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It Became Necessary To Destroy The Town To Save It

Omar Khdhayyir » 10 August 2008 » In Analysis Briefings Commentary, Iraq, Photos » 1 Comment

A U.S. army soldier from Fox Troop, Sabre Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, sets a mud hut on fire in a deserted village on the outskirts of Balad Ruz, in Diyala province, some 75 kilometers ( 46.6 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008. Soldiers from Fox Troop burned down a deserted village in the area, in order to deny safe haven to possible terrorists in their area of operation.

Source: AP

One of the most famous quotes of the Vietnam War was a statement attributed to U.S. Air Force Major Chester I. Brown by AP correspondent Peter Arnett. Writing about the provincial capital, Ben Tre, on February 7, 1968, Arnett said: “‘it became necessary to destroy the town to save it,’ a U.S. major says.” To this day, “Ben Tre logic” is a common saying for whenever a “logical” conclusion is to destroy something out of the perceived best interests of everyone involved. Papa Bravo Romeo - U. S. Navy Patrol Boats at War in Vietnam, by Wynn Goldsmith (pages 184 to 186) attributes the quote to USAF Major Chet Brown.

Source: Ben Tre From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Balad Roz — Diyala, Irak, August 9th -10th 2008:

I have pasted unaltered above and into the photos below, the captions supplied by AP to accompany the photos by Marko Drobnjakovic. There’s a telling little line in three them (emphasis added by me):

Soldiers from Fox Troop burned down a deserted village in the area, in order to deny safe haven to possible terrorists in their area of operation.

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قادة (قاعدة) العراق يفرون إلى أفغانستان

Omar Khdhayyir » 31 July 2008 » In Iraq, Politics and Security » No Comments

20080731_screenshot قالت صحيفة (واشنطن بوست) في عددها الصادر الخميس إن زعيم تنظيم القاعدة في العراق وعددا من كبار مساعديه قد غادروا البلاد مؤخرا متوجهين إلى أفغانستان.
وقالت الصحيفة في تقرير من بغداد إن ثمة مؤشرات إلى أن تنظيم القاعدة يقوم بإرسال العناصر الجديدة التي يجندها في العراق إلى أفغانستان.
ويقول التقرير إن تنظيم القاعدة مني بهزائم خطيرة في العراق إلا انه يحقق تقدما في أفغانستان.
ونقل التقرير عن محلل استخباراتي أميركي بارز قوله إن معدل عدد المقاتلين الأجانب الذين يتسللون إلى العراق قد انخفض من 110 شهريا في الصيف الماضي الى حوالي 20 شهريا في الصيف الحالي.
ونقلت الواشنطن بوست عن البريغادير بريان كيلر ضابط الاستخبارات الملحق بالجنرال ديفيد بتريوس القائد الأميركي الأعلى في العراق قوله: (نعتقد أن تنظيم القاعدة يعيد تقييم جدوى استمراره في القتال في العراق وما إذا كان ينبغي عليه الاستمرار في تركيز جهوده على الحرب في العراق) .

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مقتل 13 شخصا واصابة 14 آخرين حصيلة الوضع الامني حتى مساء الاحد

