An Old War Dogs Satellite Site


Wednesday, 15 August 2007
 

This summer's must read

Lone Survivor - Top Reading Choice of the Summer
George "Rurik" Mellinger

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A military mission gone horribly wrong, resulting in a bloody struggle against overwhelming odds, is a common enough tale. But Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson (Little, Brown 2007) is a rare example of the genre. Defeat, and escape from complete catastrophe are not the usual subjects for uplift and inspiration. And in any case, I usually detest “uplift and inspiration” as nonsense for the weak-spined needing continual bracing. But this book inspires anyway, perhaps because it is not intended to be “inspirational”. You may read Lone Survivor as an inspiring adventure of a warrior battling against odds and numbers too great, and somehow surviving. But if you read it only as an adventure tale, you will have missed the author’s purpose and his deeper message.

It would be easy to make such a mistake. The first two chapters got off to a very slow and awkward start for me. The tone was excessively conversational. With nary a complete sentence. Just fragments. And lots of slang usage. Disjointed, you understand. And disorganized. Like this.  And everything seemingly exaggerated. Marcus’ boasting, and his eulogies to his friends, now dead, which seemed to rise to the level of hagiography.

With the third chapter, the tenor of the book completely changed, and the story became far more focused, tighter and better organized. In this, and the following chapters, Marcus Luttrell describes the gritty path which led to becoming a SEAL. This enthralled me, and illuminated much of the boasting which had gone before, and also the determination which was to follow. The training is always stressful and brutal in any of the military’s voluntary programs, Officer Candidate School (which this reviewer tried unsuccessfully), Airborne, Ranger or Special Forces, or SEALs. Luttrell maintains that SEAL training is the toughest of all, and reading his description, I’m quite prepared to believe him. Every branch of every service convinces itself that they are an elite, better and tougher than all the others, believing the same thing. But the SEALs seem to have the bragging rights. This hundred and twenty pages, by itself would be an excellent lesson for anyone who has never done military service, what it means to become a warrior, and why they do it. ...

Read the whole thing here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on August 15, 2007 at 12:05 AM in Afghanistan, Books, The American Warrior, US Navy | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Wednesday, 20 June 2007
 

2007.06.20 Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan Roundup

30 Al Qaeda Fighters Killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD —  Thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops pressed forward for the second day Wednesday with an operation aimed at clearing out a Sunni insurgent stronghold northeast of Baghdad. The U.S. military said at least 30 Al Qaeda fighters were killed and several bombs and weapons caches destroyed as the soldiers fought their way through the streets of Baqouba.

The U.S. military operation that involves some 10,000 American soldiers in Diyala province, an Al Qaeda bastion to the north and east of Baghdad, matched in size the force that American generals sent against the insurgent-held city of Fallujah 2 1/2 years ago. By late Tuesday, the military had reported only one American death, a Task Force Lightning soldier killed by an explosion near his vehicle. ...

Below the fold:

  • U.S.-Iraqi offensive yields results

See also:

U.S.-Iraqi offensive yields results 
A major thrust in Diyala province, which began Tuesday, has left at least 30 suspected insurgents dead and uncovered 1,000 roadside bombs.

BAGHDAD -- At least 30 suspected insurgents have been killed in two days of operations being conducted in Diyala province as part of a major thrust by U.S. and Iraqi forces to clear Al Qaeda operatives from the region, the military said today.

Soldiers conducting Operation Arrowhead Thunder also have uncovered more than 1,000 roadside bombs around the provincial capital, Baqubah, where the offensive is being conducted, Iraqi security officials said.

Local residents reported heavy fighting in some neighborhoods and aerial bombardments on the western side of the city, where the U.S. military says many insurgents have been based since the last major offensive in March cleared them from eastern Baqubah.

Until early Tuesday, when some 10,000 troops launched the new mission, U.S. forces rarely had crossed the Tigris river into the western side of town. The latest operation is targeting insurgents who have tried to establish Baqubah as their own capital with strictly Islamic rules imposed on residents. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on June 20, 2007 at 08:29 PM in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Monday, 18 June 2007
 

2007.06.18 Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan/Pakistan Roundup

Who Killed the Americans in Karbala?

January's attack on U.S. forces at the Iraqi government complex in Karbala has become a kind of epic unsolved mystery among troops at Forward Operating Base Iskan, where soldiers from the unit involved are based. There is no shortage of theories among the roughly 30 troops who were there as to whom was responsible for the attack. Many soldiers believe the attackers, who appeared wearing U.S. military uniforms and speaking English, were Iranian operatives from the notorious Quds Force. Some think the assault party that entered the complex in a convoy of SUVs was a rogue cell of the Mahdi Army. Still others suspect the hit team was a kind of all-star insurgent squad, with skilled fighters from the Mahdi Army, Iran and the Badr Brigade, another Shi'ite militia.

While much has been said about the attackers who stormed the compound from the outside, little has been revealed about the possible involvement of Iraqi Police who were inside at the time. But the final report of the official military investigation into the incident says there is some evidence to suggest that Iraqi Police who'd been working with U.S. forces in Karbala for over a year helped orchestrate the attack.

Below the fold:

  • Latest Haditha Prosecution Implosion

See also:

Latest Haditha Prosecution Implosion
Bruce Kesler

OK, it may be the prosecution’s job to put the best light on their charges, or worst on the defendant, but the prosecution of the Haditha Marines is again being exposed as lacking merit.

Yesterday, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports:

The Marine officer who will help decide whether Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt should face trial expressed doubt yesterday about the prosecution's assertions that Sharratt killed defenseless Iraqis execution-style. ...

Another local reporter at the hearing wrote:

Lt. Col. Paul Ware, who will recommend whether to send Sharratt to trial, challenged the prosecution, saying the government's theory of the case do not warrant the three counts of unpremeditated murder filed against Sharratt in December. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on June 18, 2007 at 12:06 AM in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Tuesday, 12 June 2007
 

"The One"

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I'm not going to have a lot to say about this one till the review copy I've been promised arrives but do check out Blackfive's post here and follow the links. I already know enough just from that post to know this won't be a book I have to make myself make time to read simply because I promised to review it. I can hardly wait till it gets here and it will affect my blogging when it does.

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Read the first chapter of the book online here. (H/T: Michelle Malkin)

Contributed by Bill Faith on June 12, 2007 at 12:08 AM in Afghanistan, Books, The American Warrior, US Navy | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack


Wednesday, 30 May 2007
 

2007.05.30 Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan/"The media sucks." Roundup

See previous: 2007.05.29 Iraq/Iran Roundup

Below the fold (newest items at the top):

  • Five U.S. Soldiers Killed When Taliban Apparently Downs NATO Helicopter in Afghanistan 
  • Iraqi, U.S. Forces Raid Sadr City in Search for 5 Kidnapped British Citizens
  • Al-Sadr militia suspected of kidnapping Britons
  • 'We Are the Only People Preventing Them From Telling the Story'
  • 5 Brits kidnapped in Baghdad
    • Five Britons seized by Iraqi insurgents 
    • Westerners kidnapped in Baghdad — with 40 Iraqi police cars on the scene
    • Private guards seized in swift operation by unknown gang
    • Stop here and load weapon: another day’s work for the bodyguards

Just read 'em:

*** *** *** Fold (but please don't spindle or mutilate) *** *** ***

Five U.S. Soldiers Killed When Taliban Apparently
Downs NATO Helicopter in Afghanistan 

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan —  Five U.S. soldiers were among seven people killed when a Chinook helicopter was apparently shot down Wednesday evening in Afghanistan's most volatile province, a U.S. military official said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

Initial reports suggested the helicopter was hit with a rocket-propelled grenade, the U.S. military official said on condition of anonymity because the crash was being investigated.

NATO's International Security Assistance Force said seven ISAF soldiers were killed after the CH-47 Chinook went down in Helmand province near Kajaki, the site of a major hydroelectric damn and scene of fierce battles in recent months.

The crew of five and two military passengers died, NATO said. It did not release nationalities, but a U.S. official said the two passengers were not American. There were no survivors. ...

Iraqi, U.S. Forces Raid Sadr City in
Search for 5 Kidnapped British Citizens

BAGHDAD  —  Hundreds of Iraqi and U.S. troops cordoned off sections of Baghdad's Sadr City slum early Wednesday and conducted a series of raids in an apparent effort to find five British citizens whom Iraqi officials believed were abducted by the Shiite Mahdi Army militia.

British Embassy officials held ongoing talks Wednesday with Iraqi officials to discuss the situation, Britain's Foreign Office said. Britain's COBRA crisis committee was also to meet for the second day.

The five men were pulled out of a Finance Ministry office by about 40 heavily armed men in police uniforms in broad daylight Tuesday and driven in a convoy of 19 four-wheel-drive vehicles toward Sadr City, according to Iraqi officials in the Interior and Finance ministries.

A top Interior Ministry official, who refused to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the authorities were working on the assumption the five men were abducted by radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, because the area they were taken from is controlled by the militia. ...

Al-Sadr militia suspected of kidnapping Britons

Iraq's most prominent Shia militia has emerged as the chief suspect in the kidnappings of five British nationals in Iraq.

Negotiations with the Mahdi Army are already under way after one of several spokesmen for the armed force under the command of the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr claimed responsibility for the kidnappings at the finance ministry in Baghdad.

Hundreds of Iraqi and American troops raided Sadr City, Baghdad’s largest Shia neighbourhood, in an operation that ended early today. Residents said areas of Sadr City were sealed off and several arrests were made.

Iraqi forces have established a special battalion of soldiers and police officers to search for the kidnapped men. “We are conducting search operations near the site where the abduction took place,” said Brig Gen Qassim al Musawi, an Iraqi army spokesman. ...

'We Are the Only People Preventing Them From Telling the Story'
James Taranto

In a Memorial Day column, David Carr of the New York Times complains about a U.S. military rule requiring that embedded reporters "obtain a signed consent from a wounded soldier before the image can be published. Images that put a face on the dead, that make them identifiable, are simply prohibited."

Why is it so important to show images of hurt and dead Americans? A fellow Timesman gives away the game:

James Glanz, a Baghdad correspondent who will become bureau chief for The New York Times next month, said that although he and others had many great experiences working with the rank-and-file soldiers, some military leaders seem determined to protect something besides the privacy of their troops.

"As the number of reporters there dwindles further and further because of the difficult conditions we work under, the kind of work they are able to publish becomes very important," Mr. Glanz said. "This tiny remaining corps of reporters becomes a greater and greater problem for the military brass because we are the only people preventing them from telling the story the way they want it told."

Hmm, we thought the job of a reporter was to tell stories, not to prevent others from doing so. Furthermore, is it even possible to imagine a Times correspondent saying his job is to prevent the enemy from telling its story?

And here's an example of the kind of journalism the Times's Baghdad bureau produces. This is from a news account, also in yesterday's Times: ...

Five Britons seized by Iraqi insurgents 
Deborah Haynes and Stephen Farrell in Baghdad 

Whitehall was facing the prospect of a lengthy hostage stand-off last night after five Britons were kidnapped in central Baghdad in one of the most brazen abductions of Westerners since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Those seized, a computer consultant and his four security guards, were taken in daylight by dozens of armed insurgents dressed in the fatigues of Iraqi police commandos.

The Cobra emergency committee, with representatives from MI6, the SAS and the Metropolitan Police, met at the Cabinet Office yesterday to consider options for gaining the release of the five men.

Tony Blair, on a trip to Libya, said: “We will do everything we possibly can to help.” ...

