Wednesday, January 07, 2004
War News for January 7, 2004
Bring 'em on: Iraqi policeman killed in ambush near Kirkuk.
Bring 'em on: Iraqi policeman assassinated near Baquba.
Bring ‘em on: Three insurgents captured after firefight in Khalidiyah.
Bring ‘em on: US troops attacked in Fallujah.
Bring 'em on: Kurdish political party office attacked with RPG fire in Kirkuk.
Numbers of US wounded remain high. "The figures illustrate the ongoing danger faced by US forces, even as the frequency of insurgent attacks appears to be declining and the number of soldiers killed has mostly held steady. 'That's a lot of pain,' said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a defense-focused think tank that compiled the figures. 'It suggests that the level of intensity of operations over there is a lot higher than would be suggested by the `killed in action' numbers. . . . The `killed in action' numbers suggest that we're winning the war and the wounded in action numbers suggest that we're losing.'"
Army Day in Iraq. "When the U.S.-led coalition eliminated the military in May, it threw 350,000 men out of work and sowed resentment among a wide swath of Iraqi society. Authorities say many ex-soldiers threw their support behind the insurgency. Some U.S. military officials have acknowledged that the wholesale dismissal of the rank and file was a mistake. "
Bush cronies at Bechtel cash in on Iraq reconstruction contracts. "Bechtel executives gave thousands of dollars to President Bush's 2000 election campaign and two of the company's top executives serve on advisory boards to the White House and the Defense Department." And Parsons hit the jackpot, too. "Separately, Parsons has an $89 million contract with the U.S. military to oversee disposal of Iraqi munitions at three sites. The company also has teamed with Bechtel to build facilities for the Army to dispose of large portions of the U.S. chemical weapons arsenal. Last September, Parsons announced it had hired two former top Energy Department officials to help the company land Energy Department contracts. Parsons also hired a recently retired Air Force major general to work in its defense contracts operation."
More on Halliburton. "The U.S. Army says it has granted Halliburton a special waiver to bring fuel into Iraq under a no-bid deal with a Kuwaiti supplier despite a draft Pentagon audit that found evidence of overcharging for fuel."
Casualty Reports
Local story: Arizona soldier killed in Iraq.
Local story: Two Indiana soldiers wounded in Iraq.
Local story: Iowa soldier wounded in Iraq.
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