http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/iraq/ en-us Sun, 5 Jul 2009 21:56:06 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286128/posts Capt. Dorothy Watkins and Spc. Joshua Watkins, both of Hazleton, Pa., are deployed to Camp Taji, a base camp north of Baghdad, with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard. Photo by Jon Soles, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. TAJI — One Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier has two ways he can address Capt. Dorothy Watkins. He can call her ma'am or he can call her mom. Spc. Joshua Watkins and his mother, Capt. Watkins, are both serving here with the 56th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. The mother and son from Hazleton, Pa., are... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286128/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 21:56:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286123/posts Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher (right) and Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher share some laughs with U.S. servicemembers during a National Football League coaches USO tour of Iraq, at Al Faw Palace, Baghdad, July 2. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Edwin L. Wriston, Joint Combat Camera Center – Iraq. KIRKUK — It was a long line for Soldiers and Airmen, but awaiting them at the end were legendary NFL coaches ready to sign photos, shirts or anything else you could scribble a signature on. The coaches, who included New York Giants’ Coach Tom Coughlin, Baltimore Ravens’... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286123/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 21:52:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286064/posts Vice President Joseph Biden told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview taped in Iraq on Saturday for "This Week" that the United States does not intend to slow its withdrawal plan in Iraq even if violence spikes after U.S. troops leave. Asked what happens "if the violence flares up again," the vice president replied, Well, that's going to be a tragic outcome for the Iraqi people. We made a commitment." Stephanopoulos then asked, "are we going to put our lives on the line again," if violence flares back up in Iraq, and Biden flatly said "no." Politico http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286064/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 19:48:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285926/posts U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the Obama administration would not stand in Israel's way should the latter chooses to take military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat. Israel has the right to determine its own course of action with regard to the Iranian nuclear threat regardless of what the Obama administration chooses to do, Biden told ABC reporter George Stephanopoulos. When asked whether the Obama administration would restrain Israeli military action against Iran, Biden responded: "Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their interest and what they decide to do... Haaretz http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285926/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 14:42:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285533/posts The man who said the surge wouldn't work and thought we should partition Iraq, not to mention criticized Petraeus, has a few words for Saddam (Who had no WMD as he always remimded us) hotairpundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285533/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:53:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285767/posts The head of Mossad, Israel’s overseas intelligence service, has assured Benjamin Netanyahu, its prime minister, that Saudi Arabia would turn a blind eye to Israeli jets flying over the kingdom during any future raid on Iran’s nuclear sites. Earlier this year Meir Dagan, Mossad’s director since 2002, held secret talks with Saudi officials to discuss the possibility. The Israeli press has already carried unconfirmed reports that high-ranking officials, including Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister, held meetings with Saudi colleagues. The reports were denied by Saudi officials. “The Saudis have tacitly agreed to the Israeli air force flying through their... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285767/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 05:01:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285645/posts The soldiers expressed their gratitude over and over to the NFL coaches who made the trip to Iraq. "They kept thanking us," said the Tennessee Titans' Jeff Fisher. "We kept thanking them." Fisher, the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin, the Baltimore Ravens' John Harbaugh, former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden are taking part in the first NFL-USO coaches tour over the Fourth of July weekend. A world they knew only through the distant glimpses of news reports turned very real for the coaches as they met with hundreds of soldiers in three... Southern Ledger, USO, various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285645/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 22:16:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285619/posts KEYSER, W.Va. – More than two years since leaving her prison cell, the woman who became the grinning face of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal spends most of her days confined to the four walls of her home. Former Army reservist Lynndie England hasn't landed a job in numerous tries: When one restaurant manager considered hiring her, other employees threatened to quit. AP via Yahoo! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285619/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:17:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285537/posts The video is an abridged history of war in the 20th century, told through the use of food. The key to the battles represented and the foods used to represent each nation is found below. 