tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post6161663175809360391..comments2024-03-28T06:32:24.557-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: Gen Petraeus warns there is no "military solution" in Iraq.Deuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-70696353783424587142007-03-08T20:44:00.000-05:002007-03-08T20:44:00.000-05:00There isn't anything surprising about what he said...There isn't anything surprising about what he said. COIN is almost all political. The military effort can't stand alone. Nor is there any disconnect, we've been trying from the beginning to solve it politically.<BR/><BR/>We just have a problem with this because Americans typically see war as apolitical - "the last resort when politics fails." Switch politics on, and military off, or switch the military on, and politics off. Never worked that way.<BR/><BR/>Bullshit, war is always political. The problem is there's probably no shot of getting these idiots to work together under a national government, so the political solution is most likely a white whale.Jackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10089498195545182330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-62827058563817339252007-03-08T19:01:00.000-05:002007-03-08T19:01:00.000-05:00re: Ash,Can even credit him for his ability to alm...re: Ash,<BR/>Can even credit him for his ability to almost unerringly always choose the WRONG side.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770268554450465514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-4479445635786647642007-03-08T18:58:00.000-05:002007-03-08T18:58:00.000-05:00Harriet, Bobby, MLK et al have less to do with Oba...Harriet, Bobby, MLK et al have less to do with Obama being where he is that his upbringing, BS ability, and the desire of the MSM to crown him POTUS.<BR/><BR/>If MLK's dream had arrived fully and intact, Ken Blackwell or Michael Steele would be viable candidates.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770268554450465514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-52777854375645560612007-03-08T18:57:00.000-05:002007-03-08T18:57:00.000-05:00doug,re: AshYou cannot fault Ash for choosing a si...doug,<BR/><BR/>re: Ash<BR/><BR/>You cannot fault Ash for choosing a side.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-64750425498887685432007-03-08T18:56:00.000-05:002007-03-08T18:56:00.000-05:00doug,re: And Trish thinks it was a waste of time, ...doug,<BR/><BR/>re: And Trish thinks it was a waste of time, since Somalia govt may not last two years.<BR/><BR/>That is on the same plain of trustworthiness as Gingrich's prediction of a 1:5 chance of Surge success. <BR/><BR/>Trish and I might not survive two years, clean living notwithstanding. In the interim, we will just have to muddle along - bombing, shelling, and shooting whenever and wherever opportunities arise. <BR/><BR/>Life is imperfect. Life is not fair.allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-63577199484606485552007-03-08T18:30:00.000-05:002007-03-08T18:30:00.000-05:00And Trish thinks it was a waste of time, since Som...And Trish thinks it was a waste of time, since Somalia govt may not last two years.<BR/>I say killing terrorists, terrifying terrorists, and bombing sponsoring nations per early cowboy Bush promises, are all very good things.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770268554450465514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-43365103402091765192007-03-08T18:26:00.000-05:002007-03-08T18:26:00.000-05:00I task you, Allen, with convincing Ash that Gravit...I task you, Allen, with convincing Ash that Gravity, when it is being utilized to hold down furniture by the GOP, is not inherently evil.Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16770268554450465514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-70822356194017251642007-03-08T15:34:00.000-05:002007-03-08T15:34:00.000-05:00DR,Thanks, I skipped over the wiki article while ...DR,<BR/><BR/>Thanks, <BR/><BR/>I skipped over the wiki article while doing my search and the CIA World Fact Book only had a single line referring to Al Qaeda.Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06232405130481114127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-721933709613850182007-03-08T15:12:00.000-05:002007-03-08T15:12:00.000-05:00DR,heheheProve the sun will rise tomorrow. What a ...DR,<BR/><BR/>hehehe<BR/><BR/>Prove the sun will rise tomorrow. <BR/><BR/>What a waste, my friend.<BR/> <BR/>heheheheallenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-41809397582493306932007-03-08T15:08:00.000-05:002007-03-08T15:08:00.000-05:00ash,Why, imagine Muslim terrorists shooting at pea...ash,<BR/><BR/>Why, imagine Muslim terrorists shooting at peacekeepers?allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-57753498098807034162007-03-08T14:50:00.000-05:002007-03-08T14:50:00.000-05:00Reuters reports: UN report links Somali Islamists,...Reuters reports: <A HREF="http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L13897046&WTmodLoc=IntNewsHome_C4_Crises-2" REL="nofollow">UN report links</A> Somali Islamists, foreign militants<BR/>Mon 13 Nov 2006 11:22 AM ET<BR/><BR/>Bill Roggio reports:<BR/><I>All the while, the Islamic Courts continued to receive morale and physical support from al-Qaeda, Iran and Hezbollah. Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other senior al-Qaeda leaders praised the "Somali Jihad" in video and audiotapes. Al-Qaeda media outlets produced propaganda in Somali and Arabic, with video of Arab and Somali jihadis training and fighting side by side. Hundreds of millions of dollars were funneled into the Islamic Courts coffers by backers on the Arabian Peninsula. Foreign fighters flooded into Somalia, some estimates put the number at over 3,000. Iran provided arms, while Hezbollah provided training for Somali Islamists. <BR/><BR/>The Somali crisis came to a head in December, after multiple Islamic Courts leaders openly called for Jihad against Ethiopian. Hassan Dahir Aweys, the al-Qaeda connected leader of the Islamic Courts, called for a "Greater Somalia" to be carved out of the Horn of Africa. <BR/><BR/>Open, conventional warfare broke out between the Islamic Courts and the TFG and Ethiopian forces towards the end of December. Fighting was reported as intense, with hundreds of casualties on both sides. After several days of deadlock around Baidoa, Ethiopian armored columns, backed by air and artillery support, punched through and took Mogadishu, while the ICU forces engaged in Puntland were defeated. The Ethiopians then pivoted their columns and headed south. By New Years Day, the Islamic Courts abandoned Kismayo, the strategic southern port city and final stronghold of the ICU. The Ethiopians are reported to have executed foreign prisoners in the field and the ICU is said to have taken thousands of casualties.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Finally Wiki, ash, gives the broadbrush to the subject.<BR/><I>Al-Qaeda Activities in Somalia<BR/>Main article: Battle of Mogadishu<BR/>Activities of al-Qaeda in Somalia are alleged to have begun as early as 1992.[57] The organization's role during the course of the 1992–1994 UN missions was limited to a handful of trainers. Ali Mohamed and other al-Qaeda members purportedly trained forces loyal to warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid.[58] Osama bin Laden himself claimed in an interview with ABC's John Miller to have sent al-Qaeda operatives to Somalia. One of the al-Qaeda fighters present during the interview claimed to have personally slit the throats of three American soldiers in Somalia.[59] Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down, states the terrorist organization did train some of Aidid's men on how to fire rocket-propelled grenades to destroy U.S. helicopters, but they were not personally part of the fight with US forces in the Battle of Mogadishu. [60]<BR/><BR/>Ties to 1998 Embassy Bombings<BR/>It is believed several terrorist attacks were orchestrated from Ras Kamboni, in the extreme southern tip of Somalia adjacent to Kenya, including the 1998 United States embassy bombings and the 2002 Mombasa hotel bombing.[61]<BR/><BR/>On June 22, 2006, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer announced the U.S. was seeking the assistance of the Islamic Courts Union in the apprehension of suspects who carried out attacks against its East African embassies in 1998 and an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya in 2002.[62]<BR/><BR/>She listed the following persons as suspected of being in Somalia (name and nationality):<BR/><BR/>Fazul Abdullah Mohamed, Comoros <BR/>Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, Kenya <BR/>Abu Taha al-Sudan, Sudan <BR/><BR/>[edit] Ties to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU)<BR/>Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki, a military leader in the Islamic Courts Union, and formerly leader of Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI) was designated under US Presidential Executive Order 13224 as a terrorist financier on June 3. 2004.[63] <BR/>Aden Hashi Farah Ayro, leader of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) youth movement, Hizbul Shabaab, was said to have gone to Afghanistan to train with al-Qaeda before 2001, according to Matthew Bryden of International Crisis Group.[64][65] <BR/>On July 1, 2006, a Web-posted message purportedly written by Osama bin Laden urged Somalis to build an Islamic state in the country, and warned Western countries that his al-Qaeda network would fight against them if they intervened there.[66]<BR/><BR/>On November 26, 2006, the U.S. Embassy in Kenya issued a travel alert to US citizens regarding travel to Kenya or Ethiopia after letters allegedly written by the Somalian leader of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), Sheik Hassan Dahir Aweys, encouraged suicide terrorist attacks on US citizens in those two countries.[67]<BR/><BR/>On November 30, 2006, the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) claimed three suicide bombings costing eight lives were the work of al-Qaeda operatives working in the country.[68]<BR/><BR/>On December 14, 2006, the US Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer warned that al-Qaeda cell operatives were controlling the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), the Islamist faction of Somalia rapidly taking control of the southern area of the country.