Deep Dark (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} wayback) wrote,@ 2003-08-12 10:20:00 |
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More clicks on the tourniquet
Its been a while, busy stuff going on. But these two, that just arrived from the Aussie ASBC are worth their weight in gold.
*UK inquiry hears of Iraq objections*
Two British defence intelligence officials objected to the Blair Government's dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before it was published last September, an inquiry has heard. Details of the objections emerged at the inquiry into the death of British weapons scientist David Kelly. Dr Kelly's apparent suicide followed his identification as the source of a BBC story which accused the Government of sexing-up evidence about Iraq's weapons.
On day one of the potentially explosive inquiry into Dr Kelly's death, Lord Hutton heard that in the view of his employer the Ministry of Defence, Dr Kelly was the top British expert on weapons of mass destruction. He had a full security clearance "on a need-to-know basis" for sensitive intelligence.
Score one for the BBC
A close friend who worked with Dr Kelly as a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq, Terence Taylor, said the scientist had appeared normal when he stayed with him only weeks before his death.
The inquiry heard evidence that two defence intelligence staff objected to the language used in the dossier on Iraqi weaponry that the Blair Government published last September.
But the chief of assessment staff for the Cabinet Office, Julian Miller, told the inquiry the document had not been transformed on the orders of Downing Street. He said Downing Street had nothing to do with the claim in the dossier that Iraq could deploy chemical or biological weapons within 45 minutes.
Then on whose orders had it been transformed? Who is responsible for the claim? Exactly how did it get there?
*US troops 'trigger happy', Iraqis say*
The US military is investigating claims that American troops have mistakenly shot dead at least six Iraqi civilians and two local police officers in recent days. The announcement came as the head of the Iraqi provisional government urged US troops to make more efforts to avoid civilian casualties.
Officials say it may have been a case of mistaken identity.
The head of the US-appointed Iraqi provisional government, Ibrahim Al Jaffri, says he has heard numerous complaints that US soldiers are 'trigger happy'. He says US troops should exercise more care before firing, particularly as most Iraqis have welcomed them into the country, even though the US is an occupying power.
They are not trigger happy, they are terrified, tired, hungry, sore, and they have no idea what they are doing there, how long they will be there or where the next attack is coming from. They are pissed off and they know that their government has hung them out to dry. Their judgement is getting worse and worse and, in some cases, they are taking out their frustrations on the Iraqis. Who are also angry, frustrated, hungry, hot, tired and have had enough of this idiot's game. There are another 40 days of searing heat to come. No bets on what will happen in those days, but it wont be good for anyone. Oh yes, and get this from Josh Marshall quoting UPI's Martin Walker on the troop strength issue.
You must read the whole article, it summarises perfectly the crack that the US has caught its tail in. I guessed long ago that it would take half a million troops to do the job, its nice to be agreed with, but the real issue is that the US is now actually surrounded and outnumbered, not far up that ladder is a massacre, its what happens to an outnumbered enemy, that or a surrender. How does it feel Bushie?
Its been a while, busy stuff going on. But these two, that just arrived from the Aussie ASBC are worth their weight in gold.
*UK inquiry hears of Iraq objections*
Two British defence intelligence officials objected to the Blair Government's dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction before it was published last September, an inquiry has heard. Details of the objections emerged at the inquiry into the death of British weapons scientist David Kelly. Dr Kelly's apparent suicide followed his identification as the source of a BBC story which accused the Government of sexing-up evidence about Iraq's weapons.
On day one of the potentially explosive inquiry into Dr Kelly's death, Lord Hutton heard that in the view of his employer the Ministry of Defence, Dr Kelly was the top British expert on weapons of mass destruction. He had a full security clearance "on a need-to-know basis" for sensitive intelligence.
Score one for the BBC
A close friend who worked with Dr Kelly as a United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq, Terence Taylor, said the scientist had appeared normal when he stayed with him only weeks before his death.
The inquiry heard evidence that two defence intelligence staff objected to the language used in the dossier on Iraqi weaponry that the Blair Government published last September.
But the chief of assessment staff for the Cabinet Office, Julian Miller, told the inquiry the document had not been transformed on the orders of Downing Street. He said Downing Street had nothing to do with the claim in the dossier that Iraq could deploy chemical or biological weapons within 45 minutes.
Then on whose orders had it been transformed? Who is responsible for the claim? Exactly how did it get there?
*US troops 'trigger happy', Iraqis say*
The US military is investigating claims that American troops have mistakenly shot dead at least six Iraqi civilians and two local police officers in recent days. The announcement came as the head of the Iraqi provisional government urged US troops to make more efforts to avoid civilian casualties.
- US military officials have confirmed they are investigating allegations that US troops shot dead a family of six, who accidentally drove through a new checkpoint near their Baghdad home.
- The military is also examining an incident in which at least two Iraqi police officers were killed by US troops.
Officials say it may have been a case of mistaken identity.
The head of the US-appointed Iraqi provisional government, Ibrahim Al Jaffri, says he has heard numerous complaints that US soldiers are 'trigger happy'. He says US troops should exercise more care before firing, particularly as most Iraqis have welcomed them into the country, even though the US is an occupying power.
They are not trigger happy, they are terrified, tired, hungry, sore, and they have no idea what they are doing there, how long they will be there or where the next attack is coming from. They are pissed off and they know that their government has hung them out to dry. Their judgement is getting worse and worse and, in some cases, they are taking out their frustrations on the Iraqis. Who are also angry, frustrated, hungry, hot, tired and have had enough of this idiot's game. There are another 40 days of searing heat to come. No bets on what will happen in those days, but it wont be good for anyone. Oh yes, and get this from Josh Marshall quoting UPI's Martin Walker on the troop strength issue.
Quite apart from issues of Arab resentment, religion and the remaining bands of Saddam Hussein loyalists, there is one simple reason why the stabilization of Iraq is proving so frustratingly difficult. By comparison with other similar peace- keeping missions in recent years, the place is very seriously under-policed.
Consider the Balkans. In proportion to their populations, three times as many troops were deployed in Kosovo as in Iraq, and in Bosnia twice as many. By Kosovo standards, there ought to be more than half a million troops in Iraq. But maintaining 180,000 British and American troops in Iraq is putting intense strain on the military manpower of both countries. There is no serious prospect of their deploying any more. Reinforcement will have to come from other countries -- and in far greater numbers than the 70 Ukrainian soldiers who flew in Sunday.
You must read the whole article, it summarises perfectly the crack that the US has caught its tail in. I guessed long ago that it would take half a million troops to do the job, its nice to be agreed with, but the real issue is that the US is now actually surrounded and outnumbered, not far up that ladder is a massacre, its what happens to an outnumbered enemy, that or a surrender. How does it feel Bushie?