See related:

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 30, 2007 at 12:20 AM in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Thursday, 24 May 2007
 

2007.05.24 Iraq/Iran/Afghanistan/"The media sucks" Roundup

See previous: 2007.05.23 Iraq/Iran Roundup

Below the fold (newest items at the top):

  • Nutroots aghast at possibility that conditions might be improving in Anbar
  • Senate Approves Iraq War Funding Bill Without Timetable ...
  • Lefty embed to Dems: Troops want to fight on
  • House Approves War Funding Bill Without Troop Withdrawal Timelines 
  • WaPo weasel disses milbloggers
  • Bush Pledges to Work With Allies to Strengthen Sanctions Against Iran
  • Bush warns of heavy fighting in Iraq this summer
  • Bush's Wars are Safer For the Military that Clinton's Peace?
  • Shift news to successes in Iraq, soldier urges 
  • "Strategic" Polling On Afghanistan
  • Al Qaeda Has Mastered Media Manipulation in Iraq

*** *** *** Fold (but please don't spindle or mutilate) *** *** ***

Nutroots aghast at possibility that conditions might be improving in Anbar
Allahpundit

InstaGlenn’s post doesn’t quite capture all of the nuance of this little blog tiff they’re having with Joe Klein, which is actually just the latest skirmish in their ongoing war on big-media lefties like him and David Broder who dare to criticize liberals occasionally. (Google “Joe Klein” and “bloggers” and you’ll see what I mean.) Nor does he note the contempt towards Gen. Petraeus that drips from Rick Ellison McEllensburg’s screed, although he does drily mention in passing Ellison’s sneering reference to “shiny uniforms.”

But it’s worth clicking for the snark: ...

Read the whole thing, and do follow the link to Instapundit's post.

Senate Approves Iraq War Funding Bill
Without Timetable for Withdrawing U.S. Troops 

WASHINGTON —  Bowing to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled Congress grudgingly approved fresh billions for the Iraq war Thursday night, minus the troop withdrawal timeline that drew his earlier veto.

"The Iraqi government needs to show real progress in return for America's continued support and sacrifice," said the commander in chief, and he warned that August could prove to be a bloody month for U.S. troops in Baghdad's murderous neighborhoods.

The Senate vote to send the legislation to the president was 80-14. Less than two hours earlier, the House had cleared the measure, 280-142, with Republicans supplying the bulk of the support.

Five months in power on Capitol Hill, Democrats in both houses coupled their concession to the president with pledges to challenge his policies anew. "This debate will go on," vowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and if anything, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada was more emphatic.

"Senate Democrats will not stop our efforts to change the course of this war until either enough Republicans join with us to reject President Bush's failed policy or we get a new president," he said.

Did someone say "new president?" I can dig it. Fred!!!!!!

Michelle Malkin notes: Oh, the nutroots are as unhappy with the White Flag Dems right now as grass-roots conservatives are with the Amnesty Republicans: ...

Lefty embed to Dems: Troops want to fight on
Allahpundit

It’s Spencer Ackerman, formerly a war supporter and contributor to TNR, now a war opponent and embed in Iraq for The American Prospect. Sectarian killings are on the rise again, the public has further soured on the mission, and according to Ackerman, “nothing in Iraq worth fighting for remains achievable, and nothing achievable in Iraq remains worth fighting for.” (Not even preventing ethnic cleansing?) So he agrees with the Dems that it’s time to stop the war. He just wants them to stop pretending that they’re doing what they’re doing to help the troops, because as it turns out, most of the troops don’t want that kind of “help.”

Haunted by Vietnam, Democrats are determined to express support for the troops. This is admirable. The truth of the matter, however, is this: many troops in Iraq, perhaps even most of them, want to stay and fight. That doesn’t mean that we should stay in Iraq any longer. It does mean, however, that if Democrats want to bridge the divide between themselves and the military—an effort further complicated by their opposition to the war—they’re going to have to recognize that arguing in the name of the troops isn’t going to work…

There’s more at the link, including an argument about why the troops’ assessment should be given due regard but only as one piece of the puzzle and only then after we’ve discounted for the “never say die” can-do attitude that would skew the view of any honorable professional soldier. The shining irony, of course, is that until now the left has invested veterans with absolute moral authority when it comes to opining on the war (but only if they’re against it): that’s the root of the chickenhawk slur, that’s what forces the media to take vets-by-proxy like Cindy Sheehan seriously, that’s why Murtha emerged as a leading anti-war spokesman — he served in the Corps, and was thus possessed of a battle-hardened second sight to which the Chimperor wasn’t privy — and that’s why the Kossacks were so bubbly about the crop of Iraq war vets who ran for Congress last year as Democrats. I take Ackerman’s piece to be a tacit warning to all of them that the chickens have come home to roost and it might be time once again to see the virtues in civilian supervision of the military. ...

House Approves War Funding Bill Without Troop Withdrawal Timelines

WASHINGTON —  Bowing to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled House reluctantly approved fresh billions for the Iraq war on Thursday, minus the troop withdrawal timeline that drew his earlier veto.

The 280-142 vote sent the bill to the Senate for final passage, expected later Thursday night.

"The Iraqi government needs to show real progress in return for America's continued support and sacrifice," said Bush, and he warned that August could prove to be a bloody month for U.S. troops in Baghdad's murderous neighborhoods.

Five months in power on Capitol Hill, Democrats coupled their concession to the president with pledges to challenge his policies anew. "This debate will go on," vowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, announcing plans to hold votes by fall on four separate measures seeking a change in course.

From the White House to the Capitol, the day's events closed out one chapter in an epic, wartime struggle pitting Congress against commander in chief over the future of a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,400 U.S. troops.

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio choked back tears as he stirred memories of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. "After 3,000 of our fellow citizens died at the hands of these terrorists, when are we going to take them on? When are we going to defeat them," he asked.  ...

WaPo weasel disses milbloggers 
Michelle Malkin

You remember WaPo blogger William "obscene amenities" Arkin. Well, he's at it again--this time taking a swipe at milbloggers:

...The MilBloggers got an extra boost of attention after the news about the Army's "crackdown" on blogs, with the overheated claim that the new operations security (OPSEC) and bandwidth rules cut off soldiers from their families and restricting people's freedoms. An extra boost from whom, you ask? From the mainstream media they so seemingly despise...

Blackfive responds: ...

Bush Pledges to Work With Allies
to Strengthen Sanctions Against Iran

WASHINGTON —  President Bush called Iran's ongoing nuclear enrichment program unacceptable Thursday, pledging to work with U.S. allies to toughen sanctions against the renegade regime. ...

The president warned nuclear capabilities for Iran threatens the world a day after the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency released a report that said Iran has expanded its uranium enrichment program despite U.N. demands to stop.

"In Iran, with a nuclear weapon, would be incredibly destabilizing for the world," Bush said. "It's in their interests that we work collaboratively to continue to isolate that regime."

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will work with European partners, Bush said.

"The world has spoken and has said no nuclear weapons programs. Yet they're constantly ignoring the demands," Bush said.

Bush warns of heavy fighting in Iraq this summer

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Congress was poised to approve money for U.S. forces in Iraq on Thursday, President Bush warned Americans to expect "heavy fighting" this summer during a critical time in his war strategy.

Answering reporters' questions at a White House news conference, Bush said the developments would occur once U.S. military reinforcements are in place in mid-June.

"We can expect more American and Iraqi casualties," Bush said. "We must provide our troops with the funds and resources they need to prevail." ...

Congress was set to vote Thursday on a war spending bill without troop timetables that have delayed passage of the $120 billion measure for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House is to vote this evening, with a Senate vote expected soon after. ...

Bush's Wars are Safer For the Military that Clinton's Peace?
Confederate Yankee

It sure sounds odd but that is what the numbers seem to show in regard to military fatalities during the current and most recent administrations.

I'd be interested in countering arguments, should anyone feel like making them, though the figures provided may make a certain amount of sense in one context.

Anecdotally speaking, I recall that the various sports teams at my high school seemed to take more injuries in scrimmages than in games. Coaches often attributed such injuries to a lack of focus and less than full intensity on the part of the injured when other athletes were scrimmaging at "game speed." ...

I hate to drop an "amnesty bill" in the punch bowl here -- The Lord knows I'm no Clinton fan -- but we didn't just stop suffering non-combat fatalities when we invaded Afghanistan. As much as I hate to call attention to it I think the linked Gateway Pundit post is comparing apples to oranges. Go read it and see what you think.

Shift news to successes in Iraq, soldier urges
John Carlson (H/T: Lorie Byrd)

A tired and disgusted Iowa soldier fired off an e-mail a few days ago, telling family and friends how things are going in Iraq.

A Blackhawk helicopter pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Jim Funk has flown more than 80 combat missions since he arrived there in October.

He described his Boone-based unit's successes after 5,000 hours of flying out of LSA Anaconda, a huge American base north of Baghdad. He talked about the tragedies he and his fellow Iowans have witnessed and his worries of becoming complacent as he goes on mission after mission.

Morale?

"We're treading water," the Ames man told the people closest to him. "We continue to kick butt on missions and take care of each other, even though we know the American public and government DOES NOT stand behind us.

Ohhhh, they all say they support us, but how can you support me (the soldier) if you don't support my mission or my objectives. We watch the news over here. Every time we turn it on we see the American public and Hollywood conducting protests and rallies against our 'illegal occupation' of Iraq."

His greatest frustration? The performance of the people who deliver the news to the American people.

I'll let him say it, in his own words, in the letter, which found its way to me: ... 

"Strategic" Polling On Afghanistan

Just go read it. (H/T:Don Surber)

Al Qaeda mastered media manipulation in Iraq
Lorie Byrd (H/T: LB)

WASHINGTON - An aspect of the war on terrorism that gets too little attention, yet is as important as any other, is the media war. Whether they realize it, members of the mainstream media are participants in the war on terrorism, and nowhere is that more evident than in Iraq.

Blogger Bill Roggio, who has embedded as a journalist in Iraq and Afghanistan, says the enemy’s documents reveal that much of their strategy revolves around manipulation of the media. An enemy unable to beat us on the battlefield is employing a strategy of attacks planned specifically for maximum media coverage and effect.

Roggio recently told the Christian Science Monitor that most mainstream media reporters “display a lack of knowledge of counterinsurgency and the role the media plays in an insurgency’s information campaign.” He says al Qaeda and insurgent groups frequently choose their targets to get specific media coverage they desire.

He cited the way a suicide attack in the Anbar province was reported as an example. “U.S. success in Anbar was immediately negated when al Qaeda conducted a suicide attack in Ramadi in early May, and The Associated Press ‘reported’ that the attack dealt ‘a blow to recent U.S. success in reclaiming the Sunni city from insurgents.’ Al Qaeda conducted the attack to generate such an opening paragraph.” ...

Journalist Michael Yon describes a similar attempt to manipulate the media.  ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on May 24, 2007 at 02:14 PM in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Media Malpractice | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Thursday, 19 April 2007
 

2007.04.19 Dem Perfidy // Islamism Delenda Est Roundup

Updated from the top. Please treat this as a blog-within-a-blog, come back often, and scroll down till you hit something you saw on your last visit.

  • Into Every Life, Some Reid Must Fall
  • Your chance to tell a treasonous rat bastard what you think of him
  • Harry Reid Declares Iraq War is Lost
  • Jon Voight said what?
  • Beyond the Surge, The Strategy
  • Democrats Would Make Iraq Timetable in Bill 'Advisory'

Click here to see my last previous roundup.

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Into Every Life, Some Reid Must Fall 
Dafydd ab Hugh

Today's lily-livered belly crawling by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Caesar's Palace, 95%), flatly announcing that "this war is lost," should disqualify him from the "leadership" position he now occupies, say I... since he is no longer leading but deserting.

Reid triumphally pronounced defeat in a press conference he called shortly after leaving the White House and his discussion with President Bush. Reid particularly singled out the counterinsurgency strategy -- which of course he belittled as "the surge" -- as having been an abject failure... because there were some big bombings yesterday:

"Now I believe myself ... that this war is lost, and that the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday," said Reid, of Nevada....

Well, who could argue with that? I also conclude that, since it was chilly yesterday, therefore global warming is false.

People of at least ordinary intelligence understand that both global warming theory and the counterinsurgency strategy must be evaluated after a reasonably long period of time: ten years or so for the former, six or seven months for the latter. In both cases, a single day is void of meaning.

