A Soldiers Blog

Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez, the top US commander in Iraq said the coalition was reviewing the pay scale for the new Iraqi army(AFP/Henghameh Fahim)

Iraq should be rebuilt by its own people

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

There are two stories being told about Iraq and its reconstruction. The first is how much money is being passed to the 63 member nations of the so-called Coalition of the Willing. Then there's another story, one not often told, about the reconstruction efforts (and contracts) taking place in Iraq right now.

So far, at least, only U.S. companies have been awarded Iraqi reconstruction contracts. Start with Halliburton and its subsidiary, Kellogg, Brown & Root, with contracts topping $2.3 billion.

A study by the Center for Public Integrity totals American contracts -- so far -- at some $8 billion for more than 70 U.S. companies and individuals in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Those companies donated more money to the presidential campaign of George W. Bush -- a little over $500,000 -- than to any other politician over the last dozen years," the center's study found. "Nearly 60 percent of the companies had employees or board members who either served in or had close ties to the executive branch for Republican and Democratic administrations, for members of Congress of both parties, or at the highest levels of the military."

The fix was in from the beginning. Halliburton's contract to deliver gasoline to Iraqi gas stations, for example, was let without even the pretense of competition.

Meanwhile, at a Baghdad job fair, hundreds of Iraqis showed up looking for work. The message from many was that the United States should make it easier for Iraqis to rebuild their own country.

Indeed, there's no reason why many basic services -- like hauling garbage -- cannot be set up as a service operated by Iraqis.

At the job fair, Ahmed Jassim al-Robaie, the owner of an Iraqi high-tech trading company, told The Associated Press that he didn't see the point. "They're only showing their products and marketing their products," he said. "Iraq has good trade and we're capable of trading. We should be giving courses to them."

That brings us to what ought to be rule No. 1 for the Iraqi reconstruction effort: Let Iraq rebuild Iraq. It would save money, put people to work and remove the foul sense that this war was somebody's campaign payoff.

Iraq Updates
Iraq Tribunal Eyes Saddam Trial; 2 U.S. Soldiers Killed: "A special Iraqi court will try SaddamHussein in absentia for crimes against humanity, if thefugitive dictator is not caught or killed, and bring keymembers of his regime before the tribunal, officials said onWednesday. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Annan Names U.N. Interim Envoy to Iraq: "Iraq is still too dangerous to reopen the U.N. office in Baghdad, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday after appointing a replacement for the top envoy to Iraq, who was killed in an August suicide bombing along with 21 other people. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. faces backlash over contracts in CNN - War in Iraq



CIA Plans Iraqi Domestic Spy Service, Newspaper Reports: "The United States plans to set up anIraqi intelligence service to spy on groups and individualsinside Iraq that are targeting U.S. troops and civilians, TheWashington Post reported on Thursday. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Arafat dismisses Israeli settlement idea: "Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday dismissed as meaningless the Israeli premier's hints of evacuating some Jewish settlements, while a meeting of Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers raised hopes for renewed peace talks."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Annan Rules Out UN Return to Iraq in Near Future: "U.N. Secretary-General KofiAnnan said on Wednesday that Iraq was still too dangerous forU.N. foreign staff to return but indicated he was willing toplay a bigger role once the U.S.-led occupation ended. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Israeli troops, Palestinians clash in Gaza: "Israeli troops battled Palestinians in a Gaza refugee camp on the Egyptian border early Thursday. Residents said two Palestinians were wounded."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



US defends Iraq contracts ban: "The White House says its policy on Iraq tenders aims to encourage more countries to join the coalition."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq



Protesters in Syria call for freedoms: "In a highly unusual protest, more than 150 Syrian pro-democracy activists staged a sit-in Wednesday outside the prime minister's office in downtown Damascus, calling for more freedoms, the release of political prisoners and the abolition of the country's emergency law."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. faces backlash over contracts in CNN - War in Iraq



US president calls French, German, Russian leaders by phone: "US President George W. Bush called French President Jacques Chirac, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to talk about Iraqi debt, White House officials said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Who saw that coming?: "      The US, again showing the selectiveness of its free-trade obsession, just officially banned French, Russian, and German companies from getting reconstruction contracts in Iraq. The New York Times' source for this appears to be this document (PDF) from rebuilding-iraq.net,..."

In Catalyzer Newsroom



Lebanon: Bomb plot on U.S. embassy foiled: "Lebanese authorities said they halted a bomb attack against the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday, arresting two men outside the compound, one of whom was carrying more than two pounds of explosives."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Annan says Iraq still too dangerous for UN: "UN Secretary General Kofi Annan ruled out quickly resuming a major UN role in postwar Iraq, saying the country remains too dangerous to put his staff at risk. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Bush Welcomes New Iraqi Envoy to U.S.: "President Bush welcomed Rend Rahim Francke to the White House on Wednesday, praising the woman who comes the closest to being Iraq's first ambassador to the United States since a diplomatic break 13 years ago. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S.-Europe Split on Iraq Takes New Turn: "The Bush administration has reopened an emotional rift with Europe - just as its damaged relations with Germany, France and Russia seemed on the mend. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



"A Great Day for Iraq": "Blogger Zeyad of Healing Iraq:

The rallies today proved to be a major success. I didn't expect anything even close to this. It was probably the largest demonstration in Baghdad for months. It wasn't just against terrorism. It was against Arab media, against the interference of neighbouring countries, against dictatorships, against Wahhabism, against oppression, and of course against the Ba'ath and Saddam.

Read the rest. Zeyad also has plenty of pictures."

