Roadside bomb kills five in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed an Afghan intelligence official, three bodyguards and one other man in southern
Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.

Semper Fi

French special forces officer killed in Afghanistan

PARIS (AFP) - A French special forces officer was killed in clashes with Taliban forces in southern Afghanistan, the defence ministry and the military said in a joint statement.

I didn't even know France had troops in Afghanistan.

Semper Fi

At least 9 killed in attack near Baghdad

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least nine people were killed on Saturday in two separate attacks in an area southeast of Baghdad torn by sectarian violence, police said.

A mortar round landed in a crowded market near a bus station and killed seven people and wounded 20 in the town of Gisr Diyala near Salman Pak, while a car bomb near a police checkpoint in Salman Pak killed two civilians and wounded three police officers.

Semper Fi

Lance Cpl. John J. Thornton

3/3/06 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

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

Lance Cpl. John J. Thornton, 22, of Phoenix, Ariz., died Feb. 25 of wounds received as a result of an enemy mortar attack in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Semper Fi

Sgt. Joshua V. Youmans

3/3/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Sgt. Joshua V. Youmans, 26, of Flushing, Mich., died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on March 1, from injuries sustained in Habbaniyah, Iraq on Nov. 21, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Youmans was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion,125th Infantry Regiment, Saginaw, Mich.

Semper Fi

Pfc. Tina M. Priest

3/3/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Pfc. Tina M. Priest, 20, of Austin, Texas, died in Taji, Iraq on March 1, from non-combat related injury. Priest was assigned to the 4th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Divison, Fort Hood, Texas.

Semper Fi

AP: AC-130 Gunships Returning to Iraq

AN AIR BASE IN IRAQ - The U.S. Air Force has begun moving heavily armed AC-130 airplanes — the lethal "flying gunships" of the Vietnam War — to a base in Iraq as commanders search for new tools to counter the Iraqi resistance, The Associated Press has learned.

And I thought everything in Iraq was going soooooooo well. The "Puff" gunships are for one thing and one thing only, to kill alot of people, quickly!

Semper Fi

General won't end practice of planting paid-for stories

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The top US commander in Iraq said he does not intend to end the military's practice of paying to place favorable stories in the Iraqi press.

General George Casey said an investigation found that the military had acted "within our authorities and responsibilities" in planting paid-for stories in the press through a contractor.

The Iraqi press, brought to by th U.S. Army.

Semper Fi

Police Gear Up For Expected Protest At Soldier's Funeral

TheIndyChannel.com

KOKOMO, Ind. -- Police will have a new legal weapon as they prepare for the Monday funeral of a Kokomo soldier killed in Iraq.

It's a sad day when you have to enact a law, to keep protesters from a funeral of a soldier.

Semper Fi

MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-WEST SOLDIER KILLED - CENTCOM

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – A Soldier assigned to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Multi-National Force-West died March 1 due to enemy action while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar Province.

The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of next of kin and will be released by the Department of Defense.

Semper Fi

Suicide bomb wounds Canadian troops in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Five Canadian soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in a suspected suicide car bomb attack on Friday on their armored vehicle in southern Afghanistan, the Canadian military said.

Semper Fi

U.S. Rapped for Refusing Visas as Iraqi Women Embark on Unique Visit

NEW YORK, Mar 2 (OneWorld) - The U.S. government is unduly restricting visits by victims of the Iraq war, peace groups say as they prepare to host a scaled-down delegation of Iraqi women on a first-of-its-kind speaking tour of America.

All of these women should have the opportunity to speak. What does the U.S. have to fear. That these two may want to stay in the U.S.

Semper Fi

At least 19 killed in attack on Iraq town

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen raided a small town near Baghdad and shot dead at least 19 people in what police said on Friday was a sectarian attack by Sunnis on Shi'ites, latest in a string of killings since a Shi'ite shrine was bombed last week.

