Good News From Iraq & UK going to the dogs

Release A060430a
Combined Forces' raids net seven terrorists, more than 50 suspects
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi and coalition forces conducted a series of coordinated raids in the area Yusifiyah April 29, capturing seven wanted terrorists and detaining more than 50 other suspects.

The combined forces raided multiple locations based on information and intelligence regarding the whereabouts of foreign terrorists, foreign terrorist facilitators, operatives and leaders affiliated with the al-Qaida network.

The comprehensive operation was conducted to deny safe haven and to kill or capture foreign and Iraqi terrorists who have been operating in the region.

Over the past several weeks, the terrorists, most of them foreign, have used the hostile region as a staging area to launch suicide operations into Baghdad .

Iraqi and Coalition forces have conducted several previous raids in the area in the past few weeks, resulting in the death of more than 20 foreign terrorists; several of the terrorists were wearing suicide vests when the assault forces killed them.

In a related issue, officials have provided updated reporting that of the 12 terrorists killed in the recent April 25 raid in Yusifiyah, at least five, and as many as 10 of the terrorists were confirmed to be foreigners.

Release A060430b
Coalition forces kill two terrorists
BAGHDAD, Iraq – April 29 at approximately 6 p.m., Coalition forces killed two al-Qaida terrorists who were involved in foreign fighter facilitation. The troops tracked the two to a location in the vicinity of Taji, and killed the terrorists before they could react.

Abu Usamah, one of the two killed and the troops’ primary target, was allegedly involved in suicide and vehicle-borne improvised explosive device operations, as well as foreign fighter facilitation.

No civilians were injured during the operation.

Release A060430d
Iraqi Army Soldiers graduate from boot camp
CAMP HABBANYAH, Iraq – Nearly 1,000 Iraqi Army Soldiers graduated boot camp April 30, beginning the first step toward an integrated Army in al Anbar Province.

“The movement of an integrated Army in al Anbar is the only future,” said Col. Larry D. Nicholson, commander of Regimental Combat Team 5, based in Fallujah. “When people look out their window and see the Army, they need to be able to say, ‘It’s my Army.’ Today, we took a very positive step in that direction.”

A total of 978 Iraqi Soldiers, who were recruited from across al Anbar Province, graduated a nearly five-week training regimen that turned civilians into uniformed Iraqi Soldiers.

From here, the new Soldiers will continue their training at their assigned units across Iraq. It will be a step forward to making the Iraqi Army a force representative of the entire country. It was unthinkable in al Anbar just two years ago.

Now, Sunni Soldiers will serve alongside Shiite Soldiers in Fallujah, Ramadi, al Qaim and even southern cities like Basra.

“The perception in [Fallujah] is it’s an outsider Army,” said Capt. Bryce Essary, a 31-year-old from Houston who served as a Military Transition Team advisor to the Iraqi Army in Fallujah. “Now, it’s more of a hometown Army.”

This is the first of six basic training courses planned for the Iraqi Army here. Recruiting drives for the next class are already in the planning stages.

Iraqi Air Force Day marks 75 years of flight
Story by Staff Sgt. Lucia Newman
Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi and Coalition forces joined together to celebrate 75 years of Iraqi Air Force history April 22 and 23.

The Air Force was founded April 22, 1931, when five Iraqi pilots landed at al-Washash Airport in Baghdad after receiving pilot training in Britain. Since then, the date has been honored as Iraqi Air Force Day.

The celebration included a display and tour of a C-130E cargo plane and the Mi-17 “Hip” helicopter. Visitors were also given an update on the training of Iraqi maintenance airmen before viewing the trainee dining hall and dorm facilities at the New Al Muthanna Air Force Base in Baghdad.

“We are very excited about the Iraqi Air Force and the progress it's made,” said Col. Richard Haddad, the Coalition Air Force Transition Team senior U.S. advisor.

Since its opening on March 7, New Al Muthanna has undergone several construction projects and is now a fully functional air base, Col. Haddad said. “It will set the standard for all Iraqi Air Force bases.”

Work continues between the Iraqi and Coalition forces to rebuild Iraq's Air Force. There are five operational squadrons developing a capability to conduct a variety of airlift, surveillance, utility and inspection missions.

“These airmen are building the basic capabilities to support the C-130,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Rory Horan, maintenance advisor. “Right now, Iraqi Airmen have the capabilities at the journeyman and craftsman level - they are able to accomplish the general maintenance of the aircraft and supervise the training of those under them,” he said.

The anniversary celebration continued April 23, with a ceremony at the Ministry of Defense. Senior Iraqi military leaders commented on their military's past 75 years and the next 75 to come.