I have had my suspicions about Reid from the git go. Consider the biography of Harry "Pinky" Reid. ...

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Your chance to tell a treasonous rat bastard what you think of him

An invitation for our troops 
Michelle Malkin

Active-duty military readers and military bloggers: If you'd like to send a message to the treacherous Harry Reid--who just declared the war in Iraq lost today--e-mail me or leave a trackback. I'll reprint/link them here as they come in. Here is Reid's contact form. He really needs to hear from you.  ...

Rejoinder: Appeal For Courage.

Related must-read: ...

I've been home from Nam almost 35 years, so I guess my comments aren't really what Michelle's looking for. Still, 35 years isn't nearly long enough to forget what it feels like to watch your country snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a war you helped win, a war thousands of your brothers didn't come home from. Let's spit on the graves of a few thousand more dead soldiers, Harry. Hell, why not? They probably didn't vote for you anyway. You sorry son of a syphilitic crack whore, I may not live to piss on your grave but a lot of younger dogs will; the line will stretch for miles. 

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Harry Reid Declares Iraq War is Lost 
Kim Priestap

I'd make a bigger deal out of this if it weren't so predictable:

The war in Iraq "is lost" and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Congress, Harry Reid, said Thursday. ...

Before Harry Reid proclaims the surge is a failure, maybe he should wait until it's in full swing for a while.

Dan Riehl: Harry Reid Is No Walter Cronkite

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Jon Voight said what?
Michelle Malkin

Radar Magazine sent me a link to a very interesting interview with Jon Voight, the Hollywood actor and father of Angelina Jolie. Here's an excerpt:

You recently visited with wounded troops at Walter Reed. What were your impressions?

I was deeply impressed by them. Most I spoke to were young people, around 20 years old. And they were really very eloquent, very positive, very respectful. You have to be proud of the children we're turning out from looking at this group of people. For me, I would much rather hear from these guys than the people who are presenting the news on television on a daily basis.

Were you able to gauge the mood among the troops—have they lost a sense of mission?

These guys say, well, it's possible to win it. And I'll tell you one thing they said that was very remarkable: the increase in troops that has been recommended by the president, they say anybody who's over there knows the value of backup and we should be behind this. When you're out in that situation in danger, you want to know you've got backup. Only one guy said he wasn't going back to Iraq, and he had been wounded a couple times. But all the other guys wanted to go back. One young woman, a very attractive young woman, had her leg amputated. But she says she's going to find a way to get back into it. She just reupped and she said they would find something for her to do.

Do you think it's possible to win the Iraq War?

Here's what I think: ...

He also talks about left-wing bias in the media, his support for the Patriot Act, and his criticism of Bush hatred. ...

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Beyond the Surge, The Strategy
Greyhawk

(A companion piece to this entry can be read here: Slaughter)

More University Killings?

BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber killed 12 people outside a Baghdad take-away shop on Thursday, one day after 190 people died in a bombing blitz that brought into question the US-backed security plan for the capital.

The latest bomber blew up his car in the central Jadriyah district -- a majority Shiite area -- killing 12 and wounding 28 and also setting ablaze a nearby truck loaded with gas cylinders, a security official said.

The force of the blast ripped through civilians outside the popular Hassan take-away eatery, where university students had stopped to buy lunch, said a police colonel scrambled to the scene.

One thing generally absent within stories that bring "into question the US-backed security plan for the capital" are any attempts to answer said questions. But explanations of exactly what Coalition Forces are doing are available and unclassified - in the broader details - thus there's no valid reason to leave the reader to conclude that the answer is "nothing".

But for reasons as inexplicable as the motives behind suicide attacks on university students, most reporters are content to do just that.

Kudos to the New York Times (yes, the New York Times) for not leaving that gap in their report on this week's atrocities: ...

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Democrats Would Make Iraq Timetable in Bill 'Advisory' 
By Peter Baker and Jonathan Weisman (H/T: Michelle Malkin)

Congressional Democratic leaders are moving to make their proposed timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq "advisory" as they seek to reconcile two versions of war spending legislation into a single bill that they plan to pass next week, according to several House members.

The compromise language would keep the deadlines included in the original House bill but make them nonbinding, as the Senate version did, and would allow President Bush to waive troop-readiness standards, lawmakers said. Bush has vowed to veto legislation with timetables in it, calling it a schedule of surrender, but Democrats hope to show that they are being flexible and the president rigid by softening the terms. The compromises may cost Democrats votes among antiwar liberals, but they hope to pick up some Republicans.

The haggling between congressional Democrats came as their leaders met at the White House with Bush to try to hash out their dispute. Both sides termed it a polite, productive meeting in which they restated their positions but emerged without an agreement. Democrats promised to send Bush their bill next week. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 19, 2007 at 02:30 PM in Afghanistan, Dem Dumbness, Dem Perfidy, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Saturday, 14 April 2007
 

2007.04.14 Dem Perfidy // Islamism Delenda Est Roundup

Updated from the top. Please treat this as a blog-within-a-blog, come back often, and scroll down till you hit something you saw on your last visit.

  • Bush: Democrats Offer Enemies a Victory
  • What Happened To 'Follow The Money'?
  • Good News Bad News
  • AP Quantizes Counterinsurgency Success
  • AP tally: Civilian deaths in Baghdad down 45% since February
  • IRAQ: Mentally handicapped children used in attacks
  • Condi to Bush: Release the Irbil Five; Bush to Condi: No
  • Muslim Brotherhood Says They Weren't Invited

***

***

Bush: Democrats Offer Enemies a Victory

WASHINGTON —  President Bush said Saturday that a Democratic plan to set an end date for the war gives "our enemies the victory they desperately want."

Bush and Democratic congressional leaders are trying to bolster their positions on the Iraq war before a scheduled White House meeting.

At Bush's invitation, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are due at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the war, particularly a bill funding the military mission through September.

In both the House and Senate, Democrats have attached timelines for withdrawing troops to the bill containing $96 billion in military funding.

Bush says the meeting will be about his nonnegotiable stance on a timeline.

"Instead of approving this funding, Democrats in Congress have spent the past 68 days pushing legislation that would undercut our troops," he said in his weekly radio address. "They passed bills that would impose restrictions on our military commanders and set an arbitrary date for withdrawal from Iraq, giving our enemies the victory they desperately want." ...

***

What Happened To 'Follow The Money'?
Ed Morrissey

It gets disheartening defending the obvious pre-9/11 connections between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda when the White House seems unmotivated to do so, but Thomas Jocelyn and Andy McCarthy haven't been chased off the story by Senator Carl Levin and the Washington Post. When both asserted that no one had found connections between Saddam and AQ, they both reminded readers to follow the money:

But Levin's story, which was simply repeated without any real investigation by the Post or even the inspector general's office, relies on a false dichotomy. The senator now pretends that the CIA and other intelligence outfits had reached a rock-solid conclusion that there was no noteworthy relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda in 2002, but Feith's shop improperly pressed on. The Post summarized the inspector general's report as saying: " the CIA had concluded in June 2002 that there were few substantiated contacts between al-Qaeda operatives and Iraqi officials and had said that it lacked evidence of a long-term relationship like the ones Iraq had forged with other terrorist groups."

This is simply revisionist history at its worst. ...

***

Poor innocent mistweated widdle flying imams -- Update 19

See previous: Poor innocent mistweated widdle flying imams -- Update 18

Traveling Imams Want Kramer And Costanza
Ed Morrissey

James Zumwalt, a former Marine and an anti-terrorism activist, calls for legislation protecting ordinary Americans who report suspicious behavior, regardless of whether their information uncovers a terrorist plot or not. His New York Times opinion piece references the TV show Seinfeld as an example:

[...]

The analogy isn't perfect, as Zumwalt notes. One cannot impose a requirement to act on free citizens when they see someone in danger -- but we can make it safe for people to do so. Allowing suits against people who provide information to authorities about potential crimes and terrorist attacks only degrades our ability to prevent or limit either.

Zumwalt mentions an aspect of this that I believe most people miss. ...

***

Jules Crittenden's latest Good News Bad News is up. Worth your time as always.

***

AP Quantizes Counterinsurgency Success
Hatched by Dafydd

Grudgingly -- peevishly -- truculently, the Associated Press has started to report figures that show us just how successful Lt.Gen. David Petraeus' counterinsurgency has been so far:

Figures compiled by the AP from Iraqi police reports show that 1,586 civilians were killed in Baghdad between the start of the offensive and Thursday.

That represents a sharp drop from the 2,871 civilians who died violently in the capital during the two months that preceded the security crackdown.

Outside the capital, 1,504 civilians were killed between Feb. 14 and Thursday, April 12 compared with 1,009 deaths during the two previous months, the AP figures show.

Let's put this into perspective. In Baghdad, civilian deaths dropped 45% in the last two months; throughout all Iraq, 20% fewer civilians were slain. The rise in killings was in parts of Iraq still in the red zone -- or red zone transitioning to pink -- while the drop in killings was in areas transitioning from pink to white.

Just to remind folks of what these terms mean, I refer you to ...

***

AP tally: Civilian deaths in Baghdad down 45% since February 
Allahpundit

According to Iraqi police reports obtained by the AP. Great news, but there are caveats. Civilian deaths outside Baghdad over the same two-month period are up 49% and U.S. KIAs inside the capital are up 21%. It’s also unclear how reliable the police reports are. WaPo ran a white-knuckle page-one story a few days ago about U.S. troops inside Sadr City who suspect virtually every last cop on the beat of either being JAM or afraid to cross the JAM. If that’s true, you can bet there are plenty of killings going on that aren’t making it into the blotter.

Reasons?

It is unclear why deaths outside Baghdad have increased. However, U.S. military officials say both Sunni and Shiite extremists left Baghdad ahead of the crackdown, instead stepping up their operations in a belt of communities around the capital.

The rise in deaths outside Baghdad may also be partly a result of clashes in Anbar province between al-Qaida extremists and Sunni tribes that have broken with the extremist movement.

That trend will continue and probably even increase once operations against AQ in Diyala province get going. ...

***

IRAQ: Mentally handicapped children used in attacks 

BAGHDAD, 10 April 2007 (IRIN) - The dreams 13-year-old Barak Muhammad (not his real name) had of leading a normal teenage life were dashed when his father sold him to al-Qaeda militants. Being mentally handicapped, he said he was considered a burden by his family and was told he would be better off sacrificing his life for his country.

“I don’t have a mother and never went to school. I was dreaming of a day that I would go to school like my other brothers, but I was considered different. My father was always telling me that I was a mistake in his life, a boy that was just bringing expenses and problems,” Barak said.

Barak's father sold him to al-Qaeda in Iraq for US $10,000 to support his remaining five children. Now, Barak is in training to fight US and Iraqi troops.

“Today, I help some men who say they are from al-Qaeda group. They fight people who are occupying Iraq and they said that if I do my work well, God will protect me and make me be a healthy boy,” Barak said, adding that fighters promised him that he would soon join his mother in heaven.  ... 

***

Condi to Bush: Release the Irbil Five
Allahpundit

Bush to Condi: no.

Dedicated to my pal Tanya, who, like me, once thought Condi was presidential timber. Those were the days.

At a meeting of the president’s top foreign policy team Tuesday, the administration decided that the five Iranians will remain in custody and go through the periodic three-month review used for other foreign detainees picked up in Iraq, U.S. officials said. The next review may not happen for weeks, and possibly not until July…

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went into the Tuesday meeting with a recommendation to free the men, but after a full review of the options she went along with the consensus, U.S. officials said. Vice President Cheney’s office made the firmest case for continuing to hold the men.

Supposedly one of the factors here is that they don’t want to release the five too soon after the British sailors got sprung or else it’ll look too much like what it actually is, i.e., a quid pro quo. So it’s not so much that it’s not happening as that it’s not happening now. Looks like I was too pessimistic in predicting April 26 as the release date, which makes this the second time today I’ve been wrong about something and the second time I’ve been happy about it.

