#3
Um...not to complain or anything, but is there a reason that uber Liberal and unattractive skank Wanda Sykes is included in today's otherwise stellar line up?
This is a Michael Yon repost of an article in the UK Mail. I am posting it here by way of apology to Bulldog and our other UK 'burgers who have been justifiably outraged by the Caliph Obama's efforts to singlehandedly destroy the special relationship. You can't count on him, but you can count on us.
And he should be gone in by January 21st, 2013, but we will most certainly still be here.
It was one of the most complex military logistical and medical operations ever undertaken -- and it saved the life of a young British soldier critically injured in Afghanistan.
It involved hundreds of doctors, air and ground crews of several nations, travelling many thousands of miles, revolutionary and experimental medical equipment, several planes and helicopters and communications between three continents and cost millions of pounds.
The respected American journalist Michael Yon, himself a former US special forces soldier, reported on his blog that he heard the shot and saw a flurry of activity and a medical evacuation helicopter taking Soldier X away.
Then began a most incredible effort to save his life.
He was alive -- but only just. He needed specialist equipment to do what his lungs could not: provide oxygen to his blood and remove the carbon dioxide built up in its passage through his body. He needed an artificial lung and intensive care within hours. Such equipment was available at hospitals in Britain, nearly 4,000 miles away, but Soldier X would almost certainly die on the long flight.
He needed a portable, low-pressure artificial lung and the Americans offered to help. But the bureaucracy of moving from the British to the American military system meant that valuable time was being lost.
Contacted by a quick-thinking British doctor at Camp Bastion, Mr Yon sent an urgent email to a group of American civilian volunteers called Soldiers' Angels near Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where most American casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan are initially sent.
The volunteers, founded by the great-niece of General George S. Patton, alerted the US Army's nearby Landstuhl Regional Medical Center's Acute Lung Rescue Team, which specialises in going straight to the aid of soldiers with severe lung problems.
And within an hour, the team was in touch with doctors at the nearby University of Regensberg who had access to a revolutionary portable artificial lung called a Novalung.
With time running out, and Soldier X needing specialist attention immediately, a call was made from Camp Bastion to the US-led Combined Air and Space Operations Center at al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where all military aircraft movements in and around Afghanistan are controlled.
Within minutes, the Joint Patient Movement Requirements Centre there identified a US C-130 Hercules at Kabul that could fly pulmonary specialists immediately to Camp Bastion.
At the same time, the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Centre at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois was alerted to co-ordinate the move of the Landstuhl team with the Novalung from Germany to Camp Bastion and back.
At Ramstein, a giant US C-17 Globemaster loaded with cargo for Iraq was quickly reassigned to take the Novalung team to Afghanistan and within six hours it was airborne and on its way, via a stop for more medical equipment at Bagram, Kabul
A second C-17 was urgently reassigned at Camp Bastion, while the Novalung was carefully connected to the blood vessels of Soldier X's legs.
Eight hours later, and within 22 hours of receiving the call for help, the US Air Force had moved Soldier X from a combat zone on one continent to the medical safety of another.
The only reported comment from Soldier X's family comes from MaryAnn Phillips, of Soldiers' Angels at Ramstein. In a message to Michael Yon on his website, she said she had met the young soldier's mother at Regensberg Hospital, where he had regained consciousness and was improving.
'I told her about some of this,' MaryAnn wrote to Yon. 'She broke down and couldn't believe "all of those people would do all that for my son". It was a very, very moving moment.'
Posted by: Matt ||
03/07/2010 19:55 ||
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#1
What a wonderful story. If you can keep the Washington (and Washington-like) bureaucrats out of it, much can be accomplished.
Hope the UK soldier fully recovers.
As Matt says, Bulldog, Dave, & others - we still believe there's a special relationship between our countries. It's just our so-called "leader" who's got his head up his a**. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2010 20:30 Comments ||
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[Quqnoos] A new directive from NATO's top commander in Afghanistan orders foreign forces to avoid night raids when possible
The news guideline of Gen Stanley McChrystal relaseed on Friday says international troops should be accompanied by Afghan forces if they must enter homes after dark.
