The Talk Show American

THE TALK SHOW AMERICAN: 01/14/2007 - 01/21/2007

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Activists Prevail in Political Speech Fight

The Rev. Louis Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) was elated last evening as he got word of the nixing of portion of a lobbying reform bill that would have required grass-roots organizations to report to Capitol Hill any time they spent money to communicate to their constituents on issues that are before Congress.

Sheldon referred to an amendment that struck the grass-roots provision (Section 220) in S.1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007.

"I applaud the members of the U.S. Senate who voted . . . to remove Section 220 from the bill," said Sheldon.

"When you start the legislative year with a piece of legislation which is so bad that TVC and the ACLU unite to fight it ? this does not bode well for the coming months. I am pleased we were able to stop this breach of the First Amendment masquerading as lobbying reform," Sheldon added.

Prior to last evening's victory, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Traditional Values Coalition had historically joined their allies from opposite ends of the political spectrum to shout out First Amendment concerns posed by section 220.

Rev. Sheldon said yesterday at a press conference that if the legislation as written passed, "it would be like Capitol Hill hanging out a big sign: ?Do not disturb ? unless you are registered.'"

Leaders from the American Civil Liberties Union, Traditional Values Coalition, Free Speech Coalition, National Right to Life, and other concerned groups were all on hand to discuss opposition to the bill.

Section 220 of the Senate bill would have required communications from grass-roots organizations ? subject to registration and reporting requirements ? including reporting directly to the secretary of the Senate and clerk of the House any time these groups spent money to communicate to their constituents on issues that are before Congress.

Critics of Section 220 suggested that groups such as Focus on the Family, The America Family Association, the Family Research Council, Vision America, and a host of others would be ensnared in bureaucratic red tape that would increase their communications costs and result in a weakened effort to let members know what elected leaders are doing in the executive and legislative branches of government.

According to Carrie Gordon Earl, senior director of Issue Analysis for Focus on the Family Action, this legislation "affects folks who, on a regular basis, communicate with the grassroots and pass along information."

This was what congress was proposing:

Congress plans to send critics to jail

Clinton Launches 2008 White House Bid

Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton embarked on a widely anticipated campaign for the White House on Saturday, a former first lady intent on becoming the first female president. "I'm in and I'm in to win," she said on her Web site.


Clinton's announcement, days after Sen. Barack Obama shook up the contest race with his bid to become the first black president, establishes the most diverse political field ever.

Clinton is considered the front-runner, with Obama and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards top contenders. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who would be the first Hispanic president, intends to announce his plans on Sunday.

"You know after six years of George Bush, it is time to renew the promise of America," Clinton says in a videotaped message in which she invites voters to begin a dialogue with her on the major issues - health care, Social Security and Medicare, and the war in Iraq.

"I'm not just starting a campaign, though, I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America," she said. "Let's talk. Let's chat. The conversation in Washington has been just a little one-sided lately, don't you think?"

Clinton, who was re-elected to a second term last November, said she will spend the next two years "doing everything in my power to limit the damage George W. Bush can do. But only a new president will be able to undo Bush's mistakes and restore our hope and optimism."

She often is compared to her husband and found lacking in his natural charisma. Others have criticized her for being overly cautious and calculating when so many voters say they crave authenticity.

Many Democrats, eager to reclaim the White House after eight years of President Bush, fret that she carries too much baggage from her husband's scandal-plagued presidency to win a general election. Among many voters, she is best known for her disastrous attempt in 1993 to overhaul the nation's health care system and for standing by her husband after his marital infidelity.

North Korea: 'Agreement' Reached With U.S. on Nukes

North Korea said it reached an agreement with the U.S. during talks this week on its nuclear program, and the top U.S. nuclear envoy expressed optimism Friday that progress could be made when wider arms negotiations reconvene.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry said three days of talks in Berlin between U.S. envoy Christopher Hill and North Korea's main nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Gwan had been held "in a positive and sincere atmosphere and a certain agreement was reached there." No further details were given.

Hill said the talks laid the foundation for progress when six-nation nuclear negotiations resume and that he had agreed with his North Korean counterpart "on a number of issues." He also declined to elaborate.

"I am pretty convinced that we have the basis for a good session of the six-party talks," Hill told reporters in Seoul after meeting South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon and nuclear envoy Chun Yung-woo.

"I feel we do have a chance of making some progress at the next round, absolutely," he said.

Top Aide To Muqtada Al-Sadr Captured

.S. and Iraqi forces swooped into a mosque complex in east Baghdad on Friday and detained a top aide to radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the latest in a series of operations aimed at eviscerating the leadership of the Mahdi Army militia.

Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji was captured in the early morning raid and his bodyguard was killed in what Abdul-Zahra al-Suweiadi, a senior al-Sadr aide, called a "cowardly act." Al-Sadr's office said al-Darraji was media director for the cleric's political movement and demanded his immediate release.

"America is playing with fire and our patience is beginning to fade," said Abdul-Razzaq al-Nidawi, an al-Sadr aide in the Shiite holy city of Najaf. "This savage barbarian act will not pass peacefully."

The U.S. military, in a statement that did not name al-Darraji or mention the Mahdi Army by name, said special Iraqi army forces operating with U.S. advisers had "captured a high-level, illegal armed group leader" in Baghdad's Baladiyat neighborhood, which is adjacent to Sadr City, the Mahdi Army stronghold.

"Iraqi forces detained him based on credible intelligence that he is the leader of an illegal armed group (involved in) ... the organized kidnapping, torture and murder of Iraqi civilians. The suspect is also reportedly involved in the assassination of numerous Iraqi Security Forces members and government officials," the U.S. statement said.

It said two other suspects were detained for questioning.

Iraqis on Timetable for Commitments

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government is delivering on its commitments for the new way forward in Iraq, the commander of coalition forces said here today.

"So far, so good" is the way Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. characterized Iraqi efforts to bring security to Baghdad.

At a news conference with visiting Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Casey said Maliki has delivered on what he promised in a recent speech in which he laid out a range of commitments Iraqi security forces will have to follow.

In the speech, Maliki said the Iraqi army and police would have the authority they need to accomplish their missions, that there will be no political influence on the security forces, that terrorists would have no safe havens, and that security forces can go anywhere they need. "So far, we have seen them come through on those commitments," the general said.

It's too soon to say whether that trend will continue, Casey told reporters. "That'll play out over time, and we will continue to watch it," he said.

The Iraqi government has committed to bringing three full brigades to Baghdad. "They are on the timeline to move those troops to Baghdad," Casey said.

