Editor's blog

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:06:46 -0800

Feb 18

Obama orders more troops to Afghanistan

President Obama ordered his first major deployment of U.S. combat troops Tuesday, authorizing 17,000 additional soldiers and Marines for Afghanistan in what he described as an urgent bid to stabilize a deteriorating and neglected country.

The deployment will double the number of American combat brigades in the nation at a time of tension with Afghanistan's weak government over civilian casualties of the campaign against the increasingly bold Taliban, and concern over neighboring Pakistan's ability to fight Islamic militants based there.

** US troop surge in Afghanistan is just a 'teaser'
** Obama Says Afghan War ‘Winnable,’ Sends 17,000 Soldiers
** Mini-surge to test out US strategy in Afghanistan

Combat Outpost: exclusive film from the Afghan frontline

As US and the UK forces struggle for a way forward in Afghanistan, John D McHugh's unique film from one of the US military's most dangerous outposts shows just how western forces are losing ground to the Taliban

Iraq: 7 die in crash with British military vehicle

An Iraqi military official says a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims has collided with a British military vehicle on the outskirts of Basra, killing seven of the travelers.

Maj. Gen. Mohammed Jawad Huwaidi says 27 pilgrims were injured in the accident late Tuesday night.

Huwaidi, the top military official in Basra, says the pilgrims were coming from the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

** Iraq to purchase $5Million in American weapons
** Iraq museum row shows turf wars as violence fades

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. Prior update threads are here

Feb 16

A 'fraud' bigger than Madoff

Senior US soldiers investigated over missing Iraq reconstruction billions

In what could turn out to be the greatest fraud in US history, American authorities have started to investigate the alleged role of senior military officers in the misuse of $125bn (£88bn) in a US -directed effort to reconstruct Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. The exact sum missing may never be clear, but a report by the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) suggests it may exceed $50bn, making it an even bigger theft than Bernard Madoff's notorious Ponzi scheme.

'Pashtunistan' holds key to Obama mission

The mountainous borderlands where Afghanistan meets Pakistan have been described as a Grand Central Station for Islamic terrorists, a place where militants come and go and the Taliban trains its fighters. Now Barack Obama has made solving the 'Af-Pak' question a top priority. But could the battle to tame the Pashtun heartland become his Vietnam?

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts (Closed)

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:32:09 -0800

Get Afghanistan Right Week: January 12th - January 18th

From January 12th through January 18th, citizens and bloggers are speaking out against military escalation in Afghanistan. Throughout the week, writers will talk about the dangers of escalation, the current situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, the effects of the war at home, and potential solutions.

** Combating Terrorism Post-Afghanistan ~ Alex Thurston
** Getting Afghanistan Right ~ Sean Paul
** Support Get Afghanistan Right!
** Related Get Afghanistan Right posts

Report Details Iraq Contract Failures

A $722 million contract to rebuild Iraq's oil and gas production facilities was marked by multiple changes, cost overruns, failure to meet schedules and lack of oversight, according to a new inspector general's report.

Uncle Jay Explains: Year-end!

Sat, 03 Jan 2009 07:00:59 -0800

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:32:07 -0800

Nov 18

_{A U.S. judge has declared}Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman accused of trying to kill a U.S. soldier and FBI agents, mentally unfit for the trial. Remember our treatment of her? After being shot a judge had to ORDER medical care.

U.S. officials doubt reports that Iran has softened stance on Iraqi security pact

Iran softened its resistance Monday to a pact that calls for withdrawing American forces from Iraq by the end of 2011, a shift that could make it easier for Iraq’s ruling Shiite Muslim government to secure parliamentary approval. U.S. officials, however, said they doubted that Tehran had altered its stance.

Reports from Iran’s state news agency called an Iraqi Cabinet vote that advanced the security compact a "victory for the ruling party and its Kurdish partners," referring to the Shiite lawmakers who supported the agreement.

China rejects sending troops to Afghanistan

China said Tuesday it would not send any troops to Afghanistan _ rejecting recent speculation that Beijing might support the international coalition there.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told New York's Council on Foreign Relations on Friday that China could send troops because there was a global consensus that Afghanistan is the "the front line" in the battle against terrorism.

However, in a statement seen Tuesday on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Web site, spokesman Qin Gang said there had been no change to Beijing's approach to Afghanistan _ or to its policy of sending forces abroad only under United Nations Security Council mandates.

The issue of China sending troops to Afghanistan "simply doesn't exist," Qin said

more stories after the jump

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. Prior updates here

** US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,200
** U.N. chief raises concerns about Iranians(MeK)in Iraq
** NATO in Afghanistan fire on militants in Pakistan
** Maliki government dismissing oversight officials
** The Taliban has threatened to carry out attacks on the capital city of Paris unless French troops are withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Nov 17

Khyber pass reopened to convoys

Pakistan has reopened a key route for fuel tankers and trucks supplying international forces in Afghanistan.

