WAR ON IRAK: PROPAGANDA WATCH
Ny Times Op-Ed: Channels of Influence by Paul Krugman
By and large, recent pro-war rallies haven't drawn nearly as many people as antiwar rallies, but they have certainly been vehement. One of the most striking took place after Natalie Maines, lead singer for the Dixie Chicks, criticized President Bush: a crowd gathered in Louisiana to watch a 33,000-pound tractor smash a collection of Dixie Chicks CD's, tapes and other paraphernalia. To those familiar with 20th-century European history it seemed eerily reminiscent of. . . . But as Sinclair Lewis said, it can't happen here.
Who has been organizing those pro-war rallies? The answer, it turns out, is that they are being promoted by key players in the radio industry — with close links to the Bush administration.
The company claims that the demonstrations, which go under the name Rally for America, reflect the initiative of individual stations. But this is unlikely: according to Eric Boehlert, who has written revelatory articles about Clear Channel in Salon, the company is notorious — and widely hated — for its iron-fisted centralized control.
Until now, complaints about Clear Channel have focused on its business practices. Critics say it uses its power to squeeze recording companies and artists and contributes to the growing blandness of broadcast music. But now the company appears to be using its clout to help one side in a political dispute that deeply divides the nation
Why would a media company insert itself into politics this way? It could, of course, simply be a matter of personal conviction on the part of management. But there are also good reasons for Clear Channel — which became a giant only in the last few years, after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 removed many restrictions on media ownership — to curry favor with the ruling party
Or perhaps the quid pro quo is more narrowly focused. Experienced Bushologists let out a collective "Aha!" when Clear Channel was revealed to be behind the pro-war rallies, because the company's top management has a history with George W. Bush. The vice chairman of Clear Channel is Tom Hicks, whose name may be familiar to readers of this column. When Mr. Bush was governor of Texas, Mr. Hicks was chairman of the University of Texas Investment Management Company, called Utimco, and Clear Channel's chairman, Lowry Mays, was on its board. Under Mr. Hicks, Utimco placed much of the university's endowment under the management of companies with strong Republican Party or Bush family ties. In 1998 Mr. Hicks purchased the Texas Rangers in a deal that made Mr. Bush a multimillionaire.
There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear, but a good guess is that we're now seeing the next stage in the evolution of a new American oligarchy. As Jonathan Chait has written in The New Republic, in the Bush administration "government and business have melded into one big `us.' " On almost every aspect of domestic policy, business interests rule: "Scores of midlevel appointees . . . now oversee industries for which they once worked." We should have realized that this is a two-way street: if politicians are busy doing favors for businesses that support them, why shouldn't we expect businesses to reciprocate by doing favors for those politicians — by, for example, organizing "grass roots" rallies on their behalf?
What makes it all possible, of course, is the absence of effective watchdogs. In the Clinton years the merest hint of impropriety quickly blew up into a huge scandal; these days, the scandalmongers are more likely to go after journalists who raise questions. Anyway, don't you know there's a war on?
"Die Pro-War Demonstrationen in Amerika werden von der Firma Clear Channel organisiert. Die Firma Clear Channel hat Mr. Bush einiges zu verdanken. Eine Hand wäscht die Andere"
"CHECK IT"
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
Monday, March 24, 2003
STAGED ISRAELI TERROR ATTACK ON NEW YORK?
Rense/unansweredquestions.org: La Guardia Incident - Staged BioWar Attack Derailed?
INCIDENT AT LAGUARDIA
www.whatreallyhappened.com
"- White powder and gas mask are found in luggage, but Israeli woman not detained and allowed to board plane to Texas. - The Texas FBI won't return calls asking if the woman has actually been interviewed. - The powder tests positive for anthrax, then is declared to be harmless. - But ten people become sick and are treated, plus the screeners (one of whom gets a rash on his hands) are decontaminated. - Why do I get the feeling that a staged terror attack to blame on Iraq just fell apart?"
Rense/unansweredquestions.org: La Guardia Incident - Staged BioWar Attack Derailed?
INCIDENT AT LAGUARDIA
www.whatreallyhappened.com
"- White powder and gas mask are found in luggage, but Israeli woman not detained and allowed to board plane to Texas. - The Texas FBI won't return calls asking if the woman has actually been interviewed. - The powder tests positive for anthrax, then is declared to be harmless. - But ten people become sick and are treated, plus the screeners (one of whom gets a rash on his hands) are decontaminated. - Why do I get the feeling that a staged terror attack to blame on Iraq just fell apart?"
WAR ON IRAK
Philly.com: Oil prices up on fear of longer Iraq war
"Nachdem die Märkte letzte Woche noch mit einem schnellen Sieg der Amerikaner gerechnet haben und der Down Jones stetig gestiegen ist sind heute die Börsen wieder um mehrere Prozent eingebrochen und auch der Ölpreis ist wieder auf 28$ pro Barrel gestiegen. Die PR Offensive der Iraker hat die Stimmung gekehrt"
Philly.com: Oil prices up on fear of longer Iraq war
"Nachdem die Märkte letzte Woche noch mit einem schnellen Sieg der Amerikaner gerechnet haben und der Down Jones stetig gestiegen ist sind heute die Börsen wieder um mehrere Prozent eingebrochen und auch der Ölpreis ist wieder auf 28$ pro Barrel gestiegen. Die PR Offensive der Iraker hat die Stimmung gekehrt"
WAR ON IRAK: PROPAGANDA WATCH
Check: CHERYL SEAL REPORTS
As the Bush War escalates, so does the intensity of propaganda cranked out by the corporate media. Voices that counter the onslaught of disinformation are desperately needed. Thus this hastily-constructed "Media MASH UNIT" is dedicated to providing life support to the first casualty of war: TRUTH.
DISINFORMATION BY THE CORPORATE MEDIA IS A WAR CRIME
As the Bush War escalates, so does the intensity and wantonness of the propaganda disseminated by the corporate media. Overnight, it has cross the line from exaggeration, suppression, and calculated spin to outright lies and the total repression of meaningful coverage of dissent. To prevent the truth from being known is to permit opinions to be formed and decisions to be made on false pretexts. These opinions and decisions, in turn, are leading to the promotion of an illegal war and the deaths, dismemberment and permanent scarring of tens of thousands of human beings.
Thereby, I believe that any news outlet or newscaster that knowingly disseminates false information or suppressed true information prior to and during a war - acts we will collectively refer to as disinformation - are guilty of war crimes and crimes, in general, against humanity, and should be held accountable. This regularly updated report will present evidence of these crimes and alerts to the schemes used by the perpetrators.
DISINFORMATION ALERT!!!!
THE 50-50 LIE
This classic disinformation technique is used to inflate the opinion the corporate media wants to promote, while minimizing any dissent against that opinion. To add an even more egregious dimension of cynical fraud to this crime, it is billed by the perpetrators as "unbiased news."