Recent raids to capture death squad leaders -- who are primarily Shiia, the Moslem sect to which Maliki belongs -- are "indicative of the prime minister's commitment to go after all of those who break the law," the general said.

The operations in Baghdad will take some time to have an effect, Casey told reporters. Plans call for a large increase of Iraqi soldiers in the capital and an increase of more than 21,000 U.S. troops in the region. The American forces will back up the Iraqi units if needed, Casey said.

Security in Baghdad is not going to improve overnight, he said. "We'll see some gradual progress over the next 60 to 90 days, but it will probably be late summer before we get to the point where people in Baghdad feel safe in their neighborhoods," the general said.

The plus-up in U.S. troops will run at least through late summer, Casey said. He added that the first troops are arriving now. "We have to see the effect they will have on the situation here before we can even start to think about sending them home," he said.

Casey outlined three factors that led to his decision to ask for more forces to secure the Iraqi capital, noting that he's always said he would ask for more troops if he needed them to accomplish the mission.

"One was the situation in Baghdad," he said. "Two was the commitments from the government that we just talked about -- that these forces, if they came in, we would have freedom of action to move with the Iraqi security forces. And three, it was clear that the reliability of the Iraqi security forces in the Baghdad area was not to the point where we could count on them to do the right thing without additional coalition support.

"So those three things combined to convince me that at this time we need some additional forces to accomplish my mission," he said.

How Syria Aids Sunni Insurgency in Iraq

The U.S. military has learned how the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad supports the Sunni insurgency in Iraq from the capture of several Syrian nationals who had been relaying funds and fighters into Iraq.

The detained operatives told U.S. interrogators that the Assad regime obtains hefty fees from Saddam Hussein loyalists and Al Qaida operatives to use Syria as a staging ground for attacks.

The Syrian operatives believe the Syrian embassy in Baghdad has been providing support for the supply of vital equipment to the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Saddam loyalists have been allowed to use the embassy to coordinate shipments of cash and the arrival of insurgents, they said.

Military sources said the Al Qaida logistics effort based in Syria is headed by Mohammed Nassif, director of Syrian State Security and responsible for Damascus's link with Al Qaida and other terrorist groups.

Nassif has been assisted by Ali Yunis, the chief aide of Gen. Assaf Shawkat, the head of Syrian intelligence and Assad's brother-in-law. Nassif and Yunis have also been using Al Qaida operatives to stage attacks on U.S. interests, including the U.S. Embassy in 2006.

The disclosures have been sent to Washington and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will have to decide whether to recommend a more aggressive U.S. policy toward Syria. Gates has already approved a U.S. campaign to capture Iranian intelligence agents who have been helping the Shi'ite insurgency in Baghdad and other areas of Iraq.

"I think a decision to act against Syria will come up over the next few months," a U.S. military source said.

DOSSIER: Lt. Gen. David Petraeus

Lt. Gen. David Petraeus
Task: appointed commander of U.S.-led coalition in Iraq
Age: 54
Whereabouts: Baghdad



Lt. Gen. David Petraeus marks an appointment by President Bush that belies his determination for the United States to defeat the insurgents and stabilize Iraq. More than any other commander, Petraeus believes the U.S. military can foil the insurgency while pressing the Baghdad government to impose order on the country.
Petraeus stands apart from most of his colleagues. A general with a PhD in international relations from Princeton University, Petraeus has sought to redefine U.S. counter-insurgency doctrine. He believes insurgencies can be defeated by showing the population that the military, rather than the insurgency force, can protect the population. Once persuaded, the population then exposes the location and identity of the insurgency force.

"Ultimate success in COIN [counter-insurgency] is gained by protecting the populace, not the COIN force," states a new counter-insurgency manual, which Petraeus co-authored. "If military forces remain in their compounds, they lose touch with the people, appear to be running scared and cede the initiative to the insurgents."

Under Petraeus, dubbed "King David," the coalition would be expanded with 21,500 U.S. troops and the focus would be on destroying the insurgency. The priority � in a mission expected to begin in February � would be Al Qaida and the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. The government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, himself a Shi'ite, would be assigned to eliminate the Shi'ite insurgency.

"The key for counter-insurgents is knowing when more force is needed and when it might be counter-productive," the manual reads.
Petraeus believes the U.S. military needs a lot more troops to defeat the insurgents and stabilize Iraq. But the Bush plan means that the United States would have about 165,000 troops in 2007, about 35,000 more than at the end of last year.

According to the manual, co-authored with Marine Maj. Gen. James Mattis, that is far from enough. The doctrine calls for 20 counter-insurgents per 1,000 residents as a minimum for effective operations. This means Baghdad would require 120,000 troops. The Iraqi capital has been slated to receive 85,000 Iraqi and U.S. soldiers.

Under Petraeus, the Iraqi insurgency would be redefined. The general believes that the Sunni insurgency operates mostly in a 30-mile radius around Baghdad and in the Anbar Province near Jordan and Syria. Baghdad would be divided into nine districts, with an Iraqi army brigade deployed in each. Each brigade would contain a U.S. support battalion 20 U.S. military advisers.

"The strategy is based on experience," an officer said. "Put a U.S. embed [adviser] into a platoon or even a company and the Iraqis begin to follow a role model. Soon, everybody is competing for who can be the best."

Already, change can be seen on the streets of Baghdad. On Jan. 9, Iraqi and U.S. forces fought a 10-hour battle on Baghdad's notorious Haifa Street. Military sources said the joint operation pulverized Sunni insurgents and was regarded as a major success.

The new U.S. strategy also calls for aggressive action against Iraq's neighbors who support the insurgency. Already, the U.S. military has been targeting Iranian intelligence agents in Iraq, arresting so-called diplomats in Baghdad and Irbil. Officials expect a similar effort against Syria, which supports the Sunni insurgency.

Military Channel Broadcasting Servicemembers' Stories

The Military Channel is asking servicemembers across the armed forces to submit videotaped stories about their service in the global war on terrorism for broadcast on television, company officials said.

"We want to give a voice to the troops to allow them to tell their stories,"
Jill Bondurant, Military Channel publicist, said during an interview with American Forces Press Service today.

The Military Channel plans to use servicemember-submitted video for broadcast during nightly one-hour blocks of programming starting in early February, Bondurant said. The dates and times haven't been specified yet, she said.

Video can be in digital or taped format, Bondurant said, and can be submitted via the following methods:

-- Online: www.mywardiary.com;

-- E-mail: mywardiary@discovery.com; or

-- Mail: Military Videos, care of Discovery Productions, 8045 Kennett Street, Silver Spring, Md. 20910.

