March 05, 2013

I think that it would be wise to remember that the movement toward democracy in the Muslim Middle East began with the invasion of Iraq. For all the talk of the "Arab Spring", it was preceded by the Cedar Revolution in Lebanon and the failed Green Revolution in Iran. Both, in turn, were spurred by Iraq's forced democratization.

To be honest, I don't know how democratization is going to turn out in the Middle East. Some of my friends who are experts in third-world development assure me that what is going on in the Middle East is quite common to all developing nation-states. That after several decades of fits and starts that they will get it right in the end. They see the fall of dictatorships as a good thing.

I hope they're right, but I don't think they are. The near term evidence seems to suggest that my pessimism is warranted:

A local leader of anti-Al Qaeda militiamen was shot dead Tuesday in western Baghdad, one of four people killed in violence in different parts of Iraq, officials said.

The pro-government militiamen, known as the Sahwa group, joined forces with U.S. troops to fight Al Qaeda during the Iraq war. Since then, the group has been a target for Sunni insurgents who consider its members to be traitors.

February 12, 2013

Iraqi police nab 3 terror suspects disguised as women

The Iraqi police on Tuesday (February 12th) arrested three men wanted by the judiciary on terrorism charges in the Ur neighbourhood, eastern Baghdad.

Busted again and again and again.

January 30, 2013

Q: At what point does the watch out for the cornhole quote get less funny? A: Never:

Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 25, received his [life] sentence hours after Waad Ramadan Alwan was given a lesser sentence...

The two men were arrested in May 2011 and pleaded guilty last year to conspiring to help al-Qaeda in Iraq.

They admitted using improvised explosive devices against US soldiers in Iraq were also accused of plotting to send weapons and money to the organisation.

January 13, 2013

Alternate title: Arab Spring Is Coming To Iraq

FPM

The Muslim Brotherhood has taken over Egypt and it’s the official rebel Syrian government, as determined by Qatar, France and Obama. Muslim Brotherhood protests are mounting in Jordan and the Muslim Brotherhood is a definite player in Libya’s future.

But Iraq remains an obvious and gaping hole in their map of the region. Perhaps not for long.

[Read It All]

This sucks the suckiest of all.

h/t @MeanKitteh1

January 08, 2013

....10 years after the invasion of Iraq, who is profiting most from the country’s oil reserves? The US? The UK? No. PetroChina, Russian Lukoil, and Pakistan Petroleum – fierce opponents of the war.

On the other hand, as Germany’s leading weekly news magazine DER SPIEGEL reported this week, “America has not a single, significant oil deal with Baghdad” anymore.

EXXON is moving out of Iraq and PetroChina has taken the lead in the auction of West Qurna – one of the largest oil fields in the world – with Russian Lukoil as a potential competitor. If the Chinese bid is successful, the country will account for 32 per cent of total oil contracts in Iraq.

The “blood for oil” conspiracists owe President Bush an apology.

They will report on this, though. Crazy birther Terry Jones is gonna burn images/effigies of bronco bama.

July 26, 2012

I had high hopes for this 3 part Vice series on female fighters in Kurdistan. It turns out, I wasn't let down. It was entertaining. But not for the reason I expected.

Go watch the video. It's almost comedy. Not so much the female soldiers, as the pencil necked emo guy they sent to do the story.

Imagine a guy who is the spitting image of Rahel Maddow showing up to interview a bunch of left wing guerrillas wearing brightly colored Izod polos and jeans rolled up just enough to reveal designer boots. The tone of the video though doesn't seem to indicate that the narrator is really the brunt of the joke.

I guess this guy seems pretty normal in New York. In Kurdistan, not so much.

So, think of this as kind of a reverse Crocodile Dundee. Which I think is the plot of Crocodile Dundee II. Only instead of the Australian outback, you get the mountains of Kurdistan. And instead of that hot blonde chick, a gay guy that looks like Rachel Maddow.

Yeah, I know the description isn't really the video's selling point. But there's comedic value. And along the way you might learn a thing or two about the various armed Kurdish groups in Northern Iraq.

