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There is still no gold dome on the Mosque of the Golden Dome. It has been a year, by the Muslim calendar, since an attack on one of the Shiites most sacred shrines here shattered this ancient mosque, ripping a hole to the heavens in its once glorious dome. Now, it is a hulking shell of its former self, gnarled and twisted metal snaking around the crumbling concrete structure. The blue and gold tiles that adorned the facade of the Al Askariya Shrine, covered with graceful Arabic script from the Koran, are in tatters, the broken pieces still on the...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2006 -- Iraqi and coalition forces detonated a bomb in Samarra today and freed 23 kidnap victims yesterday. Earlier this week, combined forces killed three terrorists and detained one. Iraqi police were patrolling yesterday when they found an improvised explosive device near a Samarra mosque’s doorway. “This action by the terrorists shows they have no respect for Islam and are only concerned about killing innocent civilians,” said Army Lt. Col. Viet Luong, commander of 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division. “This bomb was built to cause maximum damage, and because of the heroic...

Soldiers of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, search a home in the city of Samarra, Iraq, during a night raid as they look for Samarra’s most wanted insurgents. U.S Army photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika Soldiers Make Streets Safer in Samarra Since December 2005, Bravo Company has been making the streets ofSamarra safer by capturing hundreds of suspected anti-Iraqi forces. By Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika 133rd Mobile Public Affairs SAMARRA, Iraq, July 11, 2006 -- Texas historians think of the Alamo to be the last stand, for...

Part of me died when I saw this cruel killing, HALA JABER EVEN by the stupefying standards of Iraq’s unspeakable violence, the murder of Atwar Bahjat, one of the country’s top television journalists, was an act of exceptional cruelty. Nobody but her killers knew just how much she had suffered until a film showing her death on February 22 at the hands of two musclebound men in military uniforms emerged last week. Her family’s worst fears of what might have happened have been far exceeded by the reality. Bahjat was abducted after making three live broadcasts from the edge of...

BAGHDAD, May 8 (KUNA) -- The American forces in Iraq arrested five Qaeda militants, one of whom is a leader, near Samarra, north of Baghdad, last Friday, a statement by the forces said today. Three militants were arrested during a search operation and were in a vehicle in Samarra, the statement said. During the arrest, the troops came under fire coming from a nearby house and army helicopters returned fire. The statement added two other militants were arrested elsewhere in Samarra and weapons were found in their possession and were confiscated. According to the statement, one of those arrested is...

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2006 – Coalition forces killed the top al Qaeda terrorist in Samarra today after tracking him to a house north of the city. Hamadi 'Abd al-Tahki al-Nissani was known as the al Qaeda "emir" of Samarra, meaning he was in a position of high leadership. Based on intelligence reports, troops tracked the wanted terrorist and two others to a location about 15 kilometers north of Samarra. As they assaulted the house where the three men were known to be hiding, Nissani, who was armed, attempted to flee and was killed, U.S. officials said. The ground troops also...

Anti-U.S. forces have spread their control over the city of Samarra, according to a Shiite cleric in charge of Shiite shrines in the city. “Samarra is still in the hands of terror … It is outside the jurisdiction and control of the state,” said Saleh al-Haydari in an interview. A bomb attack in February had badly damaged a major Shiite shrine in the city sparking protests and revenge attacks. The country is still reeling from the consequences of the bombing which have plunged it into political turmoil and sectarian infighting. Haydari said the people of Samarra, estimated at more than...

BAGHDAD, April 2 (KUNA) -- A group of militants on Sunday blew up a mosque in Al-Kubba area, 15 kilometers northeast Baquba, a Coordination Center source told KUNA. The source added there were no losses in life in this incident. Meanwhile, Iraqi Police said two explosive devices detonated while a police patrol was passing injuring three Iraqis, two patrol policemen included. This comes as the Iraqi Interior Ministry announced the death of two terrorists and the arrest of 21 individuals in suspicion of involvement in separate incidents in Mosul, Northern Iraq . A ministry statement said the two first terrorist...

The Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq, days after anti-Iraqi forces bombed the national landmark. The U.S. has offered to help the locals rebuild the mosque, but the Samarra government wants to accomplish it on their own. U.S. Army photo Civil Affairs Wears Many Hats in Samarra The Civil Affairs team in Samarra is working on 30 different projects. By U.S. Army Sgt. Waine D. Haley 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment SAMARRA, Iraq, March 27, 2006 — Welcome to the world of Civil Affairs, where in one minute you could be drinking Chai tea with the mayor and the next...

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 3/25/06 - Samarra, Op. Swarmer , Kerbala, Abu Ghraib, al-Dor, Baquba, USS Gonzalez, USS Cape St. George, Taji, Nowruz, Istanbul, Tashkent, Tehran BREAKING: Samarra, Op. Swarmer - 11 caches and 104 terrorists taken BREAKING: Kerbala - terrorist attack Abu Ghraib - Real story: cache taken al-Dor - US-Iraqi patrols root out terrorists Baquba - Cache taken USS Gonzalez, USS Cape St. George - Weapons confiscated from terrorist pirates Taji - Nowruz celebrations Istanbul, Turkey - Nowruz celebrations Uzbek capital Tashkent - Nowruz celebrations Tehran - Nowruz celebrations QFN ==== YE OLDE QUAGMIRE-FREE...

TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, March 20, 2006) – At least 11 caches were discovered and more than 60 suspected insurgents detained last week during Operation Swarmer, the airborne insertion into southern Salah Ad Din province, near Samarra. Coalition Forces encountered an IED along one of the roads in the area Saturday and one vehicle was damaged. No troops were injured in the attack, Multi-National Force-Iraq officials reported. Iraqi Army troops and their Coalition partners continued to clear the objective area northeast of Samarra Sunday. Enemy caches captured thus far yielded significant amounts of weapons and IED-making materials. Included in...

And as far as the U.S. effort is concerned, it seems there is almost nothing the White House, the Pentagon, or for that matter any American rifleman on the ground can do that is good enough to garner so much as a one-line "attaboy" from many of our country’s largest newspapers and television news networks. Let’s look at last Thursday, March 16, the day the Iraqi National Assembly opened in Baghdad and a high-profile "air assault" northeast of Samarra, as an example:

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 3/19/06 -Baquba, Operation Swarmer, Samarra, Kabul, Qala Bost Fort, Shahi Kot, Lashkar Gah, Kundalan, Sheberghan BREAKING: Baquba, Operation Swarmer, American and Iraqi military forces take terrorists and weapons BREAKING: Samarra, Operation Swarmer, American and Iraqi military forces take terrorists and weapons BREAKING: Kabul, cockfight Qala Bost Fort, Afghanistan, Shahi Kot Lashkar Gah - Education for all, freed by American Kabul - Afghan women on International Women's Day Kundalan, Sheberghan QFN ==== YE OLDE QUAGMIRE-FREE NEWS Exclusive to FReerepublic PICTURES YOU WILL NEVER SEE IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ========= Samarra, Iraq ========= Somewhere...

SAMARRA, Iraq -- Iraqi military officials said Friday that an offensive targeting insurgents in the desert northeast of Samarra has resulted in the capture of weapons and a man who may have been among those responsible for the recent bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra. Iraqi military and political leaders, speaking at a forward base of operations along the Tigris River 80 miles northeast of Baghdad, said they were checking pictures and other documents to determine if they had captured one of those they believe planned the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra and the killing of an...

For Immediate ReleaseMarch 18, 2006 President's Radio Address       Audio      THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. In recent weeks, Americans have seen horrific images from Iraq: the bombing of a great house of worship in Samarra, sectarian reprisals between Sunnis and Shias, and car bombings and kidnappings. Amid continued reports about the tense situation in parts of that country, it may seem difficult at times to understand how we can say that progress is being made. But the reaction to the recent violence by Iraq's leaders is a clear sign of Iraq's commitment to democracy.  Radio Address 200620052004200320022001  Radio Interviews 20052004...

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 3/18/06 - Samarra, Op. Swarmer, Natanz, Bushehr, Isfahan, Tehran BREAKING: Samarra -Operation Swarmer : U.S. and US-liberated-Iraqi soldiers meet minor resistance, capture weapons caches Natanz - facility perimeter and inside the uranium enrichment facility Bushehr - nuclear power plant weapon research site - Russian technicians Isfahan - uranium conversion facility (UCF) Tehran - female police graduation ceremony and with terrorist founder Khomeini QFN ==== YE OLDE QUAGMIRE-FREE NEWS Exclusive to FReerepublic PICTURES YOU WILL NEVER SEE IN THE MAIN STREAM MEDIA TODAY: IRAQ and IRAN: THE GOOD, THE BAD, and the PUG-UGLIES...

As soon as I heard about the Operation Swarmer air and ground assault upon Samarra, I KNEW the DUmmies would claim that it is merely a propaganda ploy to divert attention from Bush's (media manipulated) poll ratings. However, despite my expectation of typical DUmmie behavior, I never expected them to be sooooo STUPID as this THREAD, "Does the US Military often do this type of operation in broad daylight?" posted by Head DUmmie Skinner. Yes, STUPIDITY in DUmmieland does pour from the TOP down. Of course, DUmmie Skinner could have spent about half a minute checking the FACTS on...

US Iraq campaign 'to last days' The US military says some 1,500 US and Iraqi troops are involved The US military says a major operation targeting suspected Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters near Samarra could continue for several days. The biggest airborne operation in Iraq since the US invasion in 2003, it involves more than 50 aircraft and 1,500 Iraqi and US troops. They are said to have detained about 40 suspects so far, and seized weapons. The Iraqi foreign minister said the aim was to stop insurgents from turning the town into a stronghold. A bomb attack on...

U.S., Iraqis Launch 'Operation Swarmer' By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer 7 minutes ago U.S. forces, joined by Iraqi troops, on Thursday launched the largest air assault since the U.S.-led invasion, targeting insurgent strongholds north of the capital, the military said. The U.S. military said the offensive dubbed Operation Swarmer was aimed at clearing "a suspected insurgent operating area" northeast of Samarra and was expected to continue over several days. "More than 1,500 Iraqi and Coalition troops, over 200 tactical vehicles, and more than 50 aircraft participated in the operation," the military statement said. Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad,...

US launches major offensive against Sunni insurgents ....Thursday March 16, 2006 ....... More than 50 US warplanes were today involved in the biggest air offensive launched by the Americans in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, the US military said. A huge air and land offensive has been launched against Sunni insurgents in the restive town of Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad.....The US military said some 1,500 Iraqi and US troops and 200 tactical vehicles were involved in the operation, Reuters reported. The US military added that Operation Swarmer would last several days....Insurgents in Samarra, which is a predominantly Sunni...