Archive for the 'War & Warfare' Category

The Marine Times is carrying a story from the AP on the number and gravity of charges against GIs increasing.  It is worth the read, but I still contend that it isn’t happening the way it is portrayed (at least, not in the absence of compelling evidence which we should be able to ascertain after a trial, and not in the main; if it is happening, it is not to the extent that it is purported to be).  It is entitled “Experts: Put Atrocity Accusations into Context.”

I float a view in two earliers posts (Haditha Hoax and Future Knee-Jerk Reactions, and New Taliban & Al Qaida Strategy) that this is part of an overall pattern of propaganda by the enemy.

Time will tell who is right.

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The Counterterrorism Blog has an interesting commentary on whether Iran helped to bag Zarqawi by giving up his location.  They say:

In fact, a credible Moroccan newspaper, La Gazette du Maroc, is affirming that Zarqawi was caught thanks to Iran and was the first gift to the US.

Sounds like a conspiracy theory? Maybe not.

Citing Iranian sources and Iraqi sources close to ex PM Alawi, the paper states that Jordanian intelligence may have gotten help from Iran in pinpointing Zarqawi’s location. A few weeks ago the Iranian FM met with King Abdullah in Amman to allegedly negotiate the deal.
Then a few days later the Iranian FM was in Bagdad meeting with Iraki PM AL Maliki and allegedly US Ambassador Khalilzad.
Coincidence or not the US position softened around that time when for the first time Secretary of State Rice announced a possible ouverture to Iran.
People close to Reza Pahlavi, the Shah’s son, also believe that Zarqawi was indeed handed by Iran as part of a package.

Keep in mind that this info is really very speculative but might not be as far fetched as one thinks.

I don’t think that this is far fetched, but it still seems of dubious quality to me.  I have serious doubts about it.  First, U.S. and Iraqi (but mostly U.S.) forces have interdicted Iranian IED supplies at the border for many months now.  It is a well-known fact that much of the IED technology and materiel being used in Iraq comes from outside Iraq, and more specifically, from Iran.

Iran stands to gain by a Shia-led Iraq, as Iran is a Shia theocracy.  While it might have been strange bedfellows for the Iranians to assist Zarqawi, Iran benefited (or so the thinking went) from the insurgency and the potential undoing of the democracy being put into place in Iraq.  There was a very pragmatic reason for Iran to assist Al Qaida in the terrorism it perpetrated.

So the question is, why would they do it?  I see no compelling reason.  It is a non-starter (in southern-speak, “that dog won’t hunt”) to say that Iran wanted an end to the violence and a stable government, just as long as the government was Shia.  An end to the violence would mean that the U.S. is no longer distracted from what will be the main focus of 2007 — Iran.  Further, certainly Iran was not foolish enough to believe that the gift of an individual, no matter how important, would dissuade the U.S. from preventing a nuclear Iran.

However, let’s assume for a moment that this is real.  Certainly, one is forced to believe, Condi and W are not wobbly enough to actually amend foreign policy over something so significant as a nuclear Iran (which has implications not just for the region, but for the next century) for the sake of an individual.  In fact, this would seem to be counter to the thinking heretofore.  The U.S. has not gone wobbly over peace between Pakistan and India, even for the sake of Osama (I am not saying that Pakistan has offered Osama for the sake of warring with India; but it is important to remember that the U.S. has made “friendly” with India over their nuclear program, to the chagrin of Pakistan).

It makes for an interesting thought-experiment, but it seems to me to be counterintuitive.

Update #1: Matt Drudge is reporting that:

Iran’s supreme leader rejects nuclear talks with the US, saying not beneficial
Tue Jun 27 2006 09:25:10 ETIran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected the prospect of talks with the United States on the nuclear program, saying nothing would be gained, state television reported Tuesday.“Negotiations with the United States would have no benefit for us, and we do not need them,” the television quoted Khamenei as telling Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade.

Developing… 

I think that this confirms my view.

