Official US Sources
Blogs, New Media & MSM

Top Stories
Mudville Gazette: The Theater of War (part one)
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 2, 2010 12:45 pm
You may have heard that combat in Iraq ended this month. You may even believe it. If so, the following could explain why. Heres a graph from an earlier post, with a couple of additions. This depicts American combat deaths in Iraq from late 2006 to now, as recorded and reported by icasualties.org. For a full explanation of what youre seeing, click here. The vertical dashed line is at January, 2009 - when Barack Obama became President of the..

Blackfive: Today is "Travis Patriquin Day"
Blogs & New MediaAugust 31, 2010 10:23 am
Today, we'll get one helluva great speech from President Obama after his phone call to President Bush. President Obama will focus on the good work that the troops have done. Many deserve credit for today. Among them are many who won't hear the President's speech. Today should be Travis Patriquin Day. If you don't know about Travis, go here to read why there is a town square named after him in one of the most (formerly) dangerous cities in Iraq. There are a lot of debates about whether it was the Sunni awakening, the Marines tactics, General Petraeus' strategy, McMaster in Tal Afar, etc. for the turn around in Iraq. But you can't really debate what Patriquin did. He was the ignition switch. And Travis Patriquin paid for it with his life. But, like thousands of others, today could be Doug Zembiec Day. Hoby Bradfield Day. Mike Stokely Day. Chris Rudzinski Day. Casey Sheehan Day. Ian Malone Day. Terry Barnich Day. Bobby Warns Day. Or Mat Schram Day

Mudville Gazette: When did the actual last combat brigade return from Iraq?
Blogs & New MediaAugust 23, 2010 1:10 pm
(Introductory note: Marines and fans of Marines click here. End of story.) No doubt theres something else on TV now - but last week I caught a bit of the coverage of the last American combat brigade leaving Iraq. I wonder if this marks the series finale for this particular program - one thats only been broadcast sporadically since 2007 anyway. Heres a very brief clip: The Pentagon is letting NBC make the announcement for them... Im not sure if..

More News

Blackfive: Soldiers' Angels Project V.A.L.O.U.R. - I.T. in People Magazine
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 9:20 pm
Thanks to Susan Katz Keating, our friend,Chuck Ziegenfuss, was in a story about Soldiers' Angels Project V.A.L.O.U.R. - IT in People Magazine. It's in the current issue. Here's a copy of the cover

Blackfive: Iraqi TV Prank Show
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 8:35 pm
Tantor sends this gem: All during Ramadan the Iraqi TV show "Put Him In [Camp] Bucca" has been planting fake bombs in the cars of prominent Iraqis, busting them at bogus checkpoints, and filming the fun. To add to the comedy, the cops tell him they may have to execute him. And really, what's funnier than a car bomb? There's a video of one caper, which is funny even if you don't understand Arabic: http://hotair.com/archives/2010/09/03/fun-new-iraqi-tv-prank-show-planting-fake-bombs-in-peoples-cars-at-security-checkpoints/ Those silly Iraqis. #End Posted via email from blackfive's posterou

Bill Roggio: Suicide bomber strikes police station in Tajikistan
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 4:25 pm
One policeman was killed, 30 were wounded, and one is missing after a suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a police headquarters in Khujand

Blackfive: Me Krauthammer
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 2:09 pm
Matt highlights another in an endless stream of spot on pieces from Charles Krauthammer. I read it and it made me feel good because me amp; Dr. K were on the same sheet of music. I know that I don't play in his league, I don't think anyone does since WFB is gone. But I felt like a happy apprentice who got confirmation of being on target with the piece I wrote while Obama was blathering. UJ: He is uninspiring and it is obvious that he considers the fight against Islamic extremists to be a distraction from his true mission, fundamentally transforming and rescuing America from its failed past. Dr. K: These wars are a distraction, unwanted interference with his true vocation -- transforming America. UJ: When Obama announced more troops for Afghanistan he also announced the date of our withdrawal and he doubled down on that gutless, feckless and failure of a policy again. Dr. K: Such an impression could only have been reinforced when, given the opportunity in his Oval Office address this week to dispel the widespread perception in Afghanistan that America is leaving, Obama doubled down on his ambivalence. UJ: Get back to bankrupting our economy Mr. President, our military will carry on without the leadership you cannot bring. Dr. K: He could not have made more clear where his priorities lie, and how much he sees foreign policy -- war policy -- as subordinate to his domestic ambitions. UJ: Obama is a politician and that is where he feels comfortable. he even felt obligated to remind us that “ending” the Iraq War was a campaign promise of his. Dr. K: Most emphatically from Iraq, where Obama has long made clear that his objective is simply ending combat operations by an arbitrary deadline -- despite the fact that a new government has not been formed and all our hard-won success hangs in the balance -- in order to address the more paramount concern: keeping a campaign promise. Up next I will compare my radio chops to Rush Limbaugh. Let the UJ abuse begin