In the 50-50 lie, instead of reporting the actual fact that the number of people moved to take to the streets to protest the war totally overwhelms those willing to protest in favor, the networks or newspapers report that "protests both for and against the war are being staged." Conspicuously absent from such reports is any mention of comparative numbers of protests and protestors involved. The implication is everything, the truth nothing. Here's a classic example: At the height of this week's international protests involving millions, one headline on AOL's mainpage (AOL is the FOX of the Internet), described this historic situation as a "Mixed reaction to war around the world." Mixed reaction? That's like calling Vermont, which has the fewest non-white residents of all the states, a melting pot. This isn't unbiased reporting, this is lying by implication and it is a crime.
The reality is, the number of anti-war protestors outnumbers the number of pro-war protestors by, at the LEAST, about 100,000 to 100. The largest protest the pro-war people have mustered is about 6,000, near Valley Forge in PA. And, it was recently revealed that these protests had been funded by the corporate media giant, CLEAR CHANNEL I.e, they were a rightwing corporate sham and hardly a grassroots movement.
"CHECK IT"
Check: CHERYL SEAL REPORTS
As the Bush War escalates, so does the intensity of propaganda cranked out by the corporate media. Voices that counter the onslaught of disinformation are desperately needed. Thus this hastily-constructed "Media MASH UNIT" is dedicated to providing life support to the first casualty of war: TRUTH.
DISINFORMATION BY THE CORPORATE MEDIA IS A WAR CRIME
As the Bush War escalates, so does the intensity and wantonness of the propaganda disseminated by the corporate media. Overnight, it has cross the line from exaggeration, suppression, and calculated spin to outright lies and the total repression of meaningful coverage of dissent. To prevent the truth from being known is to permit opinions to be formed and decisions to be made on false pretexts. These opinions and decisions, in turn, are leading to the promotion of an illegal war and the deaths, dismemberment and permanent scarring of tens of thousands of human beings.
Thereby, I believe that any news outlet or newscaster that knowingly disseminates false information or suppressed true information prior to and during a war - acts we will collectively refer to as disinformation - are guilty of war crimes and crimes, in general, against humanity, and should be held accountable. This regularly updated report will present evidence of these crimes and alerts to the schemes used by the perpetrators.
DISINFORMATION ALERT!!!!
THE 50-50 LIE
This classic disinformation technique is used to inflate the opinion the corporate media wants to promote, while minimizing any dissent against that opinion. To add an even more egregious dimension of cynical fraud to this crime, it is billed by the perpetrators as "unbiased news."
In the 50-50 lie, instead of reporting the actual fact that the number of people moved to take to the streets to protest the war totally overwhelms those willing to protest in favor, the networks or newspapers report that "protests both for and against the war are being staged." Conspicuously absent from such reports is any mention of comparative numbers of protests and protestors involved. The implication is everything, the truth nothing. Here's a classic example: At the height of this week's international protests involving millions, one headline on AOL's mainpage (AOL is the FOX of the Internet), described this historic situation as a "Mixed reaction to war around the world." Mixed reaction? That's like calling Vermont, which has the fewest non-white residents of all the states, a melting pot. This isn't unbiased reporting, this is lying by implication and it is a crime.
The reality is, the number of anti-war protestors outnumbers the number of pro-war protestors by, at the LEAST, about 100,000 to 100. The largest protest the pro-war people have mustered is about 6,000, near Valley Forge in PA. And, it was recently revealed that these protests had been funded by the corporate media giant, CLEAR CHANNEL I.e, they were a rightwing corporate sham and hardly a grassroots movement.
"CHECK IT"
WAR ON IRAK
Independent: Robert Fisk in Baghdad: 'Iraq will become a quagmire for the Americans'
Iraq stunned the Americans and British last night by broadcasting video tape of captured and dead American troops – the nightmare of both George Bush and Tony Blair.
The body of one American soldier was seen with a great red gash on his neck, while five US prisoners appeared on screen. One, a black female soldier, had been wounded, while a male serviceman said he had been "only following orders".
The film will increase internal support for Saddam Hussein, because it will be regarded as proof that the American-British force will be beaten.
All day, Baghdad felt like Kuwait in 1991 after the Iraqis had set fire to the oil wells. The oil-filled trenches torched by the Iraqi army around Baghdad on Saturday are ablaze. And regardless of whether they really hinder the incoming American cruise missiles, they have placed this city under a sinister, dark canopy. The skyline is black, the sky grey. Only by looking directly upwards can you catch sight of the sun. The Tigris moves sluggishly under a dun-coloured mist. If the people of Baghdad could pretend, a few days ago, that the war did not exist, yesterday they were living in its shadow.
Independent: Robert Fisk in Baghdad: 'Iraq will become a quagmire for the Americans'
Iraq stunned the Americans and British last night by broadcasting video tape of captured and dead American troops – the nightmare of both George Bush and Tony Blair.
The body of one American soldier was seen with a great red gash on his neck, while five US prisoners appeared on screen. One, a black female soldier, had been wounded, while a male serviceman said he had been "only following orders".
The film will increase internal support for Saddam Hussein, because it will be regarded as proof that the American-British force will be beaten.
All day, Baghdad felt like Kuwait in 1991 after the Iraqis had set fire to the oil wells. The oil-filled trenches torched by the Iraqi army around Baghdad on Saturday are ablaze. And regardless of whether they really hinder the incoming American cruise missiles, they have placed this city under a sinister, dark canopy. The skyline is black, the sky grey. Only by looking directly upwards can you catch sight of the sun. The Tigris moves sluggishly under a dun-coloured mist. If the people of Baghdad could pretend, a few days ago, that the war did not exist, yesterday they were living in its shadow.
WAR ON IRAK
Village Voice: The War After the War
espite the sanguine way George W. Bush and his chamberlains talk about a post-war Iraq, senior military officers are worried.
According to recent unpublicized U.S. Army War College studies being read with increasing interest by some Pentagon planners, "The possibility of the United States winning the war and losing the peace in Iraq is real and serious."
And that's especially true if occupation force soldiers are not retrained to be "something similar to a constabulary force" and imbued with the understanding that "force is often the last resort of the occupation soldier." The War College studies explore in detail a troubling paradox: While all experts agree that stabilizing post-Saddam Iraq would be a protracted endeavor, "the longer a U.S. occupation of Iraq continues," one of the studies notes, "the more danger exists that elements of the Iraqi population will become impatient and take violent measures to hasten the departure of U.S. forces."
One study broaches the subject of suicide attacks against U.S. soldiers. "The impact of suicide bombing attacks in Israel goes beyond their numbers," it says, "and this fact will also capture the imagination of would-be Iraqi terrorists."