Another factor is the risk of Iran starting to kidnap our guys to force an exchange. Has that process already begun? Maybe: ...

***

Muslim Brotherhood Says They Weren't Invited

The Muslim Brotherhood is denying yesterday’s report that they were invited to speak to US Congress: Islamist Group Denies Report of Hoyer Invitation to Visit Congress.

(CNSNews.com) - The Muslim Brotherhood has denied an Egyptian newspaper report saying that a visiting delegation led by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer had invited members of the radical Islamist group to visit the U.S. Congress.

“These reports are totally groundless,” Muslim Brotherhood executive bureau member Mohamed Mursi said in a statement posted on the organization’s website.

Mursi said the group’s stance on dialogue with any foreign official was that “this dialogue should be held through sound diplomatic methods in the presence of a representative from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.” ...

Allahpundit has more here.

***

Did you come by yesterday?

  • 2007.04.13 Dem Perfidy // Islamism Delenda Est Roundup
    • More straight talk from the troops
    • The Real Story about the Iraqi Parliament Bombing
    • The Washington Post spins intel
    • Malpractice or Malice?
    • AQCLU
    • Rumors on Green Zone and Bridge Bombings
    • In an Instant, a Junkyard of Humanity
    • WaPo reporter describes Iraqi parliament bombing — from inside the cafeteria
    • Death Toll Reduced In Iraq Parliament Bomb
    • Witness to a Baghdad bombing
    • It's Time To Play Family Feud! (In Waziristan)
    • Crack up: Islamic Army in Iraq splits from Al Qaeda
    • America, Iraq, and the question of total war
    • Modern Foreign Policy Execution
    • Biden Time

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 14, 2007 at 01:35 AM in Afghanistan, Dem Dumbness, Dem Perfidy, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Wednesday, 11 April 2007
 

2007.04.11 Islamism Delenda Est // Dem Perfidy Roundup

  • War Czar
  • The Taliban Offensive: Red On Red
  • Iraq in the Balance
  • A Citizen Journalist In Fallujah
  • McCain: I Blame Rumsfeld For Iraq
  • Where Do Nancy Pelosi's Loyalties Lie?
  • Pelosi Diplomacy: Legitimizing Terrorism
  • Gates: Army tours extended by three months
  • Video: Angry Gates unloads on Pentagon leaker
  • I'm sorry for selling my story, says Iran hostage Mr Bean
  • British servicemen unload on littlest sailor, a.k.a. “Mr. Bean";
    Update: Video of Mr. Bean impersonation added!
  • Iraqi insurgents being trained in Iran, U.S. says
  • al Qaeda attack in Algiers

Some things you might have missed yesterday:

***

War Czar
Jules Crittenden

Finding the right general isn’t easy.  Just ask Lincoln.  I’d suggest retired Marine Gen. John J. “Jack” Sheehan, a former top NATO commander, is not the guy, seeing he can’t keep his mouth shut about a White House initiative that hasn’t been announced yet, and also doesn’t get it:

“The very fundamental issue is, they don’t know where the hell they’re going.”

Where they are going is “to win.”  Who wants a general who not only blabs, but doesn’t want to do that? ...

***

The Taliban Offensive: Red On Red 
Ed Morrissey

The Taliban had promised that their 2007 spring offensive would have the West's forces reeling backwards and out of Afghanistan. Someone's reeling, but it isn't NATO or Pakistan. The Taliban has a different fight on its hands -- more like a civil war:

When spring came and the snows began to melt in the mountains of Waziristan, Pakistani troops braced themselves for the seasonal upsurge in fighting along the porous border with Afghanistan.

But, when it came, Pakistani soldiers were surprised, and relieved, to see the Taleban loyalists and the militants linked to al-Qaeda who seek sanctuary in this lawless region firing rockets and mortars not at them but at each other.

For the first time since 2001, the Waziri tribesmen who probably harboured Osama bin Laden and remain loyal to the Taleban are fighting against the foreign militants in their midst. ...

The spring thaw has apparently created a meltdown among the jihadis. The Waziri elders have issued a fatwa against the Uzbeks who have come to the Pashtun region. They have gone so far as to call out the lashkar, a religious militia; any man able to bear arms must join or have his home destroyed. They will have their hands full, as the Uzbeks have a reputation for ferocity that outstrips that of the Waziri Pashtuns. ...

***

Iraq in the Balance 
In Washington, panic. In Baghdad, cautious optimism.
By Fouad Ajami

BAGHDAD--For 35 years the sun did not shine here," said a man on the grounds of the great Shia shrine of al-Kadhimiyyah, on the outskirts of Baghdad. I had come to the shrine at night, in the company of the Shia politician Ahmed Chalabi.

We had driven in an armed convoy, and our presence had drawn a crowd. The place was bathed with light, framed by multiple minarets--a huge rectangular structure, its beauty and dereliction side by side. The tile work was exquisite, there were deep Persian carpets everywhere, the gifts of benefactors, rulers and merchants, drawn from the world of Shi'ism.

It was a cool spring night, and beguilingly tranquil. (There were the echoes of a firefight across the river, from the Sunni neighborhood of al-Adhamiyyah, but it was background noise and oddly easy to ignore.) A keeper of the shrine had been showing us the place, and he was proud of its doors made of teak from Burma--a kind of wood, he said, that resisted rain, wind and sun. It was to that description that the quiet man on the edge of this gathering had offered the thought that the sun had not risen during the long night of Baathist despotism. ...

***

***

McCain: I Blame Rumsfeld For Iraq
Ed Morrissey

I took part in a blogger conference on my lunchbreak today with Senator John McCain on the topic of Iraq. McCain, who gave a speech on Iraq at the Virginia Military Institute earlier today, wanted to reach out to New Media sources for his perspective on the progress of the war, the critical nature of our effort there, and the need to persevere until we succeed.

McCain did not pull many punches in this call. Speaking as bluntly as I have heard in some time, he acknowledged the credibility deficit of the Pentagon and White House on the war. Saying that “too often, we misled the American people in the past” about deadenders, mission accomplished, and so on, McCain said that the press has become too reluctant to report actual progress in Iraq. He feels that bloggers and radio hosts can help get real information to the American people and help encourage the nation to remain tenacious.

Who does he blame for the credibility gap? McCain pointed out that President Bush has to accept the ultimate responsibility for that as well as for the faulty strategy used up to this year in attempting to pacify the insurgencies. The Senator says that he is pleased with the direction the White House has taken this year and the energy with which they have pursued it. He faulted the White House for not having regular press conferences dedicated to discussing the progress in Iraq in clear and objective terms, which McCain feels would have disarmed much of the criticism, especially this year.

Ultimately, though, he blames Donald Rumsfeld for shrinking the military and using too light of a footprint in post-invasion Iraq -- a position McCain has consistently maintained for over three years. He also blames Generals Casey and Sanchez for their roles in supporting Rumsfeld's strategies. He believes that General Petraeus, a "charismatic" commander, has the right approach and the skills to succeed in Iraq. McCain also praised Rumsfeld's replacement, Robert Gates, and told us that Pentagon morale has increased substantially since Rumsfeld's departure. ...

***

Where Do Nancy Pelosi's Loyalties Lie? 
Kim Priestap

She just returned from a trip during which she took time to sit down and talk with Bashar Al-Assad, one of the biggest sponsors of terrorism world wide. Now she says she's open to talks with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian megalomaniac leader who just announced that he's now enriching uranium at an industrial level and wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map:

The Democratic speaker from San Francisco and Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, were asked at a news conference in San Francisco on Tuesday whether on the heels of their recent trip to the Middle East they would be interested in extending their diplomacy in the troubled region with a visit to Iran.

"Speaking just for myself, I would be ready to get on a plane tomorrow morning, because however objectionable, unfair and inaccurate many of (Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's) statements are, it is important that we have a dialogue with him,'' Lantos said. "Speaking for myself, I'm ready to go -- and knowing the speaker, I think that she might be.''

Pelosi did not dispute that statement, and noted that Lantos -- a Hungarian-born survivor of the Holocaust -- brought "great experience, knowledge and judgment" to the recent bipartisan congressional delegation trip to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in addition to Syria.

After insisting that she needs to keep an open dialog with leaders of rogue terrorist nations, she refuses to sit down and talk to President Bush about funding for the Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan: ...

***

Pelosi Diplomacy: Legitimizing Terrorism 
Confederate Yankee

When Democrat Presidential candidates Clinton, Obama and Edwards dropped out of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute debate that was going to be co-sponsored by Fox News, many liberals crowed over the decision. It is their contention that Fox News is an "illegitimate" news source (or a "propaganda machine," or not even a news outlet at all. Someone should tell Nielsen), and that if these candidates had answered the questions provided by the CBCI in a televised debate on Fox News, it would "legitimize" the network.

Their central argument seems to be that if these Democrat candidates appeared on Fox, that their very presence would legitimize the news network.

Using that same logic, what then, should they make of this?

[...]

Pelosi has already been hammered for undermining U.S. foreign policy and possibly committing a felony when she visited Syrian President Bashir Assad, leader of a Baathist dictatorship that serves as a conduit for weapons bound for terror groups Hezbollah and Hamas, and is a regime that is implicated in the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister.

Not content with botching her last and possibly illegal attempt to create her own foreign policy separate from that of the official position of the United States, Pelosi seems open to the idea of visiting Iran, a brutal mullacracy that provides munitions and training to terrorist groups, whose officials will be indicted for murder, a regime that has conclusively shipped a significant quantity of weapons into Iraq that have killed American soldiers.

Apparently, the double standard is this: ...

***

Gates: Army tours extended by three months

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Tours of duty for members of the U.S. Army will be extended from 12 months to 15 months effective immediately, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday.

"What we're trying to do here is provide some long-term predictability to our soldiers and their families," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon.

In exchange for the extension, Gates said the service will be able to give all units a year at home between deployments.

He denied the order was a sign that the Army has passed its breaking point under the stresses of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the service has met or passed its recruiting and retention goals.

But he added that the military has been "stretched" by the conflicts.

And he blasted Tuesday's leak of that proposal to the media, saying the Defense Department hoped to give the troops 48 hours' advance notice of the decision.

The order covers the active-duty Army, which provides most of the estimated 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. National Guard and reserve troops would continue to spend a year in the war zone, Gates said. ...

***

Video: Angry Gates unloads on Pentagon leaker 
Allahpundit

He announced today that they’re extending the tours of active-duty soldiers from 12 months to 15, which he claims is a way to make sure everyone has a full year at home when their tours are up. That imagines troops returning to Iraq in 2008 (or 2009), but that shouldn’t come as a surprise: all but the most dovish Democratic withdrawal plans provide for a substantial non-combat force in country to train the Iraqi army that’s going to disintegrate once we pull out.

Like I say, the formal announcement was today, but the informal announcement came two days ago when someone inside the building leaked it to ABC News. No particular reason why, as far as I can tell; they simply wanted to embarrass Bush by sandbagging the troops and their families with the news before they could be personally notified by their commanders. Which brings us to this vintage slow burn. ...

***

I'm sorry for selling my story, says Iran hostage Mr Bean 

Captive sailor Arthur Batchelor, who was dubbed Mr Bean by the Iranians, has apologised for selling his hostage ordeal story and 'letting the Navy down'.

Seaman Batchelor came under fire for cashing in by selling his tale to the tabloid press.

He claimed the cash he was paid would barely pay for his driving test, although colleague Faye Turney is thought to have pocketed up to £100,000.

The 20-year-old's apology came as Defence Secretary Des Browne admitted his decision to allow the former hostages to sell their stories to the media was wrong.

Conservative leader David Cameron demanded an inquiry into the "calamitous" decision.  ...

