province, Afghan and international forces attacked Taliban militants Wednesday morning as they traveled by motorcycle toward the Pakistan border, said Ghulam Dastagir Azad, governor of neighboring Nimroz province. The troops employed airstrikes during the four-hour battle and killed 41 militants, including 17 from Nimroz, he said. A Taliban commander from Nimroz was among the dead. The U.S.-led coalition could not confirm the attack. NATO said they were looking into the report, but did not immediately have any information.

#3: In other violence, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces killed nearly a dozen suspected militants in Helmand during a clash Tuesday in Garmsir district, the coalition said in a statement. The troops had been searching compounds for Taliban traffickers of weapons and foreign fighters when they were came under fire.

#4: In Wardak province, a remote-controlled bomb hit a police vehicle Thursday in Saydabad district, killing one policeman and wounding four others, said district police investigator Mohibullah Khan.

#5: In Zabul province, Afghan security forces and NATO troops launched an operation Wednesday against Chechen fighters meeting in Daychopan district, said district chief Fazel Bari. The ensuing two-hour gun battle left three Chechens dead and six wounded, he said.

#6: On Wednesday in Farah province, authorities recovered the dead body of the Pusht Rod district police chief, a day after he was kidnapped along with five other policemen, said Bariyalai Khan, spokesman for the Farah provincial police. There was no information on the fates of the five other men.

#7: Military officials say six Afghan civilians are dead after a suicide car bombing targeting a U.S. convoy today in Kabul. Twenty other people were wounded, but none of the four American troops in the two-vehicle convoy was badly injured. The attack happened near Kabul's airport. The Taliban are claiming responsibility for the attack.

#8: A Canadian soldier suffered minor injuries yesterday when a suicide car bomber blew himself up alongside a military convoy in Kandahar city, killing one civilian and injuring at least two others.

AND PRESIDENT BUSH AND FOX NEWS SAY "THE SURGE" IS WORKING. ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS?

WATCH DRAMATIC VIDEO OF IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR: IRAQ VETS TESTIFY THURSDAY TO CONGRESS ABOUT ATROCITIES THEY SAW IN IRAQ

Hundreds of Iraq Veterans Against the War (http://ivaw.org/index.php) have arrived in the nation's capital and will testify Thursday before Congress about the war atrocities they saw with their own eyes while deployed to Iraq.

You can see a preview of the IVAW video here: http://ivaw.org/index.php

The Iraq veterans are expected to tell lawmakers in Congress about the atrocities they witnessed while stationed in Iraq.

This is a story that should be seen by every American, but judging by the way the mainstream media has treated the Iraq and Afghanistan wars lately is doubtful any of the major news outlets or cable stations will pay much attention to what these brave young Iraq War veterans will tell members of the United States Congress.

13 U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ: DOD HAS YET TO CONFIRM

The death toll for U.S. forces in Iraq has spiked in the past four days with 13 U.S. soldiers killed.

The names of only four of the 13 have been released by the Department of Defense (DoD).

Source: http://icasualties.org/oif/

U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD:
3974
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation:
13
Total
3987
DoD Confirmation List

Latest Coalition Fatality: Mar 12, 2008
03/12/08 MNF: Coalition force Soldiers attacked by indirect fire (Nasiriyah)
Three U.S. Soldiers were killed during an indirect fire attack southwest of Nasiriyah March 12. Two U.S. Soldiers were also wounded in this attack, along with one civilian. The wounded were taken to a Coalition medical facility for treatment.

03/12/08 MNF: Coalition force Soldiers attacked by IED - 1 killed, 2 wounded
A U.S. Soldier was killed from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device during a combat patrol near Ad Diwaniyah March 11. Additionally, two U.S. Soldiers were wounded in the explosion and transported to a Coalition forces...

NEW POLL: ONLY 28 PERCENT OF AMERICANS KNOW ALMOST 4,000 AMERICANS HAVE DIED IN THE IRAQ WAR

THREE MORE U.S. SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ

It is shocking but not surprising considering how the mainstream media has "spiked" any stories about the Iraq war.

The Pew Research Center study shows only 28 percent of those polled could correctly answer about 4,000 U.S. troops have died in the Iraq war. That is down from last August when 54 percent gave the accurate casualty figure, which was about 3,5000 dead at that time.

Exit polls of voters in presidential primaries and many national surveys have shown the economy has displaced the war in recent weeks as the public choice as the nation's top problem.Iraq was the most avidly followed news story for most of the first half of 2007, but it has not been the most closely watched story in any week since mid-October, according to a Pew survey of people's interest in the news.

The portion of news stories on the war has dropped in recent months as well, according to a study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, a nonpartisan group that evaluates news coverage.

Which begs the question. Will the mainstream media cover the gathering of hundreds of Iraq War Veterans Against the War beginning Thursday on Capital Hill in Washington?

