MARINE CORPS TIMES: ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN SHIFT OF MARINES TO AFGHANISTAN IS ON AGAIN

Shift of Marines to Afghanistan back on table

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writerPosted : Sunday May 11, 2008 10:02:51 EDT
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_afghanistan_051008w/

Even if peace breaks out across Anbar province and the rest of Iraq, Marines may not get a break from the current op tempo.

Next stop: Afghanistan. Not this year — but maybe in 2009.

Senior Pentagon officials say the proposal to shift Marines out of Iraq and into Afghanistan in large numbers is back on the table.

Top military leaders shot down the idea last fall when Commandant Gen. James Conway said publicly that he’d like to leave Iraq to the Army and essentially take over the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

Click on this link to read full account: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_afghanistan_051008w/

IRAQ'S AMBASSADOR TO US TICKED OFF AT DEMS FOR WANTING TO CUT FUNDING FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iraq's ambassador to the United States insisted Sunday his government was doing more to pay its own way as angry Democrats in Congress push to cut US funding for reconstruction.

Iraq envoy rejects Democrats' anger over US funding
21 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080511/pl_afp/usiraqcongresspoliticsbudget

Samir Sumaidaie told CNN: "We are taking over as fast as we can. We are taking over on the construction side. We are taking over on the security side.

"And as time goes on, the money spent by the Americans on reconstruction or on our arms (armed) services will come down to zero and we'll take on the full load," he said.

Democrats say that with Iraq profiting from booming oil prices, its government is letting billions of dollars sit idle in US bank accounts as Washington spends up to 12 billion dollars a month in the country.

The Senate's armed services committee has proposed banning US funds for all large-scale projects in Iraq costing above two million dollars, demanding Baghdad assume a larger share of reconstruction costs.

Click on link to continue reading

AP IMPACT: NUMBER OF DISABLED VETS RISING

WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come — even as the total population of America's vets shrinks.

By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080511/ap_on_re_us/disabled_veterans

Despite the decline in total vets — as soldiers from World War II and Korea die — the government expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today's $29 billion, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press. And the Veterans Affairs Department concedes the bill could be much higher.

Why?

Worse wounds. More disabilities. More vets aware of the benefits and quicker to file for them.
Also, ironically, advanced medical care. Troops come home with devastating injuries that might well have killed them in earlier wars.

Time is also a factor when it comes to disability compensation costs. Payments tend to go up as veterans age, and an increasing number of soldiers from the Vietnam War will be getting bigger payments as they get older and are less able to work around their disabilities.

The number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001 — to 2.9 million — and the cause really is no mystery.

"This is a cost of war," says Steve Smithson, a deputy director at the American Legion. "We're still producing veterans. We've been in a war in Iraq for five years now, and the war on terror since 9/11."

VA and Census Bureau figures show the previous six-year period, before hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw a more modest increase of 4 percent in the number of disabled vets.

Veterans can make claims for disability benefits long after their military service has ended.
Today's veterans — disabled or not — number nearly 24 million. That population is projected by the VA to fall under 15 million by 2033, mostly because of dying World War II and Korean War vets. But costs are expected to rise.

Inflation accounts for a big chunk of the increase. But even when the VA factors out inflation, the compensation for disabled veterans would still grow from $29 billion to $33 billion in today's dollars — a more than 10 percent increase. And the department acknowledges the estimate could rise by 30 percent.

VA officials were not eager to talk about reasons for the increases. They declined several requests for interviews. In a written response to a handful of questions, the agency noted a few factors at play in the rising costs, such as the aging veterans population, an increase in the number of disabilities claimed and the severity of injuries sustained.

Click on link to read full story.

TIMES ONLINE GRAPHIC VIDEO SHOWING PARADING OF FIGHTER'S BODIES IN SADR CITY

This graphic video and accompanying story shows fighter's bodies being paraded as a taunt to the Mahdi Army in the Sadr City section of Baghdad.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3908164.ece

WASHINGTON POST: DEAL REACHED ON CEASEFIRE IN SADR CITY. WILL IT HOLD?

There have been a number of deals made between warring factions in Iraq on a ceasefire, but the problem is many of militants are in separate groups and they don't feel an obligation to abide by the ceasefire.

Will this time be different? Only time will tell.

Deal Reached to End Fighting in Sadr City Agreement Reported by Aide to Cleric

By Sholnn Freeman and Ernesto Londoño Washington Post Staff Writers Sunday, May 11, 2008; A21

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/10/AR2008051000626.html

BAGHDAD, May 10 -- A top aide to Moqtada al-Sadr said Saturday that the influential Shiite cleric had reached an agreement with lawmakers aligned with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to end fighting in the Sadr City district of the capital.

The aide, Salah al-Obaidi, said Sadr agreed to take his Mahdi Army militia off the streets as early as Sunday in exchange for restrictions on raids and arrests. The agreement also includes provisions to reopen roads into Sadr City and expand government humanitarian assistance, he said.

Obaidi said the deal was reached after several days of discussions between leaders in Sadr's political movement and the United Iraqi Alliance, the majority bloc in Iraq's parliament.
Ali Dabbagh, chief spokesman for Maliki, said the government supported the agreement but would continue a security operation aimed at ridding Sadr City of gunmen and heavy weapons.

U.S. military officials did not respond to requests for comment about the truce, and Dabbagh said the agreement did not include language calling for the withdrawal of American troops from Sadr City.

Violent clashes have erupted almost daily in Sadr City since late March, leaving as many as 500 people dead and 2,100 injured. The conflict has pitted Sadr, who also leads one of Iraq's most popular Shiite political organizations, against Shiite-led government forces backed by the U.S. military.

The U.S. military has said it has killed more than 200 fighters in the past month in the area, where it says militiamen have fired hundreds of rockets and mortars at U.S. and Iraqi targets.
Meanwhile, Maliki launched an operation Saturday in northern Iraq to crack down on Sunni insurgents who flocked to the city of Mosul after being run out of other provinces.

Click on Washington Post link to read full story.

YAHOO/REUTERS REPORTS: US FORCES KILL WOMAN AND CHILD IN MOSUL

Two civilians killed in U.S. operation in N.Iraq
51 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080511/wl_nm/iraq_attack_dc

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A woman, a child and two gunmen were killed by U.S. forces conducting a military operation targeting al Qaeda in northern Iraq, the military said on Sunday.
It said U.S. forces fired on a car carrying suspected militants that refused to stop near the northern city of Mosul on Saturday.
"Coalition forces fired three warning shots, but the driver refused to stop and one man made threatening movements from inside the vehicle," the military said in a statement.
"Coalition forces responded to the perceived threat and engaged the vehicle."
It said a woman and a child in the vehicle were killed, along with the two armed men.
The military said it regretted the deaths of civilians.