Newsmax (scooping the MSM news outlets) has revealing new information concerning the alleged Haditha incident.  As it turns out, an ultralight vehicle videotaped everything, including the insurgents’ retreat into nearby homes and finally to an escape car.  The actions of the Marines on site were house-clearing maneuvers in self-defense.  The entire article is a good read.  For instance, the article has more information similar to the information I provided in Haditha Roundup #2, where I showed a picture of the unused and unoccupied police station in Haditha.  I said that Haditha was the second most dangerous place in Iraq, just behind Ramadi.  Seems that this was just about right.

I have also discussed the Camp Pendleton 8 in earlier posts, and recently posted on the charging of two Gaurdsmen with a civilian death near Ramadi (in this incident with the Gaurdsmen, one is apparently being charged with putting an unloaded gun near the head of someone and threatening jail; I will comment on this in a minute).

Now.  All of this is building on a post I made concerning “New Taliban and Al Qaida Strategy.”  In it, I pointed out that there will be a proliferation of charges coming against GIs for all sorts of “atrocities.”  It is part of the new strategy.  Earlier, I posted on the “Common Man’s Perspective on Haditha,” and said that the common man (i.e., most everyone except for the lunatics over at Daily Kos) does not believe that Marines lined up unarmed non-combatants and shot them execution style.  The common man believes that there was a fight and that Marines defended themselves.

As it turns out, this is the correct perspective.  It will be fun to watch the left implode (along with Murtha) over the unraveling of the Haditha charges.  But there is a far bigger problem to deal with.  The Haditha incident was one of the first salvos in a war of propaganda.  The U.S. brass is falling for it hook, line and sinker.

I cited a Marine spokesman at Camp Pendleton who said that the charges against the 8 “showed the rest of the world our standards.”  I responded that I don’t want to show the world our standards — I want to show them that we win wars.

Let me go on record in this post and say that I would be willing to bet everything I own that there are thousands of Sunnis in Iraq and more thousands of Taliban sympathizers in Afghanistan who would be willing to be “witnesses” against U.S. troops for  “atrocities” (do my words drip with sarcasm?).

We can play their game if the brass chooses to in order to “show the world that our standards are different.”  It will paralyze the troops.  Or, we can see this for what it is.

Finally, back to the Gaurdsmen and away from the Haditha incident, let me go on record and say that if these Guardsmen had reason to believe that this individual had intelligence regarding a credible threat to their safety or the safety of other troops, I do not object to their use of an unloaded gun and the threat of jail.

This is a war, Okay?  Does everyone get it?

As I said in the post immediately preceeding this one, the U.S. should prepare for more charges in the deaths of civilians in Iraq.  I will not comment on the veracity of these particular charges.  I have not on Hamdaniya and I won’t on this one (although I weighed in on Haditha).  However, I will comment that this kind of thing is unfortunately endemic to war.  Mistakes are made, civilians get caught in cross fire, and in Iraq, the insurgents are now using civilians shields (and futhermore, the difference between insurgents and civilians becomes blurred).  I have read on the Milblog sites those in Iraq say that all things considered, if the U.S. troops feel threatened, they will defend themselves.  And just for the record, I support that position.  If all the insurgents have to do to make our troops cease and desist from firing is to find a civilian to pull in front of thelselves, then bring our boys home now.  We cannot win this war.  Once again, I do not know the veracity of these charges (or the lack thereof).  I do expect these kinds of instances to increase, leading to charges against U.S. troops with increased regularity.  This, in my opinion, is a bad trend, maybe even a fatal one.

Finally, a spokesman for the USMC (as reported on CNN) has said that the charges against the Camp Pendleton 8 “shows the world that we have a different standard than them.” Um, excuse me, but I have no desire to show the world anything about our standards.  This is a profoundly poor excuse for bringing charges against Marines.  I want to win the war.  This will show the world that the U.S. wins its wars.

