D
Dawoud
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- Thread starter
- #41
In Arabic is says" In Hallaburton we trust"
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Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #42
Sat Oct 18, 3:13 PM ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkey's prime minister said Saturday that his country would scrap plans to send troops to Iraq if Iraqis continue to oppose the deployment.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government supports sending peacekeepers to Iraq, as requested by the United States, and parliament approved a deployment last week.
But the proposed deployment has met vocal opposition from many Iraqis, who fear Turkey wil pursue its own agenda. The U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council has come out against having Turkish troops or troops from any neighboring nation on Iraqi soil.
"The demands of the Iraqi people are very important for us," Erdogan was quoted as saying in Mallorca, Spain by Turkey's semiofficial Anatolia news agency. "We aren't longing to send soldiers to Iraq. There was a request from the United States and we're evaluating it."
"If the Iraqi people say, 'We don't want anybody,' there's nothing else we can do," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "If wanted, we'll go, if not wanted, we won't go. We haven't made a definite decision."
Erdogan added: "The requests of the United States are very important us."
The United States has welcomed a possible deployment by Turkey, hoping the Turks would become the first major contingent from a Muslim country.
But Washington is now proceeding cautiously amid opposition from members of Iraq's Governing Council and Iraqi Kurds. Some Turkish officials have downplayed the council's opposition and have said Iraqis would welcome Turkish troops.
On Thursday, the United Nations (news - web sites) Security Council also unanimously passed a resolution authorizing a multinational force in the neighboring nation. That has apparently boosted Washington's hopes that other nations might now contribute to a peacekeeping operation.
Turkey's government sees a deployment as a way of increasing its influence in Iraq and improving relations with the United States, which have been strained since Turkey in March refused to host U.S. troops for the war.
Many Iraqis are leery of Turkey because the Turkish Ottoman Empire ruled today's Iraq for about 400 years until World War I. Turkey also fought a bloody 15-year war with autonomy-seeking Kurdish guerillas in southeastern Turkey, heightening many Iraqi Kurds' suspicions.
Any Turkish peacekeepers would be deployed in central Iraq away from Kurdish areas.
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkey's prime minister said Saturday that his country would scrap plans to send troops to Iraq if Iraqis continue to oppose the deployment.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government supports sending peacekeepers to Iraq, as requested by the United States, and parliament approved a deployment last week.
But the proposed deployment has met vocal opposition from many Iraqis, who fear Turkey wil pursue its own agenda. The U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council has come out against having Turkish troops or troops from any neighboring nation on Iraqi soil.
"The demands of the Iraqi people are very important for us," Erdogan was quoted as saying in Mallorca, Spain by Turkey's semiofficial Anatolia news agency. "We aren't longing to send soldiers to Iraq. There was a request from the United States and we're evaluating it."
"If the Iraqi people say, 'We don't want anybody,' there's nothing else we can do," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "If wanted, we'll go, if not wanted, we won't go. We haven't made a definite decision."
Erdogan added: "The requests of the United States are very important us."
The United States has welcomed a possible deployment by Turkey, hoping the Turks would become the first major contingent from a Muslim country.
But Washington is now proceeding cautiously amid opposition from members of Iraq's Governing Council and Iraqi Kurds. Some Turkish officials have downplayed the council's opposition and have said Iraqis would welcome Turkish troops.
On Thursday, the United Nations (news - web sites) Security Council also unanimously passed a resolution authorizing a multinational force in the neighboring nation. That has apparently boosted Washington's hopes that other nations might now contribute to a peacekeeping operation.
Turkey's government sees a deployment as a way of increasing its influence in Iraq and improving relations with the United States, which have been strained since Turkey in March refused to host U.S. troops for the war.
Many Iraqis are leery of Turkey because the Turkish Ottoman Empire ruled today's Iraq for about 400 years until World War I. Turkey also fought a bloody 15-year war with autonomy-seeking Kurdish guerillas in southeastern Turkey, heightening many Iraqi Kurds' suspicions.
Any Turkish peacekeepers would be deployed in central Iraq away from Kurdish areas.
J
jones
Guest
- Thread starter
- #43
You guys should listen to Dawoud. Texans know what the Bush's can do to a state. Texas was a test for the administration. A blueprint.
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #44
The Presidential elections are not that far away. Have you seen his updated resume?
George W. Bush, Résumé
Past work experience:
Ran for Congress and lost.
Produced a Hollywood slasher B movie.
Bought an oil company; couldn't find any oil in Texas; company went bankrupt -- shortly after I sold all my stock.
Bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using tax-payer money. (Biggest move: Traded Sammy Sosa to the Chicago White Sox.)
With father's help (and his blueblood name) was elected Governor of Texas.
Accomplishments: Changed pollution laws for power and oil companies and made Texas the most polluted state in the Union. (Replaced Los Angeles with Houston as the most smog ridden city in America.)
Cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas government to the tune of billions in borrowed money. Set record for most executions under any Governor in American history.
Became president after losing the popular vote by over 500,000 votes, with the help of my father's appointments to the Supreme Court.
Accomplishments as president:
Attacked and took over two countries.
Spent the surplus and bankrupted the treasury.
Shattered record for biggest annual deficit in history.
Set economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.
Helped to start destroying the wall between Church and State. Have been instrumental in channeling millions of millions of taxpayer dollars into the coffers of
already tax-exempt churches.
Set all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market.
First president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.
First president in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.
First year in office set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in U.S. history. After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.
Set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips than any other president in U.S. history.
Have alienated non-Christians, starting with my "Jesus" comments, not to mention Franklin Graham's offensive "Jesus" prayer during my inauguration. Have made no bones about favoring one faith over another in my administration since, either.
In my first two years in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs.
Cut unemployment benefits for more out of work Americans than any president in U.S. history.
Set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12 month period.
Appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in U.S. history.
Set the record for the fewest number of press conferences than any president since the advent of television.
Signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any president in U.S. history.
Presided over the biggest energy crises in U.S. history, and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.
Presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have.
Cut healthier benefits for war veterans, and then asked them to support me wholeheartedly.
I've been a lackey of the Religious Right, and my Administration's highest officials are evangelical, fundamentalist Christians almost to a man.
Set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest my war (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.
Dissolved more international treaties than any president in U.S. history.
My presidency has been and remains the most secretive in U.S. history.
Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. (The 'poorest' multi-millionaire, Condoleeza Rice, has an Chevron oil tanker named after her.)
First president in U.S. history to have all 50 states of the Union simultaneously go bankrupt.
Presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud of any market in any country in the history of the world.
Created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States.
Set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any president in U.S. history.
First president in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
First president in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Elections Monitoring Board.
Removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in U.S. history.
Rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.
Withdrew from the World Court of Law.
Refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.
First president in U.S. history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. elections).
All-time U.S. (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.
My biggest life-time campaign contributor presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of the Enron Corporation).
Spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in U.S. history.
First president in U.S. history to unilaterally attack a sovereign nation against the will of the United Nations and the world community.
First president to run and hide when the U.S. came under attack (and then lied, saying the enemy had the code to Air Force 1).
Took the biggest world sympathy for the US after 9-11, and in less than a year made the US the most resented country in the world (arguably the biggest diplomatic failure in U.S. history).
With a policy of 'dis-engagement', my administration created the most hostile Israeli-Palestine relations in at least three decades.
Fist U.S. president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.
First U.S. president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than their immediate neighbor, North Korea.
Changed U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
Set all-time record for number of administration appointees who violated U.S. law by not selling huge investments in corporations bidding for government contracts.
Failed to fulfill my pledge to get Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive."
Failed to capture the anthrax killer who tried to murder the leaders of our country at the United States Capitol building. (After 18 months, I have no leads and zero suspects.)
In the 18 months following the 9-11 attacks I have successfully prevented any public investigation into the biggest security failure in the history of the United States.
More freedoms and civil liberties for Americans have been removed during my administration than during any other administration in U.S. history.
In a little over two years, I've created the most divided country in decades -- possibly the most divided the U.S. has ever been since the Civil War.
Entered office with the strongest economy in U.S. history and, in less than two years, turned every single economic category heading straight down.
Records and References: At least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine. (Texas driving record has been erased and is not available).
AWOL from National Guard and Deserted the military during a time of war.
Refuse to take drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.