***

British servicemen unload on littlest sailor, a.k.a. “Mr. Bean”;
Update: Video of Mr. Bean impersonation added!
Allahpundit

Admit it, you’re laughing at the “Mr. Bean” thing.

It’s okay. I am too.

A series of messages on forces’ websites ridiculed Arthur Batchelor and Faye Turney, who cashed in after being held prisoner for 13 days…

Seaman Batchelor’s claim that he cried himself to sleep after his Iranian captors likened him to the comedy character Mr Bean made him a laughing stock.

One serving soldier posted: “Batchelor didn’t do the reputation of servicemen much good either! Being broken by being called Mr Bean FFS! - that must be on a par with Monty Python’s Spanish Inquisition and the comfy cushions.”

Comments left on unofficial forces’ websites, the Rum Ration and the British Army Rumour Service laid into Ms Turney and Mr Batchelor.

Another servicemen says of Mr Batchelor’s complaint that his iPod was stolen by the Iranians: “What I wish to know is why a young lad on a boarding party detail needed to take his iPod? If he listened to The Ride of the Valkyries as he sped towards the target ship, what did he listen to on his trip to Iran?”

It goes on and on. Rest assured, if there’s video somewhere in Tehran of them calling him “Mr. Bean,” it’ll surface. And rest equally assured that when it does, it’s going viral. ...

***

Iraqi insurgents being trained in Iran, U.S. says

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi insurgents are being trained in Iran to assemble weapons and Iranian-made weapons are still turning up in Iraq, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

The statement comes two months after the United States said it had asked Tehran to stop the flow of weapons into Iraq.

Coalition forces found a cache of Iranian rockets and grenade launchers in Baghdad on Tuesday, spokesman U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said Wednesday.

"The death and violence in Iraq are bad enough without this outside interference," Caldwell said. "Iran and all of Iraq's neighbors really need to respect Iraq's sovereignty and allow the people of this country the time and the space to choose their own future."

Caldwell showed reporters photographs on Wednesday that he said were found in the weapons cache. In February, Caldwell said the United States had asked Iran to stop the transfer of weapons.

President Bush has said a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard called the Quds Force is behind the supply of Iranian weapons. Tehran has denied interfering in Iraq.

Caldwell also said Wednesday that two militants who were recently detained said they had received training in Syria, another nation the Bush administration has accused of meddling in the region. ...

***

al Qaeda attack in Algiers
Michelle Malkin

Evan Kohlmann reports:

The Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC)--now known as "Al-Qaida's Committee in the Islamic Maghreb"--has issued a statement today claiming responsibility for dramatic suicide bombings in the capital of Algeria, and allegedly likewise in neighboring Morocco.

23 dead, 2 bombings.

Walid Phares gives the bottom line: "It is about a global Jihadi campaign with Algeria and other countries as "battlefields." ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 11, 2007 at 12:04 PM in Afghanistan, Dem Dumbness, Dem Perfidy, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est, Nancy Pelosi | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Tuesday, 10 April 2007
 

Australia to double Afghan force

Australia plans to almost double its troop numbers in Afghanistan by next year amid warnings that the Taleban insurgency shows no sign of weakening.

Prime Minister John Howard said without an extra effort, the fight against the militants would not be won. He warned the country to prepare for casualties.  ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on April 10, 2007 at 10:31 PM in Afghanistan, Australia | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Tuesday, 27 March 2007
 

Aussie jihadi pleads guilty

Australian Terror Suspect Pleads
Guilty to Providing Support to Terrorism 

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba —  Australian terror suspect David Hicks pleaded guilty Monday to a war-crime charge of providing material support to terrorism in a plea bargain that will assure his transfer from Guantanamo's cells to Australia, officials said.

The 31-year-old detainee, who has spent more than five years imprisoned in Guantanamo and was accused of supporting Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, could be sentenced by the end of the week, military officials said. Defense attorneys said a gag order by the military judge prevented them from discussing details of the plea until a sentence is announced.

The United States has agreed to let Hicks serve any sentence in Australia. ...

DELAY ALMOST OVER
Tim Blair

On January 11, CBS News examined - in their own way - the case of Australian Taliban member and Gitmo homeboy David Hicks:

Today marks five years without a day in court for David Hicks ...

And why might that be? ABC national security correspondent Leigh Sales:

The Hicks defence strategy relies on delaying the process for so long that the Australian Government will be forced to ask for the prisoner’s return.

Hmm. Anyway, despite his lawyers’ delaying tactics, Hicks is shortly due to appear in a Gitmo court. Latest word is he’ll make a deal.

UPDATE. Hicks pleads guilty.

UPDATE II. The Australian reports: “Hicks is short and overweight … He did not look unhealthy and certainly not ‘gaunt’ or ‘hollowed cheeked’ as his legal team have described him in recent months.”

UPDATE III.  ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 27, 2007 at 02:20 AM in Afghanistan, Australia, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Monday, 26 March 2007
 

No Criminal Negligence in Death of Pat Tillman,
But Brass Made Errors in Reporting

SAN JOSE, Calif. —  The military has found no criminal wrongdoing in the friendly fire death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan, but says there were critical errors in reporting the former NFL star's death and failing to provide details to his family.

Army and Defense Department investigators said Monday that officers looking into the incident passed along misleading and inaccurate information and delayed reporting their belief that Tillman was killed by his fellow soldiers. The investigators recommended the Army take action against the officers. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 26, 2007 at 04:28 PM in Afghanistan, The American Warrior, US Army | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Wednesday, 21 March 2007
 

Taliban And Al-Qaeda At War In Wana?
Ed Morrissey:

It's getting to the point where people need a scorecard in Waziristan to keep all of the players straight. A battle broke out today between Taliban elements in Waziristan and Uzbeki terrorists from al-Qaeda who overstayed their welcome in the Pakistani mountains:

Nearly 50 people have been killed after rising tension between local tribesmen and foreign militants in north-west Pakistan erupted into fierce fighting.

Heavy shelling has raged since Monday near Wana in the South Waziristan tribal area close to Afghanistan.

Most of those killed were militants from Uzbekistan suspected of links with al-Qaeda, officials said. ...

Once again, we return to the underlying role of tribalism in the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 21, 2007 at 02:57 PM in Afghanistan, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Sunday, 18 March 2007
 

Pakistan cedes more territory to Al Qaeda

Pakistan signs the Bajaur Accord
Pakistan signs its third “peace deal” with the Taliban in the tribal agencies
Bill Roggio

The much anticipated Bajaur Accord – a peace agreement purportedly with the local tribal leaders of the Mamoond tribe and the government - has been signed in Pakistan's lawless tribal agency. The details of the agreement are not yet available, however the Daily Times has described it as “a step towards a North Waziristan-like peace accord. Bajaur Agency.” Pakistan conveniently finished negotiations as international attention is on the crisis over the removal of Pakistan's chief justice.

It appears, like in the North and South Waziristan deals, that the government has openly negotiated with the Taliban and al Qaeda. “We hope that a North Waziristan-like deal is also reached between the government and tribal militants, led by Faqir Mohammad,” sources told Dawnon condition of anonymity. Faqir Muhammad is a senior leader within the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat-e-Mohammadi (TNSM, or Movement for the Implementation of Mohammad's Sharia Law), the “Pakistani Taliban” who has sent over 10,000 foot soldiers to fight alongside the Taliban during the U.S. invasion in 2001.

Hat tip: Allahpundit, who comments here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 18, 2007 at 03:51 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Tuesday, 13 March 2007
 

Are the wheels coming off the jihad wagon?

... or are they just arguing about whose turn it is to drive?

***

Has the Global Islamic Jihad Movement fractured?
By Ray Robison

Even as the leadership of the Democrats sets timetables for withdrawal from Iraq, the sands have shifted and leaders of the Global Islamic Jihad Movement are displaying signs that their own alliance has fractured. Some pundits have described the Democrat leadership's position over the war on terror as "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory"; a cynicism that perhaps never sounded as plausible as it does this week. But to understand how this Islamic jihad movement has splintered, we must understand how it fits together.

Reports  from Southwest Asia tell us that Gulbuddin Hekmatyar has distanced himself from the Taliban yet again, according to his own statements. This is important because Hekmatyar has been one of the chief training camp operators for Islamic jihad fighters for many years, a talent-in-trade he developed under CIA auspices against the Soviets in the 1980's. His role was well known when he went to Baghdad and requested aid for his "centers" from Saddam in1999.

Captured Saddam regime documents show that Helmatryar claimed that he once received 2,000 fighters to train from Iran (it was not stated but my guess would be Hezb'allah fighters). Back then, and for a short time afterward Hekmatyar was the Taliban's chief rival. It is unclear exactly when he reconciled with Mullah Omar, but it is likely the US action in Afghanistan forced Hekmatyar and his numerous followers to join sides with the Taliban. At the very least, their dispute for control of Afghanistan was rendered mute by US forces in their lands.

It also happens that the Taliban leadership and Hekmatyar had the same numbers on their speed dial lists, including Usama bin Laden and Saddam. The Taliban brainwashes the Pakistani and Afghani recruits in madrassas, and when they are ripe, sends them to terror camps that Hekmatyar and UBL run. It was Saddam that they both turned to in order to resolve their bitter contest against each other for Afghanistan. ...

***

Hundreds Of Mahdis, Thousands Of Insurgents Detained
Ed Morrissey

The new counterinsurgency strategies of David Petraeus have shown remarkable initial success. USA Today reports that the US and Iraqi forces now employing the Baghdad security plan have captured thousands of insurgents as well as large numbers of Mahdi Army militia members -- and Moqtada al-Sadr has yet to poke his head above ground:

Coalition forces have detained about 700 members of the Mahdi Army, the largest Shiite militia in Baghdad, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said Monday.

The militia, which is loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and has clashed with U.S. troops in the past, has mostly avoided a direct confrontation with American and Iraqi government forces, Gen. David Petraeus said in an interview with USA TODAY.

Some of the militia's top leaders have left the capital, and Iraqi government officials are negotiating with al-Sadr's political organization in an effort to disband the militia, Petraeus said.

The seven hundred Mahdis are only the tip of the iceberg. The White House estimated that 16,000 other insurgents are held by US and Iraqi forces as well, making this sweep an early success. In fact, the burgeoning numbers of detainess require the US to send more military police to guard them. ...

Petraeus appears to be on the right track and gathering momentum. Congress represents the only real long-term obstacle to success.

***

Payment Overdue
By Smash

Iran's nuclear program hits a roadblock:

Russia warned Iran on Tuesday of "irreversible consequences" for the Bushehr nuclear power station project should Tehran fail to resolve a financing dispute, state-run RIA Novosti reported.

"We cannot wait longer for a decision by the Iranian side," Vladimir Pavlov, director for Russian contractor Atomstroiexport's Bushehr work, was quoted as saying. "Delays in restarting the financing will bring irreversible consequences."

Iran's nuclear program is a top priority for Ahmadinejad. If they can't afford to keep up payments, it's an indication of serious financial problems.

Is the Islamic Republic on the verge of a total economic meltdown? ...

***

Russia Weighs In 
Jules Crittenden

Stratfor mulls Russia’s “non-payment” beef with Iran.  Suggests it’s not about money:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 12 personally ordered the suspension of any transfers of nuclear materials and technologies to Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant project, ostensibly because of Iran’s unwillingness to meet its payment schedule for the project. The idea that Iran, currently flush with petrodollars and facing down the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program, would choose this moment to stop paying its primary political backer, Russia, is an odd one.

The reality is that Putin has no intention of ever completing the Bushehr project. ...

