Where Al Qaeda Excels

Good to see that AQ still has some things going for it. I would hate for this 'lost' war to be over too soon.

Counter-Terrorism: Where Al Qaeda Excels: "The movement of al Qaeda's main effort from Iraq to Pakistan does not involve large numbers, and the numbers have declined since the terrorists began urging new recruits to head for Pakistan. For several years, about a hundred foreign volunteers (usually for suicide type attacks) entered Iraq each month, brought in via an al Qaeda network in some Arab and European countries. Money is collected there, often under the guise of an Islamic charity, to pay for airfare, fees (some of the operatives along the way are basically mercenaries) and bribes (to get past border controls of countries trying to stop this traffic).

Now, only a few dozen al Qaeda recruits are getting to Pakistan each month. It's more expensive to get to Pakistan, compared to Iraq, and the government does not make it easy. There's also been a decline in cash contributions. Al Qaeda was beaten in Iraq, after years of saying they were winning. Al Qaedas mass murder campaign in Iraq killed mostly Moslems, and this was unpopular among potential donors. The violence in Iraq used the idea of "al Qaeda" to unite many very different Islamic militant groups, and the same concept is being used in Pakistan. Here there are tribal militias, operating as vigilantes against real or imagined sins against Islam. In the cities there are many different groups. Some are at war with another Islamic faction, others simply wish to impose their religious beliefs and practices on all other Moslems. But many do not want to be associated with al Qaeda, because of the groups reputation of violence towards Moslem women and children.

Local politicians (in Pakistan and Afghanistan) would like to blame much of the unrest on outsiders, and al Qaeda certainly fits the bill. But al Qaeda is a relatively small operation, and most of the Islamic radicals in the area are locals. Using religion as a tool to gain political and military advantage is an old problem, especially in Moslem countries. In general, Moslems like to play down this aspect of their religion, preferring to call Islam, "the religion of peace." But too many Moslem clerics, and ambitious politicians, are all too willing to exploit the militant and violent aspects of Islam. This is especially true along the Pakistan-Afghan border. But al Qaeda is a much smaller player in the region than its media coverage wound indicate. Al Qaeda is much better at playing the press than it is at doing anything else. "

UPDATE: Anthrax Attack Suspect Dead

Too true. Now we will never know the truth about who did this. Too bad. Maybe someday we will know more. I hope.

Homeland Security Watch » Anthrax Attack Suspect Dead: "It is unclear if anything Ivins did before the attacks in September and October 2001 was suspicious. We’ll never know whether Bruce Ivins was indeed the perpetrator among the 20-30 scientists at Ft. Detrick under investigation. Ivins had been told about the impending prosecution and apparently committed suicide by overdosing on Tylenol with Codeine."

Son of Hamas MP Leaves Islam for Jesus

Thank you Lord! Welcome to the Light of the Lord Joseph.

The Jawa Report: Son of Hamas MP Leaves Islam for Jesus: "Praise the lord!

Via Jewish Journal: Haaretz Weekend Magazine has a fantastic profile coming up on Masab Yousef, whose father is the top Hamas leader in the West Bank. The younger Yousef, who once assisted his father politically, has moved to California and converted to Christianity. If that didn’t stop you dead in your tracks, this will: “Send regards to Israel, I miss it. I respect Israel and admire it as a country.

Joseph, as he now calls himself knows that leaving Islam brands him an apostate and it he ever returns to his home he will likely be killed. Under Sharia law the penalty for a Muslim who converts to Christianity is death."

Tehran hosts Assad to celebrate winning nuclear dispute with West and cooling of US-Israel ties

I guess that Iran has every reason to celebrate their win. Too bad their win makes the world more unstable. Will this be the legacy of Bush? A stable Iraq and Middle East because they have to be united in perpetual war against the Iranians?

What a horrible thought.

DEBKAfile - Tehran hosts Assad to celebrate winning nuclear dispute with West and cooling of US-Israel ties: "The Syrian president Bashar Assad was due to visit Tehran in a week’s time. The trip was brought forward to Saturday, Aug. 2 to coincide with the deadline the six powers gave Iran for an answer to its offer of benefits in return for its consent to suspend uranium enrichment – or face a fourth round of sanctions.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report: Iranian and Syrian rulers are so pleased with their unforeseen success in outmaneuvering the West that they called an urgent summit for follow-up planning.

When a line of Iranian leaders rejected the ultimatum on their “right” to develop a nuclear program, Washington responded mildly “we are not counting the days”, while the European Union said there was no hurry. In any case, as DEBKAfile reports in a separate article on this page, a huge German energy deal with Iran has drawn the sting of any prospective penalties.

The Syrian-Iranian get-together also follows the failure of top Israeli leaders traveling to Washington in the past three weeks to persuade the Bush administration of the urgency of considering military action against Iran’s nuclear installations – or at least backing an Israeli operation.

Transport minister Shaul Mofaz was the last arrival after chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, foreign minister Tzipi Livni and defense minister Ehud Barak.

Iran’s supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, president Mahmoud Ahminejad and Assad can therefore pat each others backs over the cooling of US-Israeli strategic relations in on top of their other successes.

DEBKAfile’s analysts report that their feats owe more to the way the West plays into their hands than their own ingenuity:

1. In mid-June, the Bush administration decided to embark on a secret dialogue with the Islamic Republic. DEBKA-Net-Weekly was the first publication to expose this radical turn of events and to trace its progress. After procuring a direct line for business with US government leaders, and wrapping up deals, mostly behind Israel’s back, on the burning issues of oil pricing, Iraq and Lebanon, Iran nullified any leverage Washington had. Tehran can now afford to make light of the six-power ultimatum on its nuclear activities.

2. At about the same time, Israel entered into peace talks with Syria through Turkish mediation. The result: While Iran was developing its back-door rapprochement with the US, the Syrian ruler had hit the jackpot for buying back international legitimacy and a respected role in Middle East politics, without giving up his warm ties with Tehran or his sponsorship of terror.

Damascus can now afford to dump its diplomatic track with Israel as soon as Ehud Olmert steps down as prime minister in September.

The insistence of Olmert’s would-be successors – Livni and Mofaz from his own Kadima and Labor leader Barak – on continuing the talks with Syria, on condition that Assad pulls away from Tehran – not only mislead the public about their purpose, but feed the Damascus-Tehran alliance which is aimed against Israel.

3. French president Nicolas Sarkozy gave Assad a massive boost to the stability of his regime when he hosted him as the guest of honor at the last French Bastille Day parade. Sarkozy assured him then that he would act through the UN Security Council to abolish the international tribunal set up to prosecute the murderers of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. This let the chief suspects, Assad’s close kin and intelligence chiefs, off the hook.

4. A torrent of studies suddenly coming out of US think tanks in recent weeks shows how hard American research and intelligence circles are leaning on the administration to expand its dialogue with Tehran. Bush is being urged to call off sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program and withdraw US backing from Iran’s disaffected minorities’ revolt against the Islamic regime – all for the purpose of putting US-Iranian relations on a normal footing."

So begins the hand-wringing about mad biodefense scientists « BGG

The vast majority of these biodefense scientists are stable family guys who want nothing more than to end the threat of all the germs and diseases that Nature throws at us. We should thank them rather than cast aspersions upon them.

Thanks guys and gals! We are safer because of you. Despite the fear mongers who want us to think otherwise.

So begins the hand-wringing about mad biodefense scientists « BGG: "This issue has been debated for a long time. Several years ago I would have pooh-poohed the idea that highly trained and vetted scientists would present such a risk. But for at least the last couple of years I’ve felt that the expansion of biodefense labs is related not to research need but to homeland defense money. If you build it they will come, and a couple of them might be frakking nuts. Do we not now have enough investment in the study of the most dangerous, but least likely threats? How much more likely do these threats become, due to expanding the numbers of labs people handling them?

On the other hand, if Ivins was our guy, he’s been working in biodefense for nearly 20 years. Who knows when he could have gone over the edge? Would anyone have known? His coworkers seem to have liked him and don’t believe he was responsible, by the statements we’ve seen so far."

Apparent suicide in anthrax case

Well, this is not too good. How can this guy be proved beyond a shadow of a doubt as the psycho if he is dead?

Well, at least the FBI finally caught someone. Sort of.

Apparent suicide in anthrax case - Los Angeles Times: " A top government scientist who helped the FBI analyze samples from the 2001 anthrax attacks has died in Maryland from an apparent suicide, just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him for the attacks, the Los Angeles Times has learned.

Bruce E. Ivins, 62, who for the last 18 years worked at the government's elite biodefense research laboratories at Ft. Detrick, Md., had been informed of his impending prosecution, said people familiar with Ivins, his suspicious death and the FBI investigation.

Ivins, whose name had not been disclosed publicly as a suspect in the case, played a central role in research to improve anthrax vaccines by preparing anthrax formulations used in experiments on animals.

Regarded as a skilled microbiologist, Ivins also helped the FBI analyze the powdery material recovered from one of the anthrax-tainted envelopes sent to a U.S. senator's office in Washington.

Ivins died Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital after ingesting a massive dose of prescription Tylenol mixed with codeine, said a friend and colleague, who declined to be identified out of concern that he would be harassed by the FBI."

Coalition forces capture Hezbollah Brigades operative in Baghdad

More captured terrorists! Hurray!