Cocaine was a favorite of mine, but I was pretty ecumenical in my liberal use of chemicals in general.
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas have been spirited away to my father's library, sealed in secrecy, and made unavailable for public view.
All records of any S.E.C. investigations into my insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and un-available for public view.
All minutes of meetings for any public corporation I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and un-available for public view.
Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and un-available for public review.
For personal references please speak to my daddy or uncle James Baker. (They can be reached at their offices of the Carlyle Group for war-profiteering.)
George W. Bush, Résumé
Past work experience:
Ran for Congress and lost.
Produced a Hollywood slasher B movie.
Bought an oil company; couldn't find any oil in Texas; company went bankrupt -- shortly after I sold all my stock.
Bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using tax-payer money. (Biggest move: Traded Sammy Sosa to the Chicago White Sox.)
With father's help (and his blueblood name) was elected Governor of Texas.
Accomplishments: Changed pollution laws for power and oil companies and made Texas the most polluted state in the Union. (Replaced Los Angeles with Houston as the most smog ridden city in America.)
Cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas government to the tune of billions in borrowed money. Set record for most executions under any Governor in American history.
Became president after losing the popular vote by over 500,000 votes, with the help of my father's appointments to the Supreme Court.
Accomplishments as president:
Attacked and took over two countries.
Spent the surplus and bankrupted the treasury.
Shattered record for biggest annual deficit in history.
Set economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.
Helped to start destroying the wall between Church and State. Have been instrumental in channeling millions of millions of taxpayer dollars into the coffers of
already tax-exempt churches.
Set all-time record for biggest drop in the history of the stock market.
First president in decades to execute a federal prisoner.
First president in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.
First year in office set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any president in U.S. history. After taking the entire month of August off for vacation, presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.
Set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips than any other president in U.S. history.
Have alienated non-Christians, starting with my "Jesus" comments, not to mention Franklin Graham's offensive "Jesus" prayer during my inauguration. Have made no bones about favoring one faith over another in my administration since, either.
In my first two years in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs.
Cut unemployment benefits for more out of work Americans than any president in U.S. history.
Set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12 month period.
Appointed more convicted criminals to administration positions than any president in U.S. history.
Set the record for the fewest number of press conferences than any president since the advent of television.
Signed more laws and executive orders amending the Constitution than any president in U.S. history.
Presided over the biggest energy crises in U.S. history, and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed.
Presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history and refused to use the national reserves as past presidents have.
Cut healthier benefits for war veterans, and then asked them to support me wholeheartedly.
I've been a lackey of the Religious Right, and my Administration's highest officials are evangelical, fundamentalist Christians almost to a man.
Set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously take to the streets to protest my war (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.
Dissolved more international treaties than any president in U.S. history.
My presidency has been and remains the most secretive in U.S. history.
Members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. (The 'poorest' multi-millionaire, Condoleeza Rice, has an Chevron oil tanker named after her.)
First president in U.S. history to have all 50 states of the Union simultaneously go bankrupt.
Presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud of any market in any country in the history of the world.
Created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States.
Set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any president in U.S. history.
First president in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.
First president in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Elections Monitoring Board.
Removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any presidential administration in U.S. history.
Rendered the entire United Nations irrelevant.
Withdrew from the World Court of Law.
Refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and by default no longer abide by the Geneva Conventions.
First president in U.S. history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. elections).
All-time U.S. (and world) record holder for most corporate campaign donations.
My biggest life-time campaign contributor presided over one of the largest corporate bankruptcy frauds in world history (Kenneth Lay, former CEO of the Enron Corporation).
Spent more money on polls and focus groups than any president in U.S. history.
First president in U.S. history to unilaterally attack a sovereign nation against the will of the United Nations and the world community.
First president to run and hide when the U.S. came under attack (and then lied, saying the enemy had the code to Air Force 1).
Took the biggest world sympathy for the US after 9-11, and in less than a year made the US the most resented country in the world (arguably the biggest diplomatic failure in U.S. history).
With a policy of 'dis-engagement', my administration created the most hostile Israeli-Palestine relations in at least three decades.
Fist U.S. president in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.
First U.S. president in history to have the people of South Korea more threatened by the US than their immediate neighbor, North Korea.
Changed U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.
Set all-time record for number of administration appointees who violated U.S. law by not selling huge investments in corporations bidding for government contracts.
Failed to fulfill my pledge to get Osama Bin Laden "dead or alive."
Failed to capture the anthrax killer who tried to murder the leaders of our country at the United States Capitol building. (After 18 months, I have no leads and zero suspects.)
In the 18 months following the 9-11 attacks I have successfully prevented any public investigation into the biggest security failure in the history of the United States.
More freedoms and civil liberties for Americans have been removed during my administration than during any other administration in U.S. history.
In a little over two years, I've created the most divided country in decades -- possibly the most divided the U.S. has ever been since the Civil War.
Entered office with the strongest economy in U.S. history and, in less than two years, turned every single economic category heading straight down.
Records and References: At least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine. (Texas driving record has been erased and is not available).
AWOL from National Guard and Deserted the military during a time of war.
Refuse to take drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.
Cocaine was a favorite of mine, but I was pretty ecumenical in my liberal use of chemicals in general.
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas have been spirited away to my father's library, sealed in secrecy, and made unavailable for public view.
All records of any S.E.C. investigations into my insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and un-available for public view.
All minutes of meetings for any public corporation I served on the board are sealed in secrecy and un-available for public view.
Any records or minutes from meetings I (or my VP) attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and un-available for public review.
For personal references please speak to my daddy or uncle James Baker. (They can be reached at their offices of the Carlyle Group for war-profiteering.)
H
Haroldb_99501
Guest
- Thread starter
- #45
... OK BUSH Fans... you just got Butt fvked on world-wode Radio by Osama Bin Ladin....
400 dead americans and crushed families...
200 Billion spent...
and your good Friend Osama is still threatening america...
we need another President...
I miss Monica Lewinsky... and Bill Clinton....
Clinton new the meaning of Public Service....
What we have today is a form of Coporate Looting....
... Bush fans are idiots.. anyway..
400 dead americans and crushed families...
200 Billion spent...
and your good Friend Osama is still threatening america...
we need another President...
I miss Monica Lewinsky... and Bill Clinton....
Clinton new the meaning of Public Service....
What we have today is a form of Coporate Looting....
... Bush fans are idiots.. anyway..
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #46
Activists Protest as Bush Meets Thai Leader
By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-globalization and anti-war activists waved banners and shouted slogans in Bangkok on Sunday as President Bush (news - web sites) held talks ahead of a Pacific Rim summit that will focus on terror and economic growth.
Other world leaders also began arriving in the Thai capital, which was wrapped in a shroud of security for the annual summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (news - web sites) (APEC) forum on Monday and Tuesday.
Police made no move to stop about 2,000 protesters marching through the streets waving banners reading "America, Axis of Evil" and "U.S. Troops Get Out of Iraq (news - web sites)." Some wore black robes and Halloween skull masks dripping with fake blood.
Chanting "George Bush Go Back," they marched from Chulalongkorn University to a square in the central shopping district some two km (one mile) from the hotel where Bush was meeting Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Security and moves to clamp down on terror networks will be the main features of the summit and Bush's six-nation Asia tour.
Thaksin said Bush declared Thailand a major non-NATO (news - web sites) ally of the United States, a reward for Bangkok's support in the war on terror. The designation makes it easier for Thailand to buy U.S. military equipment.
Bush was to address Thai troops later in the day to congratulate them for capturing Hambali, an al Qaeda leader who was one of the world's most wanted militants, in August.
He will also tell other leaders at the summit that growth cannot be ensured without crushing terror, although some APEC members say the group should retain its emphasis on promoting trade and prosperity and not be sidetracked.
Bush told reporters in Manila on Saturday: "The easiest thing to do is to think the war on terror is over with... And I just will remind people that...the United States is still threatened and our friends are threatened, and therefore we must continue to cooperate."
CHINA FIRM ON YUAN
Chinese President Hu Jintao was also in Bangkok ahead of the summit and told businessmen on Sunday that the north Asian giant was determined not to change its exchange rate policy despite U.S. complaints that the yuan was undervalued.
Speaking ahead of talks with Bush, Hu said holding the yuan stable served China's economy and was a benefit to Asia and the world.