Update #1: Al Jazeera is reporting:

Two US soldiers have been charged over the killing of an Iraqi civilian near Ramadi.

Specialist Nathan Lynn was charged with voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting an unarmed man on February 15. Lynn and a second soldier, Sergeant Milton Ortiz Jr, were charged with obstructing justice for allegedly conspiring with another soldier who reportedly put an AK-47 near the body in an attempt to make it look as though the dead man was a fighter.Ortiz was also charged with assault and communicating a threat in a separate incident on March 8. He allegedly put an unloaded weapon to the head of an Iraqi man and threatened to send him to prison.The soldier who allegedly placed the weapon near the body was redeployed and left the army before criminal proceedings began.Both soldiers – from the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry (Mechanised) of the Pennsylvania National Guard – are being held in Baghdad while they await hearings which will determine if there is enough evidence to hold to a court martial.

My comment: I could not find the complete charges anywhere except Al Jazeera (if they can be trusted).  If it is true that a GI was charged with putting an unloaded weapon to someone’s head and threatening to send someone to prison, then I am concerned in the superlative degree.  No, I am not concerned about what the GI did.  Our GIs are going to be second-guessing every move they make.  It will paralize them.  I am truly becoming concerned about our willingness to wage and win this war.  Now for the AP story.

The AP is reporting:

BAGHDAD, Iraq – The U.S. military has charged two Pennsylvania National Guardsmen in the February killing of a civilian near Ramadi, the military said Sunday.

Spec. Nathan B. Lynn, 21, of South Williamsport, Pa., was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting an unarmed man on Feb. 15, the military said.

Lynn and Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr., both of the 1st Battalion, 109th Infantry (Mechanized) of the Pennsylvania National Guard, were each charged with one count of obstructing justice for allegedly conspiring with another soldier who allegedly put an AK-47 gun near the body of the man in an attempt to make it look like he was an insurgent.

Ortiz, 36, of Islip, N.Y., also was charged with one count of assault and one count of communicating a threat for a separate incident on March 8 when he allegedly placed an unloaded weapon against the head of an Iraqi man and threatened to send him to prison, the military said.

Both soldiers are in Baghdad awaiting hearings to determine if there is sufficient evidence for a court-martial.

Maj. Joseph Todd Breasseale, a military spokesman in Baghdad, said Ortiz and Lynn are not being held in a prison but were not allowed to return to the United States with the rest of their unit last week.

“These (charges) are simply an accusation,” Breasseale said. “An accused soldier is presumed to be innocent.”

Both have been given the option to retain lawyers, but neither has made a decision yet, he said.

Lynn’s father, Williamsport police Capt. William Lynn, has told The Patriot-News of Harrisburg that his son maintains his innocence. He did not return messages left by The Associated Press on Sunday.

The soldier’s grandfather, William C. Lynn, declined to discuss the case Sunday, but said his grandson was “a good kid, very conscientious.” Standing outside his home in Williamsport, he said Nathan Lynn joined the guard because “it was something he felt he had to do for his country.”

Lynn joined the Guard in 2002, Ortiz in 1991.

Members of Ortiz’s family did not return telephone messages left Sunday.

A new strategy is becoming apparent with Al Qaida in Iraq, the Taliban and Al Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  This new strategy is working hand-in-glove with the left in America.

The Counterterrorism Blog has a very interesting commentary on the most recently released statement of Zawahiri.  As an editorial note, I have stopped dismissing these media releases as the rantings of an unhinged, deranged old coot, and I have started paying close attention to the contents.  I probably should have done this far sooner than I did.

Zawahiri tells us — whether by accident or intent — his strategy for the future.

Al Qaida number two, Dr Ayman Zawahiri issued a new tape calling on the Afghans to “rise against the Infidels (Kuffars) and their agents (the Karzai Government).” Following are few points of analysis and evaluation:

1) Attacking the US for its “killing of innocent Afghans and torture of Muslims.”

