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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Military looking at intelligence before deadly Afghan clash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's practically NEW.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's practically NEW.

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

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

Here are the findings from the World Health Organization:

WHO says cholera, typhoid main health risks in Iraq

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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



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


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



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

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

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



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

CNN REPORTS: 15 KILLED AND 90 WOUNDED IN IRAQ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

109 KILLED OR WOUNDED IN TALAFAR FROM CAR BOMB

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

BOMBINGS KILL 22 IN IRAQ'S NORTH

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

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

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

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

Commentary by Bill Corcoran, editor, CORKSPHERE:

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

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

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

Unrest Surfaces in Fallujah Again

Inter Press Service

By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*

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

Authorities may have controlled the media better than the violence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click on this link to continue reading Inter Press Service

CBS NEWS: WOUNDED VETERANS ARE STILL NOT GETTING PROPER CARE

Gen. Admits Flaws In Soldier Care Units

WASHINGTON

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


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

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

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

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

HOW McCAIN GOT THE SURGE WRONG

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

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

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

http://tinyurl.com/59tqfu

What a bunch of bunk.

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

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

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

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


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

The increase in American troops in Iraq had nothing to do with defeating the Iraqi insurgency and everything to do with actually talking with them. To claim otherwise is to market a myth and it's time for John McCain to acknowledge it -- to give credit where credit is due: to those fine officers of our military who decided to talk, even as the administration continued to beat the war drums.

Lt. General Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.) is the steering committee chairman of Vets for Obama. Visit their official site or join them on Facebook.

BREAKING NEWS: LATEST REPORT ON VIOLENCE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The following is a list of violence in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, we start off our report with the latest casualty report of a U.S. soldier. For additional details click on the "BLUE" in each incident.

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

Casualty Reports:Lance Cpl. Justin Rokohl, 21, suffered numerous injuries in a roadside bomb blast that tore through his Humvee on June 20 as he and his unit were delivering mail in southern Afghanistan. Since then, Rokohl has undergone multiple surgeries to repair his broken back and most recently lost his legs, the left above the knee and the right below the knee, according to family spokesman David Cole, pastor of Cross Trails Cowboy Church in Orange Grove.

War News for Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Reported Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: An Iraqi minister survived a roadside bomb explosion near his convoy in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday morning, an Interior Ministry source said. "Waheed Kareem, minister of electricity, escaped unhurt from a roadside bomb explosion targeting his convoy in Zayouna neighborhood," the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. Kareem was heading for his work during the attack which wounded two bystanders, the source said.Three bodyguards of Electricity Minister Kareem Waheed and two civilians were wounded when his motorcade came under an improvised explosive device attack in eastern Baghdad on Tuesday, police said.

#2: Monday Two unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad by Iraqi Police today; one in Waziriyah and the other in Sheikh Maroof.Diyala Prv:

Baquba:#1: Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden vests, one after the other, outside an Iraqi army base Tuesday, killing at least 28 people and wounding 55 others, officials said. Most of the casualties were army recruits, the Interior Ministry and hospital officials said. The attacks occurred outside the recruitment center at Saad military base in Baquba, about 37 miles (60 km) north of Baghdad. An Interior Ministry official said the attacks targeted recruits who were waiting outside the base Tuesday morning. The U.S. military confirmed the twin attacks but gave a lower figure for the casualties.At least 35 people have been killed and more than 50 injured in a double suicide bombing north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, army sources say. The two attackers mingled with a crowd of would-be recruits at an army base in the city of Baquba and then blew themselves up simultaneously, they say. At least one of the bombers is said to have been disguised as a soldier

.Iskandariya:#1: A bomb killed one member of a U.S.-backed neighbourhood patrol unit and wounded another on Monday in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Basra:#1: An Iranian Coast Guard patrol opened fire upon an Iraqi fisherman fishing in Iraqi waters off the coast of Fao district 100 km to the south of Basra City, said Iraqi Police. The fisherman was hit squarely in the back and barely made it to hospital.