There is one news outlet which will snub the event, and if they do cover any portion of the testimony of Iraq War veterans about atrocities they have seen it will be a snipped squeezed in between endless political coverage and more on New York Governor Elliot Spitzer's resignation over charges he was involved with prostitutes.

That news outlet is FOX NEWS which has always treated the Iraq war as a sidebar story.

While the interest in the Iraq war wanes with Americans, the death of Americans in Iraq doesn't take a holiday.

Three U.S. soldiers were killed in a rocket attack in southern Iraq on Wednesday, bringing to 12 the number of Americans who have been killed in Iraq over the past three days.

With the overall U.S. military death toll in Iraq nearing 4,000, the latest killings mark a significant rise in deadly attacks against Americans.

At least 3,987 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an AP count. The figure includes eight military civilians.

Navy Lt. Patrick Evans, a military spokesman, told The Associated Press that three soldiers were killed Wednesday in a rocket attack on Combat Outpost Adder near Nasiriyah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. Two other soldiers were wounded.

The attack came a day after an American soldier died when a roadside bomb hit his patrol near Diwaniyah, 80 miles south of Baghdad.

Eight soldiers were killed in a pair of bomb attacks on Monday, the heaviest single day of U.S. casualties since September.

Three of those soldiers died in a roadside bombing in Diyala, a violent province where al-Qaida in Iraq has been active.

The five others were killed while on foot patrol in central Baghdad. A suicide bomber approached them and detonated his explosives vest. The Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant group, issued a statement Wednesday claiming responsibility for the soldiers' deaths. Three Americans and an Iraqi interpreter were wounded.

AP story carried by Yahoo News: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq;_ylt=Am2Jn4xmTEjs7DijFy7Hi_ZX6GMA

HUGE SPIKE IN VIOLENCE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN: ARMY SPC. JEREMY RIDDLE FROM ARLINGTON, TEXAS BEGINS THE LONG ROAD OF REHABILITATION

There has been a massive increase in violence in both Iraq and Afghanistan as the following report clearly indicates.

But we lead off with the story of Army Spc. Jordan Riddle, Arlington, Texas a veteran of the Iraq war and his battle at trying to rehabilitate himself following horrendous injuries sustained when he was injured in Iraq.

Army Spc. Jordan Riddle, Arlington, Texas returned from Iraq about 40 pounds lighter and with no memory of the January explosion that almost took his life. Members of Riddle's unit were clearing houses of Sunni insurgents in Sinsil on Jan. 9 when a booby-trapped home exploded, killing six soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter, said Riddle's sister Shannon Murphy. But the explosion blew Riddle backward, and a block of concrete landed on top of him. Murphy said she was told by an another injured soldier from the unit that the block covered her brother from his chin to his lower legs."It took 20 men and two Stryker vehicles to get that thing off of him," Riddle said he will spend another six months recuperating from his injuries. The blast and concrete collapsed both his lungs, broke his right arm in several places, tore flesh from his abdomen and burned his face.

WHILE RIDDLE SLOWLY WORKS TO REHABILITATE HIMSELF, THE WAR IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN CONTINUES WITH MORE CASUALTIES AND MORE CIVILIAN DEATHS

THE FOLLOWING DEATHS, MAYHEM AND VIOLENCE ARE ALL PART OF WAR TORN LANDSCAPE OF IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2008

War News for Wednesday, March 12, 2008

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a U.S. Soldier in an improvised explosive device attack in near Ad Diwaniyah on Monday, March 11th. Two other soldier were wounded in the attack.

The Canadian DND is reporting the death of a soldier who was found dead in an accommodation room, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan on Monday, March 11th. No further details are available at this time, although enemy action has been ruled out. Here's the ISAF statement

Baghdad:#1: A roadside bomb went off in the Amin neighborhood in eastern Baghdad, killed two civilians and wounded ten others, including dustmen, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The blast, apparently, missed a U.S. patrol which has just passed the scene, the source said.

#2-4: Three more roadside bombs went off near U.S. patrols in areas of Talbiyah, Shaab and Taji in northern Baghdad, the source said. There was no word on casualties among the U.S. soldiers as the troops immediately cordoned off the areas, he said. The U.S. military has not confirmed the attack on its patrols yet.

#2: Around 10:10 am, a roadside bomb targeted an American patrol at Shaab neighborhood (north Baghdad) towards the industrial area. No casualties reported.

#3: Around 9 am, a roadside bomb targeted an American patrol near Talbia Bridge towards Shaab neighborhood (north Baghdad).No casualties reported.

#4: Around 9:15 am, a roadside bomb targeted an American patrol at Taji near Baghdad’s north gate .No casualties reported.

#5: In a separate incident, five civilians were injured when a roadside bomb exploded at about 07:30 a.m. local time (0430 GMT) in Palestine Street in eastern Baghdad, he said.

#6: Meanwhile, three civilians were wounded when three mortar rounds landed on Baghdad's northern neighborhood of the al-Shaab, the source said.