The bad part is that these pigs are Iranian trained and supported from the well known terrorist group that Iran backs in Lebanon. That means the Media will ignore this or find it as an excuse to claim that Bush is making things up for an excuse to attack Iran.

Coalition forces capture Hezbollah Brigades operative in Baghdad - The Long War Journal: "Coalition special operations forces captured two members of the Iranian-supported Hezbollah Brigades during a raid in eastern Baghdad on early Thursday morning. The intelligence-driven raid targeted the home of a propaganda cell member, Multinational Forces Iraq reported. The cell member was responsible for videotaping Hezbollah Brigades attacks on US and Iraqi forces in Baghdad.

“This propaganda cell is suspected of making, videos of attacks on Coalition and Iraqi forces, which are then used to raise funds and resources for additional attacks against Coalition forces and Iraqis,” the US military stated in a press release."

U.S. official: Iraqis told me WMDs sent to Syria

Well, more proof yet that the US covered up the existence of the Iraqi WMD.
Why the cover up?
Why not just find the weapons and destroy them? Even if it means we have to invade another hostile country?

The world is not safer with anyone having these kinds of weapons. Especially unstable countries.

U.S. official: Iraqis told me WMDs sent to Syria: "A former American overseer of Iraqi prisons says several dozen inmates who were members of Saddam Hussein's military and intelligence forces boasted of helping transport weapons of mass destruction to Syria and Lebanon in the three months prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Don Bordenkircher – who served two years as national director of prison and jail operations in Iraq– told WND that about 40 prisoners he spoke with 'boasted of being involved in the transport of WMD warheads to Syria.'

A smaller number of prisoners, he said, claimed 'they knew the locations of the missile hulls buried in Iraq.'

Some of the inmates, Bordenkircher said, 'wanted to trade their information for a release from prison and were amenable to showing the locations.'

The prisoners were members of the Iraqi military or civilians assigned to the Iraqi military, often stationed at munitions facilities, according to Bordenkircher. He said he was told the WMDs were shipped by truck into Syria, and some ended up in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley."

'All Swedes are gay'

If we want to prosecute 'hate crimes' then all these terrorist attacks need to be considered as such. 'Honor killings' need to be treated as such, also. Nazis and the KKK related groups all learned not to attack people, when will the Muslims?



Islam in Europe: Stockholm: 'All Swedes are gay': "During the knife assault the Arabs said to the victims among other things that 'all Swedes are gay', whereas they stabbed one of them with a knife, completely unprovoked.

In the newspaper it was described as a 'hate crime' just because the victim was a homosexual, but if it had been heterosexual Swedes it would certainly not have been called a hate crime, despite the fact that it meets the complete definition of it, that is that the perpetrator expresses hate during the attack or that the underlying reason for the attack is based on the victim's ethnicity. No, since our dear politicians have seen fit to put in an exception in the law about 'hate crimes', namely that it doesn't count if the victims are Swedish, even if they are attacked for their ethnicity."

ISNA and MPAC Seek to Silence Steven Emerson at Congressional Hearing

Muslims are firm believers of Freedom of Speech. Honest! They believe in Freedom for All!

As long as you are their slave and accept the Freedoms they deign to grant you. Like breathing.

Good for Congressman Sherman for standing up to these pigs. Now he just has to oder these groups to be arrested for treason and inciting treason.

Counterterrorism Blog: ISNA and MPAC Seek to Silence Steven Emerson at Congressional Hearing: "As mentioned in Andrew Cochran's July 28 posting, the Investigative Project on Terrorism's (IPT) counterterrorism leader Steven Emerson will be testifying on Thursday July 31 at a Congressional hearing on "Foreign Aid and the Fight Against Terrorism and Proliferation: Leveraging Foreign Aid to Achieve U.S. Policy Goals." This hearing will take place at the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade this Thursday at 10:30 AM ET in room 2200 of the Rayburn House Building.

In the past day, however, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) have been working on a public relations campaign to silence Steven Emerson at this July 31 hearing. ISNA sent out an "Urgent Action Alert" to its membership calling for them to lobby Congressman Brad Sherman to either have "balanced, qualified testimony"... [or demand that] "the session be canceled." MPAC sent a similar letter to Congressman Brad Sherman and also issued "demands" calling for its membership to lobby for silencing Steven Emerson or for Congress to "cancel or postpone" the hearing. ISNA charges Steven Emerson with "Islamaphobia" [sic] and "hate mongering," while MPAC charges Steven Emerson with "bigotry." Not surprisingly, ISNA and MPAC don't support their accusations with any facts or specifics, just ad hominem name-calling to silence and discredit those who speak out against Jihad.

As reported tonight, Congressman Sherman refused to buckle under such lobbying efforts stating that "[t]his hearing will go on. We need to make sure that the State Department is not giving U.S. tax dollars to those on the other side in the war on terrorism."

ISNA's and MPAC's efforts to either silence Steven Emerson or ensure that an "expert" hand-picked by such pro-Islamic supremacist groups provides "balanced" [sic] testimony should be another wake-up call that such groups seek to not only impact the debate on Jihad and Islamic supremacist terrorism, but also control that debate entirely. Yet ISNA and MPAC remain unwilling to be accountable for their own organizations' and members' actions, statements, and ideological support."

Iraqi official visits U.S. wounded at Walter Reed

What a nice guy! It is amazing that an Iraqi politician can visit our wounded troops when a US politician finds excuses not to. Can we trade this guy for Sen. Obama? Please?

Iraqi official visits U.S. wounded at Walter Reed « BGG: "“We have come … to express our gratitude and appreciation for the sacrifices made by these great warriors, soldiers, in freeing the Iraqi people and in helping us in Iraq recover from tyranny and dictatorship,” Jawad Karim al-Bolani, Iraq’s minister of the interior, said through a translator to a handful of journalists in the lobby of the medical center."

Afghanistan: The Real Enemy Stays In The Shadows

Reading this story just makes me want to carpet bomb the poppy fields and get the War for Afghanistan over with. Sure, the West might "lose" if they cut off the drug money that the Afghanis live off of, but if we then air drop in new cash crops then we can win in the long run. Buy Afghani products! Except poppys...

Afghanistan: The Real Enemy Stays In The Shadows: "The Afghan media is bribed to play up real or imagined stories of foreign troops killing Afghan civilians. Afghan troops and police kill far more civilians, but that's not news, because that's been going on forever. The important things is that the Taliban and drug gangs will pay journalists for 'foreigner kills Afghans' stories, with a bonus if the Western press picks it up (and they do grab some of the better done fabrications)."

Death By Cell Phone

I love stories like this that show how the Muslim lack of faith in modern tools. Yes, phones and weapons are tools. If the Muslims would only get an education on things other than Islam they might start to be able to fight this War they start and win. Praise Allah for keeping his people ignorant!

Electronic Weapons: Death By Cell Phone: "Islamic terrorists operating in Indian Kashmir got sloppy with their cell phone use, and destroyed a valuable support network that included some local Moslem politicians. Counter-terrorism forces monitored cell phone traffic, and some conversations in Kashmir revealed a terrorist network that included some local Moslem politicians. The terrorists had developed security procedures for using their cell phones, but Indian intelligence eventually identified who was using the phones and for what. Improved Indian cell phone monitoring methods were suspected by the terrorists, but they became obvious when some local politicians were implicated in providing cell phones, and other assistance, to the terrorists."

Iraqi Army Scouts

More good news! The Iraqis are getting troops who are almost as good as ours. No wonder the few remaining terrorists are fleeing the country!

I will pray for these brave people's families and hope that they will continue to restore their country.

Infantry: Iraqi Army Scouts: "The Iraqi Army has had problems with finding and training troops capable of mobile operations, and effective enough to work with American units. The U.S. troops move pretty quickly, and expect a high degree of effectiveness from those they do work with. To help solve the problem, the U.S. Army offered Iraqi commanders a special training course that would select the most capable troops, and train them to a higher standard. These troops would be called "scouts" and would be formed into companies (about 150 troops), but used mainly as platoons (20-40 troops). U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEALs often conducted the training, and only about 50-70 percent of those selected, finished the three month scout training.

Iraqi commanders used their scouts they way they often rely on American troops. That is, when an enemy location is raided, the scouts would be held back, to be used if enemy fighters had to be pursued. This was particularly necessary at night, when most raids took place. If a raid was a particularly complex and dangerous one, you could use scouts, whose superior skills and experience insured the operation was a success.

Each Iraqi division has at least one company of scouts. These troops have been available for several years now, and the terrorists and militias have tried to destroy them by attacking them or their families at home. Some scouts quit the army over this, and some were murdered (along with wives and children). Most scouts remained at their jobs, and the number of volunteers for scout training has increased. "

Video: Muslim Woman Attacks Man for Calling Mohammad a Pedophile

The Jawa found this funny video of a Muslim street preacher telling about why Jesus is not a Part of God and the Islam is perfect while Christians are infidels for believing that God had a Son. She pauses and a guy in the crowd try to ask her questions and then says (Paraphrase on my part) that Mohammad can't be the Savior because he is a pedophile who molested a nine year old girl and married her. This, naturally, upsets the poor member of the Religion of Peace and Tolerance and she is forced to assault the infidel. Infidels should understand that if Allah tells someone to rape a child, that is ok. The Religion of Peace and Child Rape!

Just as Allah tells them to wipe their butts with a bare left hand.