An official said more than 100 security personnel were escorting a convoy of trucks through the Khyber Pass in the north-western region on Monday. Additional troops were also deployed in the area.

The government had barred the movement of convoys last week after militants hijacked and looted 12 trucks and two Humvee armoured vehicles.

Most of the supplies for the foreign forces in Afghanistan are shipped into the Pakistani port of Karachi, then driven across the border either at Chaman, in Balochistan, or through the Khyber Pass.

Hardline Iraqi cleric bids to kill US pact in parliament

Followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were to make a bid Monday to kill a controversial Iraq-US military pact passed by the Iraqi cabinet by trying to block it in parliament.

The Sadrist movement has vigorously opposed the wide-ranging agreement, which would replace a UN mandate that expires at the end of the year and allow US forces to remain in the country until the end of 2011.

Ahmed Masaudi, spokesman for Sadr's 30-member parliamentary bloc, said the movement would submit a bill that would require a two-thirds majority for parliamentary approval, replacing the current requirement of a simple majority.

** Gurkha killed in Afghanistan after bomb pierces Warrior
** Basra heading towards independent region
** Japanese, Afghan reporters hurt in Pakistan ambush
** Casualty Numbers in Iraq War Escalate
** Panel finds sickly Legacy to Gulf War
** US wins early round over Iraq
** Marines snatch 'agent of Taliban'

_{Members of the Iraqi Cabinet vote on the security agreement Sunday in Baghdad. The security pact was approved}

Nov 16

Nuclear contamination in northern province of Ninevah?

Fears are growing in the northern province of Ninevah, about 400km north of Baghdad, of a possible radiation leak and contamination from a former nuclear plant.

According to two local officials, the plant - which was built in the early 1980s by a group of European and Russian companies for the government of former president Saddam Hussein - is suspected of causing a number of cancers and deformities among babies and adults.

Hamid Karzai offers protection for Taliban leader(Omar) as incentive for talks

Hamid Karzai, today offered to provide security for the Taliban's reclusive leader, Mullah Omar, if he agrees to enter peace talks, saying the US and other nations could remove him as Afghanistan's president if they disagree.

** Pakistan shuts NATO supply line
** On the front line in war on Pakistan's Taliban
** Iraq's Cabinet approves U.S. security pact
** US helicopters in SKorea move to Iraq, Afghanistan
** Many killed in Iraq bomb attacks
** DOD to cut unmanned aerial vehicle procurement by one third over next decade
** Alex Thurston's diary: What "We Can't Afford to Escalate" Means to Me

Nov 13

21 killed in attack on US convoy in Afghanistan

A suicide bomber rammed his car into a U.S. military convoy as it was passing through a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 20 civilians and an American soldier, officials said.

The attack outside Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern Nangarhar province, also wounded 74 civilians, said Ajmal Pardes, a provincial health official.

Separately, an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday killed two NATO soldiers, the military alliance said in a statement, without dislcosing the soldiers nationalities.

Iraq: Can ancient Babylon be rescued?

It was one of the world's first, greatest cities — a place where astronomers mapped the stars millennia ago and kings created an early code of law and planted what became known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Yet little remains of the ancient capital, as seen by The Associated Press during a trip to Babylon last month on one of the few permits issued by Iraq's government since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The site has the aura of a theme park touched by the ambition of dictator Saddam Hussein and the opportunism of looters: Modern walkways run beside crumbling old walls, a reconstructed Greek theater and a palace built for Saddam atop an artificial hill.

Now, for the first time, global institutions led by the U.N. are thoroughly documenting the damage and how to fix it. A UNESCO report due out early next year will cite Saddam's construction but focus, at the Iraqi government's request, on damage done by U.S. forces from April to September 2003, and the Polish troops deployed there for more than a year afterward.

** Karzai to brief PM on secret Taliban talks
** Iraqi Soldier Reportedly Kills 2 G.I.’s
** 3,300 More U.S. Troops Sought to Train Afghans
** UK show examines U.S. military damage to Babylon
** Reopening of Iraq bridge symbolizes renewed unity
** Kurd-Arab tensions may threaten Iraq calm

Nov 10 | Team Agonist

In Iraq, Muqtada Sadr's followers struggle for relevance

Once the mightiest of Shiite militias, the Mahdi Army finds itself on the run as rivals benefit from government ties and U.S. backing. Efforts to reorganize into a socio-religious group may not help.

'They never hurt me,' freed CBC reporter says

CBC Television reporter Mellissa Fung remained the picture of unflappable grace as she recounted to Afghan security officials the first details of her harrowing kidnapping, including how she was shackled and blindfolded as she languished in a small underground cave.