WASHINGTON POST: WARRING WITH SHADOWS: ON PATROL IN MOSUL

Frustration and Deceit on U.S.-Iraqi Patrol in Mosul

By Ernesto LondoñoWashington Post Foreign ServiceSaturday, May 10, 2008; A07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/09/AR2008050902836.html

MOSUL, Iraq -- An hour before sunrise, under a star-studded sky, 1st Lt. Michael Baxter's soldiers packed their gear into Bradley Fighting Vehicles, heading out to patrol neighborhoods where fighting insurgents often seems like warring with shadows
.
Soldiers took long drags on cigarettes before strapping 40 pounds of armor and gear onto their backs, saying little save for quick back-and-forth on radios. They crammed into the cabins of the tracked, armored vehicles that rattle like flimsy wooden roller-coaster cars and tuned out the sights and sounds of the city.

Mosul, a city in northern Iraq that straddles the Tigris River, has long been a stronghold of Sunni insurgents. When U.S. and Iraqi security forces aggressively fought Sunni extremists in Baghdad and other provinces, insurgents flocked to Mosul in recent months.

The patrols took place on the eve of an offensive against the insurgents that Iraqi officials had vowed to undertake here. The offensive has been dubbed Lion's Roar, and it may cast a spotlight on the readiness and competence of the Iraqi military and police in northern Iraq.

"This is their operation," said Maj. Amanda Emmens-Rossi, a U.S. military spokeswoman in Mosul. "It was conceived and led by the Iraqi military."

U.S. military officials say an offensive here is unlikely to unfold like the 2004 battle of Fallujah, in which U.S. troops fought entrenched insurgent cells with considerable success. And the battle in Mosul is considerably different from recent fights in Baghdad and Basra.

Click on link to read full account.

US CONFIRMED DEATHS: NAMES, HOMETOWNS, CAUSE OF DEATH

U.S. Confirmed Deaths Reported Deaths:

4075 Confirmed Deaths:

4073 Pending Confirmation:

2 DoD Confirmation List

Latest Coalition Fatalities (click on BLUE for more details)
05/10/08 MNF: Soldier killed in non-combat incident
A U.S. Soldier was killed when the vehicle he was traveling in experienced a roll over near Al Asad May 10. [url pending]

05/10/08 MNF: MND-Center Soldier dies
Center soldier died of non-combat related injuries May 9. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.
05/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty

Pfc. Aaron J. Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif., died May 6 in Al Anbar, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came under small arms fire while conducting cordon and search operations. He was assigned to the 170th Military Police Company...

05/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, Texas, died May 6 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade attack. He was assigned to the 43rd Combat Engineer Company...

TEHRAN IRAN TIMES SAYS IRAQ WAR COSTING US A WHOPPING 5.54 MILLION AN HOUR

News you won't read in the mainstream media in the United States. The Tehran Times is reporting the Iraq war is costing the US taxpayer a whopping $5.54 MILLION dollars a HOUR.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=167952

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE MAG SAYS: WAR WITH IRAN MIGHT BE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

One of the leading Conservative magazines in the United States, The American Conservative, posted the following on their web site:

War With Iran Might Be Closer Than You Think
Posted on May 9th, 2008 by Philip Giraldi
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2008/05/09/war-with-iran-might-be-closer-than-you-think/

There is considerable speculation and buzz in Washington today suggesting that the National Security Council has agreed in principle to proceed with plans to attack an Iranian al-Qods-run camp that is believed to be training Iraqi militants.

The camp that will be targeted is one of several located near Tehran. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was the only senior official urging delay in taking any offensive action.

The decision to go ahead with plans to attack Iran is the direct result of concerns being expressed over the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, where Iranian ally Hezbollah appears to have gained the upper hand against government forces and might be able to dominate the fractious political situation.

The White House contacted the Iranian government directly yesterday through a channel provided by the leadership of the Kurdish region in Iraq, which has traditionally had close ties to Tehran. The US demanded that Iran admit that it has been interfering in Iraq and also commit itself to taking steps to end the support of various militant groups. There was also a warning about interfering in Lebanon.

The Iranian government reportedly responded quickly, restating its position that it would not discuss the matter until the US ceases its own meddling employing Iranian dissident groups.

The perceived Iranian intransigence coupled with the Lebanese situation convinced the White House that some sort of unambiguous signal has to be sent to the Iranian leadership, presumably in the form of cruise missiles. It is to be presumed that the attack will be as “pinpoint” and limited as possible, intended to target only al-Qods and avoid civilian casualties.

The decision to proceed with plans for an attack is not final. The President will still have to give the order to launch after all preparations are made.

WILL CHICAGO PUSHBACK AGAINST IRAN WARMONGERING?

More than 7,000 miles separate Chicago and Tehran. But on May 14, the city council of the American city will consider whether to take a stand on an event that would have far reaching consequences for residents of both: a US attack on Iran.

A resolution introduced into the council by one of its members, Alderman Joe Moore, would put the city on record as opposing a preemptive strike against Iran by the US. The resolution urges all congressional representatives whose districts include parts of the city to "clearly express the will of the people of Chicago in opposing any attack on Iran, and urging the Bush administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with that nation."

Acting Locally: Will Chicago Push Back Against Iran Warmongering?

By Michael Lynn, Comment Is FreePosted on May 10, 2008, Printed on May 10, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/85010/

The resolution is the result of an initiative launched by Chicago's No War On Iran Coalition, a broad-based grouping of local anti-war, social justice and faith organisations. Ranging widely in viewpoints, the goal that unites us all is preventing the United States from launching another elective war that we believe would prove even more disastrous than the five-year-old one next door in Iraq.

Recent events have added urgency to the goal. In April, General David Petraeus, the commanding officer of American forces in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to that country, testified to several congressional committees. In their testimony, both struck a common theme: the role of Iran in promoting insurgent attacks in Iraq. Both men accused so-called "special groups" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards of being responsible for the deaths of American troops and rocket strikes on the Green Zone.

