The west and its allies cynically bleed Syria to weaken Iran

The west and its allies cynically bleed Syria to weaken Iran | Seumas Milne | Comment is free | The Guardian: 
"The bombing raids, unprovoked and illegal, were of course immediately supported by the US and British governments. Since Israel has illegally occupied Syria's Golan Heights for 46 years, perhaps the legitimacy of a few more air raids hardly merited serious consideration.
But it's only necessary to consider what the western reaction would have been if Syria, let alone Iran, had launched such an attack on Israel – or one of the Arab regimes currently arming the Syrian rebels – to realise how little these positions have to do with international legality, equity or rights of self-defence."

Court-martial opens for sergeant who killed 5 U.S. troops in Iraq

Court-martial opens for sergeant who killed 5 U.S. troops in Iraq - latimes.com: 
"Russell has said that he was "blinded by rage," prosecutor Lt. Col. Robert Stelle told a military judge, but "this is a case about revenge."
Russell, 48, pleaded guilty last month to five specifications of murder, and in exchange prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. The court-martial that began Monday will help determine what sentence he receives and whether he is eligible for parole.
A key question in the trial before Army Judge David Conn is whether Russell, a communications worker who was on his third deployment to Iraq, engaged in premeditation before shooting two mental health providers, two patients and a bystander at the clinic in Baghdad where he had earlier in the day been a frustrated patient."

British military has 500 drones

British military has 500 drones | World news | The Guardian: 
"The military runs a number of UAV systems, from the Reaper, which can carry Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs, to the Black Hornet mini-helicopter, which can fit in the hand. Both have been used extensively in Afghanistan, as has the Hermes 450 surveillance drone which will be replaced by the new Watchkeeper; the army has bought 54 of the new aircraft, and the manufacturer Thales told the Guardian it had delivered 27 of them."

Russia Concerned About Aggression Against Syria

Three blasts kill 11 in Iraqi capital

Three blasts kill 11 in Iraqi capital: police, medics - Yahoo! News:
"Two car bombs exploded near police checkpoints at the entrance to the Shi'ite district of Hussainiya in the north of the city, killing one policeman and seven civilians.
A third bomb near a restaurant frequented by police killed three civilians in the southern district of Doura, medics and police said. At least 33 people were wounded in the three attacks."

US used chemical weapons in Iraq, then lied

George Monbiot: US used chemical weapons in Iraq, then lied: 
"The first account they unearthed in a magazine published by the US army. In the March 2005 edition of Field Artillery, officers from the 2nd Infantry's fire support element boast about their role in the attack on Falluja in November last year: "White Phosphorous. WP proved to be an effective and versatile munition. We used it for screening missions at two breeches and, later in the fight, as a potent psychological weapon against the insurgents in trench lines and spider holes when we could not get effects on them with HE [high explosive]. We fired 'shake and bake' missions at the insurgents, using WP to flush them out and HE to take them out."

How Guantánamo's horror forced inmates to hunger strike

How Guantánamo's horror forced inmates to hunger strike | World news | The Observer: 

"The International Red Cross has protested at the men's treatment and conditions. A group of United Nations human rights officials has demanded an end to the force-feeding, saying it is a form of torture. "Hunger strikers should be protected from all forms of coercion, even more so when this is done through force and in some cases through physical violence," the group said in a statement last week.
Rarely in the decade since Guantánamo Bay became the site of an out-of-jurisdiction prison camp for suspected Islamist militants captured during the "war on terror" has the base been featured so prominently in the headlines. The starving protesters have driven the base's existence up the US news agenda, even forcing Barack Obama to vow to shut it down. "The idea that we would still maintain forever a group of individuals who have not been tried, that is contrary to who we are. It is contrary to our interests, and needs to stop," Obama told a news conference."

US Navy launches Helicopter Drone Fleet

Staff and Scrip
"This approach is designed for near-shore environment where our current experience shows us we're most likely to encounter threats," Admiral David Buss said.
The new unit comprises ten MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned autonomous helicopters - developed by Northrop Grumman to ‘provide reconnaissance, situational awareness, and precision targeting support for ground, air and sea forces’ - and eight MH-60 Romeo helicopters.
The MQ-8 Fire Scout can be controlled by two pilots on the ground oron a ship up to 177 kilometers (110 miles) away. It can fly for at least eight hours compared to MH-60 Romeo’s maximum airtime of 3.3 hours."