“We don't want to go back to the 70s,” said Sa'dun al Dulaymi, Iraq's Minister of Defense. “We want to do our best to train and develop our Air Force to take over the responsibility of Iraq. It's important we work together, and we thank the American people for their support.” The Iraqi Air Force has personnel and seven different aircraft types spread out at four locations within Iraq: New Al Muthanna, Taji, Basra and Kirkuk.

These teams are working together to help the Iraqi military take on responsibility of their own nation.

“Our staffs, pilots and maintenance personnel work side-by-side putting aircraft into the air over the skies of Iraq, and today they are laying the foundations of a growing and vibrant air force to serve the Iraqi nation,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog, the Coalition Air Force Transition Team director. The role of today's Iraqi Air Force is to detect and prevent the invasion of hostile elements across national borders and assist other security forces with surveillance and transportation capabilities. They have flown and continue to fly an assortment of missions to include humanitarian assistance, troop transport and infrastructure surveillance.

Hoog said it will take time and lots of hard work, but the entire Coalition Air Force Training Team stands ready to help Iraq's transition as the country embarks on the next 75 years of air force history.

2 helicopters to spray agricultural fields with insecticides before harvest season
Iraqi Government Includes Two Thirds of the Country in Its Wide-Scale Program to Ward off Pests Threatening Date-Palm Trees and Seeds

A wide-scale program will soon be released to ward off the spread of insecticides and pesticides all over Iraq. This program is the first of its kind in Iraq since the downfall of the former regime.

Ministry of Agriculture gave its approval over spraying the date-palm trees and crops of wheat and barley with insecticides in eight provinces in response to the farmer’s requests.

The program includes 12 civil helicopters that have been contracted upon to spray pesticides over the fruitful palms in Baghdad, Najaf, Babylon, Diyala, Wasit and Kerbala, in addition to farms of wheat and barely in Nineveh and Duhuk.

Another process of spraying insecticides from the ground has already begun to fight Humera insect that target the palms in Basra, Muthanna, Thi Qar and Mayssan through offices of MoA in the provinces.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Ali al-Bahadili, said that this program aims, at the same time, to ward off Dubas and Suna insects, to protect the crops of wheat and barley before the harvest season, starting in May and June up to July.

He further said that spraying the crops with pesticides by air will control the plague of infection with insects that badly affect palms, wheat, barely and Citrus. It will keep the source living of thousands of citizens who depend on the agricultural sector in their living.

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** Finally things just keep getting worse for the clowns that make up the UK government. Our Home Sec. the puffed up Charles Clarke has still not managed to get any of the 1023 criminals that were let out of prison and back on the streets of the UK. And according to stories he may not of even offered to resign, but the best part of this is that he sat on information about the numbers for a whole 3 weeks.

Other parts of the government are also not working to well either, seems that the Deputy PM John Prescott has been porking anything with a pulse and yes he is not planning on offering to resign his job either. Never mind the double standards of a man holding high office who not only smears other political parties with the sleaze brush but has been doing that himself, but more importantly shows that he is happy to betray his own wife and bleats on then that this is a "private matter between him and his wife." - Well no John, not when you use morality to lambast politicians of other parties as you have done many many times in the past.

Still we are stuck with Ruth Kelly who seems unable to do anything about clearing sexual deviants out of the schools and a health minister who has gone into complete denial mode over the health crisis in this nation. Oh and lest we forget a defence minister who has had drugs found at his house. Then we have Jack Straw a man who declares resistance groups in Iran illegal and refuses to stand up to terrorist states.

Finally I was watching the May Day marches in London today and yes I agree with a lot of what unions are trying to do with stopping the outsourcing of work to India and the like- something I came across in a previous job in the finance sector, but having seen the large amount of communist logos on some of the banners, even pictures of that classic gay icon Che Guevara. Sorry guys but communism is a dead system that slaughtered millions of its own people so if the unions want to get more support they should lose the commie bits.

From Guidos site: Link:

http://5thnovember.blogspot.com/2006/04/remember-fiona-jones-indecent-proposal.html
Fiona Jones, a former Labour MP, said last year that a senior Labour party politician, currently a cabinet minister, tried to seduce her by making her an age-old offer: "Do you know what I can do for you?"

Fiona Jones lost her seat in the 2001 general election. She has threatened to "blow the lid off New Labour's female-friendly image and tell all about the astonishing sex-for-jobs culture in the Commons".

So a former Labour party MP publicly claimed that a cabinet minister offered her promotion in return for sex. How many quietly accepted the proposition and in return were rewarded with promotion?

** At this point I have to add that it would explain how the people of Newport ended up with a do nothing waste of space as one of their MP's, a NU Labour clone that never votes against the government picked from an all wimmin shortlist that gos under the name of Jessica Morden MP. One wonders who it was that our Jessica was kneeling before cleaning the ol purple pole in order to get picked to represent Newport?

**Anyone want to offer me a job outside of the UK, as my nation is going to hell in a handbasket at a rate of knots.

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