Washington wants Beijing to loosen its currency regime, which pegs the yuan, also known as the renminbi, to the dollar. U.S. officials argue that the fixed peg renders Chinese exports cheaper, making it hard for American companies to compete.
The currency issue was unlikely to figure at the summit and looked likely to come up when Bush and Hu meet later on Sunday.
APEC's 21 members also include Japan, Peru, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, tiny Papua New Guinea and a clutch of southeast Asian nations.
The group was formed in 1989 to promote trade among nations on both sides of the Pacific, but terrorism has been a focal topic in meetings since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Several APEC members are struggling to contain militancy within their borders, including Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, Russia and the Philippines.
The anti-terror focus to the summit will be reinforced by Saturday's broadcast of new audio tapes purportedly made by Osama bin Laden In tapes aired by Qatar-based Arabic television station Al Jazeera, the speaker vowed more suicide attacks inside and outside the United States and said all countries backing Washington on Iraq were targets.
"It is a reminder that the global war on terror continues," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan, who is accompanying Bush on his tour of Asia.
"Terrorists are enemies of the civilized world who seek to spread fear and chaos and have no regard for innocent life. That's why we are taking the fight to the killers and bringing them to justice," McClellan said.
By Ed Cropley
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Anti-globalization and anti-war activists waved banners and shouted slogans in Bangkok on Sunday as President Bush (news - web sites) held talks ahead of a Pacific Rim summit that will focus on terror and economic growth.
Other world leaders also began arriving in the Thai capital, which was wrapped in a shroud of security for the annual summit of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (news - web sites) (APEC) forum on Monday and Tuesday.
Police made no move to stop about 2,000 protesters marching through the streets waving banners reading "America, Axis of Evil" and "U.S. Troops Get Out of Iraq (news - web sites)." Some wore black robes and Halloween skull masks dripping with fake blood.
Chanting "George Bush Go Back," they marched from Chulalongkorn University to a square in the central shopping district some two km (one mile) from the hotel where Bush was meeting Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Security and moves to clamp down on terror networks will be the main features of the summit and Bush's six-nation Asia tour.
Thaksin said Bush declared Thailand a major non-NATO (news - web sites) ally of the United States, a reward for Bangkok's support in the war on terror. The designation makes it easier for Thailand to buy U.S. military equipment.
Bush was to address Thai troops later in the day to congratulate them for capturing Hambali, an al Qaeda leader who was one of the world's most wanted militants, in August.
He will also tell other leaders at the summit that growth cannot be ensured without crushing terror, although some APEC members say the group should retain its emphasis on promoting trade and prosperity and not be sidetracked.
Bush told reporters in Manila on Saturday: "The easiest thing to do is to think the war on terror is over with... And I just will remind people that...the United States is still threatened and our friends are threatened, and therefore we must continue to cooperate."
CHINA FIRM ON YUAN
Chinese President Hu Jintao was also in Bangkok ahead of the summit and told businessmen on Sunday that the north Asian giant was determined not to change its exchange rate policy despite U.S. complaints that the yuan was undervalued.
Speaking ahead of talks with Bush, Hu said holding the yuan stable served China's economy and was a benefit to Asia and the world.
Washington wants Beijing to loosen its currency regime, which pegs the yuan, also known as the renminbi, to the dollar. U.S. officials argue that the fixed peg renders Chinese exports cheaper, making it hard for American companies to compete.
The currency issue was unlikely to figure at the summit and looked likely to come up when Bush and Hu meet later on Sunday.
APEC's 21 members also include Japan, Peru, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, tiny Papua New Guinea and a clutch of southeast Asian nations.
The group was formed in 1989 to promote trade among nations on both sides of the Pacific, but terrorism has been a focal topic in meetings since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Several APEC members are struggling to contain militancy within their borders, including Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, Russia and the Philippines.
The anti-terror focus to the summit will be reinforced by Saturday's broadcast of new audio tapes purportedly made by Osama bin Laden In tapes aired by Qatar-based Arabic television station Al Jazeera, the speaker vowed more suicide attacks inside and outside the United States and said all countries backing Washington on Iraq were targets.
"It is a reminder that the global war on terror continues," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan, who is accompanying Bush on his tour of Asia.
"Terrorists are enemies of the civilized world who seek to spread fear and chaos and have no regard for innocent life. That's why we are taking the fight to the killers and bringing them to justice," McClellan said.
Originally posted by Dawoud
Sat Oct 18, 3:13 PM ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkey's prime minister said Saturday that his country would scrap plans to send troops to Iraq if Iraqis continue to oppose the deployment.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government supports sending peacekeepers to Iraq, as requested by the United States, and parliament approved a deployment last week.
But the proposed deployment has met vocal opposition from many Iraqis, who fear Turkey wil pursue its own agenda. The U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council has come out against having Turkish troops or troops from any neighboring nation on Iraqi soil.
"The demands of the Iraqi people are very important for us," Erdogan was quoted as saying in Mallorca, Spain by Turkey's semiofficial Anatolia news agency. "We aren't longing to send soldiers to Iraq. There was a request from the United States and we're evaluating it."
"If the Iraqi people say, 'We don't want anybody,' there's nothing else we can do," Erdogan was quoted as saying. "If wanted, we'll go, if not wanted, we won't go. We haven't made a definite decision."
Erdogan added: "The requests of the United States are very important us."
The United States has welcomed a possible deployment by Turkey, hoping the Turks would become the first major contingent from a Muslim country.
But Washington is now proceeding cautiously amid opposition from members of Iraq's Governing Council and Iraqi Kurds. Some Turkish officials have downplayed the council's opposition and have said Iraqis would welcome Turkish troops.
On Thursday, the United Nations (news - web sites) Security Council also unanimously passed a resolution authorizing a multinational force in the neighboring nation. That has apparently boosted Washington's hopes that other nations might now contribute to a peacekeeping operation.
Turkey's government sees a deployment as a way of increasing its influence in Iraq and improving relations with the United States, which have been strained since Turkey in March refused to host U.S. troops for the war.
Many Iraqis are leery of Turkey because the Turkish Ottoman Empire ruled today's Iraq for about 400 years until World War I. Turkey also fought a bloody 15-year war with autonomy-seeking Kurdish guerillas in southeastern Turkey, heightening many Iraqi Kurds' suspicions.
Any Turkish peacekeepers would be deployed in central Iraq away from Kurdish areas.
Thank you for posting this article, it's nice to see the newly formed Iraq council is being respected and considered legitimate. It's amazing that it was created so quickly and already making progress.
Imagine that, the Iraqi government speaks and someone listens! I wonder why people would now respect their wishes? I'm extremely happy for this considerable progress and I thank you for sharing!
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #48
FALLUJAH, Iraq - Two U.S. soldiers were killed and one was wounded in an ambush north of Baghdad, the military said, and insurgents attacked a convoy Sunday in this turbulent city west of the capital, setting off huge explosions in several vehicles.
In a third incident, three apparent Iraqi attackers were also reported killed.
There were no reports of casualties in the Sunday morning attack against what appeared to be an ammunition truck and two other American vehicles in Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad in the "Sunni Triangle."
Dozens of Iraqi youths cheered and danced in celebration as contents of the flaming vehicles continued to explode. The crowds scattered when two F-16 jets passed overhead.
Witnesses said U.S. troops tried to approach the truck but withdrew after they came under attack with rocket-propelled grenades.
U.S. troops and Iraqi police kept journalists away from the scene, but from a distance it appeared that the vehicles, which included a Humvee, were ablaze.
There were conflicting reports whether the attack in the eastern end of the city was triggered by a roadside bomb or by rocket-propelled grenades.
"Shells were flying everywhere, like fireworks," said Khalil al-Qubaisi, 45, a nearby shopkeeper.
In the northern attack, an American mounted patrol was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire at 10:45 p.m. Saturday outside the northern city of Kirkuk, 159 miles north of Baghdad, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division.
The patrol from Task Force Ironhorse a force that includes the 4th Division returned fire, but no additional enemy contact followed, Aberle said.
In other action in the north early Sunday, U.S. troops were attacked by grenades and small arms and returned fire, killing three Iraqis near Hawija, 150 miles north of Baghdad, the 4th Infantry Division reported.