All submitted video will be screened for appropriate content, Bondurant noted.

The initiative seeks to illustrate some personal stories of military service during wartime, Military Channel spokesman and former soldier Pat Lafferty told the Pentagon Channel in a recent interview. Most evening news programming on the military these days shies away from the personal and focuses on "big picture" events, he said.

"There's only so much that the 'normal media' can get out as far as the stories (and) what's going on," Lafferty said. "And, oftentimes, that really isn't the story about individual servicemembers and what they're doing on a day-to-day basis."

A component of Discovery Communications, the Silver Spring, Md.-based Military Channel was the first television media outlet to partner with America Supports You, a Department of Defense program connecting public and corporate support for the troops to servicemembers and their families.

Two Terrorist Leaders Captured in Iraq

Coalition forces have captured two high-level terrorists in recent days in Iraq, military officials said, and Iraqi police killed one insurgent Jan. 17.

Special Iraqi army forces, with coalition advisors, captured a high-level terrorist leader today during operations in eastern Baghdad, military officials said. The suspect is allegedly affiliated with Abu Dura and other Baghdad death squad commanders, and is responsible for assassinating numerous Iraqi security forces members and government officials. Military officials said he has also organized kidnappings, torture and murder of Iraqi civilians.

During operations in Samarra yesterday, Iraqi police forces with coalition advisors captured the suspected leader of several al Qaeda in Iraq terror cells. The suspect is responsible for directing several IED and small arms attacks against Iraqi security forces, coalition forces and Iraqi civilians. During the operation, combined forces captured an additional insurgent and confiscated IED components, assault rifles and ammunition.

As a sign of continuing progress in Anbar province, Iraqi police shot and killed an insurgent Jan. 17 after his suicide vest failed to detonate near a checkpoint in the Jazeera suburb of Ramadi.

Iraqi police in Anbar province determined the terrorist was wearing a suicide device before he entered the checkpoint, and they instructed him to stop. The terrorist attempted to detonate the device, but it failed. As the insurgent attempted to flee the scene, police at the checkpoint shot and killed him.

"This is an example of the insurgents' attempt to discourage the men of Anbar from serving on the police force," Marine 2nd Lt. Jill A. Leyden, a Multinational Force West spokeswoman, said. "Despite these attempts, well qualified men continue to flood the recruiting and training centers for an opportunity to serve their province."

As another sign of progress, more than 1,000 recruits joined the Iraqi police in Anbar this month. The province has added 11 police stations since July, and eight more are planned for construction.

Elsewhere in Iraq this week, coalition forces and Iraqi police discovered four weapons caches.

Paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, today discovered three weapons caches containing roughly 250 rockets, several large-caliber machine guns and small arms, various artillery rounds, and bomb-making materials south of Samarra.

Iraqi police from Wallah police station, with assistance from Jerashi checkpoint workers, found two weapons caches Jan. 17 in northwestern Jazeera, outside Ramadi. The caches contained improvised explosive devices and rocket propelled grenades.

In other news, troops from 2nd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, found an IED while patrolling the Adhamiyah district of eastern Baghdad yesterday. The homemade bomb was destroyed at the site.

U.S. plans broad attack on Iran

U.S. contingency planning for military action against Iran's nuclear program goes beyond limited strikes and would effectively unleash a war against the country, a former U.S. intelligence analyst said on Friday.

"I've seen some of the planning ... You're not talking about a surgical strike," said Wayne White, who was a top Middle East analyst for the State Department's bureau of intelligence and research until March 2005.

"You're talking about a war against Iran" that likely would destabilize the Middle East for years, White told the Middle East Policy Council, a Washington think tank.

"We're not talking about just surgical strikes against an array of targets inside Iran. We're talking about clearing a path to the targets" by taking out much of the Iranian Air Force, Kilo submarines, anti-ship missiles that could target commerce or U.S. warships in the Gulf, and maybe even Iran's ballistic missile capability, White said.

"I'm much more worried about the consequences of a U.S. or Israeli attack against Iran's nuclear infrastructure," which would prompt vigorous Iranian retaliation, he said, than civil war in Iraq, which could be confined to that country.

President George W. Bush has stressed he is seeking a diplomatic solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

But he has not taken the military option off the table and his recent rhetoric, plus tougher financial sanctions and actions against Iranian involvement in Iraq, has revived talk in Washington about a possible U.S. attack on Iran.

Middle East expert Kenneth Katzman argued "Iran's ascendancy is not only manageable but reversible" if one understands the Islamic republic's many vulnerabilities.

Tehran's leaders have convinced many experts Iran is a great nation verging on "superpower" status, but the country is "very weak ... (and) meets almost no known criteria to be considered a great nation," said Katzman of the Library of Congress' Congressional Research Service.

The economy is mismanaged and "quite primitive," exporting almost nothing except oil, he said.

Also, Iran's oil production capacity is fast declining and in terms of conventional military power, "Iran is a virtual non-entity," Katzman added.

The administration, therefore, should not go out of its way to accommodate Iran because the country is in no position to hurt the United States, and at some point "it might be useful to call that bluff," he said.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

More Good Economic News

The Labor Department reported Thursday that consumer prices rose by 2.5 percent in 2006, the best showing since prices had increased by just 1.9 percent in 2003. The improvement came in spite of the fact that consumer prices jumped 0.5 percent in December, as gasoline prices staged a momentary rebound.

In other economic news, the number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to a seasonally adjusted 290,000 last week, the lowest level in 11 months and an indication that the labor market began the new year in good shape in spite of weakness in housing and auto manufacturing.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reported that construction of new homes rose by 4.5 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.642 million units, raising hopes that the worst of the housing slowdown may be coming to an end.

The 0.5 percent December increase in consumer prices had been expected, given that gasoline costs rebounded during the month. However with crude oil prices setting 19-month lows in recent weeks, the expectation is that gasoline costs will resume their downward trend and stay well below the record level of over $3 per gallon, set last summer.

For all of 2006, energy costs rose 2.9 percent, a significant slowdown after an increase of 17.1 percent in 2005 and 16.6 percent in 2004. That price moderation occurred in recent months. After advancing at a 22.8 percent annual rate in the first six months of 2006, energy costs fell at a 13.4 percent rate in the final half of the year.

He Was For The Surge...Before He Was Against It

On Dec. 5, Newsweek magazine touted an interview with then-incoming House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes as an "exclusive." And for good reason.