***

Shiites clamoring for Mahdi Army’s return?
Allahpundit

We’ve pinched a lot of jihadis lately but not enough to stop the flow of car bombs. Iraqslogger’s hearing rumors of JAM starting to reappear around Baghdad to protect Shiites, although the sourcing seems thin and it’s not clear if they’re hardcore Sadrists or just neighborhood watch types. Could be they’re Mahdi Army v2.0 — ideological confreres who adopt the mantle of the organization without actually having a formal connection to it, like Al Qaeda 2.0. The question is whether the U.S. will acquiesce or look the other way. Ambassador David Satterfield was emphatic last week about there being no role for Sadr’s goons in the new security plan, but Petraeus was more equivocal, acknowledging the usefulness of “auxiliary police forces” — if they’re unarmed, and, presumably, if they’re not being trained and equipped by Iran. To that end, Petraeus also told USA Today that the U.S. is negotiating with Sadrist politicians to disband the JAM, but popular support for that must be at ebb tide right now. Thanks, of course, to the Sunnis:

Neutralizing Shiite militias when Sunnis are launching attacks may actually strengthen al-Sadr’s position, said Vali Nasr, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and author of The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future. “The Shiites have become more convinced they need the militias to protect them.”

“The Mahdi Army basically disappeared,” he said. Sunni insurgents “have mounted a surge of their own.”

Not just in Baghdad either. As the Marines clamp down in the city, the jihadis are spilling east into Diyala province, where they’re smoking Shiites out by lighting their houses on fire, among other niceties. According to the Times, the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq — the umbrella Sunni terrorist group in the country — is being openly flown in some villages. 700 U.S. troops from the 5th Battalion are now being redeployed to address the problem. Bush is also pressing Iraq’s Sunni neighbors to rein in the insurgents, but they’re loath to do so until they’re sure Maliki isn’t an Iranian puppet who’s going to hand the country to Tehran. Result: pressure on Washington on Maliki to show his good faith by reaching out more to Sunnis. That explains his surprise visit to Ramadi today. It also explains why both Iyad Allawi, who’s angling to replace Maliki as PM, and Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani are in Saudi Arabia right now. From IHT: ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 13, 2007 at 09:38 PM in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ernie may be dead, but his ghost still writes

Ernie Is Dead 
Greyhawk

Word from Mike Yon, in Baghdad:

My latest dispatch is published on the front page of Fox News. I am honored that Fox has agreed to begin publishing my major dispatches on their front page. I am also flattered that Fox has agreed to publish my work unedited.

Please click "Ernie is Dead" to read the latest.

Mike reminds us his "site remains independent and is 100% contingent on reader support. Thank you for considering supporting my work in Iraq through the end of 2007."

And, ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 13, 2007 at 05:38 PM in Afghanistan, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Monday, 12 March 2007
 

Dances with Osama?

Native American trackers to hunt bin Laden
Hat tips: Jules Crittenden, Dan Riehl

WASHINGTON: An elite group of Native American trackers is joining the hunt for terrorists crossing Afghanistan's borders.

The unit, the Shadow Wolves, was recruited from several tribes, including the Navajo, Sioux, Lakota and Apache. It is being sent to Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to pass on ancestral sign-reading skills to local border units.

In recent years, members of the Shadow Wolves have mainly tracked smugglers along the US border with Mexico.

But the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan and the US military's failure to hunt down Osama bin Laden - still at large on his 50th birthday on Saturday - has prompted the Pentagon to requisition them.

US Defence Secretary Robert M.Gates said last month: "If I were Osama bin Laden, I'd keep looking over my shoulder."

The Pentagon has been alarmed at the ease with which Taliban and al-Qa'ida fighters have been slipping in and out of Afghanistan. Defence officials are convinced their movements can be curtailed by the Shadow Wolves.  ...

***

Michelle Malkin has more here, A J Strata wonders why it took so long to think of the idea.

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 12, 2007 at 06:17 AM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Friday, 09 March 2007
 

CIA goes a-huntin' in Pakistan

US Enters Pakistan On Bin Laden Hunt
Ed Morrissey

The US has sent CIA special operations units into Pakistan to hunt down fresh leads on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders, the London Telegraph reports. The action comes just a few weeks after American officials presented Pervez Musharraf with evidence of AQ's growing presence in Waziristan and demanded action to destroy them:

America is stepping up its hunt for Osama bin Laden by dispatching additional CIA operatives and paramilitary officers to Pakistan to kill or capture the al-Qa'eda leader.

US officials said that the mission is intended to intensify the pressure on the terrorist leader, who turns 50 tomorrow, and perhaps force him into making a mistake. He is widely believed to be hiding in the region bordering Afghanistan. ...

Intelligence officials believe that Osama normally goes on the move in March, when the bitter winters in that region finally dissipate and travel can resume. Movement makes people more vulnerable, and the US wants to catch him in transition. They believe that he has built the camps with the aim to run the Taliban and AQ operations directly and in person, and hope to catch him either at the camps or on his way to them.  ...

[Read the whole thing.]

See also:

***

Musharraf Deal Bad For Pakistanis, Too
Ed Morrissey

With the deal between Pervez Musharraf and the Waziris widely acknowledged as a problem for the US and NATO in Afghanistan, some forget that Pakistanis also suffer from its effects. The Los Angeles Times reports on the ascendancy of the extremists and terrorists in Pakistan since Musharraf signaled a retreat on his prosecution of the war on terror, and what that means for moderates opposed to jihadism:

For weeks, there had been whispers that Akhtar Usmani, a young teacher at a Muslim religious school, was speaking out against the growing presence of Islamic militants in his home in the tribal area of Waziristan.

Then one day last week, the schoolteacher's corpse, with the head severed from the torso, was found in a bloody sack dumped beside a desolate road. A note on his mutilated body called him a spy for America.

Such grisly reprisal killings have become a recurring feature of life in Waziristan, a rugged border zone that is in the global spotlight because of U.S. intelligence claims that elements of Al Qaeda are regrouping there. ...

Musharraf's retreat wasn't just a betrayal of his allies in the war on terror, but also a betrayal of the moderate Muslims he claims to lead. The Waziristan deal has allowed the extremists out of the shadows and into the open, and they have predictably acted to impose their religious tyranny on everyone in sight. Just as the Taliban did in Afghanistan, they have banned music, threatened barbers, shuttered movie theaters, and forced schools that teach girls to close.

It's not just Taliban fanily values that have afflicted Waziris and others in the region. They have also started conducting kidnappings to bolster terrorist finances, another form of terrorism on the local civilians. The Taliban have turned themselves into an Islamic Mafia, conducting protection rackets, truck hijackings, and the ubiquitous drug smuggling that occurs in the region regardless of who is in charge.

The civilians have not quietly accepted their fate as Mullah Omar's vassals. They have organized their own response to Islamist terrorists, conducting attacks on their own. A gang of tribal warriors attacks Uzbek terrorists last week in a battle that left 19 dead.

[Read the whole thing here.]

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 9, 2007 at 11:58 AM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Tuesday, 06 March 2007
 

NATO Beats The Taliban To The Punch
Ed Morrissey

The much-anticipated spring offensive by the Taliban just found itself eclipsed by the late-winter offensive of NATO. The West launched a large operation that aims to push the Taliban out of Helmand province, where the Taliban have scored their only success at regaining territory:

NATO-led troops launched an offensive against Taliban militants Tuesday in a volatile southern Afghan province where hundreds of militant fighters have amassed.

The operation, which will eventually involve 4,500 NATO troops and 1,000 Afghan soldiers, was launched at the request of the Afghan government and will focus on the northern region of Helmand province, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.

"Our first maneuver elements reached their positions at approximately 5 a.m. this morning," said Maj. Gen. Ton van Loon, ISAF's southern commander. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 6, 2007 at 07:55 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Monday, 05 March 2007
 

Osama's last stand? -- Update

See previous: Osama's last stand?

Dead in Afghanistan: Will Any High Value Targets Be Among Them?
Gretchen Peters and Habibullah Khan Report:

Efforts are now underway to identify the dead following a U.S. and NATO strike in a remote area of eastern Afghanistan over the weekend, according to Afghan officials.

ABC News reported a major strike may have targeted a high-value al Qaeda target in the village of Mandaghel in Kunar province.

The U.S. military on the ground in Afghanistan continues to officially deny there was anything other than "routine military operations" in the eastern province over the past three days.

But U.S. and Afghan government officials said over the weekend that an operation was taking place. They declined to identify who the operation was targeting but indicated they were after a "High Value Target" (HVT). 

Official sources would not rule out that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden himself was the intended target.  Afghan officials said the target could be another senior ranking al Qaeda leader.

[Read on.]

Allahpundit's skeptical, as usual,

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 5, 2007 at 04:02 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Sunday, 04 March 2007
 

An Open Letter to CENTCOM
K T Cat

Dear Sirs,

I work with the Marines and Navy and know what great things you're accomplishing in Iraq, Afghanistan and in the Horn of Africa. I know that your mission goes far beyond normal military actions and that you've done wonders to improve the lives of people throughout the region. The whole country should be proud of what you've done.

In the past, I've blogged about what the US Navy did after the tsunami and what Spirit of America is doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. On days when I don't have much time for blogging, I'd love to post videos of the civil successes you've got to show. I'd do it for free and would make sure my friends all knew about it.

I just spent an hour on YouTube searching for such things. I found nothing I could use. There's lots of videos of propaganda for the enemy or politicians blathering about mistakes and losses, but nothing showing progress and success.  [Read on.]

See also: CENTCOM Idea Follow Up

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 4, 2007 at 02:24 PM in Afghanistan, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack


Saturday, 03 March 2007
 

Osama's last stand?

Afghanistan: US forces attack suspected al Qaeda hideout

For the past two days, U.S. and NATO forces have been conducting a major attack against a compound in a remote area of Eastern Afghanistan  where Osama bin Laden or another senior al Qaeda leader may be hiding,  ABC News has learned. 

According to eyewitnesses and local reporters in Kunar province, Coalition forces launched a fierce attack on a small enclave in the village of Mandaghel, approximately 17 miles from the border with Pakistan, on Friday afternoon. Warplanes pounded the positions ;  U.S. special forces and Afghan National Army soldiers moved in shortly afterwards.

The assault appeared to  meet stiff resistance from militants  at the compound. Heavy artillery and gunfire could be heard for hours,  local witnesses said . A handful of civilians were reportedly wounded in the strike. Though sealed off from outside access, the area now appears to be under coalition control.

U.S. officials declined to identify who the operation was targeting, but indicated they were after a "High Value Target". ...

Hat tip Allahpundit, who comments:

Have those two big Taliban birds already sung? The arrest of Mullah Akhund, the group’s number three, wasn’t announced until Thursday afternoon, but according to another Blotter article he was taken into custody “only hours” after Cheney left Pakistan for Afghanistan on Monday. So conceivably, they’ve been working him over for days. Which leads to two questions: (1) why would his arrest have been announced publicly before the U.S. had a chance to act the intelligence he’s (presumably) giving them, and (2) wouldn’t all senior AQ leaders have gone to ground immediately after word of the arrest got out, knowing that the U.S. could soon have a bead on them?

Update: This is either a major scoop or a complete bust because there’s nothing about it anywhere else on Google News that I can see. NBC has, however, confirmed with the Taliban that the two commanders have been arrested. And contrary to prior reports, they weren’t arrested together; one was arrested “more than a week ago” (with an accomplice) and gave up the other.

Pakistani security forces raided at the Gul Park Hotel in Quetta, the capital of Balouchistan province, and arrested Ameer Khan Haqani, commander of Zabul province in Afghanistan, and Jaland Abdullah Sarhadi of Kandahar.

Sarhadi had been detained for more than three years in Guantanamo Bay after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001. He was later released by U.S. authorities.

It is widely believed among the Taliban rank and file that it was the information extracted from these two men that led to the capture of Mullah Obaidullah [Akhund], the former Taliban defense minister and close confidante of Taliban leader Mullah Omar on Monday…

A Pakistani intelligence official in Quetta, speaking off the record to NBC News, said that Mullah Obaidullah has been taken to the capital, Islamabad where a team of U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials will assist in the interrogation process.

***

Jules C: Early Birthday Present for Osama!

