Antony Loewenstein

So much for the theory that Iraq would become worse if the US were to pull out of Iraq.

Residents of Iraq’s southern city of Basra have begun strolling riverfront streets again after four years of fear, their city much quieter since British troops withdrew from the grand Saddam Hussein-era Basra Palace.

Political assassinations and sectarian violence continue, some city officials say, but on a much smaller scale than at any time since British troops moved into the city after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Maybe Ron Paul is onto something.

Share This

As the scandal and news reports surrounding the conduct of Blackwater in Iraq pour out, the Bush administration responds as only it knows how, by awarding even more money to the contractor.

This is in spite of the fact that after the constant denials, the chairman of Blackwater has admitted that BW contractors are prone to shooting first and asking questions later.

Meanwhile, Washington continues to ignore the will of the supposedly sovereign Iraqi government

“In the first comprehensive account of the day’s events, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior said that security guards for Blackwater fired on Iraqis in their cars in midday traffic. The document concludes that the dozens of foreign security companies here should be replaced by Iraqi companies, and that a law that has given the companies immunity for years be scrapped.”

So much for the Iraqi government having any power to ban Blackwater USA and other private contractors.

Worst of all, the State Department has its fingerprints all over the cover-up of Blackwater’s activities, though there is precious little evidence the US government has done anything to reign in these abuses.

Share This

A common disease among international contractors working in Iraq, Afghanistan and various other 3rd world hellholes. Frequently attacks young men with only one war or enlistment under their belt, State Dept agents, Former LEOs, anyone associated with an Ambassadors detail and occasional poseurs. BKWF has many symptoms; if you have the following you may be infected:

1. Large amount of primping, i.e. mousse in your hair despite the
fact you live in a war zone.

2. Your forearms break out in tattoos, often tribal or USMC related

3. All your shirts are skintight “Under Armor” T-shirts

4. Have used, currently using or consider using steroids

5. Refer to yourself as a “Shooter” or “Operator for Blackwater”

6. Look down upon all other PSD teams that are NOT on the
Ambassadors Detail, to include other Blackwater employees.

7. Grow a beard to blend in with the locals, even though you are a
6ft tall blonde with a “Death before Dishonor” tattoo.

8. Think the UN pool is a good place to pick-up chicks

9. Are arrogant and condescending to people with more experience,
training and who make more money than you.

10. Forget that doing a mission that has been performed in the past
by Tier 1 assets does not make you a Tier 1 asset.

11. Truly believe you look good in Speedos

12. Despite the fact there are laundry facilities available you
insist on wearing a dirty brown T-shirt with your blood type in black magic
marker to work.

13. You wear a shemagh as an ascot to fit in with the locals

14. Because you are a “High Speed-Low Drag” PSD guy you think long
hair and an unkempt beard looks professional.

15. You are familiar with doing “high threat PSD with CAT team and
Air assets”.

16. Look puzzled when someone refers to the pool as a “Sausage Fest”

17. You carry a drop-leg holster, wear a Federal Agent Badge, flash
bangs, 5 or more pistol mags, asp, handcuffs, surefire light , leatherman,
on your belt and a Gerber mark II strapped to the outside of your boot, in the
embassy complex.

18. Thursday night is your favorite night of the week.

19. A drunken, naked, Englishman has pissed on the air vents of your trailer

20. You have excellent kit.

21. When your advance goes out on mission, Army MPs secure your
perimeter.

22. Believe by running locals off the road you are winning their
“hearts & minds”.

23. Despite earning a six figure income you wear a ragged ball cap
that has not ever been washed

24. Your 9 man PSD team consists of 34 men, 6 armored SUVs, 2 Army
Stryker vehicles, an MP company, 2 “little birds” and 2 AH-64
gunships. With an AC-130 on call!

25. Your entire wardrobe can be purchased at Brigade Quartermasters.

26. You have a Blackhawk credit card.

27. You refer to Myock as “The Farm”

28. You know what color the boathouse at Hereford is.

29. The girls talk to you because you “make the big bucks”

30. You have a Bear paw tattoo

31. The most dangerous thing you have ever done is: PSD!

32. You blouse your Royal Robins 5.11 pants into your boots

33. Often email pictures of yourself in body armor, weapons and kit
to all your friends, family and anybody that you have their email address.

34. Believe people really give a shit about seeing multiple pictures
of you in your body armor, weapons and kit.

35. If you have ever gotten drunk and pointed loaded weapon at your
best friend and thought it” was FUN!”

36. You demonstrated your “quick draw” technique to your girlfriend.

37. You have been seen wearing a black boonie hat, black shirt,
black pants, black boots, black body armor, black ammo pouches and a MP5in
a desert environment when its 110 degrees

38. You refer to yourself as a “rock n’ roll mercenary”

39. Despite having tons of assets-you have not left the Embassy Compound
since July.

40. As it has gets colder instead of wearing a long sleeve shirt,
you wear long underwear with a short sleeve golf shirt. But the golf shirt
has your company logo on it.