"In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq," the story began, Mr. Reyes "said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a 'stepped up effort to dismantle the militias.' "

"We have to consider the need for additional troops to be in Iraq, to take out the militias and stabilize Iraq," the Texas Democrat said to the surprise of many, "I would say 20,000 to 30,000."

Then came President Bush's expected announcement last week, virtually matching Mr. Reyes' recommendation and argument word-for-word -- albeit the president proposed only 21,500 troops.

Wouldn't you know, hours after Mr. Bush announced his proposal, Mr. Reyes told the El Paso Times that such a troop buildup was unthinkable.

"We don't have the capability to escalate even to this minimum level," he said.

Unfortunately for the new House intelligence chief, this is his second (some would argue his third) major blunder in the space of one month.

When asked by Congressional Quarterly reporter Jeff Stein whether al Qaeda was a Sunni or Shi'ite organization, he answered: "Predominantly, probably Shi'ite."

As Mr. Stein wrote later: "He couldn't have been more wrong. Al Qaeda is profoundly Sunni. If a Shi'ite showed up at an al Qaeda clubhouse, they'd slice his head off and use it for a soccer ball."

The reporter added: "To me, it's like asking about Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland: Who's on what side?"

In the same interview, Mr. Stein had asked Mr. Reyes about the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

His now-infamous reply: "Hezbollah. Uh, Hezbollah? ... Why do you ask me these questions at 5 o'clock? Can I answer in Spanish? Do you speak Spanish?"

Iraqi PM: 400 Shiite Fighters Arrested

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said 400 fighters from a key backer of the Shiite-led government have been arrested, and a government spokesman said Thursday the U.S. is not giving Iraqi security forces enough money for training and equipment. Al-Maliki's claim sought to address doubts about his willingness to take on the Shiite militiamen, especially the Mahdi army that is loyal to his key supporter, the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Many of the militiamen are believed responsible for much of the sectarian violence in Baghdad in the past year.

A Baghdad Mahdi Army commander said U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a major campaign Tuesday in Um al-Maalef, a Shiite neighborhood in south Baghdad.

"They detained every man who was able to carry weapons. We heard from our people in the area that about 400 people were detained," said the militia commander on condition of anonymity because senior figures in the group are not permitted to give their names.

He said that in December U.S. troops had killed one of the Mahdi Army's top commanders, known as Abu al-Sudour, in Sadr City.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Iran, China Buy U.S. Military Supplies

The U.S. military has sold forbidden equipment at least a half-dozen times to middlemen for countries - including Iran and China - who exploited security flaws in the Defense Department's surplus auctions. The sales include fighter jet parts and missile components.

In one case, federal investigators said, the contraband made it to Iran, a country President Bush branded part of an "axis of evil."

In that instance, a Pakistani arms broker convicted of exporting U.S. missile parts to Iran resumed business after his release from prison. He purchased Chinook helicopter engine parts for Iran from a U.S. company that had bought them in a Pentagon surplus sale. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, speaking on condition of anonymity, say those parts made it to Iran.

The surplus sales can operate like a supermarket for arms dealers.

"Right Item, Right Time, Right Place, Right Price, Every Time. Best Value Solutions for America's Warfighters," the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service says on its Web site, calling itself "the place to obtain original U.S. Government surplus property."

Federal investigators are increasingly anxious that Iran is within easy reach of a top priority on its shopping list: parts for the precious fleet of F-14 "Tomcat" fighter jets the United States let Iran buy in the 1970s when it was an ally.
In one case, convicted middlemen for Iran bought Tomcat parts from the Defense Department's surplus division. Customs agents confiscated them and returned them to the Pentagon, which sold them again - customs evidence tags still attached - to another buyer, a suspected broker for Iran.

That incident appalled even an expert on weaknesses in Pentagon surplus security controls.

"That would be evidence of a significant breakdown, in my view, in controls and processes," said Greg Kutz, the Government Accountability Office's head of special investigations. "It shouldn't happen the first time, let alone the second time."


A Defense Department official, Fred Baillie, said his agency followed procedures.

"The fact that those individuals chose to violate the law and the fact that the customs people caught them really indicates that the process is working," said Baillie, the Defense Logistics Agency's executive director of distribution. "Customs is supposed to check all exports to make sure that all the appropriate certifications and licenses had been granted."

The Pentagon recently retired its Tomcats and is shipping tens of thousands of spare parts to its surplus office - the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service - where they could be sold in public auctions. Iran is the only other country flying F-14s.

"It stands to reason Iran will be even more aggressive in seeking F-14 parts," said Stephen Bogni, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's arms export investigations. Iran can only produce about 15 percent of the parts itself, he said.

Sensitive military surplus items are supposed to be demilitarized or "de-milled" - rendered useless for military purposes - or, if auctioned, sold only to buyers who promise to obey U.S. arms embargoes, export controls and other laws.

The GAO, the investigative arm of Congress, found it alarmingly easy to acquire sensitive surplus. Last year, its agents bought $1.1 million worth - including rocket launchers, body armor and surveillance antennas - by driving onto a base and posing as defense contractors.

"They helped us load our van," Kutz said. Investigators used a fake identity to access a surplus Web site operated by a Pentagon contractor and bought still more, including a dozen microcircuits used on F-14 fighters.

The undercover buyers received phone calls from the Defense Department asking why they had no Social Security number or credit history, but they deflected the questions by presenting a phony utility bill and claiming to be an identity theft victim.

The Pentagon's public surplus sales took in $57 million in fiscal 2005. The agency also moves extra supplies around within the government and gives surplus military gear such as weapons, armored personnel carriers and aircraft to state and local law enforcement.

Investigators have found the Pentagon's inventory and sales controls rife with errors. They say the sales are closely watched by friends and foes of the United States.

Among cases in which U.S. military technology made its way from surplus auctions to brokers for Iran, China and others:

Items seized in December 2000 at a Bakersfield, Calif., warehouse that belonged to Multicore, described by U.S. prosecutors as a front company for Iran. Among the weaponry it acquired were fighter jet and missile components, including F-14 parts from Pentagon surplus sales, customs agents said. The surplus purchases were returned after two Multicore officers were sentenced to prison for weapons export violations. London-based Multicore is now out of business, but customs continues to investigate whether U.S. companies sold military equipment to it illegally.
In 2005, customs agents came upon the same surplus F-14 parts with the evidence labels still attached while investigating a different company suspected of serving as an Iranian front. They seized the items again. They declined to provide details because the investigation is ongoing.