Among the dead were Shi'ite migrant laborers shot down at a brick factory in a dusk raid on Thursday by a suspected al Qaeda-linked group. One local politician said at least 25 died, among them three children.

Semper Fi

Pfc. Benjamin C. Schuster

3/2/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Pfc. Benjamin C. Schuster, 21, of Williamsville, N.Y., died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Feb. 25, from a gunshot wound. Schuster was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 101st Cavalry Regiment, Buffalo, N.Y.

Semper Fi

Master Sgt. Emigdio E. Elizarraras

3/2/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casaulty

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

Master Sgt. Emigdio E. Elizarraras, 37, of Pico Rivera, Calif., died in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan on Feb. 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during a reconnaissance mission. Elizarraras was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Semper Fi

Pace: Torture, Killings Widespread in Iraq

AP - SYDNEY, Australia - Human rights abuses in Iraq are as bad now as they were under Saddam Hussein, as lawlessness and sectarian violence sweep the country, the former U.N. human rights chief in Iraq said Thursday.

John Pace, who last month left his post as director of the human rights office at the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, said the level of extra-judicial executions and torture is soaring, and morgue workers are being threatened by both government-backed militia and insurgents not to properly investigate deaths.

Semper Fi

Bomber Kills U.S. Diplomat in Pakistan

AP - KARACHI, Pakistan - A suicide attacker rammed a car packed with explosives into a vehicle carrying an American diplomat in Pakistan's largest city, killing four people — including the diplomat — ahead of President Bush's visit to Pakistan.

Bush condemned the attack near the U.S. Consulate and a luxury hotel in Karachi, and said "terrorists and killers" would not prevent him from going to Pakistan on the final leg of his tour of South Asia.

Semper Fi

Sgt. Dimitri Muscat

3/1/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Sgt. Dimitri Muscat, 21, of Aurora, Colo., died in Balad, Iraq, on Feb. 24, of non-combat related injuries sustained earlier that day in Samarra, Iraq. Muscat was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Semper Fi

Spc. Clay P. Farr Spc. Joshua U. Humble

3/1/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died in Baghdad, Iraq on Feb. 26, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during patrol operations. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division of Fort Drum, N.Y.

Killed were:

Spc. Clay P. Farr, 21, of Bakersfield, Calif.

Spc. Joshua U. Humble, 21, of Appleton, Maine.

Semper Fi

Pvt. Joshua F. Powers

3/1/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Pvt. Joshua F. Powers, 21, of Skiatook, Okla., died in Baghdad, Iraq on Feb. 24, from a non-combat related injury. Powers was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Semper Fi

Staff Sgt. Christopher J. Schornak

3/1/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. Christopher J. Schornak, 28, of Hoover, Ala., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 26, when his dismounted patrol was engaged by enemy forces using small arms fire. Schornak was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Semper Fi

Home Of Killed Soldier's Family Vandalized

TheIndyChannel.com

Police Monitoring Property

KOKOMO, Ind. -- A slain soldier's family has been the target of vandalism and prank phone calls in the days since he died, police and a family acquaintance said.

Wrong! Just freakin wrong!

Semper Fi

Spc. Joshua M. Pearce

3/1/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Spc. Joshua M. Pearce, 21, of Guymon, Okla., died in Mosul, Iraq, on Feb. 26, when an improvised explosive device detonated near Stryker military vehicle during patrol operations. Pearce was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

Semper Fi

Iraq Sunni clerics blame Shi'ites, US for violence

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's main Sunni Muslim religious organization, accusing the Shi'ite-led government and U.S. forces of involvement in attacks by Shi'ite militiamen, called on Wednesday on the community to protect its mosques.

Semper Fi

Baghdad Burning

River Bends Monday 2/27/06 post.

Go read!