[69] The next day, December 15, 2006, ICU Information Secretary Abdirahim Ali Mudey denied the allegation as baseless.[70] That same day Frazer announced the United States has no intention of committing troops to Somalia to root out al-Qaeda.[71]<BR/><BR/>On December 20, 2006, war in Somalia erupted between the ICU and the Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian allies. Salad Ali Jelle, Defence Minister of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, claimed Abu Taha al-Sudan led the Islamists fighting against the government in the town of Iidale. On December 25, 2006, Ethiopia began bombing two airports in Somalia. In justifying the attack, the Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi stated that his country was "at war" with Islamist militants in Somalia.<BR/><BR/>American officials state that Ras Kamboni served as a training camp for extremists with connections to al-Qaeda.[72][73] US security concerns in the Horn of Africa, particularly at Ras Kamboni, heightened after the attacks on 9/11. On December 16, 2001, Paul Wolfowitz said the US was meeting with various Somali and Ethiopian contacts to "observe, survey possible escape routes, possible sanctuaries" for al-Qaeda operatives.[74] On March 2, 2002 a briefing was held in the Pentagon to discuss the possible use of Ras Kamboni by terrorist groups, including al-Ittihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI) and Al Qaeda.[75] In December 2002, the U.S. established the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) to monitor developments in the region and train local militaries on counterterrorism.[76]<BR/><BR/>On January 8, 2007, during the Battle of Ras Kamboni, it was reported an AC-130 gunship belonging to the United States military had attacked suspected al-Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia. It was also reported that the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower had been moved into striking distance.[77] The gunship flew out of its base in Djibouti. Many bodies were spotted on the ground, but the identity of the dead or wounded was not yet established. The targeted leaders were tracked by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as they headed south from Mogadishu starting on December 28.[78]<BR/><BR/>On February 15, in Houston, Texas, U.S. citizen Daniel Joseph Maldonado (Daniel Aljughaifi) was charged with "training from a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to use an explosive device outside the United States." He had been extradited by Kenyan authorities after he fled there. In the charges, it was alleged he took part in training at camps near Kismayo and Jilib where members of al-Qaeda were present and was willing to become a suicide bomber if he became wounded.[79]</I><BR/><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Qaeda" REL="nofollow">Wiki</A>, like I said, tells the highpoints.<BR/><BR/>The Ethiopians were convinced.<BR/>Which is the only Court which counts. Those that'll enforce their own Warrants and Writs.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-57790672325643755012007-03-08T13:55:00.000-05:002007-03-08T13:55:00.000-05:00hehehe, I knew you would never shy away from provi...hehehe, I knew you would never shy away from providing an answer.<BR/><BR/>I'm curious as to some of the sources.Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06232405130481114127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-33744493771878761912007-03-08T13:31:00.000-05:002007-03-08T13:31:00.000-05:00YesYesdesert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-32114569862782297222007-03-08T13:29:00.000-05:002007-03-08T13:29:00.000-05:00dr wrote:"It went from a stable Jihadi Wahabbist t...dr wrote:<BR/><BR/>"It went from a stable Jihadi Wahabbist training base"<BR/><BR/>Is there any basis beyond administration claims that this is in fact true?Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06232405130481114127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-80123139954190943332007-03-08T13:04:00.000-05:002007-03-08T13:04:00.000-05:00It went from a stable Jihadi Wahabbist training ba...It went from a stable Jihadi Wahabbist training base to an active war zone.<BR/><BR/>Atta boys are in order.<BR/><BR/>Whether ultimate Victory is achieved, points are given for finally having the battle joined.<BR/><BR/>Destabilization of the enemy in Somalia is a gain.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-52331375665880055832007-03-08T12:58:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:58:00.000-05:00ya, but, the current Somalian government is having...ya, but, the current Somalian government is having trouble exerting its power, the AU peace keepers are being greeted with mortar fire and a refugee crisis is brewing in the capital. Meanwhile the local 'warlords' aren't too pleased. Hardly worth shouting 'atta boy' yet.Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06232405130481114127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-2577467811837136562007-03-08T12:45:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:45:00.000-05:00Yes, I understand, and yes, it was a good piece of...Yes, I understand, and yes, it was a good piece of US Foreign Policy work.