McChrystal had issued the order in late January and portions of the classified directive were made public Friday by his headquarters.
It follows the NATO commander's move to limit the use of air strikes last year that were responsible for the bulk of civilian deaths.
"Despite their effectiveness and operational value, night raids come at a steep cost in terms of the perceptions of the Afghan people," according to excerpts of his directive.
"In the Afghan culture, a man's home is more than just his residence. ... Even when there is no damage or injuries, Afghans can feel deeply violated and dishonored, making winning their support that much more difficult," it said.
At a security conference in Munich last month, President Hamid Karzai called for an end to night raids, saying "the war on terror is not in the Afghan villages and homes".
Civilian deaths and injuries inflicted during operations by international forces have caused deep anger among Afghans and drive people's support towards the Taliban.
Afghan security forces "should be the first force seen and the first voices heard by the occupants of any compound entered" during a night raid, the directive added.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
I imagine that the use of live ammo is offensive to Muslims and afghan men as well. Next up on the ROE bullshit?
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/07/2010 0:34 Comments ||
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#2
"In the Afghan culture, a man's home is more than just his residence. ... Even when there is no damage or injuries, Afghans can feel deeply violated and dishonored, making winning their support that much more difficult," it said.
I guess it's OK if the Taliban come in and take over their home to sleep in at night by gunpoint though.
#8
I gotta back stan the man on this one - - - making it harder for our guys, sure - - - giving us the chance to ultimately win (unlike everyone else who just came in blazing with disregard for collateral damage [Ghengis Khan, the Brits, the Rus]) is worth a shot. The clan/tribe retribution thing needs to be leveraged. The culture doesn't follow modern rules so it can't be gamed the same way. McChrystal has been a door kicker his entire career and he wouldn't take this approach if he didn't think it had advantages over the "kill'em all and let God sort them out" line.
#9
I'd agree that McChrystal is correct if the objective is not to conquer the Afghans and reorder their society, the way we did the Germans and Japanese (G&J). The problem is, that means you never won the war. Look at the relationship we have with the G&J versus the Russians, whom we did not conquer but merely outlasted, by a critical decade or two as it appears. With whom are we more likely to engage adversaries on the field of conflict?
Bottom line? If we aren't ready to conquer (we must when our cause it is just) and reorder a society like we did with G&J, then we should stay home.
#10
Why did we spend the resource and develop the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP), let alone the technology, to 'take back the night' since Vietnam only to surrender the night back to the enemy? Just pull them all out, then you have the ultimate no collateral damage ROE.
#11
Restraint and appeasement might indeed be an approach that will be ultimately successful in Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan mission however is not an abstract lab exercise, conducted in a political vacuum. There are global consequences.
Potential (and actual) adversaries all over the world are observing what is going on in Afghanistan; and apparently western deterrence has dramatically eroded in their view.
Libya has openly announced a renewed terror campaign against Europe, Argentina is making first moves to grab the Falklands.
The price for restraint in Afghanistan might very well be a new armed conflict in the South Atlantic.
Posted by: Hupeaper Protector of the Poles4104 ||
03/07/2010 13:43 Comments ||
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#12
@ #10 "Why did we spend the resource and develop the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP), let alone the technology, to 'take back the night' since Vietnam only to surrender the night back to the enemy?"
A DAMN GOOD QUESTION!
It seems the only people complaining about night raids (besides Karzai)are the terrorists and their supporters.
If there is a problem with the way night time raids were conducted, then we should refine or change tactics, not just stop night time raids altogether.
When ever muzzies complain, you know it's an effective approach against them.
Just like the muzzie resistance to full body scanners at airports. Full body scanners work so the muzzies are against them.
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
03/07/2010 19:37 Comments ||
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[Quqnoos] A deadly clash between Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters has left scores of militants dead in northern Afghanistan
At least 25 militants from both sides have been killed and more than 40 others wounded in a half-day long gun-battle in the northern Afghan province of Baghlan, a local police official said.
It is still unclear why the Taliban insurgents turned against their strategic ally group, Hezb-e Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, in Baghlan-e Markazi district of the province.
