Mike, how come youtubers get the episode before we do here??

Fady, thanks for the link, you are the man :p !!

love you all,
Nadia.

hope your meeting went fine, take care now!

Love,
Nadia.

I’ve been out living among the Iraqi Police. Some people would say I was living among the Jaysh al Mahdi but I don’t think the police are 100% JAM, maybe 10% JAM and 90% display the usual arab work ethic which is, uh, somewhere below the French work ethic.

After spending 2 weeks looking for the civil war raging in Baghdad I’ve decided that Arabs must do civil wars the way they do everything else–lackadaisically.

In most neighborhoods I saw Sunni living next to Shia living next to Catholic. Yes, Sunnis, living next door to Shias who live next door to Catholics.

And they weren’t shooting at each other all day and only the Catholic had any religious/sectarian symbols visible–statue of the Virgin in the dining room.

The JAM and AQIZ equally despised your average Dora, Rasheed or Abu Bashir resident and almost seem to work in collusion to profit from their shake down schemes. Without AQIZ, there is no need for JAM. Without JAM there is no need for AQIZ protection from JAM.

I got to meet some of the JAM mid-level management and was not impressed. When confronted with a few soldiers he looked like a deer in the headlights and then started crying.

One minute he was the big tough JAM Boss full of the wasta getting ready to EJK a guy but when team of soldiers showed up he turned into, well, jelly.

The Baghdad Security Plan is working and can achieve an endstate. It took the Brits 12 years in Maylaya. We are following their plan.

The biggest enemy we have is an over active media and spineless Host Nation government which is intimidated by the JAM and has the JAM as key constituent group.

Shortly after I arrived in Baghdad the big news was of some residents protesting the Army putting in check points and walling off entry and exit routs in certain Mahalas……

Read the rest here:
http://www.outsidethewire.com/blog/outside-the-wire/looking-for-that-civil-war-we-are-bogged-down-in.html

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070515/ap_on_go_co/us_iraq

http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/

Omar has a fantastic post.

.

.

.

Iraq is on the tipping point. Which way will it go????

Peace.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObelnFLCp1c

just a few of the many news stories re: the Awakening of various Tribes in Iraq who have turned against AQ & joined the Iraq Gov & Coalition..

Shaykh Sattar: The ‘Dawn of Democracy’ in Ramadi
http://alphabetcity.blogspot.com/2007/03/shaykh-sattar-dawn-of-democracy-in.html
http://tinyurl.com/yvtsjx
March 08, 2007

[”We need to continue to work with the Coalition Forces here,” he said. “Increase our cooperation, help out the victims of the violence, get the news more proactive in Anbar providence and begin the rebuilding of our schools, universities and hospitals.”

He added, “The time for dictatorship is gone, and we are welcoming the new dawn of democracy and freedom here. I expect the future to be much better for the next generation for they will live in a better world than we do today.”]

Iraqi tribal chiefs forming an anti-insurgent party
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sheiks20apr20,0,3931359.story?coll=la-home-headlines
http://tinyurl.com/2b8dy9
April 20, 2007

[One purpose of the party, Sattar said, is to promote a better image of American-led forces “to the Iraqis here.” He added that the tribes also would participate in a U.S.-backed effort to reestablish a court system in Ramadi, the provincial capital.]

[”The terrorists destroyed the network of people and how they communicate, and the new sheiks council is here to bring it back and fight the insurgents until they are out of the country,” Sattar said.]

[But some sheiks in Ramadi and other parts of Al Anbar have established closer links with U.S. armed forces since last year, when they began speaking out against the insurgency and Al Qaeda in Iraq.]

As Surge Begins To Take Hold,
Tribal Leaders Turn on Qaeda
http://www.nysun.com/article/54368
http://tinyurl.com/2puyp9
May 14, 2007

[Sheikh Hussein, as well as other sheikhs interviewed for this piece, said the turning point for the tribes was in September when Al Qaeda in Iraq declared the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq, a shadow state that in pockets of the country has established Islamic sharia courts and tried to provide some social services. The declaration was a direct challenge to the centuries-old tribal system that has prevailed in most of Iraq. As a result, the terrorists once seen as allies against the American invaders have also come to be seen as invaders.]