Just as Allah is telling me to insult Muslims and test their Tolerance. If you don't believe me then you are an infidel!

The Jawa Report: Video: Muslim Woman Attacks Man for Calling Mohammad a Pedophile: "Video: Muslim Woman Attacks Man for Calling Mohammad a Pedophile

I guess we'll just go ahead and keep with the fatwa this theme this AM. You got to admit it, this guy has balls. She slaps him in the face and he calmly goes on to correctly explain to the woman who attacked him that Mohamed was in his fifties when he consummated his relationship with his nine year old bride Aisha."

Mustard Gas Leak Confirmed in Kentucky

Things happen. Even in the best situations, things still go wrong. At least this is only a trace leak and not something serious! I will be happy when the last of these antiques are destroyed and no longer a threat to the locals who are guarding them.

FOXNews.com - Mustard Gas Leak Confirmed in Kentucky - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "Richard Sloan, public affairs officer for the chemical storage site at Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, said trace amounts of mustard gas vapor were detected during a routine inspection of a storage area this week. Army workers won't know whether there is also a liquid leak until a closer inspection inside the igloo.

Because the igloo is full of artillery weapons containing mustard agent, the biggest chore in cleanup efforts is to pinpoint which one is leaking, he said.

'If they could walk in there and find a puddle, that would be wonderful, but that's probably not going to happen,' Sloan said. 'What they're probably going to do is find several thousand projectiles and no way of telling which one of those had let a little vapor through.'

Another concern is the summer heat, which could raise the temperature inside the opened igloo and heighten the chances of additional leaks. Once the leak or leaks are identified, the 155-millimeter projectiles that are affected will be stored in packed containers to limit the risk of future leakage."

German Officers Mistaken for Strippers

This must have been a good laugh for all! I would have loved to watch the cops trying to explain they are real cops while the ladies are trying to get them naked!

HA!

German Officers Mistaken for Strippers: Top News Stories at Officer.com: "No one had ordered strippers for the 30th birthday party - but the two policemen who arrived after midnight to quiet the raucous celebration found themselves greeted by a round of applause.

Female partygoers in western Germany mistook the real-life officers for fake ones who entertain parties by peeling off enticing man-in-uniform outfits.

Police spokesman Bernd Hoffmann said Monday the case of mistaken identity took place in Simmern, west of Frankfurt, after neighbors called to complain about the noise.

The two officers arrived about 12:45 a.m. Sunday. The partygoers had not ordered strippers, but thought someone had sent them as a birthday surprise.

'It took them a while to realize they were real police officers,' Hoffmann said. 'It was a bit funny for all sides.'"

World War II Deception Story

Just too funny not to share. Have a great day!

Schneier on Security: World War II Deception Story: "Great security story from an obituary of former OSS agent Roger Hall:

One of his favorite OSS stories involved a colleague sent to occupied France to destroy a seemingly impenetrable German tank at a key crossroads. The French resistance found that grenades were no use.

The OSS man, fluent in German and dressed like a French peasant, walked up to the tank and yelled, 'Mail!'

The lid opened, and in went two grenades.

Hall's book about his OSS days, You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger, is a must read."

Iraqi Official: Obama Believes This is Bush's War & Must End in Lack of Success If Not Actual Defeat

Not much to add to this. GW is brilliant as ever and I can't top his comments. Just go read it.

Gateway Pundit: Iraqi Official: Obama Believes This is Bush's War & Must End in Lack of Success If Not Actual Defeat: "In private, though, Iraqi officials admit that Obama's analysis is 'way off the mark.' Without the surge, the Sunni tribes wouldn't have switched sides to help flush out al Qaeda. And the strong US military presence enabled the new Iraqi army to defeat Iran-backed Shiite militias in Basra and Baghdad.

Nevertheless, in public at least, no Iraqi politician wants to appear more appreciative of American sacrifices than the man who may become the next US president.

Iraqis were most surprised by Obama's apparent readiness to throw away all the gains made in Iraq simply to prove that he'd been right in opposing the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. 'He gave us the impression that the last thing he wanted was for Iraq to look anything like a success for the United States,' a senior Iraqi official told me. 'As far as he is concerned, this is Bush's war and must end in lack of success, if not actual defeat.'

Even so, Obama knows that most Americans believe they're still at war with an enemy prepared to use terror against them. So he can't do what his antiwar base wants - declare an end to the War on Terror and the start of a period of love and peace in which 'citizens of the world' build bridges between civilizations."

Israel: Deal With The Devil

Is the fighting with Hamas forcing Fatah to move to a more moderate position to survive? What an interesting concept.

I love that it could be happening! I never would have predicted that Iranian pressure to kill the Jews might lead to Peace in the Middle East. Divide and conquer?

Israel: Deal With The Devil: "The growing war between Hamas and Fatah has presented Fatah with the option to turn on terrorist groups, and form an alliance with Israel. This is seen as the only solution to the dozens of West Bank Israeli checkpoints that slow traffic to a crawl, but are considered essential in limiting the movement of Palestinian terrorists. Fatah, however, has been spouting 'hate Israel' propaganda for decades, and turning kind and gentle would split the organization. But Fatah is being forced to ally itself with Israel, because Hamas operatives in the West Bank are apparently under orders to destroy Fatah there any way they can, and take control. This involves the use of Islamic radical death squads, that murder Moslems for not being Moslem enough, and Arab Christians for not being Moslem. Thus Fatah is fighting for its life, and making common cause with Israel whether it likes it or not."

Iran: The Israeli Threat

The Iranian Mullahs are spending fortunes on military hardware to protect their super expensive nuclear programs. Naturally, this is leading to some discontent as the rest of the country is falling apart. Let's keep the pressure up and see how long it takes for them to collapse.

Iran: The Israeli Threat: "The government continues to fight on several fronts. At home, the secret police have managed to neutralize student reform organizations by jailing the leaders of any groups that show up. Adult reformers are easier to deal with. Threaten their livelihoods, and ability to support their families, and they are tamed. That leaves the Internet pests, who are particularly troublesome because they stay hidden and pass information to foreigners. Attempts to police the Internet have been stymied by exiled Iranians passing on technical tips on how to avoid such censorship. So while there are fewer political demonstrations, the population still seethes, and grows more unruly. Newspapers are now banned if they report economic problems. That sort of things is making people angrier than the loss of political freedom.

In Iraq, things are not going well at all. Last year's surge offensive destroyed al Qaeda, and this year rolled on to crush the pro-Iranian Mahdi Army. Meanwhile, the Iranian backed Badr Brigade (the military arm of the ISCI, or Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq) kept their heads down and played by the rules of electoral politics. While ISCI was kept alive for years inside Iran, they have not shown a lot of gratitude. Most ISCI members are not willing to turn Iraq into a junior partner in Iran's Islamic world empire. ISCI wants more power within Iraq, and doesn't want to share it with Iran."

Gaza smuggling tunnels are for milk, say Palestinians

Can even the Liberals believe this set of lies? HAHAHAHAHA! This is too Funny!

Gaza smuggling tunnels are for milk, say Palestinians: "Palestinian officials from the Gaza Strip have distributed a set of carefully-staged photographs they say are evidence that the smuggling tunnels running under the Gaza-Egypt border are for milk and other essential goods, not weapons.

The photographs show masked Palestinian militants lifting jugs of milk and sacks of baby food from the entrance to one of the tunnels on the Gaza side of the border.

Israel insists that the tunnels, of which intelligence estimates indicate there are hundreds, are used to import small arms and advanced weapons like heavy mortar shells, anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft missiles. The tunnels are also said to be the conduit via which the Palestinians receive the material used to build their Kassam rockets.

Hamas has acknowledged Israel's position by insisting during ceasefire negotiations last month that it would not agree to halt smuggling efforts as part of the truce."

Asymmetric warfare: A research agenda looking at epistemological based or not

Personally, I thought that FM-3-24 was designed to give us the terminology that was missing. I kind of agree with the author about the lack of good terms, but it is still evolving and changing as the Military learns to handle the curves thrown at it by the terrorists. And the Liberals.

Asymmetric warfare: A research agenda looking at epistemological based or not: "I know that the FM-3-24 discusses these in detail, but where is the agreed upon breadth of research to back up the assertions of the discipline. The military likes to embody concepts and ideas into people. So, and so, was the father of this or that. Great, and big thinkers are important. Einstein though was writing in response to a problem the physics world had at the time. He was trying to answer his disciplines big questions.

I am not here to solve all the problems that the advancement of COIN and Asymmetric warfare practices would necessitate for the rigor of science. In one part I am simply the observer, but in the other part I am deeply interested in the results. In my research the complex issues of national treaties and boundaries overlay the issues of a world wide telecommunications infrastructure. This begets the problem that all computer network attacks are going to be asymmetric in nature and many of the principles of counter insurgency are going to be required.

The fourth and fifth generation warfare communities could claim that they have accomplished at least some of the tasks of starting a science. Some soldiers will say that military science covers the needed terrain of thought well enough. I think though that counter insurgency is at odds with the hammer of science and axe of the arts. Somewhere in between the differing worlds consensus can be found. I think of the military activity as an applied science or closer to my skill set as a technologist. Likely indigestion or my own ego inflating my specialty as a technologists."

$40Mln Wasted On Empty Iraq Prison

Most construction sites have tons of waste and fraud. This is a construction effort in a combat zone where the locals were stealing the materials for their damaged homes and the contractors needed to put guards on his materials from the workers. Not a pretty sight.