Tikrit:#1: Around 9am a bomb planted inside a police car detonated in downtown Tikrit city. The policeman was injured in that incident.

Kirkuk:#1: Three Quick Intervention Force personnel were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near their patrol in central Kirkuk on Tuesday, a police source in the city said. "An IED went off today near the Baghdad Garage, in central Kirkuk, when a Quick Intervention force patrol was passing by, wounding three of them and causing damage to their vehicle," the source, who asked not to have his name mentioned, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

Mosul:#1: Two Iraqi women were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen in eastern Mosul city on Tuesday, a security source in Ninewa province said. "Two gunmen in a civilian vehicle opened fire at two women in the area of al-Karama, eastern Mosul, killing them instantly," the source, who refused to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

#2: "A roadside vehicle rigged with explosives went off near an Iraqi army patrol in the area of 17 Tammuz, western Mosul, wounding six people, including two patrol men," a police source who spoke only on condition of anonymity told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

#3: In another incident, "a suicide bomber was trying to ram his explosive vehicle into an Iraqi police checkpoint in al-Nour neighborhood, eastern Mosul, when security personnel opened fire on him before he could reach the point. One of the policemen was killed in the explosion," Maj. General Khaled Hussein al-Hamadani, the Mosul police chief, told VOI.

#4: An explosives-rigged car detonated on Tuesday in front of a security agency building in northern Mosul city, but no casualties were reported, a local security source said. "Today, a car bomb parked in front of a security agency building in al-Hay al-Arabi area, northern Mosul, blew up, leaving no casualties," the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq.

Afghanistan:#1: Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense says that seven insurgents have been killed in fighting in eastern Afghanistan. The statement says the clash on Monday happened in Wanat, a village in Nuristan province where on Sunday nine U.S. soldiers were killed when militants breached their remote base.

#2: Unknown gunmen kidnapped two Turkish nationals working on construction project in western Afghanistan, a senior police official said. Kidnapping has become a lucrative business in Afghanistan, where dozens of locals and foreigners have been abducted by criminals or Taliban-linked militants. "The Turkish engineers were working on a project in the town of Islam Qala, bordering Iran, where they were kidnapped from the vehicle yesterday afternoon," regional Police Chief Abdul Rahoof Ahmadi said.

#3: Taliban insurgents killed eight civilian passengers they seized from vehicles in Ghazni province on Monday, an official said on Tuesday. A Taliban source in the province confirmed the incident, saying those killed were spies of U.S.-led forces.

#4: A roadside bomb killed six civilians in southeastern Paktika province on Monday, an official said.

#5: Insurgents have suffered "heavy casualties" after attacking national army posts overnight in Wardak province which lies on a vital highway linking the capital with the southern and western regions, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

CNN BREAKING NEWS: TWIN ATTACKS KILL 22 IRAQI ARMY RECRUITS AND WOUND 57 OTHERS AND STILL FOX NEWS CLAIMS IRAQ IS PEACEFUL

Twin attacks kill Iraqi army recruits

From Mohammed Tawfeeq
CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/15/iraq.violence/index.html

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Two suicide bombers detonated explosives-laden vests, one after the other, outside an Iraqi army base in Baquba Tuesday morning, killing at least 22 people and wounding 57 others, officials said.

Most of the casualties were army recruits, the Interior Ministry said.

The attacks targeted them, as they were waiting outside the base, an official at the Ministry said.

Baquba is about 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

With all this happening in Iraq, FOX NEWS still has unmitigaed gall to try and peddle to their braindead audience that things are getting better in Iraq.

Show me ONE person in this world who gets their news from FOX NEWS and I will show you th dumbest SOB that ever walked the face of this planet.