I'll also use this as a reminder that Kurdistan ought to be an independent sovereign country. These people love us, and I think they would be a much better partner in the region than the current Iraq regime. Certainly more so than the Turks.

July 23, 2012

Just wonderful:

CAIRO — The first online statement from the new leader of al-Qaida's affiliate in Iraq claims that the militant network is returning to strongholds from which it was driven by U.S. forces and their Sunni allies before the American withdrawal at the end of last year.

A torrent of violent attacks ripped through Iraq Monday, killing at least 91 people and wounding 172 in the deadliest day of attacks this year.

The spate of shootings and bombings comes days after the head of the al-Qaida group in Iraq warned last week that he was stepping up operations in areas vacated by U.S. troops last year.

July 07, 2012

Because they were pro- government

The bomber entered the home of his cousin, the local Sahwa leader, on Friday night as the extended family was gathered for a meal, said a police official in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, 115 kilometres west of Baghdad.

He approached the militiaman and detonated his explosives, killing his target as well as his wife, three of their teenage children, his brother and another relative, said the official.

June 13, 2012

Have you noticed that since Sectarian violence in Syria has been on the increase that sectarian violence in Iraq has correspondingly increased?

May 10, 2012

Tariq Al-Hashemi, on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks in the country.

LYON, France – At the request of Iraqi authorities, INTERPOL has published a Red Notice for Iraq’s Vice-President, Tariq Al-Hashemi, on suspicion of guiding and financing terrorist attacks in the country.

The Red Notice for Al-Hashemi represents a regional and international alert to all of INTERPOL’s 190 member countries to seek their help in locating and arresting him, following the issue of a national arrest warrant by Iraq’s Judicial Investigative Authority as part of an investigation in which security forces seized bombing materials and arrested individuals.[More...]

“This case also clearly demonstrates the commitment of Iraqi authorities to work with the world police community via INTERPOL to apprehend individuals facing serious charges,” added the Head of INTERPOL.

April 20, 2012

I read this on Huffington Post yesterday. Shaima Alawadi's daughter Fatima was involved in an incident where she jumped out of her mom's car after being caught with a boy. Its also known that Fatima wanted to marry this boy who turns out to be an Iraqi Chaldean Christian against the wishes of her family who had arranged for her to marry someone else.

The person who witnessed the incident and called police also wrote an online posting about it on a website before Shaima Alawadi was murdered.

Huffpo: When college student Enrique Cervantes wrote an essay about seeing two people having sex in a car in front of his house, he never expected that it might shed light on a murder investigation.

However, that story -- submitted as part of an oral history of El Cajon, a city just east of San Diego -- may help explain the murder of Iraqi refugee Shaima Alawadi, and offer a possible motive for her family members.

A few months after the vehicle incident and two months prior to Alawadi's death, Cervantes wrote about seeing Alhimidi in the car for SoSayWeAll.com, a San Diego-based nonprofit that is currently collecting "a people's history of East San Diego County."

Cervantes said he saw two people having sex in front of his house in the middle of the day and called the police.

Before police arrived, Cervantes went to the car to warn them and saw a teenage girl in a hijab with a man who looked to be in his early 20s. His piece describes the encounter:

The guy saw me coming and adjusted his pants. The girl pulled a blanket over her legs and smiled, her cheeks blossoming into red. What the f***, I almost said out loud. She was wearing one of those things on her head that Muslims wear. It was light purple; it looked nice on her skin. Her skin was brown as mine. It looked nice with that shade of purple, like an Egyptian princess.

I for one doubt he will return of his own free will and its likely that his story will play sympathetically to the Iraqis should he be indicted. Getting extradition will be a challenge.

Also Fatima Alawadi is in danger. ts likely that Kassim will stand to benefit financially from the arranged marriage of 17 year old Fatima, who is quickly approaching the age of consent, wants to marry the Chaldean Christian, Yacub.

Besides forced marriage against her will its also possible that Fatima's virginity or lack thereof could become an issue. We already know there may have already been one honor killing in the family, no?

The previous story of a hate crime against Muslims because of a note at the crime scene that was parroted by CAIR and many media outlets gave cover for Hassim to leave the country.

Where is CAIR and all those media outlets now? They are suddenly silent.

