02/22/2005

Iraqi Leaders Plan To Meet Insurgents In Jordan
[New York Times, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
The interim Iraqi government plans to meet soon with insurgent leaders in
Jordan to try and persuade them to take part in Iraq's political process.

Hazards On Trail For Sunni Politicians
Party Feeling Harassed by Iraqi Rebels, U.S.
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
Sunni Muslims who agree to take part in Iraq's national elections in
January, defying a boycott demanded by leading Sunni groups, will be running
a dangerous gauntlet. Insurgents have promised to kill not only voters at
the polls, but candidates as well. U.S. forces, on the other hand, figure
most Sunnis are working with the insurgents and have arrested some key Sunni
figures.

U.S. Aims To Secure Sunni Areas For Iraqi Elections
With Two Months to Go, Pace of Rebuilding Lags, Threat of a Boycott Looms
[Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
Successful elections in Iraq depend on the ability of the U.S. and its
allies to accomplish a tough task---securing and even starting to rebuild a
string of battered cities and town in the Sunni center. The slow pace of
earlier efforts indicates how hard that job might be.

Al Qaeda Aim: Renew Afghan Fight
U.S. general says group weaker but 'still viable'
[USA Today, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
Maj. Gen. Rick Olson, second in command of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said
al Qaeda has issued a call for recruits to come to Afghanistan to reverse
that country's momentum toward democracy and halt an increasing number of
military victories by the U.S.-led coalition.

Repeat Tours Of Combat-Zone Duty Put Strains On Families, Pentagon
[Boston Globe, November 26, 2004]
The extent to which Afghanistan and Iraq have forced U.S. troops to take on
report tours of duty in those countries places huge strains on soldiers and
their families, and threatens the Pentagon's ability to retain veteran
military personnel in the future.

Iranians Refuse To Terminate Nuclear Plans
[New York Times, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
Iran refused to abandon plans to operate uranium enrichment equipment that
can be used for either energy purposes or to produce weapons-grade material.
The refusal threatens to scuttle a deal struck with France, Britain and
Germany 10 days ago.

IRAQ

Top Zarqawi Aide Captured In Iraq
Huge Weapons Cache Found in Fallujah
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 17]
One of Abu Musab Zarqawi's lieutenant was captured and U.S. forces uncovered
the largest weapons cache found yet---ranging from grenades to parts of
missile batteries---in the former terrorist stronghold of Fallujah.

Weapons Cache Biggest Yet
U.S. troops find arms at mosque in Fallujah
[Washington Times, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
U.S. troops found the largest weapons cache to date in Fallujah. The cache
was discovered in a mosque, where a fugitive rebel leader used to preach.

Find Iraq Terror Lab, Thug
[New York Daily News, November 26, 2004]
U.S. troops securing Fallujah found a weapons lab with manuals on how to
produce anthrax, and in Mosul, busted a key aide to terror thug Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi.

In Pockets Of Fallujah, U.S. Troops Still Face Harsh Battles
In Fallujah, just four insurgents tied down a Marine company for hours in a
nighttime battle.
[Christian Science Monitor, November 26, 2004]
Four insurgents, heavily outmanned and outgunned, managed to keep a company
of U.S. Marines engaged in a fierce battle for hours, inflicting casualties
in hand-to-hand combat and presenting a hard message for American forces
hunting for an ephemeral and patient enemy that embraces martyrdom.

Flatten Insurgents In One Place, And They Pop Up Elsewhere
Because enemy is decentralized, no single battle will eliminate it
[USA Today, November 26, 2004, Pg. 8]
Iraq's insurgents continue to fight back against U.S. forces. Fallujah
appears to have been a start, rather than a finale, in the battle to crush
terrorists and insurgents who threaten to derail pending elections.

Mission Accomplished For Black Watch
[London Daily Telegraph, November 26, 2004]
British forces raided a suspected insurgent stronghold in an area southwest
of Baghdad. The area, known as "Millionaires Row" because of its large
houses and palm groves, was described as a "hornets' nest" of foreign
fighters and Saddam Hussein loyalists.

Iraqi Official Promises Falloujans Compensation
[Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2004]
Iraqi Industry Minister Hachim Hassani said the government will compensate
the people for Fallujah for damages done during the recent assault to rid
the city of insurgents.

3-D Maps From Commercial Satellites Guide GIs in Iraq's Deadliest Urban
Mazes
[New York Times, November 26, 2004]
The Army has been using a new tool before entering hostile areas like Mosul
and Fallujah. The Urban Tactical Planner combines advanced computer software
with high-resolution imagery that is beamed to earth by a new generation of
commercial satellites. The pictures show buildings and spots where troops
could assemble with some protection from sniper fire.

