Operation Phantom Fury--Day 198 - Now Operations River Blitz; Matador--Day 93

The original Martha & The Vandellas "Dancing In The Street" :)

Artist: Martha & The Vandellas Lyrics Song: Dancing In The Street Lyrics
"Callin' out around the world Are you ready for a brand new beat? Summer's here and the time is right For dancin' in the streets They're dancin' in Chicago Down in New Orleans Up in New York City
All we need is music, sweet music There'll be music everywhere There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playin' And dancin' in the streets
Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear Just as long as you are there So come on, every guy grab a girl Everywhere around the world There'll be dancin' They're dancin' in the street
This is an invitation Across the nation A chance for the folks to meet There'll be laughin' and singin' and music swingin' And dancin' in the streets
Philadelphia, P.A. (Philadelphia, P.A.) Baltimore and DC now (Baltimore and DC now) Yeah don't forget the Motor City (can't forget the Motor City)
All we need is music, sweet music There'll be music everywhere There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playin' And dancin' in the street, yeah
Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear Just as long as you are there So come on, every guy grasp a girl Everywhere around the world There'll be dancin' They're dancin' in the streets

Philadelphia, P.A. (Philadelphia, P.A.) Baltimore and DC now (Baltimore and DC now) Yeah don't forget the Motor City (can't forget the Motor City) All the way down in L.A. California Not to mention Halifax Nova Scotia Manchester Alexandria, Virginia, Virginia"

Optimism Grows in Iraq, But More Help Needed, Official Says

By John D. Banusiewicz - American Forces Press Service

BUCHAREST, Romania, May 24, 2005 – As more Iraqis express confidence in their country's government, more help is needed from the international community to keep Iraq's progress on track, the general director of Iraq's National Security Agency said here today.

Samir al-Saboon addressed representatives of 68 nations gathered here for a multilateral military planners conference.

Recent polling data shows that fully two-thirds of Iraqis believe their country is headed in the right direction, Saboon said. While a poll in January showed only 11 percent of Sunni Muslims in Iraq shared that view, that percentage has since grown to 40, he said.

Though Sunnis largely didn't participate in the Transitional National Assembly election Jan. 30, that outlook has changed as well in anticipation of coming elections. Saboon, who is a Sunni, said 92 percent of eligible voters throughout Iraq and 80 percent of the country's Sunnis are likely to vote in the next election.

Saboon told the group that Iraqi security forces now have the confidence of 83 percent of Iraq's population, that 70 percent are confident in the transitional Iraqi government, and that 73 percent believe the government is representative of the Iraqi population.

The "vast majority" of Iraqis do not support the insurgency, Saboon said. He added that the presence of coalition forces ranks fifth among the concerns of Baghdad residents, who believe having good sewer services in the city is more important.

The Transitional National Assembly is "generally on track" toward its Aug. 15 deadline of drafting a new Iraqi constitution to allow a two-month public discussion period before voters go to the polls to accept or reject it, Saboon said. If a majority approves the constitution in the referendum, national elections to form a permanent government will take place in December.

"I would like to emphasize the importance of coalition nations maintaining their forces until after the national referendum and election," Saboon said.

Iraqi security forces are becoming increasingly capable, he said, and despite insurgent intimidation, there's no shortage of volunteers to serve. "You should see the lines," he said. "It's unbelievable."

But Iraq lacks the money and equipment to bring aboard everyone qualified for and desiring positions in their country's security forces, he said. Still, he noted, Iraq now has 101 battalions of military and police conducting operations, and eight army divisions have been formed. The government's plans call for expanding the army with more mechanized brigades, combat service and combat support at division level and below, and base support units, Saboon said.

He called reconstruction "perhaps Iraq's most formidable challenge" and said the Iraqi government will focus on reconstruction and rebuilding the economy for the foreseeable future.

The foundation for a free-market economy is being set, he said, but the country faces several challenges in bringing about economic progress. Among those challenges is a sizable foreign debt the current government inherited from Saddam Hussein's regime. Saboon noted that some members of the international community have helped by reducing the debt owed to their countries.

He cited high unemployment as another challenge in revitalizing Iraq's economy. The Iraqi government, he said, hopes to deal with the problem with a combination of jobs programs, training and education. This problem and others will improve as the security situation improves, he said.

Noting the need for foreign investment, Saboon said the perception of Iraq as a dangerous place is standing in the way of attracting investors, though 14 of the country's 18 provinces have stable security environments. "Foreign investors need security," he said. "Many areas are secure," he added, but foreign investment won't start in a big way "until the media declares Iraq is a safe place."