Bill Corcoran, Editor of Corksphere, the hottest blog on the internet about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, url: http://corksphere.blogspot.com/

TAKE THAT JOE LIEBERMAN: SYRIA WARNS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO U.S. AND ISRAEL IF THEY ATTACK IRAN

Sen. Joe Lieberman has been doing everything he can to get the United States into war with Iran, but now the turncoat former Democrat and now a so-called Independent is hearing from Syria that any attack on Iran by the U.S. or Israel will have dire consequences for the United States.

Everyone knows Sen.Joe Lieberman has wanted the U.S. to go to war with Iran to save his beloved Irsrael.

Syria warns against incalculable Iran strike

Samia Nakhoul
Reuters North American News Service
Jul 14, 2008 09:41 EST
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=251562

PARIS, July 14 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned on Monday that an assault on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme would have grave consequences for the United States, Israel and the world.

Read full story here: http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=251562

WHY DOES THE PRESS INSIST ON SAYING ALL IS CALM IN IRAQ? WHAT KIND OF KOOL-AIDE ARE THEY DRINKING?

It doesn't take a lot of effort to find out things are not as hunky dory in Iraq as the mainstream press continues to misreport.

The mainstream press in the U.S. continues to LIE to the American public about conditions in Iraq and I have now come to the conclusion the press is trying to get McCain elected and if they don't report on the violence in Iraq everyone will think things are wonderful in Iraq.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan sinks further and futher into a quagmire.

THE AMERICAN PUBLIC CONTINUE TO BE LIED TO BY THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Source: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/ Click on "BLUE" for more info

War News for Mondat, July 14, 2008

NATO is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier in an explosion in northern Afghanistan on Friday, July 12th. No other details were released. The Pak Tribune is reporting that Hungarian explosives expert Captain Krisztian Nemes was killed by a bomb on Saturday in Baghlan province, Afghanistan, according to the Hungarian Defense Ministry said.

The Washington Post is reporting the death of an ISAF soldier from a roadside bomb attack in southern Helmand province on Sunday, July 13th. No other details were released.NATO is reporting the deaths of nine ISAF soldiers in fighting in northeast Afghanistan on Sunday, July 13th. 15 other soldiers were wounded in the attack. The Washington Post is reporting that the attack was in the village of Wanat in Kunar Province.

More Casualty Reports:Cpl. Mark Fuchko lost both his legs below the knee and he suffered a shattered pelvis when the armoured vehicle he was driving, while in operations in the Kandahar province in Afghanistan, was struck by one of the largest improvised bombs the Canadians have faced to date.

Martyn Compton was burned in an ambush in Afghanistan: he lost his hair, hose and ears and was told he will most probably never walk again. Two years ago, British soldier Martyn Compton was seriously injured in an ambush in Afghanistan, which burned his entire face, Daily Mail writes. Three months later, he work up from a coma, but the attack`s consequences remained visible. He lost his ears, nose, and hair and was told he would most probably never walk again.

Fred Goss, of Rio Rancho, was working as a contractor in Iraq when he was badly injured and the man working with him died after a bomb blast underneath them in June. It happened on Friday, June 13. Gaus was working as a senior mechanic in Iraq. He had the responsibility of recovering damaged military and civilian vehicles out in the battlefield. An improvised explosive hit the semi-sized wrecker Gaus and his partner were riding in and tore it to pieces. "This part of my face was opened up," Gaus said. For now, Gaus said he keeps the wheel chair and walker close with at least three months of recovery ahead.

U.S. Army Sgt. Mary Dague, a 2003 graduate of Superior High School, lost both arms defusing a bomb while serving with the 707th Explosive Ordnance Disposal in Iraq last November. Last Nov. 4 in Iraq, Dague picked up a partially defused homemade bomb to be transported to a secure area and detonated. It slipped from her arms and exploded. A protective vest she wore saved her life and that of the team leader behind her. Besides losing both arms, Dague suffered burns and bruises to her face, a fractured occipital bone, abrasions to a cornea, pinhole punctures in both eardrums, and sand blasted into her ears that was not fully flushed out until surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

July 11 airpower summary:

Airpower Summary for July 12:

Reported Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: Three people were killed including a traffic policeman when a hand-grenade was thrown at gathering in the Alawi district in central Baghdad, police said. Thirteen people were wounded, including four traffic policemen.