That testimony flies in the face of the opinion of the American intelligence community, expressed in a 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (pdf) that Iran "is not likely to be a major driver of violence" in Iraq. It nevertheless allowed the Bush administration to assign blame for the Iraq debacle to Iran and provide the rationale for military action if they so chose. The president issued a thinly veiled threat in insisting that Iran cease supplying weapons in Iraq or "America will act to protect our interests, and our troops."

Click on this link http://www.alternet.org/story/85010/ to read complete story.

US BOMBARDS SADR CITY DESPITE CEASEFIRE

The US military has ignored the ceasefire drawn up between the Iraqi government and the Sadr militia and have continued to pound Sadr City with bombs.

Heavy bombardment on Sadr city despite ceasefire

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Saturday , 10 /05 /2008 Time 9:44:56
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=78856&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Baghdad, May 10, (VOI) – Three large parts of Sadr city were subjected to heavy bombardment that was continuously carried out by U.S. helicopters, starting from Saturday 3:30 p.m. until now, despite the Iraqi government and representatives of the Sadr movement having signed an agreement to stop confrontations in the city.

Reporter of Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) said that airstrike operations covered the areas of Jameela, al-Gayiara, and al-Dakhil, but he could not contact medical sources to learn whether there were any casualties among Sadr city's residents.Earlier on Saturday, the Sadr bloc's official spokesperson said that the bloc brokered a deal with the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to stop fighting in the troubled eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City, and end the crisis between the two sides."

A 14-point agreement was reached with a delegation from the ruling Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC) to end the crisis in Sadr City," Sheikh Salah al-Ubaydi told VOI.Ubaydi said the agreement, effective as of Sunday, provided that all the items included would be implemented in four days' time, noting it calls for a "ceasefire, ending all armed activities and opening of all outlets leading to Sadr City."An official spokesman for the government confirmed the agreement reached with the Sadrists on Friday evening with the objective of "sustaining the stability and security in Sadr City."

"There are talks between a UIC delegation and the brothers from the Sadrist bloc, and a 14-point agreement was reached," Ali al-Dabbagh told VOI on Saturday."The agreement included the clearing of Sadr City of all explosive charges and mines, the closure of all illegal courthouses, ending all armed activities and acknowledging that the Iraqi government is the sole party that runs security issues and decides sending any forces to any area to impose order and security," Dabbagh noted.

US SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ

Baghdad, May 10, (VOI)- The U.S. army said Saturday a service member died of injuries sustained from a “non-combat” incident.

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=78775&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

“A Multi-National Division – Center soldier died of non-combat related injuries May 9,” the U.S. army said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).The death brings the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 to 4074.

Of this number, 9 soldiers have been so far killed in May.November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, is the month that witnessed the highest U.S. death toll with 137.

April 2004 comes second with 135, followed by May 2007 during which 126 U.S. soldiers were killed.SK

CHENEY TELLS RIGHT WING RADIO HOST IN MISSISSIPPI IRAQ IS GOING "SWIMMINGLY"

Cheney: Bagdad’s Disneyland-Style Amusement Park Is Evidence That Things Are Going ‘Swimmingly’ In Iraq

Filed Under: Iraq

By Amanda on May 9th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/09/cheney-amusement-iraq/

Cheney: Bagdad’s Disneyland-Style Amusement Park Is Evidence That Things Are Going ‘Swimmingly’ In Iraq»

Today, Vice President Cheney appeared on The Paul Gallow Show in Mississippi. During the interview, he and the host lamented the media’s alleged bias in its Iraq coverage, suggesting that they should cover more good news — such as the Disneyland-style amusement park being developed for Baghdad:

GALLOW: You know, I look at this, and every once in a while, we’ll see a story, Mr. Vice President, things like an amusement park opens in Iraq or in Baghdad, which is totally counter to what we’re hearing over here, as far as the marketplaces being open, the schools, and things such as that. But I saw a story several weeks ago about an amusement center maybe over there, and I’m thinking this is not what you get in today’s media.

CHENEY: No, that’s true. It’s — what gets covered obviously is bad news. That’s — you know, if everything is going swimmingly, then that’s not news, so it doesn’t get the kind of attention.
Cheney and Gallow must be living in Never Never Land. This amusement park is not good news. The Pentagon is fast-tracking the development of the “Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum.” The firm designing the project also developed Disneyland. The financier, Llewellyn Werner, has admitted that he is doing the project not to help Iraq, but because he wants to make boatloads of money:

After explaining skate…boarding, Werner tells the assembled Iraqi business and government men, “I’m a businessman. I’m not here because I think you’re nice people. I think there’s money to be made here.”

More significantly, the Pentagon is also now backing a $5 billion plan to create a “zone of influence” around the new $700 million U.S. embassy. The area will include luxury hotels, a shopping center, and condos in an effort to “transform” the Green Zone into a “centerpiece for Baghdad’s future.”

In Iraq, however, many people are opposed to the plan. Some U.S. embassy officials have called the plan “unrealistic.” One added that Iraqis, a majority of whom oppose the U.S. presence, are unlikely to want the U.S. to “turn this area into downtown Kansas City.”

It’s hard to report that things are going swimmingly…when they’re not.

AP REPORTS: BBC OFFICE HIT IN ATTACK ON IRAQ GREEN ZONE

BAGHDAD - Shiite militants launched rockets toward the fortified Green Zone on Friday, taking advantage of a sandstorm that gave cover from attacks by U.S. aircraft. Some rockets fell short, including one that damaged the British Broadcasting Corp. bureau.

The Associated Press
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24527960/

At least five other rocket explosions were heard. But U.S. authorities did not confirm any strikes inside the Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government.

The salvos from Sadr City have come in response to a U.S.-led push into Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of the powerful Mahdi Army led by anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. One of the American objectives is to push militants deeper into the district and put their rockets and mortars out of range for the Green Zone.

Click on link to read full story.

EVER WONDER WHAT IT IS LIKE TO OWN A 'BURGER JOINT' IN BAGHDAD?

Baghdad - When Faruk al-Timimi opened his burger joint in 2005, his customers had a view of an intersection dotted with flowers and bustling with fruit stalls, juice vendors, and shoppers strolling lazily from shop to shop.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080509_report_from_baghdad/
Posted on May 9, 2008

Less than a year later, the Iraqi police Wolf Brigade, infamous for carrying out extrajudicial executions targeting Sunnis, set up a checkpoint right outside Sun City Food’s main entrance.