I guess the solution is to not try to help the locals? We should just import "hard-working" Mexicans to finish all these projects since the locals are not very reliable?

We have to spend money to fix things and make friends. I hate to say that I understand, but I do. Too bad that the Liberals who are so tolerant of most crime, can't stand to see it when it is done under the close watch of a Moderate Republican.

The St. Petersburg Times - World - $40Mln Wasted On Empty Iraq Prison: "In the flatlands north of Baghdad sits a prison with no prisoners. It holds something else: a chronicle of U.S. government waste, misguided planning and construction shortcuts costing $40 million and stretching back to the American overseers who replaced Saddam Hussein.

“It’s a bit of a monument in the desert right now because it’s not going to be used as a prison,” said Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, whose office was due to release a report on Monday detailing the litany of problems at the vacant detention center in Khan Bani Saad.

The pages also add another narrative to the wider probes into the billions lost so far on scrubbed or substandard projects in Iraq and one of the main contractors accused of failing to deliver, the Parsons construction group of Pasadena, California."

Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board

It is wonderful to see something like this to start culling some of the so-ca;;ed experts. I wonder if I should take their application? It is kind of pricey! One of the best ways to keep out the wanna-bes is a high price tag. Good!

If we get the word out about this, then we will see some of the experts vanish because they can't get certified.

BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews: "Prior to the events of 9/11 you’d have been hard pressed to find an anti- or counter-terrorist “specialist”. If you did you were most likely talking to someone serving in a special unit of the military. AFTER 9/11 anti-terrorism “specialists” seem to come out of the woodwork and included everyone from those who worked behind guns to those who collected into, or analyzed it, or quantified it, or consulted on it… Well, you get the picture. Someone needed to set industry standards and then support those standards with publications about best practices and offering training. Enter the Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board or ATAB for short."

Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost

Very cool report of the Taliban attack on the US/Afghani outpost on July 13th. Reading the stories of the survivors and heroes is inspiring! Can we make this into a movie?

Soldiers recount deadly attack on Afghanistan outpost | Stars and Stripes: "Everything was on fire. The trucks. The bazaar. The grass.

It looked surreal. It looked like a movie.

That was what Spc. Tyler Stafford remembered thinking as he stepped onto the medical evacuation helicopter. The 23-year-old soldier would have been loaded onto the bird, but the poncho that was hastily employed as his stretcher broke. His body speckled with grenade and RPG shrapnel, the Vicenza, Italy, infantryman walked the last few feet to the waiting Black Hawk.

That was Sunday morning in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province. At a forward operating base — maybe as big as a football field — established just a few days prior.

Outnumbered but not outgunned, a platoon-plus element of soldiers with 2nd Platoon, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team accompanied by Afghan soldiers engaged in a fistfight of a firefight.

After maybe two hours of intense combat, some of the soldiers’ guns seized up because they expelled so many rounds so quickly. Insurgent bullets and dozens of rocket-propelled grenades filled the air. So many RPGs were fired at the soldiers that they wondered how the insurgents had so many.

That was July 13. That was when Stafford was blown out of a fighting position by an RPG, survived a grenade blast and had the tail of an RPG strike his helmet.

That was the day nine Chosen Company soldiers died."

Sunday Ship History: Coast Watchers in the South Pacific

I always was interested in these brave souls who risked it all. Eagle has what might be the definitive story that is too short for a book. Go read it and enjoy!

EagleSpeak: Sunday Ship History: Coast Watchers in the South Pacific: "It seems that every good movie about the naval war in the Pacific mentions the 'Coast Watchers.' In Harm's Way, Father Goose and even the The Wackiest Ship in the Army all feature coast watchers in setting out the path to Allied victory.

So, who were the Coast Watchers?

The Coast Watchers, also known as the Coast Watch Organisation, Combined Field Intelligence Service or Section 'C' Allied Intelligence Bureau, were Allied military intelligence operatives stationed on remote Pacific islands during World War II to observe enemy movements and rescue stranded Allied personnel. They played a significant role in the Pacific Ocean theatre and South West Pacific theatre, particularly as an early warning network during the Guadalcanal campaign.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Coast Watchers were not a spur of the moment creation of World War II. Instead as is found here:

Shortly after World War 1, the [Australian] Naval Staff instituted a system of civilian coast watchers, whose duty it was to report any matters of naval intelligence coming to their notice. Slowly the scheme was developed until the settled part of the Australian coast was under observation. In the late twenties the organization was extended to Papua, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands."

Private Contractors' Role in Afghanistan To Grow With Awarding of Latest Contracts

So many people think of private contractors as mercenary killers that it is great to see an acknowledgment that it is the non-military contractors who out number the military kind.

These guys deserve the money they are paid because they are in danger of being killed by the Muslims they are helping. One of the side effects of helping in Muslim lands is that the contractors are usually infidels who just want to make life better and do not care about religion. If Allah wanted life to improve in the Middle East, he would have miracled it better!

Private Contractors' Role in Afghanistan To Grow With Awarding of Latest Contracts - washingtonpost.com: "With billions of dollars newly available in fiscal 2008 supplemental war funding, the Congressional Research Service last month estimated that the Defense Department is now spending $2.3 billion a month in Afghanistan. Add $500 million monthly from the State Department and more from other agencies, and the total U.S. outlay in Afghanistan this fiscal year will be about $34 billion.

The war's demands and the availability of that kind of money guarantee a flood of new contracts. A review of the FBO Daily Web site for July contracts shows that the administration, which in Iraq turned to the private sector for tasks once handled by military or government personnel, is stepping up this practice in Afghanistan.

One of the most ambitious efforts is a solicitation from the U.S. Agency for International Development, clarified on July 15, which proposes expansion of an existing program to "increase both the human and physical capacity of the justice sector in Afghanistan."

The work statement says, frankly, that "corruption, local influence, lack of security and insufficient salaries" along with "lack of both physical and human capacity . . . plague and weaken the ability of the formal court system to deliver justice."

To remedy this, USAID is looking for a private contractor to coordinate what it calls "Justice Sector Development," a huge undertaking that would involve working with U.S. and international organizations, as well as with U.S. and NATO military units engaged in rule-of-law issues. The contractor would work with the Afghan Supreme Court to introduce a simplified case-management system and build courthouses around the country. It would advance the development of law schools and promote "access to justice for women and public awareness of rights."

USAID also announced this month that it is looking for a contractor "to increase licit and commercially viable agricultural-based alternatives for rural Afghans" to replace drug production. The target area is the six provinces in southern Afghanistan described as "most insecure and unstable," including Helmand and Kandahar.

The goal of the contract is to significantly reduce and ultimately eradicate poppy production. In developing alternatives, bidders should consider generating income for the Afghans involved as well as promoting "anti-corruption, gender, 'Afghanization' (local project ownership) and local governance," according to the USAID proposal. "

Does Obama share your views on the major issues? 20 questions

Power Line Forum | Does Obama share your views on the major issues? 20 questions: "A recent poll by Pew Research reported that 55% of those people who were supporting Obama claimed what they liked most about him was his “stand on the issues.” Really? Taking this short quiz may help you double-check.

Indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following statements:


1. ILLEGAL immigrants should be given drivers licenses.

2. If following an attempt at an abortion, the baby is born alive, we should kill him or her.

3. Our new president should immediately hold a conference for the leaders of all Muslim nations so we can listen to their concerns.

4. A “Marriage” can be between a man and woman, or a man and man, or a woman and woman.

5. If America wants to be respected in the world, we can’t drive our SUVs, and eat as much as we want.

6. After September 11, I immediately thought it was important to understand what causes such madness.

7. People in small towns in Pennsylvania and the Mid-West are bitter, which explains why they cling to guns and religion.

8. Even though doubling capital gains tax will result in less revenue for the government we should do it anyway. It’s about fairness...some people make too much money.

9. A church whose magazine publishes a claim in June 2007 that Jews invented a bomb which only targets Africans and Arabs is actually not that controversial.

10. We cannot continue to rely on the US military to achieve homeland security. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as WELL-FUNDED.

11. We should commit the US to cutting global poverty in half by 2015 at an estimated cost to US taxpayers of around $800 billion.

12. It’s unreasonable to expect a nominee for President to vet the people he/she asks to conduct a search for a Vice President.

13. We should slow down our development of future combat systems for the US Military.

14. It’s OK to make a fundamental promise to use public finance during the general election in order to win a Primary, and then to break the promise at the start of the general election because its all about winning.

15. It’s OK for a candidate for president not to pay parking tickets for 20 years, as long as he/she pays them off at least two weeks before announcing a run for president.

16. We should never criticize the words spoken by a candidate’s spouse, even if that spouse is actively giving speeches promoting the candidate, talking about policy and other political issues.

17. A church whose Senior Pastor condemns the US government for creating HIV to kill African- Americans, is actually not that controversial.

18. For a Presidential candidate’s National Campaign Chairperson to compare a Primary between an African-American male and a Blond White Woman, to OJ Simpson murdering Nicole is OK.

19. Child sex-abusers should be considered for early release.

20. Iran is not a threat..., it spends less than one hundredth of what the US spends on Military.

The more statements you agree with the more likely your views are in line with the positions held by Senator Obama.