[Despite the rising antipathy toward Al Qaeda, the tribal sheikhs in the Sunni regions in particular are very clear that their new alliance with the Americans is merely a tactical one. Sheikh Hussein summed it up: “We would like America, a friend, to rebuild the country. This is what we want, what the tribes want. But to stay here as a military force indefinitely is unacceptable.” For Sheikh Hussein, however, the prospect of a speedy exit is also unacceptable. At a luncheon at a home of one of his cousins, he asked this reporter, “Please, tell the Democrats for now to stop pressuring Bush.”]

aside from peace & prosperity, all we want is for the Iraqis is for them to be able to protect themselves & a Gov (which i hear is making quite a lot of progress as well) that fuctions by & for the people.. then the COTW can finally pack their bags & come on home.. if they must return to Iraq one day, it will hopefuly be to visit with friends made or as anxious tourists.. :+:

==

That’s not Ausama’s father! That’s Ziad Turkey, director of Hometown Baghdad! You can see him in ‘Iraqis shooting each other’ and he wrote a statement in the beginning of Hometown Baghdad’s release.

Fady

Peace.

I really admire your work, you are all a very remarkable group!

Thanks Fady, you are my saviour

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11851&Itemid=128

Hopefully more Military Dogs will help take a bite out of al-Qaeda.

You can also read this in arabic. Click on the upper right hand arabic writing.

Thanks for posting it!!

If you are interested in what is really happening in Iraq, then ITM is probably even worse than Faux News at delivering the story. Believe me, I’m an Iraqi and those bloggers are nothing but low-lifes probably hired by some neo-con to give a nice spin on their dirt.

If you really want to know more about the situation in Iraq then I’d recommend reading a blog by a REAL Iraqi like Zeyad: http://www.healingiraq.blogspot.com/

Thank you Mike for the excellent job you are doing. God bless!

oh my, know it all a comedian..

==

I saw some shots of the grieving mothers on local TV today, and some other shots of the village and the elementary school. I also saw a group of locals used the opportunity of media coverage for the bombing to speak out about the lack of any infrastructure services in their village. Of course, no government officials will listen to those people’s cries.

On another matter, I’ve read in Washington Post today a very interesting article about the Defense Department’s blocking of YouTube, MySpace, and eleven other websites on its computers. The article called “A Casualty of War: MySpace”. Here’s the link for this article, but I’m not sure if it’ll work at your side:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/14/AR2007051400112.html

I saw some shots of the grieving mothers on local TV today, and some other shots of the village and the elementary school. I also saw a group of locals used the opportunity of media coverage for the bombing to speak out about the lack of any infrastructure services in their village. Of course, no government officials will listen to those people’s cries.

On another matter, I’ve read in Washington Post today a very interesting article about the Defense Department’s blocking of YouTube, MySpace, and eleven other websites on its computers. The article called “A Casualty of War: MySpace”. Here’s the link for this article, but I’m not sure if it’ll work at your side:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/14/AR2007051400112.html

no, it’s not a pretty pic in Iraq in some areas..

albeit for different reasons, you can go to any number of big cities here in the states and witness numerous violent acts.. however, in many of these places the violence is due to “turf wars” between opposing gangs.. more or less what is going on in a few hot spots in Iraq on a less dramatic scale..

now, i’m not trying to make light of the plight of the Iraqis in these troubled spots, it is horrific what some of these people must live with day to day.. what i’m trying to point out is.. the majority of Iraq is calm & peaceful, people have moved on with their lives, and have started to build a better future for themselves & future generations..

the COTW are not in Iraq to force the Iraqi people to do anything.. the COTW are not the ones responsible for the bombings, kidnappings, etc, of innocent Iraqis.. the COTW are the ones going who are going after those who are slaughtering innocents.. and they are not doing it on their own, they are working hand in hand with the Iraqi Army, Police Force & many Tribal leaders who have formed their own Coalitions of the Willing, and most importantly, hundreds of ordinary Iraqi citizens, most of whom are victims of the ongoing terrorism themselves..

Iraq has many Hero’s who have given of themselves, their lives & limbs trying to establish the peace, ensure domestic tranquility, and provide for the common defense.. in order to afford liberty & justice for all the Iraqi people.. united Iraq stands, divided Iraq falls.. it is up to each & every Iraqi to do their best under the most dire of circumstances to join in the fight for a free & democratic Iraq..

war is ugly, but that is what’s it’s all about..

Iraqis have a choice, they’re either for a free & democratic Iraq in which they have control over their own collective destiny.. or they’re with the terrorists who will dominate & oppress them to a degree unlike any other throughout Iraq’s history..

there is an old saying here in America that i would love to hear Iraqis echoing around the world.. “give us Liberty or give us death”.. that is the choice Iraqis alone must make..

every day i hope & pray for the Iraqi people, for the freedom fighters of all ilk defending them from the evil within, and for the ushering in of a true awakening that will asure all Iraq’s dreams be brought to fruition..

Godspeed..

