Combat Camera: 172nd Stryker Brigade in Baghdad

A U.S. Army soldier from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, speaks with an Iraqi man during operations in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Holley Baker

U.S. Army soldiers from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, provide security as fellow soldiers search the backyard of a home in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Holley Baker

A U.S. Army soldier from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, searches a home in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 20, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Holley Baker

A U.S. Army soldier from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, provides security as his unit searches homes in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 20, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Holley Baker

A U.S. Army soldier from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, sorts through illegal weapons and ammunition found in a home during a raid in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 23, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Holley Baker

U.S. Army Pfc. Steven Hall, from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, drinks water as he searches homes in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 21, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Holley Baker

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 29 Sep

Heads up folks, this news rolls downhill.

• As if taking pages from the DNC playbook, echoes of John Kerry and Howard Dean's talking points magically appear when Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri condemned President Bush in a video statement released Friday, calling him a failure and a liar. "Why don't you tell them how many million citizens of America and its allies you intend to kill in search of the imaginary victory and in breathless pursuit of the mirage towards which you are driving your people's sons in order increase your profits?" al-Zawahri said in a portion of the video released by the Virginia-based IntelCenter, according to AP. I don't expect the al-Zawahri video to make a big splash in Western media; anti-Bush statements from terrorists tend to shift the focus in the press from Bush as enemy to terrorists as the enemy. It is, however, interesting to note that bin Laden remains deathly silent.

• The New York Times upstages the Washington Post's exclusive in "State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III," the election-timed book by Bob Woodward. Based on the Times story, which says the book reports that Bush has been concealing level of Iraq violence, a couple of questions arise. If Bush has been concealing the level of Iraq violence, how does that speak to the quality of reporting in Iraq? Why does Woodward feel the need to backhand the press (who will lovingly embrace the book) in his attack on Bush? Woodward is a prime example of legacy media. At this point in his career Woodward probably assumes anything he writes will be accepted without question as canon in the official history of the time. Elitist? Absolutely. Should we be surprised? Not one bit.

• At his briefing this afternoon, Tony Snow, White House press secretary, faced probing questions from reporters fueled by numerous tidbits and charges already emerging from Bob Woodward's new "State of Denial" book, reports E&P.
  
  

  'The average Washington memoir ought to be subtitled, 'If only they'd listened to me'...

• AP reports the Senate unanimously approved $70 billion more for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan Friday as part of a record Pentagon budget. Conversely, Reuters reports the U.S. Congress on Friday moved to block the Bush administration from building permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq or controlling the country's oil sector, as it approved $70 billion for funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

• Former President Carter is urging northern Nevadans to elect his son, Jack, to the Senate to help combat a Bush administration he says has brought "international disgrace" to the country, reports KESQ. Carter's sentiments echo al-Zawahri's statements reported above.

• CNS News reports the upcoming mid-term election is important because the U.S. is "in a deep hole, and Republicans don't want to quit digging," Sen. Hillary Clinton told a gathering of Democratic women in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. "The damage that has already been done to our country in the last six years is incalculable," she said.

• And finally, The New York Post reports billionaire liberal financier George Soros, who spent millions of his fortune trying to oust President Bush in 2004, yesterday said he hopes to stay out of politics from now on. Yeah, right.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States, Bush
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Combat Camera: U.S., Afghans Patrol Ghazni Province

U.S. and Afghan National Army soldiers depart a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter after loading an injured Afghan soldier in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 17, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

Afghan National Army soldiers prepare to conduct a presence patrol in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 15, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

U.S. Army soldiers talk with Afghan children during a cordon and search in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 13, 2006. The soldiers are with Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

A U.S. Army soldier walks across Kabul Highway during a presence patrol in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 15, 2006. The soldier is a combat medic with Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

U.S. Army soldiers conduct a cordon and search in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 13, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

A U.S. Army soldier searches a room during a cordon and search in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 13, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

A U.S. Army soldier kicks in a doorway to a well during a cordon and search in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 14, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

U.S. Army Capt. Wallace looks up a hole in the roof of a well house during a cordon and search in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 14, 2006. Wallace is the commander of Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

A U.S. Army soldier asks Afghans if they have seen any insurgent activity in the village of Alizai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

U.S. Army soldiers enter a tunnel system found in the village of Alazai in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan, Sept. 18, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Ethan Anderson

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Thursday News Open Thread

Hard on Bush, soft on terrorists:

• AP reports the House approved a bill Thursday that would grant legal status to President Bush's warrantless wiretapping program with new restrictions. Republicans called it a test before the election of whether Democrats want to fight or coddle terrorists.
  