All 20 questions reflect statements made/positions held by Senator Obama… click on the links if you want to check on the actual wording and context. "

TERROR THREAT IS IN THE CARDs

Very creepy. Even if this is from a freak who just wants to scare people, that still makes it a terrorist threat in the name of Jihad.

Where do these freaks come from?

TERROR THREAT IS IN THE CARDS - New York Post: "NYPD detectives are investigating a chilling new terror threat - a series of cards from a 'New York Jihad' that look like birthday-party invitations but warn of bombs in lower Manhattan this summer, The Post has learned.

The cards were mailed last week to the homes of seven city residents, including former Fox News television producer Kelley Vick and a person in the 26th Police Precinct, which covers West Harlem, according to Vick and police sources.

The card reads: 'Bombs! Bombs! Bombs! Lower Manhattan. July, August, September. New York Jihad.'"

Prosecutors Argue for More Secrecy in Aipac Case

People who leak classified information about the War should be imprisoned in a military prison. Say, Gitmo...

These two leaked things that needed to be kept secret or people might be killed. They should get a few years in prison so that their knowledge can become less critical if leaked by these fools.

Prosecutors Argue for More Secrecy in Aipac Case - July 27, 2008 - The New York Sun: "A federal judge went too far when he ruled that two pro-Israel lobbyists charged with trafficking in classified information were entitled to present certain secret information in court to mount their defense, prosecutors argued in a new brief filed with a federal appeals court.

Large portions of the public version of the brief were blacked out, but the thrust of the government's argument was that Judge Thomas Ellis III should have treated the former employees of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman, more like typical spies and less like foreign policy advocates who stumbled into classified information as they pursued their work.

"The district court's view that unlawfully conspiring to disclose classified information about troop movements to a foreign government is 'patently' unprotected by the First Amendment, but disclosing classified information to a foreign government about terrorist attacks on those same troops is a 'core value' of the First Amendment proves the point that 'judges ... have little or no background in the delicate business of intelligence gathering,'" prosecutors wrote in the brief filed late Friday night. "Clandestinely obtaining and passing U.S. government classified information to the Israeli government does not represent participation in a 'public debate' to 'influence United States foreign policy.'""

A third of Muslim students back killings

This is a very strong of Muslims who would rather force Sharia into the British Legal System. I know that a few of the students probably lied and "admitted" to being full of hate for the country they live in, just to throw off the research. Right?

At the end of the article, you will find a bunch of protestations by Muslims and Liberals who call this study biased by Right Wing politics. Well, the Left should know how to bias a report, since they do it regularly in most news reports.

I am going to take this study with a grain of salt, as I always do. Still, I think it also has a lot of truth to it since it confirms what I have seen in my life. Also, YouGov tends to be very unbiased as far as I have seen.

I still fear for England. I will pray for you. I will pray that you will finally start forcing these people to either adjust to life in the country they have moved to, or go back to the country and lifestyle they seem to prefer. Tell them to go home if they don't like England!

A third of Muslim students back killings - Times Online: "ALMOST a third of British Muslim students believe killing in the name of Islam can be justified, according to a poll.

The study also found that two in five Muslims at university support the incorporation of Islamic sharia codes into British law.

The YouGov poll for the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) will raise concerns about the extent of campus radicalism. “Significant numbers appear to hold beliefs which contravene democratic values,” said Han-nah Stuart, one of the report’s authors. “These results are deeply embarrassing for those who have said there is no extremism in British universities.”

The report was criticised by the country’s largest Muslim student body, Fosis, but Anthony Glees, professor of security and intelligence studies at Buckingham University, said: “The finding that a large number of students think it is okay to kill in the name of religion is alarming.

“There is a wide cultural divide between Muslim and nonMuslim students. The solution is to stop talking about celebrating diversity and focus on integration and assimilation.”

The researchers found that 55% of nonMuslim students thought Islam was incompatible with democracy. Nearly one in 10 had “little respect” for Muslims. "

At least 45 killed in 25 bomb blasts in two important Indian cities

The Religion of Peace converts more people to a Peaceful status. May they rest in peace. Amen.

DEBKAfile - At least 45 killed in 25 bomb blasts in two important Indian cities: "Eight roadside bombs in the southern “Silicone Valley” town of Bangalore left two dead Friday, followed Saturday by 17 bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, where the death has risen to 38. At least one hundred were injured.

Both were claimed by the Indian Mujahideen, which accounted for three of the four blasts in India since 2006, including the May blasts in Jaipur in which in which 65 people died.

The bombings in Ahmedabad and Bangalore were similar in nature, said Indian intelligence sources, using timers, ammonium nitrate, nuts, bolts and nails. Some of the devices were some strapped on bicycles. In Ahmedabad, the explosions were coordinated to maximize the deaths, striking the emergency teams responding to the first blasts and then targeting four hospitals.

Officials in New Delhi have accused Pakistan of a hand behind the recent upsurge of well-planned bomb attacks, including this month’s suicide attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. Islamabad consistently denies the charge."

Defining “Victory” in Iraq

Mr Totten is usually right on the money and it is hard to find a better analysis of the situation in Iraq than this one. I have been trying to articulate this myself to no avail. Once I read this I felt relieved to know that someone has finally found a way to read my thoughts.

If you read the rest of the article I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Commentary » Blog Archive » Defining “Victory” in Iraq: "As recently as the first half of 2007, the idea of an American victory in Iraq seemed like a fantasy to just about everyone, including me. General David Petraeus surged additional troops to Iraq, however, and he transformed the joint American-Iraqi counterinsurgency strategy into what nearly all observers now acknowledge is a remarkable and unexpected success. Few bothers to argue otherwise anymore. What remains ambiguous and contested is the definition of an American victory.

It’s slightly tricky for a couple of reasons. Pinpointing the exact date when a counterinsurgency ends – not just in Iraq, but any counterinsurgency – is impossible. There are no final battles. There can’t be. And if we don’t know when the war is over, it can be difficult to figure out what over even means in the first place. So how will we know if we’ve won?

Part of the problem here is that the war in Iraq is usually thought of as a single war in Iraq. But there have been at least three wars in Iraq since 2003 – the U.S.-led war against Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party regime, the civil war between Sunni and Shia militias, and the insurgencies against government and international forces waged by a constellation of guerrilla and terrorist groups. All three wars are distinct from each other, and two of the three are already over."

Iran doubles uranium-enriching centrifuges to 6,000 – Ahmadinejad

The UN is good for what exactly? Not intimidating bad guys into line!

If we, the Free World, wish to stop Iran, we need to give them a nuke or two. In the same locations as the centrifuges. Quickly.

DEBKAfile - Iran doubles uranium-enriching centrifuges to 6,000 – Ahmadinejad: "Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday, July 26: “Islamic Iran today possesses 6,000 centrifuges at the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.

He said the US, Britain, France, Russian, China and Germany, the nations whose officials met the Iranian nuclear negotiator last Saturday in Geneva, “had tempered their demands.” They asked Iran not to freeze enrichment but rather not to expand its current program beyond 6,000 centrifuges, according to Tehran radio. Ahmadinejad clarified this by saying: “Today, they have consented that the existing 5,000 or 6,000 centrifuges not be increased and the operation of this number is not a problem.”"

Syrian officers take hand in North Lebanese clashes – against Hizballah

When I found this I was in disbelief because why would the Syrians fight against their own intolerant terrorists?

DEBKAfile - Syrian officers take hand in North Lebanese clashes – against Hizballah: "A ceasefire was scheduled to go into force in the northern Lebanese port of Tripoli Friday evening, July 25, after fierce sectarian clashes left six dead and 33 injured, most caught in crossfire. The figure rose to nine after a night of heavy fighting.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report that rocket-propelled grenade and sniper fire was exchanged all day between two districts, the largely Alawite Baal Mohsen and the Sunni Bab Tabbaneh.

The Alawites, who dominate the Assad regime in Syria, fought under Syrian military intelligence officers in civilian garb with weapons supplied from Damascus. The anti-Syrian Sunnis are armed by the Lebanese majority bloc led by Saad Hariri. The clashes have been going back and forth for two months with neither side prevailing.

A Syrian official, Dr. Riyad Daud, legal adviser at the foreign ministry in Damascus recently advised US and Israel to watch Tripoli to understand recent trends. Our sources report he was indicating the Tripoli battle as a landmark because there Syrian officers have ordered the Alawite fighters to drive Hizballah militiamen out of their district.

Damascus is seen as drawing the line against the spread of Hizballah and Iranian influence from Beirut to northern Lebanon, a region it views as exclusive Syrian turf. The Syrians are at the same time working closely with Iran and Hizballah in central and southern Lebanon opposite Israel and the US Sixth Fleet which patrols the eastern Mediterranean.

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources add that the political situation in Beirut remains precarious. The national unity cabinet failed Thursday to agree on a policy agenda for a parliamentary vote of confidence to approve the new government line-up. It also postponed deliberations on the issue of Hizballah’s disarmament."

Anti-Patriot Act Poster Boy Kidnaps Own Kids

What a moron. I am not sure if I dispise the mother or father more. This woman is too stupid to breed, yet she did and the kids are paying for it. Get the kids out of Yemen and let them choose where to live.

What a bad gene pool to be bred from. Poor Kids.

Pajamas Media » Anti-Patriot Act Poster Boy Kidnaps Own Kids: "That decision to remove the case worker and return the children to Swensen would eventually prove catastrophic for Amina, Layla, and Sami.