==

i have quite a few relatives in the us military and a handful have been to iraq on more than one occassion. i think 2 of them are there now. and i know that they believe they are just there to help. there are just so many sides to this war, that i am thankful that i can come this site and read/watch all those sides.

i was curious to know if the sniper was iraqi or american. not that it matters, because lives are at stake, but i was just curious.

Fady Says:
May 15th, 2007 at 12:15 pm

oh dear Lord, that is truly sad & tragic.. i can’t imagine the pain the Mother’s & Fathers, family & friends, not to mention those responsible are experiencing..

my heartfelt prayers & sympathy goes out to all concerned..

==

i just posted a response about the school bombing tragedy, which brought to mind the following incident in which soldiers saved the lives of many school children..

Military: New Iraqi school had bombs built in
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/03/iraq.school.bomb/
http://tinyurl.com/yw7fjz
May 3, 2007

BAGHDAD, Iraq — American soldiers discovered a girls school being built north of Baghdad had become an explosives-rigged “death trap,” the U.S. military said Thursday.

The plot at the Huda Girls’ school in Tarmiya was a “sophisticated and premeditated attempt to inflict massive casualties on our most innocent victims,” military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said.

The military suspects the plot was the work of al Qaeda, because of its nature and sophistication, Caldwell said in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

The plot was uncovered Saturday, when troopers in the Salaheddin province found detonating wire across the street from the school. They picked up the wire and followed its trail, which led to the school. Once inside, they found an explosive-filled propane tank buried beneath the floor. There were artillery shells built into the ceiling and floor, and another propane tank was found, the military said.

The wire was concealed with mortar and concrete, and the propane tanks had been covered with brick and hidden underneath the floor, according to a military statement. Soldiers were able to clear the building.

“It was truly just an incredibly ugly, dirty kind of vicious killing that would have gone on here,” Caldwell said.

Iraqi contractors were responsible for building the school, which was intended to bring in hundreds of girls.

“Given the care and work put into emplacing this IED, it is likely it had been planned for a long time” and it is thought that “the IED was not intended to be set off until the building was occupied,” the military said.

Authorities intend to question the Iraqis involved in the school’s construction.

CNN - al Qaeda Plot uncovered - Iraq school girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1_f6Zd-Tdc
http://tinyurl.com/2q5y9h

again, my sincere condolences to all for the loss of innocents in the school tragedy.. but i also believe it’s pertinent to point out the differences between mistaken for whatever reasons vs deliberate for all intentions..

thanks & take care..

==

The sniper wasn’t an American Soldier.

American Snipers are only allowed to fire on a positive identification of an ARMED Insurgent/Terrorist running around the streets of Baghdad. They have to openly be carrying a weapon.

American snipers will also scan windows looking for a gun barrel of a Terrorist Sniper trying to kill innocent Iraqis.

American Snipers have killed many of these Terrorist Snipers killing innocent Iraqis:

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/ac95bc775efc34c685256ab50049d458/0b6a3eed77fe183a852571950026a180?OpenDocument

http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6720&Itemid=21

http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/jan2006/a011806ms2.html

There are a handful of Insurgent Snipers who shoot at innocent Iraqis who are going shopping at the Markets. I also believe these are Sunni Extremists and Wahabi Sunni al-Qaeda who are not only willing to kill innocent Iraqis, but they do these acts to hurt Iraq’s aspiring economy.

Just like al-Qaeda tried to ruin the United States economy by bringing down the World Trade Centers and make Americans afraid.

They are doing the same in Iraq. They don’t want Iraq to succeed and do these acts to scare Iraqis and make them not want to shop at their Markets.

Iraqis continue to go the markets, as Ausama demonstrated, and live their lives under very very difficult conditions, but American Soldiers are there to try and help. They are doing the best job they can in very very difficult conditions.

Thank you for the link to Healing Iraq. I will save it and read it every day.

I respect your opinion, but don’t you think you are being discriminating by telling people to not read other Iraqi’s opinions that might be different from yours?

I watch CNN, BBC, Fox News, and MSNBC. Why? Because they all report the same story differently.

If Omar and Mohammed were hired by the Neo-Con Republicans in the Bush Administration, then why did the U.S. Military search their home?

http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2007/03/midnight-company.html

I will not stop reading Iraq the Model, but I will begin to also read Healing Iraq.

Assalamu Allaikum….

All I’m saying is that the persons writing for ITM do not even represent 0,00000000001 percent of Iraqis, so if you want to know what is really happening in Iraq then you will need to rely on a different sources. That is what I meant to say.

wa alaikum al salaam wa rahmatu allahi wa barakatahu!

well, you have absolutely no evidence to back your accusation up.. albeit they are in much danger themselves, fact is.. the brothers chose to stay in Baghdad & blog for Iraq.. their information is not based on their personal experiences, but much detailed reporting about what is literally going down in their country & their analysis related to them to the best of their knowledge.. iow: their blog is not about what they’re experiencing day to day.. it covers a wide range of subjects pertinent to all Iraq & Iraqis on a much wider scope.. the forest vs the tree per se..