#7: Three mortars landed in Baghdad's Green Zone, but details of casualties were not available, police said.

#8: Around 10 am, an American patrol defused a roadside bomb at Saidiyah neighborhood (south Baghdad) near Imam Ali mosque.

Diyala Prv:#1: Police found one dead body at one of the orchards in Dali Abass village (east of Baquba)

.#2: Around 2:10 pm, a ten year girl was killed due to clashes took place at Bazaiz Buhrz (10 km south of Baquba) between gunmen and Iraqi army. The girl was in a farm with her aunt when a bullet killed her at once.

Bahraz:#1: The bodies of a man and his wife, who had disappeared earlier on Wednesday, were found in south of Baaquba, a security source said. “A man and his wife were found dead a few hours after being kidnapped by al-Qaeda armed group in Bazayez region in Bahraz district, south of Baaquba,” the source, who wished to be unnamed, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq

Kanan:#1: Around 1:50 pm, mortars hit Kanan village targeting Sheikh Tha’r Ghadhban’s funeral (who was killed two days ago) .Four people were injured (including a woman and a child).

#2: Police found a dead body at the way between Kanan –Balad Ruz (20 km east of Baquba).Nasiriya:#1: Update-- one coalition soldier were wounded in the attack about 50 miles from Nasiriyah, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad.--Dr. Hadi Badr al-Riyahi, head of the Nasiriyah provincial health directorate, confirmed Wednesday that the attack on the bus traveling from Najaf to Basra killed 16 civilians and wounded 20.

Diwaniyah:#1: A U.S. Soldier was killed from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device during a combat patrol near Ad Diwaniyah March 11. Additionally, two U.S. Soldiers were wounded in the explosion and transported to a Coalition forces medical facility for further evaluation and treatment.

Kut:#1: update from 4 killed--At least 17 people have been killed, including five children, in fire exchang between militants and Iraqi and US forces in the Shiite city of Kut, AFP reported Wednesday. "Seventeen people have been killed, including five children and a female college student. Others are young men," Mamoon Ajil, registrar at Kut's Al-Zahra hospital said.The military said Iraqi forces were patrolling the city on Tuesday when they were attacked by several "enemy fighters" . The Iraqi forces requested assistance from the US forces who provided ground and air support.

Iskandariya:#1: Gunmen opened fire randomly in Iskandiriya town, 50 km north Hilla, leaving two civilian wounded, one of them died from a sustained injury when he arrived at the hospital”, Babel source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq.

Musayyib:#1: gunmen opened fire on a woman standing at her house in Musayyib town, 40 north Hilla, leaving her wounded".

Basra:#1: A senior figure in Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Basra office, Saed al-Haidery, was shot dead in northern Basra, police and Sadrist officials said.

#2: Gunmen shot and killed a former official of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, 550 km (340 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Samarra:#1: Three fuel truck drivers were killed when three roadside bombs went off near a convoy of seven fuel trucks on the main road near Samarra, 100 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. Three trucks were set ablaze.

Baiji:#1: Around 10 am, a policeman was killed by a guard of Baiji mayor based on tribal revenge .A curfew was announced in the city after this incident to control the situation.

Kirkuk:#1: A roadside bomb targeting a local council member near Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, wounded two of his bodyguards, police said.

Mosul:#1: Six fuel trucks were set ablaze and three drivers were wounded on Tuesday when a bomb attached to one of the vehicles detonated, in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Afghanistan:#1: A suicide car bomber attacked a convoy of Canadian troops in southern Afghanistan Wednesday, killing a passing civilian and wounding one soldier. An Associated Press reporter at the scene in Kandahar said a Humvee vehicle of the convoy was burned and destroyed. NATO troops cordoned off the area, preventing journalists and police getting near the vehicles. A passing truck driver was killed in the attack, and two civilian passers-by were wounded, said police officer Nematullah Khan.

#2: In other violence, Taliban militants attacked a district administrative compound Tuesday in southern Zabul province, and the ensuing one-hour gunbattle left one Taliban dead and three wounded, said Mizan district chief Mohammad Younus Akhunzada.

#3: A telecommunications tower was set ablaze in western Afghanistan, a police official said Wednesday, the latest such attack since insurgents warned phone companies to shut down the towers at night. Five militants set fire to the generator, fuel tank and antenna of the tower Tuesday night in the Obe district of Herat province, said Raouf Ahmadi, a regional police spokesman. The tower belonged to the Areeba company.

#4: An investigation has been launched after a Canadian soldier was found dead at the main military base in Kandahar. The body of Bombardier Jeremie Ouellet was found Tuesday afternoon in sleeping quarters at the Kandahar Air Field. Ouellet, 22, was with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, based in Shilo, Man. "The soldier's death is not related to combat, Brig.-Gen. Guy Laroche said in a briefing at the air field, 12 hours after Ouellet's body was found.

#5: Two women and two children have been killed during a NATO operation against suspected Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan, the alliance says.