Our goal is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused. If you find something here you want to blog about yourself (and we hope you do), all we ask is that you do as we do and offer a Hat Tip hyperlink to today's "Winds of War". Welcome!
TO IRAQ...
On the Battlefield
Armed Liberal's piece on risk and "Military Misperception" is very worthwhile.
POW Jessica Lynch of the 507th Maintenance Company has been rescued by American forces. A successful Delta Force operation based on intelligence from locals? Or troops in Nasariyah who came across her holding place in the middle of an operation?
Greatest Jeneration reminds us that we need to find a couple others too. ly, I don't hold out much hope after this discovery... but who knows?
Fierce fighting in Ad-Diwaniyah beyween Marines and Iraqi forces after what appears to have been a bait-and-draw operation.
This isn't on all maps, so for Ad-Diwaniyah, imagine a town of 25,000-100,000 about 25 miles E of Najaf. Hilliah and then Hindiyah lie to the NW, and Samawah sits to the SE about half way to Nasariyah.
British forces rescue 2 Kenyan truck drivers captured by the Iraqis, from their holding place in Al-Zubayr near Basra.
In case you needed reminding, war sucks. It's just that sometimes the alternative sucks more. UPDATE: If this is true, it's a good example of why "peace" can't be anything worthy of the name here.
As always, a good roundup at The Agonist's Morning Recap.
The battle for Basra is on in earnest, and Donald Sensing has some updates on "Operation James" (as in Bond). More from StrategyPage - and here's why I'm happy.
A great map of Basra, incl. British positions. (Hat Tip: Acepilots.com)
"...another told of how an Iraqi colonel driving a car with a briefcase full of cash refused to stop and was shot dead. "I didn't know what to do with the money so I gave it to the kids, bundles of the stuff," the Royal Marine said."
Major Sensing (ret.) also has a military primer or three on artillery. How it operates, and what people mean when they talk about different kinds of artillery rounds.
DefenseTech on the 10 kinds of aerial drones (UAVs) at work in Iraq.
Given reports of Iraqi preparations to use chemical weapons, see "Devils in the Details" at Techcentralstation.com. It's my analysis of Saddam's chemical and biological options on the battlefield, and an honest look at both allied weaknesses and potential responses.
Phil Carter has some thoughts to add on the coming battle for Baghdad.
Heretical Ideas has more on Iraq/al-Qaeda links.
Beyond the Battlefield
The Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops. Anyone got some links for Brits, Australians, Poles and Czechs?
Uzbekistan: this is a familiar script. I'm all for humouring some folks while we take care of business elsewhere, but we'd better have a Plan B once Iraq and Iran are dealt with. This policy helped create enough damn trouble in the Arab world; we don't need a repeat.
Every day, it's looking more and more likely that Steven den Beste was correct. The Germans sure are nervous. (Hat Tip: Inscrutable American)
The Russian view of the Iraq campaign. Explains how the Russians managed to take an opportunity to keep their oil contracts and become the supplier of choice for the new Iraqi army, and systematically throw it all away.
The Pentagon has apparently vetoed several State Dept. choices for key roles in a post-war Iraq. Let's hope that includes Barbara "al-Qaeda investigation blocker" Bodine. (Hat Tip: The Agonist)
Peter Arnett and Young Frankenstein: separated at birth?
AND BEYOND...
Anybody have any remaining doubts that North Korea is ruled by a certifiable lunatic? On the other hand, maybe he's just reading this.
The USA will give "extemely high priority" to halting the nuclear program in neighbouring Iran once the war ends in Iraq. Expect Iran to start shipping terrorists inot Iraq (above and beyond the Badr Brigades, which it already sent), in order to prolong the war. Many are likely to be Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists from Lebanon.
"Toxic Terror Tick-Tock" looks at the issue of terrorists with biochemical weapons: the past, our present, and possible futures.
I try to close on a more upbeat note if possible. This picture will do. The British armored vehicles identify the location as Basra. (Hat tip: War Photos) Captions may be suggested in the Comments:
Suggested comment:
"No one is going to steal OUR kitchen sink!"
Write the troops:
Australian troops
British troops
Damn. Beat me to it. I was gonna say: "All that, and the kitchen sink, too!"
"Wait mom, we almost forgot 'Sinkie' my pet sink"
"I wish Rumsfeld had bothered to revamp KP duties when he modeled the faster, lighter army!"
"We need this war like you need a sink in the desert."
re: the Uzbekistan link. As I posted there (shortly before being banned for life), I would tend to think that the current Uz. situation, while it's certainly not perfect, is a bit better than that decades of Soviet oppression, including forced language/name/cultural changes.
Given what went on under the Soviet regimes, it's hard to argue that one. "Evil Empire" was exactly right. That said, here we are in 2003. Uzbekistan may also be in an transition stage, and this may be something we need to jolly along for a while - but not forever. What Kos should acknowledge more is the important role Russia still plays there, and the ways this limits American freedom of action.
Still, the last thing we need is another f'ing Arab politics dynamic playing out in Central Asia.