Baghlan-e Markazi, a Hezb-e Islami stronghold in northern Afghanistan, is a restive district in the region and a large number of Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters are believed to be stationed there.
"The clash between the Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters is on-going in Qaisar Khail, a village 9km north of the district centre, " said a spokesman for regional police command, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai.
The police official said the Taliban have arrested 15 fighters of Hezb-e Islami during the battle.
The local police have not taken any action to curb the clash, but have surrounded the area and will move in after making sure that civilians will not be harmed in the battle, Ahmadzai further said.
It's the deadliest clash between Afghanistan's two major insurgent groups for many years and the dispute led to the gun-battle is to be known.
Neither the Taliban nor the Hezb-e Islami group have made an immediate comment over the fighting.
Hezb-e Islami led by Hekmatyar and the Taliban have a similar standing against the Kabul government and both of the groups have preconditioned the withdrawal of foreign troops to any peace talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#4
"The local police have not taken any action to curb the clash, but have surrounded the area and will move in after making sure that civilians will not be harmed in the battle, Ahmadzai further said."
Maybe instead of standing idly the local police should be arranging ammunition resupply to both sides.
[Maghrebia] A Sale court on Thursday (March 4th) rejected a bail request from 12 alleged Salafia Jihadia terror cell members, MAP reported. The defendants, including a police commissioner and two police officers, are accused of financing terrorism, drug trafficking, theft and other criminal activities in Morocco and Spain.
Information provided by Spanish intelligence officials reportedly helped Moroccan authorities dismantle the network last June. Accused cell leader Abou Yacine previously served prison time for ties to the Ansar el Mehdi terror group.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Russia confirmed Saturday that its forces had killed the militant leader Aleksandr Tikhomirov, who under the name Said Buryatsky is believed to have trained suicide bombers in the North Caucasus. And Russian officials said they had proof that his organization was behind the bombing of a luxury train in November.
Aleksandr Bortnikov, the director of the Federal Security Service, told Russia's president that it "has been proved absolutely certainly" that a charred body retrieved after a huge raid on the village of Ekazhevo in Ingushetia was that of Mr. Tikhomirov. He said federal investigators in Ekazhevo had uncovered material evidence establishing that Mr. Tikhomirov's group was responsible for the bombing of the luxury train, the Nevsky Express, which killed 28 and wounded more than 90. He also said genetic tests performed on the bodies of fighters killed in the raid "give grounds to presume" that they had bombed the train.
Mr. Bortnikov said eight fighters were killed and 10 were detained during the federal raid, which sealed off the village of 25,000 before dawn on Tuesday.
Chechnya's president, Ramzan A. Kadyrov, celebrated even before Mr. Tikhomirov's death had been confirmed, telling reporters in Grozny that the man was a "bastard schizophrenic" who worked for Western intelligence services. But Ingushetia's president, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, was far more circumspect.
"They killed him, but in his place will come some other ideologist," Mr. Yevkurov said Saturday at a meeting with relatives of men who were sheltering Mr. Tikhomirov, where he urged them not to "allow this dirt to come out of your house."
"Our goal is not to kill them, but to extract them from the system," he said of the fighters, according to the RIA Novosti news service. "We will put the guilty behind bars, let them pay for their actions according to the law, and then leave corrected, but alive and well, just so that they do not continue killing people."
He went on to say that a bomb laboratory in Ekazhevo was responsible for the most notorious attacks of the past year, including an attempt on his life in June and an August suicide bombing at a police station that killed at least 25 and wounded more than 150.
The Federal Security Service released a statement on Saturday saying its forces had killed four brothers in the Kartoyev family, as well as the man who financed the militants, an official in the regional office of the Russian Federal Treasury. The statement said there was "documentary evidence" that one of the Kartoyev brothers, Turkhan, had bombed the Nevsky Express.
During a search of the area, the statement said, the authorities found more than a ton of aluminum nitrate and plastic explosives, as well as a workshop used to make improvised explosive devices. They also retrieved "material evidence" linking the group to the bombing in November and explosive devices identical to the one used in a train attack in 2007.
