Recently in Iraq Category

Hurray! Even the FBI can't prove that the Blackwater guards were at fault in this terrible incident. The odds are that the insurgents did fire and were hiding in the crowd to get as many innocents killed as possible. There is no proof to contradict the story that the guards told.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090401/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/blackwater_forensics_2

FBI scientists were unable to match bullets from a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting to guns carried by Blackwater Worldwide security guards, according to laboratory reports that leave open the possibility that insurgents also fired in the crowded intersection.

Five Blackwater guards face manslaughter and weapons charges for their role in the shooting, which left 17 Iraqis dead and inflamed anti-U.S. sentiment abroad. Prosecutors say the contractors launched an unprovoked attack on civilians using machine guns and grenade launchers. The guards maintain their convoy was ambushed by insurgents.

The FBI lab reports, obtained by The Associated Press from someone not involved in the criminal case, allow for both possibilities.

Investigators recovered .30-caliber bullets from a survivor, a Blackwater truck and around Baghdad's Nisoor Square. Scientists could not determine whether those bullets came from .30-caliber Blackwater machine guns.

The AK-47 rifles favored by many Iraqi insurgents also fire .30-caliber bullets.

I wonder how many incidents like this have happened. This is probably not a stand alone incident.

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2009/03/us-jet-shoots-d.html

An American fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone as it was flying over Iraq, U.S. military sources in Baghdad tell Danger Room.

Details of the previously-unreported shoot-down, which occurred last month, are still sketchy.

Will the Liberals call this evil? Or is this just the way of the world? If so, should rape be called a norm in the world?

So many questions, so few Liberals who will admit that this is evil.

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/02/iraqi-woman-had-80-women-raped-turned.html

Iraqi Woman Had 80 Women Raped & Turned Into Suicide Bombers (Video)

An Iraqi woman had 80 women raped and then talked them into exploding themselves to escape the shame.
She called herself "The Mother of All (evil) Believers" and was a member of Ansar al-Sunna, a radical Islamist group linked to Al-Qaeda.

While having to get a warrant for raids is a sign of returning (creating?) civilization, it is also a problem since civilization is still a little shaky. Those troubles are leading to things like police trying to protect the terrorists.

Small problems. I doubt there is a country anywhere that does not have a few corrupt cops, but Iraq is still trying to rid itself of terrorists who have been infiltrating all the sections of the government to destroy it from within. I pray they will fail and that the country of Iraq will finally see Peace and Honor.

http://www.thestate.com/world/story/669826.html?RSS=untracked

U.S. soldiers killed two Iraqi policemen Saturday after coming under fire during an operation against al-Qaida in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.

An Iraqi officer confirmed the incident, which occurred near the northern city of Mosul, but said the policemen were manning a checkpoint when they were gunned down.

A U.S. statement said the incident began when U.S. soldiers entered a neighborhood looking for a suspected al-Qaida operative who was believed to be in a building.

The Americans called for the building's occupants to surrender when they came under fire from another building about 100 yards (meters) away, the statement added.

"Despite multiple attempts to identify themselves, the (U.S.) force continued to receive hostile fire. Acting in self defense, coalition forces returned fire," the statement said.

"Coalition force members immediately moved to the building and linked up with the Iraqi police forces. A search of the building revealed two Iraqi police, who were not in uniform, were killed during the exchange," the statement added.

The U.S. expressed regret for the policemen's deaths.

Let me guess - this traitor is a Jew, so we should bomb Israel?

Why is it that so many Muslims leave the lands they are living in to come to the West and destroy it? If you like living in an Islamic country, then go live there! Stay put! Don't move to America and then work to destroy it. Just keep your happy butt at home. We don't want it.

Not a surprise that this piece of trash comes from Detroit. Not much of anything good comes from there anymore. It is a Third World Country disguised as an American city. It sucks the wealth of real Americans into its ravenous welfare state and is dragging the whole country into the Third World with it. What a waste of humanity.

This guy is a traitor and deserves to be hung like a traitor. I know that will not happen, but it should. I wonder if Obama will pardon him?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,480266,00.html

A suburban Detroit man accused of spying for Iraq has pleaded guilty to providing information to that country's intelligence agency in 2002 and 2003.

Najib Shemami likely faces about four years in federal prison when he's sentenced in May. But defense lawyer Ed Wishnow says he'll argue that his client was being coerced by Saddam Hussein's regime.