Yet Bush and some of his top advisers have consistently preached that laying the foundation for post-blood-and-sand Iraq really won't be that much of a chore. In a recent speech to the American Enterprise Institute, Dubya's tone was upbeat as he rattled off a succinct post-Saddam checklist for the U.S. Army: Deliver medicine to ailing Iraqis, hand out emergency rations, destroy weapons, secure Iraq from those who would "spread chaos" internally, and mind the oil fields—but not for "a day more" than necessary.
Village Voice: The War After the War
espite the sanguine way George W. Bush and his chamberlains talk about a post-war Iraq, senior military officers are worried.
According to recent unpublicized U.S. Army War College studies being read with increasing interest by some Pentagon planners, "The possibility of the United States winning the war and losing the peace in Iraq is real and serious."
And that's especially true if occupation force soldiers are not retrained to be "something similar to a constabulary force" and imbued with the understanding that "force is often the last resort of the occupation soldier." The War College studies explore in detail a troubling paradox: While all experts agree that stabilizing post-Saddam Iraq would be a protracted endeavor, "the longer a U.S. occupation of Iraq continues," one of the studies notes, "the more danger exists that elements of the Iraqi population will become impatient and take violent measures to hasten the departure of U.S. forces."
One study broaches the subject of suicide attacks against U.S. soldiers. "The impact of suicide bombing attacks in Israel goes beyond their numbers," it says, "and this fact will also capture the imagination of would-be Iraqi terrorists."
Yet Bush and some of his top advisers have consistently preached that laying the foundation for post-blood-and-sand Iraq really won't be that much of a chore. In a recent speech to the American Enterprise Institute, Dubya's tone was upbeat as he rattled off a succinct post-Saddam checklist for the U.S. Army: Deliver medicine to ailing Iraqis, hand out emergency rations, destroy weapons, secure Iraq from those who would "spread chaos" internally, and mind the oil fields—but not for "a day more" than necessary.
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
NZZ: Palästina im Würgegriff von Israels Mauer
Mehr Sicherheit oder Kontrolle über Land und Wasser?
Bei der cisjordanischen Stadt Kalkilya werden zurzeit Schneisen für den Bau einer Mauer zur Abtrennung Israels vom Westjordanland geschlagen. Fast nirgends verlaufen sie auf der international anerkannten Grenze. Palästinenser sehen im Bau der Schutzmauer einen Versuch zur Erweiterung des israelischen Kernlandes.
Nur eine Strasse führt heute noch ohne Umwege von Jerusalem in den Norden des Westjordanlandes: die «Road Nr. One». Man nennt sie auch «Bye-Pass-Road», weil sie die palästinensischen Dörfer umgeht, oder aber «Settlers Road». Wie der Name es antönt, wurde die asphaltierte Schnellstrasse für die jüdischen Siedler gebaut; benutzen dürfen sie auch Ausländer und Palästinenser mit israelischem Pass, nicht jedoch solche aus Cisjordanien. Die Landschaft ist hügelig und karg, und beidseits der Strasse sind Ortschaften zu erkennen. Die einen sind palästinensische Dörfer; ihre Zufahrtswege hat die israelische Armee mit grossen Erdhaufen oder Betonblöcken versperrt. Dahinter warten nicht selten Taxis oder Esel, welche Palästinenser, die sich trotz dem Verbot auf der Siedlerstrasse hierher wagen, in ihre Ortschaften bringen. Auf die jüdischen Siedlungen machen grüne, hebräisch und englisch angeschriebene Strassenschilder aufmerksam.
Egal, in welche Richtung man von der Bye- Pass-Road aus schaut, immer liegen jüdische Siedlungen im Blickfeld. Sie stehen grundsätzlich auf den Hügelkuppen. Neben den festen, im Einheitsstil errichteten Siedlungen fallen die zahlreichen «Aussenposten» auf, in denen sich Pioniersiedler in Wohnwagen installiert haben. «Von dort oben kontrollieren sie die palästinensischen Gebiete und garantieren Israels Sicherheit bis zum Jordantal», sagt Jamal Jumaa mit Verbitterung in der Stimme. Jumaa ist der Koordinator der unabhängigen Organisation Apartheid Wall Campaign (AWC), die versucht, den im April 2002 von Israel beschlossenen Mauerbau zwischen dem israelischen Kernland und den Palästinensergebieten zu stoppen
NZZ: Palästina im Würgegriff von Israels Mauer
Mehr Sicherheit oder Kontrolle über Land und Wasser?
Bei der cisjordanischen Stadt Kalkilya werden zurzeit Schneisen für den Bau einer Mauer zur Abtrennung Israels vom Westjordanland geschlagen. Fast nirgends verlaufen sie auf der international anerkannten Grenze. Palästinenser sehen im Bau der Schutzmauer einen Versuch zur Erweiterung des israelischen Kernlandes.
Nur eine Strasse führt heute noch ohne Umwege von Jerusalem in den Norden des Westjordanlandes: die «Road Nr. One». Man nennt sie auch «Bye-Pass-Road», weil sie die palästinensischen Dörfer umgeht, oder aber «Settlers Road». Wie der Name es antönt, wurde die asphaltierte Schnellstrasse für die jüdischen Siedler gebaut; benutzen dürfen sie auch Ausländer und Palästinenser mit israelischem Pass, nicht jedoch solche aus Cisjordanien. Die Landschaft ist hügelig und karg, und beidseits der Strasse sind Ortschaften zu erkennen. Die einen sind palästinensische Dörfer; ihre Zufahrtswege hat die israelische Armee mit grossen Erdhaufen oder Betonblöcken versperrt. Dahinter warten nicht selten Taxis oder Esel, welche Palästinenser, die sich trotz dem Verbot auf der Siedlerstrasse hierher wagen, in ihre Ortschaften bringen. Auf die jüdischen Siedlungen machen grüne, hebräisch und englisch angeschriebene Strassenschilder aufmerksam.
Egal, in welche Richtung man von der Bye- Pass-Road aus schaut, immer liegen jüdische Siedlungen im Blickfeld. Sie stehen grundsätzlich auf den Hügelkuppen. Neben den festen, im Einheitsstil errichteten Siedlungen fallen die zahlreichen «Aussenposten» auf, in denen sich Pioniersiedler in Wohnwagen installiert haben. «Von dort oben kontrollieren sie die palästinensischen Gebiete und garantieren Israels Sicherheit bis zum Jordantal», sagt Jamal Jumaa mit Verbitterung in der Stimme. Jumaa ist der Koordinator der unabhängigen Organisation Apartheid Wall Campaign (AWC), die versucht, den im April 2002 von Israel beschlossenen Mauerbau zwischen dem israelischen Kernland und den Palästinensergebieten zu stoppen
WAR ON IRAK
NY Times: C.I.A. Aides Feel Pressure in Preparing Iraqi Reports
March 22 — The recent disclosure that reports claiming Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger were based partly on forged documents has renewed complaints among analysts at the C.I.A. about the way intelligence related to Iraq has been handled, several intelligence officials said.
