The Good: Our long-standing allies, the Brits, have praised the Iraqi Security Forces for releasing Richard Butler, the British journalist for CBS. 18 Al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists have been detained in northern Iraq by recent US military operations.
The Bad: A string of car-bombs have killed dozens of civilians in Iraq. Yesterday, there were car bombs in Baghdad, Baqubah, Mosul, and Ramadi, which is the largest city in the usually quiet Anbar province. This comes at a time when the fraudulent spokesman for Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Al-Baghdadi, has called on Sunnis to strike "crusaders". Of course crusaders means killing other civilians for these thugs. Two of Grand Ayatollah Sistani's aides have survived an assassination attempt in Basra and Kut. Also, a reputable journalist, Michael Gordon, has reported that the Iraqi units are deserting the fight in Sadr City (pics here).
The Ugly: The State Department is getting all riled up again about mandatory assignments in Iraq. What, you thought foreign service was all about hooking up with hot babes at the Bangkok embassy? Welcome to the sand box.
The Horror in Baqubah (From Belfast Telegraph)
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4 comments:
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 04/16/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.
Sand box?
Been there, done that (in uniform). And I fully expect that I'll have to go again, but this time around it'll be unarmed and unable to shoot back. Oh joy.
The simple fact is that diplomacy has never been a combat MOS; at any other post, not only wouldn't we be building an embassy under combat conditions, we'd be evacuating whatever mission we did have. But the national mission trumps all, and we'll "endeavor to perservere," even though we're about 30 percent understrength worldwide.
The Bangkok babe remark is a cheap shot and unworthy of you. Educate yourself.
I have mixed feelings about the state department after working here, but I do respect the service itself. As for Bangkok, certainly I'm entitled to make a wisecrack now and then.
Given the news about former FSO Nachman (http://consul-at-arms.blogspot.com/2008/04/wt-ex-us-diplomat-pleads-guilty-in.html), I suppose a few "babe" shots are warranted.
Sometimes, some places, I'm glad I entered this profession already happily married.
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