The Times appears to have scored a scoop today, reporting that “more than 20,000″ Tamil civilians were killed during the final weeks of the Sri Lankan Army’s push into the Jaffna Peninsula. I have my doubts; as often with the Times, the story is too vaguely sourced to be completely convincing. Still, let’s not forget [...]
Archive for May, 2009
Sri Lanka: ‘More than 20,000′ Civilians Killed in Army Push
Posted in Sri Lanka on May 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Casey: U.S. Will Be in Iraq and Afghanistan ‘For At Least the Next Decade’ (Plus: Ralph Peters Strikes Again)
Posted in Afghanistan, Iraq on May 27, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Andrew Exum has lunched with Gen. George Casey, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, and came away with interesting stuff, such as:
Gen. Casey said repeatedly — and stressed repeatedly that this was his own estimate and not policy — that he thought the U.S. Army would be engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan for at [...]
Afghanistan: In Defense of McKiernan
Posted in Afghanistan on May 26, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Wiser men have already tagged this (here and here), but one more time won’t hurt: if you haven’t already read it, go check out McKiernan advisor Paul Farnan’s spirited defense of his erstwhile boss in WaPo:
This struggle is not about killing insurgents. We have killed more insurgents than we can count over the past seven [...]
Sri Lanka: A Legacy of Terror
Posted in Sri Lanka on May 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“The Tigers’ legacy remains intact”, warns Mia Bloom:
Their perfection of suicide bombings, their recruitment of women and children, their innovation in IEDs, have been emulated by other terrorist groups worldwide, from al-Qaeda to Hezbollah. Though they considered themselves superior to jihadi terrorists — who regularly target civilians — the Tigers opened the door to terrorism [...]
Ralph Peters: Future Wars ‘May Require’ Killing Journalists
Posted in Media on May 22, 2009 | 2 Comments »
“Although it seems unthinkable now, future wars may require censorship, news blackouts and, ultimately, military attacks on the partisan media”, writes Ralph Peters in The Journal of International Security Affairs.
Since Peters himself is very much a representative of “the partisan media”, I can’t help but wonder how the good colonel himself would fare in such [...]
Afghanistan: The Pope Goes to Kabul
Posted in Afghanistan on May 20, 2009 | 1 Comment »
It’s funny, but it never crossed my mind that David McKiernan was a lousy general. Indeed, I thought he was one the most outstanding officers in the U.S. Army. And even though I keep myself pretty well informed about the war in Afghanistan, I never realised that the campaign was run so badly as to [...]
Sri Lanka: Victory without Peace
Posted in Sri Lanka on May 19, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I strongly advise anyone feeling giddy about the turn of events in Sri Lanka to hold on to the champagne a little longer — a few decades, to be more precise. The government may have crushed the LTTE, but that will not bring peace. It will simply silence the guns until a new generation of [...]
Prisoner Abuse: The Pros and Cons of Releasing Photos
Posted in Afghanistan, Human rights, Iraq on May 14, 2009 | 7 Comments »
I’m still knee-deep in my next Iraq piece, so this is a quick one:
Anyone who thinks Obama is wrong to block the release of some 2,000 additional prisoner abuse photographs should ask himself two questions:
Are the photos new?
Do they help in prosecuting those responsible?
If the answer to either question is ‘yes’, then by all means, [...]
Iraq: The Myth of U.S. Withdrawal
Posted in Iraq on May 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This morning’s Reuters piece on Mosul and whether U.S. forces will pull out of Iraqi cities by July 1 is an example of what happens to journalism when reporters are too thin on the ground.
Take the lead, for example:
The top U.S. commander in Iraq said on Friday that U.S. combat forces could be able to [...]
Message from Management: New Header
Posted in Misc on May 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve run this piece-of-crap blog now for a year, so let’s celebrate with a new photo. Pictured is the Doura oil refinery as seen from JSS Babil across the river in Karrada.