In 2006, after Ashraf Al-Jailani’s deportation, Swensen — who promised the court that she had no ability or intention to take the children to Yemen — did exactly that for what was supposed to be a summer trip to see their father. Al-Jailani, however, refused to let them return as was his right under Yemeni law, notwithstanding Swensen’s full custody granted by U.S. courts.

According to reports from her family, Swensen — who now calls herself Mia Olsen — has unsuccessfully tried to retrieve her children from their father in Yemen. They also report that the children are regularly beaten by Al-Jailani and that he has threatened Swensen’s life if she ever returns to Yemen. It is quite possible that Swensen will never see her children again.

No doubt the saddest element in this story is that the Al-Jailani children were ultimately betrayed by their own mother, who was complicit in their abduction through her own naïveté, her willfully ignoring the danger signs of her husband’s long history of violence, and her voluntary decision to take them to Yemen against all advice. Her accomplices were all of those organizations and media outlets that used Al-Jailani’s case to their own benefit, even exploiting the children by constantly citing the children’s inability to see their father. Now that their anti-Patriot Act poster boy has abducted the very children they used for their own agendas, their deliberate silence, inaction, and apparent utter lack of concern for the children’s welfare only compound their treachery."

Pakistan cedes Hangu to the Taliban

The Peace at All Costs crowd will be pleased. By allowing the Taliban a region to train and consolidate they are endangering the entire region. Of course, if the Hangu district is autonomous enough that the Pakistani Government refuses to take responsibility there, then NATO might have to step in and finish those Talibani terrorists off. Even if the foolish Left cry about it.

Pakistan cedes Hangu to the Taliban - The Long War Journal: "The Pakistani government has signed yet another peace accord with the Taliban in a settled district of the Northwest Frontier Province. Just one day after the military canceled an operation in Hangu, the provincial government cut a deal with the Taliban.

The peace agreement in Hangu largely mirrors the accords signed throughout the tribal areas, according to details published in Dawn. The Taliban are required to recognize the government’s writ, stop attacks on government security forces, and refrain from running a parallel government and legal system. In exchange, the government will withdraw the Army from Hangu and “pay compensation to people who were affected during the operation.” In the past the Taliban received direct payments from the government.

Both sides are required to release prisoners. The government detained seven Taliban, including three “high profile” leaders in mid-July, including Rafiuddin, a Taliban leader in Hangu and a deputy of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. The release of Rafiuddin is high on the list of the Taliban’s demands. An additional 30 Taliban fighters were detained during a one week operation in the district. The Taliban are currently holding 29 government officials and security officers.

The Hangu tribal jirga, which represented the Taliban during talks with the government, is said to be heading to the Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency to conduct talks with a Taliban commander named Mohammad Karim Khan. The government cut a deal with the Taliban in Khyber on July 9, and the extremist now control wide swaths of the tribal agency."

Obamamessiah rocking and rolling

Obamamessiah rocking and rolling straight into the sermon on the mount! Hilarious Satire from England! He ventured forth to bring light to the world | Pierre Legrand's Pink Flamingo Bar: "Obamamessiah rocking and rolling straight into the sermon on the mount! Hilarious Satire from England! He ventured forth to bring light to the world

Brilliant bit of satire that captures perfectly the idiocy the campaign of Obamamessiah. Naturally an Englishman wrote it.

And it came to pass, in the eighth year of the reign of the evil Bush the Younger (The Ignorant), when the whole land from the Arabian desert to the shores of the Great Lakes had been laid barren, that a Child appeared in the wilderness.

The Child was blessed in looks and intellect. Scion of a simple family, offspring of a miraculous union, grandson of a typical white person and an African peasant. And yea, as he grew, the Child walked in the path of righteousness, with only the occasional detour into the odd weed and a little blow.

When he was twelve years old, they found him in the temple in the City of Chicago, arguing the finer points of community organisation with the Prophet Jeremiah and the Elders. And the Elders were astonished at what they heard and said among themselves: “Verily, who is this Child that he opens our hearts and minds to the audacity of hope?”

In the great Battles of Caucus and Primary he smote the conniving Hillary, wife of the deposed King Bill the Priapic and their barbarian hordes of Working Class Whites.

And so it was, in the fullness of time, before the harvest month of the appointed year, the Child ventured forth - for the first time - to bring the light unto all the world.

He travelled fleet of foot and light of camel, with a small retinue that consisted only of his loyal disciples from the tribe of the Media. He ventured first to the land of the Hindu Kush, where the

Taleban had harboured the viper of al-Qaeda in their bosom, raining terror on all the world.

And the Child spake and the tribes of Nato immediately loosed the Caveats that had previously bound them. And in the great battle that ensued the forces of the light were triumphant. For as long as the

Child stood with his arms raised aloft, the enemy suffered great blows and the threat of terror was no more.

He ventured forth to bring light to the world | Gerard Baker - Times Online6
"

2 Marines Kill Another Marine Over Stolen Drug Money

The Corps has the lowest incidence of criminal behavior, but a few of these scum still get through. It is too bad that these idiots were not discovered in time to save a life. Bury them under the brig.

FOXNews.com - 2 Marines Kill Another Marine Over Stolen Drug Money - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "Carney, 21, and Lovely, 20, are charged with one count each of murder and making a criminal threat. They also face a sentencing enhancement for the personal discharge of a firearm. Carney also faces a charge of attempting to dissuade a witness.

Both have pleaded not guilty."

Boundless Arrogance - NYT Update II (Heh)

Wolf Howling: Boundless Arrogance - NYT Update II (Heh): "I blogged below on the Drudge Report's story about the NYT editor, David Shipley's decision not to run a McCain opinion piece that responded to Obama's 'My Plan for Iraq' editorial that the NYT published last week. I updated that with Mr. Shipley's incredibly arrogant e-mail reposnse to the McCain Camp in which he, in essence, only would agree to publish a McCain response if it was substantailly reworked to mirror Mr. Obama's call for timetables for withdraw. It was a display of arrogance and bias writ large. I thought that the matter ended there, but that is not the case. TNOY has obtained the notes of David Shipley wherein he has helpfully edited the McCain editorial to show them what he would find acceptable"

Media Donates $ to Democrats By 100-to-1 Ratio So Far This Cycle

The Jawa Report: IDB: Media Donates $ to Democrats By 100-to-1 Ratio So Far This Cycle: "What's all this rightwingnut fearmongering about a 'liberal press?' LOL

An analysis of federal records shows that the amount of money journalists contributed so far this election cycle favors Democrats by a 15:1 ratio over Republicans, with $225,563 going to Democrats, only $16,298 to Republicans .

Two-hundred thirty-five journalists donated to Democrats, just 20 gave to Republicans — a margin greater than 10-to-1. An even greater disparity, 20-to-1, exists between the number of journalists who donated to Barack Obama and John McCain.

Searches for other newsroom categories (reporters, correspondents, news editors, anchors, newspaper editors and publishers) produces 311 donors to Democrats to 30 donors to Republicans, a ratio of just over 10-to-1. In terms of money, $279,266 went to Dems, $20,709 to Republicans, a 14-to-1 ratio.

Forget that pesky MSNBC 'follow the money' expose of media political contributions that put donations from many high-profile media managers, editors, writers and broadcasters at 9 to 1 in favor of Republicans.

Just kidding! Wanted to see if you're still paying attention."

Three covert Palestinian networks coordinate attacks in Jerusalem, say security sources

The terrorists are happy to work together because they know that the Liberals around the world are on their side and want to see the West destroyed. Thank the Lord for the few world leaders, like Bush, who are willing to fight back against these pigs.

This is not a good development, but is logical considering how they are changing to consolidate their meager wins in politics and the Media.

DEBKAfile - Three covert Palestinian networks coordinate attacks in Jerusalem, say security sources: "Masses of weapons and explosives are cached in the Palestinian villages and districts of Jerusalem, where three Palestinian terrorist networks are working together to coordinate attacks in the city, according to security-intelligence sources. They decide whether the lone killers use firearms, explosives, knives or mechanical weapons, like the diggers which smashed through Jerusalem’s main streets twice this month. With much of Jerusalem under intense development and Arabs employed at many building sites, police fear a future attack could be carried out by toppling a crane on a densely populated district.

Shin Bet director Yuval Diskin said Wednesday, even before the second bulldozer attack which injured 29 people, that going into Jerusalem’s Shuafat is more dangerous than the Jenin refugee camp. “A security vacuum encircles Jerusalem,” he said, “through which terrorists are free to enter the capital.”

Meir Sheetrit, minister of interior, reported after research that the Palestinian family reunion program approved by Israel had been used to plant scores of active terrorists in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Shin Bet probes in the Arab districts of Jerusalem have turned up close cooperation between Hamas and the fiercely radical Hizb al-Tahir, which is attracting increasing numbers of Palestinian terrorists to its ranks.

Hizb al-Tahrir now controls the mosques on Temple Mount and its environs, having pushed out and replaced the Muslim Waqf sentry posts at the shrine and organized them on the lines of a terrorist militia.

Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah and pro-Jordanian elements, which once ruled Arab sectors of Jerusalem, have lost out to the Islamic fundamentalists.

According to DEBKAfile’s security sources, the Galilee Liberation Brigades – Imad Mughniyeh fighters, an offshoot of the Lebanese Hizballah among Israeli Arabs, works hand in glove with the Hizb and Hamas.