** 25 killed in Baghdad market bombings
** Defence chief will resist any US call to send more troops to Afghanistan
** Iraq lawmaker says Shell deal lacks transparency
** U.S. acknowledges 37 Afghan civilians killed in fighting last week
** Obama planning U.S. trials for Guantanamo detainees, sources say

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 01:00:16 -0700

Nov 2 | Team Agonist

Barzani says U.S. can have bases in northern Iraq

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani has said the U.S. military could have bases in northern Iraq if Washington and Baghdad fail to sign the controversial security deal, a local newspaper reported Sunday.

Barzani says U.S. can have bases in northern Iraq

"All the attempts are going right now to sign the pact, but if the pact is not signed and if U.S. asked to keep their troops in Kurdistan, I think the parliament, the people and government of Kurdistan will welcome this warmly," he said at the Centre of Strategy and International Study in Washington, AFP reported.

Juan Cole reports: Kurdish MP Mahmud Osman is pledging that there will be no US bases in Iraqi Kurdistan without a national consensus on that issue.

Hutton to face fresh questions from MPs over army equipment

John Hutton, the Secretary of State for Defence, is to face questions in Parliament after a senior SAS commander resigned in a row over the standard of equipment used to protect troops in Afghanistan.

Major Sebastian Morley was said to have warned the Ministry of Defence that forces were suffering from "chronic underinvestment" in a blistering resignation letter, which also accused the Government of "gross negligence" also: MoD 'can be sued' over SAS deaths

More stories after the jump

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. Prior updates here

** Syria has denounced a US strike on its territory but sources say Damascus secretly backed the raid
** Iraqis want Obama for change; some fear pullout plan
** AFGHANISTAN: Can the U.S. kill its way to victory?
** Abductors Take Brother of an Afghan Official
** Afghanistan’s dying mothers
** Kurds prefer McCain but don't fear Obama
**

Presidential Debate II: Post-Mortem Open thread

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:04:45 -0700

What were your expectations for this debate? Did the "town hall format" enhance the discussion? Do you think your candidate did well, did poorly, or merely broke even? In which specific areas?

Let the opinions begin...

Nota bene: Don't know how long it'll be up, but if you missed me last week on the Young Turks, here's a video of the segment. ~spk

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 05:46:39 -0700

AFPWomen walk through an archway leading to the shrine of Imam Musa al-Kadhim in Kadhimiyah.

July 27

Closing in on Vietnam spending

The total cost of the Iraq war is approaching the Vietnam War's expense, a congressional report estimates, while spending for military operations after 9/11 has exceeded it.

The new report by the Congressional Research Service estimates the U.S. has spent $648 billion on Iraq war operations, putting it in range with the $686 billion, in 2008 dollars, spent on the Vietnam War, the second most expensive war behind World War II. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S. has doled out almost $860 billion for military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere around the world.

Shiite Militia in Baghdad Sees Its Power Ebb

The Mahdi Army has been profoundly weakened in a number of neighborhoods, in an important, if tentative, milestone for stability in Iraq.

** NATO repells attack on Afghan district centre, kills dozens
** Governor says NATO air raid kills dozens of Taliban
** AP Analysis: US now winning Iraq war that seemed lost--- A rebuttal from Warren at Blue Girl,Red State
** Turkish warplanes hit 12 outlawed PKK targets in northern Iraq
** Sending more troops to Afghanistan could backfire, experts say

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. (More after the jump. Prior updates here)

Bush pokes the bear

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:29:37 -0700

US troops to hold exercises in Georgia, Ukraine

(AFP) — US troops on Monday began military exercises near the Russian border in ex-Soviet Ukraine and were poised to launch them in Georgia, amid tense relations between Moscow and Washington, officials said.

A ceremony inaugurating the Sea Breeze-2008 NATO exercise was held off Ukraine's Black Sea coast, a Ukrainian defence ministry spokeswoman said, against anti-NATO protests and a hostile reaction from officials in Russia.

The NATO exercises "will increase political and military tensions in Europe as a whole," Sergei Mironov, speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency in Moscow.

** Georgia to Expand Military to Counter Russian Threat in Regions
** Picketers block road to US military to wargames in Odessa

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:25:38 -0700

July 11

Afghanistan's 'sons of the soil' rise up
KARACHI - The resilient Taliban have proved unshakeable across Afghanistan over the past few months, making the chances of a coalition military victory against the popular tide of the insurgency in the majority Pashtun belt increasingly slim.

The alternative, though, of negotiating with radical Taliban leaders is not acceptable to the Western political leadership.

This stalemate suits Pakistan perfectly as it gives Islamabad the opportunity to once again step in to take a leading role in shaping the course of events in its neighboring country.