Transplanted Traditions For Troops In Iraq
Turkey Trot and Holiday Feast Offer Respite at a Base Warned by Thoughts of
Home
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 26]
Soldiers from the Army's 1st Infantry Division in Iraq took time out from
their duties to enjoy a Thanksgiving Day meal.

Soldiers Dodge Car Bomb To Deliver Dinner
For troops in small cars in Iraq, meals boost morale
[USA Today, November 26, 2004, Pg. 4]
Army Sgt. Edmund Savedra, tagged with the job of delivering a turkey dinner
to dozens of GIs near Mosul, didn't let an improvised explosive device blast
keep him from getting the job done.

U.S. Marines Tough It Out On Thanksgiving Day
At a time when a comrade is killed and 12 others hurt, few troops at base
express frustration or sadness at being far from home.
[Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2004]
U.S. Marines took time out to have Thanksgiving dinner, but nothing could
eliminate the realities of Iraq. The Marines expressed little frustration or
sadness, saying instead that they believe anything they can do to help the
Iraqi people is worth the effort.

In Fallujah, Troops Give Thanks For Break
A Marine unit gets a Thanksgiving Day dinner, after weeks of combat. Around
the world, U.S. forces celebrated the holiday.
[Philadelphia Inquirer, November 26, 2004]
U.S. forces still under fire in Iraq managed to grab a hot meal for
Thanksgiving while remembering fallen comrades and offering thanks for the
safety of family and friends who are stateside.

American Envoy Killed In Baghdad
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
American diplomat Jim Mollen was killed in an attack near the heavily
fortified Green Zone in Baghdad.

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Rapid Acquisition Cell Focuses On IEDs, Linguists
[Defense Daily, November 29, 2004, Pg. 4]
A new rapid acquisition team at the Pentagon is working to find and secure
solutions to the problem of improvised explosive devices used by insurgents
in Iraq. The unit is also looking to funnel trained Arab speakers to the
Middle East.

Rumsfeld Support Scouts Meeting On Military Bases
Sends endorsement letter to House speaker
[Washington Times, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
Secretary Rumsfeld supports a House resolution that promises continued
military support for the Boy Scouts of America.

ARMY

FBI Interview Halliburton Whistleblower
Army officer aids in contract probe
[Boston Globe, November 26, 2004]
Bunnatine Greenhouse, the Corps of Engineers whistleblower who raised
concerns about how the Pentagon handed out business to Halliburton, has been
questioned by the FBI and is gathering documents to help the investigation.

U.S. Deserter Jenkins To Be Freed This Week
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 27]
Charles Robert Jenkins, the Army turncoat who has been in North Korea since
1965, will be released from a U.S. naval base in Yokusuka, Japan, this
Saturday.

General Who Led Prisons Is Reassigned
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 15]
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller, who ran the prison for terrorist suspects at
Guantanamo Bay and later took over the military prison system in Iraq, has
been reassigned to a senior staff job at the Pentagon.

MARINE CORPS

Marines Offered Reenlistment Bonuses
Personnel with combat experience and training can get up to $30,000. The
goal is for them to keep current jobs or shift to other vital posts.
[Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2004]
The Marines are offering reenlistment bonuses of up to $30,000---in some
cases tax free---to persuade enlisted personnel with combat experience and
training to re-up.

Some Payback For Wounded Marines
Md. Country Club Joins Forces With Corps in Display of Gratitude
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
The Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md., provided seven recuperating
Marines and their families to a Thanksgiving Day luncheon.

NAVY

Navy Keeps A Secret In Plain Sight
Hush-Hush Project Underway by Potomac
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. B1]
The Navy is conducting a classified operation at a new complex of buildings
at East Potomac Park, near the Jefferson Memorial.

NATIONAL GUARD/RESERVE

Guardsmen Say They're Facing Iraq Ill-Trained
Troops from California describe a prison-liked, demoralized camp in New
Mexico that's short on gear and setting them up for high casualties.
[Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2004, Pg. 1]
Members of a California Army National Guard battalion preparing for
deployment to Iraq gripe that they are under strict lockdown and are being
treated like prisoners at the remote New Mexico camp where they are
training.

WHITE HOUSE

Bush Spends Thanksgiving At His Ranch
He calls service members for holiday from Texas
[Baltimore Sun, November 26, 2004]
President Bush spent a down-to-earth Thanksgiving at his Texas ranch. He
called members of the military stationed around the world, most of them
deployed to Iraq.

CONGRESS

Congress Seeks To Curb International Court
Measure Would Threaten Overseas Aid Cuts to Push Immunity for U.S. Troops
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 2]
Congress has stepped-up an effort to curtail the power of the International
Criminal Court, threatening to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in
economic aid to governments that refuse to sign immunity accords shielding
U.S. personnel from being surrendered to the tribunal.