April 17, 2012

What a Loser!

Daily Star:

BAQOUBA, Iraq: An alleged Al-Qaeda member blew up his house in Iraq’s Diyala province during a raid Monday, killing himself and four family members, while five people died in other attacks, security sources said.Just before Iraqi soldiers entered the home “of an Al-Qaeda member in Saadiyah, he blew up the house and killed himself, his wife, and three children,” who were between 5 and 15 years old, Iraqi army First Lieutenant Abbas al-Tamimi said.

The suspected Al-Qaeda member, Hussein Abdul-Sattar, destroyed the house northeast of Baqouba, the capital of Diyala in central Iraq, about noon (0900 GMT), Tamimi said.

Iraqi army Major Ahmad al-Juburi confirmed that “the terrorist was killed with his family, which consisted of his wife and his children.”

March 11, 2012

(List of targeted teens. The warning at the top reads: "In the name of Allah. We strongly warn you, every licentious man or woman: if you didn’t stop this dirty behavior in four days then the punishment of Allah will be accomplished by the hands of Almojahdeen.")

The list was posted on March 8th in several neighborhoods. It warns that those named, and others who dress in similar 'emo' styles, have four days to alter behavior, leave the area, or face the consequences. That means tomorrow, March 12th, may see new bloodshed against innocent young people in Iraq.

From GME.com:

The Iraqi Interior Ministry knew about the plan to massacre ‘emo’ youths and LGBT people and are complicit in up to 100 killings, new evidence suggests.

GME can exclusively reveal that Iraqi officials had a list of people who were scheduled for slaughter but did nothing to protect them.

And a new list has been posted, posted on Palestine Street. It was put up three days ago and warns men and women in universities and colleges to stop behaving and dressing ‘immorally’ within four days. This means that a new wave of massacres may occur as early as tomorrow or Monday (12.3.12).

As GME reported yesterday, the kidnappings, torture and murders started on 6 February and have targeted those with alternative dress codes or have differing sexualities.

Not only was the Iraqi Government aware of the list, but they may have compiled a list of their own as a part of the investigation into the 'emo phenomenon'. It is not clear if the government's list contained the same names as the list posted around the neighborhoods.

Below the fold and NSFW, an image purportedly showing one teen after being stoned to death for having an 'emo' style haircut.

February 07, 2012

WFAA:

Maj. Troy Gilbert took off in his F-16 in November 2006 for a mission near Baghdad.

Now that U.S. forces have left Iraq, his family wonders who will look for his body to bring it home to Texas.

The 22nd combat mission for the Texas Tech grad would earn him the Distinguished Flying cross with valor, one of the nation's highest military awards.
He's credited with saving about 20 American commandos under fire.

"They say he was very calm," said the hero's mom, Kaye Gilbert. "He told this young man on the ground, 'I will not leave you.'"

According to witnesses, Maj. Gilbert destroyed one gun truck, then turned sharply to attack a second.

"Of course, he was already too low to begin with to do a strafing run," said his father, Ronnie Gilbert. "He went ahead and did it."

Kaye finished her husband's thought: "...because they were calling him from the ground saying, 'We're dying down here.' And when someone says, 'I'm dying down here,' you do everything you can."

The jet's tail hit the ground. Maj. Gilbert died instantly.
Later, when Ronnie and Kaye Gilbert learned why their son flew so low, it would only add to the cruelty of their ordeal.

It began just hours after the crash.

Insurgents posted a video on the Internet, showing men walking on the wings of the shattered jet. The cockpit canopy lay off to the side.

Three-hundred yards away, the pilot's broken body lay at the end of his unopened parachute. By the time U.S. forces reached the plane, Maj. Gilbert's body was gone.

The cockpit contained a tiny bit of tissue — enough for confirmation of death and burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

I've uploaded the report from WFAA. Please link the story or run the video. We'd like to get as many eyes on this story as possible.

Hat Tip: Lady Raven.

December 22, 2011

The minute we turn our back the Iraqis are back to their old selves.

BBC:

The interior ministry told the BBC 14 blasts hit various locations, including al-Amil in the south and Halawi and Karrada closer to the centre.