On the other side of the street, Sunni militias loyal to al-Qaeda moved in. The two forces showered each other with submachine gun fire, stray bullets often hit the restaurant’s windows, and dead bodies sometimes lay for hours, even days, on the sidewalk beneath. More than half of the neighborhood’s residents fled the area, and Al-Timimi closed his restaurant.

On February 15, Sun City Food reopened to much fanfare and cheering from the American troops, who have surrounded this religiously mixed neighborhood in southwestern Baghdad, Saidiyah, by a 12-foot concrete wall, encouraging residents who had fled the violence to return and businesses that had closed to reopen.

US Army Lieutenant Colonel Johnnie Johnson, who commands a battalion that operates in Saidiyah, describes Sun City Food reopening as one of the major achievements symbolic of the neighborhood’s recovery and reconciliation.

“They have these big, huge hamburgers that are too big for me to eat,” says Johnson, who often visits the restaurant for lunch. “It is a sign that a sense of normalcy was brought back to that area.”

But al-Timimi, who has spent $35,000 to remodel his two-story restaurant and decorated it with plastic flowers, a large fish tank and black and mirrored wall tiles, says that despite the return of relative peace to Saidiyah, business has been much slower than he had expected.
“In 2005, I was selling 500 burgers a day,” al-Timimi said in the spacious basement kitchen, where large plastic containers with spices stood on the counter and the aroma of thyme and allspice filled the air. “Now, on a good day, I sell 120 burgers, but usually, it’s more like 60.” He is busiest on Thursdays and Fridays, when he can make up to $1,000 a day, much of which goes to paying the 17 people he employs and for maintenance.

Since Americans surrounded Saidiyah with the wall, as many as 400 families have returned to the neighborhood, and more than 800 shops have reopened - mostly with $2,400 micro-grants that the US troops distributed. Sun City Food was one of the recipients of the grants.

But, like this burger joint, many businesses are doing far worse than before the violence peaked here last year. Mohammad al-Rubayee, who ran a small car dealership from his house in the south of Saidiyah, returned from a self-imposed exile to a calmer part of Baghdad in March to find his front door destroyed, most of his furniture stolen, and his cars stolen.

“They were displayed on the sidewalk, and now - look,” al-Rubayee gestured to the dusty street, empty except for garbage that residents, in the absence of regular trash pickup, often dump outside their homes. “All gone.”

And in northern Saidiyah, Samira al-Ubaidi complained that the security wall ran right in front of the nursery where her brother, Majid, used to sell flowers that she grows. Now there is no way to get in and out of the nursery, and the al-Ubaidis had to close it. Samira continues to grow roses in hundreds of plastic containers she keeps in the front yard under a green mesh to protect the tender shoots from the blistering sun, but the business is almost non-existent, and Majid had moved to a different part of Baghdad.

“That’s the one downside of the wall,” said Lieutenant Rusty Mason, whose platoon patrolled al-Ubaidi’s part of Saidiyah this week. “Pretty much no other business was really affected by it, but there were some nurseries all along the northern stretch, and they all had to shut down.”
At Sun City Food on Friday afternoon, members of Mason’s platoon were the only customers, and after they had ordered, several waiters in orange shirts stood along the walls, bored. A busboy brought from the kitchen a metal tray with large burger patties that had been made earlier that day, and a cook threw the patties, one by one, onto a scalding stove behind the counter in the dining area. Another cook piled the cooked patties, French fries, scarlet tomato slices and yogurt-based sauce between sliced buns, wrapped them in paper and placed them, carefully, into blue plastic bags with the words “Sun City Food” written in English. Al-Timimi said he hoped that eventually, business would pick up.

“When I saw the Americans in Bradleys and tanks in the neighborhood, and when I heard words of encouragement from Colonel Johnson I felt comfortable enough to reopen,” al-Timimi as the American soldiers prepared to leave. Outside his shop, the dusty intersection was empty except for three US Bradley fighting vehicles parked at the curb.

“As long as the Americans are here, I feel comfortable,” he said.

But if the Americans leave Saidiyah, al-Timimi said, “I’ll close my shop and I’ll leave, too.”

Anna Badkhen, 32, has returned to Iraq for the tenth time since 2003. She has covered the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, Chechnya and Kashmir. Her last trip to Iraq was in 2006. Read more at Anna’s Baghdad journal on The Muckraker.

DEJA VU: NEW YORK TIMES HYPES US PROPAGANDA AND WAR WITH IRAN

Just like they did over five years ago, the New York Times is again promoting going to war, only this time it is with IRAN.

Submitted by John Stauber on Mon, 05/05/2008 - 13:11.Topics: Iran Iraq propaganda terrorism third party technique war/peace

http://www.prwatch.org/node/7294

Greg Mitchell of Editor and Publisher notes that New York Times military reporter Michael Gordon, "who contributed several false stories about Iraqi WMD in the run-up to the U.S. attack in Iraq," has been writing about Iran's alleged involvement in attacks against U.S. service members in Iraq. Gordon's latest article, "Hezbollah Trains Iraqis in Iran, Officials Say," is "based solely on unnamed sources," notes Mitchell.

An article from McClatchy's Baghdad bureau also contradicts Gordon's New York Times piece. McClatchy reports that the Iraqi government "seemed to distance itself from U.S. accusations towards Iran." Iraqi government spokesperson Ali al-Dabbagh said the government had formed a committee to find "tangible information" about Iranian activities in Iraq, instead of relying on "information based on speculation." Al-Dabbagh also told Agence France-Press that there is no "hard evidence" of Iranian support of insurgents in Iraq.

Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Sam Gardiner has seen this sort of poorly-sourced reporting before in the New York Times as part of the propaganda campaign that led America directly into the disastrous quagmire in Iraq. Gardiner told me:

CASUALTY REPORTS FROM THE WARS WITH DETAILS

The following is a list of Casualty Reports from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Click on each individuals name in "BLUE" to read the full account.

http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

Bryan Currie was seriously wounded in Afghanistan, we was treated in-country and sent back to combat. Five months later, he returned with his unit to the U.S., where he sought help from the Army for PTSD. He was classified as undeployable, but the only help the Army offered was to push pills at him. His chain of command had him re-classified as deployable, and two days before his unit was sent to Iraq, he went AWOL. He talked with Courage to Resist from South Carolina.