Counter-terror experts fear that the police, including the Border Guards, which are in charge of security in Jerusalem, are out of touch.

According to one official, their methods of operation were adequate for the traditional law and order tasks of yesterday – but cannot cope with the cycle of terror overtaking Jerusalem in the past year. Jerusalem needs young, vigorous police chiefs with special training in combating terror and organized crime - which often overlap - to replace the old school of police officers who still categorize every attack according to outdated criteria which place terrorism and crime in separate boxes. They then complain they are helpless against the new brand of terrorist, the one-wolf killer."

Iran, Syria Want To Wait Out Bush For Next War

Not exactly news to anyone who thinks critically. At least it is finally getting into the Media, even if it is just a small article in the Middle East that the Liberal Media can safely ignore.

I can't wait until Bush leaves, but neither of his potential replacements are going to scare the bad guys. One of them actually makes the bad guys happy! What a disaster.

Iran, Syria Want To Wait Out Bush For Next War - MiddleEastNewsline: "The Israeli intelligence community has assessed that Iran
and Syria have decided to maintain restraint until the departure of U.S.
President George Bush.
The intelligence community, in an assessment that echoed that of
Washington, has determined that Iran and Syria would continue preparations
for war with Israel and the United States. But the Israeli intelligence
agencies assert that Damascus and Teheran would seek to maintain regional
calm until Bush leaves office in January 2009."

Taliban leader surrenders as British special forces close in

Only in the UK would anyone dare to post news as good as this! Even then the BBC will avoid it and find something negative to say about the British troops. They might even throw in a few compliments for the terrorists and the good work they do by slaughtering innocent women and children and reducing the world's population.

The British Commandos are arguably the best in the world and the bad guys know it. Surrender now and lets get the War over so that we can rebuild the world as a better place.

Taliban leader surrenders as British special forces close in | Mail Online: "The most senior Taliban commander in Afghanistan's wartorn Helmand province has given himself up because he feared being killed by British special forces.

The news will be a massive blow to insurgent forces.

Mullah Rahim surrendered to authorities in Pakistan, the Ministry of Defence said last night.

Rahim - thought to be one of the five main Taliban commanders - is reported to have handed himself in to Pakistani police near the border and is being held in the town of Quetta.

The success of a Nato campaign directly targeting the Taliban leadership has led to hopes that a power vacuum at the top has weakened the group. Hours after Rahim turned himself in, British forces killed their third senior Taliban leader in little more than three weeks.

Top British commanders said Rahim's surrender was a massive breakthrough that would plunge militants in Helmand into disarray.

Forces spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Robin Matthews said last night: 'The Taliban's senior leadership structure has suffered a shattering blow.

'They remain a dangerous enemy, but they increasingly lack strategic direction and their proposition to the Afghan people-is proving ultimately negativeand self-defeating.' Gulab Mangal, Governor of Helmand, urged militiamen to join the Government side.

He said: 'I advise all those Taliban who are engaging with terrorist actions that the fighting has no benefits. Choose a good, bright and honourable way.'

The three Taliban chiefs killed by British troops include Abdul Rasaq, known as Mullah Sheikh, who died in a precision missile strike after Rahim surrendered.

It came eight days after the death of an associate of Rahim called Bishmullah, and 24 days after leading bomb-maker Sadiqullah was killed in a helicopter missile strike."

Maliki and the US

This is just the conclusion of an excellent article about politics. Go read the rest if you want to understand the conclusions better.

BLACKFIVE: Foreign Relations: Maliki and the US: "Greyhawk and Matt are perfectly correct that Maliki's statements in the past have always been overconfident of his capacity to ask America to leave. It's also clear that his current situation favors a continuing presence of US allies, to continue to train his security forces in the short term; his air force in the medium term; and to provide a useful alliance and security guarantee v. Iran and others in the long term. You can trust the man to understand these matters, but in public, he must appear strong and defiant in order to retain the confidence of his governing coalition, and the broader Iraqi public.

If we recognize that, we will come to an arrangement that suits both our peoples, and can be sustained in the long term without political stress. Success in COIN requires a state of the type Iraq is starting to appear to be: strong, independent, and a legitimate voice for the interests of its population. That is how you get them to turn to politics as a way of expressing their interests.

The other thing successful COIN requires is the maintenance of popular will to sustain the effort. "An arrangement that suits both our peoples, and can be sustained in the long term" is just what we need to make a free Iraq concrete and permanent. This is the way to get it. What is done in private is one thing, but in public, Maliki and Iraq must be seen to "win."

The US does not need to "win." This is the government we have so carefully nurtured, and at such cost. We will win -- if they do."

A nameless group is up and showing support for Greenlanders

Interesting. That is all I will say until I learn more.
A nameless group is up and showing support for Greenlanders « SIOE Stop Islamisation Of Europe: "A nameless resistance group has taken responsibility for the action. There were banners hung up along the motorway in Denmark saying “stop Islamic racism” and “stop Islamic racism, long live Greenland.” Mohammed has also been hanged on lamposts around the country with signs hung around his neck with inscriptions like “pedophile highwayman.”

The editors received these images with the wording:

“Here are the first pictures from our action on Zealand. We send the other images from Funen and Jutland and the rest of Zealand in the next few days. Our action will continue until the Islamic Religious Affairs controls the racists in Gellerup, allows Greenlanders to come back, treats them properly and gives each of them a personal apology. We will continue to hang muhammed until this happens. “"

Blackwater plans shift from security business

Blackwater plans shift from security business - Marine Corps News, news from Iraq - Marine Corps Times: "Blackwater Worldwide said Monday that it planned a shift away from the security contracting business that earned it millions of dollars and made it a flash point in the debate over the use of security contractors in war zones.

“The experience we’ve had would certainly be a disincentive to any other companies that want to step in and put their entire business at risk,” company founder and CEO Erik Prince told The Associated Press during a daylong visit to the company’s North Carolina compound.

Blackwater executives say they have unfairly become a symbol for all contractors in Iraq and thus the company is a target for those opposed to the war. It will continue guarding U.S. officials in Iraq but its future will be focused on training, aviation and logistics."

Meet the 4000

Military News, benefits, careers, photos, discussions - Military Times HOME

This is a link to the list of our Heroes who have been killed in this War. Go read it and say a prayer for them.

Community frets over loss of chem weapons jobs

Not sure how to feel about this. I am happy! But the loss of the jobs is kind of sad, too. I wonder if a chemical company can buy the property and hire a large number of people.

Community frets over loss of chem weapons jobs « BGG: "Who’s sorry to say goodbye to a thousand tons of old slime? The people who make their livings by babysitting it, of course. But all good things come to an end, like the extremely hot villain in Hellboy II. Damn it all. Er…but I digress.

By the end of this month, the last of 1,269 tons of VX will be eliminated, and dismantling of the Newport Chemical Depot will begin. About 130 jobs will be gone permanently by September, according to the Kentucky-based operating contractor Mason & Hanger. After that, depending on the time it takes to dismantle the facility, jobs will be lost in waves. The total closure process could take until 2012, according to officials.

Since the Depot opened in 1941, it has been the largest employer in Vermillion County, employing about 1,000 workers in recent years.

…“We’ve always looked at that facility as about a thousand jobs.”"

Bush law chief seeks conflict declaration on Qaeda - Yahoo! News

This is about time! Force the Democrats to admit that they don't WANT to declare war on the terrorist groups that have declared war on us. Make them explain that they do not believe the terrorist's assertions about wanting to kill us all. I want to be able to plaster their lies right next to clips of what our enemies are saying.

This might just be fun!

Bush law chief seeks conflict declaration on Qaeda - Yahoo! News: "Congress should explicitly declare a state of armed conflict with al Qaeda to make clear the United States can detain suspected members as long as the war on terrorism lasts, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey said on Monday.

Mukasey urged Congress to make the declaration in a package of legislative proposals to establish a legal process for terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo, in response to a Supreme Court ruling last month that detainees had a constitutional right to challenge their detention.

'Any legislation should acknowledge again and explicitly that this nation remains engaged in an armed conflict with al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated organizations, who have already proclaimed themselves at war with us,' Mukasey said in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute.

'Congress should reaffirm that for the duration of the conflict the United States may detain as enemy combatants those who have engaged in hostilities or purposefully supported al Qaeda, the Taliban and associated organizations,' he said."

Dirty Jobs for the Common Good™

Groupthink :: View topic - DNC: Dirty Jobs for the Common Good™: "The scandalous new cover of New Yorker Magazine, depicting Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim and his wife Michelle as a militant black supremacist, turns out to be nothing more than the first step in a bold new Democrat strategy of playing both hands while the opponent simply watches, stated Earnest Trutok, Assistant Deputy Undersecretary of Media Relations in the Obama Camp. "We have prepared a large pile of dirty and revolting images that show Barack and his family in a much worse light than this," Trutok added, admitting that the forthcoming cartoon is jarringly out-of-place in the traditionally progressive New Yorker. "We have no choice but to run them ourselves in the friendly media due the refusal of the Republican Party to play its proper role in the final months of the campaign," Trutok stated.
~

Race-baiting is ugly when the Republicans do it. But when it can advance progress, it's OK.
"Our entire strategy was based on the predictable Republican race-baiting and Islamophobia, that's why we chose Obama over Hillary," explained Trutok. "She was only a white woman, but Barack's color and Muslim roots were a double whammy and a total shoe-in! And we were exactly right, except the Republicans have refused to play bigots.

