US hits back at lefty media & bits from Iraq...

Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch Turns Tables on Media

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005
(NEWSMAX)

The American media is up in arms over reports that the Pentagon hired a public relations firm to write positive news stories about the Iraq war and get them printed in the Iraqi press. But Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, spokesman for U.S. forces in Baghdad, isn’t letting journalists get away with their phony display of outrage. After the New York Times front-paged the “fake news” story Thursday under the headline: “U.S. Is Said to Pay to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers,” Gen. Lynch defended the practice.

“We don’t lie. We don’t need to lie,” he told reporters in Baghdad. “We do empower our operational commanders with the ability to inform the Iraqi public, but everything we do is based on fact, not based on fiction.”

Sounds to us like Gen. Lynch was taking a none too subtle jab at the mainstream media’s penchant for reporting - not just planted stories - but its own faked news reports. Perhaps the next time he’s questioned about “planting” stories, he’ll get even more specific, by reminding the military’s accusers of their own sorry history.

Beginning with:

• The New York Times - and the false reports the Old Gray Lady printed about PFC Jessica Lynch - courtesy of Jayson Blair.

• The Washington Post - which won a Pulitzer Prize for its series on Little Jimmy, the 8-year-old heroin addict - which the paper had to give back once star Post reporter Janet Cooke admitted she’d faked the whole story.

• CBS - Perhaps at the next press briefing, Gen. Lynch could inquire as to whether the Tiffany network has yet discovered just who it was who forged President Bush’s National Guard records - before Dan Rather committed professional suicide by putting them in the air.

• NBC - Gen. Lynch might offer the Peacock network a hearty round of congratualtions for their relatively good conduct over the last decade. It’s been more than 10 years since NBC aired video of an exploding GM truck gas tank - which was faked by their reporters.

In fact, the list of fake news stories reported by the mainstream press is so long it would make even Baghdad Bob blush. It’s good to know that some in the military - like Gen. Lynch - aren’t about to let the press’ hypocrisy go unnoted.

KHARMA, Iraq - An Iraqi soldier with 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Division, takes cover outside a doorway while his fellow soldiers search a home for weapons during Operation Shanty Town. (Official U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew Hutchison, 2d Marine Division Combat Camera) (Released)

Task Force Baghdad Soldiers find two weapons caches

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division discovered two significant weapons caches Dec. 2, adding them to the growing list of terrorist stockpiles they’ve found in south Baghdad.

The Soldiers of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment conducted a routine cordon and search of houses in a village, leading to the discovery of a small weapons cache that led the troops to a larger find upon further exploration of the site.

After discovering two 82-millimeter rockets, one 60-millimeter mortar tube, two 60-millimeter mortar rounds and one small-arms tripod, an explosive ordnance disposal team was called to the site to assess the cache.

While EOD was en route to the area, A Troop Soldiers continued to secure the site and search the surrounding roads and fields for more weapons caches. They found an additional site with multiple explosives, munitions and other suspicious materials.

When the digging and searching of the cache site was completed, the fruits of A Troop’s efforts included a total of two complete mortar systems, one rocket-propelled grenade launcher, 10 Iraqi Army-issue flak jackets, 10 Iraqi Army-issue uniforms, 20 pounds of homemade explosives, 33 RPGs, 36 86-millimeter mortars, 42 52-millimeter mortars, 21 120-millimeter mortars, 47 rocket-fired grenades, 34 pick-up mortars, 11 various rockets, 3,000 anti-aircraft munitions, thousands of rounds of ammunition, multiple weapons, grenades and explosives as well as materials used to manufacture improvised explosive devices.

Citizen’s tip yields weapons cache, two terror suspects

BAGHDAD, Iraq – A tip from a local citizen resulted in the capture of two terror suspects and the discovery of a large weapons cache in western Rashid Dec. 3.

Soldiers assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment received information about terrorists storing weapons in a salt factory. Upon further investigation, Soldiers found the following items: 23 60-millimeter mortar rounds, 20 82-millimeter mortar rounds, two 120-millimeter artillery rounds, 40 fuses, two rocket-propelled grenades, one grenade and 200 rounds of small-arms ammunition.

An explosive ordnance disposal team was called in and destroyed the cache in a series of controlled detonations.

U.S. Army officials meet with local sheiks

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Task Force Baghdad officials met with local sheiks Nov. 28 to discuss developments in south Baghdad.

Lt. Col. Thomas Kunk, commander of 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, and the sheiks talked about agriculture and the upcoming elections.

