Dive into the archives.
- Are the Insurgents Bored?
While Al-Jazeera seems to be overlooking the car bombs found in London, this interesting piece was prominently displayed on their website:
Vigilantes target Iraq porn surfersIbraheem Abdel-Qahar was tortured and made to drink his own urine and chicken blood for looking at pornography. The Iraqi Aid Association (IAA), a Baghdad-based non-governmental organisation working with displacement, [...]
- Hail to the Chief
Thanks to the Chief for passing this on: Kaplan’s cover story in the American Interest. The article also announces (I believe for the first time) the title and publishing schedule for Kaplan’s next book: Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground. The cover [...]
- The Little Engine that could
James Fallows does a great job on Colbert (and notices a few things as well).
- Told you so
From CNN:
Saudi’s on U.S. in Iraq: ‘illegitimate foreign occupation’
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP)—King Abdullah’s harsh—and unexpected—attack on the U.S. military presence in Iraq could be a Saudi attempt to signal to Washington its anger over the situation in Iraq and build credibility among fellow Arabs.
As warned just yesterday, the Saudi description of the invasion of Iraq [...]
- Harsh words
Saudi King Finds Fault With Arab Leadership
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah told Arab leaders gathered here Wednesday that they were to blame for the civil strife and divisions plaguing the Arab world.
Speaking at the opening of the Arab summit, Abdullah said that Arabs were less united today than they were just over 60 years ago when [...]
- Not even a flinch
Baghdad blast shakes up visiting UN head
In a reminder of why the United Nations all but abandoned Iraq in 2003, an explosion rocked the Baghdad press conference of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Thursday after he made an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital.
The blast — presumed to have been caused by Katyusha rocket — [...]
- Iraq Travel Guide
Here’s a short travel guide for anyone who wishes to visit Iraqi Kurdistan now.
Getting there
The best route in is via Turkey from which you have two options. Many people fly to Diyarbakir and take a taxi for around 150 USD to the border. If you are traveling the area anyway and wish to see other [...]
- Who’s who in the league of Iraqi insurgents
Sunni insurgent groups (top row): Jihad Factions of Iraq, Al-Qassas Brigade, Al-Rashedeen Army, Islamic State of Iraq, Mujahideen Army; (bottom row) Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI), 1920 Revolution Brigades, IAI. From Salon.com
Evan Kohlmann from GlobalTerrorAlert.com gives a primer on who is fighing who in Iraq in an interview with Salon.
Describe the insurgency.
You have to [...]
- Helicopters in Iraq
With the boast from Sunni militants that “God has granted new ways” to threaten U.S. aircraft, the US is changing its tactics in Iraq after losing four helicopters in the past two weeks. The allegedly divine “new ways” are surface-to-air anti-aircraft weapons.
Maj.-Gen. William Caldwell told reporters the investigations into the crashes of three army [...]
- Bye Bye Bashar?
The news has been good to Syria. Despite being blatantly guilty of the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Iraq, Iran and the Israeli-Hizballah conflict shuffled the little dictatorship-that-could out of the news where it has remained the past few months. Yet, while Syria has fallen of most people’s radar, the recent war in Lebanon could have [...]