Bush outfoxed in the Iraqi sands
WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's demand for a timetable for complete United States military withdrawal from Iraq, confirmed on Tuesday by his National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie, has signaled the almost certain defeat of the George W Bush administration's aim of establishing a long-term military presence in the country.

The official Iraqi demand for US withdrawal confirms what was becoming increasingly clear in recent months - that the Iraqi administration has decided to shed its military dependence on the United States.

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. (More after the jump. Prior updates here)

Yeah, I'm down with some tacos bro. Let me just blow up this group of terrorists quick. ~ Gizmodo

July 10

Armchair pilots striking Afghanistan by remote control

From a desert outpost northwest of Las Vegas, elite fighter pilots journey to a war zone in Afghanistan, some 7,500 miles away.

It might be the world's longest commute, except that these armchair pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada never leave the air-conditioned comfort of their command center.

Sitting in a virtual cockpit is not as exciting as flying a fighter jet, but unmanned attack-plane pilots can enjoy a normal workday schedule -- more or less.

"Seeing bad guys on the screen and watching them possibly get dispatched, and then going down to the Taco Bell for lunch, it's kind of surreal," says Captain Matt Dean.

The UK MOD agreed to pay almost £3m to 10 Iraqis tortured by British troops. The settlement involves the family of Baha Mousa, a hotel receptionist killed in 2003, and nine others injured in British custody in Iraq. A postmortem found Mousa suffered 93 different injuries, including a broken nose and fractured ribs and died of asphyxia from a stress position soldiers forced him to maintain.

Iraq VP: Iraq Should Control US Troops

Iraqi Vice-President Adel Abdel-Mahdi, reflecting his country's increasing confidence and desire to be sovereign, said the U.S. military presence in the country should be brought under Iraqi control, a newspaper reported July 9.

** UK:Nearly half of service personnel consider quitting, survey finds
** Afghanistan and U.N. launch $400 million food appeal
** Turkish PM Erdogan arrives in Baghdad
**Drought threatens Iraq's crops and water supply

U.S. Troops in Iraq Face A Powerful New Weapon

Suspected Shiite militiamen have begun using powerful rocket-propelled bombs to attack U.S. military outposts in recent months, broadening the array of weapons used against American troops.

July 9

'Human face' of American effort to rebuild Iraq dies of drug overdose haunted by experience

An army medic who became the human face of the American effort to rebuild Iraq after the 2003 invasion has died of a drug overdose haunted by his wartime experiences.

After being idolised when he was pictured carrying an Iraqi boy to safety in an iconic image that went round the world, Joseph Dwyer brought the battlefield home with him.

He often grappled violently with delusions he was being hunted by Iraqi killers.

U.S. orders more air power for Afghanistan

Worried about increasing insurgent attacks in Afghanistan, the U.S. military is sending extra air power there by shifting an aircraft carrier battle group away from the Iraq war.

Defense officials said Tuesday that the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its escort vessels were moved out of the Persian Gulf and to the Gulf of Oman, shortening the time that the carrier's strike planes must fly to support operations in Afghanistan. Related posts here.

** Bomb kills two, wounds 11 in western Iraq
** War memories fade in Afghan valley
** To the fury of ordinary Iraqis, the country's oilfields are being privatised. Unions must fight together to prevent it
** Tiny Iraq navy to flex muscle as oil guardian
** Bush Won't Back Setting Timeline for Troops in Iraq, Aide Says

July 7

Afghan Capital Struck by Suicide Bombing

At least 40 people were killed and 141 injured Monday in a powerful suicide blast near the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan's capital, Afghan officials said.

The explosion in the center of Kabul occurred around 8:30 a.m., ripping through a crowd of people waiting in line for visas at the Indian Embassy, said Ali Shah Paktiwal, chief of the criminal investigations division of the Afghan Interior Ministry.

Iraq says may agree timetable for U.S. withdrawal

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki raised the prospect on Monday of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as part of negotiations over a new security agreement with Washington.

** Where technology helps Army recruits train
** Anti-Qaida leader killed in bomb attack south of Baghdad
** Baquba Has Brittle Calm and War Scars
** $10 Billion Pentagon Program Fails To Defeat IED Threat In Iraq

Masked Iraqi policemen guard arrested Iraqis standing in front of confiscated drugs. Statistics are hard to come by in devastated Iraq, but the Baghdad government says a rising number of traffickers are being caught at border crossings with Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

July 6

Secret U.S. mission hauls uranium from Iraq

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program — a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium — reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.

Rice ‘proud’ of US decision to invade Iraq

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday that she was “proud” of the US decision to invade Iraq and said the Middle East had improved since President George W. Bush took office.

UN to urge revamp of Afghan aid

The United Nations' envoy to Afghanistan is to outline a new plan on spending foreign aid, amid fears that millions of dollars have been wasted.