Omar Khdhayyir » 21 July 2008 » In Iraq, Politics and Security » No Comments

افادت مصادر امنية، ان 13 شخصا قتلوا واصيب 14 آخرون، فيما اعتقلت القوات الامنية ثلاثة مطلوبين في اطار اعمال عنف وقعت في مناطق متفرقة من العراق من الساعة الثانية ظهرا وحتى الساعة التاسعة من مساء اليوم الاحد.
ففي نينوى قال مصدر في شرطة نينوى ان شخصين قتلا، الاحد، واصيب خمسة اخرون بجروح نتيجة انفجار سيارة مفخخة يقودها انتحاري كان يستهدف رتلا تجاريا، فيما تم العثور على صاروخ كان موجها الى احد المواقع العسكرية في حادث منفصلين في مدينة الموصل.
وفي نينوى ايضا ذكرت مصادر امنية ان شرطيا ومدنيا قتلا، الاحد، بنيران مسلحين مجهولين في حادثين منفصلين بمدينة الموصل. كما قتل ثلاثة مدنيين عندما اطلق مسلحون مجهولون النار عليهم في احد الاحياء السكنية شمالي الموصل.
وفي حادث آخر، قال مصدر من شرطة المحافظة إن “جنديا عراقيا قتل وأصيب إثنان آخران، مساء اليوم (الأحد)، في هجوم شنه مسلحون على أحد المراكز الإنتخابية في (حي القدس) شرقي مدينة الموصل.”
أما في بغداد، فقد قالت الشرطة العراقية ان مدنيا قتل واصيب سبعة آخرون بجروح، مساء الاحد، في انفجار سيارة مفخخة مركونة بجانب أحد الطرق في منطقة العلاوي وسط بغداد.
واوضح مصدر في الشرطة العراقية، طلب عدم ذكر اسمه، للوكالة المستقلة للانباء ( اصوات العراق ) ان ” سيارة مفخخة مركونة على جانب الطريق في تقاطع دمشق في منطقة العلاوي انفجرت مساء اليوم الاحد ما اسفر عن مقتل مدني واحد واصابة سبعة اشخاص بجروح بينهم طفلة وأحد عناصر الشرطة.”
اما في كركوك ذكر مصدر إعلامي في قوات الأمن الكردية بمدينة كركوك أنه تم العثور، الأحد، على مخبأ للمتفجرات قرب قرية تابعة لقضاء (داقوق) جنوب كركوك.
وفي ديالى  قال مصدر أمني في ديالى إن ثلاثة من منتسبي الشرطة قتلوا، الأحد، بانفجار عبوة ناسفة استهدفت السيارة التي كانوا يستقلونها في قضاء المقدادية شمال شرق مدينة بعقوبة.
اما في ذيقار قال العقيد صادق المشرفاوي مدير العلاقات والإعلام في مديرية شرطة ذي قار لـ(أصوات العراق)، أن شخصا مطلوبا للعدالة قتل، الاحد، عند قيامه بزرع عبوة ناسفة فى منطقة العبرات جنوب مدينة الناصرية.
وفي البصرة جنوبي العراق، قال مصدر مسؤول في شرطة البصرة إن قوات الشرطة ألقت القبض على ثلاثة مطلوبين بقضايا”إرهابية وجنائية” فيما تم العثور على أسلحة ومتفجرات خلال عمليات تفتيش قامت بها، الأحد، في مناطق مختلفة من البصرة.
ع ع ا (خ)- ح إ ح 

اصوات العراق - مقتل 13 شخصا واصابة 14 آخرين حصيلة الوضع الامني حتى مساء الاحد

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Caught In A Whirlwind With Fire Sadr City Baghdad May 1st 2008

Omar Khdhayyir » 02 May 2008 » In Iraq, War Crimes » 4 Comments

Iraki_Red_Crescent_Logo_250x250 O God! Pardon our living and our dead, the present and the absent, the young and the old, the males and the females.

The two civilians killed in the American air attack on Sadr City were two civilian Red Crescent workers. Six other civilians were wounded.

There will be no further postings today May 2nd 2008.

Omar

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Gulp Does It Again

Omar Khdhayyir » 17 April 2008 » In Analysis Briefings Commentary, Iraq, Politics and Security » 3 Comments

 

Iraqi GZG Unit Flees Post Behaves Rationally, Despite American’s Plea

By MICHAEL R. GORDON Gulp Gordon

BAGHDAD — A company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against Shiite militias.  A company of GZG soldiers abandoned their positions on Tuesday night in Sadr City, defying American soldiers who implored them to hold the line against the Mahdi Army who are resisting the American attempts to shoot the shit out of the place.

The retreat left a crucial stretch of road on the front lines undefended for hours and led to a tense series of exchanges between American soldiers and about 50 Iraqi GZG troops who were fleeing saw no reason why they should risk their lives for the American barbarians currently failing despite many years to conquer the place.

Capt. Logan Veath, a company commander in the 25th Infantry Division, pleaded with the Iraqi GZG major who was leading his troops away from the Sadr City fight, urging him to return to the front.