وندد الظواهري

Joseph Casas, lawyer for Jodka (one of the Camp Pendleton 8) reports that he believes that the prosecution has a faulty understanding of the facts.  He questioned the interrogation tactics, stating that Jodka was interrogated for 7.5 hours non-stop, no water, no food, no restroom breaks.  Recently out of boot camp, when a Marine sees someone in charge (Casas said “suit”), his trained instinct is to obey orders (he was referring to the alleged “confession”).  Casas stated that the government would like you to think that there is a confession, and they have spun it that way, but that there is really no confession.  Finally, he said that they would move to suppress certain documents that were being called a confession.

Will continue to post updates (or new posts) on this as we proceed forward.

Mark Levin has this to say about the torture of the two GIs:

Meanwhile, two kidnapped U.S. soldiers were apparently brutally tortured and murdered today. And the question I pose to those who rightly honor the Greatest Generation is this: What would our country have done 60 years ago in response to this war crime? How would our political and military leadership have acted? By all accounts, they would have demanded severe retaliation and retribution. And by that I don’t mean “bringing the perpetrators to justice,

I made a phone call to Camp Pendleton I discussed here, asking why the Camp Pendleton 8 were in shackles without charges having been filed.  Now, I see that they have been charged.  Folks, I will weigh in later on this issue, but for now a brief note on the charging of the Camp Pendleton 8.  A comment was left on another post by Sanda and Dennis Leslie as follows:

We were outside Camp Pendleton on Saturday, June 17, with more than 300 people in support of the eight Marines. The media have ignored this. What will it take to bring this travesty to the attention of the disinterested public?

Thank you for this thoughtful comment.  June 17 was prior to the eight being charged, but this comment was left after the eight were charged.  Now, I do not profess to know the truthfulness of the accusations (nor do I know that the accusations are false).  The information we currently know seems to me to be highly problematic.  See this post at Riehl World View for more details.  Michelle Malkin has been tracking this story too.  What I do know is that most Americans have been a part of the legal process before, whether involving jury duty, answering for a speeding ticket, or something more serious.

We have all seen the turning of the wheels of justice.  Needless to say, the process is not without its hickups, its bumps and grinds, and its hitch in its git-along.  Many of us know a juror who said, “I wish I had known that before I voted on his guilt (or innocence).”  Many Americans have seen evidence excluded, or evidence fabricated.  Many Americans have also seen biased jurors.  And this is with American witnesses and in civilian affairs.  Now, add the problematic nature of the witnesses and the hatred for Americans that some Sunnis in Iraq have, and the process becomes even more clouded, in my opinion.

I did not, nor do I now, believe that it was justified to hold these men in the brig.  I think it is absurd to believe that they were actually a flight risk.  In my opinion, they get the benefit of the doubt until and unless there is overwhelming and highly compelling evidence of their guilt.

Do I trust the system?  Maybe — maybe not.  The system is not perfect any more than the people who are part of it are perfect.  As to the comment by Sandra and Dennis, I would not look for the main stream U.S. press to come to the aid of these men in uniform.  Since when has that ever happened?

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Below I made a post concerning the movement of U.S. troops into Ramadi to “set up shop.”  If you check out one of the sources, you will read that:

Soldiers expected that insurgents would eventually fight back in this city so dangerous that large swaths go unpatrolled. As soldiers dug into their positions, some took bets on how long it would take insurgents to start fighting back in force. 

In the post I discussed my view of the movement of U.S. forces into Ramadi, contrasting it with how we cleaned Fallujah.  It is clear that we are not taking the same approach.  We are using a much more surgical approach, wishing to avoid the massive civilian exodus that preceeded our operations in Fallujah.  Will this work?  Only time will tell.  But when it is finished, it will be considered a stroke of master strategy or a catastrophic failure.  I do not believe that there will be an in-between.