Kai Eide told the BBC that too much aid money was spent on salaries and goods in the countries that provided it.

"I think... we spend too much of our money in our home countries instead of spending it in Afghanistan," he said.

** War stories: when psychological battle trauma comes home
** Iraq Hints at Delay in U.S. Security Deal
** Iraq to open consulate in San Diego
** How America made a mess of Afghanistan
** Blogger kicked out of Iraq province for war photos

Iraq and Afghanistan: Dual Fronts(closed)

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:01:09 -0700

A US soldier searches a house during a patrol of Paktika province in 2007. The US-led coalition has killed 55 militants including three "extremist leaders" in fighting near the insurgency-hit Afghan-Pakistani border.
(AFP/US Army/File)

June 24

Germany to send 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan

Germany plans to increase its military contingent in northern Afghanistan by up to 1,000 soldiers, Defence Minister Franz Josef Jung said Tuesday.

But Jung confirmed the reinforcements would instead shore up reconstruction efforts in the more stable north, where the majority of Germany's 3,500 soldiers in Afghanistan are deployed.

Pentagon, GAO see good news and bad in Iraq

Two new government reports, one by the Pentagon, pointed Monday to encouraging security improvements in Iraq, but were decidedly pessimistic about prospects for political and economic progress and warned that costly military gains would remain fragile.

** Islamic militants attack rival tribesmen in Pakistan's volatile northwest, army, witness say
** Must read: McClatchy's Guantanamo: Beyond the Law series
** 2 U.S. civilians, 2 GIs killed in Iraq blast
** No blood for ... er ... um ... ~ Tom Engelhardt

Please post new stories and comments about the coalition's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan on this thread. (Prior Updates here)

Iraqi artefacts looted from the Baghdad Museum after the US-led invasion of 2003 are displayed in Amman
~ AFP

June 23

Reporters Say Networks Put Wars on Back Burner

According to data compiled by Andrew Tyndall, a television consultant who monitors the three network evening newscasts, coverage of Iraq has been “massively scaled back this year.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. The “CBS Evening News” has devoted the fewest minutes to Iraq, 51, versus 55 minutes on ABC’s “World News” and 74 minutes on “NBC Nightly News.” (The average evening newscast is 22 minutes long.)

CBS News no longer stations a single full-time correspondent in Iraq, where some 150,000 United States troops are deployed. Paul Friedman, a senior vice president at CBS News, said the news division does not get reports from Iraq on television “with enough frequency to justify keeping a very, very large bureau in Baghdad.”

Iraq PM announces crackdown in Qaeda bastion

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Maliki announced on Monday that troops will soon launch a counter-insurgency campaign in Diyala province, a bastion of Al-Qaeda north of Baghdad.

Troops have already carried out similar offensives against Sunni insurgents in the main northern city of Mosul and against Shiite militia in the main southern city of Basra and Maliki's announcement came as he visited Maysan province where a crackdown on militias has been under way since Thursday.

** At Odds With Air Force, Army Adds Its Own Aviation Unit
** Iraq official says U.K. captives alive
** German NATO General Egon Ramms has said the alliance needs up to 6,000 more troops now in Afghanistan
** Feds charge 22-year-old defense contractor with 'wide-ranging fraud'
** Afghanistan: up to 75 killed in weekend violence

A boy offered cold water yesterday to an Iraqi Army soldier during the beginning of combat operations in Amarah. Amarah Mayor arrested
~ AP

June 20

Taliban routed by Afghan, NATO forces near Kandahar: officials

Afghan and NATO forces using air power cleared Taliban militants from villages near the strategic city of Kandahar on Thursday, killing at least 56 Islamist insurgents, officials said.

Troops were now making a final search of houses in Arghandab district, a day after around 1,000 soldiers launched a huge offensive against the rebels, said the defence ministry and the NATO-led International Security Assistance force.

Iraqi troops move into militia-held city of Amara

Despite reports of arrests and rough handling by the Iraqi security forces as they swept through the southern city of Amara on Thursday, supporters of the rebel cleric Moktada al-Sadr stood by their promise to lay down their weapons peacefully.

Iraqi troops entered Amara, near the border with Iran, as part of a campaign against militias, seeking in this case also to reclaim government buildings taken over by political parties. The sweep officially began Thursday, although the military and the police have been massing for the operation for nearly a week.

** House OKs $162 billion in Iraq war funding
** Iraq to exclude Russia from oil deals
** Iraq pledges natural gas supply to Jordan - minister
** Afghanistan in an amorphous war
** Italian court confirms dropping U.S. soldier case

June 19

Members of the Iraqi Army hold up a "wanted" poster for Haydar Mehdi Khadum al-Fawadi, also known as Haydar al-Majidi
~ AFP

Iraq forces launch operation in southern city

Iraqi security forces launched a crackdown on Shi'ite militias in the southern city of Amara on Thursday, the latest drive in Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's campaign to restore order to Iraq.

