Month: August 2009

Monday: 72 Iraqis Killed, 356 Wounded

Updated at 7:35 p.m. EDT, Aug. 10, 2009 About 72 Iraqis were killed and 356 more were wounded in a devastating day in Iraq. Once again, Ninewa province and Baghdad bore the brunt of the violence. No Coalition deaths were reported. Back in the U.S. though, the Spokane VA Center reported that they had underestimated the suicide rate among local vets. Also, an Iran exile group accused the Iraqi government of human rights violations and asked the Pentagaon to retake control of Camp Ashraf, where about 3,500 Iranian exiles reside.

An Antiwar Effort Only the Right Can Lead

"These are extraordinary times [in the UK]. Flag-wrapped coffins of 18-year-old soldiers killed in a failed, illegal, and vengeful invasion are paraded along a Wiltshire high street. Victory in Afghanistan is at hand, says the satirical Gordon Brown. On the BBC’s Newsnight, the heroic Afghan MP Malalai Joya, tries, in her limited English, to tell … Continue reading “An Antiwar Effort Only the Right Can Lead”

Lost in Military Limbo

[Note for TomDispatch readers: In Chalmers Johnson’s recent piece, “Three Good Reasons to Liquidate Our Empire,” the mission of the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) was mischaracterized. It has now been corrected at the piece.] It’s not exactly a secret that the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, fighting two wars seemingly without end, … Continue reading “Lost in Military Limbo”

Obamageddon

An American president is launching the most ambitious, the most expensive, and certainly the most dangerous military campaign since the Vietnam War – and the antiwar movement, such as it is, is missing in action. After a long and bloody campaign in Iraq and the election of a U.S. president pledged to get us out, … Continue reading “Obamageddon”

Sunday: 2 Foreign Contractors, 7 Iraqis Killed; 24 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 8:55 p.m. EDT, Aug. 9, 2009 A British contractor apparently killed two foreign contractors today in Baghdad’s Green Zone. At least seven Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded across the country, including one in the contractor incident. Meanwhile, a member of parliament’s defense committee said that only 10,000 U.S. troops would remain in Iraq by the middle of next year.

Iran Nuclear Capability After 2013, Says US Intelligence

Iran is unlikely to be able to produce enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) for a nuclear weapon until at least 2013, according to a U.S. government intelligence estimate made public Thursday. The estimate, which sets a notably later date for Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear capability than other claims that have recently been circulated in … Continue reading “Iran Nuclear Capability After 2013, Says US Intelligence”

Shi’a Unity Deal Explodes US Proxy-War Myth

The agreement announced Monday between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and a Shi’a resistance group called the "League of the Righteous" (Asa’ib al-Haq) formally ended the group’s armed opposition to the regime in return for the release of its leader and eight other Shi’a detainees. This deals a final blow to the U.S. military’s narrative … Continue reading “Shi’a Unity Deal Explodes US Proxy-War Myth”