  

  "The Democrats' irrational opposition to strong national security policies that help keep our nation secure should be of great concern to the American people," Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement after the bill passed 232-191.

• President Bush suggested Thursday that Democrats don't have the stomach to fight the war on terror, battling back in the election-season clamor over administration intelligence showing terrorism spreading, according to AP reporter and liberal operative Jennifer Loven. President Bush made some important points:
  

  "Five years after 9/11, the worst attack on the American homeland in our history, Democrats offer nothing but criticism and obstruction and endless second-guessing," Bush said at a Republican fundraiser.
  
  "The party of FDR and the party of Harry Truman has become the party of cut and run," Bush told a convention-center audience of over 2,000 people. The event put $2.5 million in the campaign accounts of Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and the state GOP.

• AP reports the Senate on Thursday endorsed President Bush's plans to prosecute and interrogate terror suspects, all but sealing congressional approval for legislation that Republicans intend to use on the campaign trail to assert their toughness on terrorism. The Washington Post tells us how the votes were cast.

• Senator James Inhofe blasts CNN for their smearing coverage of Global Warming. Inhofe also said that ABC promotes "climate hysteria," concluding, "I hope my other colleagues will join me on the floor and start speaking out to debunk hysteria surrounding global warming. This issue is too important to our generation and future generations to allow distortions and media propaganda to derail the economic health of our nation."

• Speaking of the Senate, the New York Times speculates six weeks before Election Day, the Democrats suddenly face a map with unexpected opportunities in their battle for control of the Senate. However, Democrats have so far been confident in their margins leading up so far to the election. If Dems now have new hope, does that imply the margins are not a sure thing?

• Mort Kondracke, writing in Roll Call says, the 12th anniversary of the Republicans’ 1994 “Contract with America” came and went on Wednesday without a 2006 Democratic counterpart. And there won’t be one.

• Liberal House Democrats are not lining up behind Rep. Jack Murtha’s (D-Pa.) leadership candidacy in the numbers he had hoped despite his outspoken stance against the Iraq war, writes Josephine Hearn in The Hill.

• CBS MarketWatch reports Sen. Joe Lieberman has a 10-point lead over Democratic nominee Ned Lamont in the battle for Connecticut's U.S. Senate seat, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.

• AP reports Sen. John Kerry is ready to join an exclusive club: prominent Democrats shunning three-term Sen. Joe Lieberman to campaign in Connecticut for his anti-war rival Ned Lamont.

• Al-Qaida in Iraq's leader, in a chilling audiotape released Thursday, called for nuclear scientists to join his group's holy war and urged insurgents to kidnap Westerners so they could be traded for a blind Egyptian sheik who is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison, reports AP.
  
  

  "We are in dire need of you," said the speaker, who identified himself as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir - also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri. "The field of jihad can satisfy your scientific ambitions, and the large American bases (in Iraq) are good places to test your unconventional weapons, whether biological or dirty, as they call them."

• And last but not least, Mark Goldblatt, writing in National Review says we have to stop blaming ourselves for being the cause of terrorism:
  
  

  According to a National Intelligence Estimate composed last February but released just this week by the Bush administration, “The Iraq conflict has become the ‘cause celebre’ for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.” Because of the war, “new jihadist networks and cells, with anti-American agendas, are increasingly likely to emerge.” On the other hand, the report finds that if the “jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and [are] perceived, to have failed . . . fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.”
  
  It’s Muslim civilization, not America, that must change in order for Islamic terrorism to cease.