Bill Roggio: Taliban kill 55 in suicide attacks against religious minorities in Quetta and Mardan
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 1:49 pm
Fifty-four Shia were killed during a protest in Quetta and an Ahmadi was killed at a mosque in Mardan

Blackfive: Presidential military leadership "Scandalous"
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 12:19 pm
Probably the most important column that you'd read today is from Charles Krauthammer about President Obama's reasons for setting a hard withdrawal date for Afghanistan. ...How did Obama come to this decision? "Our Afghan policy was focused as much as anything on domestic politics," an Obama adviser told the New York Times' Peter Baker. "He would not risk losing the moderate to centrist Democrats in the middle of health insurance reform and he viewed that legislation as the make-or-break legislation for his administration." If this is true, then Obama's military leadership can only be called scandalous... Read the whole piece at the WashPo. And over at Commentary, Peter Wehner, adds more. ...Here is a paragraph from a June 23 Washington Post article on the controversy then surrounding General Stanley McChrystal: McChrystal’s apparent disdain for his civilian colleagues, and the facts on the ground in Afghanistan, have exposed the enduring fault lines in the agreement Obama forged last fall among policymakers and military commanders. In exchange for approving McChrystal’s request for more troops and treasure, Obama imposed, and the military accepted, two deadlines sought by his political aides. In December, one year after the strategy was announced, the situation would be reviewed and necessary adjustments made. In July 2011, the troops would begin to come home. [emphasis added] These are damning admissions — war policies not only being influenced by partisan considerations but in important respects being driven by them. In embracing a new counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, President Obama made the right decision. At the same time, he made a political accommodation on the withdrawal date, which we now know is undermining our efforts... Read the whole piece at Commentary. I believe that most reasonable people would agree that socialized medicine should not be the driving factor in military decisions. To be fair, this is the text of President Obama's speech on the end of combat operations in Iraq, which we should note, turned into a speech about the American economy:...Within Afghanistan, I have ordered the deployment of additional troops who–under the command of General David Petraeus –are fighting to break the Taliban’s momentum. As with the surge in Iraq, these forces will be in place for a limited time to provide space for the Afghans to build their capacity and secure their own future. But, as was the case in Iraq, we cannot do for Af

Mudville Gazette: The Theater of War (part two)
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 12:04 pm
Continuing a discussion begun here. Heres our combined Iraq violence chart from the previous entry (click the graphic for a larger version): Two points cant be denied: Enemy attacks (security incidents), along with deaths of Iraqi civilians and American troops, plunged rapidly throughout the summer and fall of 2007, and continued downward thereafter. Violence was ongoing in Iraq. Rather than describe how this period of rapid decline in violence was described to the American public via the media, Ill let..

Blackfive: Marine Special Operations to get the new SCAR
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 11:32 am
The Marine Corps Times reported last week that: Corps’ special operators to get new rifle By Tony Lombardo The MK17 SCAR-Heavy fires 7.62mm rounds from a 20-round magazine and features inter changeable barrels measuring 13, 16 and 20 inches. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command is in line to receive 250 ambidextrous MK17s and other SCAR variants within a year, said Air Force Maj. Wes Ticer, a spokesman for U.S. Spe cial Operations Command. “Currently, there is no assault rifle in our inventory with the 7.62 round,” Ticer said. Additionally, MARSOC may soon field the MK13 grenade launcher and MK20 sniper rifle, Ticer said. The launcher features atelescoping buttstock, allowing it to be used independently or while mounted to a SCAR rifle. It fires all types of 40mm grenades with an effective point range of 100 meters, and 300 meters for an area target. Special Operational Combat Assault rifles — SCARs for short — are intended to augment or replace a handful of SOCOM weapons, including the 5.56mm M4A1 carbine, 5.56mm MK18 close-quarter carbine, 7.62mm MK11 sniper security rifle, 5.56mm MK12 special purpose rifle and the 7.62mm M14 long-range rifle. A 5.56mm SCAR, the MK16 SCAR-Light, was also cleared for full-rate production, but SOCOM has no current plans to purchase it, Ticer said. It lacks a significant “performance advantage” over the M4 to warrant the expense, Ticer said.... More here at NBC13 It's been at least 4-5 decades since the Colt AR (M16 etc) was introduced. 'Bout time