Arif Ali Durrani, a Pakistani, was convicted last year in California in the illegal export of weapons components to the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Belgium in 2004 and 2005 and sentenced to just over 12 years in prison. Customs investigators say the items included Chinook helicopter engine parts for Iran that he bought from a U.S. company that acquired them from a Pentagon surplus sale, and that those parts made it to Iran via Malaysia. Durrani is appealing his conviction.
An accomplice, former Naval intelligence officer George Budenz, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in July to a year in prison. Durrani's prison term is his second; he was convicted in 1987 of illegally exporting U.S. missile parts to Iran.


State Metal Industries, a Camden, N.J., company convicted in June of violating export laws over a shipment of AIM-7 Sparrow missile guidance parts it bought from Pentagon surplus in 2003 and sold to an entity partly owned by the Chinese government. The company pleaded guilty to an export violation, was fined $250,000 and placed on probation for three years. Customs and Border Protection inspectors seized the parts - nearly 200 pieces of the guidance system for the Sparrow missile system - while inspecting cargo at a New Jersey port.
"Our mistake was selling it for export," said William Robertson, State Metal's attorney. He said the company knew the material was going to China but didn't know the Chinese government partially owned the buyer.


In October, Ronald Wiseman, a longtime Pentagon surplus employee in the Middle East, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing surplus military Humvees and selling them to a customer in Saudi Arabia from 1999 to 2002. An accomplice, fellow surplus employee Gayden Woodson, will be sentenced this month.
The Humvees were equipped for combat zones and some weren't recovered, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Ingersoll said.


A California company, All Ports, shipped hundreds of containers of U.S. military technology to China between 1994 and 1999, much of it acquired in Pentagon surplus sales, court documents show. Customs agents discovered the sales in May 1999 when All Ports tried to ship to China components for guided missiles, bombs, the B-1 bomber and underwater mines. The company and its owners were convicted in 2000; an appeals court upheld the conviction in 2002.
Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., called the cases "a huge breakdown, an absolute, huge breakdown."

"The military should not sell or give away any sensitive military equipment. If we no longer need it, it needs to be destroyed - totally destroyed," said Shays, until this month the chairman of a House panel on national security. "The Department of Defense should not be supplying sensitive military equipment to our adversaries, our enemies, terrorists."

It's no secret to defense experts that valuable technology can be found amid surplus scrap.

On a visit to a Defense Department surplus site about five years ago, defense consultant Randall Sweeney literally stumbled upon some items that clearly shouldn't have been up for sale.

"I was walking through a pile of supposedly de-milled electrical items and found a heat-seeking missile warhead intact," Sweeney said, declining to identify the surplus location for security reasons. "I carried it over and showed them. I said, 'This shouldn't be in here.'"

Sweeney, president of Defense and Aerospace International in West Palm Beach, Fla., sees human error as a big problem. Surplus items are numbered, and an error of a single digit can make sensitive technology improperly available and knowledgeable buyers could easily spot a valuable item, he said. "I'm not the only sophisticated eye in the world," he said.

Baillie said the Pentagon is working to tighten security. Steps include setting up property centers to better identify surplus parts and employing people skilled at spotting sensitive items. If there is uncertainty about whether an item is safe, he said, it is destroyed.

Of the 76,000 parts for the F-14, 60 percent are "general hardware" such as nuts and bolts and can be sold to the public without restriction, Baillie said. About 10,000 are unique to Tomcats and will be destroyed, he said.

An additional 23,000 parts are valuable for military and commercial use and are being studied to see whether it's safe to sell them, Baillie said.

Asked why the Pentagon would sell any F-14 parts, given their value to Iran, Baillie said: "Our first priority truly is national security, and we take that very seriously. However, we have to balance that with our other requirement to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money."

Kutz, the government investigator, said surplus F-14 parts shouldn't be sold. He believes Iran already has Tomcat parts from Pentagon surplus sales: "The key now is, going forward, to shut that down and not let it happen again."

Iran shoots down U.S. spy drone

Iranian troops have shot down a U.S. pilotless spy plane recently, an Iranian lawmaker announced on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic was facing increasing military pressure from its arch rival -- the United States.

The aircraft was brought down when it was trying to cross the borders "during the last few days," Seyed Nezam Mola Hoveizeh, a member of the parliament, was quoted by the local Fars News Agency as saying.

The lawmaker gave no exact date of the shooting-down or any other details about the incident, but he said that "the United States sent such spy drones to the region every now and then."

IAEA Suspends Nuke Aid to Iran

The International Atomic Energy Agency has suspended some technical aid projects in Iran to comply with new U.N. sanctions slapped on Tehran over suspicions it may be trying to build nuclear bombs, diplomats say.

Western powers want an IAEA review of aid for Iran's civilian nuclear energy programme to cut most of the 65 projects but face resistance from a developing nation bloc to which Iran belongs, raising tension within the nuclear watchdog.

Findings from the review will be presented to the 35-nation IAEA governing board next month for a probable vote at its next scheduled meeting in March. But some projects had already been provisionally shelved, Western diplomats said on Wednesday.

"Projects that are in the view of the (IAEA) secretariat definitely not compatible with U.N. Resolution 1737 have been put on hold already," said a European Union diplomat among a group briefed by the IAEA's technical aid director this week.

"It [the secretariat] has also draw up a preliminary list of projects that can be continued and is completing an assessment of those more difficult to assess, the ones with a more hybrid character, or the ones where it boils down to proper interpretation and definition," the diplomat added.

Secretariat officials declined to say how many projects were suspended or which ones, said the diplomat, who declined to be identified.

A senior source within the IAEA confirmed the development. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment.

Jet with Anti-Missile System Leaves LAX

An MD-10 cargo jet equipped with Northrop Grumman's Guardian anti-missile system took off from Los Angeles International Airport on a commercial flight Tuesday, the company said.

The FedEx flight marked the start of operational testing and evaluation of the laser system designed to defend against shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles during takeoffs and landings.

Adapted from military technology, Guardian is designed to detect a missile launch and then direct a laser to the seeker system on the head of the missile and disrupt its guidance signals. The laser is not visible and is eye-safe, the company said.

"For the first time, we will be able to collect valuable logistics data while operating Guardian on aircraft in routine commercial service," said Robert L. DelBoca, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman's Defensive Systems Division.

During the current test phase, which concludes in March 2008, nine MD-10s equipped with the Guardian system will be in commercial service. Katie Lamb-Heinz of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems said all those aircraft will be freighters. The ultimate goal is to defend passenger airliners.
The testing is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Counter-Man Portable Air Defense Systems program. BAE Systems has also been working for the government on a similar airliner defense system and has successfully tested it.