In Command Post: Irak



Israel, Palestinians have new aid effort: "The Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers announced a new effort Wednesday to improve the distribution of international aid in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as donors expressed impatience over the stalled Mideast peace process."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. Troops Kill Saddam Fedayeen Officer: "U.S. troops shot and killed a senior officer of the paramilitary group Saddam Fedayeen after storming his house in this northern city on Wednesday, his neighbors said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraq Bids Ban Reopens Diplomatic Rift: "Across Europe, response was swift and angry Wednesday to the U.S. order barring firms based in important allied countries - opponents of the Iraq war - from bidding on Iraqi reconstruction projects. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Calls Iraq Contract Restrictions Appropriate: "The United States said on Wednesdayits decision to bar Iraq war opponents like France, Germany andRussia from $18.6 billion in U.S. reconstruction projects wasappropriate and an inducement for countries to commit troopsand provide other support. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Pentagon: Many of New Iraq Soldiers Quit: "Plans to deploy the first battalion of Iraq's new army are in doubt because a third of the soldiers trained by the U.S.-led occupation authority have quit, defense officials said Wednesday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



On Killing Children: An Open Letter to US Military Spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty (10 Dec 03) in Radio Free USA



Iran's Nobel Winner Hits Out at U.S. Foreign Policy (10 Dec 03) in Radio Free USA



Pentagon: Barring bidders not punitive: "The U.S. government's decision to bar firms based in countries that oppose the Iraq war from bidding on contracts for Iraqi reconstruction projects was not meant to punish them, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Iraq bids ban reopens diplomatic rift: "Across Europe, response was swift and angry Wednesday to the U.S. order barring firms based in important allied countries - opponents of the Iraq war - from bidding on Iraqi reconstruction projects."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. Troops Kill Saddam Fedayeen Officer: "U.S. troops shot and killed a senior officer of the paramilitary group Saddam Fedayeen after storming his house in this northern city on Wednesday, his neighbors said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraq Bids Ban Reopens Diplomatic Rift: "Across Europe, response was swift and angry Wednesday to the U.S. order barring firms based in important allied countries - opponents of the Iraq war - from bidding on Iraqi reconstruction projects. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Annan Rules Out U.N. Return to Iraq in Near Future: "U.N. Secretary-General KofiAnnan on Wednesday said Iraq was still too dangerous for U.N.international staff to return but indicated he was willing toplay a bigger role once the U.S.-led occupation ended. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



TASK FORCE ?ALL AMERICAN? CAPTURES SPANISH ATTACKERS in CENTCOM: News Release



4TH ID CAPTURES CRIMINALS, CONFISCATES WEAPONS in CENTCOM: News Release



U.S. raids net dozens of Iraqi insurgents in CNN - War in Iraq

Secret heroes of the Iraqi war

11dec03
A DOZEN SAS soldiers have been secretly awarded medals and honours for their courage during 42 days behind enemy lines in the Iraq war.

But the lack of public recognition for the elite army unit's latest medal haul has angered top brass and surprised the soldiers themselves.

Past exploits of Special Air Service Regiment members, who cannot be identified, have been acknowledged in honours lists issued by Government House.

Army personnel are unaware who banned publication of the latest medals but are upset the soldiers' bravery has not been recognised publicly.

The awards were not included in the list of 88 defence personnel recognised for the Iraq campaign late last month.









Defence provides the list to Government House but senior army officers are mystified by the latest exclusions.

"I don't know where the problem is, but it needs to be sorted out," one officer told The Daily Telegraph.

The 12 secret awards follow a well publicised medal for gallantry for "trooper X" for courage under fire on the battlefields of western Iraq, plus the first unit citation for gallantry for the regiment's Number 1 Squadron.

Trooper X, or John W from Queensland, is a sniper who won his award for engaging enemy forces with all three of his weapons systems, while under intense enemy fire on day five of the war.

Heading the new list is SAS Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Rick B and Squadron Commander Major Paul B, who have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for leadership and professionalism during the Iraq campaign.

The DSC is the military's top award for distinguished command in action.

The young major came up with the idea of using a low-flying American fighter's sonic boom to frighten enemy forces into surrendering.

He was in charge of a force of about 75 elite soldiers from the Perth-based Special Air Service Regiment who defeated or destroyed thousands of enemy forces and secured Iraq's western desert. Not a single soldier was injured during the campaign.

Three other SAS soldiers, including two troop commanders and the regimental sergeant major, have been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for distinguished leadership in action.

One SAS soldier who can be identified because he is leaving the army is Major Peter Tinley, who was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his role as deputy commander of the Special Forces Task Group in Iraq.

Major Tinley, from Western Australia, spent three months in the US planning the Iraq mission.

The Courier-Mail: Secret heroes of the Iraqi war [11dec03]

The idea is stay high enough to avoid clipping camels," said Warrant Officer Wilfrede R. Bonilla one of the pilots on the mission. "But low and fast enough that by the time the bad guys realize we're coming, we're gone."

The gunner on the forward chopper fired bursts at a brush thicket that might conceal an insurgent team armed with surface-to-air missiles. Plumes of mud, pulverized rock, and shattered bark rose along the embankment, an almost surreal stitchery since the fusillades could not be heard above the screaming engines.

Finally, journey complete, the helicopters hopped the sand berm and entrenched tanks surrounding this forward base of the Army's Third Armored Cavalry Regiment, 150 miles from the Saudi Arabian border, and settled onto a landing strip pocked by mortar rounds.

In the wastes of Iraq's vast and largely barren Western Desert, the Third Armored and attached units -- including the 94th Military Police Company based in Londonderry, N.H. -- are fighting a war different from the urban combat of small arms ambushes, rocket attacks, and roadside bombs that have ensnared American units in central and northern Iraq.

The mission here is to secure the border against infiltrators, especially foreign terrorists, radical Islamists, and other volunteer jihadis -- would-be holy warriors -- believed to be trickling into Iraq. That means a grind of daily patrols but also the training of Iraqi border police.

"The Syria line is the main focus, but every border is a potential source of trouble," said Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Hickey, 39, who claims the Army as his hometown but whose parents live in Harwich, Mass. Hickey is the commander of the Second Squadron of the Third Armored Cavalry, responsible for an operations zone covering thousands of square miles and including much of the border with Saudi Arabia, the entire line with Jordan, and a vast swath adjoining Syria.

Most of the region is trackless desert. As winter rains fall, the wasteland -- dotted here and there by forlorn oasis villages and tiny bedouin camps -- is turning into a morass of mud and flood flats. The air is cold night and day, The soldiers lack hot water and other amenities. But transport units from Al Asad, Third Armored's main base near the Syrian border, risk a twice-weekly gantlet of small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades to bring such nonstandard cargo as a Nautilus workout machine, crates of Cheerios, and a television satellite that receives sports programming.