Bill Roggio: US Predators strike in North Waziristan: Report
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 11:30 am
The attack took place in Miramshah, the headquarters of the Haqqani Network

Blackfive: Return Fire
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 11:10 am
As seen through a night-vision device, U.S. Army Sgt. Joseph P. Khamvongsa returns fire against an insurgent attack on Combat Outpost Badel, Afghanistan, Aug. 25. 2010. Khamvongsa, a forward observer, is assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Gary A. Witt

Blackfive: The Wedding of the Century
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 10:23 am
Is happening this weekend in Indy. I'll be there in style with Mrs. BlackFive representing you all. Here is TSO's post about getting married. Any suggestions on activities or things to prevent the groom from making a break for Guatemala

Mudville Gazette: The Event
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 10:01 am
Or how I spent my summer vacation. A full re-cap of the American Legion National Convention at Burn Pit. It was a pleasure to be the Legions guest at Milwaukee - this is a group truly plugged in to veterans and national security issues. Stand by for more announcements on projects Ive got in the works with these fine folks... But Ive moved slightly southward from Wisconsin, for THE event of the weekend. Remember this story? When Caro and I..

Mudville Gazette: Jonn Lilyea: Yeah, I talked with the Discovery Channel gunman
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 3, 2010 9:41 am
Jonn Lilyea: Yeah, I talked with the Discovery Channel gunman. Apparently James Lee turned up at Code Pink/Iraq Veterans Against War rallies, so Al Gore environmentalism wasnt his only passion. Video interviews at the link...

Progress in Kandahar Will be Gradual, General Says
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
Progress in Afghanistan must be gradual and slow to ensure it becomes permanent, Army Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez said while visiting an outpost in Afghanistan with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

Gates Sees 'Positive Direction' in Afghanistan
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he is encouraged by what he saw during a visit with troops serving in Afghanistan.

Marine Follows Family Heritage
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
Marine Corps Sgt. Dominick Valerio joined the military because the men in his family have always defended America's freedom.

Trainers Build New Afghan Health System
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
Some 250 members of a nine-month-old medical training advisory group are standing back to enable Afghans to step up and increase their capability.

First Lady, Dr. Biden: Support Military Families
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
In her latest blog, AFPS' Elaine Wilson highlights an op-ed written by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden that urges Americans to support troops and their families.

Coalition, Afghan Forces Rescue Prisoners
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
A combined Afghan-coalition force was pursuing a senior Taliban leader when it found and rescued seven imprisoned Afghan citizens during an operation in Helmand province.

Border Mission 'Not Unique' for Guardsmen
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
For the nearly 1,100 National Guard members on duty on the Southwest border, the job they are performing is a mission that is very familiar to many of them.

Petraeus Explains Afghanistan Strategy
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
While military action is necessary in Afghanistan, it's not sufficient for success, said U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, explaining the need for "population-centric" operations.

General Seeks to Build Professional, Sustainable Afghan Forces
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 3, 2010 1:00 am
Building Afghan security forces that are capable, professional and sustainable is going to take a long time, but also is key to long-term success, the general who leads the NATO training mission in Afghanistan said.

Bill Roggio: Libya frees ex-Gitmo detainee
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 2, 2010 4:44 pm
The Libyan government has freed a former Gitmo detainee, who served al Qaeda and the Taliban for almost a decade, as part of its reconciliation process with terrorists and extremists

Bill Roggio: 20 Haqqani Network fighters killed in failed assault on US base in Paktika
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 2, 2010 12:49 pm
The attack is the third on a US outpost in eastern Afghanistan in four days

Mudville Gazette: The Theater of War (part one)
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 2, 2010 12:45 pm
You may have heard that combat in Iraq ended this month. You may even believe it. If so, the following could explain why. Heres a graph from an earlier post, with a couple of additions. This depicts American combat deaths in Iraq from late 2006 to now, as recorded and reported by icasualties.org. For a full explanation of what youre seeing, click here. The vertical dashed line is at January, 2009 - when Barack Obama became President of the..

Bill Roggio: Uzbek terror commander serving as Taliban shadow governor targeted by US special forces
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 2, 2010 11:38 am
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan commander serves as the Taliban's deputy shadow governor for Takhar province. ISAF and Afghan forces have pursued the IMU in the north over the past month

Objective in Pakistan is to Help, Mullen Says
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 2, 2010 1:00 am
Though relief efforts may help people in flood-ravaged Pakistan and the rest of the world see the United States in a more favorable light than they had before, the U.S. objective here simply is to help, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

Afghanistan Now Has Forces, Resources, Petraeus Says
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 2, 2010 1:00 am
The forces are now in place to make major strides in Afghanistan, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said, with the vast majority of the 30,000 additional troops now in country.