Analysts at the agency said they had felt pressured to make their intelligence reports on Iraq conform to Bush administration policies.
For months, a few C.I.A. analysts have privately expressed concerns to colleagues and Congressional officials that they have faced pressure in writing intelligence reports to emphasize links between Saddam Hussein's government and Al Qaeda.
As the White House contended that links between Mr. Hussein and Al Qaeda justified military action against Iraq, these analysts complained that reports on Iraq have attracted unusually intense scrutiny from senior policy makers within the Bush administration.
"A lot of analysts have been upset about the way the Iraq-Al Qaeda case has been handled," said one intelligence official familiar with the debate.
NY Times: C.I.A. Aides Feel Pressure in Preparing Iraqi Reports
March 22 — The recent disclosure that reports claiming Iraq tried to buy uranium from Niger were based partly on forged documents has renewed complaints among analysts at the C.I.A. about the way intelligence related to Iraq has been handled, several intelligence officials said.
Analysts at the agency said they had felt pressured to make their intelligence reports on Iraq conform to Bush administration policies.
For months, a few C.I.A. analysts have privately expressed concerns to colleagues and Congressional officials that they have faced pressure in writing intelligence reports to emphasize links between Saddam Hussein's government and Al Qaeda.
As the White House contended that links between Mr. Hussein and Al Qaeda justified military action against Iraq, these analysts complained that reports on Iraq have attracted unusually intense scrutiny from senior policy makers within the Bush administration.
"A lot of analysts have been upset about the way the Iraq-Al Qaeda case has been handled," said one intelligence official familiar with the debate.
USA
Boston Globe: The World Pushes Back
Even if the US scores a quick victory in Iraq, the rest of the world won't fall in line behind America's new global agenda. Welcome to the era of ''soft balancing.''
By Robert A. Pape, 3/23/2003
OVER THE PAST six months, US diplomats have witnessed a profound change in the world's response to American power. They have seen not simply the reluctance of traditional allies to join the US war effort, but active efforts by many of the world's major powers to delay, frustrate, and undermine war plans and reduce the number of countries who would fight alongside the United States.
Such widespread opposition is unprecedented in our country's history. Most troublingly, it is only likely to increase in years ahead. America's decision to launch an unprovoked and essentially unilateral war against Iraq is encouraging other countries to form counterweights to US power. Today's conventional wisdom holds that France, Germany, Russia, China, and important regional states may be grumbling now, but they will quickly mend fences once the war ends with a decisive US victory. But the conventional wisdom is likely to be wrong.
International relations specialists speak of ''hard balancing'' when countries form military alliances to curb a strong nation. But America's rivals today, with no hope of matching our military power, are pursuing their interests by other means, and they will continue to do so. Unless the United States radically changes course, the use of international institutions, economic leverage, and diplomatic maneuvering to frustrate American intentions will only grow.
In the future, for example, Europeans may threaten our economy by paying for paying for oil in Euros rather than dollars, and they may threaten our security by permitting the construction of nuclear reactors in Iran and elsewhere. The era of ''soft balancing'' has begun......
Boston Globe: The World Pushes Back
Even if the US scores a quick victory in Iraq, the rest of the world won't fall in line behind America's new global agenda. Welcome to the era of ''soft balancing.''
By Robert A. Pape, 3/23/2003
OVER THE PAST six months, US diplomats have witnessed a profound change in the world's response to American power. They have seen not simply the reluctance of traditional allies to join the US war effort, but active efforts by many of the world's major powers to delay, frustrate, and undermine war plans and reduce the number of countries who would fight alongside the United States.
Such widespread opposition is unprecedented in our country's history. Most troublingly, it is only likely to increase in years ahead. America's decision to launch an unprovoked and essentially unilateral war against Iraq is encouraging other countries to form counterweights to US power. Today's conventional wisdom holds that France, Germany, Russia, China, and important regional states may be grumbling now, but they will quickly mend fences once the war ends with a decisive US victory. But the conventional wisdom is likely to be wrong.
International relations specialists speak of ''hard balancing'' when countries form military alliances to curb a strong nation. But America's rivals today, with no hope of matching our military power, are pursuing their interests by other means, and they will continue to do so. Unless the United States radically changes course, the use of international institutions, economic leverage, and diplomatic maneuvering to frustrate American intentions will only grow.
In the future, for example, Europeans may threaten our economy by paying for paying for oil in Euros rather than dollars, and they may threaten our security by permitting the construction of nuclear reactors in Iran and elsewhere. The era of ''soft balancing'' has begun......
AFGHANISTAN
Rense: US Afghan Losses Said Far Higher Than Admitted
Over 1200 Dead US Soldiers
Transported From Afghanistan
Since I first reported the loss of over 900 US soldiers in my report on 01/02/03, the US casualties have risen significantly. However, to the rest of the world this has not been any mystery, it is only so to the US public.
As many around the world suspected, US did not expose their losses in Afghanistan because they wanted to appear invincible as a military force. The US wanted to envisage their military might as a force that even the great guerrilla fighters from Afghanistan could not muster the skills needed to hinder their impeccable military machine. On the contrary, the truth is that the US military has lost many soldiers. On average, 5 American soldiers a day have been killed. This is not an impressive number because the Russians have lost more than dozen soldiers a day in Afghanistan, a number the Chechens also neared in their struggle against the Russian army. For those that do not know, American commandos are not superior to that of the Russian Spietnatz Forces, against whom I had the pleasure of fighting when I was 15.
"Ich kanns nicht lassen aber CNN hat mir erzählt in Afghanistan herrsche jetzt Frieden, die Frauen seien jetzt Gleichberechtigt und Afghanistan sei jetzt eine Demokratie. Es ist noch nicht mal Frühling und die Attacken gegen die US-Streitkräfte in Afghanistan nehmen täglich zu"
Rense: US Afghan Losses Said Far Higher Than Admitted
Over 1200 Dead US Soldiers
Transported From Afghanistan
Since I first reported the loss of over 900 US soldiers in my report on 01/02/03, the US casualties have risen significantly. However, to the rest of the world this has not been any mystery, it is only so to the US public.
As many around the world suspected, US did not expose their losses in Afghanistan because they wanted to appear invincible as a military force. The US wanted to envisage their military might as a force that even the great guerrilla fighters from Afghanistan could not muster the skills needed to hinder their impeccable military machine. On the contrary, the truth is that the US military has lost many soldiers. On average, 5 American soldiers a day have been killed. This is not an impressive number because the Russians have lost more than dozen soldiers a day in Afghanistan, a number the Chechens also neared in their struggle against the Russian army. For those that do not know, American commandos are not superior to that of the Russian Spietnatz Forces, against whom I had the pleasure of fighting when I was 15.
