Today in Iraq

War News for May 19, 2004 Bring ‘em on: One US Marine killed in action in al-Anbar province. Bring ‘em on: Four Iraqis killed in fighting in central Karbala. What you don’t read in the US media. “Since late April, the Iraqi press has reported at least a dozen attempts to kill Iraqis working -- or suspected of working -- with the Americans. On April 28 in Baghdad, a mob hanged three men, each accused of working "as a spy for the enemies of Islam," according to a message left at their feet. The next day, gunmen shot an employee of Baghdad's Sadr City district town hall at his home. The assailants left a letter in his pocket warning against holding a funeral. On May 8, gunmen in Yusufiya, south of Baghdad, killed the head of the town council as he drove on a main street. Farther south in Samawah the next day, gunmen ran the car of the deputy mayor off the road and shot him and three passengers.” Trained, highly skilled contractors. “He had no military experience in interrogation. As a junior Navy intelligence specialist, a petty officer third class, he did all of his work in an office, reading and analyzing intelligence reports, the Navy said. But just three months later, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba began his investigation of prisoner abuses and found that Mr. Stefanowicz was directing some of the military police officers linked to abuses. He was, therefore, "directly or indirectly responsible" for the abuses, the general wrote.” More desperate measures. “Iraq's government is scrambling to find members for an elite security team to protect top officials, but time is so short and quality candidates so scarce that former Baathist bodyguards and special forces are being recruited.” Another soldier reports detainee abuse. “Sgt Provance claimed that dozens of soldiers were involved in mistreating Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib, despite claims by top Bush administration officials that it was perpetrated by a group of rogue soldiers.” Iranian Shi’ites protest US battles near Najaf. “Tens of thousands of Iranians took part in a state-sponsored rally on Wednesday to demand U.S.-led forces leave Iraq. Shi'ite Muslim Iran has voiced growing opposition to the occupation of its western neighbour in recent days with senior government and religious figures incensed by the presence of U.S. military forces in the holy cities of Najaf and Kerbala.” US soldier pleads guilty to abuse charges in Baghdad. Wolfowitz of Arabia. Clueless, as usual. “In Washington, deputy defence secretary Paul Wolfowitz was unable to say how long the United States will keep a large military force in Iraq. ‘We don't know what it will be,’ he told the Senate foreign relations committee yesterday. ‘We've had changes, as you know, month by month. We've had several different plans.’” Chalabi loses US taxpayer subsidies. “The Iraqi National Congress was informed last Friday that the $335,000 monthly payment it's received from the Defense Intelligence Agency would stop in June, they said. The payments were first reported by Knight Ridder on Feb. 21. The funding cutoff represents a major setback to administration hard-liners, who had hoped to position INC leader Ahmad Chalabi to head a democratic Iraqi government that would sign a peace treaty with Israel, allow the United States to build permanent military bases in Iraq, and serve as a model for the rest of the Middle East.” Commentary Opinion: A few weeks ago, Douglas Feith, undersecretary of defense for policy, said, ‘I think no one can properly assert that the failure to find Iraqi WMD stockpiles undermines the reasons for the war.’ Really? Well then let me assert it improperly. You told us that it was why we had to go to war, and you can't just stand there and lie about it now. This is like trying to debate the Red Queen. Sometimes it's more a matter of the neocons not being able to get their act together. Paul Wolfowitz, my fave, said the other day, ‘No one ever expected this would be a cakewalk.’ Actually, those were the very words rather famously used by his neocon buddy Ken Adelman, who predicted the war would be a cakewalk. But nothing tops Wolfowitz's classic declaration, ‘There is no history of ethnic strife in Iraq.’” Casualty Reports Local story: Oregon Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Kentucky soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Two Pennsylvania Guardsmen killed in Iraq. Local story: North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq. Monkey Mail! To yankeedoodle@gmail.com From xxxxxx@hotmail.com Subject: Wow! Your blog. Any respect I could have had for you is washed away by your "Stink Tanks" and "Fruit Baskets" link sections. Obviously someone can't see that organizations like the Heritage Foundation promote free markets and limited governments. This you call a "Stink Tank". Some "intellect" you've got there. 86-43-04. Pass it on.