Belan Kartoyev, a resident of Ekazhevo who said he was no relation to the Kartoyev brothers, said the men were construction workers uninvolved in terrorism. In a telephone interview, he said that at least three other people were killed at a second location in Ekazhevo, but that they were strangers to the village. "I have no idea who those people were," he said. "I doubt anyone here knows them."
#1
why would you rather capture them than kill them? Also since you don't really hear too much about Chechnya in the US I had always thought that Kadyrov used too be against Russian forces. If only they jsut named everyone muhammad and ali like the ME it would be easier too keep up with
Posted by: chris ||
03/07/2010 14:17 Comments ||
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Kadyrov indeed used to be a Chechen rebel before he defected and agreed to work for the Russians. Now he's the well-compensated, entrepreneurial President of Chechnya.
And the Russians are quite particular about people who work workagainst them or their client.
KARACHI, Pakistan- An American citizen, who joined the Al-Qaeda leadership in the lawless Pakistan-Afghanistan border region, Adam Gadahn, has been nabbed by security and commando forces in Pakistan, reports said.
31-year-old Adam Gadahn is often quoted by media and seen as a spokesman for Al-Qaeda in the region, as recently as the March 7, 2010, Adam Gadahn can be heard in video calling for attacks by Muslims on western nations.
Adam Gadahn was indicted for treason in 2006 by a federal grand jury for the capital crime of treason for aiding an enemy of the United States. Adam Gadahn was the first American charged with such a treason law since 1952. From as far back as 2004, Adam Gadahn has appeared in a number of videos produced by Al-Qaeda, identified as Azzam the American.'
In 1995, at age 17, Gadahn began studying Islam at the Islamic Society of Orange County, California. Members of Gadahn's study group were young fundamentalists who targeted the mosque's chairman, Haitham Danny' Bundakji,' whom they referred to as Danny the Jew' for his practice of wearing Western clothes and being overly friendly with Jews.'
Gadahn converted to Islam later that year, and shortly thereafter posted an essay to the USC website describing his conversion, entitled Becoming a Muslim.'
According to his parents, Adam was arrested and convicted of assaulting his former mentor Haitham Bundakji in May 1997,' as seen in the picture above. He served two days in jail, but his failure to do 40 hours of community services leaves a warrant for his arrest active.
Gadahn reportedly moved to Pakistan in 1998, where he married an Afghan refugee and maintained intermittent contact with his family.
Details about Adam Gadahn's reported Pakistan capture are still forthcoming, but widely reported in Pakistan media, citing security sources.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2010 13:21 ||
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#1
the guards at Guantanamo are gonna love him
Posted by: chris ||
03/07/2010 13:36 Comments ||
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AP's picked it up...
Adam Gadahn, the treasonous Californian Al Qaeda leader who has long been on Washington's Most Wanted list, was nabbed in Pakistan Sunday - a huge victory.
After some confusion in the intial reports, the Associated Press quoted Pakistani officials confirming the arrest.
Gadahn was bagged just hours after releasing a new internet video urging American Muslims to go on shooting sprees like Maj. Nidal Hasan's at Fort Hood last year.
He is the first American to be charged with treason since World War II.
KARACHI: Pakistani security forces along with help of US intelligence arrested Abu Yahya Mujahdeen Al- Adam, who is a close associate of Osama Bin Laden. Abu Yahya was arrested on Sunday from an area surrounding the super highway, on the outskirts of Karachi.
Sources confirmed that the arrested militant commander has been shifted to Islamabad for further investigation.
Pennsylvania-born Abu Yahya is a US citizen and assumed to be a commander of foreign militants fighting in Afghanistan against the US. He was living with Osama Bin Ladin after 9/11 attacks in New York. His name is included in the top ten wanted on the CIA list.
#9
I'm not picky, Chuck - I'd be satisfied if someone in Pakistand shot him. Whether in an "escape" attempt or not....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2010 14:33 Comments ||
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A background question - has this guy actually done anything, other than act as AQ's Tokyo Rose/Axis Sally? Granted, there's the precedent for the treason charge, but is it just all talk, or is there an allegation that he's actually joined in violence?
