28 February 2010 | Uncategorized | William Fisher
Legal headaches are growing exponentially for the security firm formerly known as Blackwater – once the darling of the military-industrial community. In separate developments, two former employees of the company charged that the security firm committed "systematic fraud" under its contracts with the U.S. State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan; the Iraqi government announced it [...]
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28 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Peter Casey
On Feb. 19, New York Times reporters David Sanger and William Broad filed a story about the International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report [.pdf] on its inspection and monitoring work in Iran. The lead of story, "Inspectors Say Iran Worked on Warhead," announced the Feb. 18 report’s shocking discovery: "The United Nations‘ nuclear inspectors declared [...]
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28 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Justin Raimondo
That 56 percent of all Americans "think the federal government’s become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens" isn’t really all that surprising. After all, ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the government’s "right" to read our e-mails, seize our property, hold us as [...]
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28 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Gareth Porter
The refusal of Pakistani intelligence to turn over Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and as many as six other top Taliban figures to the United States or the Afghan government has dealt a serious blow to the Barack Obama administration’s hopes for Pakistani cooperation in weakening the Taliban. It has left little doubt in [...]
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28 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Frida Berrigan
Operation New Dawn. That is the name the U.S. military will give its operations in Iraq when U.S. military operations in that country end this September. Wait, what? Okay, once more, a little more slowly. The United States has nearly 100,000 military personnel in Iraq right now. In keeping with the January 2009 Security Agreement [...]
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28 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Margaret Griffis
Updated at 11:53 p.m. EST, Feb. 28, 2010
At least eight Iraqis were killed and 18 more were wounded in central and northern Iraq. Thousands of Christians and supporters spent the day protesting attacks against the minority group. Meanwhile, P.M. Maliki came out in support of an election blacklist while distancing from its creators. Also, there may be many more pre-election deaths occurring in Iraq than are being reported.
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27 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Margaret Griffis
Light violence left at least one dead and eight wounded across Iraq.
In one case the number of wounded is unknown, but at least three casualties
were counted. U.S. forces also accidentally killed a tribal leader’s son. Meanwhile,
voters are heavily divided
ahead of the elections, but some Iraqis can still find humor
in the colorful campaigns styles of some candidates. Also, the Accountability and Justice Commission will
release
evidence they used to bar candidates.
In Arbil, gunmen attacked election campaign offices, beating up several guards and an employee.
The political contests are particularly heated in Iraqi Kurdistan, but detailed
reports of casualties have been hard to come by. Ten arrest warrants were issued.
At least one of the injured is a political
activist.
U.S. forces killed a tribal
chief’s son and wounded his wife in Kanaan. Villagers were
responding to unknown intruders in the night, and the troops fired back.
In Baghdad, an I.E.D. wounded four people.
Gunmen targeted the home of a political candidate in Qaim,
but they left no
casualties.
Four suspects were arrested over involvement in
recent bombings across Anbar province. Police will employ strict security measures
ahead of the election.
Karbala police will deploy 1,000 policewomen
along with another 15,000 male security personnel during an operation to protect
polling centers.
Iraqi families struggle
with the high rents and small supply of adequate housing.
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26 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Ray McGovern
Ray McGovern on one of the US’s thugs
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26 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Margaret Griffis
Updated at 6:49 p.m. EST, Feb. 26, 2010
At least four Iraqis were killed and 48 more were wounded in prayer day violence. It appears that reporters have returned to Mosul after a brief hiatus. Regular reports of attacks have resumed, perhaps in response to a surge in attacks against Christians. In nearby Suleimaniyah, however, reports are having a difficult time leaking out. Also, three mass graves holding hundreds of children killed during the Saddam era were discovered in Kirkuk.
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25 February 2010 | Uncategorized | Justin Raimondo
Justin Raimondo on the Rep’s ‘libertarian’ enemies
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