Diyala Prv:#1: "The three Sahwa fighters were passing on the main road in the village of al-Makhifa, Abi Saida district, east of Baaquba, when an IED went off near their vehicle, leaving them wounded," the source, who is from the joint security coordination center in Diala province, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq

.Muqdadiya:#1: In another incident, the same source said policemen, in association with local residents, found on Monday morning three decomposed unidentified bodies in the district of al-Muqdadiya.

Mahaweel:#1: One handcuffed, blindfolded body was found with gunshot wounds to the head in Mahaweel, 60 km (35 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Sulaimaniyah Prv:#1: A roadside bomb targeted members of the Border Guard near Peshta border point between Iraq and Iran, 150 km to the southeast of Sulaimaniyah City injuring one officer and one guard who were taken to hospital for transportation.

Mosul:#1: Five bodies with gunshot wounds were found near Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police and hospital sources said.

#2: Policemen killed a suicide bomber when he approached their checkpoint in eastern Mosul, police said.

#3: Gunmen killed an off-duty policeman in a drive-by shooting at a bus-terminal in eastern Mosul, police said.

#4: Four shepherds were shot dead on Monday near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, police said. Unidentified gunmen killed the four outside Mosul, a mixed city 370 kilometres (230 miles) north of Baghdad which the US military says is the last urban bastion of Al-Qaeda militants in the violence-wracked country.

Al Anbar Prv:#1: Roadside bomb attacks in Iraq yesterday killed at least five people, including three policemen in the former Sunni rebel bastion of Fallujah, police said. The policemen were killed when two bombs exploded outside the home of a local police captain in Fallujah, a police officer said. Four people were also wounded in the near simultaneous explosions.

Afghanistan:#1: Meanwhile, police said a roadside blast Sunday killed six Afghan private security guards escorting a supply convoy for NATO-led troops in the south. Provincial police Chief Mohammad Hussein Andiwal said two other guards were wounded in the attack in Gereshk district of Helmand province. Insurgents regularly attack NATO and U.S. military supply convoys in the country.

#2: Private TV channels reported that 12 security personnel were killed when the militants attacked a convoy of security forces in Hangu area in North West Frontier Province. PTV and private TV channels said there are reports of the killing of commandant of paramilitary 'Frontier Corps' Karim Khattak. PTV said that death toll could be higher as fighting is still continuing. Mayor of District Hangu earlier said that six security men and two Taliban were killed in the clashes erupted after Taliban surrounded a convoy of security forces at Zargari, a small village in the area. Correspondents said that several civilians, including children, were also killed and injured in the fighting.

#3: Taliban militants claimed responsibility Monday for the abduction of an Afghan senator who was snatched at a gunpoint 70 kilometres (40 miles) from capital Kabul. Abdul Wali, a member of the Upper House of the parliament from the province of Logar adjoining Kabul, was kidnapped Sunday as he was driving with his two guards and driver, police said.

#4: A roadside bomb planted by insurgents struck a military vehicle of the U.S.-led Coalition forces in Afghanistan's eastern Khost province Monday wounding a soldier, a local official said. "It was 4 a.m. (2330 GMT) when a military convoy of the Coalition forces was passing Tanai district and a vehicle ran over a mine planted by Taliban rebels as a result the vehicle was damaged and one of its occupants received injuries," Mohammad Gulzad, the governor of Tanai district, told Xinhua.

And all this is calm? Give me a break!

TIME FOR A SURGE IN AFGHANISTAN?

Richard Engle of NBC news reports on the possibility how many of the troops now in Iraq could end up being deployed to Afghanistan because Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claims the United State doesn't have any reserves to send to Afghanistan.

