Militants staged successful attacks deep into the Shi’ite south today and at a Shi’ite religious university in Baghdad. The army also pounded locations in Anbar province. At least 79 people were killed and 112 more were wounded.
At least 69 people were killed in ongoing violence. About half of them were militants. Another 73 civilians and security personnel were wounded. There were at least three attacks on political candidates today, and another attack on campaigners. Elections are at the end of the month.
I just heard the news: the United States has changed its mind about Jens Stoltenberg, the new head of NATO. The U.S. Congress has passed a resolution blocking his appointment. Apparently, during his youth, Stoltenberg threw stones at the US embassy in Oslo. As such, he constitutes a threat to American national security, and Congress …
Continue reading “It’s Our Party”
Militants attempted to take over a village in Diyala province but, so far, have failed to do so. This would be the second location in Diyala to suffer a prolonged siege against it at the hands of DAASH/ISIS militants. Baghdad is bookended by Diyala and Anbar provinces, so the fall of Diyala province would be a great coup for militants working their way toward the capital. At least 35 people were killed, almost all of them militants, and 53 more were wounded today.
The war is on – no, not that war, this war: I’m talking about the GOP establishment’s war on Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, whose presidential campaign has taken wing and soared. And it isn’t just the Karl Roves and Peter Kings of this world who are up in arms over the prospect of an anti-interventionist …
Continue reading “The Establishment’s War on Rand Paul”
Originally posted at TomDispatch. After an argument about a leave denied, Specialist Ivan Lopez pulled out a .45-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun and began a shooting spree at Fort Hood, America’s biggest stateside base, that left three soldiers dead and 16 wounded. When he did so, he also pulled America’s fading wars out of the …
Continue reading “How America’s Wars Came Home With the Troops”
When Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Empire an “evil empire,” the phrase reflected his conviction that while the East-West struggle was indeed a global geostrategic conflict, it had a deep moral dimension. If Americans did not see the Cold War as he did, a battle between good and evil, Reagan knew that they would indefinitely …
Continue reading “NED’s Chickens Come Home to Roost”
At least 106 were killed today in Iraq, and another 73 people were wounded. Over half the fatalities were militants, but security forces and civilians were also harmed.
April 19 is the 21st anniversary of the holocaust which ended the 51-day standoff between followers of the Branch Davidians and federal authorities in Waco, Texas. Though it calmed down before any violence took place, all last week the news cycle was consumed with talk of a comparable, potentially bloody confrontation between supporters of lawbreaking …
Continue reading “Bundy Ranch and the New Age of Anti-Fed Standoffs”
At least 104 people were killed today. Many of them were militants, but a large number of security forces and civilians were among the casualties. At least 95 people were wounded. The most significant attack was on a government compound housing the Anbar governor’s office and provincial council building.
