[Kowabunga] Correct me if I am wrong (and I don't believe I am), but hasn't President Bush repeatedly said that we have no desire to maintain a permanent presence in Iraq, that the goal is achieve a stable government and able military and police forces capable of securing their country, then leaving? Okay, there is probably some wiggle room there to allow some American troops to stay their longer, however, that would only happen at the specific invitation of the host country (Iraq) just as has been done with numerous other countries, like Spain (where I served in the Air Force, though that base is no longer used by the U.S.), Turkey, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and the list goes on.
[Craig Cheslog] I think there is something really pathetic about Bill O'Reilly going on the Late Show with David Letterman to spread his lies. Then again, Letterman...
[Alabamian.net] (If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry.
[GINA COBB] John Kerry's defense of CNN's decision to air the terrorist footage: "As painful as the images of war are, it's important to understand what soldiers go through." If there had been a CNN equivalent in 1945, would it have been important to air footage of Japanese machine guns mowing down GIs as they waded ashore?
[Blue Star Chronicles] What happens when an SUV packed with explosives is spotted by some U.S. troops? Watch and see. View This Video on You Tube h/t Pure Gum Spirits who...
[ Yowling from the Fencepost] What do you do if you have the world's largest, most powerful, hi-tech military and can't stop an insurgency that you, for all intents and purposes, started in another country? It seems Bush and Company have one idea: Make the people whose country you invaded and occupied figure out how to stop it and punish them if they can't: U.S. to Hand Iraq a New Timetable on Security Role (New York Times): The Bush administration is drafting a timetable for the Iraqi government to address sectarian divisions and assume a larger role in securing the country, senior American officials said.
[ - RINF Alternative News] rubbish bins, Welcome to Fascist America!, Father Of 9/11 Bomber Says Video A Fake, Turkish hijacker had message for pope, Shouting Telescreens Announce United Kingdom Of Fascism, Something wicked this way comes, The Bush/Cheney Police State Is Upon Us, Eavesdropping can continue pending appeal: court, Amnesty: Guantanamo Prisoners captured on cash reward, Kevin Zeese Blasts “Special Interests” at Senate Debate, Former Chief Of Staff Says He Reported Foley 3 Years Ago">4
[Iowa Liberal] Why? That’s just what I wonder anymore. Why is there so much obfuscation and mucking up over matters over which there is little serious debate? What interest does David Brooks have in futilely attempting to keep Iraq whole? Is it the basest form of instinctively supporting Bush? Chomsky would say that people like Brooks are still waiting for another Saddam Hussein to come along and reign in all of Iraq, echoing Bush I’s choice in 1991 to keep Saddam in power. He would be very close to the truth in saying so.
["On Topic" With Doug Krile] A new CNN poll shows that support for the war in Iraq is “at an all-time low” with sixty four percent disapproving (including 70% of all women). Sixty one pecent do not approve of the President’s performance (which marks an “all time high”) and 70% feel that the war is interfering with American ability to [...]
[Youtube.com] From RedStep: Little experiment of mine... I'm not political (at all), but thought it would be fun to do a very political video. Note: I personally am completely neutral on all this stuff... , tagged with iraq
[Army Post Road] I am thankful for my incredible parents who loved and taught me well, for the fantastic education the Iowa City School District provided and the outstanding experience I had at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point ”” but nothing could fully prepare me for the struggles, pain and triumphs of war. Every morning I try to prepare for another day as an U.S. Army captain from an Iowa City family of five.
US soldier arrested for rape and four murders in Iraq
[Youtube.com] From 1iraq: U.S. federal prosecutors have charged a former U.S. soldier who served in Iraq with the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and the murder of three members of her family, including the girl's sister believed to be five years old.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia has one or more articles about Mahmudiyah incident.
The rape victim, Abeer Qassim Hamza, was 14 years old. Although an FBI affidavit (based on soldiers' accounts) estimated her age to be 25, Reuters obtained documents that gave her date of birth as August 19, 1991. The other victims have been identified as Fikhriya Taha, the girl's mother; her father Qassim Hamza, and her younger sister, Hadeel Qassim Hamza.
The charges follow a military investigation into the involvement of as many as five soldiers in the rape and murders committed in the town of Mahmoudiya, 30 km south of Baghdad, on March 12.
Steven D. Green
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Steven D. Green
Steven D. Green, a 21-year-old former Army private first class in the 101st Airborne Division, appeared in a federal magistrate's courtroom in Charlotte on Monday. FBI agents had arrested Green on Friday and he is being held in Charlotte without bond pending a transfer to Louisville, Kentucky. He was honorably discharged from the Army in May 2006 because of an alleged "personality disorder."
In an affidavit, FBI special agent Gregor J. Ahlers said Green and three other soldiers from the 101st's 502nd Infantry Regiment were on duty at a traffic checkpoint when they conspired to rape the female who lived nearby.
According to witness testimony in the affidavit, the soldiers changed their clothes before going to the victims' home to avoid detection. Green took three members of the family - an adult male and female, and a girl estimated to be 5 years old—into a bedroom. Shots were heard from inside the bedroom.
"Green came to the bedroom door and told everyone, 'I just killed them, all are dead,'" Ahlers wrote in the affidavit.
The affidavit is based on interviews conducted by the FBI and investigators at Fort Campbell with soldiers assigned to Green's platoon. One of the soldiers said he witnessed Green and another soldier rape the girl.
"After the rape, (the soldier) witnessed Green shoot the woman in the head two-to-three times," the affidavit said.
U.S. officials and others had previously claimed the Iraqi family was killed in sectarian violence. Abeer Hamza's uncle, Ahmed Taha, told AP Television News that the family had believed insurgents had carried out the killings until the US military made public its investigation last week.
"Some said it was insurgents, and in fact, we ruled out the American troops," Taha said.
Response
The news of the killings and rape was met with a wave of anger in parts of Iraq and the Iraqi government directed at the nature of the current US military presence. "We believe that the immunity given to members of coalition forces encouraged them to commit such crimes in cold blood (and) that makes it necessary to review it," was the opinion of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a visit to Kuwait, July 7.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia has one or more articles about Haditha killings, Ishaqi incident, Hamdania incident, Mukaradeeb incident.
One Baghdad resident, Hussein al-Shimmari, said that the incident "shows the barbaric and aggressive nature of Americans." The Americans themselves claim they are in Iraq to help the government protect its democracy and are reported to have reviewed the way soldiers deal with Iraqi citizens.
Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Zalmay Khalilzad, ambassador to Iraq, issued a joint apology Thursday. "We understand this is painful, confusing and disturbing," they said, "not only to the family who lost a loved one, but to the Iraqi people as a whole." , tagged with iraq rape murders soldier