Tags: Decline and Fall of Western Civ, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States
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Combat Camera: Slovakian Engineers in Iraq

Slovakian army vehicles convoy to a location near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq to dispose of unexploded ordnance, Sept. 21, 2006. The first Slovakian Engineers came into Iraq in August 2003 with Multinational Division Central-South. The unit’s primary duties are unexploded ordnance disposal and engineering work. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Slovakian army soldiers from the engineering unit at Camp Echo, Iraq, prepare unexploded ordnance for disposal near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, Sept. 21, 2006 The first Slovakian Engineers came into Iraq in August 2003 with Multinational Division Central-South. The unit’s primary duties are unexploded ordnance disposal and engineering work. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

A Slovakian army soldier from the engineering unit at Camp Echo, Iraq, places unexploded ordnance in a disposal pile near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, Sept. 21, 2006. The first Slovakian Engineers came into Iraq in August 2003 with Multinational Division Central-South. The unit’s primary duties are unexploded ordnance disposal and engineering work. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

A Slovakian army soldier from the engineering unit at Camp Echo, Iraq, prepares to dispose of unexploded ordnance near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, Sept. 21, 2006. The first Slovakian Engineers came into Iraq in August 2003 with Multinational Division Central-South. The unit’s primary duties are unexploded ordnance disposal and engineering work. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

Slovakian army soldiers from the engineering unit at Camp Echo, Iraq, prepare unexploded ordnance for disposal near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, Sept. 21, 2006. The first Slovakian Engineers came into Iraq in August 2003 with Multinational Division Central-South. The unit’s primary duties are unexploded ordnance disposal and engineering work. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Dawn M. Price

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 27 Sep

Heads up folks, the partisans have escaped.

• According to AP, Fox News chief Roger Ailes says former President Clinton's response to Chris Wallace's question about going after Osama bin Laden represents "an assault on all journalists." Ailes said:
  

  "If you can't sit there and answer a question from a professional, mild-mannered, respectful reporter like Chris Wallace, then the hatred for journalists is showing," Ailes said in an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. "All journalists need to raise their eyebrows and say, `hold on a second.'"

• Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's underdog Republican challenger accused the former first lady and her husband on Wednesday of engaging in timeworn theatrics with their criticism of President Bush's handling of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, reports AP. I'll a bit sketchy on this but the last time Hill called Bill "my husband" she was defending him against the 'vast right-wing conspiracy' questions of lying under oath about sexual indiscretions with a certain female intern:

  "Once again, President Clinton is wagging his finger with righteous indignation and once again, Hillary Clinton is rushing to his defense," said former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer. "This act is getting old and the American people realize it."

My single revelation in the whole mess is this: if Clinton's tirade is seen as a needed injection of "backbone" into the Democrat's position on terror, it seems to bear out Republican statements that the Democrat's position on terror is needy at best. It is also important to note that despite all of the name calling and smack talk President Bush has endured from friendly enemies and yellow patriots alike, Bush has never lowered himself to such a childish outburst. For Bill Clinton, their ain't no class like no-class.

• In the same vein, Joseph F. Connor writing in the New York Post says, "Bill pardoned terror." Clinton's scathing, defensive attack against Chris Wall ace and Fox News on Sunday left me once again struck by the former president's pure hypocrisy and arrogance. You may not want to wag your finger defending your record anymore - it now seems clear that the more you wag, the more we see through you.

• AP reports former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani defended Bill Clinton on Wednesday over the former president's counterterrorism efforts, saying recent criticism on preventing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is wrong. Giuliani said he was "very interested in considering" a run for president but would not make a decision until after the November election.

• Ann Coulter writes of Bill Clinton: I DID NOT HAVE SEX WITH THAT NOMAD, OSAMA BIN LADEN. Coulter says, "The glassy-eyed Clinton cultists are insisting their idol's on-air breakdown during a 'Fox News Sunday' interview with Chris Wallace was a calculated performance, which is a bit like describing Hurricane Katrina as a 'planned demolition.'" and continues, "Let me be the first to welcome Chris Wallace to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy! If the son of Mike Wallace is a member, can Chelsea be far behind?"
  

  Osama bin Laden told "ABC News" in 1998 that America's humiliating retreat from Somalia emboldened his jihadists: "The youth were surprised at the low morale of the American soldiers and realized more than before that the American soldier was a paper tiger and after a few blows ran in defeat."
  
  If this is the message that Clinton is hoping to telegraph to the American people, I hope the voters are listening.