John Pike, a defense analyst at GlobalSecurity.org, an Alexandria, Va., think tank, suggested that development of the system was the lesser of issues for the airline industry.

"I think the problem is making the numbers work in the sense of figuring out whose going to pay for it," he said.

More than capital costs, airlines are likely to be most concerned about the costs of maintenance and aircraft downtime, he said.

No passenger plane has ever been downed by a shoulder-fired missile outside of a combat zone. But terrorists linked with al-Qaida are believed to have fired two SA-7 missiles that narrowly missed an Israeli passenger jet after it took off from Mombasa, Kenya, in November 2002.

The first commercial flight with the Guardian system followed 16 months of tests on an MD-11, an MD-10 and a Boeing 747 using simulated launches of shoulder-fired missiles.

The Guardian system appears as a pod with eye-like features attached to the belly of the FedEx MD-10, a freight version of what was originally the three-engine widebody DC-10 airliner.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Talk Show America 1/16/2007







First Additional Troops Arrive in Baghdad, Ongoing Operations in Iraq Net Insurgents/Weapons Caches, 1,000 Iraqis Apply for Police Jobs in Ramadi !

Where is the Main Stream News Media on ANY of these POSITIVE reports out of Iraq ?



Download the MP3 Here:


Listen Here with Pop Up Player:

Thanks for Listening,
J.R.



Al-Maliki gives Mahdi Army blunt choice: disarm or face American onslaught

Iraq's prime minister has told Mahdi Army militiamen they must surrender their arms or face an all-out assault by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, senior Iraqi officials said Wednesday, revealing a pledge Washington wanted to hear as American and Iraqi troops prepared a fresh operation to end the bloody sectarian war gripping Baghdad.

The blunt message was particularly significant given that Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi leader, previously had blocked several U.S. attempts to crack down on the military wing of radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, now one of the most powerful players in Iraq.

"Prime Minister al-Maliki has told everyone that there will be no escape from attack. The government has told the Sadrists (the political movement that supports the Mahdi Army), if we want to build a state we have no other choice but to attack armed groups," a senior Shiite legislator and close al-Maliki adviser said.

While the militia has been noticeably less active since the Dec. 30 hanging of Saddam Hussein, there was no assurance the threatened offensive would intimidate the fighters who have only grown stronger in numbers, arms and sophistication since they battled U.S. forces to a standstill in the Shiite holy city of Najaf and in Baghdad's Sadr City in 2004.

The Iraqi military is bringing two brigades from northern Iraq and one from the south to increase troop strength for the new Baghdad security push that al-Maliki announced on Saturday. He immediately set it in motion with an attack on Sunni insurgents in Haifa Street in central Baghdad. Thirty suspected insurgents were killed then and 50 more were reported killed Tuesday in a nearly day-long assault there backed by U.S. troops, fighter jets and attack helicopters.

Iraqi Cell Leader Killed, Another Captured; 13 Detained

Coalition forces killed the leader of an improvised-explosive-device cell and captured another in Iraq over the past three days, and coalition forces have detained 13 suspected insurgents this week, U.S. military officials said.

Coalition forces killed one terrorist and detained seven suspected terrorists today during a raid targeting an IED cell in Baghdad. As coalition forces neared the objective, three individuals fled to a river, where two of the suspected terrorists surrendered without incident.

A third armed terrorist who refused to surrender began maneuvering toward coalition forces and was shot and killed. Coalition forces also detained five other suspected terrorists.

A day earlier, 8th Iraqi Army Division forces with coalition advisors captured a suspected IED cell leader in Hajjan, west of Kut. The suspect is an experienced IED builder responsible for attacks on convoys traveling in the area, military officials said. Iraqi security forces detained three additional people for questioning.

Also in Iraq yesterday, a suicide car bomb detonated near an Iraqi Army checkpoint in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Mansour, killing two Iraqi army soldiers and seriously wounding three others.

Elsewhere in Iraq, soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, detained three suspected insurgents Jan. 14 while patrolling the Jurf As Sahkr water treatment plant, 35 miles southwest of Baghdad.

The patrol witnessed the insurgents stripping a vehicle for use as a potential car bomb. As the patrol neared, the insurgents fled in different directions and shot at the patrol from two nearby houses. The detainees are being held for further questioning.

ABC:Bush Cheered at Fort Benning-Not So Says NYT & CBS

One has to wonder how 3 news organizations covering the President report different accounts of the same event.

President Bush, surrounded on Thursday by cheering soldiers in camouflage, defended his decision to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq and cautioned that the buildup will not produce quick results. "It's going to take awhile," he said.

Fort Benning, south of Columbus, Ga., offered Bush a patriotic backdrop and a friendly audience in which to sell his retooled plan for Iraq, which drew heavy fire on Capitol Hill from Democrats and some Republicans. Some 4,000 members of Fort Benning's 3rd Brigade Combat Team are being sent to Iraq earlier than planned because of the president's decision.

"The new strategy is not going to yield immediate results. It's going to take awhile," Bush said. "The American people have got to understand that suicide bombings won't stop immediately."


Bush said his new plan has a well-defined mission something that military leaders have insisted upon if more troops were sent.

"The mission is to help Iraqis clear and secure neighborhoods, to help Iraqis protect the local population, and to ensure that the Iraqi forces that are left behind will be capable of providing the security necessary in the capital city of Iraq. That's the mission," he said.

Bush had lunch with about 300 military personnel and their relatives, saw a paratrooper training exercise and met with relatives of 25 soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He met Dave Tainsh, a retired Marine sergeant-major, and his wife, Deb, whose son, 33-year-old Army Sgt. Patrick Tainsh, was killed by a roadside bomb near the Baghdad Airport on Feb. 11, 2004. Deb Tainsh has at least 100 e-mails from parents of fallen soldiers or parents of soldiers who are about to depart for Iraq all pledging support for Bush.
"Every one of these letters says, 'Mr. President, we support you,'" she said. "The consensus is that they � want him to do everything he can to win this war and that our prayers are with him."

Before visiting Georgia, Bush awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham of Scio, N.Y. He was only the second recipient of the nation's highest military honor from the Iraq war.
"I've lost my son, but he became a part of history," Dunham's mother, Deb, said after the ceremony. "It still hurts as a parent, but the pride that you have from knowing he did the right thing makes it easier."