We hear somewhat contrasting reports, from AC130 gunships taking out insurgents, to civilians being told to stay in the city, to soldiers setting up shop and taking bets on when they were going to be attacked.  It is playing in the Arab-sympathetic press this way (the Arab Monitor, Italy):

Baghdad, 18 June – Hundreds of US occupation forces, aided by Iraqi armed forces, are on rampage in Ramadi. The troops are controlling all access points to the city which has been cordoned off since 10 June, deprived of water and electricity. US military airforce is repeatedly striking at residential areas, while ground forces roam through the streets calling on the residents to evacuate the city.

So it has been reported that we are calling on residents to evacuate the city.  Over at NPR, we get another perspective on Ramadi:

I don’t think they can fathom what it is like to be mortared for three days straight in a camp. I don’t think they can realize the scope and magnitude of operations that go on on a daily basis here in Ramadi. You know we kind of laugh at the fact that the big news for Fox News is that a roadside bomb has gone off in Baghdad somewhere, whereas we get seven that go off here in one day or we kill 40 insurgents in one day and it doesn’t even make the news.

So where is the U.S. Press?  A major operation is going on.  Our boys are in harm’s way.  The tactical approach is different than it was in Fallujah, but the desired outcome is the same.  Are U.S. forces sitting in a hole waiting to be attacked and taking bets on when it will happen?  What kind of strategy is that?  Are residents being told to stay home or evacuate the city?  Are Spectre gunships taking out insurgents?  Are we patroling the city yet?  How many troops are there?  Are we succeeding or not?

This is an embarrassing and abject failure on the part of the U.S. press.  Don’t believe me?  Do a google search on Ramadi news.  See how many hits you get from U.S. news outlets.  It is deplorable.  News should be about news.  Let’s get going, professional press.

Update #1: The Strategy Page is reporting a little on the Ramadi offensive, saying in part:

June 19, 2006: Iraqi and American troops have surrounded and moved into Ramadi, a town that has long been a stronghold for Sunni Arab nationalists. Ramadi has become a magnet for terrorists, because of the many pro-terrorist neighborhoods there that will shelter them. Suicide car bombs, and terrorists in general, have been traced back to these Ramadi neighborhoods, and the new operation appears to be directed at shutting down some terrorist cells.

The new leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq is now running a largely Iraqi force. But the al Qaeda strategy has apparently not changed, yet. Sunni Arab death squads and terrorists continue to attack Shia Arabs. But the Shia Arabs who predominate in the police and army are fighting back. There are also more Shia Arab death squads, although some of the Sunni Arabs murdered are still dying at the hands of radical Sunni Arab nationalists trying to terrorize moderate Sunni Arabs into supporting terrorism. Many Iraqi Sunni Arabs are determined to fight to the death, to either regain power, and control of the oil wealth, or die trying.

This post at the Strategy page is not up-to-date enough to show that the two U.S. soldier’s bodies have been found.  However, these two young men are mentioned in the piece.  God bless their families.  They are heros, and they died protecting our country.  But rather than pray for the boys in Ramadi hunting insurgents or the folks who are hunting the people that did this (could they be the same?), the folks over at Daily Kos go a-handwringing over Iraq in general again.  They talk to themselves, about themselves and without communicating much (other than their love of themselves and hatred for all others).  And all the while, the press sits idle while there is a major offensive going on in Ramadi. Someone wake up from this drunken slumber, please. Let’s clear our heads and pray for the boys.  Someone in the U.S. press — could you please tell us what is going on over there?  Could we forget about ourselves if only for a minute?

Update #2: The Marine Corps Times weighs in on Ramadi, telling us just a little bit more, but not much.  In part, the article says:

U.S. commanders said the move wasn’t the precursor to a rumored offensive to drive insurgents from Ramadi — but rather an “isolation

Hat tip to Jihad Watch, the WP issued an article that contained a copy of a cable from the Iraqi Embassy that paints a different picture — more bleak — than the one painted by Bush soon after he arrived in Iraq.  Read it here.