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Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America by Brigitte Gabriel

BOOKS IN THE NEWS

Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America by Brigitte Gabriel
(Reviews) -- “Brigitte Gabriel eloquently reminds America what is truly at stake in this struggle against terrorism: our families, our way of life, and our hopes. Ms. Gabriel's personal account of her own experience is riveting, compelling and spellbinding. This is a must read for the entire American public . . . This book contains monumental revelations that will shock and disturb you. But it is also a story of an indomitable spirit--Brigitte's-- that will move you.”
--Steve Emerson, author of American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Amongst Us, Executive Director, the Investigative Project on Terrorism

"A compelling and captivating personal story with a powerful lesson about threats to freedom in our time."
--R. James Woolsey, Director of Central Intelligence, 1993-95

“Brigitte Gabriel's story is at once intensely personal and possessing global significance . . . the story of her family and her childhood encapsulates the threat that faces the entire free world today. Brigitte Gabriel's words should be read, and studied carefully, by all the law enforcement and government officials of the West -- as well as by everyone who values freedom.”
-- Robert Spencer, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades)

“Because They Hate should be read by all to understand radical Islam. Brigitte . . . . This book gives dire warning of what is to come if the democratic and Western world does not take responsible action to protect its people and societies. The United States is the primary target as Islamic Radicalism attempts to spread its worldwide dominance.”
-- Paul E. Vallely, Maj. General US Army (Ret.), FOX News Channel Military Analyst, and coauthor of Endgame: The Blueprint for Victory in the War on Terror

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Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America by Brigitte Gabriel

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Combat Camera: 82nd Airborne Patrols Bayji, Iraq

U.S. Army paratroopers from 2nd platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, patrol the streets of Bayji, Iraq, Sept. 18, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

U.S. Army Capt. Tim Peterman, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, hands a football to an Iraqi man during a foot patrol in Bayji, Iraq, Sept. 18, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Roman S. Olesnyckyj, 3rd Platoon leader of Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, patrols the streets of Bayji, Iraq, Sept. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

U.S. Army Capt. Tim Peterman, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, greets children during a dismounted patrol in Bayji, Iraq, Sept. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

U.S. Army Capt. Tim Peterman, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, holds an Iraqi child after discussing neighborhood security issues with the child’s father Sept. 16, 2006, in Bayji, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

U.S. Army Capt. Tim Peterman, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, hands out soccer balls during a dismounted patrol in Bayji, Iraq, Sept. 18, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

U.S. Army Spc. Jaymes Skillman, infantryman of 3rd platoon, Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, observes two children riding their bicycles during a dismounted patrol in downtown Bayji, Iraq, Sept. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Micheal Green, with Company C, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, is followed by Iraqi children while patrolling the streets of Bayji, Iraq, Sept. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua R. Ford

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War on Terror Open Thread

• Richard Miniter, writing in the Wall Street Journal, states:
  
  

  Bill Clinton's outburst on Fox News was something of a public service, launching a debate about the antiterror policies of his administration. This is important because every George W. Bush policy that arouses the ire of Democrats--the Patriot Act, extraordinary rendition, detention without trial, pre-emptive war--is a departure from his predecessor. Where policies overlap--air attacks on infrastructure, secret presidential orders to kill terrorists, intelligence sharing with allies, freezing bank accounts, using police to arrest terror suspects--there is little friction.

  Then, Minter asks whether America should return to Mr. Clinton's policies or soldier on with Mr. Bush's. Minter goes on, both debunking Clinton's on air tirade and adding to the list of missteps of the Clinton administration. In closing, Minter states:
  
  

  There is much more to Mr. Clinton's record--how Predator drones, which spotted bin Laden three times in 1999 and 2000, were grounded by bureaucratic infighting; how a petty dispute with an Arizona senator stopped the CIA from hiring more Arabic translators. While it is easy to look back in hindsight and blame Bill Clinton, the full scale and nature of the terrorist threat was not widely appreciated until 9/11. Still: Bill Clinton did not fully grasp that he was at war. Nor did he intuit that war requires overcoming bureaucratic objections and a democracy's natural reluctance to use force. That is a hard lesson. But it is better to learn it from studying the Clinton years than reliving them.