Shemami, 60, pleaded guilty Friday to aiding Iraq without approval from the U.S. government. He's accused of traveling to Iraq to report on U.S. and Turkish military activities and to supply information about Iraqi natives living in the United States.

Shemami's case began with documents obtained by the government after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,463171,00.html

Five indicted Blackwater Worldwide security guards plan to surrender to the FBI Monday in Salt Lake City, about 2,000 miles from the Washington courthouse where they were charged, a person close to the case said.

Such a move would be the opening salvo in what is shaping up to be a contentious legal fight before the guards can even get to trial. By surrendering in Utah, the home state of one of the guards, the men can argue for a trial there -- a far more conservative, pro-gun venue than Washington.

The person described the decision to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the indictment against the men remains sealed.

The five guards, all military veterans, were indicted for their roles in a 2007 shooting in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead. The shooting strained U.S. diplomacy and fueled anti-American sentiment abroad.

Steven McCool, a lawyer for Blackwater guard and former Marine Donald Ball, confirmed Sunday that his client would surrender in Utah. Ball is from West Valley City, Utah.

"Donald Ball committed no crime," McCool said. "We are confident that any jury will see this for what it is: a politically motivated prosecution to appease the Iraqi government."

I am glad that they are trying to prove this case in court, but without any material evidence, I am not sure what they are going to work with. Accidents happen, especially in wars and combat zones. I believe the shooters in this case and not the "witnesses" who have great incentive to lie.

Let these people go. Give them a fair trial and they will be free.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081206/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/blackwater_prosecution

More than a year after the fatal shootings of 17 Iraqi civilians, five decorated military veterans who were Blackwater Worldwide security guards are headed to court in a case that strained diplomatic ties and raised the level of anti-Americanism in Baghdad.

Iraqis hope the charges, to be unsealed Monday, finally will bring justice and improve relations with the United States after the gruesome slayings on Sept. 16, 2007.

Defense lawyers say the case unfairly has tarnished the images of the Blackwater guards. Each man has received honors for his service in some of the world's most dangerous places, from Bosnia and Afghanistan to Iraq. The five were to surrender to the FBI on Monday, when the Justice Department plans to unseal the charges against them.

"These are indictments that never should have been brought," said Mark Hulkower, a lawyer for Army veteran Paul Slough of Keller, Texas.

Once again, the US is the best! If you doubt it, go to Afghanistan or Iraq and ask the locals. They can tell you who they fear more than the terrorists, or is it respect? They know that as long as they do not threaten the American forces, they are safe and will probably get some kind of benefit from the visit. However, IF they are stupid enough to threaten the US forces, they know they will most likely die. Not too many fools get a second chance to fight against the Americans. Not that anyone misses these poor souls.

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htwin/articles/20081030.aspx

Lessons Of Iraq

October 30, 2008: Nearly 4,200 U.S. troops have died in Iraq during over 5.5 years of fighting. It's no longer news because Iraq is at peace, at least by regional standards. Since the Surge Offensive officially ended three months ago, only 62 Americans have died in Iraq, and most of them to non-combat causes. So far this month, twelve have died. Accidents are more of a danger to U.S. troops in Iraq than terrorists these days. The troops also know that Afghanistan is a more dangerous place to be, and most of the young combat troops, who have not yet earned their Combat Infantry Badge (a big deal, requiring 30 days in combat), look forward to a tour of duty in Afghanistan. The war has moved from the sandbox to the mountains.

The 17 month Surge Offensive left over a thousand (1040) Americans dead, most of them from combat. That was about two dead per day. Since then, the rate has declined over 70 percent. Iraqi losses (uniformed and civilian) have also plummeted, from a high of 3,000 in February 2007, to about 300 a month now. The Iraqis are handling security in over two-thirds of the country. U.S. troops are on call, but are not brought in nearly as much as a year ago. The Iraqis are determined to do it all themselves.

While the U.S. has lost nearly 4,200 troops in Iraq, their opponents (al Qaeda and local Sunni Arab terrorists) lost ten times as many people. Compared to Vietnam, the death rate (losses per 100,000 troops per year) of troops in Iraq was two-thirds less. Around the world, military professionals are studying the American campaign in Iraq for useful tips on how to win against such a massive terrorist effort, with such low losses.