Today in Iraq

War News for June 6, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Three security contractors killed in ambush at Baghdad airport. Bring ‘em on: Three Iraqis killed, two US soldiers wounded by car bomb near Taji. Bring ‘em on: Contract driver killed, US soldier wounded by roadside bomb near Haditha. Bring ‘em on: US soldiers attacked at police station in Sadr City. Bring ‘em on: US Marine convoy attacked near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Ten Iraqi policemen, two civilians killed in attack on Mussayab police station. Bring ‘em on: Four security contractors killed in Baghdad ambush. This may be a dual report of the ambush at Baghdad airport. Bring ‘em on: One Iraqi policeman killed, one wounded by roadside bomb near Kirkuk. US Marine dies of wounds received in action in al-Anbar province Abu Ghraib investigations. “Disparate inquiries into abuses of prisoners in Iraq and Afghanistan have so far left crucial questions of policy and operations unexamined, according to lawmakers from both parties and outside military experts, who say that the accountability of senior officers and Pentagon officials may remain unanswered as a result. No investigation completely independent of the Pentagon exists to determine what led to the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, and so far there has been no groundswell in Congress or elsewhere to create one.” Shady characters. “This leap in spending will focus fresh attention on the increasingly significant role played by private security firms in Iraq after a little-known company run by Lt Col Tim Spicer - the former Guards officer at the centre of the ‘arms to Sierra Leone’ scandal in 1999 - won a huge £280m deal with the Pentagon last month to provide security staff in Iraq.” The NCO Corps. “When firefights erupt with terrifying chaos in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is usually sergeants -- not officers -- who steady the riflemen, maneuver the soldiers down alleyways, coordinate with other units by radio, and supervise the resupply of water and ammo and the evacuation of the wounded. Those front-line, midcareer soldiers -- noncommissioned officers, or NCOs -- carry immense power and responsibility. They lead the squads and platoons that directly engage in the swirling confusion of an insurgency, deploying again and again on missions that test their courage, endurance and ingenuity.” Two thousand new suicide bombers recruited. “The action was intended to 'show our friends in Iraq and all other Muslims that we are ready to give our lives to defend our honour and Islam's', Mr Samadi said then, pointing to US military operations in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, which are revered by Shi'ites in Iran as well as Iraq.” Nice going, Lieutenant AWOL, you birdbrain. Commentary Analysis: “It's crucial that the U.S. attempt to understand what motivates the terrorism it seeks to eradicate. Instead, the administration seems invested in denying it. In contrast to the Rand findings cited above, the State Department claims to be able to show that terrorism has decreased since the war on terrorism began.” Analysis: “The question now is whether the press will follow the White House lead and 'stay on message' or whether the spectacle of self-flagellation at the Times will lead to more even-handed coverage of a complex and dangerous story. New York-based author and media critic, Michael Massing has been particularly harsh on the journalistic lapses at the Times because of its leadership position in the media and its influence, which spreads beyond America. In Massing's view, the Times set a pro-war tone on Iraq that many other papers followed. For him, that was the ‘pack mentality - one of the most entrenched and disturbing features of American journalism.’” Casualty Reports Local story: Texas Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: New Jersey Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: New Jersey Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Oregon Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Oregon Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Oregon Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Illinois soldier wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.