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Wed 20 Aug, 2003 11:08 am
Bombings in Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan
Suicide bombers struck the UN HQ in Baghdad, killing the UN envoy to Iraq and at least 14 others.
The attack on the UN was likely intended to humiliate the US, who is responsible for security in the country.
Lucky for the world, Bush said he wouldn't be intimidated by the Iraq bombing. He further added he was on vacation in Texas surrounded by Secret Service personnel, so why would he be intimidated? But he did share in the pain of those dealing with his mess in Iraq by cutting short a game of golf.
Oh, and the attacks show how desperate the guerillas and terrorists are yadda yadda yadda. So desperate they can take out Americans seemingly at will. (Yeah, another US soldier killed in an explosion of unknown origin.)
Meanwhile, another bus bombing in israel killed three 13 people in Jewish west Jerusalem.
And in Afghanistan, otherwise known as the War We Already Won (TM), the Taliban has regrouped and is on the offensive. Some reports in regional newspapers have indicated the Taliban have retaken Zabul province, though that report was never confirmed. Indeed, while Zabul is clearly a hotbed of Taliban activity, Karzai appears to be, at least, in nominal control.
Calpundit notes that Bush has no clue about the military operation in Afghanistan that he's supposedly overseeing.
If this is called winning I wonder what losing would look like. What is your opinion of the current, pardon the expression nation building, in Iraq and Afghanistan? Will we eventually be successful or as in Viet Nam leave with our tail between our legs? In fact is success possible?
I think that success is possible, but that the current administration is doing nothing which will bring us success. It could take ten to fifteen years in each country to achieve something lasting and useful, but we are presently doing little to nothing to achieve useful ends.
It amazes me that with all those high priced planners and thinkers in government there was not one, at least in this administration, who understood the true temper and beliefs of the people in the Mid east. Is it just another intelligence failure or just a failure of intelligence on the part of the people running our government.
Iraq's Governing Council warned of truck bomb 1 week ago
I consider any claims made by con artist Ahmad Chalabi to be suspect, so it will be interesting to see if any proof of his claim appears.
-----BumbleBeeBoogie
Iraq's Governing Council received warning of truck bombing a week ago
Wed Aug 20, 1:56 PM ET
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq (news - web sites)'s 25-member interim Governing Council received intelligence on August 14 that a truck bombing was imminent in the capital, council member Ahmad Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress, said.
"The intelligence specifically said that a large-scale act would take place ... against a soft target, such as Iraqi political parties or other parties, including the UN," said Chalabi, who is a favourite of the US Defense Department.
He stressed that according to the information, neither the ruling Coalition Provisional Authority nor coalition troops would be targeted.
Chalabi added that the intelligence had warned the attack would be a truck bombing, using either a kamikaze driver or a remote-control detonator, but declined to disclose the source of his information or how it was collected.
Chalabi said the council shared the news with US intelligence agents.
However, it was not clear if the information had been relayed to the United Nations (news - web sites).
At UN headquarters in New York, Fred Eckhard, the spokesman for Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites), said he was unaware that any such intelligence had been passed along.
"To my knowledge, that information was not relayed to the United Nations, but I can't say that with 100 percent certainty," Eckhard said.
Chalabi also said "meetings had taken place between former members of the regime and extremists" ahead of Tuesday's attack on the United Nations headquarters here that killed at least 16 people, including the world body's top official in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.
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