Semper Fi

Lance Cpl. Adam J. Vanalstine

2/28/06 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

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

Lance Cpl. Adam J. Vanalstine, 21, of Superior, Wis., died Feb. 25, from an improvised explosive device in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Semper Fi

Sgt. Jessie Davila

2/28/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Sgt. Jessie Davila, 29, of Greensburg, Kan., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 20, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Davila was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 137th Infantry, Lawrence, Kan.

Semper Fi

Staff Sgt. Curtis T. Howard II
Sgt. Gordon F. Misner II
Spc. Thomas J. Wilwerth

2/28/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died near Balad, Iraq, on Feb. 22, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Bradley Fighting Vehicle. All three soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Curtis T. Howard II, 32, of Ann Arbor, Mich.

Sgt. Gordon F. Misner II, 23, of Sparks, Nev.

Spc. Thomas J. Wilwerth, 21, of Mastic, N.Y.

Semper Fi

DIA Chief Warns of More Afghan Violence

WASHINGTON - Painting a bleak picture of U.S. military operations overseas, the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress on Tuesday that violence in Afghanistan increased 20 percent last year.

"We judge insurgents now represent a greater threat to the expansion of Afghan government authority than at any point since late 2001, and will be active this spring," said Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, the DIA chief.

In other words Bushco should have defeated al-Qaida in Afghanistan before invading Iraq.

Semper Fi

Fallen Indiana Marine Honored In Statehouse Ceremony

IndyChannel.com -- A fallen Hoosier hero was honored and remembered in a ceremony Monday morning, almost two years after he was killed in Iraq.

The U.S. Marine Corps and Indiana House of Representatives memorialized Pfc. Deryk Hallal, 24, by awarding him posthumously with a Bronze Star.

Semper Fi

US soldier killed, two wounded, in Afghan clash

KABUL (Reuters) - A U.S. soldier was killed and two wounded on Tuesday in a clash with insurgents in Afghanistan's central province of Uruzgan in which seven suspected Taliban guerrillas were captured, the U.S. military said.

Semper Fi

SOLDIER KILLED BY SMALL-ARMS FIRE-CENTCOM

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier was killed by small-arms fire west of Baghdad Feb. 27.

The name of the Soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Semper Fi

SOLDIER DIES FROM NON-COMBAT RELATED INJURIES-CENTCOM

TIKRIT, Iraq – A Task Force Band of Brothers Soldier with the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division died from non-combat related injuries Feb. 24 at Forward Operating Base McKenzie.

The name of the Soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Semper Fi

MND-B SOLDIER KILLED BY SMALL ARMS FIRE-CENTCOM

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier was killed by small-arms fire at approximately 8 p.m. Feb. 26 in central Baghdad.

The name of the Soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Semper Fi

IRAQ : GF Marine seriously wounded

Family flies out to D.C. to meet him today

By Susanne Nadeau Herald Staff Writer

A Grand Forks man is in serious condition after the Humvee he manned drove over a roadside bomb in Ramadi, Iraq, over the weekend, according to his father.

Lance Cpl. Ben Lunak, 21, took shrapnel to his stomach and back and may lose part of his leg, his father, former City Council member Duane Lunak, said Monday.

Semper Fi

Think Progress- 72% of U.S. Troops Want Out of Iraq Within One Year

Almost 3/4 of our troops in Iraq want out.

Semper Fi

36 Killed in Four Explosions in Baghdad

AP-BAGHDAD, Iraq - Four explosions rocked the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing at least 36 people and prompting fears that sectarian violence was continuing following last week's bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine.

Semper Fi

Louise Slaughters Email

Monay, February 27, 2006

Dear Carl,

Last week, my office from the House Rules Committee released a report, America for Sale: The Cost of Republican Corruption , which explains how the Republican culture of corruption is harming our country. For the first time, this report tries to quantify the damage the Republican Congress and Bush White House have inflicted on our country. It shows how the harmful policies Republicans have passed into law over the past few years are the result of a corrupt process that gives "K Street Project" lobbyists more power to shape legislation than the legislators the people have elected to represent them in Washington.

To view the report in its entirety, click here

I urge you to read this report and share it with your family, friends, neighbors who may not be as politically plugged in as you all. Invite them to read this important report today by using this link:

http://www.votelouise.com/page/invite/AmericaforSale

They have a right to know that their government is working on behalf of the special interests, not the public interest. Our report clearly demonstrates that when the GOP Congressional leaders allow Republican lobbyists to set the agenda and write the bills, the American people suffer the consequences. While the special interests walk away with billions of dollars in tax breaks, subsidies, and federal contracts, Americans must live with the bad laws this system produces. The political corruption we associate with now-notorious figures such as Duke Cunningham and Jack Abramoff comes at a very real cost to each and every one of us.

America for Sale, explains in detail how, under the control of the Republican party:

* 14.2 million American seniors (including millions of our sickest and most vulnerable seniors) are stuck in a complicated, expensive, and inefficient Medicare prescription drug program because the Republican Congress and the Bush Administration allowed lobbyists from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries to design this program.

* 60 million American families who heat their homes with natural gas and 8 million families who heat with heating oil are paying higher bills this winter, even though the Republican Congress recently passed their "national energy plan" into law. Although this plan gives the energy industry billions in new tax breaks and subsidies, it doesn't lower prices for consumers or make our country more energy independent.

* The 150,000 U.S. troops currently deployed in Iraq may not have the equipment they need because of waste, fraud and cronyism by the Republican Congress and the Department of Defense. While Halliburton and other companies with Republican connections get their contracts, our soldiers still don't have the body armor and armored vehicles they need to fight the war.

* 750,000 households in the Gulf regions are still displaced today, more than 5 months after Hurricane Katrina hit that region, at least in part because the political hacks the Bush Administration put in charge of crucial homeland security functions were not adequately prepared to prepare for or respond to this disaster.

* More than 10 million students and their families will have larger student loans to repay because House Republicans, led by new Majority Leader John Boehner working hand-in-hand with his commercial loan industry allies, cut $12 billion from the student loan program in the recent reconciliation bill and shifted the costs on to students and their families.

These are just some of the examples from the report which shows how the recent unprecedented, subversion of our legislative process and federal government is not simply an "inside the beltway" problem. Again, please read the report and pass it on to your family, friends, and neighbors by clicking here:

http://www.votelouise.com/page/invite/AmericaforSale

Thank you again for all you do to restore faith in our democracy.

In Solidarity,

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter

Semper Fi

Army threatens to storm Afghan jail after two-day standoff

KABUL (AFP) - A standoff between security forces and hundreds of rioting inmates at Afghanistan's main jail dragged into a second day, with the army threatening to storm a seized cell block if negotiations failed.

Semper Fi

Army to Pay Halliburton Unit Most Costs Disputed by Audit

By JAMES GLANZ

The Army has decided to reimburse a Halliburton subsidiary for nearly all of its disputed costs on a $2.41 billion no-bid contract to deliver fuel and repair oil equipment in Iraq, even though the Pentagon's own auditors had identified more than $250 million in charges as potentially excessive or unjustified.

This should be an out rage to every taxpayer. The army decides because its war and halliburton did a okay job, to go ahead a pay them for the illegal business transactions. Simply an out rage. How much you want to bet that Cheney has been nosing around the pentagon.

Semper Fi

Bomb Explosions Kill Two GIs, 3 Iraqis

AP-BAGHDAD, Iraq - A bomb exploded Sunday at a crowded bus station south of Baghdad, killing at least two people and injuring four, police said. Two U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi police officer were killed in other explosions.

Semper Fi

MND-B SOLDIER DIES FROM NON-COMBAT RELATED INJURIES-CENTCOM

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldier died from non-combat related injuries Feb. 24.

The name of the Soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The incident is under investigation.

Semper Fi