==

The bloggers at Iraq the Model are both practicing Doctors with their degrees and licenses in hand. They could have left Baghdad months ago, but they have chosen to stay.

Many Iraqis criticizing Omar and Mohammed have fled Iraq a long time ago.
The Americans who criticize Omar and Mohammed don’t want to hear context about the Iraq War/Politics
and hate them for that as well.

Omar and Mohammed could be practicising in Great Britain or America, but they have chosen to stay IN IRAQ.

I found their first hand account of their home being searched my American Soldiers to be compelling and a good read.

I also enjoy their analysis of the internal politics between all the Sunni blocks, Shia blocks, and Kurdish blocks and how they function in the new Iraqi Government.

If you could find me ONE post on ITM that criticizes the US for ANYTHING, I would be satisfied and will rest my case.

I mean even their homes being searched turned out to be a happy social encounter. My God.

PS: this is the first time I’ve heard anyone with such a nice story of their homes being searched in Iraq: no kicked doors, no broken windows, no bullet holes…. The way ITM see the situation in Iraq… You might call it Disney Land on steroids. And you know what the worst part is? Believing that.

99% of home searches are not aggressive and called “soft knocks”.

Who would like having their home searched, but how the heck are you supposed to find the terrorists/insurgents hiding among the innocent Iraqis?

The only time American & Iraqi Soldiers storm a home aggressively is if they have received information that the home is being used by terrorists. They can’t knock then and have to knock the door down and go in aggresssive.

If the info is wrong and the Iraqis at that home are innocent the American Military is REQUIRED to pay for any damage to the home. Which they do and have many times.

Here is a video of a soft knock for you sir:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0cO1AM-CLI

Do you think this rescued innocent Iraqi kidnap victim’s family is happy that these American Soldiers didn’t knock and went in to search this home?

I think their tears of joy shows a different view on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhkKidHD98Y

American Soldiers also have learned traditional Muslim customs and have been very respectful when doing soft knock searches.

They greet the Iraqis with the traditional “Assalamu Allaikum” and “Salaam” with a hand to their heart.

They are only trying to improve the security for all secular peace loving Iraqis and doing the best job possible in a very very difficult environment.

Yes I guess I do have lots of t-shirt lol.

I remember that day , it was scary for the crew to come to my house … they even saw a car following them on their way to my house and they had to keep their car in our garage.

and It was scary for me too to shoot outdoors , we went to that market and alot of people were there and it was dangerous because we don’t know when will any militia men attack us ( you know Cameras and etc.. ) I didn’t even speak english at the market because of that too ,imagine an english speaking guy with 3 camera men walking down the street ! ! ! ( I guess a militia man would say : ” Yummy! ” hah ! ).

oh and not to mention that sniper on the other street close to my house.

by the way I just wanted to mention that I really respect what Mohammed and Omar are doing , they’re indeed risking thier lives by staying in Baghdad or Iraq , but Gunner I’m not sure if they have a choice … If you don’t have money to go out from Iraq then you’re stuck there , not to mention that Iraqi Doctors are not allowed to practice anywhere outside of Iraq unless you make 100 tests from all over again to get a licence.

Thank You

Gunner Sgt, I could say that you have absolutely no prove for that figure, but that would just be a moot point as I also stated a percentage in my last comment which is to the best of my knowledge (I didn’t actually go around and ask Iraqis if they thought that ITM were a total joke, but I did read this:
http://ejectiraqikkk.blogspot.com/2006/10/iraq-model.html
and this:
http://ejectiraqikkk.blogspot.com/2006/10/iraqi-bloggers-discuss-lancet-study.html to give you an example about how most Iraqi bloggers regard them.

I do agree with you that the military (apart from the few “rotten apples”, of course) is trying to improve things in a very difficult environment. But the question remains: What was first: the chicken or the egg?

I can see that you are just trying to show that the American Troops are there for the safety for Iraq and its people, and I appreciate that you always back up your opinions with articles, blogs or other videos, but sometimes, you just can’t get through to people.

What’s interesting is that you come across as fighting to show that the troops are their to produce something positive, while others on this site, I am assuming all Iraqis (living/have lived in Iraq) are fighting to show you that what you believe is wrong.

