By The Associated Press
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The bodies of about 50 unarmed Iraqi soldiers - many killed execution-style with gunshots to the back of the head - were found on a remote road in eastern Iraq, victims of an ambush as they were heading home on leave after basic training, Iraqi authorities said Sunday.
Also, a State Department security officer was killed during a mortar or rocket attack at a U.S. base near the Baghdad airport.
The nature of the attack on the soldiers (...)
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50 Iraqi Soldiers Found Shot to Death
25 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
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Israel bides its time on Iran
25 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
By Harinder Mishra
JERUSALEM - While Israel is at daggers drawn with Iran, its preoccupation with its daunting domestic concerns that are tearing apart the Jewish population and the non-conducive international environment are likely to deter it from the earlier posturing of carrying out a preemptive strike to foil the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions.
The indications here suggest that Jerusalem instead would prefer sticking to its already-launched diplomatic initiatives that it (...) -
Revolt in the ranks in Iraq
25 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
The inside story of the Army platoon that refused to carry out a "death sentence" mission.
By Mary Jacoby
The e-mail arrived Tuesday evening. But Kathy Harris didn’t see the urgent plea from her son, Spc. Aaron Gordon, 20, until she arrived at work Wednesday morning. By then, Gordon and 16 other members of his Army Reserve platoon were corralled in a tent in Tallil, Iraq, under armed guard, for refusing to drive a fuel supply convoy in what another of the detained soldiers would later (...) -
Memos Warned of Billing Fraud by Firm in Iraq
25 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Managers of a security firm that won large contracts in Iraq warned their bosses in February of what they called a pattern of fraudulent billing practices, internal company memorandums suggest.
The memorandums, written primarily by two company managers, charged that the security firm, Custer Battles, repeatedly billed the occupation authorities for nonexistent services or at grossly inflated prices.
The company, which quickly grew to garner security contracts worth (...) -
Abducted Aid Worker in Iraq Begs for Life
24 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
By ROBERT H. REID
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Trembling, haggard and weeping into a tissue, Margaret Hassan, the kidnapped British aid worker who has spent nearly half her life delivering food and medicine in Iraq, begged Britain on Friday to help save her by withdrawing its troops, saying these "might be my last hours."
The gaunt, 59-year-old woman’s wrenching, televised statement - delivered between sobs - puts new political pressure on Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government, a day after it (...) -
The dangers of playing hardball
24 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
By Kaveh L Afrasiabi
TEHRAN - The month of November in a US presidential-election year is not supposed to be particularly eventful, but this year may be an exception, in the light of the gathering storm over Iran’s nuclear program, due to be reviewed by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in late November. November is also important because of the Egypt summit on the future of Iraq, bringing the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized (...) -
U.K. to Send Troops Into U.S.-Controlled Area of Iraq (Update4)
22 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair’s government, risking criticism from lawmakers in the ruling Labour Party, said it will redeploy 850 troops now in southern Iraq to a region controlled by U.S. forces.
The Black Watch regiment will relieve American troops needed for an attack on rebels in Fallujah. The move will help stabilize Iraq ahead of elections due in January, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon said. Britain has 8,500 troops in Iraq.
This deployment is a vital part of the process of (...) -
109 Italian Soldiers Dead So Far From DU In Iraq
21 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
2 commentsAccording to the Italian Military Health Observatory a total of 109 Italian soldiers have died thus far due to exposure to depleted uranium.
The observatory stressed the fact that 41 pct of active personnel casualties relate to disease. According to Domenico Leggiero at the Military Health Observatory, "The total of 109 casualties exceeds the total number of persons dying as a consequence of road accidents.
Anyone denying the significance of such data is purely acting out of ill faith, (...) -
Marines Vent Frustration in Western Iraq
21 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
2 commentsBy FISNIK ABRASHI
QAIM, Iraq — The sound of the Black Hawk medical helicopter is an ominous sign for the Marines patrolling this forgotten western corner of Iraq that borders Syria. It means that one of them is seriously wounded or killed by their elusive enemy.
The sound of roaring engine, shattering evening calm, gets immediately followed up with a quick whisper among the troops, trying to find out who it was — this time.
At this Marine base, at the far west of the restless Anbar (...) -
Why We Must Leave Iraq (From An Analytical Perspective)
21 October 2004 par (Open-Publishing)
2 commentsCFTM EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS
BY: Mike Schiller dontbelievethespin@yahoo.com
Point 1: Military action in Iraq both was and still is completely un-necessary, and it does not serve any national security purpose.
I do not say this lightly. Around Spring of 2001, I, as a concerned citizen, sent an email to the White House with a prediction that the Taliban was a threat to the national security of the United States. I was not a military intelligence expert then, and I am not one now. However, (...)