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IRAQ NEWS as it happens.

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We're The Great Old Ones Now

09:49 / 29.03.03

Don't be naive. Takoma has been sent on some ghastly mission to kill civilian Iraqi fish, and this is just a cover story. Takoma is even now striking fear into the cold-blooded hearts of aquatic members of the ruling Ba'ath party. These 'Flippah Saddam' are sharks who dress up in the skins of murdered warm-blooded marine animals such as the lovable manatee and inflitrate Right-thinking pods of whales. They then spread sedition and dissent (slogans such as "Don't occupy our ancestral fishing grounds") and blow themselves up through explosive decompression.

The navy has trained SEAL teams to detect them.

Arf.

12:03 / 29.03.03

even weirder than the dolphin story; I just heard on NPR that US forces based in Bahrain are using trained sea lions that actually engage the enemy, rather than simply do reconaissance.

Apparently the US is worried about saboteurs in SCUBA gear in the harbor at Bahrain. Sea lions, though they don't have the sonar sense of dolphins, do have excellent directional hearing and can see in near-total darkness. These critters are patrolling the harbor for frogmen, and if they find one, they'retrained to slip up behind him unnoticed and attach a snare line to his leg: then the guys on the surface can reel the diver in like a fish.

The dolphins and sea lions, according to the head of the program, seem excited about their work, and eager to help. Perhaps they are patriotic. Perhaps war is, for the animal kingdom too, a force that gives us meaning.

You couldn't make this shit up if you tried. Although Grant Morrison did, didn't he?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

14:04 / 29.03.03

Jack, please tell me you did make that shit up? Please?
Fucking hell. Within 48 hours this war's gone from Keystone Kops to David Brin.

Personally, I'm worried that Mr Hussein has Sea Monkeys. If he does, we're all fucked.

Aquatic war... Cthulhu rises!

14:20 / 29.03.03

Maominstoat wrote: Aquatic war... Cthulhu rises!

Like we didn't have enough to worry about... jesus.

My first thought about the chemical warfare suits was that the US was telling CNN and whatnot before that they were thinking of using them on Iraq, so you know, they got some suits out... or not.

14:46 / 29.03.03

I was somewhat stunned to see, in a CNN report yest'y, that coalition foces do indeed reserve the right to use WMD—if the Iraqis use them first. "We don't have them in theater at the moment but we could get them there pretty quickly," said a spokesman for Britain's defense ministry.

That's code, of course, for "We are not afraid to nuke Baghdad."

00:39 / 30.03.03

Interesting article blaming Rumsfeld for a war longer than a week

Apparently this will be in an article in Monday's New Yorker:

"He thought he knew better. He was the decision-maker at every turn," the article quoted an unidentified senior Pentagon planner as saying. "This is the mess Rummy put himself in because he didn't want a heavy footprint on the ground."

It also said Rumsfeld had overruled advice from war commander Gen. Tommy Franks to delay the invasion until troops denied access through Turkey could be brought in by another route and miscalculated the level of Iraqi resistance.

"They've got no resources. He was so focused on proving his point -- that the Iraqis were going to fall apart," the article, by veteran journalist Seymour Hersh, cited an unnamed former high-level intelligence official as saying

Hersh, however, quoted the former intelligence official as saying the war was now a stalemate.

Much of the supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles has been expended, aircraft carriers were going to run out of precision guided bombs and there were serious maintenance problems with tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment, the article said.

"The only hope is that they can hold out until reinforcements arrive," the former official said.

The article quoted the senior planner as saying Rumsfeld had wanted to "do the war on the cheap" and believed that precision bombing would bring victory

09:05 / 30.03.03

I think Rumsfeld belongs to the Newt Gringrich/Jerry Pournelle school of "before our superweapons they will quake in fear." But people who've been bombed before don't really care whether the bombs are teleported in over their heads or carried in on the back of a donkey. But the V-1 and V-2 weapons, scary as they were, yielded less bang fo the buck (er, Reichsmark) than conventional bombing.

It still looks like the safest place to be is in battle (or "battlespace"). The majority of casualties up to now have been accidents before or after battles, and a lot of that is owed to the statistics of any largeish city. There are the civilian casualties, which are fewer thanks to precision (-ish) bombing but more visible thanks to media saturation.

There's a great story, "Superiority" by Arthur C. Clarke. Too bad Rumsfeld was reading Pournelle instead.

But the Iraqis have other kinds of defenses, some high-tech, some not. Besides the missile-jamming radios the Russians sold them, the Iraqis may also have bought from a Dutch company (via Syria) a type of concrete that is light and has good thermal insulating properties--perfect for dotting the landscape with cheap bunkers.

I really hope there are no dark forces involved. Whenever they are invoked, it's always the little guy who pays!

I still think Hussein has sandworms in reserve.

I think also that Takoma is making for Sweden.

09:08 / 30.03.03

No! Takoma was seduced by Baghdad Beta!