Spotter helicopters and patrols of combat vehicles venture out daily, scouring the wilderness for vehicle tracks and other sign of travel -- although these usually lead not to terror camps but to bewildered nomads. Foreign fighters are believed by US authorities to be entering Iraq by the hundreds, but interception of the would-be jihadis in the desert is rare. Intelligence officers suspect that most cross into Iraq at legal entry points using false documents rather than risk the desolate outback, which is haunted by bandits, more than happy to slit anyone's throat, fellow Muslim or not.

But Army officers also believe aggressive military patrols have deterred foreign fighters from following the sheep paths and camel caravan trails. "We are disrupting terrorist activity, especially on the Syrian border," Lieutenant Colonel Richard Piscal said in an interview at the Al Asad base.

Forward Operating Base Quinn -- named for a Third Armored soldier, Michael Quinn, killed during fighting in the Sunni Triangle town of Fallujah -- is perhaps the most isolated US position in Iraq, a cluster of concrete barracks and bombed-out aircraft hangers on a former Iraqi military airfield.

"It's pretty much like being on the Western frontier," Hickey said. "Rough, wild, and lawless." There is danger here. "No place in Iraq is safe," said Specialist Andrew Harrington of Salem, Mass. But it is not like the daily round of ambushes and bomb attacks endured by soldiers serving in Fallujah, Ramadi, and other fronts in the Sunni Triangle. The lower level of conflict in the Western Desert is fine with the troops of Second Squadron and the 94th MPs, both of which took losses in the Triangle this year -- Second Squadron suffered six killed and more than 70 wounded.

Casualties still occur, however. Later on this day, soldiers at FOB Quinn would mourn a Third Armored comrade killed late last month near the Syrian border.

Meanwhile, a big part of the base's mission is creating homegrown law and order -- shaping Iraqis recruited from local villages into a functional border constabulary. Getting volunteers is easy: At $70 a month, the 204 members of the first class rank among the highest-paid desert dwellers.

Teaching discipline, respect for citizens, and basic police procedure is a trickier proposition.

"Iraq has had decades where the concept of police is linked to baksheesh" -- taking bribes -- "and pushing around people," said First Lieutenant Travis Nelson of Berkeley, Calif. "So we put emphasis on civil rights and approaching people with respect, as well as making traffic stops and diligently carrying out searches."

Eventually the trainees will receive US-issue uniforms. For now, they are a motley crew in black Arabic robes, coarse-spun tunics, patched cotton shawls, and -- in the case of one young tribesman -- a purple velour smoking jacket.

They brandish new AK-47 assault rifles provided by the US military. So far, however, they have not received bullets -- and some American troops are quietly appalled by the prospect.

"Soldiers are definitely wondering what happens when we give these guys live ammunition. There is some pretty dark joking about which way they'll point their guns," said Sergeant Jerome Ciolino of Gloucester, Mass., who carries shrapnel in his triceps received during a firefight over the summer. "But if arming Iraqis is what it takes to get us home, we'll do it."

There is a battle-weary edge to many of the American troops here, and definite cynicism when it comes to Iraqis. But none of the dozens of soldiers interviewed showed signs of strained morale. Most seemed chipper and proud.

"There is no point in getting angry or depressed because this is a job that someone has to do -- and we're it," said Sergeant Kristina Brown, medic with the 94th from Littleton, N.H. "I miss my two kids more than I can say. But I just try to soldier on with a positive attitude."

And the losses mount.

On Nov. 29, a Third Armored soldier attached to the squadron was among those killed during an ambush on a convoy near the Syrian border. He was Specialist Aaron J. Sissel, and the traditional military ceremony held in the small, dimly lit chow hall at FOB Quinn has become a familiar ritual to the soldiers in attendance.

At one end of the room was an inverted M-16 rifle topped by a battle helmet. A sergeant read off a roll call, starting with the names of two soldiers in the room who shouted, "Present!"

Then the sergeant called: "Specialist Aaron J. Sissel!"

Silence.

"I repeat, `Specialist Aaron J. Sissel!' "

The silence was so prolonged it was painful. Tears streamed down the cheeks of the seasoned combat troops.

Outside, a mud-spattered honor guard of seven soldiers fired three volleys that cracked over the barrens with grim finality: Specialist Sissel's 21-gun salute.

Boston.com / News / World / In Iraq desert, war simmers for Army units

Iraq War
Japan approves controversial troop dispatch to Iraq: "Japan's cabinet approved a basic plan to send troops to Iraq on a humanitarian mission, a spokesman for the prime minister's office said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Israeli kibbutz movement in dire straits: "After spending World War II in Nazi camps, Esther Cohen saw the swamplands of Kibbutz Metzuba as a paradise."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Iraqi Air Force Jets Head to the Junkyard: "Following the Biblical call to turn swords into ploughshares, junkyard owner Ahmad Ali Thalib is converting scrapped jet fighters into pots and pans. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Israel trains US assassination squads in Iraq (9 Dec 03) in Radio Free USA



U.N. takes Israel barrier to International court (9 Dec 03) in Radio Free USA



With More Money to Spend, Middle-Class Iraqis Go Shopping for Luxury Goods: "A swath of middle-class society has experienced a jump in income that is driving a boom in demand for luxury goods."

In New York Times: World Special



G.I. on Guard at Gas Station Is Shot to Death: "A U.S. soldier was killed in Mosul, Iraq, while standing guard at a long lines of cars backed up because of a gasoline shortage."

In New York Times: World Special



Indonesian Criticizes U.S. Over the War in Iraq: "The foreign minister of Indonesia said that the American policy in Iraq might have made the world more dangerous."