"Ich kanns nicht lassen aber CNN hat mir erzählt in Afghanistan herrsche jetzt Frieden, die Frauen seien jetzt Gleichberechtigt und Afghanistan sei jetzt eine Demokratie. Es ist noch nicht mal Frühling und die Attacken gegen die US-Streitkräfte in Afghanistan nehmen täglich zu"
WAR ON IRAK
Spacewar/AFP: Iranians take pot shots at US-British forces in Iraq
Coalition forces have come under fire from Iranian military units across the border from Iraq, British commandos said.
Iranian anti-aircraft gun emplacements and fixed machine-gun posts have opened fire sporadically at British Royal Marine commandos and low-flying US aircraft.
The 40 Commando marines were in the far southern town of Fao locked in a fire fight with Iraqi Baath party fighters just a few hundred metres (yards) from the border between the two countries, the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
A Royal Marines spokesman said: "We are content that the fire from Iran was inaccurate and ineffective, but none the less puzzling".
The first of several volleys, witnessed by a reporter from London's Daily Mirror, was directed at a US A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack jet which swooped low over the Iraqi town to 'buzz' a gun position.
Spacewar/AFP: Iran denies its units fired on coalition troops in Iraq
An Iranian official Monday strongly denied charges by British commandos that coalition troops in southern Iraq had come under fire from Iranian forces across the border.
Spacewar/AFP: Iranians take pot shots at US-British forces in Iraq
Coalition forces have come under fire from Iranian military units across the border from Iraq, British commandos said.
Iranian anti-aircraft gun emplacements and fixed machine-gun posts have opened fire sporadically at British Royal Marine commandos and low-flying US aircraft.
The 40 Commando marines were in the far southern town of Fao locked in a fire fight with Iraqi Baath party fighters just a few hundred metres (yards) from the border between the two countries, the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
A Royal Marines spokesman said: "We are content that the fire from Iran was inaccurate and ineffective, but none the less puzzling".
The first of several volleys, witnessed by a reporter from London's Daily Mirror, was directed at a US A-10 Thunderbolt ground attack jet which swooped low over the Iraqi town to 'buzz' a gun position.
Spacewar/AFP: Iran denies its units fired on coalition troops in Iraq
An Iranian official Monday strongly denied charges by British commandos that coalition troops in southern Iraq had come under fire from Iranian forces across the border.
WAR ON IRAK: PROPAGANDA WATCH
Toronto Star: Deconstructing Dick Cheney
In his brief televised address last Monday, George W. Bush offered no rationale for the U.S. attack on Iraq.
The U.S. president left that task to his vice-president, Dick Cheney, described last week by the Wall Street Journal as having "the highest credibility with Bush" among White House war advisers.
For months, Cheney has quietly disparaged the diplomatic manoeuvres on Iraq, counselling Bush to topple Saddam Hussein by force.
Last Sunday, the reclusive Cheney made his first talk-show appearance in seven months to offer perhaps the U.S. administration's fullest justification yet for war in Iraq.
Here are excerpts from Cheney's interview with Tim Russert on Meet The Press:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheney: "We have to address the question of where might these terrorists acquire weapons of mass destruction ... and Saddam Hussein becomes a prime suspect.... We know he has a long-standing relationship with various terrorist groups, including the Al Qaeda organization."
Even the most hawkish supporters of war on Iraq acknowledge that the Bush administration has continually failed to establish a substantive link between Saddam and Al Qaeda, which drew most of its funding and its Sept. 11 hijackers from Saudi Arabian sources and sought refuge in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan and Florida, but not Iraq.
There is no evidence Saddam, in his more than 20 years in power, shared his weapons with terrorists.
And International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors can find no evidence of a current Iraqi nuclear program.
Terrorists would most likely tap the huge and poorly guarded nuclear-weapons stockpile of Russia, or equip themselves with nuclear material that an impoverished North Korea, desperate for hard currency, is openly threatening to sell to all comers.
"CHECK IT"
Toronto Star: Deconstructing Dick Cheney
In his brief televised address last Monday, George W. Bush offered no rationale for the U.S. attack on Iraq.
The U.S. president left that task to his vice-president, Dick Cheney, described last week by the Wall Street Journal as having "the highest credibility with Bush" among White House war advisers.
For months, Cheney has quietly disparaged the diplomatic manoeuvres on Iraq, counselling Bush to topple Saddam Hussein by force.
Last Sunday, the reclusive Cheney made his first talk-show appearance in seven months to offer perhaps the U.S. administration's fullest justification yet for war in Iraq.
Here are excerpts from Cheney's interview with Tim Russert on Meet The Press:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheney: "We have to address the question of where might these terrorists acquire weapons of mass destruction ... and Saddam Hussein becomes a prime suspect.... We know he has a long-standing relationship with various terrorist groups, including the Al Qaeda organization."
Even the most hawkish supporters of war on Iraq acknowledge that the Bush administration has continually failed to establish a substantive link between Saddam and Al Qaeda, which drew most of its funding and its Sept. 11 hijackers from Saudi Arabian sources and sought refuge in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan and Florida, but not Iraq.
There is no evidence Saddam, in his more than 20 years in power, shared his weapons with terrorists.
And International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors can find no evidence of a current Iraqi nuclear program.
Terrorists would most likely tap the huge and poorly guarded nuclear-weapons stockpile of Russia, or equip themselves with nuclear material that an impoverished North Korea, desperate for hard currency, is openly threatening to sell to all comers.
"CHECK IT"
WAR ON IRAK: PROPAGANDA WATCH
Pravda: Pentagon totally unreliable as news source
The consistent lies by the Pentagon regarding the development of this illegal terrorist attack on the sovereign state of Iraq makes this the source of deception and denial, not news. Arab news sources like Al Jazeera are more credible as indeed is the Iraqi Information Ministry.
The Pentagon continues to insist at 18.36 MSK that there are no coalition aircraft missing, despite claims by the RAF that an aircraft has not reported back. It is not yet clear whether this aircraft was the one shot down by a US Patriot missile (a Tornado) or another one reported downed by anti-aircraft fire over Baghdad. In this incident, two US pilots are reported to have been captured by al Jazeera while Iraqi sources claimed that one US pilot has been captured and another is being searched for, a claim that it later denied.
The Pentagon started the weekend claiming that the entire Iraqi 51st Division had surrendered. Some hours later the reports quoted “massive numbers of soldiers surrendering”, then a more precise “8,000 soldiers from the Iraqi 51st Division” and finally on Sunday afternoon, Richard Myers, US Chief of Staff, admitted that only 400 Iraqi prisoners of war had been taken.