Google Finally 'Recognizes' Palestine

Give Me A Land of Boughs In Leaf - Alfred Housman

Woodland - East Dunbartonshire 22nd June, 2012 

Give me a land of boughs in leaf, 

A land of trees that stand; 

Where trees are fallen, there is grief; 

I love no leafless land. 

Alas, the country whence I fare, 

It is where I would stay; 

And where I would not, it is there 

That I shall be for aye. 

And one remembers and forgets

But 'tis not found again, 

Not though they hale in crimsoned nets 

The sunset from the main.

Why Maliki Must Resign

Why Prime Minister Maliki Must Resign - NYTimes.com:

"Last week, Iraq experienced the most serious escalation of violence since 2006, when it slid into civil war. Now it risks being sucked into a catastrophic vortex of regional violence centered on Syria.
America, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states have a rare, deeply shared interest in preventing another civil war that would benefit only militant extremists."

Fisk On War Reporting

War reporting - a veteran’s guide: Shot at, seized by a murderous mob and chased by kidnappers... - Comment - Voices - The Independent:

"I also fear that we journos make too much of our own suffering. Not those who die. They are indeed ‘our’ martyrs. They belong to us. They remind the world that reporters should be honoured for their sacrifice. But I’ve also met a few who say they suffer from psychological problems. Quite possibly true. But I have an unhappy problem with journalists who have to ‘come to terms’ with what they see, who need ‘closure’ before they ‘move on’. Because if they don’t like covering wars, they can fly home business class with a glass of champagne before takeoff. The people who do suffer are the ordinary people whom we report on. They often have pariah passports, unable to flee their own land, fearing each day the death of their loved ones and themselves. No ‘closure’ for them, unless they die."

Iraq Violence 2nd May, 2013

'The civil war in Iraq has already begun'

'The civil war in Iraq has already begun': Politician claims conflict has started and warns it will be ‘worse than Syria’ - Middle East - World - The Independent: 
"The situation has suddenly deteriorated since the killing of at least 36 Sunni Arab protesters at a sit-in in Hawijah on 23 April. An observer in Baghdad, who did not want to be named, said “ever since, Hawijah people are frightened of a return to the massacres of 2006”. She added that Sunni and Shia were avoiding going into each others’ areas. Signs of deteriorating security are everywhere. Al-Qa’ida showed its reach on Monday when five car bombs blew up in overwhelmingly Shia southern Iraq, leaving 21 dead. The Sunni fundamentalist group, which had a resurgence in 2012, is responsible for killing a majority of the almost 1,500 Iraqis who have died in political violence so far this year."

James Tissot - Remembrance Ball On Board

Ghosts of Iraq haunt U.N. chemical weapons inspectors

Ghosts of Iraq haunt U.N. chemical weapons inspectors | Turtle Bay: 

"A few days ago, a little-known Swedish scientist with a career devoted to studying lethal warfare agents paid a quiet visit to London. He was there to examine evidence that British officials believe shows that Syrian forces used chemical weapons against their own people."

Syria is being destroyed while Assad displays remarkable staying power

Syria is being destroyed while Assad displays remarkable staying power | World news | guardian.co.uk: "Syria illustrates a sort of Middle Eastern Murphy's law – anything that can make things worse invariably happens: massacres, refugees fleeing to Jordan, tensions in Lebanon and Iraq, the use of chemical weapons, the risk of conflict with Israel. Most days see scores or more dead so that a revision of the UN's estimate of 70,000 fatalities seems long overdue. Diplomacy is non-existent. No one believes in a negotiated solution. Syria is being destroyed."

Blood For Oil - Kurdish Secession From Iraq?

Mission Accomplished In Iraq?

In a report published by War Child, called "Mission Unaccomplished", Iraq has gone from being among the most ‘hospitable places’ for children in the Middle East and North Africa, to being one of the most hostile: with 100 infants dying every day, equivalent to 35,000 infants dying before they reach their 5th birthday. MORE

Inter-Communal Violence Spirals In Iraq