This is How the NY Times Reported the Same Story:Bush Speaks and Base Is Subdued

President Bush came to this Georgia military base
looking for a friendly audience to sell his new Iraq strategy. But his lunchtime
talk received a restrained response from soldiers who clapped politely but
showed little of the wild enthusiasm that they ordinarily shower on the commander
in chief.

And of Course Not To Be Left Out CBS Had This:

Katie Couric characterized, on January 11, as "out of the
ordinary" the "response the President got today from a usually receptive audience,"
soldiers at Fort Benning.

Reporter Jim Axelrod checked in:

"To start selling his plan, President Bush picked about the friendliest audience hecould find -- soldiers at Fort Benning, Georgia. But even rallying the troops is now a challenge. The mood here was polite but muted, more somber than usual for a President talking to soldiers."

Rescued Iraqi Surgeon: 'Thank You American Military'

"Thank you American military, thank you people, thank you very much."

Monday's CBS Evening News featured a recounting, by Lara Logan, of how over the weekend U.S. Army soldiers rescued an Iraqi surgeon and his family who were trapped for eight days on Baghdad's Haifa Street, suffering in dire conditions and in danger of getting killed in fighting between Sunni militias and the Iraqi army.

After the rescue, Dr. Quraish Fajir al-Kasir proclaimed on camera:

"These are days that I will
never forget in my life. Thank you American military, thank you people!"

The "Crazyhorse" troops of the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry of the U.S. Army conducted the mission after the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq saw CBS's Friday story on the plight of Dr. al-Kasir, a very prominent Iraqi doctor who once attended a meeting at the White House.

"It�s really good to see a family that we could save and make sure they didn't get hurt while we are out here," said Sgt. Nicholas Skelton of the Crazyhorse Troop.

Monday, January 15, 2007

Talk Show America 1/15/2007







Today's Topics:

Survey: Most Troops Have Positive View of military
December Recruiting Goals Exceeded
The Main Stream News Media's Pre-Emptive War Against Iraq 'Surge'

Episode: Talk Show America 1/15/2007

First Additional U.S. Troops Arrive in Baghdad to Support New Plan

The first additional U.S. troops who will take part in new security operations in Iraq have arrived in Baghdad, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq said today.

"The initial elements of the first group are here," George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters at a news conference in Baghdad. Casey did not specify the number of troops who had arrived or give any indication when security operations would begin.

The added U.S. troops will support the Iraqi-led operation, he said. U.S. and Iraqi officials are trying to work out command details to put Iraqis in control, with U.S. troops backing them up, he said.

Casey emphasized that security Baghdad is a key element of the overall plan and that the U.S. is committed to helping the Iraqis succeed there.

"I will remind everyone that I have consistently said that I will ask for the troops I need to accomplish the mission, and that I will do what it takes to help the Iraqis succeed," he said. "And that is what we're doing with this plan."

The new plan has more Iraqi buy-in than in the past, Casey said.
"It is Iraqi-conceived and will be Iraqi-led, not only on the security side, but on the political, economic and media/public affairs side,"
he said.

Although the Iraqis will lead the plan,
"American forces will remain under American command, period -- no issues," Casey said. He acknowledged that the more troops who serve in Iraq, the greater the risk of casualties, but said U.S. troops "won't be put at risk because of the command relationships."

Casey said U.S. and Iraqis together have committed sufficient security forces to ensure the plan succeeds.

The timetable for introducing additional U.S. forces into Iraq will enable the coalition and Iraqis "to sustain momentum, reinforce success and evaluate progress as we go," Casey said. The plan offers flexibility and a statement of U.S. commitment to the Iraqi people, he said.

Ultimately, the Iraqi security forces will be the ones to secure Iraq, and key to reaching that goal is ensure the United States continues to focus on training those troops, the general said. "So, in support of that mission, we will also be enhancing our military transition teams," he said. That will include doubling or even tripling the teams' size to speed the effort forward, Casey said.

Casey made the point that the security plan would not be limited to Baghdad alone. He said it would go all the way to the Iraqi border "in order to stop the infiltration of terrorists."

U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, who also spoke at the news conference, said Iraq's neighbors must change their behavior.
"We will target these networks in the hope of and expectation of changing the behavior of the states to get them to be more positive towards this country that's in transition that is going through a difficult period,"
he said.

Casey said he trusted the Iraqi government would "purge" members of its security forces that are loyal to militias and non-Iraqi groups.

While expressing confidence that the new plan can succeed, Casey warned the Iraqi public not to expect an instant improvement in Baghdad's security.
"As with any plan, there are no guarantees of success, and it's not going to happen overnight," he said. "But with sustained political support and concentrated efforts on all sides, I believe that this plan can work."

In closing, Casey praised the job the U.S. military has been performing in Iraq.
"I'd like to remind the American people about the magnificent job that the men and women of their armed forces are doing over here in a very tough environment," he said. "You can be proud of what they're doing to bring peace and stability to Iraq, and in doing so bringing peace and security to the United States of America."

Weapons Cache Seized; Ceremony Held for Iraqi Police Graduates

U.S. soldiers assisted in the removal of a makeshift bomb near Baghdad after Iraqi police seized the devise along with a weapons cache during a raid on Jan. 13, U.S. military officials reported.

The weapons cache included 60mm mortars, 81mm mortars, a 60mm mortar launcher, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and nine rockets, explosive formed charges, a 120mm artillery round, 107mm rockets, blasting caps and timers, officials said.

Also on Jan. 13, a ceremony was held in recognition of Ramadi Iraqi police graduates. A total of 58 Iraqi police officers graduated from their weeklong advanced training course at the Ramadi Training Center.

Iraqi police officers train at the center after completing a five-week basic training course at the Jordan International Police Training Center, said U.S. Army Capt. Stewart H. McFall, the officer in charge of the RTC.

While in Jordan, the Iraqis learn basic skills in police work, McFall said. Upon completion, they return to their assigned Iraqi police station and begin working with police transition teams and Iraqi police liaison officers until there is an opening for advanced training at the RTC.

There has been a recent surge in qualified police candidates in Ramadi, with more than 1,000 applicants this month, McFall said.

RTC students completed intensive training which includes, detainee operations, cordon searches, dismounted patrols, building searches, traffic control point operations, and reflexive fire training, McFall said.

"I'm living the good life now because it's harder for the terrorists to do their job against the U.S. forces, Iraqi police, and Iraqi army combined," one graduate said through a translator. "Now that I work as an IP, my family feels much safer ... I'm ready to go to the streets to do my job here and help the Iraqi people."