1. The World 2. WWII – Holocaust/French surrender/London Bombing/Pearl Harbor/Battle of Midway/D-day /fall of Berlin /Hiroshima 3. Arab-Israeli War – Brits leave Israel/Israel expands territory 4. Korean War – China and Russia back the North/The US back the South 5. Cuban Missile Crisis 6. Viet Nam – China and Russia back the North/The US back the South 7. Cold War/Arms race 8. Intifada 9. Gulf... The Constitutional Alamo http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2285537/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:55:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285519/posts Link only due to copyright. Our Foreign Policy Expert Veep dictates policy to the Iraqis. Bloomberg http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285519/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:34:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285509/posts An Iraqi city worker prepares to unload new trash containers to be distributed to local citizens of Basrah, July 1. Approximately 12,000 trash containers were delivered that day, with a total of 350,000 to be delivered in the near future. Photo by Sgt. Rodney Foliente, 4th Infantry Division. BASRAH — U.S. Soldiers and members of the Basrah Provincial Reconstruction Team joined Governor Sheltag Aboud al-Mayah here as he distributed the first trash can to a city family, July 1. The 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, coordinated with the local government to provide trash cans to residents here as... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285509/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:21:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285505/posts KIRKUK — "If terrorists knew this explosion would have unified Arabs, Turks, and Christians, they wouldn't have done it," said Mayor Talib of Taza, referring to a truck bomb attack here in June. "It has united us!" Representatives from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and Kirkuk's Provincial Reconstruction Team traveled to Taza, June 27, to assist in the recovery. Capt. Nathan Jennings, a company commander with 2nd BCT, met with Talib. According to Jennings, the purpose of the visit was to assess the security situation in the city, deliver much needed water, and examine a tent city... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285505/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:17:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285504/posts A hilltop view of the ancient city of Babylon, where King Nebuchadnezzar II, whose life spanned 630-562 B.C., built his hanging gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Photo by Maj. Mike Feeney, 172nd Infantry Brigade. HILLAH — Soldiers of the 172nd Infantry Brigade are enabling documentarians, historians and preservationists as they work to ensure ancient Iraqi history is preserved and documented in Babil province. The Soldiers provide these experts transportation and security as they conduct site surveys of Babylon, an ancient city near the modern city of HillahThe Babil Provincial Reconstruction Team hosted the World Monuments Fund... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285504/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 17:13:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285269/posts Reporting from Baghdad -- Vice President Joe Biden's mission to promote national reconciliation in Iraq was rebuffed Friday by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who told him that the issue was a domestic Iraqi affair and that U.S involvement wouldn't be welcome. Biden was beginning a two-day visit to Iraq after President Obama appointed him this week as his special representative on dealings with the Persian Gulf nation. His assignment, the White House said, is to work with Iraqis "toward overcoming their political differences and achieving the type of reconciliation that we all understand has yet to fully take place." But... LA TImes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285269/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 04:38:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285232/posts Biden Warns Iraq Leaders Of Return to Ethnic Fights By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG Published: July 3, 2009 BAGHDAD — Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. told Iraqi leaders on Friday that he and President Obama were committed to helping them resolve their political differences, but he warned that the United States would be unlikely to remain engaged in Iraq if the country reverted to sectarian violence, American officials said. Mr. Biden spent the day in closed-door meetings to assess Iraq’s political and security situation as part of his new role as an unofficial envoy for the Obama administration. He emerged... NYTimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285232/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 02:32:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285203/posts AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — When Gunnery Sgt. Amber Beegle received orders to deploy to Iraq, she had no idea she would be working just a few miles away from her younger brother, Sgt. James Ihle, an aviation ordnance system technician with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26. “My brother informed me that he was also going to Iraq about two months before we left,” said Beegle. “I was really happy since he just finished his re-enlistment package, and I knew he wanted to deploy.” What the Ocala, Fla., natives couldn’t have predicted, however, was a surprise meeting at Marine... Marine Corps News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285203/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 01:13:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285141/posts Ms. Nisreen Abdul Raoof plays with an orphan at the Deep Strike farewell to the children of the Kut orphanage at the Rehanah Al-Haydaryah Family Park, June 26. Nisreen said they came up with the idea to have a farewell in the park so the American forces could say goodbye to the children. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson. FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — Children from the Kut orphanage were treated to an evening of games, gifts and entertainment at the Rehanah Al-Haydaryah Family Park by 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 41st Fires Brigade, June 26."It was an... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285141/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 23:35:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284986/posts Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is a multi-role stealth heavy bomber. The B-2's composite materials, special coatings and flying-wing design all contribute to its "stealthiness." One of the most expensive planes ever built: estimates for the costs per plane range from 1.1 to 2.2 billion USD. YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284986/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 18:49:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284796/posts B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284796/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 13:29:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2284681/posts FBI notes: Saddam Hussein sought familiar refuge Thursday, July 2, 2009 BAGHDAD - After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein stayed in Baghdad until he saw "the city was about to fall." Unclassified FBI interviews conducted during his incarceration at a U.S. detention center offered new details Thursday about the late Iraqi dictator's life on the run - both bfoe ndaferhe ws used Th dcuens ls cnfrmprvious reports that Saddam falsely allowed the world to believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction - the main U.S. rationale behind the war - because he feared revealing his weakness to Iran,... PeoplePC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/2284681/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 06:59:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284479/posts Not only is this old news, but it’s old news I’ve written about multiple times. Why cover it again? Because: It can’t be stressed enough that as bad as the current nuclear standoff with Iran is, it could have been that much worse if a certain nutjob wild card was still part of the international deck. Hussein’s fear of Iran, which he said he considered a greater threat than the United States, featured prominently in the discussion about weapons of mass destruction. Iran and Iraq had fought a grinding eight-year war in the 1980s, and Hussein said he was convinced... Hotair http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284479/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 23:42:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284434/posts The Ruzh Hallat Primary Health Care Center will provide medical services for 30,000 residents of the Humer Kwer quarter of Sulaymaniyah province. USACE photo by Mike Scheck. SULAYMANIYAH — For the 30,000 residents of the Humer Kwer quarter of this province, access to healthcare just got a lot easier with the completion of the Ruzh Hallat Primary Healthcare Center. The $540,000 construction project was managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in Iraq. The U.S. Economic Support Fund provided funding for the project, and the USACE’s Sulaymaniyah Resident Office was the on-site construction manager.Dr. Ousman Younes, the Kurdistan... Multi-National Force - Iraq http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284434/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 21:56:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284430/posts ]-->Army Capt. Jason Smith listens to an infant's breathing at the last "Bring on the Docs" cooperative medical engagement at the Jassan Health Clinic in Iraq's Wasit province, June 23. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Joe Thompson, Multi-National Division - South. FOB DELTA — Soldiers serving with a medical task force here completed nearly a year's worth of missions last week, satisfied that they've helped to improve health care in Iraq's Wasit province. Soldiers from Task Force Gunner Med wrapped up Operation "Bring on the Docs" with a recent visit to the Jassan Health Clinic for a cooperative medical engagement."It... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284430/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 21:50:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284383/posts WASHINGTON, July 2, 2009 – It’s “so far, so good” in Iraq since U.S. combat forces withdrew from the country’s cities and towns, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq said yesterday. “It’s going fine -- no problem at all,” Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said on the PBS program “Newshour With Jim Lehrer.” Iraqi troops and police are manning checkpoints and stations by themselves, the general added. Baghdad and Kirkuk have seen bomb attacks, but Iraqi forces have been able to handle the situations, Odierno told news anchor Judy Woodruff. U.S. forces have been moving out of the cities and... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284383/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:21:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284366/posts WASHINGTON, July 2, 2009 – Iraqi forces, aided by coalition advisors, detained an alleged senior leader of a terrorist group along with other suspected terrorists June 29 and 30 in operations in Iraq, military officials reported. In June 30 operations: -- The Emergency Response Brigade and coalition advisors arrested a suspected senior leader in Taji, north of Baghdad. The leader is believed to be responsible for organizing sophisticated operations against coalition forces in the area. -- In Baghdad, the Emergency Response Brigade, along with coalition advisors, arrested an alleged terrorist during an Iraqi-led operation. The man is believed to be... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284366/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:06:04 GMT