Defense Department lacks detailed strategy, according to congressional report

After six years and $16.5 billion, the Pentagon is falling short in its effort to train and equip Afghanistan's army and police forces to replace American and allied troops, according to a scathing new government report released yesterday.

Only two of the 105 Afghan army units are capable of performing their primary mission, the Government Accountability Office reported. It said the Afghan army and police are short of small-unit leaders and suffer from critical shortages of vehicles, weapons and radios.

Iraq, oil companies near deal

Four Western oil corporations are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that would return them to Iraq.

In Iraq, Oil Ministry and industry officials said that Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP, along with Chevron and some smaller oil companies, are in talks with the Iraqi ministry for no-bid contracts to service the country's largest fields.

U.S. helicopter engines stolen en route to Pakistan port

Four U.S. helicopter engines worth more than $13 million have been stolen while they were being trucked from Afghanistan to a port in Pakistan to be shipped home, the U.S. military said.

It was not known if the shipment went missing on the Afghan side of the border or in Pakistan, Sergeant Mark Swart said on Thursday.

"We don't have the information on exactly where it disappeared. We just know that it did not get to the port," he said.

** Canberra cameraman Jamie Kidston shot in war zone
** U.S. trainers have key mission in Afghanistan
** U.S. ties Baghdad blast to a Shiite hard-liner
** Blackwater states its case
** Al-Qaeda Asks for Congressional Funding

June 17

Afghans carry their belongings on a tractor as they leave the Arghandab district in Southern Afghanistan, June 17, 2008. Thousands of villagers are fleeing the district after Taliban fighters moved into the region. ~ LA Times

Four British troops killed in Afghanistan

Four British soldiers, including a woman, were killed in Afghanistan yesterday, the Ministry of Defence has announced.

The troops were killed when their vehicle was caught in a explosion east of Lashkar Gah, in the volatile Helmand province.

Afghan, NATO Operation begins to retake Taliban-held villages

Afghan and NATO officials said they launched an operation to push out Taliban militants who recently overran several villages in southern Afghanistan, began on Wednesday.

Iraqis enraged over sewage in streets

According to ABC News correspondent Terry McCarthy, since Iraqi troops retook control of a slum area in Basra that was formerly dominated by Moqtada al Sadr’s militia, life has returned to normal in many ways.

However, local residents are still enraged about pools of open sewage in the street. A contractor was sent in to deal with the problem, but instead of fixing the burst line he simply covered over the holes with tarmac, and the sewage has begun seeping through again.

“It is smelly, it is getting the children sick, there is typhoid,” one resident yelled at McCarthy.

** Fallujah gets solar-powered water units
** US Army Base Attacked in Iraq
** Baghdad insists on right to veto US operations
** 'Curveball' speaks
** Iraq deal with US to end immunity for foreign contractors

Poetry open thread for Memorial Day and its eve.

Sun, 25 May 2008 05:27:29 -0700

Team Agonist | Blogistan | May 25

As you all know the only poetry thread rules are: no original poetry unless you just happen to be Maya Angelou or an up and coming poet that has been published. Otherwise stick to what has proven to be good poetry. Charles Bukowski once said, "I see that God has made many poets, but not so much good poetry."

originally posted Memorial Day May 29, 2006. Please add your favorites.

Cell phones are essentially spies in your pocket. And now cops don't need a warrant to use them.

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 09:00:46 -0800

What's truly amazing is not that you can use a cell phone to track people (we've known that for a long time), but that judges are letting the cops track your mobile without a warrant.

Federal officials are routinely asking courts to order cellphone companies to furnish real-time tracking data so they can pinpoint the whereabouts of drug traffickers, fugitives and other criminal suspects, according to judges and industry lawyers.

In some cases, judges have granted the requests without requiring the government to demonstrate that there is probable cause to believe that a crime is taking place or that the inquiry will yield evidence of a crime. Privacy advocates fear such a practice may expose average Americans to a new level of government scrutiny of their daily lives.

Such requests run counter to the Justice Department's internal recommendation that federal prosecutors seek warrants based on probable cause to obtain precise location data in private areas. The requests and orders are sealed at the government's request, so it is difficult to know how often the orders are issued or denied.

Judges who allow tracking without warrants should be impeached. If it's widespread, impeach them all.

In the meantime, as the article notes, cell phones are essentially spies in your pocket. So what can you do about it?