I think it’s quite an observation. Perhaps both “sides” are right and both “sides” are also wrong.

excerpt:

[What is particularly revealing about the
Iraqbodycount.net system is that, as a monitor of trends,
it closely parallels the results found in this survey: most
casualties arose after the end of major hostilities in May,
2003, and the rate of civilian deaths has been rising in
recent months. This finding indicates that passive
media-based monitoring should have a role in future
conflicts where the collection of health data is not
practical. However, it should be used as a monitor of trends rather than as a count estimator, as
Iraqbodycount.net has been most commonly cited in the
media.14
Despite widespread Iraqi casualties, household
interview data do not show evidence of widespread
wrongdoing on the part of individual soldiers on the
ground. To the contrary, only three of 61 incidents (5%)
involved coalition soldiers (all reported to be American
by the respondents) killing Iraqis with small arms fire.
In one of the three cases, the 56-year-old man killed
might have been a combatant. In a second case, a
72-year-old man was shot at a checkpoint. In the third,
an armed guard was mistaken for a combatant and shot
during a skirmish. In the latter two cases, American
soldiers apologised to the families of the decedents for
the killings, indicating a clear understanding of the
adverse consequences of their use of force. The
remaining 58 killings (all attributed to US forces by
interviewees) were caused by helicopter gunships,
rockets, or other forms of aerial weaponry.

Many of the Iraqis reportedly killed by US forces could
have been combatants. 28 of 61 killings (46%) attributed
to US forces involved men age 15–60 years, 28 (46%)
were children younger than 15 years, four (7%) were
women, and one was an elderly man. It is not clear if the
greater number of male deaths was attributable to
legitimate targeting of combatants who may have been
disproportionately male, or if this was because men are
more often in public and more likely to be exposed to
danger. For example, seven of 12 (58%) vehicle accidentrelated
fatalities involved men between 15 and 60 years
of age.]

www.thelancet.com Published online October 29, 2004
http://image.thelancet.com/extras/04art10342web.pdf

==

Q: What was first: the chicken or the egg?

A: just as a chicken lays an egg.. Saddam Hussein’s actions caused a reaction…

Q: who was considered by the International Community to be a constant threat to his people, his neighbors & to the rest of the world??

A: Saddam Hussein

Q: who supported internal genocide & exported terrorism??

A: Saddam Hussein

==

Caldwell: Can We Just Walk Away?
http://tank.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjUxOWQ0M2UyYzExNzlhMDQyZmZlNjI4NTk2MDc2YWM=http://tinyurl.com/2xfwzp
May 16, 2007

[This is a very complex and challenging fight. When our Iraqi allies are faced with people who drive car bombs into markets to massacre women shopping for groceries and children carrying their books to school, we have to ask ourselves, can we just walk away?

The main enemy facing the Iraqi people in Al Anbar is Al Qaeda:

· They are a vicious, ruthless enemy, dedicated to killing hope and stopping progress.

· They don’t want to win elections or get appointed to head Ministries.

· They want to kill enough innocent men, women and children that chaos and fear dominate Iraq.

· They want to torture and assassinate those assisting the people and create a climate of despair that kills confidence in the security forces and the government.

Al Qaeda could not win an election:

· They offer discredited and hateful ideologies that have been rejected by the people of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Afghanistan.

· They are engaged in campaigns of murder and intimidation to try and advance their agendas.

· They want to commit horrific mass murders to try and spark sectarian violence.

· They need for the people of Iraq to feel so unsafe that even their way of life seems preferable.

· They offer two choices – death or submission.

We have a different mission in Iraq:

· We are here to secure progress and provide hope.

· We are here to help the Iraqis build institutions that will offer their children a better life in a brighter tomorrow.

· We want to help the Iraqi people develop a secure, stable and self-governing nation they can be proud of.

· We want to help the Iraqi people build loyal and professional security forces, so the people can believe that true security does not lie with gangs and outlaw militias.

· We want to help Iraqis to build capable police and courts, so that the people can believe in the Rule of Law instead of fearing the Law of the Gun.

This should be printed in America’s newspapers in such a readily readable format. While reading, it occurred to me that each of the final bullet point statements directly above about our “different mission in Iraq” should be concluded with the directness of adding “by killing al-Qaeda terrorists.” For that is the only true means to the ends stated, at least insofar as Anbar and Diyala provinces are concerned.]

Transcript : Video
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11894&Itemid=1
http://tinyurl.com/yphclg

no we cannot, we are in Iraq because we walked away from AQ for over a decade..

we walk away before terrorism is defeated in Iraq.. guaranteed, the rest of the world, including the USA, will look worse than Iraq does now in a few short decades.. but you don’t have to take my word for it, you can take AQ et als & Iran’s for starters..

==