Restoration of essential services -- and establishing them in places that never enjoyed them in the first place -- is another key to Iraq's economic future, Saboon said. He added that the security situation is one determining factor in how quickly that can be accomplished.

Meanwhile, many economic indicators are positive, Saboon said, including steady production from the oil industry, which dominates Iraq's economy. But major modernization of the industry's infrastructure -- long neglected under Saddam -- will be necessary for oil's potential for Iraq's economy to be fully realized, he said.

Saboon called on the conferees to bring back to their countries the message that while Iraq is making progress, much remains to be done.

"Much of the progress in Iraq is the result of your efforts and sacrifices," he said. "However, Iraq has a long way to go, and we ask for your continued support throughout 2005 and 2006."

Gunmen kill jail director in Mexico border city

24 May 2005 21:02:14 GMT - Source: Reuters

MONTERREY, Mexico, May 24 (Reuters) - Unknown gunmen killed the director of a jail in the Mexican border city of Mexicali early on Tuesday, the latest in a wave of slayings to rock Mexico, authorities said.

Baja California state prosecutors said pistol-toting assailants fired five shots at Eduardo Villalobos as he left his home in the city, which lies south of the border from Calexico, California.

Villalobos was formerly the head of the police organized crime task force in Mexicali, a notorious hub in the cross-border trade in cocaine, marijuana and amphetamines.

No arrests have been made in the killing.

About 500 people have died in gangland shootings across Mexico this year in a surge of violence linked to cartels battling for control of the international drug trade.

President Vicente Fox on Monday blamed opposition leaders for the failure to halt the violence after a package of sweeping justice system reforms, including measures to make police more effective, stalled in Congress.

AlertNet news

N. Korea won't rule out pre-emptive attack

North Korea's spent nuclear fuel rods kept in a cooling pond are seen at the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, North Korea, in this 1996 photo. This was among pictures presented at a U.S.-North Korea Next Steps Workshop in Washington in January 2003. (AP/ Yonhap)

Tuesday, May 24, 2005 Updated at 1:51 AM EDT

Associated Press

Seoul — North Korea on Tuesday refused to rule out a pre-emptive attack, even amid signs that it may be willing to return to the nuclear bargaining table.

The North poured out anti-American rhetoric -- a tactic it has used in the past before entering negotiations -- by claiming that Washington's “hostile policies” led it to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent and warning against any attack to dislodge its leadership.

“The United States should be aware that the choice of a pre-emptive attack is not only theirs,” the North's official news agency quoted the cabinet newspaper Minju Joson as saying. “To stand against force with force is our unswerving method of response.”

The commentary came amid a flurry of contacts aimed at convincing the North to resume six-nation talks, suspended since the third round ended last June, on its nuclear program.

Washington is awaiting a response to an overture it made May 13 -- days after the North announced it had removed fuel rods from a reactor, a possible step toward extracting weapons-grade plutonium -- at North Korea's office at the UN.

North Korea indicated a willingness Sunday to return to the talks -- involving the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia -- but said it is waiting for Washington to clarify conflicting statements on U.S. policy toward the reclusive communist state.

It reaffirmed North Korea's commitment “to peacefully resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiations” and said the North “will continue to closely watch the U.S. side's attitude, and when the time comes we will officially deliver to the U.S. side our position through the New York contacts.”

White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Monday that the Bush administration sees no contradictions in its statements on North Korea.

“The six-party talks are the way forward to resolving this issue. We want to see them come back to the talks. We have no preconditions for returning to the talks and we've made that very clear,” Mr. McClellan said.

South Korea repeatedly brought up the nuclear issue last week during its first face-to-face talks with North Korea in 10 months. While the North refused to allow a mention of the issue in a final joint statement, it did agree to follow-up meetings.

Talks between the two countries were being held Tuesday in the North Korean border village of Kaesong on working out details of a visit by a South Korean delegation to the North's capital, Pyongyang, next month for the fifth anniversary of a historic summit accord.

There have been reports that Chinese President Hu Jintao may be arranging a visit to Pyongyang. South Korean opposition leader Park Geun-hye was to meet with Mr. Hu on Tuesday to renew her appeal for greater Chinese efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that President Roh Moo-hyun will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington on June 10 to discuss ways to bring North Korea back to nuclear disarmament talks. Mr. Roh's office wouldn't confirm the report.