Major David Beardi with the 402nd Civil Affairs Army Reserve Unit out of the Town of Tonawanda, Beardi was severely injured 11 months later (oct. 06) by an improvised explosive device, or IED, while stationed at the Forward Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, 90 miles north of Baghdad. 14 months after being airlifted out of Iraq to an Army hospital in Germany. He spent many months recuperating in Walter Reed Army Medical Center before returning home in September.

Staff Sgt. John Kriesel lost both of his legs during a roadside bombing in Iraq last year.

MSNBC'S RICHARD ENGLE REPORTS CAPTURED AL QAEDA MEMBER WAS NOT THE LEADER.

Fox News has once again got egg all over their face. The right wing mouthpiece for the Bush administration was shouting from the rooftops that the Iraqis had captured the top Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, but MSNBC's Richard Engle reported this morning it was a case of mistaken identity and it was an Al Qaeda member that was captured, but not the top Al Qaeda man in Iraq.

TIME MAGAZINE REPORTS ON BAGHDAD'S COMING REFUGEE CRISIS

U.S.-back Iraqi forces are gearing up for a new push deeper into Sadr City that could worsen fighting and displace hundreds, a government spokesman in Baghdad said. "There will be a big offensive soon," said Iraqi government spokesman Tahseen al-Sheikhly. He did not say when the operation would go forward. In east Baghdad the Iraqi government has readied two stadiums and one former military base to serve as camps for Sadr City residents who may be forced to flee the fighting, al-Sheikhly said. "We don't want any losses in the civilians," said al-Sheikhly.

By MARK KUKIS/BAGHDAD Fri May 9, 12:15 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20080509/wl_time/baghdadscomingrefugeecrisis

More than 1,010 have died in Sadr City since fighting erupted at the end of March, according to Iraqi government figures offered by al-Sheikhly. Another 2,930 have been wounded, he said.

Ongoing fighting continues to worsen the crisis in the vast Shi'ite slum, the Baghdad stronghold of the Shi'ite Mahdi Army militia. Mohammed Kamel Hassan, a volunteer organizer in Sadr City for the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization, said up to 500 families have already been displaced from areas around the fighting in recent days. "We have a big movement," said Hassan, whose organization is working closely with the Iraqi government on new emergency plans. "The situation is very bad."

U.N. estimates say that up to 6,000 people have already fled their homes in Sadr City while another 150,000 remain essentially trapped in areas locked down by military forces. Al-Sheikhly and Hassan said at present no evacuation of any part of Sadr City is underway. But residents in areas of heavy fighting said Iraqi army troops were urging civilians to move to the shelter of nearby stadiums with announcements over loudspeakers.

Continue reading by clicking on link above.

OUR MEDIA HAS BEEN WRONG FOR SO LONG ABOUT IRAQ

So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq, by Greg Mitchell, a collection of essays that date back from the lead-up to the Iraq war, in 2003, through this fall, is a compelling antidote to the cult of misinformation written by the editor of Editor & Publisher, a journal of the newspaper industry, and one of the oldest magazines in the country. The book features a preface by Bruce Springsteen, and foreword by Joseph L. Galloway.

By Jayne Lyn Stahl, AlterNetPosted on May 9, 2008, Printed on May 9, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/84114/

As one who has been on the cutting edge of exposing the Bush administration's pre-emptive war on the media, Mitchell, the author of nine other nonfiction works, is among the first to broach, and critically analyze, the issue of "non-hostile combat deaths," as well as suggest the long term costs of this war not merely to our veterans, but to our national ethos.

We're treated to a first rate account not merely of a media complicit in the debacle that is Iraq, but one equally responsible for our continued presence in the region.

AlterNet recently caught up with Greg Mitchell to talk about his latest book...

Jayne Stahl: You quote one of your reporters writing that the "highest calling of journalism is not reporting. It's finding the story that would help prevent a war." Tell how this relates to your decision to publish an anthology of your essays about the Iraq war now.

Greg Mitchell: This is the first book to look at five full years in the life of the war, from the "run-up" to the "surge" debate last fall. But its aim is to serve as a warning and, in part, a lesson for future journalists. When I was back in j-school, which came just before Woodward and Bernstein emerged, we were taught that the first rule for reporters is to be "skeptical." Not necessarily critical or negative, but skeptical. This rule applies whether you are probing a local school board scandal, or the preparation for an invasion of another country.

Click on link above to read full interview.

NAMES, HOMETOWNS, CAUSE OF DEATH OF 10 GIS IN IRAQ IN MAY

The names, hometowns and cause of death of ten American soliders in Iraq have been released to the media by the Department of Defense.


Date
Total
Name
Place of Death - Province
Cause of Death
06-May-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0

US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire

US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Ninewah Province
Hostile - hostile fire
02-May-2008
3
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 2



GE
Lieutenant Giorgi Margiev
Diyala Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

GE
Corporal Zura Gvenetadze
Diyala Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Private Corey L. Hicks
Baghdad (eastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
01-May-2008
5
US: 5 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Lance Corporal Casey L. Casanova
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Corporal Miguel A. Guzman
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Lance Corporal James F. Kimple
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Sergeant Glen E. Martinez
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Specialist Jeffrey F. Nichols
Baghdad (central)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)
Total
10
US: 8 UK: 0 Other: 2

CNN REPORTS: US MILITARY DOUBT IRAQI CLAIMS OF CAPTURE OF TOP AL QAEDA LEADER

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The leader of al Qaeda in Iraq was captured early Thursday in the northern city of Mosul, Iraqi officials said.

Abu Ayyub al-Masri was reportedly caught in Mosul. Intelligence officials are skeptical of the news.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/08/iraq.alqaeda/index.html

U.S. military officials were surprised about the report of Abu Ayyub al-Masri's capture -- first reported by Iraqi media and picked up by The Associated Press. And intelligence officials said they were skeptical, even though Iraqi officials said al-Masri was already in U.S. military custody.

Al-Masri ("the Egyptian"), also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, took the reins of the Iraqi al Qaeda offshoot in June 2006 after a U.S. missile strike killed his predecessor, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Since then, Iraqi officials have reported his death three times, his capture twice and a mortal wounding once. Watch more about al-Masri's role with al Qaeda in Iraq

IT'S ABOUT TIME: PRESSURE FOR IRAQ TO PAY ITS OWN WAY

Pressure for Iraq to pay its own way
By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/JE09Ak02.html

Growing impatience in the US Congress over the enormous costs incurred by the Iraq war, as well as the Pentagon's belief that it needs more troops in Afghanistan to fight insurgents there, is putting the vaunted success of the George W Bush administration's "surge" strategy to the test.