#11
If Gitmo and Baghram are no longer accepting detainees, who gets him? Although if the Pakistanis have had him for several days, let the ACLU take them on for violation of his "human rights". I think a case could be made for a floating sovereign US brig in international waters.....
#14
I truly hope that this clown gets a bullet in Pakistan, because a treason trial would be a disaster. He likely would get convicted of some other charge, because far too many in power are nervous about treason as a criminal charge. Then it would be off to the already overcrowded ADX, which is a waste of expensive prison cell.
Worst of all, he would continue to be used as an excuse to *not* racially profile. Racial profiling works, and the Europeans do it because it works. For the US to pretend that gray haired Swedish grandmothers in wheelchairs need to be strip searched by the TSA because they *might* be a Muslim suicide bomber is b.s.
#15
I am guessing Eric Holder can't wait to represent this fine Amerikan. Let's hope he is really captured and not just getting new orders from Pakistan.
On a positive note it appears someone at the near top of Al Qaeda is finally ratting out his fellow extremists.
#16
The Holder Justice Dept would probably work out a deal so he does community service with ACORN.
Posted by: lord garth ||
03/07/2010 15:02 Comments ||
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The reason for my question in the string above is that while Mr. wahtever his name is has been the propagandist, unless he's done worse, in all liklihood if AG Holder gets ahold of him, he may get convicted, but with only a short sentence.
I've seen this ending twice before - Axis Sally ended up living out her life a few miles down the road from me in Ohio, and Tokyo Rose just died 3 years ago about ten El stops away from me on the north side of Chicago.
Unless the Pakistani's take care of this guy, he'll likely end up back in LA in about 10 years - and he'll only be 40ish.
#21
Agreed Barbara, but I think Mizzou has the answer - the POTUS and AG won't let him anywhere near US soil. He may get here in the Palin administration, with AG Levin handling the treason prosecution - but 10-15 years is a long time - he'll be quietly renamed John Doe and halfway housed somewhere forever after all that.
He should be brought to the US and tried for what he is charged with: treason.
Reasons:
1) he is an American citizen
2) he is charged with treason
3) it provides the DoJ and Bambi with an opportunity to prove that they are serious
There is virtually no doubt in my mind that he would be convicted if tried. A smart, tough federal judge would disallow most if not all the showmanship Gadahn and his lawyers might try. A jury of reasonable Americans would not be swayed by any of the showmanship that did get through.
He is an American citizen. I have no problem jugging a non-American terrorist forever in Gitmo, Bagram or Ice Station Zebra. You raise a hand against us and you get what you get.
I shall maintain, however, that an American citizen enjoys the protection of the Constitution even he takes up arms against us, at least long enough for him to be judged guilty of treason and hanged.
I also confess that I want to see what Holder and Bambi would do. Would they have the moral courage to see that Gadahn gets a proper trial? That the trial not be turned into a circus? That the prosecutors go for the max?
The answers would be illuminating.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2010 16:23 Comments ||
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#24
more illuminating than previous inactions? I'd agree if we didn't have an administration that actively supports (via nonaction) voter intimidation by the NBP as well as chummily relations with noted terrorists Ayres and Dorne. The POS that is Adam Gadahn should be given the McVeigh treatment (which even Clinton concurred with) and needled. I have my doubts this group supports that. We already know which side they're on. It's not a prosperous, powerful, force of western-values America
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2010 16:29 Comments ||
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#25
it provides the DoJ and Bambi with an opportunity to prove that they are serious
#26
I'd agree with Dr. Steve once he's in U. S. custody. Until then he's a Pak detainee. Under the Geneva Conventions he should be shot as a spy in a summary execution by the Pak Army.
#33
Traitors most certainly are citizens. That's why you can execute them for treason.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2010 18:12 Comments ||
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#34
I believe he did renounce his citizenship (for what that's worth) in a video. He's certainly a traitor, but I really question this Admin's and Congressional/judicial stones to follow through. Couldn't be a much clearer case with all the vids, intel, etc. Yet, I see a "but what about..." bullshit defense. Lucky most of those defense-whores are already employed on our dollar at the DOJ, huh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2010 18:20 Comments ||
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Excerpt: American and Pakistani officials said the man arrested was Abu Yahya Mujahdeen Al-Adam, who was described as having been born in Pennsylvania and who was thought to be affiliated with the operations division of Al Qaeda, commanding fighters in Afghanistan.