North Korea on Tuesday repeated claims that its nuclear weapons help protect peace in East Asia.

“It is in the East Asian region, including the Korean Peninsula, where the U.S. moves for vicious attacks and war . . . are carried out most seriously,” Minju Joson said. “It is our nuclear deterrent that basically guarantees peace and stability.”

48th CBT starts mission with send off

Author: Diane Robertson
Publication Date: 2005-05-25

FORT STEWART — Bands played, soldiers marched and wives, mothers, children and friends cried Saturday as the 48th Brigade Combat Team was given a formal send off ceremony at Fort Stewart. The unit, more than 4,000 strong, headed for its year long mission to Iraq.

Dignitaries, including Governor Sonny Perdue, Georgia's Adjutant General Maj. Gen. David B. Poythress and First Army Commander Lt. Gen. Russell Honore, and Georgia's two Senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, joined the thousands of relatives who watched the brigade on parade.

Gov. Perdue praised the assembled troops for their courage and later presented Brig. Gen. Stewart Rodeheaver, Commander of the 48th, with a Georgia flag to accompany his unit to Iraq.

Maj. Gen. Poythress, who as Adjutant General oversees Georgia's National Guard, told the troops that theirs was "an historic mission" and wished the men and women of the 48th "Godspeed". He added that the Guard would look after their families while they were gone.

This is the largest deployment of Georgia guardsmen to a combat zone since World War II. The 48th was mobilized during Desert Storm in 1990, and sent to the National Training Center to prepare for the desert warfare, but the conflict concluded before the unit could be deployed.

Lt. Gen. Honore few words received the loudest cheers as he declared the 48th "ready to fight! "They set training records ... they fired more ammunition than any brigade I've ever seen."

Brig. Gen. Rodeheaver, acknowledging the salutes and praise of families and dignitaries declared that the 48th "is the best unit I've ever worked with . . we promise you we will do you proud!"

Following the formal ceremony, the Brigade members and their families were given approximately 90 minutes say final farewells before troops reported to their barracks to prepare for deployment.

http://www.douglasga.com/content/1/2452/48th+CBT+starts+mission+with+send+offhtm

Opel sales exploding in Iraq

04/02/2004 10:21 - (SA)

Baghdad - Known across Europe as a rather mundane German car, beloved of businessmen and unadventurous families, the Opel has a dangerous new image in Iraq as the vehicle of choice for rebels mounting deadly attacks on US soldiers, Iraqi police and civilians.

In the daily gunfights, suicide bombings and drive-by shootings which have accompanied the US-led occupation of Iraq, Opels are again and again identified playing a crucial role.

On Saturday, witnesses in the northern city of Mosul identified as an Opel a car which smashed through security barriers outside a police station to explode, killing nine Iraqis and injuring 45 others.

Four days earlier, gunmen in a rust-coloured Opel opened fire on a CNN news crew on the outskirts of Baghdad, killing two staff and grazing a cameraman on the head.

And on January 22, when attackers sprayed a minibus killing five Christian laundry women on their way to work at a US military base at Habbaniyah, near the rebel flashpoint town of Fallujah, they made their getaway in... an Opel.

51 of 63 attacks

In the northern oil centre of Kirkuk, the scene of 63 attacks against the police in the past six months, 51 involved Opel cars, Kirkuk police chief General Turhan Yusef said.

"Fifteen policemen have been killed and 53 injured during these attacks," he said. 42 of 63 attacks

Police in Mosul say their statistics show that out of 63 deadly guerrilla attacks logged in the past 10 months, 42 involved Opels, compared to seven using BMWs, 13 Volkswagens and just one Japanese car.

"The speed of the car and also the sliding roof feature in some models are all important elements of why the resistance prefers Opels," said Mosul police chief General Hekmat Mohammad.

"Also, because there are so many of them, it is easy for them to escape unnoticed."

In Baghdad's Habibia second hand car district, dealers also identified the Opel's key selling points for insurgents.

"The cars are strong, fast and inexpensive," said dealer Abdul Sadher Hamid al-Hashim, selling a 1991 Black Opel Omega for the knock-down price of $2 300 (R16 000).

"But because all of them are new in Iraq, they are not listed on any computers and so they're difficult to trace," Hashim said, adding that he had been in trouble for selling an Opel he later discovered was stolen.

Fellow dealer Mohammed Shabith said Opels accounted for 80% of his trade, but was less convinced of their appeal to guerrillas.

"Sure, it's a strong, fast and cheap car, but with the money these people get paid for the attacks, they don't care about cost."