In New York Times: World Special



Japan Cabinet Expected to OK Iraq Mission: "After months of debate, Japan's prime minister said his Cabinet will likely approve the deployment of non-combat troops to Iraq on Tuesday, but opposition parties vowed to do all they can to keep Japanese forces at home. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Japan set to approve troop dispatch to Iraq: "Japan is set to approve a plan to dispatch some 500-700 ground troops to Iraq to provide humanitarian aid for between six months to a year, according to press reports. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraqi Symphony Prepares for D.C. Concert: "Muntha Jamil Hafidh describes his orchestra's upcoming performance here in the same terms that any foreign musician might: an opportunity at learn from U.S. musicians and share his country's culture. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US, Britain pressed on Iraq arms hunt: "The United States and Britain came under pressure at the UN Security Council on Monday to hand over confidential information on the search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Sharon may weigh W. Bank settlement moves: "Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has indicated for the first time that he might consider moving Jewish settlements in the West Bank as part of the unilateral moves he is considering."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Survey: Saddam Killed 61,000 in Baghdad: "Saddam Hussein's government may have executed 61,000 Baghdad residents, a number significantly higher than previously believed, according to a survey obtained Monday by The Associated Press. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Laura Bush Was Worred About Baghdad Trip: "First lady Laura Bush says her husband first told her about a trip to Iraq six weeks before Thanksgiving, and she ranks his surprise trip among "the best-kept secrets ever." (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US, Britain pressed on Iraq arms hunt: "The United States and Britain came under pressure at the UN Security Council on Monday to hand over confidential information on the search for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Recreating Palestine in Iraq: "Here is a must-read article on the new tactics being employed by the U.S. military to crack down on the guerilla insurgency. For example, the U.S. has barbwired entire villages. The notice on the fence reads: "This fence is here for your protection. Do not approach or try to cross, or you will be shot."
Iraqis are allowed to leave and enter their village through carefully monitored checkposts, but only when they produce special identification cards. Sound familiar? It sure does to Tariq, who says, "I see no difference between us and the Palestinians." Perhaps imitating Israel is not exactly the best path to winning Iraqi hearts. But U.S. commanders disagree: Continue »"

In Alternet: War On Iraq



TASK FORCE ?ALL-AMERICAN? TRAINS NEW IRAQI SECURITY FORCES in CENTCOM: News Release

Cots, laundry, other logistics vital for troops
MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune

AT THE STRYKER BRIGADE'S BASE CAMP, Iraq - It's been a rough couple of evenings for Maj. Sean McKenney at the Stryker brigade's nightly battle update briefings.

That's where the brigade staff and battalion commanders gather to update the boss, Col. Mike Rounds, on the day's developments in every area of the unit's operations.


McKenney is the S-4, the logistics officer, and the past two nights Rounds has expressed a great deal of interest in his work.


He's got questions about the latrines and the cots, or shortages thereof. The water. Hot chow. Clean clothes. Gravel for work areas and the motor pools. Fuel and oil for the vehicles.


It's all critical stuff as the Fort Lewis-based brigade, with the help of other support units, transforms a vast, flat patch of northern Iraqi mud into its base of operations and home away from home for some 5,000 soldiers.


McKenney is on the hot seat to make sure all the supplies are on hand, or on the way, to make that happen. And though he's had to endure a few awkward moments with the brigade commander, he said it's all going fairly well.


"This is actually, for the environment we're in, not a bad setup," the major said after Saturday night's briefing.


Today is the brigade's third full day on the ground at its camp, the location of which remains off-limits for reporting under the ground rules for reporters traveling with the unit.


The dining facility served its first hot meal Saturday night - spicy beef over rice with vegetables, and coffee cake.


McKenney got a contractor out to service the 84 Port-A-Johns now on the camp, and he said there's another 220 or so on the way.


Gravel contractors wouldn't come after their trucks got shot up, but deliveries will resume today, he said.


One shower center started up Saturday, although it was later down due to pump problems. And plumbers were finishing on a second, across the post.


Laundry service is scheduled to start Monday.


As for cots, that's a sore point with Rounds, who says the Army has 600,000 of them in Iraq and Kuwait, despite the fact it has only about 130,000 troops in the countries. Why should it be so hard to get 5,000 of them sent to this camp?


The answer to that question might someday be determined by the General Accounting Office. But for the time being, cots should be here today, McKenney said.


That will be some relief to the troops who are sleeping on the concrete or plywood floor of their tents, although many soldiers brought their own cots north with them from Kuwait.


A next priority might be hand-washing stations. There are none in the camp.


Rounds told his team he sees the camp issues as critical to the brigade's success.


"Ultimately when we're looking at quality of life, part of it is morale, yes, but mostly it gives us the opportunity to keep folks healthy and keep them in the fight," Rounds said. "There's enough other things in this country to knock us off our feet, we don't need to do it to ourselves."


The brigade is getting help from Army National Guardsmen and reservists from Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Wisconsin, as well as an active-duty artillery battalion that's been here since July.


They're putting up and wiring more than 70 tents; it appeared about half had power by the end of Saturday.


They are also digging trenches to shelter soldiers if the camp is attacked with mortars, a common occurrence at other U.S. camps around Iraq. There are ditches with beams and plywood roofs, which are covered with 18 inches of dirt.


Soldiers at Baquba use theirs so often, for example, that they've rigged them with power for lights and other comforts.


"Stars & Stripes came out and did a story about how nice the bunkers are," Maj. Gary Ladd, commander of a Mississippi National Guard engineer company that's helping build the Stryker brigade's new home, said of the Army newspaper.


His unit has been working all around northern Iraq since April as part of the 555th Engineer Group out of Fort Lewis.


Soldiers here are hoping they don't have a similar need for bunkers. But they'll be glad to know Capt. Kenneth Mitchell, the brigade's assistant engineer, checked them all after Friday night's heavy rain and found no standing water.


The camp is huge, and several miles from any population center, but a mortar strike on the place shouldn't surprise anybody, Ladd said.


"You just never take it for granted that they can't do something," he said. "Never underestimate anybody."


One complicating factor is the mud. It forms instantly when it rains, which appears to happen about every four or five days. Winds come along and dry it, and heavy vehicles turn the dried mud into fine, fluffy sand. And then it rains again.


"It's either powder, or this," Ladd said, almost straining to lift his heavy right boot caked in rich clay mud. "You put your feet in it in the morning and it stays with you all day."


Which makes the shower and laundry facilities especially important.


Lt. Brian Shoemaker, of the 259th Field Services Company from Fort Bragg, N.C., said soldiers from his unit have been deployed steadily the past two years, mainly in Afghanistan and Iraq.


