Sunni Arab guerrillas deployed an explosively formed projectile (a kind of roadside bomb) against 4 soldiers who had come in a humvee to investigate the sniping death of a fifth soldier. All four were killed. Unfortunately the LA Times calls the guerrillas “al-Qaeda-allied.” This terminology is from the Bush administration lexicon. I very much doubt […]
Bush’s Failures in Afghanistan
At our Global Affairs group blog, Barnett Rubin comments on an important new NYT article on how Afghanistan is going bad under W.’s tender ministrations. Rubin is perhaps our foremost Afghanistan expert and his trenchant and informed commentary is a must see.
Guerrillas kill Governor of Qadisiya
Militiamen deployed a powerful roadside bomb to kill the governor and police chief of Qadisiya Province, the capital of which is Diwaniya. Gov. Khalil Jalil Hamza, of the Badr Organization and police chief Maj-Gen Khaled Hassan were returning to Diwaniyah from a funeral. This kind of incident is one reason for which I am very […]
Getting Pakistan Right
Be sure to check out Manan Ahmed’s “Getting Pakistan Right at our Global Affairs group blog. It is a powerful corrective to American tendencies to undervalue the democratic potential of the place.
Kirkuk Car Bomb Kills 11 UN to Up Involvement in Iraq Wave of Killings, Death Threats in Najaf
The United Nations Security Council voted to get more involve in Iraq on Friday. The increase of staffers involved, however, is minuscule, and the vote is more important for its symbolism than for its likely effective impact. The staffers will have a special charge to help in promoting national reconciliation among Sunnis and Shiites. Some […]
Baath Party: Threats over Oil Law; Seeks Info on Shiite Crimes
The USG Open Source Center translates two communiques from the Iraqi Baath Party. As long-time readers know, I believe the Baath Party cells are a significant component of what the US calls the ‘insurgency,’ but that they allow Salafi Jihadis to take the ‘credit’ for some of their terror operations. The first memo calls on […]
Cheney Urges Strike On Iran Mcclatchy
Cheney Urges Strike on Iran: McClatchy Bush threatens al-Maliki then Backs Off Bombing in Taji Kills 7 Warren P. Strobel, John Walcott and Nancy A. Youssef of McClatchy report that VP Dick Cheney has been urging a military strike on Iran, but that Bush has decided for the moment to hit Shiite allies of Iran […]
Rumors Musharraf Will Impose Emergency
Rumors Musharraf will impose Emergency Laws in Pakistan Islamabad blames Obama Blogger acting up, affecting comments, archives. Should clear up soon. Sorry. Rumors are flying in Pakistan that Gen. Pervez Musharraf may declare what amounts to martial law, responding to ‘external’ and ‘internal’ threats. [Musharraf announced Thursday that he was not in fact going to […]
Us Military Strikes Embarrass Al Maliki
US Military Strikes Embarrass al-Maliki While he is in Tehran The US military took advantage of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s absence from the country to settle some scores with the Mahdi Army in Sadr City (East Baghad), attacking units there and mounting air strikes on them, killing 32 and wounding about a dozen. Local observers […]
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