“If you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will follow you,”  “If you turn around and go back up the street those soldiers will let you suicide despite the fact that it’s strictly against the tenets of Islam, they know perfectly well that we’re trying to kill as many of their fellow sand niggers as we can get away with, and see no reason why they should help” Captain Veath said. “If you tuck tail and cowardly run away they will follow up that way, too.”  “If on the other hand you behave as an Iraki patriot and leave us to do the dirty and possibly get ourselves shot to pieces by people who know an American death squad when the see one they will act as loyal Irakis and follow you.”

Captain Veath’s pleas failed, and senior American and Iraqi commanders mounted an urgent effort to regain the lost ground. An elite Iraqi unit A mix of Peshmrega and Badr brigade in unform was rushed in and with the support of the Americans began to fight its way north.

This episode was a blow to the American effort to push the Iraqis GZG hirelings into the lead in the struggle to wrest control of parts of Sadr City from the Mahdi Army militia and what Americans and Iraqis their stooges in the GZG say are Iranian-backed groups. Bwaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

That approach was intended to build up the Iraqi Quisling military’s fighting capacity and put an Iraqi Uncle Tom face on the operation in Sadr City, which is occurring in a Baghdad bastion of support for Moktada  (learn to spell you pathetic excuse for a journalist) al-Sadr, the anti-American Iraki Nationalist, (oh no wait by definition every Iraki patriot is Anti-American so stet) Anti-American cleric. Two weeks ago, more than 1,000 (It was over 1,300 up to and including two Brigadier Generals you useless little liar you) Iraki soldiers deserted their posts refused to act as your country’s murderous stooges during the fight against militias the Mahdi Army in Basra.

Tuesday’s desertions refusal to act as a pack of traitors in Sadr City, although involving a particularly hesitant Iraqi relatively new unit, left many of the Americans soldiers wondering about the tenacity of their Iraqi when their “allies” would start fragging them.

“It bugs the hell out of me,” (it should scare the shit out of him) said Sgt. George Lewis, Captain Veath’s platoon sergeant in Company B, Third Platoon, First Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment. “We don’t see any progress being made at all. We hear these guys in firefights. We know if we are not up there helping these guys out we are making very little progress.”  “We can’t understand why they won’t risk their sand nigger lives for us. We hear these guys in firefights. We know if we are not up there forcing them to fight for us that they’ll take our ever depreciating and and increasingly worthless currency may we should start paying them in Yuan.”

Company B moved into Sadr City at the end of March as part of a broader effort to secure further terrorise the southernmost portion of the densely populated Sadr City after the Americans bombed and shelled the hell out of the place.

That area has been used by militias to fire 107-millimeter rockets toward the Green Zone (that’s right that is where some of the rockets were fired from each rocket was a message to you - “Get out of my home now.”) The Americans’ mission is to stop the rocket firings and help the Iraqi Quisling government establish a modicum of control pretend it’s a real government.

Some Iraqi soldiers have fought hard. (Actually that is true some of the soldiers who went over to the Mahdi army in Basrah fought particularly well.) American soldiers have been regularly coaching them on how to protect their patrol bases, conserve ammunition and evacuate their wounded. (And the Mahdi army is grateful for the free training the were given.)

One big problem is that the Iraqi GZG troops have responded to militia gunfire with such intense fusillades that the soldiers have endangered civilians, women and children thereby incurring a blood debt  they have also endangered American invader soldiers (and speaking as an Iraki I’m sorry they weren’t more successful in that)  and even their own forces (who cares? traitors to Irak deserve it.) The barrage of Iraqi GZG Army fire has become such a regular occurrence that some American soldiers are worried that militia fighters have tried to insert themselves between nearby Iraqi GZG units to induce the Iraqi GZG soldiers to fire on one another. (Yes — good trick isn’t it?)

In a recent visit to the Iraqi GZG forward position, First Sgt. Martin Angulo of Company B sought to coach the Iraqis on how to use their newly acquired M-16s to direct precision fire at a militia sniper who had been tormenting the Iraqi GZG forces from an alleyway.

The problem on Tuesday, however, was more serious: an Iraqi retreat that left a gaping hole in the most forward position on a critical thoroughfare in the Tharwa (I repeat learn to spell you pathetic excuse for a journalist) section of Sadr City.