They run what's called a "slicker unit," for shower, laundry and clothing repair.


"We're not doing the clothing repair, though. Not out here," Shoemaker said.


His pride and joy is the 31-ton Laundry Advanced Drying System unit, or a LADS. Its two big rotating drums wash and dry 500 to 700 bundles of laundry a day - each soldier gets to turn in 15 pieces of clothing, and they're washed in a net bag.


It uses 600 to 800 gallons of water a day. The previous-generation unit that's still in use in the Army consumes about 2,500 gallons of water to wash 300 or so bundles a day, Shoemaker said.


The only catch is the LADS is a little trickier to maintain than the other unit, which is why he's trying to get his hands on one of each to make sure he can keep the brigade's clothes clean no matter what.


As for the showers, the 259th runs a tent with sections for men and women. It could handle as many as 1,000 bathers a day, provided there's enough water.


It cranked up Saturday morning, and by all accounts the water was nice and hot. But it was closed later for a breakdown. There was no word on when it might reopen.


"As long as there's showers, I'm good to go," said Cpl. Jamie Christensen, a Stryker brigade medic, who with her buddy Pfc. Tonya Woodard spent part of Saturday making their tent just a tad more inhabitable.


The tents held up fairly well in the rain, but they're all set out on concrete. Most of the floors were soaked by the runoff.


Plywood is at a premium. Some soldiers removed the doors from the wooden outhouses - they're not really needed, since they've also got the plastic Port-A-Johns - until an officer caught them and ordered them to put the doors back.


1st Sgt. Dan Stroud bartered with some engineers: five cases of coffee and a player to be named later for enough plywood to build a quick deck for the floor of his 20-person tent. He's got some Christmas lights, too, and pretty soon the place will be downright cheery.


"It could be worse," said Staff Sgt. Cheryl Ray, surveying the mud as she loaded scrounged lumber into her tent. "Did you see all those kids on the side of the road? There wasn't a house in sight.


"It makes you thankful for what you've got."


More cheer is on the way. Rounds ordered McKenney to get a Christmas tree up in the dining facility, and to procure some lights and decorations.


And McKenney said he's working on getting a post exchange set up in the next few days so soldiers can restock on critical personal supplies such as Mountain Dew and Copenhagen chewing tobacco.


"People will complain no matter what," said Mitchell, the assistant engineer. "I'm pretty happy with what we rolled in on, and it's only going to get better every day."


WITH THE STRYKERS IN IRAQ - Michael Gilbert: mjgilbert41@yahoo.com

Tribnet.com - News



Spc. Michael Roby, left, and Sgt. Danny Armstrong from the 223rd Engineer Battalion, Mississippi National Guard, hammer nails Saturday into the plywood roof of one of more than 100 newly dug bunkers at the Stryker brigade's camp in Iraq. Troops from Wisconsin, Colorado, West Virginia and Pennsylvania are also helping the brigade set up shop.

Iraq war news
Arabs focus on refugee issue after accord: "Deciding the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees may be the biggest challenge to settling more than five decades of Arab-Israeli conflict."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Emirates airlines announces engine deal: "Emirates airlines announced Monday a $1.5 billion deal with engine manufacturers General Electric and Pratt & Whitney for more than 90 engines to power an order of Airbus A380 aircraft."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Some Iraqis Get New Freedom After Saddam: "The Musawis are grateful to the Americans for getting rid of Saddam Hussein. It's meant higher wages, a new car and more freedom. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



S.Korean Electric Workers to Leave Iraq: "A South Korean company said Monday it has decided to withdraw its 60 workers restoring electricity lines in Iraq, after a gun attack killed two of its electricians working for the U.S. government project. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Presidential Trips Abroad: "Andy Rooney looks back at President Bush's surprise Thanksgiving visit to Iraq, and reflects on some other notable presidential trips."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



Operation Iraqi Freedom: "A senior representative of the top Shiite religious leader in Iraq tells Steve Kroft that former loyalists of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party must be fired from municipal posts."

In CBS News: Iraq Crisis



Andrew's Winds of War: Dec 8/03: "Welcome! Our goal is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Today's "Winds of War" is brought to you by Andrew Olmsted (with plenty of help from Joe) of Andrew Olmsted dot com .
TOP TOPICS

• The issue of Saudi support for terrorism has been an open secret since September 11. Now US News has blown into the issue and uncovered just how deep the problem is (Hat tip: Instapundit ).
  
• The commander of American forces in Iraq expects attacks to increase as Iraq comes closer to national elections next summer. The logic is impeccable, but it suggests that November may be a harbinger of things to come rather than an aberration.
  
• JK: Photos from Iraq's mass graves . If you were for the war, you need to see this. If you were against it, you really need to see this.

Other Topics Today Include: more on Samarra; Was the '45 minutes' WMD claim accurate; Domestic WMD plot thwarted; Canada - terrorism conduit?; Sniper update; AQ finance chief nabbed; Afghanistan; The Wall and Geneva; Winning the War of Ideas; Chechnya; Will NATO survive the war on terror?
Read The Rest..."

In Command Post: Irak



Indonesia Says U.S. Policy in Iraq Becoming Debacle: "Indonesia, the world's most populousMuslim nation, issued some of its harshest criticism ofWashington's Iraq policy on Monday, saying the U.S. occupationhad not met objectives and was becoming a debacle. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Making a killing in the new Iraq as cars, TVs, food and fridges flood in (08 Dec 03) in Radio Free USA



Palestinians agree to a conditional ceasefire in Israel (8 Dec 03) in Radio Free USA