Just imagine if McCain gets in and decides to attack Iran? Where in the world are we going to get the ground troops for a war with Iran when we don't even have enough troops to bolster the growing problem with the Taliban in Afghanistan?

Watch NBC video by YouTube here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yh3pWqNfX98

WATCH MSNBC'S CHRIS MATTHEWS HAMMER VETS FOR FREEDOM REP OVER IRAQ TROOP WITHDRAWAL

The Huffington Post provides this video of MSNBC "Hardball"host Chris Matthews challenging Vets for Freedom representatie over the most recent declarations by Iraqi PM Nouri Al Maliki that he wants a timetable for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.

Watch video here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/08/chris-matthews-hammers-ve_n_111562.html

BRITISH SOLDIERS ACCUSED OF SICKENING SEXUAL ASSAULT ON 14-YEAR OLD IRAQI BOY

British soldiers forced a boy of 14 to carry out an act of oral sex on a fellow male prisoner in Iraq, according to shocking new allegations made about the behaviour of British troops.

By Andrew Johnson
http://tinyurl.com/6llj96

The Ministry of Defence confirmed yesterday that the Royal Military Police (RMP) have launched an investigation. If the allegations are proved, it would mark a sordid low in the behaviour of British troops in Iraq, and damage further the reputation of Britain in the Middle East.

The victim, now 19, whom The Independent on Sunday has agreed to identify only as Hassan, says he was rounded up with a friend while trying to steal milk cartons from a food distribution centre. He was whipped, beaten and forced to strip naked.

"They made us sit on each other's laps," he said. "They were enjoying humiliating and abusing us, I wished I was dead at this moment. Then they made me sit with Tariq... where I was forced to put Tariq's penis in my mouth. The other two were made to do the same."

NOURI AL MALIKI READY TO OUST U.S. FROM GREEN ZONE

The green zone of Baghdad, a highly fortified slice of American suburbia on the banks of the Tigris river, may soon be handed over to Iraqi control if the increasingly assertive government of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, gets its way.

Marie Colvin in Baghdad
http://tinyurl.com/6f5j23

A senior Iraqi government official said this weekend the enclave should revert to Iraqi control by the end of the year. “We think that by the end of 2008 all the zones in Baghdad should be integrated into the city,” said Ali Dabbagh, the government’s spokesman.

“The American soldiers should be based in agreed camps outside the cities and population areas.
“By the end of the year, there will be no green zone,” he added. “The separation by huge walls makes people feel angry.” Dabbagh acknowledged that getting rid of the green zone would be a huge undertaking, given the thousands of American soldiers, private contractors and foreign workers who live inside. He said the concrete walls that divide it from the rest of the city would be taken down slowly, “depending on the threat and circumstances”.

The prospect may prove disconcerting for the Americans, who have just begun to transfer their diplomatic operations in the zone from Saddam Hussein’s Republican Palace to a new embassy, the largest and most expensive in the world.

The £300m building, at the heart of the green zone, protected by blast walls and layers of barbed wire, is the size of the Vatican City. It is virtually a self-contained town, with a heli-pad, sewerage and water treatment plants, a telephone exchange with a Virginia dialling code, a swimming pool and a bombproof gym. It will contain 619 blast-resistant flats.

"GENERATION KILL" YOU TUBE VIDEO MARINES USE ROCK 'N ROLL TO GET THEM THROUGH WAR

"Generation Kill" airs on HBO tonight at 9 PM and 11 PM EST. and tells the story of how a Marine Unit used rock 'n roll to get them through the early stages of the Iraq War.

Here is a YouTube video of "Generation Kill."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y_5vxM8PYM

9 U.S. TROOPS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN AP REPORTS

Official: Insurgents kill 9 U.S. troops in Afghanistan

15 more U.S. troops wounded

By JASON STRAZIUSO
Associated Press
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5885786.html

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — A multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote U.S. base killed nine American soldiers and wounded 15 Sunday in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years, officials said.