13:11 / 30.03.03

They're not getting Jimmy Carter to run Iraq

Jay Garner, a retired US general who will oversee humanitarian relief and reconstruction in postwar Iraq, is president of an arms company that provides crucial technical support to missile systems vital to the US invasion of the country.

Defence analyst David Armstrong of the Washington-based National Security News Service says: 'It seems inappropriate for somebody to step into a humanitarian and administrative role from a company with a role in providing equipment which, albeit defensive, is vital to the success of the US operation.'

Phil Bloomer of Oxfam said 'The worst case scenario would be to put in charge of the reconstruction someone from the US or UK linked to the arms or oil industries.'

I always thought when they said 'Jimmy Carter should be the proconsul of Iraq after the war', it was just the Republicans wanting him to get killed or something...

15:32 / 30.03.03

Russian News Site

Serial number of Baghdad missile

06:18 / 31.03.03

Now THIS is a quick turnaround. Reporter for The Independent, a UK
paper, filed this story early on 30 March, and a possible answer turns
up in the US where it's still the night before...

It's about a missile strike that the Pentagon said was "probably" an Iraqi anti-missile that went astray or backfired.

Or was it?:

The Agonist:
http://www.agonist.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=894

"western code found on missile 30003-704ASB 7492 Lot # MFR 96214 09

utensil I can't help with the rest, but 96214 is the manufacturers code
for Raytheon. They make the Tomahawk CM, but they make other possible
weapons systems too, such as the Paveway laser guided bomb."

I confirmed it's from Raytheon at least, a waveguide (or a mirror assembly):

(only the cache is left, look a bout 2/3 down the page)

http://www.dscc.dla.mil/downloads/acqforecast/october02/fle5985.txt
(Google, check cache if it disappears)

This is like Gravity's Rainbow!

13:02 / 31.03.03

I lost the story link, but Haliburton's not getting the contract anymore. Whether it was due to not being the best of the 5 companies picked (which all apparently have links to the US admin.), or because of the outcry, they won't say.

16:17 / 31.03.03

Peter Arnett has been fired by MSNBC, NBC, and National Geographic for providing an interview to Iraqi television in which he disclosed personal opinions regarding the war.

19:25 / 31.03.03

Too bad Rumsfeld was reading Pournelle instead.

Actually he should have been reading more of it. Pournelle has been opposed to invading Iraq for some time.

19:29 / 31.03.03

Oh? Because doing so plays into the hands of the Zionist neoconservative lizards who are the shadow masters of the US goivernment and the bane of godfearing rifle-stroking True Patriots like himself, no doubt?

20:09 / 31.03.03

nnnnnnnot quite...

More along the lines of, this will necessarily push the US into full bore Empire mode, and what is required domestically to sustain that is counter to the survival of a Republic, a Republic being a Good Thing. And, of course, he'll have to pay more taxes to support it.

06:55 / 01.04.03

I wondered how long it would be before the words 'illegal combatants' were heard from the White House. Details here.

12:48 / 01.04.03

The plan for the occupation government released?

Under the plan, the government will consist of 23 ministries, each headed by an American. Every ministry will also have four Iraqi advisers appointed by the Americans, the Guardian has learned.

The government will take over Iraq city by city. Areas declared "liberated" by General Tommy Franks will be transferred to the temporary government under the overall control of Jay Garner, the former US general appointed to head a military occupation of Iraq.

In anticipation of the Baghdad regime's fall, members of this interim government have begun arriving in Kuwait.

Decisions on the government's composition appear to be entirely in US hands, particularly those of Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defence. This has annoyed Gen Garner, who is officially in charge but who, according to sources close to the planning of the government has had to accept a number of controversial Iraqis in advisory roles.

Mister Six, whom all the girls

17:49 / 01.04.03

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s822031.htm
April 1, 2003
Israel says Syria smuggling arms for Iraq
Israel has issued a thinly veiled threat to Syria as tensions between the two Middle East neighbours continue to rise.

Israel has accused Syria of smuggling Iraqi missiles to Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon for use against Israel.

Israel's Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said Syrian President Bashar al Assad knows about the might and force of Israel in all areas including the military.

He was reacting to an interview the Syrian leader gave to a Lebanese newspaper last week in which he said that as long as Israel exists the threat against it will exist.

Mr Mofaz said President Assad's remarks were all the more serious as they came at a time that it transpired Syria was assisting Iraq.

On Monday a senior Israeli Intelligence official suggested Syria might be hiding chemical and biological agents smuggled out of Iraq.

and here: http://www.nationalpost.com/world/story.html?id={E3E60C7B-C477-4A8D-9167-42927E7F27EC}

Is this old news? Opinions?

Poke it with a stick

19:24 / 01.04.03

First came dolphins, then monkeys, then sea lions. Now it's the Dark Lords of the Sith .
Where's that little bugger Yoda when you need him?