Kunk was trying to gain information about the relationship between the sheiks and the Ministry of Agriculture, specifically focusing on distribution of seeds and fertilizer. Kunk suggested that small, local cleanup projects would be a good starting point to bring the area to its original beauty, including roadwork on the city’s main road.

The sheiks also expressed their thoughts about the area and the development that is yet to come.

“My Soldiers are your Soldiers, and they’re here to provide the environment for a better Iraq,” Kunk said.

The meeting ended with a letter of commitment signed by each sheik.

24 terror suspects taken off streets of Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Launching operations based on tips from Iraqi citizens and intelligence developed over time, Task Force Baghdad Soldiers captured 24 terror suspects in the Al Rasheed district during a 12-hour period Dec. 3-4.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment conducted three cordon and searches and captured a total of nine individuals. A Company, 1st Bn., 184th Inf. detained six individuals in eastern Rasheed Dec. 3 around 11:35 p.m. One of the detainees was a known member of an al Qaeda bomb-making cell and another individual is suspected of running safe houses used to smuggle terrorists into Baghdad.

Three hours later, another element from 1/184 detained a targeted individual in Abu Dischir and another two at daybreak in Dora.

A tipster alerted Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment on the trail of terror suspects operating in western Rasheed. They conducted a hasty cordon and search and captured two individuals before midnight on Dec. 3.

At about 2:30 a.m., 3/7 Inf. Soldiers conducted another cordon and search in Jihad and captured three individuals.

The battalion also detained another individual in Jihad the night before.

“The operation last night was a huge victory for the locals in Jihad,” said 1st Lt. Reeon Brown, a platoon leader from A Co., 3/7 Inf. who led one of last night’s operations. “This man has spent months killing innocent Iraqis and Iraqi Security Forces. Now he is off the street thanks to the bravery of one local man. I want to thank him and let the Iraqi people know that they are the most powerful weapons in the fight against terrorists.”

Farther south in the rural areas of Baghdad, Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment was also rounding up terror suspects.

A unit conducting a cordon and search at 1 a.m. on Dec. 4 captured nine individuals.

All of the suspects were taken to military facilities for further questioning.

Operation Rams kicks off in Ramadi

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq — Approximately 100 Iraqi Army Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Division and 400 Soldiers from the 2/28 Brigade Combat Team, launched Operation Rams (Tallie) in Ramadi Dec. 4.

Operation Rams is the sixth in a series of disruption operations conducted by the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces in order to neutralize the insurgency and set the conditions for a successful Dec.15 election in the Al Anbar provincial capital city of Ar Ramadi.

As a result of the recent operations, insurgent attacks against Iraqi civilians and both Iraqi and U.S. Forces in the Ramadi area have decreased. The operations targeted areas where semi-autonomous, al Qaeda in Iraq-led insurgent cells are known to operate. The operations have resulted in the detention of dozens of insurgent cell members and the discovery and subsequent destruction of multiple weapons caches. Unlike recent combat operations in the formerly-held terrorist strongholds of Western Al Anbar, Iraqi and U.S. Forces have met with limited and uncoordinated resistance in Ramadi.

More information on the operation will be released as it becomes available.

** Finally a bit on Saddam the ranting former dictator. I was watching the trial on tv today and he was saying that he is not afraid to die. Yeah right thats why he was hiding in a hole for ages from US troops, as hes such a brave warrior.

Coalition and Iraqi forces continue to set the stage for safe and secure election

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition and Iraqi security forces continued to disrupt al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist and foreign-fighter activities during more than 450 company-level combined operations throughout the country Nov. 26 through Dec 2.

“Fifty percent of the combat operations conducted this past week throughout the Iraqi theatre of operation were combined Coalition and Iraqi security force operations, while another 21 percent were independent Iraqi security force operations,” said Maj. Brandon Robbins, operations officer, Multi-National Corps – Iraq. “The ability of the Iraqi Army forces to conduct these combined and independent operations is significant.”

Coalition and Iraqi Security forces located and cleared more than 95 caches during the week, including one of the largest caches to date in which Iraqi and U.S. forces unearthed nearly two tons of explosives outside an abandoned military base near the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. Four truck-loads of munitions, 4, 222 mortar rounds and more than 950 fuses, were rendered safe as a result.

Additionally, combined forces cleared 160 improvised explosive devices, bringing the total number of IEDs found and cleared during the month of November to more than 650.

Combined forces detained more than 440 anti-Iraqi forces, captured or killed 31 foreign fighters and captured three bomb makers.

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