The bombings are the worst in months - and follow the withdrawal of US troops.

They come amid fears of rising sectarian tensions as the unity government faces internal divisions.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks.

However, analysts say the level of co-ordination suggests a planning capability only available to al-Qaeda in Iraq, which is a mainly Sunni insurgent group.

The bombs exploded as many people were travelling to work during the morning rush-hour.

Four car-bombs and 10 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were detonated, officials told the BBC.

A security spokesman in Baghdad, Maj Gen Qassim Atta, said the attacks had not been aimed at security targets.

"They targeted children's schools, day workers and the anti-corruption agency," he told AFP news agency.

Raghad Khalid, a teacher at a kindergarten in Karrada, said "the children were scared and crying".

I guess we'll find out as things digress.

December 09, 2011

A Canadian citizen has been indicted for aiding in the murder of American servicemen in Iraq:

NEW YORK—Today, a federal grand jury in Brooklyn, N.Y., returned an indictment charging Faruq Khalil Muhammad ‘Isa, 38, aka “Faruk Khalil Muhammad ‘Isa,” “Sayfildin Tahir Sharif” and “Tahir Sharif Sayfildin,” with aiding in the murder of five American soldiers in a suicide-bomb attack in Iraq in April 2009.

Specifically, he is charged with the murders of Staff Sergeant Gary L. Woods, 24, of Lebanon Junction, Ky.; Sergeant First Class Bryan E. Hall, 32, of Elk Grove, Calif.; Sergeant Edward W. Forrest Jr., 25, of St. Louis; Corporal Jason G. Pautsch, 20, of Davenport, Iowa; and Army Private First Class Bryce E. Gaultier, 22, from Cyprus, Calif.

The indictment also charges the defendant with conspiring to kill Americans abroad and providing material support to that terrorist conspiracy to kill Americans abroad.

In January 2011, the defendant was arrested and detained in Canada after he was charged by a federal complaint in the Eastern District of New York. The United States is seeking the defendant’s extradition from Canada in relation to the federal complaint in the Eastern District of New York. He remains in custody, and the defendant’s extradition hearing in Canada is currently scheduled for Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2012.

The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI.

The government’s investigation is being conducted by the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance provided by the Department of Defense, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the government of Tunisia.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zainab Ahmad, Carter H. Burwell and Berit W. Berger, with assistance provided by Mary Futcher and Stephen Ponticiello of the Counterterrorism Section in the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided assistance in this matter.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

December 01, 2011

I see this case as revealing a number of problems in the way we fought in Iraq, our legal rules, and in our soon to be hasty exit. For instance, with treating terrorists as "enemy combatants": once the war is over, you have to let them go:

Ali Mussa Daqduq, a Lebanese militant accused of involvement in the murder of several U.S. soldiers in Iraq, has been in U.S. military detention in Iraq since 2007 -- but likely not for much longer.

As the last U.S. forces depart Iraq, Daqduq may soon go free without facing trial....

The prospect that Daqduq -- a veteran operative of the Lebanese Hezbollah militia -- may escape U.S. justice....

Daqduq was accused of organizing a kidnapping in the Iraqi city of Karbala in January 2007 that left five U.S. soldiers dead....

But officials identified him as a 24-year veteran of Hezbollah who had commanded a special operations unit and been sent to Iraq to develop "Special Groups" within Shiite militia.

They said he admitted working with the Quds Force, a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard....

Daqduq has been held by the U.S. military as an "enemy combatant." Now the withdrawal of U.S. forces is almost complete and he can no longer be held without trial once hostilities are over. But U.S. officials are reluctant to hand over such a high-profile suspect to the Iraqi justice system. Their anxiety is that under pressure from Iran, Iraqi authorities would soon let Daqduq go free.

This seems to me one of the results of turning over these kinds of decisions to the State Department which can be trusted on getting pretty much every decision wrong every time.

October 21, 2011

The One is calling this a campaign promise...not in any sense of what he promised.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki insisted on the remaining soldiers be under his control and would be subject to arrests if the Iraqi government felt the need.

They would be sitting ducks so to speak.