Palestinians can't agree on truce offer: "Palestinians failed to agree on a truce offer to Israel on Sunday after three days of talks, setting back the Palestinian prime minister's hopes for a halt in violence to jump start the stalled U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Daniel Nehme, Syria politician, dies at 78: "Daniel Nehme, a member of the central leadership of Syria's ruling political coalition, has died at age 78, the official Syrian Arab News Agency said Sunday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Report: Source of Iraq Arms Claim Emerges: "By MICHAEL McDONOUGH
Associated Press Writer
Originally published December 7, 2003, 8:22 AM EST
LONDON
* * *
The Sunday Telegraph said Lt. Col. al-Dabbagh identified himself as the source for the British government's assertion that Iraq could have deployed chemical or biological weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes of a decision to do so . The paper gave the officer's surname only, citing fears for his safety if he was fully identified.
The 45-minute claim was in a government dossier published in September 2002. A British Broadcasting Corp. report later accused the government of "sexing up" the dossier to make a more convincing case for military action. Government weapons adviser David Kelly apparently committed suicide in July after being identified as the source for the BBC report.
Kelly's death prompted a judicial inquiry that scrutinized the workings of Blair's government and its use of intelligence in the buildup to the U.S.-led war. A report from the inquiry is expected early next year.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that al-Dabbagh was the former head of an Iraqi air defense unit in the country's western desert. It said he had spied for the Iraqi National Accord, a London-based exile group, and provided reports to British intelligence from early 2002 on Saddam's plans to deploy weapons of mass destruction.
Al-Dabbagh said cases containing chemical or biological warheads were delivered to front-line units, including his own, in late 2002, the paper reported. He said they were designed to be launched by hand-held rocket-propelled grenades, and did not know what exactly the warheads contained.
The government's September dossier said that "Iraq's military forces are able to use chemical and biological weapons, with command, control and logistical arrangements in place. The Iraqi military are able to deploy these weapons within 45 minutes of a decision to do so."
The head of the MI6 spy agency, Sir Richard Dearlove, told the inquiry into Kelly's death that the 45-minute warning in the dossier came from an "established and reliable source," quoting a senior Iraqi military officer who was in a position to know the information.
The Sunday Telegraph said al-Dabbagh believed he was the source for that claim.
"I am the one responsible for providing this information," he was quoted as saying. "It is 100 percent accurate.
"Forget 45 minutes, we could have fired these within half an hour," al-Dabbagh added. He said the weapons were not used because most of the Iraqi army did not want to fight for Saddam.
The newspaper said al-Dabbagh works as an adviser to the Iraqi Governing Council and said he has received death threats from Saddam loyalists.
* * *
Via the Baltimore Sun .
"

In Command Post: Irak



Rumsfeld watches training of Iraq's new security forces: "Military says attacks on U.S. troops decline
By John Hendren
Los Angeles Times
Originally published December 7, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld saw firsthand the U.S.-led coalition's strategy of turning over security to Iraqis in a sweep through the nation yesterday, as military officials lauded a precipitous drop in attacks on American troops even as they acknowledged that it was likely the result of poor weather and the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The Pentagon chief focused much of his visit on briefings and demonstrations of the fledgling Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, one of four security forces set up by the occupying coalition.
The Pentagon's strategy in Iraq is to increasingly turn control of security - police, border patrol and military actions - to newly established Iraqi agencies that, in the case of the civil defense corps, often receive less than one month's training.
With 140,000 Iraqi border patrol and police officers, paramilitary troops, building guards and other security forces in place, Rumsfeld said, "they are increasingly taking over security in this country."
He trusted his safety to members of the corps, entering a Baghdad warehouse in which roughly 50 new recruits toting AK-47s were in their first days of training.
During his first stop of the day, in the northern city of Kirkuk, Rumsfeld met with a group of recruits and their commanders in crisp new khaki uniforms at a lavish home confiscated from an unidentified Iraqi on the list of most-wanted former regime officials.
The Iraqi civil defense corps is coming along "very fast," he told the recruits, giving Americans confidence that it "can make a tremendous difference."
* * *
Rumsfeld was joined throughout the day by the top commander on the ground, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez.
Several senior military officials said attacks on U.S. personnel have plunged from nearly 40 a day in early last month to 19 daily over the past week.
Nevertheless, they acknowledged, it is not clear that the decline will endure, and many suggested that attacks would likely increase during the hajj holiday next month.
The coalition death toll soared during Ramadan, making last month the costliest for the United States and its allies since the invasion of Iraq more than eight months ago.
Dempsey said that four of 10 known guerrilla cells were disabled last month, including one that he said was responsible for the October rocket attack on the Al Rashid Hotel that killed a U.S. Army colonel while Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz was in the building.
The 1st Armored is still pursuing intelligence that it hopes will allow the division to crush the remaining six cells, he said.
The arrests have diminished but not ended the insurgents' ability to launch attacks because their leadership and financiers remain at large, Dempsey said.
Nevertheless, Sanchez painted a portrait of gradual success for Rumsfeld's third visit since President Bush declared major combat over May 1.
"The main message to the secretary is primarily that we're being successful, our troops are prepared and we're making a lot of progress," Sanchez said.
* * *
Via the Baltimore Sun .
"

In Command Post: Irak



Iraq Prepares to Create Its Own Tribunal to Prosecute War Crimes Under Hussein: "The special court would try members of Saddam Hussein's government on charges varying from genocide to squandering the nation's wealth."

In New York Times: World Special



Iraqi Exiles Face Uncertainty as Enthusiasm for Them Dims at Home and in Washington: "With Iraq moving toward a new political configuration, Iraqis are debating whether Iraqi exiles are the nation's future or its past."

In New York Times: World Special



General Sees More Attacks as Elections Near: "Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez added that insurgent forces were bent on disrupting Iraq's transition to democracy."

In New York Times: World Special



In TV Interviews, Senator Clinton Criticizes Bush's Handling of Iraq: "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York sharply criticized President Bush's policies in Iraq during an unusual series of back-to-back appearance on the Sunday morning talk shows."