Your phone can also be turned on and used as a mobile bug. Take the batteries out of your phone when you don't want to be listened in on or tracked.
Use different phones and pre-paid sims every day if you need a mobile phone. (This is what one opposition leader in Pakistan was advised to do when he was on the run from Musharraf).
Your home phone can very efficiently be used as a bug--at least the old rotary ones could, and I'd be shocked if the more modern ones can't be also. So pull it out of the jack if you're having a conversation about your next peace march or anti-free trade demonstration.
Finally, making a call and hanging up before they "complete the trace", as shown in the movies, doesn't work. The line can be held open. Expect that if you make a call under such circumstances, you are compromised, whether by landline or mobile, and ditch the phone or get away from the landline, fast. (Leaving your mobile on a bus works wonders.)

Does any of this apply to you? Well, a lot of peace activists and so on read this blog. Odds are strong that it does apply to some of you.

So use the knowledge.

Image from W.A.R.T.

Musharraf's "Second Coup" (2)

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:40:53 -0800

Team Agonist | November 20

Pakistan frees 3,000, but arrests go on

More than 3,000 people arrested in Pakistan under emergency rule have been released, the country's interior ministry said today.

The news came as the election commission confirmed that a general election is to be held on January 8.

The interior ministry spokesman, Javed Iqbal Cheema, put the exact number of those freed in recent days at 3,416, including lawyers and political activists. He said another 2,000 would be released soon.

Pakistani police arrest 150 journalists at rally (Extra)

Police in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday baton-charged journalists protesting curbs on the media imposed by President Pervez Musharraf and arrested more 150 people, news reports said.

Several demonstrators were injured in the clashes, which occurred outside the city's press club, Geo News reported on its website, the television channel's only service still operating after it was shut down by the government at midnight Friday.

Pakistan Will Hold Ballot on Jan. 8, Amid Protests (Update5)

Pakistan will hold national elections on Jan. 8, as opposition parties said they may boycott the ballot which the U.S. says won't be fair under emergency rule.

``The announcement of a date for elections means nothing because there can't be fair elections under Musharraf,'' Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said in a phone interview. ``Before elections can be held, there needs to be restoration of the constitution, reinstatement of judges and Musharraf's resignation as president.''

** Thousands flee NW Pakistan valley ahead of offensive
** Peace efforts in Pakistan sectarian clashes: officials
** Official: Musharraf to shed uniform by weekend
** Musharraf's deputy a reluctant linchpin

more after the jump, please check comments for more articles

NOV 19

Musharraf to quit army - as soon as purged court rules

President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan is expected to turn civilian at the end of the week, once the purged supreme court rubberstamps his re-election.

US envoy to Musharraf returns home with nothing

A special US mission to the embattled Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf ended in failure yesterday, and the Bush administration is inceasingly alarmed about the possible collapse of the government. There are also fears that its nuclear weapons could end up in the hands of Islamist extremists.

** 'Washington is 200 per cent behind me,' Musharraf claims during crucial talks
** US could enlist Pakistan tribal leaders
** Pakistan's Opposition Boycotts Vote; U.S. Rebuffed
** Pakistanis crave fresh faces in politics

Nov 17

Benazir Bhutto (Benazir Bhutto: Grade-A Scum) was released from house arrest and talked by phone with US Deputy Secretary of State, John Negroponte. The question is will she be put back under house arrest after Negroponte leaves. Negroponte is trying to revive a power sharing deal between Bhutto and Musharraf. He intends to give Musharraf a strong message and 'he's going to tell him what the reality and facts are". Musharraf intends to tell Negroponte a few ground realities of his own and states "I don't take any ultimatums from anyone.". Fat chance of a Bhutto/Musharraf reconciliation since they both have stated they don't trust each other. Bhutto is calling for a "people's revolution" against Musharraf and for the opposition parties to unite.

Condoleeza Rice states that the US “stands by the Pakistani people in these difficult times”, which is a change from saying the US supports Musharraf. It appears the US is trying to cover all the bases, but it is a pity that if the US says they are for the Pakistani people that they don't take the time to talk to the people. The Pakistani people are not impressed with US involvement in their country:

A majority of Pakistanis are frustrated with the prevailing upheaval in their country, and have coined a new term for the US -- Busharraf.

"Why isn't the U. S. standing up for Pakistan when we need it most? Is America even listening to us? We are calling them Busharraf now. They are the same man, " said Parveen Aslam, 30, who like many Pakistanis has his relatives in America.

Musharraf swore in a caretaker government of which Bhutto rejected.

Musharraf remarks on Bhutto running in the elections:

General Musharraf has dismissed the chances of Ms Bhutto winning the elections and questioned whether she really wants them to go ahead.

"It is she, actually, who may not be wanting elections in Pakistan," he said.

"And it is she who may want to go on to the agitational mode because she would not like to go into elections because her party is not in a state to win at all.

Yes, I imagine it is hard to campaign when your party members are in jail. ;) Musharraf takes a page out of Bush's book and does a little fear-mongering of his own:

The President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, says the country's nuclear weapons are safe as long as the military stays in charge.