The attack on the U.S. outpost came the same day a suicide bomber targeting a police patrol killed 24 people, while U.S. coalition and Afghan soldiers killed 40 militants elsewhere in the south.

The militant assault on the American troops began around 4:30 a.m. in a dangerous region close to the Pakistan border and lasted throughout the day.

Militants fired machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from homes and a mosque in the village of Wanat in the mountainous northeastern province of Kunar, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.

Nine U.S. troops were killed in the attack, a Western official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the troops' nationalities.

NATO confirmed nine of its soldiers had been killed and 15 wounded. Four Afghan soldiers also were wounded, NATO said.

"Although no final assessment has been made, it is believed insurgents suffered heavy casualties during several hours of fighting," NATO said in a statement.

Read full story here: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5885786.html

"GENERATION KILL" NEW HBO SERIES ABOUT IRAQ PREMIERES TONIGHT. FOX NEWS HATES IT

I'm looking forward to seeing the new series, Generation Kill," which premieres tonight on HBO at 8 and again at 11 CST.

The mini-series follows a combat unit in Iraq and shows what our troops are going though as they try to bring security to Iraq.

FOX NEWS doesn't like it because they must feel the mini-series doesn't show our troops building a bowling alley or a soccer field.

Apparently nobody bothered to tell the FOX NEWS people that 160,000 Americans are engaged in a "war" in Iraq and that is why it is called the IRAQ WAR and not the IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT.

There are still roadside bombs going off all over Iraq and there are still U.S. soldiers and Marines getting killed in Iraq as anyone can see by simply logging on this site which chronicles the daily deaths and security incidents in both Iraq and Afghanistan: http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

So "Generation Kill" airing tonight on HBO is a true story of what "war" is like in Iraq, and not the watered down version of the Iraq War FOX NEWS peddles to their unsuspecting and gullible audience.

It is worth seeing and if you miss the earlier airing of "Generation Kill" on HBO at 8 PM CST time you can catch a repeat of the show on HBO at 11 PM CST.

The FOX NEWS audience will most likely be tuned to their favorite "news station" to learn the latest about the twins, a boy and a girl, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had today or a car chase on an expressway somewhere in the United States.

Bill Corcoran, Chicago, Editor of CORKSPHERE, url: http://corksphere.blogspot.com
Former Cpl. (E-4) Sqd Ldr. United States Army Combat Engineers and a Korean War veteran.

"WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD PT.2" ALL THIS MAYHEM FOR OIL. EXTREMELY GRAPHIC VIDEO WITH MUSIC BY LOUIS ARMSTRONG

Just the other day the Iraqi government approved allowing several big OIL corporations from the United States to set up shop in Iraq and start exporting Iraqi oil back to the United States.

Isn't this what the Iraq War was all about in the first place?

President Bush and Vice President Cheney were in the oil business before ending up in the White House and starting a war with Iraq under the false premise Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

It was ALWAYS about oil and these extremely graphic images on this video are a testimony to what happens when warmongers take over a government.

To activate the video click on the diamond-shaped arrow.

WARNING: Not suitable for children.

Commentary by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE

http://www.youtube.com/v/Y8AzUni4Mhk&hl=en&fs=1

THE IRAQ WAR: "WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD" VIDEO

There is still an Iraq War going on even though the media in the United States would make you think the U.S. has won the war. Not so. Every single day there are more car bombings and more violence and there appears to be no end in sight.

This video, with a song by Louis Armstrong, captures the essence of the Iraq War. Some of the scenes are very graphic, but there is no other way to tell the story about the Iraq War without graphic violence.

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

WARNING: VERY GRAPHIC

http://www.youtube.com/v/JGjf5QH4sIU&hl=en&fs=1

NEWSWEEK: PENTAGON REPORT WILL CALL FOR STEEPER TROOP DRAWDOWN IN IRAQ

The Iraq War has always been about two things: Oil and politics.