09:51 / 02.04.03

Continuing the Star Wars theme:

Steve Bell

10:46 / 02.04.03

This is not so much news from Iraq as from France, and I am posting it simply because it strikes me as one of the most anti-British things ever. Excellent! (Nasty, mind, but one has to admire the nerve of those Froggies.) And to think, they said Tony Blair was gonna help with PanEuropean unity, heh.

12:10 / 02.04.03

Baghdad hospital bombed

15:10 / 02.04.03

That hospital story's complete bollocks - the International Committee of the Red Cross has denied it - the hospital was evacuated three days ago! Shows what crap is being reported as fact in this bloody media war.

15:22 / 02.04.03

Apparently they were aiming at the government security building next door.

Command post found at hospital during PoW rescue

Ammunition, mortars, maps and a terrain model were also found at the hospital, all of which Brook said "made it very clear it was being used as a military command post."

We're The Great Old Ones Now

15:37 / 02.04.03

Just for reference, it's worth remembering that the Red Cross is neither infallible nor (and this hurts) incorruptible. Which is not to say that the majority of IRC folks aren't dedicated, brave, and true, just that, as with any large outfit, it's not immune to political pressures or institutional drift.

18:48 / 02.04.03

On the topic of media reliability: Photog dismissed after altering photo: "The Los Angeles Times said Wednesday it fired a photographer for altering a front page photo of a British soldier and a group of Iraqi civilians."

It's also worth noting that a core Iraq military strategy is to embed military targets within civillian zones, especially schools and hospitals, in order to deter attacks. Big explosives dropped from high distances are only going to be so precise, after all.

More fun Iraq combat tactics: Iraqi forces shooting from within shrine.

18:58 / 02.04.03

One of the US POWs has been rescued.

19:53 / 02.04.03

The flip side of this soon to be hollywood film story is of course the other dead bodies that were found with her which have yet to be formally identified by US military sources. as this story notes that the captureed members of 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company that were displayed on Iraqi TVhave yet to be found...

elsewhere, British forces find evidence of what they describe as torture rooms.

20:07 / 02.04.03

rhymes with tracy: 'Apparently they were aiming at the government security building next door.

Command post found at hospital during PoW rescue
Ammunition, mortars, maps and a terrain model were also found at the hospital, all of which Brook said "made it very clear it was being used as a military command post."'

Although there's plenty of bullshit being reported in this war it still helps if you actually read the news. The hospital where that US PoW was rescued from was in Nasiriyah. The Red Crescent hospital was in Baghdad. Reuters reported that at least three Red Crescent doctors and nurses were killed. The Red Cross in London told me this was "totally inaccurate" - three passers by were killed and 27 injured - an ICRC doctor went to the scene, treated the wounded and reported back to ICRC HQ in Geneva. Frankly I'd trust them over the monitored journalists in Baghdad or the embedded reporters with the 'allied' troops.

20:58 / 02.04.03

I'm not sure if your news has to do with the Red Crescent maternity hospital, but just in case this is seperate: Coalition forces bomb Red Crescent maternity hospital. That right there, if confirmed, will be some of the worst I've heard thus far. My head hurts.

02:50 / 03.04.03

Quireboy: I wasn't meaning to imply that the two stories were related; I was in fact aware that they occurred in seperate cities. Sorry if my post didn't make that clear.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

07:04 / 03.04.03

It's also worth noting that a core Iraq military strategy is to embed military targets within civillian zones, especially schools and hospitals, in order to deter attacks.

Whereas England keeps all its government buildings (though fair enough, not military) in Central London. Damn, we're sneaky.

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:56 / 04.04.03

U.S. Military Detains, Beats and Threatens to Kill Four Foreign Journalists in Iraq.

[Israeli journalist] Dan Scemama: After we were arrested at six o’ clock in the morning by these guys, and at about 11:30 I think it was, some five and a half hours after we were arrested, he kind of lost his patience, the Portuguese guy, and they put us in our jeep, they closed us inside the jeep and they said we are not allowed to get out of the jeep and we are supposed to stay there. And uh, so the Portuguese guy got out of the jeep, approached the army—the camp and said “Please, please, I am begging you, I have a wife and children. Let me just make a call, a telephone call to tell them that we are safe, that we are with you, the Americans and not with the Iraqis. They might think at home that we are killed by Iraqis. Please just let us tell them that.” And they said to him, “Go immediately to your car.” And he said, “Please I am begging you.” Five soldiers went out of the camp, jumped on him and started to beat him and to kick him. We ran to his direction. They all put bullets inside the cannons of their guns, and they said if we move forward they shoot at us. We were standing like stupid guys. We saw our friend lying on the ground crying, hurting. They tied his hand behind his back. They took him into the camp. And after half-an-hour, they let him go, and came back to us all crying. And then came this Lieutenant Scholl. And he told us, “Don’t mess with my soldiers. Don’t mess with them because they are trained like dogs to kill. And they will kill you if you try again.”

17:37 / 04.04.03

I can't believe that the Bush/Rumsfeld "prove you're alive" gambit is working.

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