<BR/>Because it<B> WAS NOT</B> a US intervention. <BR/><BR/><B>It was an Ethiopian Intervention.</B><BR/><BR/>Supported up by the local UN supported Somalian Government and the African Union. With the US in a background role. As it should be.<BR/><BR/>Ms Rice and Mr Rumsfeld's Departments working together, to get a foreign government to act in it's own best interests, making US intervention unnecessary.<BR/><BR/>The small arms that the Ethiopians use, Soviet. The attack helicopters that destroyed the aQ formations, Soviet made, as well.<BR/><BR/>Ethiopia, an active Ally in the War on Terror, requiring "Puffy" air support on a very limited basis.<BR/><BR/>Somalia being taken out of the Jihadi column, that credit goes to Ethiopia. With an "atta boy" to the Administration, for getting the Ethiopians to intervene.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-25666390849446647192007-03-08T12:29:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:29:00.000-05:00DR,For months you were unstinting in pointing out ...DR,<BR/><BR/>For months you were unstinting in pointing out to Rufus the failure of American foreign policy in the Horn. In what will be recognized as one of slickest operations the US has pulled off in decades, the Islamists are handed their heads in Somalia, and you denigrate the operation under the petty rubric “a couple air strikes”. <BR/><BR/>It is one thing to be critical, another to be implacable. Do you understand the difference?allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-26873526603776050682007-03-08T12:24:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:24:00.000-05:00No, not really.The aspirin factories in Sudan, tha...No, not really.<BR/><BR/>The aspirin factories in Sudan, that Mr Clinton hit with Tomahawks, did not qualify as "Intervention" in Sudan.<BR/><BR/>A couple of "puffs" does not a addict make, as long as they didn't inhale.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-18659819027820181072007-03-08T12:23:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:23:00.000-05:00Re: Expanding Iranian influence in Iraq.I don't se...Re: Expanding Iranian influence in Iraq.<BR/><BR/>I don't see it as a problem. If it becomes a problem, it will be dealt with in the same fashion.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11132252460964519368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-35070860898216530062007-03-08T12:20:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:20:00.000-05:00Domesticly, the Dems will make a preemptive move t...Domesticly, the Dems will make a preemptive move to defund a War with Iran. This Iranian preemption will be attached to the next Iraq War funding bill.<BR/><BR/>Then they will move, on a different track, to limit the deployability of US troops.<BR/>Training, equipment, time off all to be factored in, by Law.<BR/><BR/>The Baker-Bandar Plan guarentees an Israeli-Palistinian situation in Iraq. After nearly sixty yers there is no sign of successful reconciliation, there.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-22674006131829891222007-03-08T12:17:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:17:00.000-05:00DR,re: just a couple of airstrikesIsn't that like ...DR,<BR/><BR/>re: just a couple of airstrikes<BR/><BR/>Isn't that like being just a little pregnant?allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01798524644256471907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-3846433322128480642007-03-08T12:16:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:16:00.000-05:00mat, I'm surprised that you are content to focus o...mat, I'm surprised that you are content to focus only on Sunni folk yet fine with Shia jihads, Mookie and friends, and expanding Iranian influence in Iraq. I agree Iraq would be better served by the US troops exiting Iraq.Ashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06232405130481114127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-65919987663675506732007-03-08T12:13:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:13:00.000-05:00Re: Ash's question of how to identify these "assho...Re: Ash's question of how to identify these "assholes" so that we can kill them.<BR/><BR/>If they're Sunnis and they live within a 500m radius of an IED device that went off injuring or killing American soldier(s), these Sunni Jihadists should be facing the slaughter house. Simple as that. We need to stop playing around with these fscks.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11132252460964519368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-90976927755170878922007-03-08T12:04:00.000-05:002007-03-08T12:04:00.000-05:00The military solution is to go after the Sunni Jih...The military solution is to go after the Sunni Jihadists and the population that supports them, and chase them out of Iraq. But the Saudis have the American Administration by the balls, so it's not going to happen. Best that the 150,000 American sitting ducks in Iraq pack up and go home.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11132252460964519368noreply@blogger.com