Good on Obama for refusing but bad on Obama for not telling the public why all will return home.

We lost our finest and bravest, Iran is gaining ground and right now this sucks.

Islam sucks...

Oh, and its the Jews fault we were in Iraq or something:

October 04, 2011

Whatever happened to the good ol' days of "Wanted: Dead or Alive"? At what point did we decide the money would only be given for information leading to the man's arrest?

Because, personally, I'd find it a lot more gratifying if he was just dead.

The U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice page:

Wanted
Abu Du’a
Up to $10 Million

Place of Birth : Samarra, Iraq
Date of Birth : 1971
Sex : Male
Hair : Black
Eyes : Brown
Complexion : Olive
Aliases : Dr. Ibrahim ‘Awwad Ibrahim ‘Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai’, Ibrahim ‘Awad Ibrahim al-Badri al Samarrai, Abu Duaa’, Dr. Ibrahim, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

Abu Du’a is the senior leader of the terrorist organization, al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI). Abu Du’a is in charge of overseeing all AQI operations and is currently based in Iraq. AQI was listed by the UN 1267 Committee in 2004 under permanent reference number QE.J.115.04. Abu Du’a is responsible for managing and directing AQI large scale operations, such as the AQI August 28, 2011 attack on the Umm al-Qura mosque in Baghdad which killed prominent Sunni lawmaker Khalid al-Fahdawi.

In a statement eulogizing Usama bin Ladin, Abu Du’a threatened violent retaliation for bin Ladin’s death. Three days after bin Ladin’s death, Abu Du’a claimed responsibility for an attack in Hilla, Iraq, that killed 24 policemen and wounded 72 others. On August 15, 2011, a wave of AQI suicide attacks began in Mosul, Iraq, which culminated in over 70 deaths. Shortly thereafter, Abu Du’a pledged on AQI’s website to carry out 100 attacks across Iraq in retaliation for bin Ladin’s death.

Or just kill him and save us all the hassle.

September 10, 2011

Via CSM

Baghdad

Fatima Odei's love affair with the violin started in the dark days of the war when, only six years old and sequestered at home, she began watching symphony orchestras on TV.

I saw a Japanese girl playing violin and I really liked her," says Fatima, now 12 and one of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra's youngest trainees[...]

Fatima and her fellow musicians aren't the only young Iraqis performing classical music. There is the more established National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, but it performs only in the calmer northern region of Kurdistan and outside Iraq.

In contrast, the young INSO members' unlikely musical careers have been forged amid the heat of war in Baghdad, bringing a sweet escape from the daily challenges of a city hardened first by conflict and then the chaos of reconstruction. For some of the students who walked past bodies in the street on the way to school, knowing they had music made them feel they had something to hang onto.

"Everything around us just makes you feel like you live in hell, so when I am holding my violin and start to play it's the only way I can express myself," says Ali Muhsen, a young electrical engineer about to step on stage for the first time with the orchestra.

Reporters on the Job: The story behind the story

One of correspondent Jane Arraf’s most indelible memories of the Iraq war was the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra’s first public concert after Saddam Hussein was toppled from power.

It was June 2003, and what was left of the orchestra after a decade of sanctions and war gathered at the Convention Center. The guest of honor was L. Paul Bremer, the US administrator of the new Iraq. Flanked by Blackwater guards with submachine guns, Mr. Bremer declared that the concert signaled Iraq’s return to normalcy.

It wasn’t. But that didn’t matter.

As the well-dressed Iraqis sang “My Homeland,” Iraq’s de facto national anthem, many had tears streaming down their faces.

“I’ve known some of those musicians since the 1990s, when they drove taxis to survive,” says Jane. They suffered much since. “Hearing them rehearse and perform is never just a musical experience – it’s an affirmation that there’s an Iraqi spirit that can’t be extinguished.”

September 07, 2011

Comedy gold, people. Comedy gold.

September 02, 2011

August marks the first month of not a single US military casualty.

August 27, 2011

ABC

Bombs in Baghdad killed six people Saturday night, capping a deadly day in which at least 33 people died across Iraq, officials said.