Other American forces detained five attackers north of Beiji, 120 miles north of Baghdad, after a brief firefight.
Resistance forces have mounted an average of 22 attacks a day on the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq in recent weeks, mostly in the so-called "Sunni Triangle," a Sunni Muslim-dominated area stretching from the west of Baghdad to the north. The area was a strong base of support for Saddam's Baath Party regime toppled by the U.S.-British invasion earlier this year.
Saturday's deaths came barely a day after four American soldiers were killed in a roadside explosion in Baghdad and a clash with Shiite Muslim gunmen in the southern shrine city of Karbala, on the deadliest day for the occupation force in a month.
Witnesses said U.S. troops tried to approach the truck but withdrew after they came under attack with rocket-propelled grenades. Dozens of Iraqi youths cheered and danced in celebration as contents of the flaming vehicles continued to explode. The crowds scattered when two F-16 jets passed overhead.
In a third incident, three apparent Iraqi attackers were also reported killed.
There were no reports of casualties in the Sunday morning attack against what appeared to be an ammunition truck and two other American vehicles in Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad in the "Sunni Triangle."
Dozens of Iraqi youths cheered and danced in celebration as contents of the flaming vehicles continued to explode. The crowds scattered when two F-16 jets passed overhead.
Witnesses said U.S. troops tried to approach the truck but withdrew after they came under attack with rocket-propelled grenades.
U.S. troops and Iraqi police kept journalists away from the scene, but from a distance it appeared that the vehicles, which included a Humvee, were ablaze.
There were conflicting reports whether the attack in the eastern end of the city was triggered by a roadside bomb or by rocket-propelled grenades.
"Shells were flying everywhere, like fireworks," said Khalil al-Qubaisi, 45, a nearby shopkeeper.
In the northern attack, an American mounted patrol was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire at 10:45 p.m. Saturday outside the northern city of Kirkuk, 159 miles north of Baghdad, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division.
The patrol from Task Force Ironhorse a force that includes the 4th Division returned fire, but no additional enemy contact followed, Aberle said.
In other action in the north early Sunday, U.S. troops were attacked by grenades and small arms and returned fire, killing three Iraqis near Hawija, 150 miles north of Baghdad, the 4th Infantry Division reported.
Other American forces detained five attackers north of Beiji, 120 miles north of Baghdad, after a brief firefight.
Resistance forces have mounted an average of 22 attacks a day on the U.S. occupation forces in Iraq in recent weeks, mostly in the so-called "Sunni Triangle," a Sunni Muslim-dominated area stretching from the west of Baghdad to the north. The area was a strong base of support for Saddam's Baath Party regime toppled by the U.S.-British invasion earlier this year.
Saturday's deaths came barely a day after four American soldiers were killed in a roadside explosion in Baghdad and a clash with Shiite Muslim gunmen in the southern shrine city of Karbala, on the deadliest day for the occupation force in a month.
Witnesses said U.S. troops tried to approach the truck but withdrew after they came under attack with rocket-propelled grenades. Dozens of Iraqi youths cheered and danced in celebration as contents of the flaming vehicles continued to explode. The crowds scattered when two F-16 jets passed overhead.
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #49
State Dept. Study Foresaw Trouble Now Plaguing Iraq
By ERIC SCHMITT and JOEL BRINKLEY The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 A yearlong State Department study predicted many of the problems that have plagued the American-led occupation of Iraqaccording to internal State Department documents and interviews with administration and Congressional officials.
Beginning in April 2002, the State Department project assembled more than 200 Iraqi lawyers, engineers, business people and other experts into 17 working groups to study topics ranging from creating a new justice system to reorganizing the military to revamping the economy.
Their findings included a much more dire assessment of Iraq's dilapidated electrical and water systems than many Pentagon officials assumed. They warned of a society so brutalized by Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s rule that many Iraqis might react coolly to Americans' notion of quickly rebuilding civil society.
Several officials said that many of the findings in the $5 million study were ignored by Pentagon officials until recently, although the Pentagon said they took the findings into account. The work is now being relied on heavily as occupation forces struggle to impose stability in Iraq.
The working group studying transitional justice was eerily prescient in forecasting the widespread looting in the aftermath of the fall of Mr. Hussein's government, caused in part by thousands of criminals set free from prison, and it recommended force to prevent the chaos.
"The period immediately after regime change might offer these criminals the opportunity to engage in acts of killing, plunder and looting," the report warned, urging American officials to "organize military patrols by coalition forces in all major cities to prevent lawlessness, especially against vital utilities and key government facilities."
Despite the scope of the project, the military office initially charged with rebuilding Iraq did not learn of it until a major government drill for the postwar mission was held in Washington in late February, less than a month before the conflict began, said Ron Adams, the office's deputy director.
The man overseeing the planning, Tom Warrick, a State Department official, so impressed aides to Jay Garner, a retired Army lieutenant general heading the military's reconstruction office, that they recruited Mr. Warrick to join their team.
George Ward, an aide to General Garner, said the reconstruction office wanted to use Mr. Warrick's knowledge because "we had few experts on Iraq on the staff."
But top Pentagon officials blocked Mr. Warrick's appointment, and much of the project's work was shelved, State Department officials said. Mr. Warrick declined to be interviewed for this article.
The Defense Department, which had the lead role for planning postwar operations and reconstruction in Iraq, denied that it had shunned the State Department planning effort.
"It is flatly wrong to say this work was ignored," said the Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita. "It was good work. It was taken into account. It had some influence on people's thinking and it was a valuable contribution."
The broad outlines of the work, called the Future of Iraq Project, have been widely known, but new details emerged this week after the State Department sent Congress the project's 13 volumes of reports and supporting documents, which several House and Senate committees had requested weeks ago.
The documents are unclassified but labeled "official use only," and were not intended for public distribution, officials said. But Congressional officials from both parties allowed The New York Times to review the volumes, totaling more than 2,000 pages, revealing previously unknown details behind the planning.
Administration officials say there was postwar planning at several government agencies, but much of the work at any one agency was largely disconnected from that at others.
In the end, the American military and civilian officials who first entered Iraq prepared for several possible problems: numerous fires in the oil fields, a massive humanitarian crisis, widespread revenge attacks against former leaders of Mr. Hussein's government and threats from Iraq's neighbors. In fact, none of those problems occurred to any great degree.
Officials acknowledge that the United States was not well prepared for what did occur: chiefly widespread looting and related security threats, even though the State Department study predicted them.
Senior said the Pentagon squandered a chance to anticipate more of the postwar pitfalls by not fully incorporating the State Department information.
"Had we done more work and more of a commitment at the front end, there would be drastically different results now," said Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, the senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Feb. 11, Marc Grossman, the under secretary of state for political affairs, said the working groups were "not to have an academic discussion but to consider thoughts and plans for what can be done immediately."
But some senior Pentagon officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that while some of the project's work was well done, much of it was superficial and too academic to be practical.
"It was mostly ignored," said one senior defense official. "State has good ideas and a feel for the political landscape, but they're bad at implementing anything. Defense, on the other hand, is excellent at logistical stuff, but has blinders when it comes to policy. We needed to blend these two together."
A review of the work shows a wide range of quality and industriousness. For example, the transitional justice working group, made up of Iraqi judges, law professors and legal experts, has met four times and drafted more than 600 pages of proposed reforms in the Iraqi criminal code, civil code, nationality laws and military procedure. Other working groups, however, met only once and produced slim reports or none at all.
"There was a wealth of information in the working group if someone had just collated and used it," said Nasreen Barwari, who served on the economy working group and is now the Iraqi minister of public works. "What they did seems to have been a one-sided opinion."
Many of the working groups offered long-term recommendations as well as short-term fixes to potential problems.
The group studying defense policy and institutions expected problems if the Iraqi Army was disbanded quickly a step L. Paul Bremer III, the chief American civil administrator in Iraq, took. The working group recommended that jobs be found for demobilized troops to avoid having them turn against allied forces as some are believed to have done.
After special security organizations that ensured Mr. Hussein's grip on power were abolished, the working group recommended halving the 400,000-member military over time and reorganizing Iraqi special forces to become peacekeeping troops, as well as counterdrug and counterterrorism forces. Under the plan, military intelligence units would help American troops root out terrorists infiltrating postwar Iraq.