U.S. Military Boosts Pakistan Aid Capabilities
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 2, 2010 1:00 am
The U.S. military is boosting its flood-relief capabilities to Pakistan by deploying more aircraft and increasing the number of aid distribution stations in the flood-stricken nation, the Pakistan aid task force commander said.

Taliban in Financial Trouble, General Says
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 2, 2010 1:00 am
The insurgency in southwestern Afghanistan is down to its "last card in the deck," the top military commander in the region said, citing Taliban cash flow problems and manning issues.

Gates, Karzai Discuss Way Ahead in Afghanistan
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 2, 2010 1:00 am
There are now enough resources in Afghanistan to deliver "tangible and lasting results," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a news conference in Kabul with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Afghanistan Gains Come at High Price, General Says
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 2, 2010 1:00 am
U.S. and coalition troops in southwestern Afghanistan have made significant gains in recent months, but not without sacrifice.

Air Strike Targets Senior Insurgent Leader
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 2, 2010 1:00 am
Coalition forces in Afghanistan employed a precision air strike against an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan senior member determined to be the deputy shadow governor for Takhar province.

Bill Roggio: Punjabi Taliban kill 29 in attacks on religious processions in Lahore
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 1, 2010 4:55 pm
The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Almi, another name for the Punjabi Taliban, claimed it carried out the attack

Blackfive: Obama's "Targeted Killings" in Court
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 1, 2010 4:46 pm
Reader Bruce C. sent the article below with some good questions about our targeted killing programs. Here is the article by Evan Perez in the Wall Street Journal: Suit Challenges Reach of U.S. 'Targeted Killings' ...The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights are taking aim at what the government calls its "targeted killing" program, which mostly uses Central Intelligence Agency-operated drones against suspected terrorists. The lawsuit was filed in federal court for the District of Columbia on behalf of the father of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Islamic cleric of Yemeni descent, who is believed to be targeted for extra-judicial killing for his alleged involvement in terror plots against the U.S. The administration hasn't publicly described its deliberations about Mr. Awlaki's fate, nor how it uses the secret drone program against suspected terrorists... Read the whole article here and then let's hear what you think in the Comments. Bruce writes: ...[These are] proactive lawsuits to provoke CIA/DoD into "proving" a person is enough of a danger to warrant targeted killing. OK, maybe there ought to be some kind of review on these killings if they're not part of war (and it's a fair debate if they are war or not), but a hearing in open court with the media and others present?...When a request for wiretaps is heard, it is held in a secret intelligence court with attorneys and judges holding TS/SCI clearances. That venue seems like the proper place for these targeted killing hearings, and that's only if they are necessary... BTW, Awlaki was the model citizen who 'counseled' Major Nidal Hassan who killed 13 Americans...among other things

Bill Roggio: US Treasury sanctions Pakistani Taliban, top two leaders
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 1, 2010 1:28 pm
Hakeemullah Mehsud and Waliur Rehman Mehsud have been designated as specially designated global terrorists for their sponsorship of terrorist acts in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US

Blackfive: Obama has learned nothing about being Commander in Chief
Blogs & New MediaSeptember 1, 2010 10:16 am
My reaction to Obama's speech was confirmation that this guy has near zero leadership ability. President Obama’s biggest problem as Commander in Chief is that he is not a leader. He is detached from the troops who fight our wars and they will never feel about him the way they did about George W. Bush. He is uninspiring and it is obvious that he considers the fight against Islamic extremists to be a distraction from his true mission, fundamentally transforming and rescuing America from its failed past. There was not a single moment in his speech where he spoke to the troops about their mission. He spoke about them in reverent tones, but he never articulated what we were fighting and why it really mattered. There is a reason for that, he has absolutely no rapport with them, he doesn’t understand them, and he has absolutely no clue how to lead them. Hell he really wishes he didn’t have to

Mullen Notes Iraq's Progress from 'Desperate' Situation
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 1, 2010 1:00 am
On his way to Baghdad to see the U.S. combat mission officially transfer to the civilian-led Operation New Dawn, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, paused to take stock of the progress he's seen in Iraq since he took office in 2007.

War in Iraq Over, U.S. Transitioning to Iraqi Forces
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 1, 2010 1:00 am
The war in Iraq is over and the United States is entering the final phase of the U.S. engagement in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

Air Force General Reflects on Iraq Duty Tour
American Forces Press ServiceSeptember 1, 2010 1:00 am
After spending more than a year coordinating airpower in Iraq and helping to ensure U.S. forces there drew down, the top airman in Iraq is headed home.