Late Saturday night, a bomb hidden in a bicycle outside a Sunni mosque killed three worshippers and wounded eight others leaving evening prayers at the Omer Bin Abdul Aziz mosque just north of Baghdad, police said.

A half hour later, three policemen died nearby while responding to an explosion under a bridge in the predominantly Christian al-Ghadeer neighborhood in the capital's east, officials said. A second bomb killed them. Eight people were wounded in the blasts[...]

The deadliest incident in Iraq on Saturday, however, was a traffic accident.

A bus carrying vacationing families through northern Iraq collided head-on with a car and burst into flames, killing all 24 people trapped on the bus and three people in the car, police said.

Plus keep our finest and bravest in your thoughts and prayers, it is still dangerous for them in Iraq.

August 15, 2011

Messaging vs reality:

A string of coordinated bomb blasts across Iraq blamed on al-Qaeda killed at least 66 people on Monday in the country's bloodiest day of the year so far.

More than 230 were wounded in bloodshed which underlined the fragility of security less than five months before American troops are scheduled to complete their withdrawal.

While discussing Iraq's financial outlays that the Iraqis agreed to, we get this little tidbit.

Iraq today is a shattered society still picking up the pieces after decades of war and crippling sanctions. Prior to its conflict with the United States, the Iraqi healthcare and education systems were the envy of the Middle East, and despite the brutalities and crimes of the Ba’ath regime there still managed to exist a thriving middle class of ordinary Iraqis, something conspicuously absent from today’s "free Iraq." In light of the continued suffering of Iraqi civilians, the agreement by the al-Maliki government to pay enormous sums of money to the people who destroyed the country is unconscionable and further discredits the absurd claim that the invasion was fought to "liberate" the Iraqi people.

See, Saddam wasn't so bad. You could buy apples and get prostate exams. Really good prostate exams. Stupid America!

July 12, 2011

So, a few backpackers accidentally cross into Iran and it's an act of 'espionage'. If that's true then how is this not an act of war?

Iranian forces are stationed about a 1 1/2 miles inside the Iraq border as part of an operation targeting Kurdish militants, a border official said.

A source inside the border patrol in the northern Kurdish provinces of Iraq said Iranian forces crossed the border during the weekend in pursuit of members of the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan, or PJAK.

July 02, 2011

Fatwas will be issued

I'll start: See the shit on my teeth? Yah, it came from my finger, and Allah knows best.

Thanks to ElmiraViking for suggesting this

UPDATE: What, no meetball reference?

The "i will cut ur neck" fatwa issued against Nanabozoh for

Screen capture from bin Ladin's porn library entitled "POV al-Sadr's Nasheeding Anus".

After removing finger from rectum...rub horizontally against teeth thusly." Excerpt from the perplexing, yet popular Youtube video,” Sadr's Desert Hygiene for the Jihadist.”

Wishing you a very long life

Allah is wise, merciful, all knowing ... and I think he just shat in my mouth!

June 27, 2011

Let us not forget our finest and bravest who are still in Iraq. Recently, two of them were killed. The June total of hostile-related deaths of U.S. soldiers is now 11, the most since May 2009

CNN

(CNN) -- Radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr thanked followers who offered to launch attacks against the U.S. military in Iraq should he reinstate his notorious Mehdi Army militia, according to a posting on his website.

The exchange between a follower and al-Sadr on his website comes as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is talking with members of his government about the possibility of requesting American troops to stay in Iraq beyond a year-end deadline to withdraw.

Al-Sadr vowed earlier this year to "escalate armed resistance" if the U.S. military does not pull its troops as scheduled, a move that could destabilize the country should the Mehdi Army repeat the bloody battles it waged against American and Iraqi forces during the height of violence.

"We intended to be martyred, if you intend to lift the freeze of Imam al-Mehdi Army to defend Islam, doctrine and Iraq. Our martyrdom will be restricted only on activities against the infidel occupier without harming the civilians or any public proprieties," an unidentified follower posted on the website on Friday.

Hasna Ali Yahya, wife of dead al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri sentenced to 20 years

An Iraqi court has sentenced the wife of a slain al-Qaeda leader to 20 years in prison on terrorism-related charges, an Iraqi judicial spokesman said on Sunday.