***

Ed Morrissey: Not Much More On That Al-Qaeda Story

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 3, 2007 at 06:28 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Thursday, 01 March 2007
 

Report: Pakistan arrests Taliban’s #3

Number 3 Taliban Leader Arrested In Pakistan
A J Strata

OK, for those skeptical about Pakistan’s backbone regarding the Islamo Fascists they just arrested the number 3 Taliban leader:

Pakistani security forces have captured a high-ranking Taliban leader in the southwestern city of Quetta, a senior Pakistani security official and Taliban sources said on Thursday.

The capture of Mullah Obaidullah Akhund marked the first time Pakistan had arrested a senior leader of the Islamist militia since it was driven from power in Afghanistan in 2001, and thousands of its fighters fled into Pakistan. ...

... This will definitely be a test of Pakistani and Musharaaf resolve. There will be a backlash. So we will know soon enough if Islamabad is serious about the war on terror. ...

***

Report: Pakistan arrests Taliban’s #3
Allahpundit

Some Pakistani officials are denying it, but even Taliban sources tell Reuters it’s true. It’s the first big pinch of a senior Talib commander since the invasion of Afghanistan. How big? The Blotter:

Pakistani officials identified one of the men as Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, considered the third in command of the Taliban…

“His arrest would be huge, if confirmed,” said Barnett Rubin, a New York University professor who testified today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the resurgence of the Taliban in Pakistan…

Intelligence sources said Akhund may know the secret whereabouts of Taliban leader Mullah Omar, and perhaps of Osama bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahri.

Guess where he was arrested. Right, in Quetta — the same city where, according to a captured Taliban spokesman, Mullah Omar is hiding out with the protection of Pakistan’s CIA and the same city that’s been rumored for years to be a Taliban stronghold, despite vehement denials by Pakistani officials. I guess Cheney made his point, huh?

The Counterterrorism Blog has good background on this turd. Once upon a time he was Afghanistan’s defense minister under the Taliban regime; he surrendered to the Northern Alliance shortly after the U.S. invasion in 2001 — and then was promptly released as part of an “amnesty deal,” despite the fact that he was “considered by American intelligence officials to have been one of the Taliban leaders closest to Mr. bin Laden.” He appears to have spent most of the last few years waging jihad and dialing up news agencies to call Hamid Karzai a puppet. Presumably he’s on his way to the waterboard now.

Before we ask him about Osama, maybe we should ask him about this guy. He’s been awfully chatty lately. ...

***

See also: Pressed, Pakistan Comes Up With A Taliban Chief

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 1, 2007 at 09:23 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Move Over, Omar

Mullah Dadullah Rocks!
Jules Crittenden

He’s got the latest, flashiest pajamas.  Double barrelled disco tiger-stripe RPG.  MTV pimped his technical.  No way Rule No. 19 applies to Mullah Dadullah … you know he’s gotta have mobs of beardless boys swooning over him … he’s like a Taliban rock star!

If Osama bin Laden likes being in the global spotlight, he’s likely a bit depressed in his hideout these days. The leader of the al-Qaida terrorist organization hasn’t made an appearance on the evening news for quite some time. What’s more, the Taliban no longer need bin Laden as a figurehead. Western intelligence agencies warn that the Taliban now have “their own star” in their struggle against Western soldiers and the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai. The new nightmare from the Hindu Kush Mountains is called Mullah Dadullah. He sports a pitch black beard, always wears a military jacket and these days, he is omnipresent in the media. ...

Bloodthirsty propaganda is everywhere in northern Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan. Virtually every CD salesman in Peshawar is selling the latest films released by the Taliban leader. “Oh, you want the Dadullah tapes,” says one. “They’re very popular right now.” He disappears for barely a minute and then returns with an entire stack. He charges about €3 ($4) per film. Those who buy several get a discount. But he doesn’t want his picture taken. He says Pakistani police already causes him enough trouble when they find terror DVDs in the suitcases of journalists at the airport.

Mullah Dadullah is totally sick, dude! Asstastic. Sexellent. That one-eyed Mullah Omar is so 2001. ...

***

Move Over, Omar
Ed Morrissey

The Taliban have a new commander and a new public face for their terrorism. Mullah Dadullah has become the new rock star of the jihad in Waziristan, and his emergence could portend an especially tough spring for Afghanistan and its NATO defenders:

If Osama bin Laden likes being in the global spotlight, he's likely a bit depressed in his hideout these days. The leader of the al-Qaida terrorist organization hasn't made an appearance on the evening news for quite some time. What's more, the Taliban no longer need bin Laden as a figurehead. Western intelligence agencies warn that the Taliban now have "their own star" in their struggle against Western soldiers and the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai. The new nightmare from the Hindu Kush Mountains is called Mullah Dadullah. He sports a pitch black beard, always wears a military jacket and these days, he is omnipresent in the media. ...

Western intelligence agencies believe the Taliban have used the winter to thoroughly tighten their organizational structure. Some Taliban commanders are even reporting that Taliban leader Mullah Omar -- who disappeared from the scene entirely for years -- is once again writing letters to his supporters, congratulating successful commanders and the parents of suicide bombers and reminding militants of their "Islamic duties" via audio recordings. For years, one-eyed Omar had disappeared without a trace -- likely afraid of being tracked down by the CIA.

But Mullah Omar seems to be feeling more secure these days -- as does Mullah Dadullah, who only recently outlined his vision for the coming months. Behaving almost like any normal politician, he invited al-Jazeera journalists to visit him in the mountains. His words were alarming despite being full of rhetoric and propaganda. Dadullah said he commands 6,000 men who have volunteered for suicide attacks, and that their offensive is "imminent." He added that some of his men are already set off on their mission, which he described as a "bloodbath for the occupiers." This week's symbolic attack on US Vice President Dick Cheney is reason to fear that Dadullah is issuing more than just empty threats.

The Taliban have taken comfort in the internal divisions within the NATO alliance, especially those which demonstrate a lack of enthusiasm for manning the front lines. As a whole, they have engaged their supporters much more openly than any time since their ejection from Kabul. The films of their camps feature far more open faces, and the jihadis seem unafraid to give their full names.

Some of this is patently fake. ... 

Contributed by Bill Faith on March 1, 2007 at 01:52 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack


Tuesday, 27 February 2007
 

Taliban tries to kill Cheney? (Updated)

Cheney takes refuge in bomb shelter after Afghan blast 

MUSCAT (Reuters) - Vice President Dick Cheney was whisked into a bomb shelter immediately after a Taliban suicide bomber struck the main American military base he was visiting in Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Up to 14 people were killed, including one U.S. and one South Korean soldier, in the Bagram air base attack which rebels said was aimed at Cheney.

He had been in his room at the base where he had unexpectedly had to stay the night after bad weather forced postponement of his trip to the capital, Kabul, about 60 km (40 miles) away. ...

***

The Assassination Attempt Misses 
Ed Morrissey

Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan after a stop in Pakistan to tell Pervez Musharraf that the US needs him to fight the al-Qaeda and Taliban forces organizing in Pakistani territory. As if to underscore that message, a suicide bomber attacked Bagram while Cheney visited, killing 10 people outside the base but leaving Cheney unharmed:

[...]

The Taliban could not have done more to prove the US case to Pervez Musharraf. Cheney's presence during the attack will put even more pressure on the beleaguered Pakistani leader.

The Bush administration sent Cheney along with high-level intelligence officers in order to conduct a presentation of the evidence we have collected of terrorist activity in Waziristan. Reportedly, we identified locations and support networks for al-Qaeda and the Taliban forces that will conduct their spring offensive in the coming weeks. Identification of these sites makes it very difficult for Musharraf to shrug off our warning, as does the high level of the visit. It's the final warning to get something done, or suffer us getting it done for him.

In fact, that point may already have been crossed. With the Taliban taking responsibility for the attack and with Cheney as its target, the US may determine that those camps present a clear and present danger to the US. That would allow President Bush to launch an attack on the camps even though they are in Pakistani territory. That move would be constitutional and necessarily limited, and since it targets al-Qaeda, would likely generate little dissent from Congress. I'd expect some members of the new Congressional leadership to ask why we hadn't attacked them before this assassination attempt. ...

***

Taliban tries to kill Cheney? 
Alllahpundit

Captain Ed thinks this gives Bush the political capital he needs to launch an attack on the new terror camps springing up in the Pakistani border region. Hopefully so, although Americans are sufficiently war weary that I suspect at this point they wouldn’t want Bush expanding the theater for any reason short of another AQ bombing on American soil. Besides, how much good would it do? Even if we take the camps out, they’ll just restart them somewhere else with plenty of new recruits energized by the violation of Pakistani sovereignty. The only lasting solution is for the Pakistani army to take control of the region, and Musharraf probably couldn’t do that even if he wanted to.

Now then. Did the Taliban really know Cheney was at Bagram? Two different spokesmen from the group claim they did, but there’s no way to tell if it was just lucky timing and they’re taking credit opportunistically. Per Debka, there is reason to believe the Taliban has tipsters inside Bagram; likewise, MSNBC recalls that a jihadi bomber attacked in the Uruzgan province during a “secret” visit by the U.S. ambassador last year. But if AQ has people on the inside, and if, as one expert on the Taliban claims, the attack must have taken days to plan, how do you explain this tidbit from the MSNBC story? ...

***

Assassination chic, Cheney edition
Michelle Malkin

The Vice President of the United States was reportedly targeted by Taliban jihadists in Afghanistan. Jonathan Karl of ABC News reported from the scene:

A suicide bomber struck at the main entrance to Bagram air base in Afghanistan today, as Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting.

Immediately after the attack, a red alert traveled throughout the base — a red alert that we heard saying that the base was under direct attack. ...

Whatever your partisan leanings, an attack planned on the Vice President of the United States is an attack on America.

Some of our fellow Americans, however, can't put their sneering hatred of the White House aside.

The Huffington Post headlines the story this way--with sneer quotes: ...

AJ Strata finds more left-wing patriotism and compassion at the Daily Kos: ...

More from the Democratic Underground. And more.

Which side are they on? Don't ask. ...

***

Self-Loathing Libs
Jules Crittenden

Huffpo hatefest expunged, after up to 400 commenters spew vile about Taliban bomb outside Cheney’s gate at Bagram.  Comments like this one:   

“Cheney’s spokeswoman said he was fine … Fuck.”

Eventually, the Huffpo crowd couldn’t take the heat they were generating, or developed a conscience or something, and pulled the plug. Follow the link above Malkin’s pdf of the whole sordid comment stream.

Meanwhile, Bagram-based Major John, who shows up here in comments sometimes, says this at Protein Wisdom that puts some context on the bombing that some people want to see as evidence of the wheels coming off the Bushistan:

OK, time for me to chime in…I was the XO of Bagram AF from March ‘05- August ‘05.  Then I got my dream job as S-5 of the TF that had 100 square km around BAF.  I only mention this so you know where I am coming from here....

This had nothing to do with the fact that the VP was there.  I am sure somebody knew someone special was there—when “special” aircraft or anything unusal landed at BAF, we always joked—“here come the rockets tomorrow”.  And, usually, they did.  It takes a bit of time to set something like that up—24-48 hours.  Usually it was some HIG asshole or a local militia guy who was paid by the HIG to pop a few 107mm rockets at us.

If someone was going to try to get at the VP they would have had to go at least a mile to a mile and a half inside.  I happen to know what the layout of the base is—and nothing short of a tank company could do it.

This was a feeble gesture that sure ain’t going to win any affection for the remnants of the Taliban. Blow up Pakistani and Afghan truckdrivers?  Kids?!  Oh mighty warriors, indeed.  Nothing says invincibility and the favor of the Hand of God like blowing up truck drivers and kids.

I am so f$#&ing angry right now I can hardly type.