The episode began when Major Sattar, the leader (the technical term is “commander” you racist oaf) of an Iraqi GZG company that had taken up positions 700 yards in front of the Americans, suddenly appeared at Company B’s field headquarters in the southern part of Sadr City.

The major’s company had replaced a more battle-hardened Iraqi unit just two days earlier, and he had been unhappy to find that he would be occupying a position to the front of the better trained and equipped Americans.

“Every house in Sadr City probably has one of their sons in the Mahdi Army,” he observed when American soldiers visited his position on Monday. “So it is hard to convince people to believe in the Iraqi GZG Army.” (Which goes to show that Major Sattar is a truthful man.)

When he arrived at the Americans’ position on Tuesday, the Iraqi GZG officer reported that many of his soldiers had taken off their uniforms and deserted saved their own lives after other Iraqi GZG and Peshmerga Army commanders failed to send reinforcements during a gun battle with militias that he said had lasted several hours. (Well what do you expect from the Badr Brigade and the Peshmrega?)

Major Sattar calmly explained that he was leading the remainder of his 80-man company away from the fight. As if to underscore the point, a convoy of Iraqi vehicles piled high with furniture (total value US$250 - price charged to the US taxpayer by Haliburton US$5 million Haliburtons’ shareholders deeply appreciate the US taxpayers’ generosity in this matter) was parked in front of the American position.

Abandoning the stronghold, however, would allow the militias to move in again and seed the road with roadside bombs. Other Iraqi GZG units had stood their ground through several long firefights, and Captain Veath was surprised that the major’s unit was leaving after holding off another militia Mahdi Army attack.

“You went through a whole battle and are now removing yourself?” Captain Veath asked incredulously. “Are any of your men dead?”

Major Sattar acknowledged that his unit had several wounded but none killed. But he and other Iraqi GZG soldiers insisted that they were poorly equipped to battle the militias. Iraqi forces, they said, were short of ammunition, had only a few armored vehicles and were up against militia fighters they said were equipped and trained by the Iranians (Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha no wonder Captain Veath was incredulous he’d just been bitten in the ass by one of America’s own lies. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha “equipped and trained by the Iranians bwaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha)

“We are not afraid,” the major responded.

He also complained that he had no means to communicate directly with the American troops.

“That is an excuse, and you know it,”  “What you really mean is you’re not williong to die for a pack of child murdering foreigners with no right to be here” Captain Veath shot back. He argued that one of the major’s platoons was situated just 100 yards from some of the American Stryker vehicles and that the two sides had agreed that the Iraqis could send a runner (who may or may not be able to run fast but then there was that sniper in the alley to worry about and the said runner doubted he could outrun a bullet) over to the vehicles to ask for help if necessary.

The Iraqi GZG commander returned to his convoy and Captain Veath followed, promising a Stryker escort if the Iraqi soldiers would only return to their positions.

Dozens of excited Iraqi GZG soldiers began to join in the discussion. As tempers flared and voices rose, Sergeant Angulo ordered the company’s soldiers to stay close to Captain Veath. (Worried about fragging - sensible man.)

The Iraqi GZG convoy drove off (taking the very expensive furniture supplied by Haliburton with them), and the Americans began to scramble to find a new Iraqi GZG unit to plug the gap. Senior Iraqi Peshmerga and Badr Brigade commanders hurried to the scene and a special Iraqi GZG reconnaissance unit was ordered to advance up the road. With the help of an American bomb-clearing unit, Stryker vehicles and attack helicopters, the Iraqis GZG traitors rumbled north, spraying rounds as they went. According to the last reports monitored by Company B, the Iraqis Badr Brigade death squad and their Peshmerga colleagues were stopped short by several roadside bombs, and planned to resume the push in daylight.

The furious Iraki fire on their drive toward the abandoned base endangered the American soldiers who were bringing supplies to one of their platoons, and an American officer issued a plea over the tactical radio.

“They are lighting up everything,” he said. “Tell them to knock it off.“Please ask them to stop shooting at us.”

(Rewritten to reflect what actually happened from Iraqi Unit Flees Post, Despite American’s Plea - New York Times by Gulp Gordon their “military” corespondent who was too busy wiping his chin to notice.)

Omar

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