We learned earlier this week that a deal has been made where some of the major oil corporations in the United States will begin setting up operations in Iraq to export Iraqi oil to the United States.

The political side of the war was ALWAYS contingent on the Presidential election and the 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq were simply pawns in a political chess game.

Now NEWSWEEK reports the Pentagon will issue a report calling for a faster troop drawdown than anyone expected and if approved it will happen just before the November Presidential election.

The Bush administration has once again figured the average American is a dummy.

Who Says Less Troops?

Michael Hirsh
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 1:21 PM ET Jul 12, 2008

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/145848

Barack Obama is taking heat for hinting that he might refine his 16-month timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. But a forthcoming Pentagon-sponsored report will recommend an even steeper drawdown in less time, NEWSWEEK has learned.

If adopted, the 300-page report by a defense analysis group at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., could transform the debate about Iraq in the presidential election.

Expected to be completed in about a month, it will recommend that U.S. forces be reduced to as few as 50,000 by the spring of 2009, down from about 150,000 now. The strategy is based on a major handoff to the increasingly successful Iraqi Army, with platoon-size U.S. detachments backing the Iraqis from small outposts, with air support. The large U.S. forward operating bases that house the bulk of U.S. troops would be mostly abandoned, and the role of Special Forces would increase.

The report's conclusions have been discussed inside Secretary Robert Gates's Defense Policy Board, a body of outside experts. And they've found favor with some former members of the Iraq Study Group, such as former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta. "That's basically the approach we thought made sense--embedding some of our forces at smaller outposts, transferring major combat to the Iraqis," says Panetta.

Like the Study Group, this report also calls for a regional diplomatic effort complementing negotiations with the Iraqi tribes, which echoes the previous recommendations of such analysts as John Arquilla, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. "Even with a small leavening of American troops the Iraqis perform quite well," he says.

The biggest problem: Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus, who oversaw the surge, is said to oppose the recommendations, according to a Defense contractor who is privy to the discussions. Asked about the report, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told NEWSWEEK that Gates "feels the most important military advice he gets is from his commanders on the ground." As the next head of Central Command, Petraeus will soon have responsibility for Afghanistan and Pakistan too, which could change his views on troop deployments and the new report. Spokesman Col. Steve Boylan says Petraeus "is focused on Iraq at this point and will continue to be."

U.S. MARINES: "OPERATION PHANTOM FURY" GRAPHIC VIDEO 3rd BATTALION, 5th MARINES

This video shows the U.S. Marines during an assault on Fallujah, Iraq during "Operation Phantom Fury" by the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines of the United States Marine Corps.

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

http://www.youtube.com/v/enm9Dhp79Vk&hl=en&fs=1

NEWSWEEK REPORTS: AFGHANISTAN'S GROWING REFUGEE CRISIS

The invasion and occupation of IRAQ displaced more than 2 MILLION Iraqis who fled to Syria, Jordan and other Middle East countries and now NEWSWEEK is reporting the same refugee condition is happening in Afghanistan, another country invaded and occuped by U.S. forces and NATO troops.

Refugees International researchers were surprised when they showed up in Taghi Naghi, an area in northwestern Afghanistan in June to assess one of the country’s 11 “land allocation schemes” for returning refugees. What they found differed sharply from the government’s plans for the hundreds of thousands of people returning from exile in Pakistan and Iran. Despite UN objections, the shelters had been built in the desert, an hour’s trip to the nearest city of Herat. A water pump was hooked up to a dry well, but an NGO trucking in water said their contract was going to run out soon after the visit. Only 12 families were occupying the more than 200 shelters that had been built, none of whom had any means of finding employment. According to one man living at Taghi Naghi, he might be forced to move his family to Herat despite being unable to pay its high city rents, since it was becoming increasingly difficult to feed his children.