Although the House of Representatives appears poised to approve an additional US$163 billion on Thursday for military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of the year, most observers believe that Congress will impose unprecedented conditions on Iraq-related spending.

This could include requirements that the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki pays substantially more in reconstruction and related costs

MARINE CORPS TIMES REPORTS: 43,000 TROOPS CALLED MEDICALLY UNFIT SENT TO IRAQ ANYWAY

WASHINGTON — More than 43,000 U.S. troops listed as medically unfit for combat in the weeks before their scheduled deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan since 2003 were sent anyway, Pentagon records show.

By Gregg Zoroya - USA TodayPosted : Thursday May 8, 2008 12:56:45 EDT
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/gns_unfit_troops_050808/

This reliance on troops found medically “nondeployable” is another sign of stress placed on a military that has sent 1.6 million service members to the war zones, soldier advocacy groups said.

“It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops,” said Bobby Muller, president of Veterans For America. “They are repeatedly exposed to high-intensity combat with insufficient time at home to rest and heal before re-deploying.”

The numbers of nondeployable soldiers are based on health assessment forms filled out by medical personnel at each military installation before a service member’s deployment. According to those statistics, the number of troops that doctors found nondeployable but who were still sent to Iraq or Afghanistan fluctuated from 10,854 in 2003, down to 5,397 in 2005, and back up to 9,140 in 2007.

The Pentagon records do not list what — or how serious — the health issues are, nor whether they were corrected before deployment, said Michael Kilpatrick, a deputy director for the Pentagon’s Force Health Protection and Readiness Programs.

A Pentagon staffer examined 10,000 individual health records last year to determine causes for the nondeployable ratings, Kilpatrick said. Some reasons included a need for eyeglasses, dental work or allergy medicine and a small number of mental health cases, he said.

This is the first war in which this health screening process has been used, the Pentagon said.
Most of the nondeployable service members are in the Army, which is doing most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Between 5 percent and 7 percent of all active-duty, National Guard and Reserve soldiers slated for combat were found medically unfit due to health problems each year since 2003, according to statistics provided to USA Today.

Unit commanders make the final decision about whether a service member is sent into combat, although doctors can recommend against deployment because of a medical issue, Army spokeswoman Kim Waldron said.

“The commander consults with health care professionals to determine whether the treatment a soldier needs is available in theater,” said Army Col. Steven Braverman of the Army Medical Command.
At Fort Carson, Colo., Maj. Gen. Mark Graham ordered an investigation into deployment procedures for a brigade deployed to Iraq late last year. At least 36 soldiers were found medically unfit but were still deployed, Graham told USA Today.

For at least seven soldiers, treatment in the war zone was inadequate and the soldiers were sent home, and at least two of them should never have been deployed, he said.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee in February, the panel’s chairman, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., asked Army leaders about an e-mail from the surgeon for the Fort Carson brigade that said medically “borderline” soldiers went to war because “we have been having issues reaching deployable strength.”

“That should not be happening,” Army Secretary Pete Geren told the committee. “I can’t tell you that it’s not, but it certainly should not be happening.”

Meanwhile, soldiers with medical problems have also deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from Fort Drum, N.Y., and Forts Stewart and Benning in Georgia, according to Brenda Farrell, who is leading an investigation into the practice for the Government Accountability Office. A report from that investigation sought by members of the House Armed Services Committee is due in June.

IRAQ BRACES FOR MAJOR OFFENSIVE ON MILITIAS: BLASTS HIT BAGHDAD

Baghdad_(dpa) _ The Iraqi government is bracing for a big offensive against loyalists of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, according to a politician from his bloc, while three people were killed and 20 injured in attacks, including a former commander of al-Qaeda in Iraq group.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LRON-7EFHFA?OpenDocument&rc=3&cc=irq

Fighting between government and US troops and al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia raging since the end of March has left around 1,000 people dead and over 2,500 wounded, many of them civilians.

"Iraqi and US military preparations are underway to move into Sadr City," Asma al-Musawi, a member of al-Sadr Bloc, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

The government has told people in two of the 79 neighbourhoods that make up Sadr City to leave their homes in preparation for a push into the area, al-Musawi said.

"The area is on the brink of a big humanitarian disaster," she warned.
The battle has intensified recently with street to street and house to house fighting. Government and US forces have so far failed to subdue the militiamen despite almost daily airstrikes.
US troops have set up concrete barriers in the southern parts of the district.
Hundreds of people have fled the fighting in the past days.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, three people were killed and 16 injured in four blasts, security officials said.

In one incident, a bomb blast on a bus left one passenger and four others injured in Baladiyat in east Baghdad.

An Iraqi army patrol was hit by a bomb near a playground in Shaab. Five army personnel were injured.

In another blast, three civilians were injured by a bomb that went off near the National Theatre in the central Karada district, which was the scene of a bomb attack Tuesday targeting the wife of the Iraqi president.

Hiro Ibrahim survived the attack, in which several soldiers and civilians were injured.
A rocket attack in the centre of the city caused two fatalities and left four people wounded.

In the northern Salahaddin province, a commander of a tribal police unit, who was formerly a senior member of the al-Qaeda terrorist network in Iraq, was wounded along with three policemen in a suicide bombing.

A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt attacked the motorcade of the police chief of Duluiyah and his companions, including Mullah Nazim al-Juburi, the commander of the local Awakening Council, police sources told the Voices of Iraq news agency.

Al-Juburi was lightly injured in the attack, which occurred in Duluiyah.
The Awakening Councils are US-backed tribal forces formed in Sunni areas to fight insurgents of Sunni extremist groups, such as al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Al-Juburi, who is now the imam of the main mosque in Duluiyah, was himself a leader of the al-Qaeda in Iraq group for the past four years until he turned against it and set up the local Awakening Council.