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Coalition Targets Iranian Influence in Northern Iraq

As part of their ongoing effort to target Iranian influence in northern Iraq, coalition forces continue investigating the activities of five Iranian nationals detained in Irbil, Iraq, Jan. 11, officials in Baghdad said today.
Preliminary results revealed the five detainees are connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard - Qods Force, an organization known to provide funds, weapons, improvised explosive device technology and training to extremist groups attempting to destabilize the Iraqi government and attack coalition forces, they reported.

Officials said efforts will continue to target all who break the law, attack coalition force or attempt to undermine the Iraqi government.

The facility in which the detention took place has been described by various Iraqi officials as an Iranian liaison office, but it did not enjoy the diplomatic status of a consulate, Iraqi and U.S. officials said.

The multinational force, in keeping with U.S. policy, will continue to disrupt logistical support to extremists that originate from outside Iraq, they said. These initiatives are part of a broader plan officials said includes diplomatic efforts designed to support the Iraqi government, protect the Iraqi people and seek assistance from neighboring nations.

Today on "Fox News Sunday," Vice President Dick Cheney also touched on Iran's involvement in Iraq, saying the Iranians use the terrorist organization Hezbollah "as a surrogate" in an attempt to topple democratically elected governments in the region.

"The threat that Iran represents is growing. It's multi-dimensional, and it is in fact a concern to everybody in the region," he said. "We do not want them doing what they can to destabilize the situation inside Iraq."

Ongoing Operations in Iraq Net Insurgents, Weapons Caches

Coalition officials in Iraq reported today continued success by U.S., coalition and Iraqi troops in capturing terrorists and destroying weapons caches planned to support their operations.

In Risalah today, special Iraqi army forces elements detained 19 men during operations to capture an illegal armed group leader allegedly responsible for coordinating violent attacks against Iraqi civilians and coalition forces, officials said.

Iraqi forces, with coalition advisors, targeted a suspect who reportedly aids and coordinates the kidnapping and murder of innocent Iraqis, conducts makeshift bomb and mortar attacks against coalition forces, and traffics weapons in the area to
further sectarian violence and attacks against the Iraqi government.

In eastern Baghdad today, Multinational Division Baghdad troops captured 10 suspected insurgents, including a high-value target, officials said. Soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team made the capture as part of "Operation Howard," an effort to help the Iraqis secure the area.

The soldiers also recovered two grenades, multiple vests and machine guns with magazines.

Near Fallujah today, Iraqi army forces detained six men in two operations focused on capturing al Qaeda in Iraq members responsible for coordinating and aiding attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces.

The two Iraqi-led operations targeted suspects who reportedly facilitate makeshift bomb attacks from Baghdad to Fallujah and are involved in weapons trafficking, officials said.

Also today, Iraqi National Police and soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad netted nine suspects as well as several weapons, ammunition and a makeshift bomb in Baghdad's al-Doura district, military officials reported. The discovery resulted from operations aimed at disrupting activity by terrorists and illegally armed militias.

In central Baghdad, Iraqi army troops are continuing operations on North Haifa Street in the city's Karkh district, officials reported.

The effort follows a Jan. 9 combined operation with Iraqi army and coalition forces to disrupt insurgent activity and restore Iraqi security force control of the area. Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, continue to hold a portion of North Haifa Street near Taleel Square, and so far have killed seven insurgents and detained three other suspects, officials said.

In Balad, Iraqi national police and Iraqi Special Forces captured three known insurgents today during a meeting at the Mahdi Mosque. Officials said the captured insurgents have been known to use prayer times as a cover for planning attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces.

The U.S. 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, stood ready to assist the Iraqi forces with a quick reaction force, but their assistance was not needed, officials said.

Yesterday, Iraqi security forces led a joint raid on an insurgent stronghold and detained eight insurgents in Al Haswah.

The Iraqi-led raid targeted a suspected insurgent safe house believed used to attack Iraqi and coalition forces, and store munitions and bomb-making materials. The safe house was destroyed to prevent future attacks. In addition to the eight suspects, the raid netted propaganda material, homemade explosive materials, a rifle and a bomb transport truck.

In Tal Afar, four were killed and a cache of weapons seized Jan. 11 after members of the Iraqi police received small-arms fire in the city and fought back against the insurgents. Soldiers from C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, also responded to the call, officials reported.

A rocket-propelled grenade, rocket boosters and 60mm mortars were seized and destroyed by an explosive ordinance disposal team.

In Balad on Jan. 12, special Iraqi army forces and Iraqi national police detained
the imam of the al-Mahdi Mosque during operations targeting suspected illegal armed group figures involved in kidnapping, murder and other violent crimes against Iraqi civilians, officials reported. Coaliton forces advisors assisted in the operation.

The imam is suspected of leading the group and condoning the killing of men, women and children and other illegal activity through the issuance of fatwas, officials said. He allegedly allows use of the mosque as a base of operations for the group and as a place for interrogations, torture and murder.

No damage to the mosque occurred during the operation and no Iraqi civilians, Iraqi forces or coalition forces were reported injured.

Near Tikrit on Jan. 12, soldiers of the 4th Iraqi Army Division working with coalition advisors captured an insurgent responsible for providing funds, weapons and supplies to insurgent cells, officials reported.

The insurgent also aids bombing attacks on security forces in the Tikrit area by providing insurgent cells with explosives and components used to make bombs, officials said.

In al Doura on Jan. 12, Iraqi special security force members captured two leaders of an insurgent cell during operations with coalition advisers. Officials said the captured insurgents are allegedly responsible for coordinating and conducting car bombing attacks against Iraqi civilians in Sadr City. They also are implicated in carrying out other car bombing and makeshift bomb attacks on Iraqi security forces in the Baghdad area.

In Ramadi, officials said a month-long operation that recently wrapped up netted 31 caches of weapons, explosives, and ammunition, while gaining the support of four more tribes in the city. During "Operation Squeeze Play," 44 enemy combatants were killed and 172 suspected insurgents were detained.

The operation, which began Dec. 1, was carried out by Iraqi army soldiers and police and U.S. soldiers and Marines. Operating in central Ramadi and areas north and east of the city, they helped clear out known anti-Iraqi safe havens and led to the establishment of four Iraqi police sub-stations, officials said.

The operation resulted in the seizure of hundreds of weapons and explosives, including mortar systems, mortar rounds, explosives, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, rifles, grenades, mines, artillery rounds, rockets and other items used to attack Ramadi's security forces and civilians.

DoD News Briefing with Col. Crowe from Iraq