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 27, 2007 at 01:19 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Monday, 26 February 2007
 

Pak It Up

Bush To Musharraf: Try Harder
Ed Morrissey

Pervez Musharraf insisted that the peace deal he signed with tribal chiefs would not interfere with the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. No one really bought it, but the Bush administration put the best face on it in order to keep Musharraf in the fold. Now that seems to have ended, and the White House has decided on a different, tougher approach to the Pakistani president:

President Bush has decided to send an unusually tough message to one of his most important allies, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces become far more aggressive in hunting down operatives with Al Qaeda, senior administration officials say.

The decision came after the White House concluded that General Musharraf is failing to live up to commitments he made to Mr. Bush during a visit here in September. General Musharraf insisted then, both in private and public, that a peace deal he struck with tribal leaders in one of the country’s most lawless border areas would not diminish the hunt for the leaders of Al Qaeda and the Taliban or their training camps.

Now, American intelligence officials have concluded that the terrorist infrastructure is being rebuilt, and that while Pakistan has attacked some camps, its overall effort has flagged. ...

Pak It Up
Jules Crittenden

Cheney shows up unexpectedly and tells Musharraf what he doesn’t want to hear:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 — Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced trip to Pakistan on Monday to deliver what officials in Washington described as an unusually tough message to Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, warning him that the newly Democratic Congress could cut aid to his country unless his forces become far more aggressive in hunting down operatives with Al Qaeda.      

Mr. Cheney’s trip was shrouded in secrecy, and he was on the ground for only a few hours, sharing a private lunch with the Pakistani leader at his palace. Notably, Mr. Cheney traveled with the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Steve Kappes, an indication that the conversation with the Pakistani president likely included discussion of American intelligence agency contentions that Al Qaeda camps have been reconstituted along the border of Afghanistan. ...

… Congressional Democrats have threatened to review military assistance and other aid to Pakistan unless they see evidence of aggressive attacks on Al Qaeda. The House last month passed a measure linking future military aid to White House certification that Pakistan “is making all possible efforts to prevent the Taliban from operating in areas under its sovereign control.” ...

Pakistan is a difficult case, and Musharraf as the article notes has to watch his back.  Pakistan, though long in bed with Islamic extremists, has suffered repeated al-Qaeda attacks beause of Musharraf’s stance, and the Paks have arrested and handed over a number of top al-Qaeda leaders.  Pakistan also launched an offensive into the tribal areas that was only marginally successful before it sat down to deal with the tribal leaders last summer.  That deal has demonstrably failed.

As the article notes, the Bush administration has been bringing pressure and working closely to get the most out of Musharraf without jeopardizing his position for years. Now, the Dem Cong provides a conveient diplomatic tool: Cheney says, “Look, you know what I have to deal with back home, it’s out of my hands.”  Now Musharraf can turn around and do the same, and make it about money. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 26, 2007 at 01:58 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Saturday, 24 February 2007
 

The Lateral Transfer, NATO-Style
Ed Morrissey

Tony Blair's decision to draw down British forces in Basra after handing security responsibility to Iraq gave critics of the war in Iraq some dubious ammunition with which to attack it and the Bush administrations new surge strategy. However, the British troops won't be cooling their heels in London or anywhere else in the UK. Blair has to send the same number of troops he's drawing out of Basra into Afghanistan, thanks to a failure of our NATO allies to reinforce the effort to defeat the Taliban:

An extra battle group of up to 1,500 British troops is to be sent to Afghanistan to take on the Taleban over the next few months, the Government will announce on Monday. The extensive reinforcement, bringing the number of British troops in Afghanistan to about 7,000, has been agreed with Nato after alliance partners failed to offer more infantry units to fight in the south. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 24, 2007 at 02:02 PM in Afghanistan, Great Britain, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Monday, 19 February 2007
 

Al Qaeda Spring

NYT: Everything comin’ up roses for Al Qaeda in Waziristan
Allahpundit

The stories about AQ taking over the Pakistani border areas are the Sunni jihadist equivalent of the Iranian nuclear saga: it’s a slow-motion train wreck, it gets worse with each passing moment, and there’s seemingly nothing the west can do short of watered-down sanctions that won’t make the problem considerably worse. Bryan called the Waziristan peace deal between Musharraf and the tribal elders a “surrender” days after it was announced; it was obvious within weeks, as cross-border attacks on coalition troops in Afghanistan increased, that it was a disaster; and the Times itself finally administered the last rites in an article back in December, declaring that the tribal areas had become “a Taliban mini-state” infested with foreign fighters and would-be suicide bombers. AQ groupie Peter Bergen warned WaPo readers back in July not to assume the leadership was finished, either. That warning proved prescient a month later when the UK airline plotters were linked to higher-ups in Al Qaeda, and it proved prescient again a few weeks ago when the Daily Mail claimed that a “senior AQ terrorist with close links to Osama Bin Laden” was behind the cell that planned to kidnap and behead British Muslim soldiers. Meanwhile, Musharraf’s looking to expand the treaties with the tribal elders and Pakistan’s foreign minister wants NATO to make a deal with the Taliban, even as suicide bombs are going off inside Pakistani courtrooms and captured AQ operatives are accusing Pakistani intelligence of sheltering Mullah Omar.

Which is a long way of saying that nothing in tonight’s Times article, including the news about the training camps, should come as a surprise. ...

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Al Qaeda Spring
Jules Crittenden

NYT, citing intel sources who don’t want to discuss details, says al Qaeda is on the upswing in North Waziristan:   

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18 — Senior leaders of Al Qaeda operating from Pakistan have re-established significant control over their once battered worldwide terror network and over the past year have set up a band of training camps in the tribal regions near the Afghan border, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials.

American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda.

The United States has also identified several new Qaeda compounds in North Waziristan, including one that officials said might be training operatives for strikes against targets beyond Afghanistan. ..

Very interesting.  If al Qaeda is ”gaining strength despite more than five years of a sustained American-led campaign to weaken it,” it sounds like it has a way to go. Recent track record spotty. A few days ago, Stratfor suggested that al-Zawahiri’s deference to the one-eyed mullah Omar boded ill for Osama. In any case, more reason to lean on the Paks to get serious about Waziristan.

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Rice: US Disappointed By Waziristan Truce
Ed Morrissey

Spring in Afghanistan usually means another Taliban offensive, and NATO forces expect an unusually energetic effort from the radical Islamists this year. The truce given by Pakistani leader Pervez Musharraf to the tribes of Waziristan has given the Taliban more latitude in building up their forces for the offensive, a situation that Condoleezza Rice finds disappointing:

Fears that Taliban militants are preparing to launch a spring offensive from Pakistan's tribal areas are straining relations between President Pervez Musharraf and his US-led allies.

American officials are increasingly vocal about the dangers of Taliban safe havens inside Pakistan and in particular North Waziristan, one of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal agencies, where General Musharraf struck a controversial peace deal last September. American generals say cross-border incursions have soared since then.

On Friday Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, spoke of "problems and disappointments" with the situation in Waziristan. ...

... Rice has it right when she calls the situation disappointing. None of us understood why Musharraf would have trusted the Taliban and signed off on an agreement like this with people who want him dead. Everything we've seen since confirms the original diagnosis.

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AQ Making A Comeback In Waziristan, Part II
Ed Morrissey

Following up on the story I posted below on Condoleezza Rice's "disappointment" with Pakistan over its truce with tribal leaders in Waziristan, the New York Times reports on how that truce has allowed not just the Taliban but also al-Qaeda to make a comeback. A series of blows to AQ by the US and its allies had relegated Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri to mostly inspirational roles among jihadists. Now Zawahiri, at least, has become much more operational, thanks to the breathing room provided by the Musharraf deal:

Senior leaders of Al Qaeda operating from Pakistan have re-established significant control over their once-battered worldwide terror network and over the past year have set up a band of training camps in the tribal regions near the Afghan border, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials.

American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda.

The United States has also identified several new Qaeda compounds in North Waziristan, including one that officials said might be training operatives for strikes against targets beyond Afghanistan. ...

Counterterrorism experts analyze the stability and robustness of AQ in part by reviewing the frequency and timeliness of its broadcasts to the world. In 2006, the number of messages from bin Laden and Zawahiri doubled over the previous year, and the messages referred to events in a more timely manner -- sometimes within days, rather than several weeks as before. It demonstrates an ability to move tapes via courier much faster than before, which indicates a more stable network surrounding what American officials call "core al-Qaeda".

Western intelligence and military agencies are unsure how to proceed. American military strikes on these bases will violate Pakistani sovereignty, but Musharraf has not been willing to take on the task himself. The West cannot allow AQ to operate so easily, and the Bush doctrine certainly would apply here. However, if people thought Iraq was such a "meatgrinder", as one CQ commenter recently put it (and later retracted), it would be a walk in the park compared to an invasion of Waziristan and an occupation of that region. It would almost certainly pull down the Musharraf government in Islamabad, and its replacement would almost certainly be Islamist. Its army and intelligence services would immediately begin to attack American positions in the mountainous country, and we would then be at open war with a nuclear power. Plus, the lines of communication would make it difficult to resupply our troops even if that war went reasonably well; we could not hope to hold Waziristan for a significant period of time. ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 19, 2007 at 12:55 AM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est, Pakistan | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Tuesday, 13 February 2007
 

Zawahiri pledges his allegiance to Mullah Omar

Purported al Qaeda message: Unite with Taliban

(CNN) -- In a message released Monday, al Qaeda's No. 2 leader called on Muslims to unite under Taliban leader Mullah Omar, stop trying to form secular governments and instead follow strict Islamic Sharia law.

The message from Ayman al-Zawahiri, the top aide to al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, appeared on an Islamist Web site.

The video contained a still picture of al-Zawahiri, the audio remarks and English subtitles.

A text translation also accompanied the tape and was provided to CNN by lauramansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism.

CNN could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the videotape.

Al-Zawahiri pledged allegiance to Mullah Omar and called on all his followers to reject animosity and differences and come together under Mullah Omar's banner.

Allahpundit has much more here.

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Has Osama Died?
Ed Morrissey

Hot Air noted a new message from al-Qaeda's second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, which pledges allegiance to Mullah Omar and the Taliban. He urges Muslims to unite behind Omar, but makes no mention of his AQ chief Osama bin Laden, who has gone silent for a long period of time:

[...]

Arabs tend to speak in flowery language, especially regarding politics, but this pledge of Zawahiri's allegiance sounds like a man without a leader. It has been more than a year since the last tape from bin Laden, one of his longest silences since 9/11. One might have expected an Osama tape crowing about Bush's midterm setback, or about the surge strategy in Baghdad, or perhaps the failure of the previous Baghdad security strategy.

Zawahiri has been more active, sending out a message every few weeks, trying to rally what's left of his organization. Usually they include statements of loyalty to Osama and urging the faithful to rally to bin Laden, not Mullah Omar. His focus on driving followers to Omar's banner in this latest message might indicate that bin Laden has reached room temperature, or less likely, been captured.

Osama hasn't stopped making news, even if he has stopped making tapes. ...

***

Latest from the Cave
Jules Crittenden

That al-Zawahiri’s a cut up. Important news flash from al-Qaeda: Bush is “an alcoholic, liar and gambler with an addictive personality.”

Ha! I know you are, but what am I?  You’re rubber, I’m glue. No wait, that’s I’m rubber, you’re glue  … What you say is what you are. He who smelt it, dealt it … no that’s a different one.  Damn.  Gotta get up early in the morning to top that guy.

ABC’s Blotter also reports Z-man cavedude not happy with his Demo Cong minions: ...

Contributed by Bill Faith on February 13, 2007 at 02:06 AM in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack


Sunday, 21 January 2007
 

For Queen, Country, and One Lance Corporal...

Balls. Big bloody brass British balls. Read it.

*** Update and bump. Original timestamp 2007.01.18.13:43

The Sunday Mirror has the full story here, Sky News has video here. (H/T: Allahpundit)

***

Uncle Jimbo salutes here.

***

Jules Crittenden has more here.

Contributed by Bill Faith on January 21, 2007 at 01:50 PM in Afghanistan, Islamism Delenda Est | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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