"The Iraqi armed forces and the army should be rebuilt according to the tenets and programs of democratic life," one working group member recommended.
The democratic principles working group wrestled with myriad complicated issues from reinvigorating a dormant political system to forming special tribunals for trying war criminals to laying out principles of a new Iraqi bill of rights.
It declared the thorny question of the relationship between that secular state and Islamic religion one "only the people of Iraq can decide," and avoided a recommendation on it.
Members of this working group were divided over whether to back a provisional government made up of Iraqi exiles or adopt the model that ultimately was adopted, the Iraqi Governing Council, made up of members from a broad range of ethnic and religious backgrounds. The group presented both options.
The transparency and anticorruption working group warned that "actions regarding anticorruption must start immediately; it cannot wait until the legal, legislative and executive systems are reformed."
The economy and infrastructure working group warned of the deep investments needed to repair Iraq's water, electrical and sewage systems. The free media working group noted the potential to use Iraq's television and radio capabilities to promote the goals of a post-Hussein Iraq, an aim many critics say the occupation has fumbled so far.
Encouraging Iraqis to emerge from three decades of dictatorship and embrace a vibrant civil society including labor unions, artist guilds and professional associations, could be more difficult than anticipated, the civil society capacity buildup working group cautioned: "The people's main concern has become basic survival and not building their civil society."
The groups' ideas may not have been fully incorporated before the war, but they are getting a closer look now. Many of the Iraqi ministers are graduates of the working groups, and have brought that experience with them. Since last spring, new arrivals to Mr. Bremer's staff in Baghdad have received a CD-ROM version of the State Department's 13-volume work. "It's our bible coming out here," said one senior official in Baghdad.
By ERIC SCHMITT and JOEL BRINKLEY The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 A yearlong State Department study predicted many of the problems that have plagued the American-led occupation of Iraqaccording to internal State Department documents and interviews with administration and Congressional officials.
Beginning in April 2002, the State Department project assembled more than 200 Iraqi lawyers, engineers, business people and other experts into 17 working groups to study topics ranging from creating a new justice system to reorganizing the military to revamping the economy.
Their findings included a much more dire assessment of Iraq's dilapidated electrical and water systems than many Pentagon officials assumed. They warned of a society so brutalized by Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s rule that many Iraqis might react coolly to Americans' notion of quickly rebuilding civil society.
Several officials said that many of the findings in the $5 million study were ignored by Pentagon officials until recently, although the Pentagon said they took the findings into account. The work is now being relied on heavily as occupation forces struggle to impose stability in Iraq.
The working group studying transitional justice was eerily prescient in forecasting the widespread looting in the aftermath of the fall of Mr. Hussein's government, caused in part by thousands of criminals set free from prison, and it recommended force to prevent the chaos.
"The period immediately after regime change might offer these criminals the opportunity to engage in acts of killing, plunder and looting," the report warned, urging American officials to "organize military patrols by coalition forces in all major cities to prevent lawlessness, especially against vital utilities and key government facilities."
Despite the scope of the project, the military office initially charged with rebuilding Iraq did not learn of it until a major government drill for the postwar mission was held in Washington in late February, less than a month before the conflict began, said Ron Adams, the office's deputy director.
The man overseeing the planning, Tom Warrick, a State Department official, so impressed aides to Jay Garner, a retired Army lieutenant general heading the military's reconstruction office, that they recruited Mr. Warrick to join their team.
George Ward, an aide to General Garner, said the reconstruction office wanted to use Mr. Warrick's knowledge because "we had few experts on Iraq on the staff."
But top Pentagon officials blocked Mr. Warrick's appointment, and much of the project's work was shelved, State Department officials said. Mr. Warrick declined to be interviewed for this article.
The Defense Department, which had the lead role for planning postwar operations and reconstruction in Iraq, denied that it had shunned the State Department planning effort.
"It is flatly wrong to say this work was ignored," said the Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita. "It was good work. It was taken into account. It had some influence on people's thinking and it was a valuable contribution."
The broad outlines of the work, called the Future of Iraq Project, have been widely known, but new details emerged this week after the State Department sent Congress the project's 13 volumes of reports and supporting documents, which several House and Senate committees had requested weeks ago.
The documents are unclassified but labeled "official use only," and were not intended for public distribution, officials said. But Congressional officials from both parties allowed The New York Times to review the volumes, totaling more than 2,000 pages, revealing previously unknown details behind the planning.
Administration officials say there was postwar planning at several government agencies, but much of the work at any one agency was largely disconnected from that at others.
In the end, the American military and civilian officials who first entered Iraq prepared for several possible problems: numerous fires in the oil fields, a massive humanitarian crisis, widespread revenge attacks against former leaders of Mr. Hussein's government and threats from Iraq's neighbors. In fact, none of those problems occurred to any great degree.
Officials acknowledge that the United States was not well prepared for what did occur: chiefly widespread looting and related security threats, even though the State Department study predicted them.
Senior said the Pentagon squandered a chance to anticipate more of the postwar pitfalls by not fully incorporating the State Department information.
"Had we done more work and more of a commitment at the front end, there would be drastically different results now," said Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, the senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Feb. 11, Marc Grossman, the under secretary of state for political affairs, said the working groups were "not to have an academic discussion but to consider thoughts and plans for what can be done immediately."
But some senior Pentagon officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that while some of the project's work was well done, much of it was superficial and too academic to be practical.
"It was mostly ignored," said one senior defense official. "State has good ideas and a feel for the political landscape, but they're bad at implementing anything. Defense, on the other hand, is excellent at logistical stuff, but has blinders when it comes to policy. We needed to blend these two together."
A review of the work shows a wide range of quality and industriousness. For example, the transitional justice working group, made up of Iraqi judges, law professors and legal experts, has met four times and drafted more than 600 pages of proposed reforms in the Iraqi criminal code, civil code, nationality laws and military procedure. Other working groups, however, met only once and produced slim reports or none at all.
"There was a wealth of information in the working group if someone had just collated and used it," said Nasreen Barwari, who served on the economy working group and is now the Iraqi minister of public works. "What they did seems to have been a one-sided opinion."
Many of the working groups offered long-term recommendations as well as short-term fixes to potential problems.
The group studying defense policy and institutions expected problems if the Iraqi Army was disbanded quickly a step L. Paul Bremer III, the chief American civil administrator in Iraq, took. The working group recommended that jobs be found for demobilized troops to avoid having them turn against allied forces as some are believed to have done.
After special security organizations that ensured Mr. Hussein's grip on power were abolished, the working group recommended halving the 400,000-member military over time and reorganizing Iraqi special forces to become peacekeeping troops, as well as counterdrug and counterterrorism forces. Under the plan, military intelligence units would help American troops root out terrorists infiltrating postwar Iraq.
"The Iraqi armed forces and the army should be rebuilt according to the tenets and programs of democratic life," one working group member recommended.
The democratic principles working group wrestled with myriad complicated issues from reinvigorating a dormant political system to forming special tribunals for trying war criminals to laying out principles of a new Iraqi bill of rights.
It declared the thorny question of the relationship between that secular state and Islamic religion one "only the people of Iraq can decide," and avoided a recommendation on it.
Members of this working group were divided over whether to back a provisional government made up of Iraqi exiles or adopt the model that ultimately was adopted, the Iraqi Governing Council, made up of members from a broad range of ethnic and religious backgrounds. The group presented both options.
The transparency and anticorruption working group warned that "actions regarding anticorruption must start immediately; it cannot wait until the legal, legislative and executive systems are reformed."
The economy and infrastructure working group warned of the deep investments needed to repair Iraq's water, electrical and sewage systems. The free media working group noted the potential to use Iraq's television and radio capabilities to promote the goals of a post-Hussein Iraq, an aim many critics say the occupation has fumbled so far.
Encouraging Iraqis to emerge from three decades of dictatorship and embrace a vibrant civil society including labor unions, artist guilds and professional associations, could be more difficult than anticipated, the civil society capacity buildup working group cautioned: "The people's main concern has become basic survival and not building their civil society."
The groups' ideas may not have been fully incorporated before the war, but they are getting a closer look now. Many of the Iraqi ministers are graduates of the working groups, and have brought that experience with them. Since last spring, new arrivals to Mr. Bremer's staff in Baghdad have received a CD-ROM version of the State Department's 13-volume work. "It's our bible coming out here," said one senior official in Baghdad.