41. You have ridden a bicycle off the diving board into a swimming
pool and thought you were impressing people.

42. You spray paint your weapon into a desert camo pattern, though you
only operate in a urban envoirment

43. An MP5 is your primary weapon

44. All your T-shirts have a police, military, weapon, or SWAT
school logo on them

45. Chasing pussy is more important than your job performance

46. A chap from CRG has had to give you a lesson in manners, after
you pushed him out of your principles way. Even though the lad had
already stepped aside.”

Share This

Another ingenious idea of targeting insurgents in Iraq.

A Pentagon group has encouraged some U.S. military snipers in Iraq to target suspected insurgents by scattering pieces of “bait,” such as detonation cords, plastic explosives and ammunition, and then killing Iraqis who pick up the items, according to military court documents.

Of course, we can rest assured that only an insurgent would stop to look at plastic explosives and ammunition.   It’s not like Iraqi people, particularly children, are curious by nature.

Share This

More confirmation that not only is the Iraqi government irrelevant, but that the Bush administration has no problem humiliating them publicly. In spite of Blackwater being ordered out of the country by the Iraqi government, they clearly are going nowhere. This makes a mockery of the suggestion that if the Iraqi government were to request the US to leave, such a request would be honoured.

As for Blackwater, the stench just won’t go away.

Share This

Pretty futile when the Iraqi forces are only doing it 8% of the time.

Share This

The fragility of the surge is coming to light.

While the surge has been sold as a new strategy, the failings are identical to previous efforts. In the past, the efforts of US forces to establish security have been compared to stepping on a water balloon, which highlights the futility of focusing on hot spots at the expense of others. Well, the pattern appears to be continuing.

Security is deteriorating in southern Iraq as rival Shiite militias vying for power have stepped up their attacks after moving out of Baghdad to avoid U.S.-led military operations, according to the latest quarterly Pentagon report on Iraq released yesterday.

As for the much touted successes of winning over the Sunni tribal chiefs and the heroic efforts of the occupation troops to pursue Al Qaeda, it was revealed today that much of the so-called success comes down to bribes. Not only are US forces arming the Sunni insurgents, but they are dangling dollar bills in front of them to stop them shooting.

Three days later, the assassination of Abu Risha in Ramadi dramatically undercut Bush and Petraeus’ claims of Anbar victory and peacekeeping. But what else is the administration keeping from us about Anbar?

snip…..

Rowley’s report, which includes interviews with candid U.S. soldiers and footage of a military commander handing a Sunni leader a wad of cash, suggests the role of bribery and coercion in building alliances that serve short-term goals in Anbar province, but in the long run deepen a multisided civil war. I talked to Rick Rowley about his report and what he thinks it indicates about Iraq’s future.

As for the dog and pony photo-ops we have been seeing of late, it appears that even those shows may be coming to an end.

The United States on Tuesday suspended all land travel by U.S. diplomats and other civilian officials in Iraq outside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, amid mounting public outrage over the alleged killing of civilians by the U.S. Embassy’s security provider Blackwater USA.

It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.

Share This

What is it about the Bush administration that causes it to lie in the face of all evidence that contradicts its fabrications?

The UN nuclear watchdog has protested to the US government over a report on Iran’s nuclear programme, calling it “erroneous” and “misleading”.

In a leaked letter, the IAEA said a congressional report contained serious distortions of the agency’s own findings on Iran’s nuclear activity.

The IAEA also took “strong exception” to claims made over the removal of a senior safeguards inspector.

There was no immediate comment from Washington over the letter.

But Rep Rush Holt, a Democratic member of the House intelligence committee, which released the report, said it had never been meant for release to the public.

“This report was not ready for prime time and it was not prepared in a way that we can rely on. It relied heavily on unclassified testimony,” he told the BBC’s PM programme.

And predictably, the Bush gang appears to committed to pursuing its insane policies in spite of all the warnings as to the consequences of military action.

Share This

From the Washington Monthly

AQI AGAIN?….U.S. military officials say they’ve captured the man who murdered sheikh Abdul Sattar Abu Risha last Thursday:

During a raid of three buildings west of Balad on Saturday, U.S. soldiers captured Fallah Khalifa Hiyas Fayyas al-Jumayli, also known as Abu Khamis, a man described in a military statement as “closely allied with senior al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders in the region.”

Look, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if AQI was responsible for Risha’s murder. But am I the only one who finds this statement to be disturbingly weasel-worded? “Closely allied” with AQI “leaders in the region”? I imagine that’s something you could say about most of the Sunni extremists in Anbar province.

Was AQI really involved with the murder, or is this just another strained attempt to somehow mention “al-Qaeda” in a high-profile case? Straight answers, please.

Share This