A spokesperson for Opel said it would be inappropriate to comment.

But for one resident of Fallujah, where police say Opels are also a favourite with ordinary thieves, there was no doubt.

"I'm going to sell my Opel, I'm sick and tired of being pulled over by the police looking for terrorists," he said, asking not to be named.

US fights Iraq fire with street fighters

May 25, 2005

By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - With the Iraqi resistance showing no signs of wavering and extending its roots deep into the population, the US has realized that to counter this threat it must change its approach.

Asia Times Online has learned that the US, instead of training up a regular professional Iraqi army, will create what in effect will be armed militias, acting under US central command, to take the militias of the resistance on at their own game.

The Iraqi resistance against the presence of foreign forces in the country has had many faces. Initially, the ousted Ba'ath Party's security committee, members of the Iraqi military and para-military forces were the main drivers.

Later, after many of the top brass were arrested and others were forced to flee, many to Syria - including Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri (there are doubts that the former No 2 in Saddam Hussein's regime died while in Syria) - the resistance lost its central command. Various Islamic groups filled the vacuum, and they have dominated the resistance ever since.

In the meantime, various groups, including former communists, members of the Ba'ath Party and even those who were against the Saddam regime, organized themselves in different European countries. These groups played an important role in adding a political face to the resistance: they sent representatives to various Arab countries and finally succeeded in coordinating their activities with those in the field in Iraq.

Recent meetings of the so-called Higher Committee for National Forces (a grouping of Iraqi resistance bodies) and the 16th Arab National Congress held in Algiers played a pivotal role in building consensus among various Iraqi communist, Islamic, Ba'athist and nationalist groups on several issues, such as the right of Iraqis to defend themselves against foreign aggression and imperialism, and the right of Iraq to demand a political process untainted by occupation and which reflects the uninhibited will of the Iraqi people for a pluralistic and democratic Iraq.

The groups also condemned the continued occupation of Iraq and the establishment of any permanent US bases in the country, the privatization of the Iraqi economy and foreign corporations' unrestricted access to Iraq's resources.

On this common ground, the central command of the resistance reorganized its activities, a key to which was merging mohallah-level (street-level) Islamic groups scattered in their hundreds across Iraq to work toward a common goal - defeating the occupation. In turn, these militias would co-opt common folk into their struggle, so that, literally, the streets would be alive with resistance.

Aware of this development, the US has accepted that no conventional military force can cope with such a resistance, and therefore similar mohallah-level combat forces are needed.

According to Asia Times Online contacts, these US-backed militias will comprise three main segments - former Kurdish peshmerga (paramilitaries), former members of the Badr Brigade and those former members of the Ba'ath Party and the Iraqi army who were part of the Saddam regime but who have now thrown in their lot with the new Iraqi government.

All three segments have already been equipped with low- and medium-level weapons purchased from various countries, including Pakistan. Military analysts believe the US military in Iraq will use the Kurd and Shi'ite militias to quell the resistance in central and northern Iraq, while in the south the former Ba'athists and old-guard Iraqi soldiers will be used against anti-US Shi'ite groups.

To date, the Iraqi army has only been supplied with small arms - air and armored forces are still in the hands of the US Army - and there is no indication that the US will hand over any of this, or high-tech equipment, to the Iraqis.

Iraq's future now seems to be in the hands of militias, under the command of the US on the one side and militias under the command of the resistance on the other; reminiscent of wartime Lebanon and Vietnam.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 512-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Kyle M. Hemauer, 21, of Manassas, Va., died in Afghanistan, of non-combat related injuries. Hemauer was assigned to the Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division, Manassas, Va.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 511-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Antwan L. Walker, 22, of Tampa, Fla., died May 18 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when his camp was attacked by enemy forces using indirect fire. Walker was assigned to the Army's 2nd Forward Support Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 510-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Steven C. Tucker, 19, of Grapevine, Texas, died May 21, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained near Shinkay, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Tucker was assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 509-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Joshua T. Brazee, 25, of Sand Creek, Mich., died May 23, in Al Qaim, Iraq, from non-combat related injuries. Brazee was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 508-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Kenneth J. Schall, 22, of Peoria, Ariz., died May 22, in Yusafiyah, Iraq, when the HMMWV in which he was riding was involved in an accident. Schall was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty No. 503-05 IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 23, 2005

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Kurt D. Schamberg, 26, of Euclid, Ohio, died May 20, in Baghdad, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Schamberg was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y.

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