Category Archives: Iraq

Fallujah conquered, but in ruins

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Well, something had to be done about Fallujah, I guess, though I don’t think we’ve made the situation any better overall. Once we count up all the deaths, if they are counted honestly, I think we’re going to find that the toll on civilians was very high. The city itself has been fairly well destroyed, and the local population has been terrorized. In a land were tribal and clan relationships are the basis of the social structure, you can be sure that every home demolished and every woman and child killed will spawn another round of hatred for the U.S. … Continue reading →

Another discharged soldier recalled

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You may recall an earlier story of a soldier who was completely finished with his service being recalled by the Army. Well another soldier who had finished his service is being told he’s a deserter because he didn’t respond when the military tried to forcibly re-enlist him, even though his reserve obligation had been met. That’s no way to support our troops, now is it? The military these days reeks of desperation. They have too few soldiers, spread way too thin, in a senseless mission with no end in sight. What a mess our Commander in Chief and his incompetent … Continue reading →

I’d call this a war crime

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From the SF Chronicle, on the use of white phosphorus weapons in Fallujah: “Usually we keep the gloves on,” said Army Capt. Erik Krivda, of Gaithersburg, Md., the senior officer in charge of the 1st Infantry Division’s Task Force 2-2 tactical operations command center. “For this operation, we took the gloves off.” Some artillery guns fired white phosphorous rounds that create a screen of fire that cannot be extinguished with water. Insurgents reported being attacked with a substance that melted their skin, a reaction consistent with white phosphorous burns. Kamal Hadeethi, a physician at a regional hospital, said, “The corpses … Continue reading →

Disaster in Fallujah

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At least for the civilians. Relief agencies are calling the assault on Fallujah a big disaster. “There’s no water. People are drinking dirty water. Children are dying. People are eating flour because there’s no proper food,” he told aid workers in Habbaniya, which has become a refugee camp, with around 2,000 families sheltering there. This report from a BBC reporter confirms that conditions in the city are deadly and many civilians are dying. It is hard to know how much people outside Falluja are aware of what is going on here. I want them to know about conditions inside this … Continue reading →

Phone cards for the troops

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Via Steve Gilliard, I find that wounded troops at Walter Reed Hospital are in great need of phone cards. Any amount, big or small. Send them to: Medical Family Assistance Center Walter Reed Medical Center 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20307-5001

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The missing insurgents

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Many of the insurgents we expected to find in Fallujah weren’t there. It seems at least some of them are operating in Mosul instead. Insurgents have set police stations ablaze, stole weapons and brazenly roamed the streets of Mosul as Iraq’s third largest city appeared to be sliding out of control, residents said. Explosions and fire from assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades echoed across the city and columns of smoke rose from at least two police stations set alight. At least seven police stations have been attacked in the past 48 hours. The US military issued a statement admitting that … Continue reading →

And in Fallujah

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It looks like the leaders and many of the insurgents have fled the city in advance of the assault. Now there’s a surprise. I thought they were going to put on their red coats and stand up in a long line to fight us fairly! We really haven’t learned much from history, have we?

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