In New York Times: World Special



WMD claims of Iraqi 'colonel' treated sceptically (8 Dec 03) in Radio Free USA



Rumsfeld Says Army in Iraq Not Worn Out: "The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a toll on the Army, but the soldiers who are due home next spring are fit to return to a war zone if called upon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Card Calls Prewar Intelligence Woes 'Moot': "President Bush's chief of staff dismissed as "a moot point" any lingering question about whether Bush relied on faulty intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



First Commercial Flight Brings Joy to Iraqi Kurds: "With a final victory swoop over theIraqi Kurd capital and a waggle of his wings on Sunday, thepilot of the new United Iraqi Airlines landed his plane to wildapplause - inside and out. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Turkey charges 3 more in Istanbul attack: "A Turkish court on Sunday charged three more men for their involvement in a string of suicide bombings in Istanbul, raising the total number of suspects to 30."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Iran's Khatami orders vigilante crackdown: "Iran's president Sunday ordered two Cabinet ministers to crack down on hard-line vigilantes who disrupt political meetings following an attack on one of his close aides, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



A Look at U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq: "As of Friday, Dec. 5, 443 U.S. service members have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. Of those, 306 died as a result of hostile action and 137 died of non-hostile causes, the department said. The department did not provide an update Sunday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US has forfeited its "moral leadership" of the world under Bush: Dean: "The United States has forfeited its "moral leadership" of the world under President George W. Bush, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean charged. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



No oil crisis in Iraq, ministry says: "Iraq is suffering only a temporary shortage of oil and not a crisis, the spokesman for the oil-rich country's oil ministry said as motorists faced long lines at the fuel pumps. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraq's political transformation delicate: "Sitting at his desk, the governor pulls out a photograph of the corpse of a brother - red marks around his neck - who was executed by Saddam Hussein's regime. He displays another of himself, walking with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in Iraq in September."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq

Iraq war news updates
Army Force Stretched After War in Iraq: "The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a toll on the Army, but the soldiers who are due home next spring are fit to return to a war zone if called upon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Sunday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Tough New Tactics by U.S. Tighten Grip on Iraq Towns: "The new approach appears to be succeeding in diminishing the threat to U.S. soldiers, but at the cost of alienating the people the Americans are trying to win over."

In New York Times: World Special



Rumsfeld, on the Ground in Iraq, Gets a Report on Progress Against the Insurgency: "Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, on a visit to Iraq, was told that attacks against occupying troops had dropped because of better intelligence."

In New York Times: World Special



Funds for Iraq Falling Short of Pledges, Figures Show: "Of $3 billion pledged to meet Iraq's immediate needs at a donors conference six weeks ago, only $685 million has been verified."

In New York Times: World Special



Secular Leaders Worry That, Torn by Turmoil, Iraqis Will Elect an Islamic Theocracy: "In Iraq's present chaotic state, Iraqi officials fear the people may vote for the rigorous order that an Iranian-style Shiite theocracy imposes."

In New York Times: World Special



This Battle of the Bands Is Peaceable: "The Iraqi National Symphony, a symbol of perseverance, will visit the Kennedy Center to play alongside the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington."

In New York Times: World Special



US pushes Iraq security handover: "The US defence secretary says there will be a handover of security operations in Iraq to local forces "over time"."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq (UK Edition)



Rumsfeld Visits Iraq; U.S Touts Progress: "Taking a fresh look at postwar Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met Saturday with senior American commanders and was assured that a recent switch to more aggressive anti-insurgency tactics has begun to pay off. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



US pushes Iraq security handover: "The US defence secretary says there will be a handover of security operations in Iraq to local forces "over time"."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq



Egypt library removes anti-Semitic tract: "The Alexandria Library has withdrawn the first Arabic translation of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" from an exhibit after U.N. cultural officials questioned the display of the 19th century anti-Semitic tract."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Saudi Arabia names top 26 terror suspects: "Saudi Arabia issued the names and photos of its 26 most wanted terrorist suspects and increased protection around Western housing compounds in the capital Saturday as the United States upgraded its security warning, restricting its diplomats' movements."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Iraq Mourners Open Fire, Killing Policeman: "Iraqis mourning two men killed in a firefight with U.S. troops clashed Saturday with civil defense forces, killing one officer and setting his pickup truck ablaze. "Long live Saddam!" they chanted as the vehicle smoldered. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Japan Holds Funeral for Slain Diplomats: "His voice faltering, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi offered his condolences to family members at Saturday's state funeral for two Japanese diplomats killed in Iraq, the country's first casualties in the U.S.-led war. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Army Force Stretched After War in Iraq: "Only two of the U.S. Army's 10 active-duty divisions will be at full strength for any new conflict next year as battle-weary soldiers return from Iraq, military officials say. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Rumsfeld urges quick action on Iraqi transfer of sovereignty: "US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged the president of Iraq's governing council to work quickly to resolve outstanding issues on the transfer of sovereignty during a surprise one-day trip to the war-torn country. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



97 vials found in Iraqi scientist's home - some contain bio-weapon precursors. Iraqi records and CPU's destroyed prior to war.: "

Vials: A total of 97 vials-including those with labels consistent with the al Hakam cover stories of single-cell protein and biopesticides, as well as strains that could be used to produce BW agents-were recovered from a scientist's residence.


Storage room in basement of Revolutionary Command Council Headquarters. Burned frames of PC workstations visible on shelves. All rooms sharing walls with this storage room were untouched from fire or battle damage.


Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The basement historical files were systematically selected and destroyed.
* * *
We have discovered dozens of WMD-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the inspections that began in late 2002. The discovery of these deliberate concealment efforts have come about both through the admissions of Iraqi scientists and officials concerning information they deliberately withheld and through physical evidence of equipment and activities that ISG has discovered that should have been declared to the UN. Let me just give you a few examples of these concealment efforts, some of which I will elaborate on later:
A clandestine network of laboratories and safehouses within the Iraqi Intelligence Service that contained equipment subject to UN monitoring and suitable for continuing CBW research.
A prison laboratory complex, possibly used in human testing of BW agents, that Iraqi officials working to prepare for UN inspections were explicitly ordered not to declare to the UN.
Reference strains of biological organisms concealed in a scientist's home, one of which can be used to produce biological weapons.
New research on BW-applicable agents, Brucella and Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), and continuing work on ricin and aflatoxin were not declared to the UN.
Documents and equipment, hidden in scientists' homes, that would have been useful in resuming uranium enrichment by centrifuge and electromagnetic isotope separation (EMIS).
A line of UAVs not fully declared at an undeclared production facility and an admission that they had tested one of their declared UAVs out to a range of 500 km, 350 km beyond the permissible limit.
Continuing covert capability to manufacture fuel propellant useful only for prohibited SCUD variant missiles, a capability that was maintained at least until the end of 2001 and that cooperating Iraqi scientists have said they were told to conceal from the UN.
Plans and advanced design work for new long-range missiles with ranges up to at least 1000 km - well beyond the 150 km range limit imposed by the UN. Missiles of a 1000 km range would have allowed Iraq to threaten targets through out the Middle East, including Ankara, Cairo, and Abu Dhabi.
Clandestine attempts between late-1999 and 2002 to obtain from North Korea technology related to 1,300 km range ballistic missiles --probably the No Dong -- 300 km range anti-ship cruise missiles, and other prohibited military equipment.
In addition to the discovery of extensive concealment efforts, we have been faced with a systematic sanitization of documentary and computer evidence in a wide range of offices, laboratories, and companies suspected of WMD work. The pattern of these efforts to erase evidence - hard drives destroyed, specific files burned, equipment cleaned of all traces of use - are ones of deliberate, rather than random, acts. For example,
On 10 July 2003 an ISG team exploited the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) Headquarters in Baghdad. The basement of the main building contained an archive of documents situated on well-organized rows of metal shelving. The basement suffered no fire damage despite the total destruction of the upper floors from coalition air strikes. Upon arrival the exploitation team encountered small piles of ash where individual documents or binders of documents were intentionally destroyed. Computer hard drives had been deliberately destroyed. Computers would have had financial value to a random looter; their destruction, rather than removal for resale or reuse, indicates a targeted effort to prevent Coalition forces from gaining access to their contents.
All IIS laboratories visited by IIS exploitation teams have been clearly sanitized, including removal of much equipment, shredding and burning of documents, and even the removal of nameplates from office doors.
Although much of the deliberate destruction and sanitization of documents and records probably occurred during the height of OIF combat operations, indications of significant continuing destruction efforts have been found after the end of major combat operations, including entry in May 2003 of the locked gated vaults of the Ba'ath party intelligence building in Baghdad and highly selective destruction of computer hard drives and data storage equipment along with the burning of a small number of specific binders that appear to have contained financial and intelligence records, and in July 2003 a site exploitation team at the Abu Ghurayb Prison found one pile of the smoldering ashes from documents that was still warm to the touch.
* * *
The foregoing is from " STATEMENT BY DAVID KAY ON THE INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE IRAQ SURVEY GROUP (ISG) BEFORE THE HOUSE PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFENSE, AND THE SENATE SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, October 2, 2003, " posted at Iraq: Special Report at whitehouse.gov .
"

In Command Post: Irak



Palestinians divided over cease-fire offer: "Hopes faded for Palestinians to offer a full-scale truce to Israel as the militant Hamas and Syrian-based factions said Saturday that they would accept only a narrow cease-fire halting attacks on civilians inside Israeli territory."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



There were 50 specific Iraq-al Qaeda links acknowledged by the CIA before the war: " A LEADING DEMOCRAT on the Senate Intelligence Committee has reiterated his support for the war in Iraq and encouraged the Bush administration to be more aggressive in its preemptive measures to protect Americans. Evan Bayh, a Democrat from Indiana and a leader of moderates in the Senate, responded to questions last week on the war in Iraq and a memo detailing links between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden sent to the committee in late October by Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J. Feith and later excerpted in these pages.
"Even if there's only a 10 percent chance that Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden would cooperate, the question is whether that's an acceptable level of risk," Bayh told me. "My answer to that would be an unequivocal 'no.' We need to be much more pro-active on eliminating threats before they're imminent."
Asked about the growing evidence of a relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, Bayh said: "The relationship seemed to have its roots in mutual exploitation. Saddam Hussein used terrorism for his own ends, and Osama bin Laden used a nation-state for the things that only a nation-state can provide. Some of the intelligence is strong, and some of it is murky. But that's the nature of intelligence on a relationship like this--lots of it is going to be speculation and conjecture. Following 9/11, we await certainty at our peril."
* * *
Bayh declined to speak about any of the 50 specific Iraq-al Qaeda links cited in the Feith memo, and said the intelligence community reported before the war that intelligence on the links to "9/11 and al Qaeda" was the weakest part of the justification for war in Iraq.
"Look, there were multiple reasons to remove Saddam Hussein, not the least of which was his butchering of his own people--that's the kind of thing that most progressives used to care about. We were going to have to deal with him militarily at some time in the future. The possibility--even if people thought it unlikely--that he would use weapons of mass death or provide them to terrorists was just too great a risk."
Still, Bayh rejects the conventional wisdom that cooperation between Hussein and bin Laden was implausible because of religious and ideological differences. "They were certainly moving toward the philosophy that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Both were hostile to us, and while they historically had reasons not to like each other, that historical skepticism is overridden by the enmity and mutual hostility toward us. These are not illogical ties from their perspective."
* * *
Original story reported in The Weekly Standard by Stephen F. Hayes. Via Instapundit .
"

In Command Post: Irak



Killings in Ramadi: ""Two days before the end of Ramadan, just as they were about to break their fast, the family was interrupted by two groups of US troops from the 82nd Airborne Division, bursting into the house from opposite sides. ...The next day the military returned to the village bringing papers with them. They were sorry but they had raided the wrong house, acting on false information." Jo Wilding writes from Baghdad."

In Electronic Iraq



Rumsfeld cautious on Iraq attacks: "The US defence secretary cautions against early optimism following a fall in anti-coalition attacks in Iraq."

In BBC: Conflict with Iraq



Rumsfeld visits troops in Iraq in CNN - War in Iraq



Israel kills two suspected Gaza militants: "The Israeli military shot and killed two Palestinians, armed with grenades and an explosive device, crawling toward a security barrier separating the Gaza Strip from Israel, military sources said Saturday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Funeral for two Iraqis turns violent: "A funeral for two Iraqis killed in a firefight with U.S. troops turned violent Saturday, with mourners killing a security officer and chanting pro-Saddam Hussein slogans over his body."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



South Korea awaits first dead from Iraq: "Kim Young-jin begged her father not to go to Iraq, where he was to lay electric lines."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Saudis said to arrest American, Briton: "Saudi authorities have detained an American and a Briton for unspecified reasons, diplomats said Saturday. A Saudi newspaper said the American was the brother of two men convicted in the United States of conspiring to aid the al-Qaida terrorist network."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq