Bombs, Bullets Greet Shiites on Pilgrimage

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Muslim pilgrims' road to the holy city of Karbala was a highway of bullets and bombs for Shiites on Friday. Drive-by shootings and roadside and bus bombs killed or wounded 19 people, ratcheting up the sectarian tensions gripping
Iraq.

Semper Fi

Anti-War Protests Planned Across the World

SYDNEY, Australia - An anti-war rally in Australia kicked off what was expected to be a wave of global protests on Saturday, as campaigners marked the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq with a demand that coalition troops pull out.

Semper Fi

Baghdad Burning-River Bend

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Three Years...

[...]

The real fear is the mentality of so many people lately- the rift that seems to have worked it’s way through the very heart of the country, dividing people. It’s disheartening to talk to acquaintances- sophisticated, civilized people- and hear how Sunnis are like this, and Shia are like that… To watch people pick up their things to move to “Sunni neighborhoods” or “Shia neighborhoods”. How did this happen?

Go read River Bend!

Semper Fi

Task Force Band Of Brothers Soldier Killed - CENTCOM

TIKRIT, Iraq – A Task Force Band of Brothers Soldier from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division was shot and killed while manning an observation post in Samarra March 16.

The Soldier’s name is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification.

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Two US soldiers killed and one wounded in Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Two U.S. soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were killed and another wounded in an attack northwest of Tikrit on March 16, the U.S. military said in a statement on Saturday.

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US probe looks at allegations marines targeted civilians - AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US military has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that marines intentionally targeted civilians in a clash with insurgents in which 15 Iraqi civilians were killed, a military official said.

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Bomb Hits Afghan Convoy Carrying Bodies - AP

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A roadside bomb killed five policeman Friday as they traveled in a convoy transporting four bodies believed to be Macedonian workers kidnapped in southern Afghanistan a week ago, a senior official said.

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Sectarian Violence Increases in Iraq - AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Muslim pilgrims' road to the holy city of Karbala was a highway of bullets and bombs for Shiites on Friday. Drive-by shootings and roadside and bus bombs killed or wounded 19 people, ratcheting up the sectarian tensions gripping Iraq.

Semper Fi

Operation Overblown - Back to Iraq 3.0

BAGHDAD — Operation Swarmer is turning out to be much less than meets the eye, or the television camera, for that matter.

[...]

“Operation Swarmer” is really a media show. It was designed to show off the new Iraqi Army — although there was no enemy for them to fight. Every American official I’ve heard has emphasized the role of the Iraqi forces just days before the third anniversary of the start of the war.

Another photo op for Bushco!

Semper Fi

Staff Sgt. Marco, A. Silva Sgt. Corey A. Dan

3/17/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died near Ar Ramadi, Iraq on March 13, when they came under small arms fire and an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Marco, A. Silva, 27, of Alva, Fla. Silva was assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Sgt. Corey A. Dan, 22, of Norway, Maine. Dan was assigned the Army's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Semper Fi

Pfc. Angelo A. Zawaydeh

3/17/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Pfc. Angelo A. Zawaydeh, 19, of San Bruno, Calif., died in Baghdad, Iraq on March 15, when his traffic control point came under mortar attack during combat operations. Zawaydeh was assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Semper Fi

Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Lewis

3/16/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualty

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

Staff Sgt. Bryan A. Lewis, 32, of Bunkie, La., died north of Rustamiyah, Iraq, on March 13, when an improvised device detonated near his HMMWV during a convoy operations. Lewis was assigned to the 519th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, Fort Polk La.

Semper Fi

Staff Sgt. Joseph, R. Ray Sgt. Kevin D. Akins Sgt. Anton J. Hiett Spc. Joshua L. Hill

3/16/06 - DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died west of Asadabad, Afghanistan, on March 12, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Joseph, R. Ray, 29, of Asheville, N.C. Ray was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, N.C.

Sgt. Kevin D. Akins, 29, of Burnsville, N.C. Akins was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, N.C.

Sgt. Anton J. Hiett, 25, of Mount Airy, N.C. Hiett was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Greenville, S.C.

Spc. Joshua L. Hill, 24, of Fairmount, Ind. Hill was assigned to the Army Reserve's 391st Engineer Battalion, Asheville, N.C.

Fairmount, is only 30 miles from my house. This is the town that James Dean is from. Both links below are about Spc. Joshua L. Hill.

Soldier killed in Afghanistan

Teachers, friends remember soldier

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Taliban chief vows intense spring offensive

KABUL (AFP) - The fugitive leader of Afghanistan's Taliban has warned the movement's insurgency will intensify this springtime and blasts the West for trying to "destroy" Islamic leaders, a spokesman said.

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Firm Failed to Protect U.S. Troops' Water

WASHINGTON - Halliburton Co. failed to protect the water supply it is paid to purify for U.S. soldiers throughout Iraq, in one instance missing contamination that could have caused "mass sickness or death," an internal company report concluded.

Fire Halliburton!

Semper Fi

Lance Cpl. Kristen K. Figueroa

3/14/06 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

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

Lance Cpl. Kristen K. Figueroa, 20, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died March 12 while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

Semper Fi

Lance Cpl. Nicholas R. Anderson

3/14/06 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

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

Lance Cpl. Nicholas R. Anderson, 21, of Sauk City, Wis., died March 13 in a non-hostile vehicle accident in Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

Semper Fi

B.C. man held for deserting U.S. marines in 1968

A B.C. man spent the weekend detained at a military base in California after being arrested for deserting the U.S. Marine Corps nearly four decades ago during the Vietnam War.

Allen Abney, who was born in the United States but became a Canadian citizen in 1977, was arrested at a border crossing on Thursday while trying to enter Idaho from southeastern B.C.

As far as I'm concern, let this man go.

Semper Fi

American arrested with arms in Iraq, official says - Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An American described as a security contractor arrested by police in a northern Iraqi town was carrying weapons in his car, a provincial official said.

I wonder what this guys story is?

Semper Fi

General Pace, "They're going very very well". NOT

Iraqis Find 85 Bodies in 24-Hour Period - AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Police in the past 24 hours have found the bodies of at least 85 people killed by execution-style shootings — a gruesome wave of apparent sectarian reprisal slayings, officials said Tuesday.

Semper Fi

Lance Cpl. Bunny Long

03/13/2006 - DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

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

Lance Cpl. Bunny Long, 22, of Modesto, Calif., died March 10 from a suicide, vehicle-borne, improvised explosive device in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Semper Fi

Damn those crazy Phelps phreaks! Thank God for the Bikers! - donkey o.d.

Go read!

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Attacks Kill 39 in Baghdad Shiite Slum - AP

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber and a car bomb ripped apart a market Sunday in a Shiite slum in Baghdad, killing at least 39 people and wounding more than 100.

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Afghan Bombing Kills Four U.S. Troops

KABUL, Afghanistan - A roadside bomb exploded next to a passing U.S. armored vehicle Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, killing four American soldiers, the U.S. military said.

Semper Fi