Free Republic

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2006 – A Latvian soldier and Iraqi civilians were injured in Iraq in separate incidents and Iraqi security forces found a bomb in Fallujah, U.S. military officials reported. The Latvian guard was injured by small-arms fire today in al Kut when unidentified gunmen fired at an observation post in the Multinational Division Central South area of responsibility. The guards returned fire. The wounded soldier was transported to a military medical facility, where his condition is stable. Five Iraqi citizens were injured Jan. 19 when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near Forward Operating Base Summerall in...

Latvians may see the years of Nazi and Soviet rule as a dark age in their history, but they have always been determined to joke about them as well. "What's the difference between communism and capitalism - under capitalism people exploit other people and under communism it's the other way round." Soviet-era joke The Occupation Museum in the capital Riga recently decided to pay tribute to the funnier side of Moscow diktat, organising last Wednesday an evening of anecdotes poking fun at the Soviet regime. Dozens of people gathered amid portraits of Josef Stalin and photos of KGB operatives to...