This opinion piece appeared in the Gainesville Sun ( www.sunone.com ) newsaper this morning, and I almost choked on my coffee and had to read it a few times to make sure I was not seeing things, or misreading it. This is it word for word: Time to scrap the military It is time to recognize the paradigm shift that has occurred gradually in the more than 50 years before the September 11, 2001, tragedies. This shift has rendered military power nearly, if not completely, obsolete. Due t...

Chris,  Short update this time, my friend. Last Friday some of our coalition partners, the Brits, were hit with a VBIED in Kabul province. The bomber waited for there convoy to pass by, and then he attempted to detonate from their rear. However, this dumbass(excuse the language) detonated early and managed only to kill himself, an innocent bystander and his horse. There were no coalition injuries at all, although the death of the Innocent man is tragic nonetheless. Just anoth...

BAGHDAD, Iraq –  An explosion occurred in a building within the Sheik Abdel Kader mosque compound at approximately 6 p.m. May 7 in Rusafa, a neighborhood of east Baghdad.   According to the 2nd  Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Division, the bomb exploded, causing a fire.   The Iraqi fire department responded and began suppressing the fire when firefighters noticed an improvised explosive device inside the mosque.   The Iraqi police explosive ordinance disposal t...

You did not hear any of this as it was with the Arab press and not the World or US press. Interesting statements on their part. Good stuff.   Arab Media Roundtable with Secretary Rumsfeld and Secretary Rice from Baghdad, Iraq              QUESTION:   [In Arabic]                 SECRETARY RUMSFELD:   I see your point.     ...

I get e-mails and photos from several freinds and former students of mine who are over in Afghanistan and Iraq and have asked for permission to post one or two fo them here. I thought you might enjoy hearing it directly from the guys that are out there on the front line and what they have to say. If any editing was doen I have noted it (for OPSEC reasons only).   Sir,  So, on 24May I was on a bodyguard mission, so to speak, down in Jalalabad. J-Bad, our cool nickname for th...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 12 security detainees April 19 through April 25 for various crimes including illegal border crossing, possessing illegal weapons and joining terrorist groups.         The trial court found Hassan Hamid Abdulla Muhsin guilty of violating Article 194 of the Iraqi Penal Code for joining terrorist groups to endanger innocent people’s lives and to unsettle the stability and security of Iraq and sentenced hi...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed ten terrorists, three of them wearing suicide vests, and wounded one at approximately 1:30 a.m. May 2 at a safe house located approximately 40 kilometers southwest of Balad while searching for an al-Qaida terrorist leader.    Upon the troops’ arrival, one terrorist who was sleeping while on guard outside the safe house, woke up and attempted to engage the assault troops with a pistol. The terrorist was shot before he could fire his weapon.&nb...

AD DAWR, Iraq -- Donning body armor, adhering to proper military tactics and techniques, and maintaining situational awareness can help a Soldier come home in one piece, but sometimes a little something else comes into play. In March, 1st Lt. Adam Rivette, platoon leader, Troop A, 2nd Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 101st Airborne Division, and his troops were chasing down a suspicious vehicle. The pursuit did not pan out-- it did however lead to the event which Rive...

Ever wonder where I find some of this good news stuff? There is TONS of it, just not reported in the MSM. You can read to you hearts content about the good stuff by reading the in country newsletters like these: The Eagle Talon The Eagle Talon is published in the interest of the service members of the 4th Inf... Cobra Strike The Cobra Strike is published monthly by the 4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affair... The Warhorse Stable ...

04/28/06   BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed the al-Qaida “Emir” of Samarra, Hamadi ‘Abd al-Tahki al-Nissani, April 28.  Based on intelligence reports, they tracked the wanted terrorist and two others to a location approximately 15 kilometers north of Samarra.  As the troops assaulted the house where the three men were known to be hiding, Hamadi ‘Abd al-Tahki al-Nissani, who was armed, attempted to flee and was killed by the assault force.   The ground troops also ...

TIKRIT, Iraq – Iraqi security forces quickly responded to a series of attacks April 27 in Baqubah in the eastern Diyala Province, leaving 21 anti-Iraqi forces dead and capturing 43.   The attacks began in southern Baqubah in the afternoon when the Buhriz police station and five police checkpoints were simultaneously attacked with mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire. Iraqi Soldiers and police killed 17 AIF and detained 28 responsible for the attacks.  ...

April 25, 2006 BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces killed 12 terrorists during a raid April 25 in Yusifiyah at a safe house associated with foreign terrorists.  Multiple intelligence sources led the troops to the specific structure located approximately 8 kilometers N/NE of the location where the U.S. Apache helicopter crashed April 1.    Upon arrival the troops took direct fire and immediately engaged the threat with small arms fire as well as rotary wing aircraft machine gun f...

MG R. Lynch stated this week -   Bordering on peace “ We believe that 90 percent of the suicide attacks in Iraq are conducted by foreign fighters. Last year this time, across Iraq , we were averaging about 75 suicide attacks a day. Now we’re averaging about 24 a day. One of the reasons for that drawdown is not that Zarqawi and al-Qaida doesn’t want to do it anymore, but effective border operations h...

Ramadi had become a safe haven for anti-Iraqi forces, until October of last year.   The enemy hijacked a primary school and a mosque, using them as their operations centers to conduct daily attacks on Coalition and Iraqi Soldiers. Attacks from the area included everything from improvised explosive devices, to small-arms ambushes and indirect-fire attacks with mortars and rockets.   The citizens of this area felt forsaken. That is until an Iraqi Army battalion decided to take ba...

  Here are some interesting numbers for you:   Captured FOREIGN Nationals in Iraq : Oct 05 – 41 Nov 05 – 44 Dec 05 – 25 Jan 06 – 24 Feb 06 – 28 Mar 06 – 20   Bomb Makers Killed/ Captured Oct 05 – 23 Nov 05 – 15 Dec 05 – 8 Jan 06 – 3 Feb 06 – 15 Mar 06 – 8   Weapons Caches Found Oct 05 – 204 Nov 05 – 377 Dec 05 – 414 Jan 06 – 367 Feb 06 – 251 Mar 06 – 302   Tips to MNF-I (Multi-National...