AFGHANISTAN

Top General Thanks Troops In Afghanistan
[USA Today, November 26, 2004, Pg. 4]
Gen. John Abizaid dished out Thanksgiving dinner to U.S. troops in Kandahar.
He thanked the soldiers for the service and noted their successes across
Afghanistan.

Blast Kills 2 Soldiers, Injures 1 On Patrol In Afghanistan
[Chicago Tribune, November 25, 2004]
A bomb exploded near a U.S. patrol in southern Afghanistan, killing two U.S.
soldiers and wounding another.

EUROPE

Denmark Extends Troops' Iraq Service
[International Herald Tribune, November 26, 2004]
Denmark lawmakers approved extending the mission of Danish soldiers in Iraq
by six months. They also agreed to triple the Danish military contingent in
Afghanistan.

NATO

U.S. Troops Mark End Of Mission In Bosnia
[Washington Post, November 25, 2004, Pg. 19]
U.S. troops ended a nine-year peacekeeping role in Bosnia as NATO prepared
to turn over the task to the European Union in December. A small number of
U.S. personnel will remain in Bosnia to hunt war crime suspects and help
reform the country's military.

TERRORISM

113 Militants Renounce Extremism, Go Free
[Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2004]
Yemeni authorities freed 113 militants loyal to al Qaeda---including at
least five cleared of charges that they were involved in the bombing of the
USS Cole---after they pledged not to engage in terrorist activities or
criminal activities.

From Bin Laden, Different Style, Same Message
In Latest Tape, Al Qaeda Leader Dropped Koranic Verses in Favor of Direct
Appeal to U.S. Public
[Washington Post, November 25, 2004, Pg. 20]
The latest videotape shows Osama bin Laden expressing disbelief that
Americans don't understand why he is at war with the U.S.

OPINION

War's Homefront Comes To Life Where It Belongs
Daniel Henninger
[Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2004, Pg. 8]
DoD has created a space on its Web site called "America Supports You." It
collects in one place a partial listing of groups that have sprung to life
across the country to help our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Lessons Of Arabia
Thomas E. Ricks
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 39]
The tactics employed by T.E. Lawrence and his Arab tribesmen during World
War I are strikingly similar to how Iraq's insurgents attack U.S. troops
today. Lawrence wasn't interested in direct confrontation with the Turkish
military. He preferred to chip away at Turkish supply convoys and their
means of conveyance.

A Fight For Shiites
Charles Krauthammer
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 39]
It is absurd to worry about a civil war erupting in Iraq---that's what
happening now. Unfortunately, only one side is fighting that war. The other
side, Shiites and Kurds, are standing aside to let the U.S. handle their
part in the war. We must make it clear that we will be there to support the
new government. But it must also be understood that we are not there lead
the fight indefinitely. It is Iraq's civil war.

Engage Iran
David Ignatius
[Washington Post, November 26, 2004, Pg. 39]
Iran poses a nuclear threat. The Bush administration, after going to war in
Iraq with questionable reasons, must take care to get it right before doing
anything to force Iran's hand. We need to engage Iran
diplomatically---leaving that chore to the Europeans and military threats to
the U.S. would repeat the Iraq mistake. If all diplomatic efforts fail, then
would be the time to contemplate grimmer options.

Afghan's Drug War
U.S. plans to assail several fronts
John P. Walters
[Washington Times, November 26, 2004, Pg. 27]
Afghanistan is changing. Democracy is taking hold, but there remains a
serious threat to Afghanistan's future. Illegal drugs and a booming
narcotics trade threaten to put the country at the beck and call of
criminals. It is up to the U.S. to help Afghanis rid themselves of the drug
scourge, just as we are doing in Colombia.

EDITORIAL

Bashing The Boy Scouts
[Wall Street Journal, November 26, 2004, Pg. 8]
Leave it to history to explain how the once-great ACLU came to consider the
Boy Scouts as public enemy number one. The latest tempest is the ACLU's
objection to U.S. military bases delivering institutional support to the
Scouts. The ACLU complains that this is religious discrimination because the
Boy Scouts profess a belief in God. This ACLU offensive says more about the
downgraded status of the civil liberties group than it does about the Boy
Scouts.

Still Worlds Apart On Iraq
[New York Times, November 26, 2004]
The international conference held last week in Egypt did little to change
the overall dismal equation regarding Iraq. The participants endorsed Iraq's
upcoming elections, condemned terrorism, endorsed Iraq's territorial
integrity, then flew back home without committing themselves to anything
that might make a difference.

A Plan For Afghanistan
[Washington Times, November 26, 2004, Pg. 26]
The U.S. will spend $780 million to help rid Afghanistan of opium
production. That plan would target a $2.8 billion industry. Unfortunately,
Afghanistan does not have a national economy that can provide employment
opportunities. Eliminating opium production will fall on deaf ears of poor
Afghanis who have no other way to eke out a living.