Pravda: Pentagon totally unreliable as news source
The consistent lies by the Pentagon regarding the development of this illegal terrorist attack on the sovereign state of Iraq makes this the source of deception and denial, not news. Arab news sources like Al Jazeera are more credible as indeed is the Iraqi Information Ministry.
The Pentagon continues to insist at 18.36 MSK that there are no coalition aircraft missing, despite claims by the RAF that an aircraft has not reported back. It is not yet clear whether this aircraft was the one shot down by a US Patriot missile (a Tornado) or another one reported downed by anti-aircraft fire over Baghdad. In this incident, two US pilots are reported to have been captured by al Jazeera while Iraqi sources claimed that one US pilot has been captured and another is being searched for, a claim that it later denied.
The Pentagon started the weekend claiming that the entire Iraqi 51st Division had surrendered. Some hours later the reports quoted “massive numbers of soldiers surrendering”, then a more precise “8,000 soldiers from the Iraqi 51st Division” and finally on Sunday afternoon, Richard Myers, US Chief of Staff, admitted that only 400 Iraqi prisoners of war had been taken.
WAR ON IRAK
Muslimwakeup: US Media Covers Up Reports on American POWs and Casualties
All major US news networks are refusing to air footage of captured and killed US troops. The US Defense Department had intially denied the capture or killing of US troops but later confirmed the reports after the Al Jazeera network aired Iraqi television interviews with Americans POWs as well as images of dead American soldiers near the Iraqi city of Al Nasiriyya.
We offer some of the images broadcast on Al Jazeera below. This is not done in the spirit of glorifying war, but as an attempt to expose the coverup under way by the US corporate media regarding the real impact of this war.
Guardian: America shaken by images of PoWs
The last time American prisoners of war were paraded on television - when the corpses of soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 - US public opinion quickly came to view the conflict as a disastrous debacle, and troops left soon afterwards. Yesterday's footage caused outrage among politicians and the public, and threw media organisations into a panic about how to deal with it.
The CBS television network was the only major broadcaster to show the tape, and it did so while Donald Rumsfeld, the US secretary of defence, was still in the studio.
Immediately afterwards, reportedly after being contacted by the Pentagon, the channel agreed to show it with the prisoners' faces blurred. Interviewed later on CNN, Mr Rumsfeld said: "Television networks that carry such pictures are, I would say, doing something that's unfortunate".
CNN itself did not show the video, choosing instead to carry repeatedly a single still photograph from the Arab-language news channel al-Jazeera, showing uniformed corpses lying on the floor, but without any identifying features. It warned viewers that the image was "disturbing".
Mr Rumsfeld said the Geneva convention "indicates that it's not permitted to photograph and embarrass or humiliate prisoners of war". The defence department has asked journalists not to show Iraqi prisoners identifiably either, but the faces of some Iraqis have been clearly visible in television footage.
"Die Amerikaner sind mal wieder so was von heuchlerisch. Gefangenen aus Afghanistan werden als "Enemy Combatants" in Guantanamo jegliche Rechte verweigert, einen Internationalen Strafgerichtshof wollen sie nicht aber wenn Al-Jazeera Amerikanische Kriegsgefangene zeigt wird rumgeheult und von Genfer Konvention gefaselt"
Muslimwakeup: US Media Covers Up Reports on American POWs and Casualties
All major US news networks are refusing to air footage of captured and killed US troops. The US Defense Department had intially denied the capture or killing of US troops but later confirmed the reports after the Al Jazeera network aired Iraqi television interviews with Americans POWs as well as images of dead American soldiers near the Iraqi city of Al Nasiriyya.
We offer some of the images broadcast on Al Jazeera below. This is not done in the spirit of glorifying war, but as an attempt to expose the coverup under way by the US corporate media regarding the real impact of this war.
Guardian: America shaken by images of PoWs
The last time American prisoners of war were paraded on television - when the corpses of soldiers were dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 - US public opinion quickly came to view the conflict as a disastrous debacle, and troops left soon afterwards. Yesterday's footage caused outrage among politicians and the public, and threw media organisations into a panic about how to deal with it.
The CBS television network was the only major broadcaster to show the tape, and it did so while Donald Rumsfeld, the US secretary of defence, was still in the studio.
Immediately afterwards, reportedly after being contacted by the Pentagon, the channel agreed to show it with the prisoners' faces blurred. Interviewed later on CNN, Mr Rumsfeld said: "Television networks that carry such pictures are, I would say, doing something that's unfortunate".
CNN itself did not show the video, choosing instead to carry repeatedly a single still photograph from the Arab-language news channel al-Jazeera, showing uniformed corpses lying on the floor, but without any identifying features. It warned viewers that the image was "disturbing".
Mr Rumsfeld said the Geneva convention "indicates that it's not permitted to photograph and embarrass or humiliate prisoners of war". The defence department has asked journalists not to show Iraqi prisoners identifiably either, but the faces of some Iraqis have been clearly visible in television footage.
"Die Amerikaner sind mal wieder so was von heuchlerisch. Gefangenen aus Afghanistan werden als "Enemy Combatants" in Guantanamo jegliche Rechte verweigert, einen Internationalen Strafgerichtshof wollen sie nicht aber wenn Al-Jazeera Amerikanische Kriegsgefangene zeigt wird rumgeheult und von Genfer Konvention gefaselt"
WAR ON IRAK
Spiegel: Israel nimmt am Irak-Krieg teil
Der irakische Außenminister Nadschi Sabri hat behauptet, Israel beteilige sich direkt am Krieg gegen den Irak. Zudem wies er Spekulationen zurück, Saddam Hussein könnte bei Luftangriffen verletzt oder getötet worden sein.
Kairo - In El Durra, einem Stadtteil von Bagdad, sei eine nicht explodierte israelische Rakete entdeckt worden, sagte der irakische Außenminister in einem Interview mit dem arabischen Fernsehsender al-Dschasira in Kairo. Sabri nimmt heute an einem Außenministertreffen der arabischen Liga teil. Im Golfkrieg von 1991 hatte der Irak mehrere Raketen auf Israel abgefeuert. Israel hatte darauf jedoch auf Wunsch der USA nicht mit militärischen Mitteln geantwortet.
Spiegel: Israel nimmt am Irak-Krieg teil
Der irakische Außenminister Nadschi Sabri hat behauptet, Israel beteilige sich direkt am Krieg gegen den Irak. Zudem wies er Spekulationen zurück, Saddam Hussein könnte bei Luftangriffen verletzt oder getötet worden sein.
Kairo - In El Durra, einem Stadtteil von Bagdad, sei eine nicht explodierte israelische Rakete entdeckt worden, sagte der irakische Außenminister in einem Interview mit dem arabischen Fernsehsender al-Dschasira in Kairo. Sabri nimmt heute an einem Außenministertreffen der arabischen Liga teil. Im Golfkrieg von 1991 hatte der Irak mehrere Raketen auf Israel abgefeuert. Israel hatte darauf jedoch auf Wunsch der USA nicht mit militärischen Mitteln geantwortet.