Little else was known about him, American officials said, and it was not immediately clear that American officials were involved in the arrest.
Initial reports seemed to have confused the American with Adam Gadahn, a California native who has been a spokesman for Al Qaeda and often appears on videos calling for strikes against targets in the United States.
New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Security forces killed 245 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir last year, when the number of infiltration attempts by militants from Pakistan went up marginally, according to official figures.
"Attempts at infiltration from across the LoC (saw) a marginal increase during 2009," Minister of State for Home Affairs Ajay Maken said, referring to the Line of Control dividing Indian and Pakistani Kashmir.
He said 342 incursion attempts were recorded in 2008 and 485 in 2009, the minister told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. Maken said that terrorist activities showed a "declining trend - from 708 in 2008 to 499 in 2009″ in Jammu and Kashmir.
"As per the statistics provided by the ministry of defence, the terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir are 245 in 2009, and 27 up to Feb 21, 2010," he said.
The minister said the government had adopted a multi-pronged approach to contain cross-border infiltration in the state. This "includes strengthening of border management and multi-tiered and multi-modal deployment along international border and the LoC and infiltration routes".
He said the government was also upgrading border fencing, acquiring latest weapons and equipment, and synergising intelligence flow to check infiltration from Pakistan.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/07/2010 07:28 ||
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Where is Amnesty International when you need them ?
Posted by: Dave UK ||
03/07/2010 14:59 Comments ||
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"Where is Amnesty International when you need them?"
Same place they always are, Dave - kissing terrorists' butts....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
03/07/2010 15:38 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Former PML-N leader Sardar Aziz Umrani was killed in a firing incident in Khuzdar town of Balochistan on Saturday.
Three of Umrani's guards also got injured during the firing and have been shifted to Civil Hospital Khuzdar for medical treatment. Police said that unknown motorcyclists opened fire on Umrani, killing him on the spot.
Police officials reached the spot and started investigation into the incident.
In another incident of target killing, one person was killed and another injured in Mastung town of Balochistan.
These incidents came one day after a bomb explosion left two FC personnel dead and two injured in Quetta on Friday night.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The bomb disposal squad has defused two bombs planted in a net café and education academy in Hangu bazaar.
The regional police medical cell stated that the terrorists had planted two bombs, each weighing five kilograms and three kilograms packed in ghee tins.
The five kg bomb was placed on the ground floor of the cafe and another bomb was planted at the first floor of the Highlight English Language Academy.
The Hangu police have registered the cases against the unknown terrorists and started the investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Polls closed across Iraq on Sunday as the war-weary population awaits results from the national election that will decide the future of the country's still-fragile democracy.
The election tested the mettle of the country's shaky security as insurgents killed 31 people across Iraq, unleashing a barrage of mortars intent on disrupting the historic day.
About 19 million Iraqis were eligible to vote on a government that will oversee the withdrawal of U.S. forces. The election is critical in determining whether Iraq can overcome the jagged sectarian divisions that have defined it since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Once the day's results are calculated, it could be months before Iraq's new parliament chooses a prime minister and forms a government.
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said voter turnout was "high if not higher" than expected, according to Reuters. Expectations prior to the national election were approximately 50 percent voter turnout
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said voter turnout was "high if not higher" than expected, according to Reuters. Expectations prior to the national election were approximately 50 percent voter turnout
Security was tight across the capital. The borders have been sealed, the airport closed and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi military and police have flooded the streets.
Extra checkpoints were set up across the city, and in some parts of central Baghdad, people could not go 50 yards without hitting another checkpoint.
A ban on small vehicles was lifted around the country, except in northern Ninevah province, to facilitate access to the polls, Maj. Gen. Ayden Khalid Qader, who's in charge of election security, on state-run Iraqiya television.
But many voters continued to proceed to the polling places on foot.
In keeping with the U.S. military's assertion that Iraqis are running the elections, the only visible American military presence was in the air or escorting election observers to and from the polls; four U.S. helicopter gunships could be seen in the sky over the Kazimiyah neighborhood.