Thank you for indirectly proving my point about the fanatical Muslims that will refuse to accept peace and a new government!
Doesn't it suck when you see these Muslims giving the rest of their people a bad name? No wonder you get so defensive, I would too if I knew so many of these Muslims were tearing down what I respect so much.
Witnesses said U.S. troops tried to approach the truck but withdrew after they came under attack with rocket-propelled grenades. Dozens of Iraqi youths cheered and danced in celebration as contents of the flaming vehicles continued to explode. The crowds scattered when two F-16 jets passed overhead.
Doesn't it suck when you see these Muslims giving the rest of their people a bad name? No wonder you get so defensive, I would too if I knew so many of these Muslims were tearing down what I respect so much.
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #51
Well jimnyc im glad you can find something to cheer you in this bleak landscape of war and hate the USA has created in Iraq.
You tend to use the M word a lot ..You know Muslim to gloss over and excuse all the problems . I guess I need to remind you of something Its their world not ours over there . And they don't give a damn what you think of their morals, religion, culture, laws, or outlook on life.
Sure Saddam was a monster no one denys that and he did gas his own people (with gas supplied by us if you will remember)
And the world is a much better place with his two blood thrusty sons in Hell.
That said heres some reality for you, even with your rose colored glasses you might see this ..or mabey you will just respond with some more sword rattling flag waving crap.
Muslim culture is set up around the family, the tribe, and the clan. I know my wife is from a ancient tribe from the Sahara.
Our invasion and occupation , has killed thousands and thousands of Iraquis, some needed killing. most didnt. Killing one person from a clan , family, or tribe demands revenge from the whole tribe clan or family. So every case of abuse , murder or justified killing just swells the ranks of Iraquis wanting the Americans out of their country or dead. And this is happening every single day.
Sooooooooo lets do some numbers say 20% of the Iraquis there now want us gone or dead 20% of 20,000,000 = 4,000,000 people.
130,000 troops in harms way
Say what do you think we can do with them? Maybe send them to reeducation camps Maybe Hallaburton could build the camps?
Or do you advocate a more permanent solution
most didnt most didnt
You tend to use the M word a lot ..You know Muslim to gloss over and excuse all the problems . I guess I need to remind you of something Its their world not ours over there . And they don't give a damn what you think of their morals, religion, culture, laws, or outlook on life.
Sure Saddam was a monster no one denys that and he did gas his own people (with gas supplied by us if you will remember)
And the world is a much better place with his two blood thrusty sons in Hell.
That said heres some reality for you, even with your rose colored glasses you might see this ..or mabey you will just respond with some more sword rattling flag waving crap.
Muslim culture is set up around the family, the tribe, and the clan. I know my wife is from a ancient tribe from the Sahara.
Our invasion and occupation , has killed thousands and thousands of Iraquis, some needed killing. most didnt. Killing one person from a clan , family, or tribe demands revenge from the whole tribe clan or family. So every case of abuse , murder or justified killing just swells the ranks of Iraquis wanting the Americans out of their country or dead. And this is happening every single day.
Sooooooooo lets do some numbers say 20% of the Iraquis there now want us gone or dead 20% of 20,000,000 = 4,000,000 people.
130,000 troops in harms way
Say what do you think we can do with them? Maybe send them to reeducation camps Maybe Hallaburton could build the camps?
Or do you advocate a more permanent solution
most didnt most didnt
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #52
This just helps prove my last post that by the way jimmie boy you didn't respond to with your "raper whit"
U.S. Targets Ambushed; Iraq Army Mobilized
By TAREK AL-ISSAWI, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Deadly ambush teams struck U.S. Army targets from west to north in the arc of resistance around Baghdad, and the interim Iraqi leader called Sunday for an immediate mobilization of the old Iraqi army to help the harried Americans.
The United States would "speed the process of relieving the burden on its troops" by recalling the disbanded Iraqi military, said Iyad Allawi, current president of the Iraqi Governing Council. The idea got a cool reception, however, from Baghdad's U.S.-led occupation authorities.
Attackers killed two U.S. soldiers in a clash outside the northern city of Kirkuk late Saturday, and others blasted a broken-down convoy in the western flashpoint city of Fallujah, setting off spectacular explosions from an ammunition truck. After the Fallujah ambush, American troops opened fire as they sped away, killing one civilian and wounding at least four others, witnesses and hospital officials said.
In the attack near Kirkuk, 160 miles north of Baghdad, an American mounted patrol was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, 4th Infantry Division spokeswoman. The patrol returned fire, but no additional enemy contact followed, she said.
In addition to the two killed, a third American was wounded, Aberle reported.
Early Sunday, about 30 miles west of that attack, U.S. troops were hit with grenades and small arms fire near Hawija, and killed three Iraqis when they returned fire, the 4th Infantry Division reported. Still farther west, near Beiji, American forces detained five attackers after a brief firefight, the division said.
On the eastern edge of Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad, a U.S. Army ammunition truck, part of a convoy, broke down on the main road late Sunday morning and came under attack, the U.S. command said in Baghdad. The truck and possibly two other vehicles apparently were hit by rocket-propelled grenades.
"Shells were flying everywhere, like fireworks," shopkeeper Khalil al-Qubaisi, 45, said of the exploding ammunition truck. Dozens of Iraqi youths danced and cheered as the vehicles went up in flames.
Witnesses said U.S. troops trying to approach the site pulled back after coming under grenade attack, and opened fire around themselves as they left.
"I was fixing my car on the other side of the street, and Americans fired in a circular motion as they tried to leave," said Thaer Ibrahim, 30, who was wounded in the shoulder by the American fire. Four other civilians were hit, and one later died, said Dr. Rafae al-Issawi, director of Fallujah General Hospital. In Baghdad, the U.S. command said there were no American casualties.
The command reported 15 attacks on forces of the U.S.-led coalition in the 24 hours ended at midday Sunday, down from a recent average of 22 a day. Most occur in the so-called "Sunni Triangle," a Sunni Muslim-dominated area stretching from the west of Baghdad to the north. The area was a strong base of support for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s Baath Party regime, toppled by the U.S.-British invasion earlier this year.
American officials blame the insurgency largely on die-hard Baathists, but many here believe other Iraqis resentful of the U.S. military presence have joined in the hit-run attacks.
In an opinion-page piece in Sunday's New York Times newspaper, Allawi, head of the 25-member Governing Council for the month of October, said the decision by U.S. occupation officials to dissolve the 400,000-man Iraqi army after the war's end in April produced a "security vacuum that let criminals, die-hards of the former regime and international terrorists flourish."
Allawi wrote that it is "vital" to recall Iraqi army units now, six months after they disintegrated before the U.S.-British military advance. The U.S. government has had little success enlisting significant foreign military help in Iraq (news - web sites), but a well-placed official of the occupation authority reacted coolly Sunday to Allawi's position.
"I don't think there's a vast swath of people out there who want to serve in the Iraqi army," said this official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Americans are slowly rebuilding a new Iraqi army, having trained only a 700-man battalion thus far.
Allawi's council, meanwhile, issued a statement Sunday urging Iraqis "to remain calm and prevent incitement engulfing the country."
"I was fixing my car on the other side of the street, and Americans fired in a circular motion as they tried to leave," said Thaer Ibrahim, 30, who was wounded in the shoulder by the American fire. Four other civilians were hit, and one later died, said Dr. Rafae al-Issawi, director of Fallujah General Hospital. In Baghdad, the U.S. command said there were no American casualties.
U.S. Targets Ambushed; Iraq Army Mobilized
By TAREK AL-ISSAWI, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Deadly ambush teams struck U.S. Army targets from west to north in the arc of resistance around Baghdad, and the interim Iraqi leader called Sunday for an immediate mobilization of the old Iraqi army to help the harried Americans.
The United States would "speed the process of relieving the burden on its troops" by recalling the disbanded Iraqi military, said Iyad Allawi, current president of the Iraqi Governing Council. The idea got a cool reception, however, from Baghdad's U.S.-led occupation authorities.
Attackers killed two U.S. soldiers in a clash outside the northern city of Kirkuk late Saturday, and others blasted a broken-down convoy in the western flashpoint city of Fallujah, setting off spectacular explosions from an ammunition truck. After the Fallujah ambush, American troops opened fire as they sped away, killing one civilian and wounding at least four others, witnesses and hospital officials said.
