Free Republic

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2007 – The beginning of a new offensive targeting al Qaeda in the Iraqi city of Baqubah highlights recent operations reported by military officials in Iraq. Troops began Operation Arrowhead Ripper in Baqubah today, killing 22 insurgents in a large-scale effort to eliminate al Qaeda members. The 2nd Infantry Division’s 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team launched the offensive with a quick-strike night air assault early this morning. By daylight, attack helicopters and ground forces had engaged and killed the enemy fighters in and around Baqubah. “The end state is to destroy the al Qaeda influences in this...

The Washington Post warns of "Pakistan's Awkward Balancing Act on Islamic Militant Groups." But if one looks closely at the actions of Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, it is clear that he has made his choice to side with the West, there's no going back, and he is beyond the pale of reconciliation with his country's lunatic Islamists. The scale has tipped to one side. It is time for Musharraf to explicitly say so and do so, as he'll never appease Pakistan's radicals. Here's an excerpt from the Post: The basic problem for Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, is that he...