WAR ON IRAK: TERROR ATTACK ON NEW YORK CITY
Rense/www.godlikeproductions.com: Terror Alert For New York City Monday Or Tuesday?
From Brian E.
Something is going to happen in New York City TOMMORROW or TUESDAY 3-24-3
Jeff -
I have a friend who's wife is a spoiled rich girl who has never worked a day in her life. Apparently, her family is well-connected. Very well-connected. Someone in her family is a secret service agent in the president's entourage.
This agent was given notice to inform any friend or family living in or around New York City to "get out of the state". Something is going to happen Monday or Tuesday. Details:
It will involve a chemical or biological type weapon.
It will be set off underground central Manhattan, i.e., Times Square, Grand Central, Penn Station.
It will get into the air and water. Where it goes from there is anybody's guess. It will be very messy.
70,000 body bags are in Manhattan now. More are on the way. Over 100,1000 anticipated dead.
The city will be shut down.
This is what I was told. We believe (my friend and I) that whatever is going to happen will occur approximately 9:00 AM, under perfect blue skies, consistant with the pattern of other disasters, i.e., 9-11, Oklahoma City, space shuttle Challenger, Columbia etc etc.
According to the agent, the Bush administration feels that there is too much anti-war sentiment so "we" need another disaster event to blame on Iraq to rally public and international support for the war.
I understand that this is all heresay but it correlates with other details that I have either heard about or seen with my own eyes:
Increased police and military presence in and around New York City. Hazmat crews have been seen assembled near 42nd street & West Side Highway. Bomb scare "rehearsal" in grand Central Station on Feb 15th involving police & military. All trains and platforms were evacuated.
Increasing martial-law type police actions and brutality against peaceful demonstrators ever since Mayor Bloomberg took office. Mass arrests and round-ups.
A few weeks ago local civil defense personnel were advised to move away from New York City, by at least a 35-mile radius.
I hope that I am wrong, but I don't think so. Sorry, I didn't get word out sooner, but I only found this out last night (Saturday)
Brian
"Das ist mit ziemlich grosser sicherheit ein hoax"
Rense/www.godlikeproductions.com: Terror Alert For New York City Monday Or Tuesday?
From Brian E.
Something is going to happen in New York City TOMMORROW or TUESDAY 3-24-3
Jeff -
I have a friend who's wife is a spoiled rich girl who has never worked a day in her life. Apparently, her family is well-connected. Very well-connected. Someone in her family is a secret service agent in the president's entourage.
This agent was given notice to inform any friend or family living in or around New York City to "get out of the state". Something is going to happen Monday or Tuesday. Details:
It will involve a chemical or biological type weapon.
It will be set off underground central Manhattan, i.e., Times Square, Grand Central, Penn Station.
It will get into the air and water. Where it goes from there is anybody's guess. It will be very messy.
70,000 body bags are in Manhattan now. More are on the way. Over 100,1000 anticipated dead.
The city will be shut down.
This is what I was told. We believe (my friend and I) that whatever is going to happen will occur approximately 9:00 AM, under perfect blue skies, consistant with the pattern of other disasters, i.e., 9-11, Oklahoma City, space shuttle Challenger, Columbia etc etc.
According to the agent, the Bush administration feels that there is too much anti-war sentiment so "we" need another disaster event to blame on Iraq to rally public and international support for the war.
I understand that this is all heresay but it correlates with other details that I have either heard about or seen with my own eyes:
Increased police and military presence in and around New York City. Hazmat crews have been seen assembled near 42nd street & West Side Highway. Bomb scare "rehearsal" in grand Central Station on Feb 15th involving police & military. All trains and platforms were evacuated.
Increasing martial-law type police actions and brutality against peaceful demonstrators ever since Mayor Bloomberg took office. Mass arrests and round-ups.
A few weeks ago local civil defense personnel were advised to move away from New York City, by at least a 35-mile radius.
I hope that I am wrong, but I don't think so. Sorry, I didn't get word out sooner, but I only found this out last night (Saturday)
Brian
"Das ist mit ziemlich grosser sicherheit ein hoax"
WAR ON IRAK: WORLD WIDE PROTESTS
Independent: Zoe Pilger: Generation Apathy has woken up
Of all the carnage to come from a war in Iraq, one positive element has emerged. Young people of my generation are becoming more and more politicised. You can see it around you. It is now normal for me to overhear 14-year-olds discussing the pros and cons of military intervention, on the bus on the way home from school. Badges carrying anti-war slogans, such as "Not In My Name" are appearing on the lapels of school blazers and ties. It is common to turn on the television and see students under the age of 18 defying their teachers, waving banners and megaphones, and protesting in Parliament Square.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Bush, Blair blasted as war criminals at antiwar protests
- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were denounced as war criminals at a large rally in London's Hyde Park on Saturday, one of many protests held in cities worldwide.
War protesters also gathered in Indonesia, Japan, Greece, Bangladesh, New Zealand and other countries, as well as in numerous U.S. cities. Anti-American sentiment appeared to be rising in many parts of the world as U.S. and British troops pressed their assault on the regime of Saddam Hussein.
The Sunday Herald: Police hem in protesters
Ugly scenes as thousands take to the world's streets
Dozens of protesters hurled rocks and paint at police who used tear gas and dogs to stop them from reaching the US embassy in Oslo, Norway. Italian police also used tear gas to break up protesters who tossed paint at the British consulate in Venice and In France, McDonald's outlets were attacked in Strasbourg and Lyon. Forty thousand marched in both Bern, Switzerland, and Berlin, Germany.
TagesAnzeiger: Anti-Kriegsproteste weltweit
Millionen von Menschen haben am Wochenende gegen den Krieg in Irak protestiert.
Die Demonstrationen in Europa, Asien, den USA sowie im arabischen Raum verliefen meist friedlich. Vereinzelt gab es aber Zwischenfälle.
In Spanien gingen allein in Barcelona am Samstag eine halbe Million Menschen auf die Strasse. In der Hauptstadt Madrid verhinderte die Polizei einen Marsch von rund 250'000 Demonstranten zum Regierungspalast. Anschliessend lieferten sich die Beamte heftige Auseinandersetzungen mit rund 400 teils vermummten Jugendlichen. Dabei gab es 120 Verletzte, darunter 37 Polizisten.
Indymedia: MARCH 22 REPORTS
People around the world engaged in massive and peaceful marches today, demonstrating continued resistance to the invasion of Iraq.