Exiting the polls, Iraqis waved purple-inked fingers -- the now-iconic image synonymous with voting in this oil-rich country home to roughly 28 million people.
Despite the violence and frustration that has set in after years of fighting and faulty government services, many Iraqis were still excited to vote.
In the city of Nasiriyah, in the Shiite south, crowds of people filled the streets -- men in what appeared to be their best clothes were accompanied by women in long black cloaks and often children.
"I voted in 2005. There were a lot less people then," said Ahmed Saad Chadian. "Today participation is much higher."
In the Shiite holy city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, dozens of voters also lined up to cast their ballot.
"We came to participate in this national day, and we don't care about the explosions," said Sahib Jabr, a 34-year-old old taxi driver.
President Jalal Talabani was among the first to vote Sunday morning in the Kurdish city of Sulamaniyah. Talabani's party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, is enmeshed in a tight race with an upstart political party called Change which is challenging the two Kurdish parties that have dominated Iraqi politics for years.
#1
Unexpected moves out of the economy into international relations? This will be remembered as the unexpected administration. Unfortunately some of us did expect this. with worse to come.
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The final count of casualties from Sunday's earlier blast that targeted a residential building in eastern Baghdad rose to 25 dead and 19 others wounded, according to an Iraqi police source.
Victims of the explosive attack that left a residential building in Ur neighborhood, eastern Baghdad, destroyed by mortar shells rose to 25 deaths and 19 injured,' the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Earlier, a security source said the attack left 12 dead and 10 wounded, noting the number of casualties was most likely to rise. Eyewitnesses had told Aswat al-Iraq that the explosion occurred when a store on the ground floor was detonated.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/07/2010 13:23 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraqi politicians on Saturday ended a fierce election campaign with little expectation for a clear winner to emerge from Sunday's vote that militants threatened to derail through violence.
In leaflets distributed in volatile Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, the Islamic State of Iraq, an al-Qaeda-led umbrella group, warned Iraqis they risked death if they voted.
A powerful car bomb near a Shiite shrine in Iraq's holy city of Najaf on Saturday killed two Iranian pilgrims and an Iraqi and injured at least 54 people, police and medical officials said.
The blast occurred despite intense security measures put in place across Iraq in the lead up to the parliamentary vote, which has already been marked by violent attacks in Baghdad and the restive city of Baquba.
Suicide bombers killed at least 33 people in Baquba, Diyala's provincial capital, on Wednesday. Attacks in Baghdad, mostly aimed at soldiers and police who were voting early, killed at least 12 people and wounded 35 on Thursday.
Militants staged no major attacks on Friday. Security forces will ban vehicle movement from 10 p.m. (21:00 GMT) on Saturday until dawn on Monday to try to prevent election day bombings.
The Islamic State declared an election curfew of its own in a new message on a jihadist website and warned Sunnis that the polls would only serve to further empower majority Shiites.
"Anyone who goes out to participate on this day ... will unfortunately expose himself to the anger of Allah and then to all kinds of weapons of the mujahedeen," the message attributed to the group said, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
On the last day of legal campaigning, Ammar al-Hakim, leader of a powerful Shiite Islamist party, told Iraqis at a rally it was their religious duty to vote, citing appeals issued by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shi'ite cleric.
"Look for the lists that have a history and roots and that stood by the Iraqis in good times and bad," Hakim declared.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A car bomb killed two Iranian pilgrims and an Iraqi and wounded 54 other people in the central Iraq city of Najaf Saturday, the eve of parliamentary elections, police and a hospital official said.
A local official said the bomb exploded about 500 metres from the shrine to Imam Ali, son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed and one of Shia Islam's most revered figures, reports AFP.
The blast occurred despite intense security measures put in place across Iraq in the lead up to Sunday's vote, which has already been marked by violent attacks in Baghdad and the central city of Baquba.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"it's not like anyone can shoot this system"
erm, no, you do have to be IDF of course
Posted by: Sir Victor Emmanuel Glomomble IV ||
03/07/2010 10:11 Comments ||
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#2
The young lady is operating a remote weapon system, either Raphael or Elbit, mounting either a .50 cal or 7.62mm weapon. The implication is that the system is integrated with external sensors to operate on what is called a "slew to cue" basis. Under this configuration the weapon automatically swings over to where the threat is detected and then the operator takes over to dtermine if the threat is real and dispatch it as needed.