"Therefore, we must not only brilliantly defend the integrity of our candidate, but also stage vicious attacks against him that would prove to the American Public that the Republicans are nothing more than racists and alarmists. The average voter will merely assume that such attacks are coming from the McCain camp," Trutok said.

"Our most potent weapon in this election is the continued victim status of our candidate," agrees Allyce Safir-Simpson, Senior Poll Analyst for the Obama campaign.

"We noticed a sharp downturn in poll numbers whenever Barack took any concrete position," she explained, referring to a dilemma that has dogged Sen. Obama since the early days of the campaign. "Our main point has always been Hope and Change, but it can get uncomfortable when some busybody asks what we actually mean by this. However, we notice a jump in the Senator's poll numbers every time we manufacture an incident that seems to imply that he is the victim of some form of hate crime." "

Irony: Evil Inflation Causing Ohio Women to Starve

This is just too funny! NPR and the Left Media (is there another kind? ) are worried about these poor women who can't find a job since they have never worked and could not even get through high school. Now, their welfare checks aren't keeping up with inflation and they might have to eat less. And lose a hundred pounds or so. Poor girls.

Rusty's take on it is wonderful! Enjoy!

The Jawa Report: Irony: Evil Inflation Causing Ohio Women to Starve: "Though probably not any time soon. Via NPR

A generation ago, the livelihood of Gloria Nunez's family was built on cars.

Her father worked...

And apparently he was the last to do so.

Nunez's van broke down last fall. Now, her 19-year-old daughter has no reliable transportation out of their subsidized housing complex in Fostoria, 40 miles south of Toledo, to look for a job.

I bet the van wanted to die!

Nunez, 40, has never worked and has no high school degree...

...Even if she could, she says it's particularly hard to imagine how she'll keep it. She says she needs someone to give her a lift just to get to an interview. And with gas prices so high, she's not sure she could afford to pay someone to drive her to work every day."

Second Palestinian bulldozer rampage injures 24 on Jerusalem main street

The Media kept claiming that the first terrorist to do this attack was just a lone-wolf, even though the GLB claimed it. Now they do it again, will the terrorists finally get credit for it?

The Palestinians complain about the lack of their people being allowed to work in non-Palestinian areas, but when they do get work they use the access to kill. What a great way to make it seem like they want peace.

DEBKAfile - Second Palestinian bulldozer rampage injures 24 on Jerusalem main street: "A quick-thinking passing civilian and a border guard shot the driver dead after five vehicles and a bus were rammed opposite the Liberty Bell Park on King David Street, 200 yards from King David Hotel where UK premier Brown stayed Monday. Twenty-four people were injured, one seriously. Two are children.

The bulldozer burst out of a nearby building site in Yemin Moshe.

The terrorist was Ghassen Abu Tir, 22, from Umm Tuba, a Palestinian village in southeast Jerusalem, who was employed at the building site. He was a relative of Muhammed Abu Tir, a Hamas lawmaker held in an Israeli jail.

The Hizballah-sponsored Galilee Liberation Brigades claimed this attack like the first bulldozer rampage of July 2 when another Jerusalem Palestinian killed three people and caused heavy damage on Jerusalem’s Jaffa Street."

San Diego Police Rescue, Then Kill, Aggressive Man

San Diego Police Rescue, Then Kill, Aggressive Man: Top News Stories at Officer.com: "Police said the man was on the cruise with at least 800 other people when he somehow ended up in the water after 11 p.m. He was identified today as Steven Paul Hirschfield, 37, of Los Angeles.

The boat's captain sent a distress signal, and two Harbor Police boats and one Coast Guard vessel pulled Hirschfield from the water.

But Hirschfield began fighting with police as soon as he was on board, said San Diego Harbor Police Sgt. Dave Fouser.

'You're trying to help some guy out the water, and he's fighting,' Fouser said. 'He became very combative with the officers, and somewhere in the course of the fight, he was able to get one of the officer's Tasers away from him.'

Fouser said Hirschfield knocked one officer to the deck and then used the Taser to strike him in the face.

When Hirschfield then tried to grab one of the officer's guns, Fouser said, the other officer shot him.

Hirschfield was taken ashore to an ambulance and was pronounced dead from the single gunshot wound, Fouser said.

The San Diego Police Department's homicide unit was investigating the shooting along with the San Diego Harbor Police Department and the county District Attorney's Office."

World warned over killer flu pandemic

World warned over killer flu pandemic - Health News, Health & Wellbeing - The Independent: "The world is failing to guard against the inevitable spread of a devastating flu pandemic which could kill 50 million people and wreak massive disruption around the globe, the Government has warned.

In evidence to a House of Lords committee, ministers said that early warning systems for spotting emerging diseases were "poorly co-ordinated" and lacked "vision" and "clarity". They said that more needed to be done to improve detection and surveillance for potential pandemics and called for urgent improvement in rapid-response strategies.

The Government's evidence appeared in a highly critical report from the Lords Intergovernmental Organisations Committee, which attacked the World Health Organisation (WHO) as "dysfunctional" and criticised the international response to the threat of an outbreak of disease which could sweep across the globe.

The Government said: "While there has not been a pandemic since 1968, another one is inevitable." Ministers said it would could kill between two and 50 million people worldwide and that such an outbreak would leave up to 75,000 people dead in Britain and cause "massive" disruption.

Peers joined ministers calling for urgent action to build up early warning systems across the Third World that can identify and neutralise outbreaks of potentially deadly new strains of disease before they are swept across the globe by modern trade and travel. Peers also called for new action to monitor animal diseases, warning of the potentially disastrous effects of conditions such as the H5N1 bird flu virus jumping to humans and demanded that Britain step up funding for the WHO to tackle the threat.

With international tourist journeys now reaching 800 million a year, giving unprecedented potential for epidemics to spread across borders, and many cities rapidly growing in developing countries, which would provide "fertile ground" to spread disease, peers on the committee warned that conditions such as Sars, avian influenza and ebola "have the potential to cause rapid and devastating sickness and death across much of the world if they are not detected and checked in time". "

Palestinians: Israel uses rats agains Arabs

This is either funny or scary.

Funny: trained Jewish rats. HAHAHAHA!
Scary: Muslims pumping the city full of poisons and claiming it is to kill rats.

Palestinians: Israel uses rats against J'lem Arabs | Israel | Jerusalem Post: "'Rats have become an Israeli weapon to displace and expel Arab residents of the occupied Old City of Jerusalem,' Wafa reported under the title, 'Settlers flood the Old City of Jerusalem with rats.' The report continued: 'Over the past two months, dozens of settlers come to the alleyways and streets of the Old City carrying iron cages full of rats. They release the rats, which find shelter in open sewage systems.'

Wafa quoted unnamed Arab residents as saying that they had tried to eliminate the rats with various poisons, but to no avail."

Now for the Hard Part: From Iraq to Afghanistan

For an insightful and thoughtful read, go read this full story. It is worth the length!

Now for the Hard Part: From Iraq to Afghanistan | Stratfor: "That is why the critical question for the United States is how many troops it can retain in Iraq, for how long and in what locations. This is a complex issue. From the Sunni standpoint, a continued U.S. presence is essential to protect Sunnis from the Shia. From the Shiite standpoint, the U.S. presence is needed to prevent Iran from overwhelming the Shia. From the standpoint of the Kurds, a U.S. presence guarantees Kurdish safety from everyone else. It is an oddity of history that no major faction in Iraq now wants a precipitous U.S. withdrawal — and some don’t want a withdrawal at all."

Para Hero Slams Treatment Of Frontline Troops

The military knows that they have a job to do, and they are more than willing to do it and make the world a better place.

Colonel Tootal, take the Liberal jerks on and I pray that you can win. They control the government and will try to paint you as a bloodthirsty maniac who loves to slaughter little kids for fun. They will try to make you look like the Taliban and the Taliban look like you and your troops.

You beat the terrorists and thugs who wanted to kill you and your men. Now you have a worse and more insidious enemy - the Liberals. I will pray for you, sir.

MoD News - Para Hero Slams Treatment Of Frontline Troops: "A highly decorated commander who led British troops in Afghanistan has strongly criticised defence officials and the government for poor treatment of frontline soldiers and for being 'stuck in a Cold War mentality' that has denied troops in the field key equipment.

In his first public statement since leaving the army last week, Lt Colonel Stuart Tootal, who led 3rd battalion of the Parachute regiment in Afghanistan in 2006, said he had been deeply shocked by how 'our wounded soldiers were not being looked after'.

'All the guys I fought with were really motivated and really professional and the least a grateful nation owes them is the right gear and the right support,' he told The Observer

Tootal, who received the Distinguished Service Order for his role in Afghanistan, agreed that conditions for injured soldiers were much improved but said that wounded servicemen being on mixed NHS wards with civilians remained 'unacceptable' and that, though changes proposed by the government's Command Paper on service personnel welfare announced last week were a 'welcome positive step', they were 'late in the day'.

The senior officer's resignation after 20 years in the army caused consternation among defence chiefs when news leaked last year. Last month another senior soldier who served in Afghanistan, Brigadier Ed Butler, a former SAS commander, left the army amid reports of frustration with equipment shortages and budget cuts. "