In the attack near Kirkuk, 160 miles north of Baghdad, an American mounted patrol was ambushed by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire at 10:45 p.m. Saturday, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, 4th Infantry Division spokeswoman. The patrol returned fire, but no additional enemy contact followed, she said.
In addition to the two killed, a third American was wounded, Aberle reported.
Early Sunday, about 30 miles west of that attack, U.S. troops were hit with grenades and small arms fire near Hawija, and killed three Iraqis when they returned fire, the 4th Infantry Division reported. Still farther west, near Beiji, American forces detained five attackers after a brief firefight, the division said.
On the eastern edge of Fallujah, 35 miles west of Baghdad, a U.S. Army ammunition truck, part of a convoy, broke down on the main road late Sunday morning and came under attack, the U.S. command said in Baghdad. The truck and possibly two other vehicles apparently were hit by rocket-propelled grenades.
"Shells were flying everywhere, like fireworks," shopkeeper Khalil al-Qubaisi, 45, said of the exploding ammunition truck. Dozens of Iraqi youths danced and cheered as the vehicles went up in flames.
Witnesses said U.S. troops trying to approach the site pulled back after coming under grenade attack, and opened fire around themselves as they left.
"I was fixing my car on the other side of the street, and Americans fired in a circular motion as they tried to leave," said Thaer Ibrahim, 30, who was wounded in the shoulder by the American fire. Four other civilians were hit, and one later died, said Dr. Rafae al-Issawi, director of Fallujah General Hospital. In Baghdad, the U.S. command said there were no American casualties.
The command reported 15 attacks on forces of the U.S.-led coalition in the 24 hours ended at midday Sunday, down from a recent average of 22 a day. Most occur in the so-called "Sunni Triangle," a Sunni Muslim-dominated area stretching from the west of Baghdad to the north. The area was a strong base of support for Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s Baath Party regime, toppled by the U.S.-British invasion earlier this year.
American officials blame the insurgency largely on die-hard Baathists, but many here believe other Iraqis resentful of the U.S. military presence have joined in the hit-run attacks.
In an opinion-page piece in Sunday's New York Times newspaper, Allawi, head of the 25-member Governing Council for the month of October, said the decision by U.S. occupation officials to dissolve the 400,000-man Iraqi army after the war's end in April produced a "security vacuum that let criminals, die-hards of the former regime and international terrorists flourish."
Allawi wrote that it is "vital" to recall Iraqi army units now, six months after they disintegrated before the U.S.-British military advance. The U.S. government has had little success enlisting significant foreign military help in Iraq (news - web sites), but a well-placed official of the occupation authority reacted coolly Sunday to Allawi's position.
"I don't think there's a vast swath of people out there who want to serve in the Iraqi army," said this official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Americans are slowly rebuilding a new Iraqi army, having trained only a 700-man battalion thus far.
Allawi's council, meanwhile, issued a statement Sunday urging Iraqis "to remain calm and prevent incitement engulfing the country."
"I was fixing my car on the other side of the street, and Americans fired in a circular motion as they tried to leave," said Thaer Ibrahim, 30, who was wounded in the shoulder by the American fire. Four other civilians were hit, and one later died, said Dr. Rafae al-Issawi, director of Fallujah General Hospital. In Baghdad, the U.S. command said there were no American casualties.
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #53
More US troops killed in Iraq, Bush says "war on terror" goes on
BAGHDAD (AFP) - The post-war US combat toll in Iraq ( rose to at least 103, while US President George W. Bush said a new audiotape purportedly by Osama bin Laden threatening Washington over its occupation of Baghdad meant that "the war on terror goes on."
Turkey's plan to send troops to join the US-led coalition, which has aroused strong opposition from the US-installed Iraqi interim leadership, also sparked fresh protests at home, while Iran for the first time voiced reservations about the proposal.
Coalition officials announced that two soldiers of the US 4th Infantry Division were killed and one wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms attack late Saturday near the northern oil center of Kirkuk, 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of Baghdad.
The two deaths confirmed by the coalition bring to 103 the number of Americans who have died in combat since US President George W. Bush declared an end to major hostilities on May 1.
And in the flashpoint town of Fallujah, an Iraqi was killed and another wounded when US soldiers opened fire after they came under rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack while removing a military vehicle hit earlier by an RPG, witnesses and hospital sources said.
The US vehicle had exploded when assailants attacked a convoy apparently transporting weapons and ammunition in the town, witnesses said.
A US military spokesman confirmed an attack on a vehicle that had broken down by the town 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad.
"It came under fire. There were no casualties," said Lieutenant Colonel George Krivo, although witnesses said none of the occupants were seen emerging from the vehicle as it burst into flames.
Following the attack, a number of people in Fallujah chanted slogans in support of ousted strongman Saddam, toppled by US forces six months ago, and bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network.
"This is a first reaction after bin Laden's declaration," said witness Ahmed Suheil, 40.
In two "messages" to the Iraqi and American people aired by Qatar's Al-Jazeera television Saturday, a recorded voice claiming to be that of the al-Qaeda leader threatened to send suicide bombers to the United States and to attack any forces joining the coalition in Iraq.
Bush, in Bangkok for a state visit and an Asian economic forum, said the recording reinforced his resolve for Washington's "war on terror."
"I think that the bin Laden tape should say to everybody, the war on terror goes on; that there's still a danger for free nations and that free nations need to work together more than ever to share intelligence, cut off money, and bring these potential killers, or killers to justice," he said.
Iraq's interim Governing Council also reacted angrily to bin Laden's intervention following the rash of car bombings since August, which many believe bear the hallmark of al-Qaeda-inspired groups.
"We don't want bin Laden to use Iraq to settle old scores with the Americans," council member Muwaffak Rubai said.
Italy, one of the US allies singled out by the speaker purported to be bin Laden, said on Sunday it was taking seriously the latest alleged threats and was stepping up security measures.
Another of the targets, Spain, said there was no evidence it faced a particular terrorist threat.
The Washington Post reported that the US military was developing a plan to gradually reduce troop levels in Iraq from the current 130,000 to about 50,000 by mid-2005.
Withdrawals would begin in the second quarter of 2004 and would see the force reduced to fewer than 100,000 by the middle of that year, the report said. The plan has not yet been approved by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Plans are also being made to withdraw British and US forces from key cities in Iraq, starting with Basra and Mosul, a military official told the Post.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) hopes to turn over as many basic security functions as possible to Iraqi security forces and foreign peacekeepers.
But in Turkey, one of the proposed participants in the peacekeeping force, police detained scores of protestors demonstrating across the country against the government's decision to send troops to Iraq, Anatolia news agency reported.
Iran on Sunday also voiced reservations over the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq, saying such a move should not be made without the consent of the United Nations (news - web sites) or Iraqi people.
"We think any action in this regard has to be done with the consent of the UN and the Iraqi people," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told reporters.
The prospect of a Turkish deployment in the war-ravaged country has triggered harsh objections from Iraq's interim leadership.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded for the first time that Ankara might abandon plans to send troops to its southeastern neighbor if they are not welcome.
BAGHDAD (AFP) - The post-war US combat toll in Iraq ( rose to at least 103, while US President George W. Bush said a new audiotape purportedly by Osama bin Laden threatening Washington over its occupation of Baghdad meant that "the war on terror goes on."
Turkey's plan to send troops to join the US-led coalition, which has aroused strong opposition from the US-installed Iraqi interim leadership, also sparked fresh protests at home, while Iran for the first time voiced reservations about the proposal.
Coalition officials announced that two soldiers of the US 4th Infantry Division were killed and one wounded in a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms attack late Saturday near the northern oil center of Kirkuk, 260 kilometers (160 miles) north of Baghdad.
The two deaths confirmed by the coalition bring to 103 the number of Americans who have died in combat since US President George W. Bush declared an end to major hostilities on May 1.
And in the flashpoint town of Fallujah, an Iraqi was killed and another wounded when US soldiers opened fire after they came under rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack while removing a military vehicle hit earlier by an RPG, witnesses and hospital sources said.
The US vehicle had exploded when assailants attacked a convoy apparently transporting weapons and ammunition in the town, witnesses said.