General Musharraf says that if elections promised in January go ahead under disturbed conditions, there is a danger that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal could fall into unsafe hands.

More Musharraf on Bhutto:

In reaction to her claim that her party would most likely sweep parliamentary elections, the general said, “Let’s start the elections, and let’s see whether she wins.”

“Constitutionally today she has been prime minister twice,” he said. “What about the third time? She is not legally allowed; she is not constitutionally allowed. Why are we taking things for granted?”

Pot meet kettle. LOL

Nov 12

Benazir Bhutto detained ahead of mass protest

Pakistani police put opposition leader Benazir Bhutto under house arrest for a week on Tuesday as the Commonwealth threatened suspension unless President Pervez Musharraf repealed a state of emergency.

Army chief Musharraf set off a storm of criticism when he imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3. He suspended the constitution, sacked most judges, locked up lawyers, rounded up thousands of opposition and rights activists and curbed the media.

The Commonwealth, a 53-member body consisting mainly of former British colonies, gave Musharraf until Nov. 22 to end emergency rule and take other steps to address his country's problems, or Pakistan would face suspension.

** Government rules out third term for Bhutto
** Pakistan Clamps Down On Protests
** Musharraf Sets No Date to End Emergency Rule
** Why the Legal Profession's Revolt in Pakistan Makes Perfect Sense

The Bush administration is dispatching a high-level envoy to Pakistan to tell the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, face to face that the United States will not be satisfied with his plan to hold elections unless he first lifts emergency law, administration officials said Monday. NYT

Previous thread: Musharraf's "Second Coup" (1), Please check comments for more articles

Web game provides rice for hungry

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:34:23 -0800

BBC - An internet word game has generated enough rice to feed 50,000 people for one day, the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) has said.

The game, FreeRice, tests the vocabulary of participants. For each click on a correct answer, the website donates money to buy 10 grains of rice.

Companies advertising on the website provide the money to the WFP to buy and distribute the rice.

FreeRice went online in early October and has now raised 1bn grains of rice.

That is enough rice to feed 50,000 people for one day, the WFP said on Friday.

Check it out! Feed your brain and help world hunger!

Actions in Congress Moving Toward Recess

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 02:10:14 -0700

AP - Actions in Congress on Monday as lawmakers worked toward adjourning next week for their August recess.

Details after the jump

ETHICS

Democratic leaders released a package of ethics changes they hope to have through the House and Senate before the beginning of their August recess. Under the bill, senators would have to identify their pet projects, or ``earmarks,'' publicly two days before a vote. Lobbyists and their clients would be prohibited from giving gifts, including meals and tickets, to senators and their staffs. The House added the gift ban in January.

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

The head of the House Education Committee wants the No Child Left Behind law changed to allow merit pay for teachers and a new way of judging schools. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., says the law should pay teachers extra for boosting student achievement. He also says other tests or graduation rates - instead of just math and reading tests - should be considered for judging schools. The House could vote on the legislation in September.

JAPAN SEX SLAVES

The House approved a resolution urging Japan to apologize for coercing thousands of women to work as sex slaves for its World War II military. The resolution is symbolic, but it has caused unease in Japan and added tension to an otherwise strong alliance. Officials in Tokyo say their country's leaders have apologized repeatedly.

MEDICARE

House Democrats want changes to Medicare and plan to dramatically scale back federal subsidies to HMOs that cover millions of seniors. They also plan to sweeten the Medicare payment system for doctors, provide free colon cancer screening for all beneficiaries and add funds for the low-income. Republicans claim the measure would destroy the private Medicare plans that insure 8 million seniors.

ENERGY

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made changes to her energy package to quell a rebellion among some oil-patch Democrats. They argue the legislation would hurt U.S. energy production. A Pelosi spokesman said some changes were made in the oil and gas sections of the bill. The oil and gas industry opposes tax changes that the industry says would cost oil companies $15 billion over 10 years. Pelosi wants to shift the money to tax incentives for renewable energy sources and energy conservation measures.

SURVEILLANCE

Congress and President Bush's aides are working to expand the government's surveillance authority without jeopardizing citizens' rights. Aides say the new plan would change the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to allow surveillance without a warrant of terror suspects who are overseas. Details remained undecided, chiefly over whether after-the-fact court approval would be required for emergency surveillance.

VETERANS

The House required the Veterans Affairs Department to provide outreach and mental health services to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns with brain injuries and post traumatic stress disorder. The House also waived co-payment for veterans receiving hospice care, and passed a bill allowing disabled veterans living temporarily with a family member to become eligible for adaptive housing assistance. The fourth bill extends pension benefits to World War II veterans of the U.S. Merchant Marine.