Hasna Ali Yahya, the Yemeni wife of Abu Ayyub al-Masri, was convicted last Thursday, according to Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrkdar. Bayrkdar didn’t give details on the charges, but a government official said she was convicted of facilitating correspondence between insurgents and preparing explosive-laden belts.

Justice is served...

May 31, 2011

BGDailyNews[Emphasis mine..ed}

LOUISVILLE — Two Iraqi refugees living in Bowling Green were arraigned today on federal terrorism charges - including accusations of attempting to kill U.S. troops with explosive devices in Iraq.

Waad Ramadan Alwan, 30, and Mohanad Shareef Hammadi, 23, are charged in a 23-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Bowling Green on May 26. The men made their initial federal court appearance today in Louisville.

Alwan is accused of conspiring to kill U.S. nationals overseas, conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against U.S. nationals overseas, distributing information on how to manufacture and use improvised explosive devices, attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al-Qaida in Iraq and conspiring to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

Hammadi is charged with attempting to provide material support to terrorists and to al-Qaida in Iraq, as well as conspiracy to transfer, possess and export Stinger missiles.

The men were arrested Wednesday in Bowling Green. The FBI set up a mobile command center behind the Bowling Green Police Department headquarters last week, where FBI agents in camouflage, body armor and suits could be seen moving between the mobile command center and the BGPD.

In September 2009, the FBI began investigating Alwan, according to a news release from the Department of Justice. The FBI later began using a confidential source to meet with and record conversations with Alwan in August and with Hammadi in January. In meetings with the confidential source, Alwan allegedly discussed his previous activities as an insurgent in Iraq from 2003 until his capture by Iraqi authorities in May 2006 - including apparent use of IEDs and sniper rifles to target U.S. forces, according to the release.[More including links to PDF's related to case]

h/t @intelwire

UPDATE: For those of you who didn't read the rest, PDF links below fold:

Click a link below to read documents related to the case (pdf)

-- Press Release from U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky .

-- Alwan and Hammadi Indictment.

-- Criminal Complaint (Alwan).

-- Criminal Complaint (Hammadi).

Jannah is a myth assholes...

???? per Rsluty: "I guess the major question is why was a known insurgent given refugee status???????" Yes, why?

May 23, 2011

American PSD - might be an interesting reality show. I wish them the best.

(Hat Tip: Abdul Kamara of Blue Diamond Strategies)

April 08, 2011

Can't get more evil than this, heh...

God Bless her.

March 31, 2011

Yet another sign that Middle East and Democracy may not always produce optimum results.

H/T: Blue Collar Philosopher.

March 18, 2011

Make no mistake: enforcing a no-fly zone is an act of war. When the first bombs are dropped, we will have invaded Libya.

I guess going to war with an Arab dictator who is murdering his own people but who poses almost no international security threat is peachy-keen okay, but only with U.N. approval.

I think this speaks volumes about this Administration. Apparently it believes that the moral distinction between Libya and Iraq is that in the former there is U.N. approval -- which makes it okay -- while in the latter there was not -- which makes it not okay.

In other words, this Administration thinks moral legitimacy is conferred not by God, a universal moral standard, or by the people of the United States -- but by an unelected body representing no actual people, many of who's members are worse than Ghaddafi.

I'm not saying we shouldn't enforce the no fly zone, or be involved in some way or another. Frankly, I'm torn.

But the point I'm trying to make is that if invading Libya is the right thing to do, then it is the right thing to do whether China & Russia choose to veto it in the U.N. Security Council or not.

March 15, 2011

Here's one of a number of images recently released by the brave mujahideen in Kirkuk, Iraq.

On second thought, maybe the kids armed themselves after they saw what the muj did to the sheep?

PS-- If you look closely you'll see that three of the kids are wearing SCUBA diving shirts from Jamaica. I mean, how much Jamaican SCUBA diving gear can be floating around Kirkuk?

March 07, 2011

As the war continues to wind down for us in Iraq, it's important to remember that our enemies continue to fight their losing battle:

A roadside kaboom killed six people and maimed 12 aboard a bus in Iraq's southern port city of Basra on Sunday, a provincial official said.