A US military spokesman confirmed an attack on a vehicle that had broken down by the town 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad.
"It came under fire. There were no casualties," said Lieutenant Colonel George Krivo, although witnesses said none of the occupants were seen emerging from the vehicle as it burst into flames.
Following the attack, a number of people in Fallujah chanted slogans in support of ousted strongman Saddam, toppled by US forces six months ago, and bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network.
"This is a first reaction after bin Laden's declaration," said witness Ahmed Suheil, 40.
In two "messages" to the Iraqi and American people aired by Qatar's Al-Jazeera television Saturday, a recorded voice claiming to be that of the al-Qaeda leader threatened to send suicide bombers to the United States and to attack any forces joining the coalition in Iraq.
Bush, in Bangkok for a state visit and an Asian economic forum, said the recording reinforced his resolve for Washington's "war on terror."
"I think that the bin Laden tape should say to everybody, the war on terror goes on; that there's still a danger for free nations and that free nations need to work together more than ever to share intelligence, cut off money, and bring these potential killers, or killers to justice," he said.
Iraq's interim Governing Council also reacted angrily to bin Laden's intervention following the rash of car bombings since August, which many believe bear the hallmark of al-Qaeda-inspired groups.
"We don't want bin Laden to use Iraq to settle old scores with the Americans," council member Muwaffak Rubai said.
Italy, one of the US allies singled out by the speaker purported to be bin Laden, said on Sunday it was taking seriously the latest alleged threats and was stepping up security measures.
Another of the targets, Spain, said there was no evidence it faced a particular terrorist threat.
The Washington Post reported that the US military was developing a plan to gradually reduce troop levels in Iraq from the current 130,000 to about 50,000 by mid-2005.
Withdrawals would begin in the second quarter of 2004 and would see the force reduced to fewer than 100,000 by the middle of that year, the report said. The plan has not yet been approved by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
Plans are also being made to withdraw British and US forces from key cities in Iraq, starting with Basra and Mosul, a military official told the Post.
The Pentagon (news - web sites) hopes to turn over as many basic security functions as possible to Iraqi security forces and foreign peacekeepers.
But in Turkey, one of the proposed participants in the peacekeeping force, police detained scores of protestors demonstrating across the country against the government's decision to send troops to Iraq, Anatolia news agency reported.
Iran on Sunday also voiced reservations over the deployment of Turkish troops in Iraq, saying such a move should not be made without the consent of the United Nations (news - web sites) or Iraqi people.
"We think any action in this regard has to be done with the consent of the UN and the Iraqi people," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi told reporters.
The prospect of a Turkish deployment in the war-ravaged country has triggered harsh objections from Iraq's interim leadership.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan conceded for the first time that Ankara might abandon plans to send troops to its southeastern neighbor if they are not welcome.
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #54
Armless child of war taken to Kuwait
, An Iraqi child, who suffered 60 per cent burns and lost both his arms after an American bomb struck his home, has been flown to Kuwait for treatment.
Surgeons at the Khairallah Hospital in Baghdad, which has been flooded with victims of the war, were looking after the 12-year-old orphan, Ali Ismail Abbas.
Television images of him lying on a hospital bed had triggered sympathy and a lot of people from around the world had offered to help him.
In Kuwait, the authorities have set aside an intensive care room at the Ibn Sina Hospital.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Dr Ahmad al-Shatti, said doctors would do everything to tend to the child's injuries.
"He will have the best possible treatment. If he arrives at the right time I think he will be stabilised and saved," he said in a statement.
"He will be taken to intensive care at the burns unit and assessed thoroughly.
"The immediate concern will be to clean his burns and nourish him."
Because of his burns and the severity of his injuries, there were fears that Ali would die without specialised treatment.
A number of Iraqi children have been flown to other countries for treatment. Two of them, including a badly burnt six-month-old girl from Basra, are in Britain.
Dr Shatti said eight other Iraqi children, including a five-year-old girl from Baghdad, are being cared for in Kuwait.
He said Ali's plight had touched the hearts of Kuwaitis.
"I was in meeting this morning and everybody was talking about it."
In comments broadcasted on Arab radio stations, he said it was difficult at this stage to say what surgery Ali would undergo. "We have to see him. I'm very optimistic."
The Kuwaiti authorities have still not decided whether they would allow an American television crew to bring an orphan found in Baghdad.
A member of the television team has indicated he wishes to adopt the child and take him back to the US, but much will depend on whether he is first allowed into Kuwait.
A number of Iraqi children have been flown to other countries for treatment. Two of them, including a badly burnt six-month-old girl from Basra, are in Britain.
, An Iraqi child, who suffered 60 per cent burns and lost both his arms after an American bomb struck his home, has been flown to Kuwait for treatment.
Surgeons at the Khairallah Hospital in Baghdad, which has been flooded with victims of the war, were looking after the 12-year-old orphan, Ali Ismail Abbas.
Television images of him lying on a hospital bed had triggered sympathy and a lot of people from around the world had offered to help him.
In Kuwait, the authorities have set aside an intensive care room at the Ibn Sina Hospital.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health, Dr Ahmad al-Shatti, said doctors would do everything to tend to the child's injuries.
"He will have the best possible treatment. If he arrives at the right time I think he will be stabilised and saved," he said in a statement.
"He will be taken to intensive care at the burns unit and assessed thoroughly.
"The immediate concern will be to clean his burns and nourish him."
Because of his burns and the severity of his injuries, there were fears that Ali would die without specialised treatment.
A number of Iraqi children have been flown to other countries for treatment. Two of them, including a badly burnt six-month-old girl from Basra, are in Britain.
Dr Shatti said eight other Iraqi children, including a five-year-old girl from Baghdad, are being cared for in Kuwait.
He said Ali's plight had touched the hearts of Kuwaitis.
"I was in meeting this morning and everybody was talking about it."
In comments broadcasted on Arab radio stations, he said it was difficult at this stage to say what surgery Ali would undergo. "We have to see him. I'm very optimistic."
The Kuwaiti authorities have still not decided whether they would allow an American television crew to bring an orphan found in Baghdad.
A member of the television team has indicated he wishes to adopt the child and take him back to the US, but much will depend on whether he is first allowed into Kuwait.
A number of Iraqi children have been flown to other countries for treatment. Two of them, including a badly burnt six-month-old girl from Basra, are in Britain.
MtnBiker
Senior Member
Is Dawoud the master of copy and paste?
J
janeeng
Guest
- Thread starter
- #56
HAHAHAHAHA! I think after waking up from a nap, I found that too funny!
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #57
<<<<<Is Dawoud the master of copy and paste?>>>>
I suggest you stay on topic of this thread......... Its about the BAD THINGS going on in IRAQ by us
why dont you start a thread called copy and paste?
I suggest you stay on topic of this thread......... Its about the BAD THINGS going on in IRAQ by us
why dont you start a thread called copy and paste?
D
Dawoud
Guest
- Thread starter
- #59
Wether i copy and paste them or not is immaterial they are all copyed from legetamate news sources.
And if the SHEER NUMBER of them overwhelm you then think about this. All this is happening .Its real, People, American and Iraqui are dieing, everyday.
And you making smug little comments about me or where I get the storys doesent change the fact.
So go stick your head back in the sand
And for your info i did post a reply earler called a lesson in culture And that was ALL from my head and heart and none of you neo cons responded to it!!
And if the SHEER NUMBER of them overwhelm you then think about this. All this is happening .Its real, People, American and Iraqui are dieing, everyday.
And you making smug little comments about me or where I get the storys doesent change the fact.
So go stick your head back in the sand
And for your info i did post a reply earler called a lesson in culture And that was ALL from my head and heart and none of you neo cons responded to it!!
Originally posted by Dawoud
Wether i copy and paste them or not is immaterial they are all copyed from legetamate news sources.
And if the SHEER NUMBER of them overwhelm you then think about this. All this is happening .Its real, People, American and Iraqui are dieing, everyday.
And you making smug little comments about me or where I get the storys doesent change the fact.
So go stick your head back in the sand
And for your info i did post a reply earler called a lesson in culture And that was ALL from my head and heart and none of you neo cons responded to it!!
Oh my, if I wrote like this I would stick to copying and pasting as well. Way to butcher the English language, I applaud you!
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