http://tinyurl.com/672hoq
By Katie Paul
NEWSWEEK

The floundering Taghi Naghi project, one of 55 planned across Afghanistan, cost $2 million, and is just one example of how the refugee situation in Afghanistan is bad and growing worse, according to a Refugees International (RI) report published July 10. Since things started looking up for Afghanistan in 2002, the largest-ever refugee homecoming brought more than 5 million Afghan refugees back into the country, some of whom had been living in exile for three decades as their country weathered war with the Soviets, Taliban rule, and the NATO invasion. But over 3 million people are still stranded in exile, RI says, while many of those who have returned are ill-equipped to deal with Afghanistan’s harsh land and security crises.

Deteriorating conditions in recent months due to a food crisis and an insurgency again on the rise have further complicated matters, while an impending Pakistani threat to bulldoze camps in their country by the end of 2009 has contributed an added time pressure to deal with the problems.


“The situation in Afghanistan is worsening, and we’re running the risk of losing the gains we’ve made in the past few years,” said RI advocate Patrick Duplat, who produced the report after traveling with a colleague for a month to meet with refugees in Pakistan and returnees in Afghanistan. “Of course, the situation in general in Afghanistan is quite dire. From 40 to 60 percent of the country is inaccessible, so all Afghans are vulnerable. But that being said, a large percentage of the population--5 million people--are particularly vulnerable.” The report blames a lack of planning and coordination on the part of both Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s government and its international backers, who provide over 90 percent of the country’s budget. While billions of dollars have been invested in reconstruction projects in Afghanistan since 2001, too few have made their way to real development projects, RI contends; large-scale infrastructure and counter-insurgency efforts have sapped most of the funds.


As a result, RI is calling on donors to coordinate and fund their efforts in Afghanistan at a joint UN and Afghan conference in Kabul in November. “What we’d like to see is the returnees being integrated into the mainstream national programs,” said Duplat, cautioning that a failure to act could lead refugees to either try their luck at returning to Pakistan or swell the ranks of Afghanistan’s urban poor. A lack of resources is not the problem, he says; the international community just needs to put its money where its mouth is to integrate refugees without forcibly displacing them, whether they want to come back to Afghanistan or stay in Pakistan permanently.

TONY SNOW, FORMER WH PRESS SEC, HAS DIED

Read details here: http://www.foxnews.com/

HALF OF BRITISH TROOPS WANT TO QUIT: SURVEY

BRITAIN'S ability to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan has been questioned as it emerged that almost half of all military personnel are ready to quit.

Half of British troops want to quit: survey
Michael Evans July 11, 2008
http://tinyurl.com/5npbjv

The first survey of attitudes across thearmy, navy and air force, released yesterday, reveals unprecedented levels of concern over equipment, morale andpay.

The research was conducted by the Ministry of Defence and involved more than 24,000 military personnel. It found the sense of overcommitment means that 47 per cent of soldiers and army officers think regularly of resigning.

Patrick Mercer, Conservative MP for Newark and a former commanding officer, said the findings reflected the duress under which military personnel were operating. "The tempo of operations has produced such a level of stress on the families that it is no wonder so many are thinking of leaving," he said.

The report highlights the pressures on the forces of enduring two medium-scale military campaigns simultaneously. Having soldiers return for second and third tours has affected their families.
The same sense of overstretch is reflected across all three forces, and 45per cent of those questioned admitted they were unhappy with the level of separation from family and friends.
Asked whether they regularly considered leaving, 47 per cent of soldiers and officers in the army agreed that they did. The same percentage of Royal Navy personnel agreed, as did 37 per cent in the Royal Marines and 44 per cent in the RAF. The regular army is already 5000 soldiers short, and experienced young officers are leaving at an increasing rate.
The survey was carried out between July and October last year, when 20 service personnel were killed in Afghanistan and 15 in Iraq.