The blast had targeted a passing US military convoy, according to Ali al-Ghanimi, the head of Basra provincial council's security committee, but instead struck the bus and wrecked it.

Women and children were among the casualties of the 10:00 am (0700 GMT) attack near a train station in the al-Maakal district of northern Basra, Ghanimi said, but it was unclear how many of them died or were maimed.

January 27, 2011

Car bomb kills 48 at Iraqi funeral

BAGHDAD -- A car bomb ripped through a funeral tent in a mainly Shiite area of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 48 people and triggering skirmishes between Iraqi troops and demonstrators angry about security failures.

The blast and three other small bombings Thursday were the latest in more than a week of attacks that have killed more than 200 people, raising fears about an uptick in violence as the U.S. military prepares to withdraw from the country.

Update by RS: I updated just to clarify that those responsible will inevitably turn out to be the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni group which opposes Shias and Iran.

January 19, 2011

The alleged perp is a bast*rd!

CBC

A Canadian man was arrested in Edmonton on Wednesday for his alleged association with a network of Tunisians believed to be responsible for suicide bombings in Iraq, including one that killed five U.S. soldiers in April 2009.

The U.S. Department of Justice said it is seeking to have Sayfildin Tahir Sharif, 38, also known as Faruq Khalil Muhammad 'Isa or Tahir Sharif Sayfildin, extradited to the United States to face charges in New York state.

U.S. authorities allege the accused is charged "in connection with his support for a multinational terrorist network that conducted multiple suicide bombings in Iraq and that is responsible for the deaths of five American soldiers."

They also allege Sharif had aspirations to travel to Iraq and carry out a bombing himself.[More..]

Faruq Complaint[PDF]

January 08, 2011

Interesting article in that the Iraqi's claim there was a second suicide bomber(an Egyptian national) who recieved similar training with Taymour Abdulwahab(the failed Swedish bomber).

Reuters

(Reuters) - Iraq informed the United States about a plot to carry out bombings in Sweden two months before an attack in Stockholm by a man trained in Iraq, an Iraqi security official told al Arabiya television on Friday.

Major General Dhai Kanani, director of Iraq's anti-terrorism unit, said the man who blew himself up in Stockholm on December 11 had received explosives training in the Iraqi city of Mosul for three months.

He had entered Iraq from Turkey, he added, according to al Arabiya's website.

He said confessions by al Qaeda members detained in Iraq had also revealed that "an Egyptian national entered Iraq at the same time and received similar training to probably carry out another mission."

Kanani said that "Iraq had information on bombings in Sweden, which it informed the Americans about before the bombing in Sweden by more than two months," al Arabiya reported.

He said some detained al Qaeda members had said the group was planning attacks in the United States and Western Europe and "that Sweden was among the targets for an attack at the end of 2010."

A senior Iraqi counter-terrorism official told Reuters in December al Qaeda was planning attacks in the United States, Britain and Europe around Christmas and Iraq had informed the affected countries. He said then that indications pointed to Sweden.

Taymour Abdulwahab, a Swedish national of Middle Eastern decent, is believed to have been killed in a botched attack on downtown Stockholm after a bomb belt he was wearing went off prematurely.

Police believe he was preparing to attack a train station or department store at the height of the Christmas shopping season

December 29, 2010

I guess they still have not gotten the memo that they lost the war.

MOSUL, Iraq — Two suicide bombers on Wednesday killed four policemen in a police station in the northern city of Mosul, including an officer who oversaw a deadly raid on militants, Iraqi security officials said.
A third bomber was shot dead before setting off his explosives belt in the attack targeting Lieutenant Colonel Shamil Ahmed Oglah, who commanded the operation last week against an Al-Qaeda affiliate, a police officer said.

The early morning bombings killed Oglah and three other policemen, an interior ministry source said, and destroyed most of the police station in the Qabr al-Binat area of western Mosul, according to the police officer.

The officer said Oglah had commanded an operation in western Mosul in which a leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, Al-Qaeda's Iraqi affiliate, was killed.
Suicide bombers had made four previous attempts to kill the lieutenant colonel, he said.