Also in Salahaddin, tribal policemen killed four insurgents and found a weapon cache in Tikrit, 175 kilometres north of Baghdad, the US military said Thursday. dpa str sf ds pmc mga

GREEN ZONE SHELLED AGAIN. 42 IRAQIS KILLED AND 71 WOUNDED THURSDAY IN IRAQ

At least 42 Iraqis were killed and 71 more were wounded in the latest violence. Clashes continue in Sadr City, while bombings killed and injured many in Baghdad. One British soldier was injured. Also, Abu Ayyub al-Masri, leader of the Iraqi branch of al-Qaeda, may have been captured in Mosul. Also, a Katyusha rocket landed in the Green Zone, but no casualties were reported.

http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12808

A British soldier was injured during a rocket attack at the Basra International Airport; two, possibly foreign, civilians were killed. A vicious clash broke out nearby, in Zubair. There are no reports of casualties yet, but many rockets were fired at a National Police base. Also, 48 people were arrested during raids.

In Baghdad, a car bomb in Mansour killed seven people, including policemen, and wounded 19 others. Three people were killed and six were wounded during a Katyusha rocket attack on Sadoun Street, near the al-Nasr Cinema. Three people were wounded during a roadside bombing near the National Theater. In Zayouna, a roadside bomb left one dead and five wounded. A roadside bomb injured five Iraqi soldiers near Shabb Stadium. Seven people were injured near a mosque in the Jihad neighborhood. Four unidentified bodies were found. The body of a policeman was discovered in Abu Dsheer.

Seven people were killed and 20 were wounded during overnight clashes in Sadr City. U.S. forces killed 17 suspects in Baghdad and Sadr City. MNF forces, on Iraqi Cabinet orders, shut down a radio station loyal to the al-Sadr political bloc.

A suicide bomber in Dhuluiya wounded five people, including the police chief, an Awakening Council (Sahwa) leader and three of his security guards.

In Mosul, a bomb seriously injured a policeman. A dumped body was found. Also, soldiers killed a suicide bomber attempting to enter a hotel.

U.S. forces detained 17 suspects across Iraq.
Southwest of Baquba, a judge was kidnapped.

In Amara, two people were arrested and their cache of landmines was confiscated.
Two men making bombs at home in Diwaniya were captured.

Gunmen kidnapped a professor in Kut.

BAGHDAD IN COMPLETE CHAOS. SADR CITY ABOUT TO ERUPT. LIST OF MORE US CASUALTIES

Baghdad and Sadr City is exploding with violence and all across Iraq the chaos and mayhem continues and STILL the media in the United States prefers to write about the possibility that Hezbollah will be attacking Israel. Who the hell cares? We don't have a single soldier in Israel. Let them fight their own battles. Our 160,000 troops are in Iraq and 30,000 in Afghanistan and not ISRAEL.

Just watch how the US media now turns all their attention to what is taking place in Lebanon and Israel. That is because the mainstream media in the United States actually HATES the United States military. You can take it to the bank.

Editorial comment by BILL CORCORAN, editor of this blog and former GI who served as a United States Army Combat Engineer.

War News for Thursday, May 08, 2008

Casualty Reports:Pfc. Jeffrey Rosas, a 19-year-old Army soldier and 2007 Carroll High School graduate, was in critical condition at a Baghdad hospital after he was shot in the chest during a training exercise this week with his unit, his parents said. "All I was told was that he had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest," said Rosas' mother, Linda Rosas, who was contacted Tuesday afternoon at work by an official at Fort Carson, Colo., where her only child's unit is based. "Someone mentioned today -- one of the captains called today -- and said he was at a training exercise and they weren't able to release any more information," she said.

Marina Cpl. Jimmy Kinsey lost one leg and severely injured the other when his Humvee was struck by an improvised explosive device.

THE FOLLOWING IS LIST OF VIOLENCE IN BAGHDAD, SADR CITY AND OTHER PROVINCES ALL ACROSS IRAQ.

ANYONE WHO SAYS THE "SURGE" IS WORKING SHOULD BE TOSSED INTO THE MIDDLE OF ALL THIS CHAOS AND THEN SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.