• Tony Blankley, writing in Townhall.com, says, with little notice from the mainstream media (this was discussed, however, in the current issue of the Weekly Standard) the U. S. suffered a substantial defeat in the war against radical Islam, when three weeks ago, Pakistan signed the terms of the Waziristan Accord with the northern region of its country called North Waziristan.
  
  

  According to intelligence sources cited by The Fourth Rail and other sources above, the Accord includes: (1) Pakistan to abandon its garrisons in Waziristan, (2) Pakistan military to not operate in or monitor actions in the region, (3) Pakistan to turn over weapons to Waziris, (4) Taliban and al Qaeda to set up a Mujahideen council to administer the region, (5) region to be called "The Islamic Emirate of Waziristan, (6) unknown but substantial amount of money paid by Pakistan to the Taliban, (7) al Qaeda and other jihadis to be allowed to stay in region, (8) 2,500 foreign fighters linked to al Qaeda and Taliban released by Pakistan from their prisons (this fact also confirmed by London's Daily Telegraph), and (9) Taliban to refrain from violence in Pakistan only; the agreement does not stipulate refraining from violence in Afghanistan.

  Musharraf recently stated that he was threatened with U.S. bombing if he didn't become our ally and that he agreed to it only after calculating the consequences. Pakistan presents a number of unknowns.
  
  Blankley says the administration doesn't have much time to mull over their reaction to the changes in Pakistan:
  
  

  We must come to terms with reality -- and soon. We are going to have to substantially increase the size of our army and Marines to face the growing threats to our national security.

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Late Tue Post, Just Because I Am Uninspired

• Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that the US military presence in Iraq keeps neighbors from invading his country, reports AFP. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani disputed on Tuesday reports of growing violence in his country and declared, "I can assure you there will be no civil war," according to AP. Iraq is getting more respect now that it has an elected government, fully participating in dozens of meetings at the U.N. General Assembly, reports AP. "Now it's business," said Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

• The Washington Post interprets the National Intelligence Estimate (pdf) to say the global jihadist movement is growing and being fueled by the war in Iraq even as it becomes more decentralized, making it harder to identify potential terrorists and prevent future attacks. The Post downplays perhaps the most important part of the paragraph in report that Democrats are using to attack administraion, which states the war in Iraq has become a "cause celebre" for jihadists, breeding resentment of U.S. involvement in the Muslim world and drawing new adherents to the movement and if jihadists are perceived to be defeated in Iraq "fewer fighters would be inspired to carry on the fight." This is a dramatically different message than the selective leaks to the media. AP reproduces the estimate as part of their story, but ignores the the government document's ramifications of premature withdrawal from Iraq.

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Dispatches From the Front, Tue 26 Sep. 2006

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Sean Sides looks out over the wing of an F-16D Fighting Falcon aircraft during a training flight over Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, Sept. 18, 2006. Sides, a photographer, is in the aircraft to take aerial photographs of the mission. DoD photo by Senior Airman Sean Sides, U.S. Air Force. (Released)

Cmdr. Kevin Torske, U.S. Navy, a senior forensic odontologist, catalogs the dental remains of a possible service member at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command headquarters at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, on Sept. 21, 2006. The mission of the command is to achieve the fullest possible accounting of all Americans missing as a result of the nation's past conflicts. DoD photo by Cpl. James P. Johnson, U.S. Army. (Released)

NEWSBYTES

Letter Exposes New Leader in Al-Qa`ida High Command
25 September 2006
(CENTCOM) -- On 7 June 2006, American military forces executed an air strike on an al-Qa`ida safe-house near Baqouba, Iraq, killing Abu Mus’ab al-Zarqawi, al-Qa`ida‘s commander in Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi forces subsequently acquired numerous documents from that safe-house. On 18 September 2006, the Iraqi National Security Advisor, Muwaffaq al-Rabi`i, released one of those documents to Iraqi media. As part of an ongoing collaboration with the Department of Defense to declassify, collect, and disseminate documents that provide new insights into the internal functioning of salafi-jihadist organizations, the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point has made this letter available at http://ctc.usma.edu.

