[LANMaster]

Naturally there will be casualties from such a major offensive, Linsky.
I'm happy to hear the casualties have only reached 9 at this time.


Iraqi Forces Arrest Key Zarqawi Aide
Patricia Nunan, Voice of America
Thursday, May 26, 2005
The U.S. military has confirmed the arrest of an aide to the al-Qaida chief in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, by Iraqi forces near the city of Baquba. The arrest was announced as the U.S. launched an operation in the western city of Haditha intended to round up insurgent suspects.

A statement released by the U.S. military describes Mullah Kamel al-Aswadi as the most wanted terrorist in north-central Iraq.

Officials say Iraqi forces made the arrest of al-Aswadi as he tried to bribe his way through a checkpoint in the town of Balad. His vehicle was found to contain a global positioning system, multiple identification papers, a scope used to launch mortars, and U.S. currency.
Abu Musab Zarqawi (undated State Dept. photo) Officials say al-Aswadi served as a key aide to Iraq's al-Qaida front man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian-born militant. The statement says al-Aswadi was involved in the funding of terror cells, terrorist training, and the making of car and roadside bombs.

On Tuesday, an Islamist website al-Zarqawi reported had been wounded, and asked for his supporters to offer prayers for his recovery. It did not say how he was injured or where he was. U.S. officials could not confirm the authenticity of the statement.

Meanwhile, about 1000 U.S. and Iraqi troops swept through the western town of Haditha in what officials call Operation New Market. The pre-dawn offensive brought together Iraqi and U.S. soldiers who raided houses in search of insurgents, while helicopters circled overhead and Marines patrolled the Euphrates River along which the town is situated.

It is the second offensive this month in parts of western Iraq near the border with Syria where Zarqawi's supporters are believed to be hiding. U.S. officials have accused Syria of supporting insurgents who cross the border to attack U.S. and Iraqi forces.

In the earlier offensive, called Operation Matador, officials say at least 75 insurgents were killed.

But critics of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, such as Baghdad professor Naebil Younis, say the arrests and the offensives will mean little until Washington works out a formula to scale back the U.S. presence.

"What I see, the right thing to do, is to find channels for negotiations with the national resistance, so you may come to such an agreement with them about the withdrawal of American troops, at least in the meantime from the cities. This is a big problem for the people, the whole people," he said.

link

[linskyjack]

There were no casualties from Operation Matador---these were just your typical driveby shootings, car bombs etc. Thats how most people die in a war against an asymetrical enemy. By the way, during Matador, the axis of Evil member Syria betrayed us---ruined the whole operations and the insurgents got away.

[xico]

Originally Posted by LANMaster

Duelfer: Saddam Created WMD 'Ambiguity'



link

That's pretty good. I guess you have not heard that Bush was "fixing" the intelligence around the policy. He has already decided to attack Iraq while he was telling us that he hadn't made a decision yet. Sounds like a bald faced lie to me.

[angelize56]

IRAQ IN TRANSITION

Audit says $69 million in fuel oil missing

By Erik Eckholm
New York Times News Service
Published May 24, 2005

Iraqi officials cannot explain what happened to $69 million worth of fuel oil produced in the second half of 2004, raising fears that it was smuggled out of the country for private gain, according to a report by UN-appointed auditors.

The report, by the auditing firm KPMG, was released Monday. The auditors said Iraq's recorded exports of fuel oil mysteriously declined by a comparable amount during that same period of 2004, the initial months of sovereignty for the newly installed Iraqi government.

Studying records from the Oil Ministry, the auditors found that Iraq's production in that six-month period exceeded the recorded domestic uses and exports by 618,203 tons, worth about $69 million.

"We were not provided with a satisfactory explanation for either the unreconciled quantities or sales decrease of fuel oil," the report states. In subsequent paragraphs, it takes note of the suspicions of widespread oil smuggling that were previously voiced by U.S. officials and describes Iraq's weak controls on sales of oil and oil products.

The group that hired KPMG, the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, was created by the United Nations to watch the handling of Iraqi assets, mainly oil revenues, after the U.S.-led invasion.

The board has repeatedly criticized the U.S. government for its loose spending controls during the period it controlled Iraqi assets, from the invasion in early 2003 to the transfer of sovereignty last June.

In particular, it has questioned a $2.2 billion contract the Pentagon gave, secretly and without competitive bidding, to a subsidiary of Halliburton Corp. to start repairs of Iraqi oil fields and to import consumer fuels. The international monitoring bureau says the Pentagon has rebuffed requests for a full accounting of that contract, which used Iraqi money.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...ck=1&cset=true

[angelize56]

LJack: You might want to check this out:

http://www.leavemychildalone.org/

[linskyjack]

Yeah, I think the anti-war movement is just starting to grow----If you figure it out 1700 dead---then thousands more maimed and injured---they all have families and friends and their friends have friends etc---I think that some of my more conservative friends are fed up with the fake war....I actually know a guy who worked in the Bush campaign who feels that he was played out and he is really angry.

[angelize56]

My son will be 16 in July...I can't imagine losing him to war! He has medical conditions that would keep him from entering the service anyways...but I just couldn't stand my ONLY child ever going to war....and then dying....

[poochee]

Originally Posted by angelize56

My son will be 16 in July...I can't imagine losing him to war! He has medical conditions that would keep him from entering the service anyways...but I just couldn't stand my ONLY child ever going to war....and then dying....

In my church we have so many young in Iraq. They are a constant on the prayer list. So far we haven't lost anyone, thank God!

[angelize56]

That's nice to know poochee! I imagine lots of churches across our country are doing the same...it sure hard when the deaths hit home though....we've lost several from Port Huron!

[linskyjack]

Originally Posted by angelize56

My son will be 16 in July...I can't imagine losing him to war! He has medical conditions that would keep him from entering the service anyways...but I just couldn't stand my ONLY child ever going to war....and then dying....

Angel, my son is in the same situation as yours but he doesn't have any physical issues. If we ever reached the point where Mr. Bush would want him to fight this particular war, and there was a draft, I would council and support him in relocating to another country.

[angelize56]

Jack...I wouldn't blame you a bit....I guess Canada is a no no now though!

[linskyjack]

Only reason I wouldn't send him to Canada is that Gibbel is there and he would probably turn him into the authorities.!

[angelize56]

Too bad Gibby won't be reading that!

[linskyjack]

Oh, he will--trust me he will.

[xico]

Originally Posted by angelize56

My son will be 16 in July...I can't imagine losing him to war! He has medical conditions that would keep him from entering the service anyways...but I just couldn't stand my ONLY child ever going to war....and then dying....

Angel, read Johnny Got His Gun. Dying is terrible, but these guys come back without arms or legs or hands or faces or eyes. It's sickening, and it's more sickening to hear these righties waving the flag and cheering from the sidelines.