Independent: Zoe Pilger: Generation Apathy has woken up
Of all the carnage to come from a war in Iraq, one positive element has emerged. Young people of my generation are becoming more and more politicised. You can see it around you. It is now normal for me to overhear 14-year-olds discussing the pros and cons of military intervention, on the bus on the way home from school. Badges carrying anti-war slogans, such as "Not In My Name" are appearing on the lapels of school blazers and ties. It is common to turn on the television and see students under the age of 18 defying their teachers, waving banners and megaphones, and protesting in Parliament Square.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Bush, Blair blasted as war criminals at antiwar protests
- President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were denounced as war criminals at a large rally in London's Hyde Park on Saturday, one of many protests held in cities worldwide.
War protesters also gathered in Indonesia, Japan, Greece, Bangladesh, New Zealand and other countries, as well as in numerous U.S. cities. Anti-American sentiment appeared to be rising in many parts of the world as U.S. and British troops pressed their assault on the regime of Saddam Hussein.
The Sunday Herald: Police hem in protesters
Ugly scenes as thousands take to the world's streets
Dozens of protesters hurled rocks and paint at police who used tear gas and dogs to stop them from reaching the US embassy in Oslo, Norway. Italian police also used tear gas to break up protesters who tossed paint at the British consulate in Venice and In France, McDonald's outlets were attacked in Strasbourg and Lyon. Forty thousand marched in both Bern, Switzerland, and Berlin, Germany.
TagesAnzeiger: Anti-Kriegsproteste weltweit
Millionen von Menschen haben am Wochenende gegen den Krieg in Irak protestiert.
Die Demonstrationen in Europa, Asien, den USA sowie im arabischen Raum verliefen meist friedlich. Vereinzelt gab es aber Zwischenfälle.
In Spanien gingen allein in Barcelona am Samstag eine halbe Million Menschen auf die Strasse. In der Hauptstadt Madrid verhinderte die Polizei einen Marsch von rund 250'000 Demonstranten zum Regierungspalast. Anschliessend lieferten sich die Beamte heftige Auseinandersetzungen mit rund 400 teils vermummten Jugendlichen. Dabei gab es 120 Verletzte, darunter 37 Polizisten.
Indymedia: MARCH 22 REPORTS
People around the world engaged in massive and peaceful marches today, demonstrating continued resistance to the invasion of Iraq.
WAR ON IRAK
Aeronautics.ru: ANALYSIS FROM 23.03.2003
March 23, 2003, 1200hrs MSK (GMT +3), Moscow - The situation in southern Iraq can be characterized as unstable and controversial. Heavy fighting is taking place in the Umm-Qasr-An-Nasiriya-Basra triangle. Satellite and signals intelligence show that both sides actively employ armored vehicles in highly mobile attacks and counterattacks. Additionally, fighting is continuing near the town of An-Najaf.
As of this morning the Iraqi defenses along the Basra - An-Nasiriya - An-Najaf line are holding.
Following the yesterday's Iraqi counter strike near An-Nasiriya the US command was forced to halt the advance of its troops toward An-Najaf and to redirect a portion of available tank forces to cover the flanks of the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division attacked by the Iraqis. By late evening yesterday constant air strikes and increasing strength of American tank attacks forced the Iraqis to withdraw their troops back to eastern parts of Nasiriya, across the Euphrates river, were they assumed defensive positions along the river bank.
During the last day of fighting the Iraqis lost up to 20 tanks, up to 2 artillery batteries, and around 100 troops.
Yesterday's US losses are estimated at 10 destroyed or disabled tanks, several armored personnel carriers and up to 15 troops killed in action......
Aeronautics.ru: ANALYSIS FROM 23.03.2003
March 23, 2003, 1200hrs MSK (GMT +3), Moscow - The situation in southern Iraq can be characterized as unstable and controversial. Heavy fighting is taking place in the Umm-Qasr-An-Nasiriya-Basra triangle. Satellite and signals intelligence show that both sides actively employ armored vehicles in highly mobile attacks and counterattacks. Additionally, fighting is continuing near the town of An-Najaf.
As of this morning the Iraqi defenses along the Basra - An-Nasiriya - An-Najaf line are holding.
Following the yesterday's Iraqi counter strike near An-Nasiriya the US command was forced to halt the advance of its troops toward An-Najaf and to redirect a portion of available tank forces to cover the flanks of the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division attacked by the Iraqis. By late evening yesterday constant air strikes and increasing strength of American tank attacks forced the Iraqis to withdraw their troops back to eastern parts of Nasiriya, across the Euphrates river, were they assumed defensive positions along the river bank.
During the last day of fighting the Iraqis lost up to 20 tanks, up to 2 artillery batteries, and around 100 troops.
Yesterday's US losses are estimated at 10 destroyed or disabled tanks, several armored personnel carriers and up to 15 troops killed in action......
WAR ON IRAK
Straitstimes: Going home
AS BAGHDAD crumbles under the weight of massive US-led air strikes and its residents flee for their lives, something odd is taking place hundreds of kilometres away in the capital of Jordan.
Iraqis who are already out of harm's way in Amman are returning home to be with their families and to fight the Americans.
Since the war broke out on Thursday, a stream of Iraqis in battered cars and creaky buses have been making the 700-km journey across the open desert to Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.
One of them is 25-year-old taxi driver Ahmed Qessy.
He said that on Wednesday, he pulled out the body of his Jordanian friend from under the rubble of a building in a town near Baghdad.
The friend was a taxi driver who was plying the lucrative route between Amman and Baghdad.
Mr Qessy buried his friend on Thursday and left a day later for Iraq with three other Iraqis in his yellow Samsung car.
Interviewed at the border crossing, he attacked the United States and Britain for killing his friend.
''I don't need chemical weapons,'' he said, seething with rage.
''I will kill the Americans with my hands. George Bush is killing innocent people and telling lies to the world.''
Straitstimes: Going home
AS BAGHDAD crumbles under the weight of massive US-led air strikes and its residents flee for their lives, something odd is taking place hundreds of kilometres away in the capital of Jordan.
Iraqis who are already out of harm's way in Amman are returning home to be with their families and to fight the Americans.
Since the war broke out on Thursday, a stream of Iraqis in battered cars and creaky buses have been making the 700-km journey across the open desert to Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.
One of them is 25-year-old taxi driver Ahmed Qessy.
He said that on Wednesday, he pulled out the body of his Jordanian friend from under the rubble of a building in a town near Baghdad.
The friend was a taxi driver who was plying the lucrative route between Amman and Baghdad.
Mr Qessy buried his friend on Thursday and left a day later for Iraq with three other Iraqis in his yellow Samsung car.
Interviewed at the border crossing, he attacked the United States and Britain for killing his friend.
''I don't need chemical weapons,'' he said, seething with rage.
''I will kill the Americans with my hands. George Bush is killing innocent people and telling lies to the world.''
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