Baghdad:#1: Iraqi soldiers for the first time warned residents in the embattled Sadr City district to leave their houses Thursday, signaling a new push by the U.S.-backed forces against Shiite extremist who have been waging street battles for seven weeks. Iraqi soldiers, using loudspeakers, told residents in some virtually abandoned areas of southeastern Sadr City to go to nearby soccer stadiums, residents said. UNICEF says about 6,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Sadr City, most of them from the southeastern section.#2: At least four people were killed and 13 injured in clashes late Wednesday in Sadr City, Iraqi health officials said Thursday. It was not clear whether any militants were among them.Fresh gunbattles between Shiite fighters and US occupation forces in Baghdad's Sadr City killed seven people and wounded 20 others, Iraqi security and medical officials said on Thursday.The U.S. military said it killed 17 gunmen in several clashes across Baghdad, including in the Shi'ite slum of Sadr City. It said the incidents took place on Wednesday and Thursday.#3: On Wednesday, Claire Hajaj, a UNICEF spokeswoman based in Jordan, said up to 150,000 people — including 75,000 children — were isolated in sections of Sadr City "cordoned off by military forces." She said about 6,000 have fled their homes.#4: Meanwhile, gunmen wearing police uniforms killed a police captain Wednesday after kidnapping him from a police station in Shiite neighborhood of Abu Dshir, police said Thursday. His body was found near the station.#5: A Katyusha rocket landed in central Baghdad, killing two people and wounding four, police said.2 Katyusha rockets slammed into the street next to al-Nasr cinema, Sadoon Street, central Baghdad killing 2 civilians, injuring 2 others and causing material damage to several civilian cars.#6: Iraqis employed at the British embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone claim to have been sexually abused, the Times reported Wednesday. An Iraqi woman, who worked as a cleaning lady, told British diplomats that the head of KBR had asked her to stay the night and promised to double her wage in return. Her refusal resulted in a pay cut and she was later dismissed.Two Iraqi cooks, who confirmed the woman's claims to Foreign Office staff, also lost their jobs shortly afterwards, the Times reported. They had worked in the canteen and said that KBR managers groped Iraqi staff regularly and paid or rewarded them for sex. Those who refused or spoke out were dismissed. The British embassy heard the complaints initially, but left KBR to investigate the claims. KBR later reported they were unfounded.#7: Baghdad's crumbling roads, burst sewage pipes and chronic water shortages are casualties of war that get little attention amid the daily litany of gunfights, bombs and bloodletting in Iraq. As summer approaches, the city is facing an acute shortage of drinking water despite the efforts of officials like Sadiq Shumari, its director of water services.#8: 1 Katyusha rocket slammed into the Green Zone at 9 am Thursday. No casualties were reported.#9: A roadside bomb exploded in Humat al-Watan intersection near Shaab stadium, east Baghdad. It targeted an Iraqi Army patrol injuring 5 servicemen.#10: An adhesive IED in a Kia minibus exploded killing 1 civilian, severely injuring 5 others. The incident took place in Zayuna neighbourhood, near the traffic fly over at around 3 pm Thursday.#11: A roadside bomb exploded behind the National Theatre in Karrada, central Baghdad injuring 3 civilians.#12: A parked car bomb exploded targeting a police patrol in Mansour neighbourhood, west Baghdad, near Samad restaurant in Rowad intersection at 5 pm Thursday. The explosion killed 3 policemen and 4 civilians and injured 2 policemen and 17 civilians amongst whom were 2 women and 1 child. The location is a central commercial centre and the explosion resulted in burning 4 civilian cars completely as well as the police vehicle in addition to extensive material damages to 10 stores and completely destroying the restaurant.#13: A roadside bomb exploded in Jihad neighbourhood, near Mohammed Rasool Allah Mosque at 7 pm injuring 7 civilians.#14: 4 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad today by Iraqi Police. 1 in Nahdha; 1 in Dola’I and 2 in Abu Disheer.Diyala Prv:#1: Unknown gunmen on Thursday kidnapped a judge in Diala, a security source said.“Unknown armed group abducted judge Rasheed al-Manhal on the road linking Baldruz district and Kanaan district, south-west Baquba”, a Diala security source, who requested anonmity, told Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq.Kut:#1: In the southeastern Shiite city of Kut, gunmen on Thursday stormed the Technical Institute and abducted a professor, Nuri Kamil Khanjar, local police said. It was not clear why Khanjar was kidnapped.Basra:#1: Up to 20 rockets have been fired at the British base at Basra airport, say police in the southern Iraqi city. No British personnel are reported to have been seriously injured in the attack, thought to have happened at about 1415 local time (1215 BST). Iraqi and British Army units responded by sealing of part of the Zubair district of the city, from where the katyusha rockets had been fired.#2: Violent clashes broke out between the security forces and gunmen in al-Askari neighbourhood, Zubair district 35 km t the west of Basra city after many Katyusha rockets were fired targeting a Notional Police camp in Zubair. The fighting continues and no casualties report was available at time of publication.As a result, Iraqi army and police forces moved toward the missiles' launching location, and immediately clashes erupted with gunmen," he said."I heard explosions as security forces were approaching the area," he added. Another eyewitness from al-Rasheediya area of al-Zobair suburb said "fierce clashes broke out between the national police and gunmen for more than two hours." "Helicopters and jet fighters flew over the clashes field, but without bombarding any target," he added. "I saw an Iraqi Humvee vehicle damaged, while two houses were set on fire due to the random fire exchange," he noted. Security forces' sources could not be immediately reached for a comment.Dhuluiyah:#1: A former senior Al-Qaeda leader in central Iraq now working in one of the so-called Awakening groups alongside US forces survived a suicide bombing on Thursday north of Baghdad, officials said. The suicide bomber detonated the explosives as Mullah Nadhom Mahmud's convoy was driven by Dhuluiyah, a town some 70 kilometres (40 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraqi police official Mohammed al-Jubburi told AFP. Jubburi himself was in the vehicle targeted by the suicide bomber, but he escaped unhurt. He said Mahmud, 30, and three others were wounded.Mosul:#1: A policeman was seriously wounded when a bomb exploded near his home in the northern city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.#2: The body of a man was found in Mosul on Wednesday, police said.Afghanistan:#1: Police say its officers have clashed with and killed six Taliban fighters in western Afghanistan. Provincial police chief Shah Jahan Noori said among militants killed during the clash Thursday was the Taliban-appointed governor for the western province of Ghor. He said about 10 militants had crossed into Ghor from the neighboring Helmand province before the clash. Noori said two police and one civilian were wounded during the firefight.#2: A suicide car blast rocked Afghan capital Kabul Thursday, injuring five civilians, an interior ministry spokesman told Xinhua. The attacker exploded his car and injured the civilians nearby,the official said, adding that the blast, of which the target has still been unidentified, caused no other casualties.

MSNBC/REUTERS REPORTS: IRAQ WAR STRAINS ARMY MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM

Report finds not enough counselors or psychiatrists for returning troops

Reuters
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24481935/

FORT DRUM, New York - Fort Drum, a bleak U.S. Army base in upstate New York, is a test case for how the military is handling a looming mental health crisis.

The military and its critics agree on one thing — there are not enough therapists to treat all the soldiers who return from Iraq and Afghanistan traumatized by the experience.

The 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team (2BCT) is the most-deployed brigade in the U.S. army since 2001. It served two tours in Afghanistan, totaling 11 months, and was sent to Iraq twice for tours of 12 and 15 months.

"They're kind of a canary in a coal mine," said Paul Rieckhoff, a former Army captain who founded the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "They're a good barometer to understand the human cost of the war."

A report by advocacy group Veterans for America said the mental healthcare system at Fort Drum was not meeting the demands placed on it and had prepared inadequately for the return of more than 3,500 soldiers from Iraq late last year.

Click on link for complete story

MSNBC BREAKING NEWS: THOUSANDS FLEE AS SADR CITY BATTLE LOOMS

Thousands flee as Sadr City offensive looms
Iraqi forces backed by U.S. warn residents to leave Mahdi Army stronghold

The Associated Press
updated 4:27 a.m. CT, Thurs., May. 8, 2008
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24515828/

BAGHDAD - Iraqi soldiers for the first time warned residents in the embattled Sadr City district to leave their houses Thursday, signaling a new push by the U.S.-backed forces against Shiite extremists who have been waging street battles for seven weeks.

Iraqi soldiers, using loudspeakers, told residents in some areas of southeastern Sadr City, which were virtually abandoned, to go to nearby soccer stadiums, residents said. UNICEF says about 6,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in Sadr City, most of them from the southeastern section.

U.S. forces have increased air power and armored patrols in an attempt to cripple Shiite militia influence in Sadr City, a slum of 2.5 million people that serves as the Baghdad base for the Mahdi Army led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The U.S. military is trying to weaken the militia grip in the slum and disrupt rocket and mortar strikes from Sadr City on the U.S.-protected Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and key Iraqi government offices.

Several civilians were injured in rocket or mortar attacks that hit downtown Baghdad earlier this week.

Click on link to read full MSNBC story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24515828/