While the IDF officer is rightfully proud of this system, rest assured that it is not the only one in the world. We have them here in the US too, protecting critical assets, and proudly provided by the company I helped found.
[Ma'an] Two leaders of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, turned themselves in to Palestinian Authority Preventative Security Services in Jenin on Saturday.
The move followed an Israeli incursion into a number of towns west of Jenin on Wednesday, attempting to locate the two leaders, identified as Ala' Sha'aban Zayoud, 25, and Bajes Adel Hamdia, 32.
Relatives of the leaders told Ma'an they have been on Israel's "wanted" list for over eight years on charges of commanding the brigades, and have survived five assassination attempts.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/07/2010 00:00 ||
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CAIRO -- Al-Qaida's American-born spokesman on Sunday called on Muslims serving in the U.S. armed forces to emulate the Army major charged with killing 13 people in Fort Hood.
In a 25-minute video posted on militant Web sites, Adam Gadahn described Maj. Nidal Hasan as a pioneer who should serve as a role model for other Muslims, especially those serving Western militaries."Brother Nidal is the ideal role-model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes," he said.
Gadahn, also known as Azzam al-Amriki, was dressed in white robes and wearing a white turban as he called for attacks on what he described as "high-value targets."
Gadahn grew up on a goat farm in Riverside County, California, and converted to Islam at a mosque in nearby Orange County.
"You shouldn't make the mistake of thinking that military bases are the only high-value targets in America and the West. On the contrary, there are countless other strategic places, institutions and installations which, by striking, the Muslim can do major damage," he said, an assault rifle leaning up against a wall next to him.
Gadahn has been wanted by the FBI since 2004 and two years later was charged with treason. There is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. He has in the past posted videos and messages calling for the destruction of the West and for strikes against targets in the United States. His location is unknown, but he is believed to be somewhere along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In the latest video, Gadahn said those planning attacks did not need to use only firearms like Hasan, but could use other weapons. "As the blessed operations of September 11th showed, a little imagination and planning and a limited budget can turn almost anything into a deadly, effective and convenient weapon."
Gadahn said fighters should target mass transportation systems in the West and also wreak havoc "by killing or capturing people in government, industry and the media." He recommended finding ways to shake "consumer confidence and stifle spending" and noted that even unsuccessful attacks, such as the failed attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, can bring major cities to a halt.
"I am calling on every honest and vigilant Muslim in the countries of the Zionist-Crusader alliance in general and America, Britain and Israel in particular to prepare to play his due role in responding to and repelling the aggression of the enemies of Islam," Gadahn said.
#4
hiding in Pakland was he? Too important to get on the front lines? Pussy
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/07/2010 13:20 Comments ||
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#5
This guy is an open and shut treason case - I will guarantee you he is barely prosecuted. Holder and Bambi will get him to plead to a 5-10 year sentence.
#9
you know that his arrest was not the result of Holder/Obambi loiered up Miranda techniques..."Mohamed, well give you two lumps of sugar in your tea if you tells us where the Goat=boy is"
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
between Taliban and Hezb-e Islami fighters has left scores of militants dead in northern Afghanistan
[Maghrebia] A Sale court on Thursday (March 4th) rejected a bail request from 12 alleged Salafia Jihadia terror cell members, MAP reported. The defendants, including a police commissioner and two police officers, are accused of financing terrorism, drug trafficking, theft and other criminal activities in Morocco and Spain.
Russia confirmed Saturday that its forces had killed the militant leader 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraqi politicians on Saturday ended a fierce election campaign with little expectation for a clear winner to emerge from Sunday's vote that militants threatened to derail through violence.
[Dawn] A car bomb killed two Iranian pilgrims and an Iraqi and wounded 54 other people in the central Iraq city of Najaf Saturday, the eve of parliamentary elections, police and a hospital official said.