Gen. John Abizaid: Fortunately, Al Qaeda’s ideology has not gone mainstream yet
By Thomas Cromwell
Diplomatic Traffic - http://www.diplomatictraffic.com/highlights.asp?ID=164
25 September 2006

EXTREMISTS SHOW NO REMORSE FOR AFGHAN CITIZENS
KABUL, Afghanistan (CENTCOM) -- In three separate incidents in northeastern Afghanistan recently, extremists attacked a mosque, fired rocket propelled grenades at a medical clinic and fired inside a village injuring Afghan children.

24TH MEU HARRIERS COMPLETE COMBAT RUNS IN AFGHANISTAN
ABOARD USS IWO JIMA (CENTCOM) -- The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s AV-8B Harriers flew the last of 136 combat missions over Afghanistan Sept. 21, ending a short but productive stint in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

COALITION FORCES KILL 10 TALIBAN REBELS IN PAKTIKA PROVINCE
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (CENTCOM) -- While conducting offensive operations during Operation Mountain Fury, U.S. forces killed 10 Taliban fighters in Paktika Province on Sept. 25.

Video: Communications Marines Setup System at Camp Fallujah
Package about Marines setting up a communications system in Camp Fallujah. Produced by Cpl. Lynn Murillo.

Video: Freedom Watch Afghanistan Sept 22
Stories on the Bagram Provincial Reconstruction Team making plans to pave a road linking key districts throughout Afghanistan and Coalition Forces promoting Children's Day in southeastern Afghanistan by donating backpacks and school supplies.

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ. for 25 Sep

A section of the Mona Lisa is seen on a poster in Beijing in an undated file photo. Scientists are due to unveil some of the secrets behind Western art's most enigmatic smile this week, when they present the findings of the most extensive three dimensional scan ever undertaken on the Mona Lisa.

• Mel Gibson says Western Civilisation is on the decline. Reuters reports Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie "Apocalypto," and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter. In describing its portrait of a civilization in decline, Gibson said, "The precursors to a civilization that's going under are the same, time and time again," drawing parallels between the Mayan civilization on the brink of collapse and America's present situation. "What's human sacrifice," he asked, "if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?" I'm not inclined to agree with Gibson on his last remark, firmly in the belief that it's much better for the military to keep Islamic fascists outside of the country, even if the risk of soldiers being killed in theater is actually less than the risk of being killed for similarly aged individuals in many major cities in Blue States.

• Bill O'Reilly's new book "Culture Warrior" is officially released today – and liberals have already launched an all-out attack on it, according to NewsMax.com. The left-wing Web site Media Matters for America led the way Monday — showcasing O'Reilly's book as its featured story with the headline: "Bill O'Reilly's enemies list, now available for $26." You can buy "Culture Warrior now from Amazon for $15.60

• Crude-oil futures briefly dipped below $60 a barrel on Monday, but later jumped by more than $1 in a sign that the market free-fall may be nearing an end, reports AP.

• FT reports Oil exporting countries may consider a cut in output after crude prices fell below $60 a barrel on Monday for the first time in six months.

• The planet's temperature has climbed to levels not seen in thousands of years, warming that has begun to affect plants and animals, researchers report in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reports AP. I guess the study doesn't take into account the Medieval Warm Period (also called the Medieval Climate Optimum), a time of unusually warm climate in Europe, lasting from about the 10th century to about the 14th century. The period ushered in the Enlightenment and the discovery of the New World. After watching Bill Clinton try to rewrite history on Fox News Sunday, perhaps other folks think they should get in their changes, too. The temperature records for the Middle Ages are at odds with what passes for the science of global warming, as comprehensive records of real data for global temperatures have only been around for say, the last 30 years. Of course, it is easy to form a hypothesis in an data-free environment.

• Scientists are due to unveil some of the secrets behind Western art's most enigmatic smile this week, when they present the findings of the most extensive three dimensional scan ever undertaken on the Mona Lisa, according to Reuters.

• FT reports prices of existing homes fell for the first time in 11 years and the backlog of available homes for sale was at its highest since current measures began, underlining the significant slowdown in the housing market.

• On the flip side of the U.S. housing bubble burst, furniture maker Ikea plans to hire tens of thousands of new workers as the company continues to expand with dozens of new stores opening around the world, the company's chief executive said in an interview published Monday, according to AP.

• And finally ROO TV presents News foe Blonds video.

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