Feral Jundi

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Iraq: U.S. Military Rushes Bomb Dogs To Iraq

Filed under: Iraq,Military News — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 2:01 PM

     Now if we can actually get the Iraqis to play nicely with the puppies, we can really celebrate.  But somehow I have this vision of the dogs being neglected or ‘accidently’ dying or running away under the control of the Iraqis.  Maybe not, and I certainly hope they can man up and make friends with the dog.  Because that animal, if taken care of properly, will certainly be more effective than those idiotic bomb detecting wands that they have been using. (eyes rolling) –Matt

——————————————————————

US military rushes bomb dogs to Iraq

Feb 4 2010

By CHELSEA J. CARTER

BAGHDAD (AP) – The American military is stepping up the delivery of bomb-sniffing dogs to Iraq with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government under pressure for using equipment that may be ineffective in finding explosives.

The first 25 of 145 trained bomb-detection dogs are due to arrive Friday in Baghdad, Army Maj. Sylvester Wegwu told The Associated Press. The remaining 120 dogs will be delivered over the course of a year, said Wegwu, who works as military adviser to the Baghdad Police College.

The airlift follows a request to the U.S. military from Iraqi officials for more of the trained dogs, signaling that Iraq is looking to use other bomb-detection methods after questions were raised about the capabilities of a wand-like, bomb-detection device widely used at checkpoints across Iraq.

The dogs will be paired with Iraqi police handlers at the college and will undergo training as a team.

The dogs’ arrival comes as U.S. and Iraqi officials warn of a possible increase in violence ahead of national elections slated for March 7.

(more…)

Monday, February 1, 2010

Legal News: U.S. Appeals Ruling In Blackwater Case That Involved A Baghdad Shooting

Filed under: Iraq,Legal News — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 9:08 AM

   This was expected.  Hell, even the Vice President of United States was all over this.

   Although I tend to think that if prosecutors could not win this thing while violating the constitutional rights of these individuals, I don’t think they will be able to do much with some other angle.  Politically it looks great and helps to appease Iraq, but legally speaking? Whatever.

   Why not appeal some rulings on some military cases as well? Lots of political capital there and why stop at contractors? I am sure we could find some soldiers that accidently killed some civilians in Iraq during some fire fight, and I am sure those families would love to sue those soldiers or see them hang? –Matt

——————————————————————

U.S. appeals ruling in Blackwater case that involved a Baghdad shooting

Saturday, January 30, 2010

U.S. appeals ruling in Blackwater case

The U.S. government appealed a ruling by a federal judge that threw out all charges against five Blackwater Worldwide security guards in a Baghdad shooting.

Prosecutors have said the guards killed 14 Iraqi civilians and wounded 20 others in an unprovoked attack in Nisoor Square on Sept. 16, 2007.

(more…)

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Industry Talk: Audit Hits State Department On Failures To Monitor Iraq Work

Filed under: Industry Talk,Iraq — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 12:50 AM

   Yet again, how come this does not surprise me?  The one part that really stands out about this report, is the fact that they only had one contracting officer to monitor over a billion dollars worth of invoices.  I am no expert on contracting officers, but it would seem to me that using just one guy to monitor all of that, is setting this up for failure. And seeing how this is government, I know there are manuals and studies that discuss the proper way to do this. Even so, commonsense would dictate that maybe, just maybe, State should have put some more folks in that department to help out.

   It gets better though, because then the new kids on the block who are running DoS, have decided that ‘three’ contracting officers is sufficient to monitor these contracts. Oh, and they lack guidance, which is even more indicative of what is really going on. It takes leadership to make this stuff happen, and if you guys placed good leaders in those offices, increased the benefits and pay for the contracting officer positions, insure everyone has good guidance and training for the task, and properly fund the contracting office at State, you might actually get some good accountability out of the whole deal. State must do a better job about overseeing how tax payer’s money is spent.  Anything else is unacceptable.

   By the way, David Isenberg has a good article about this latest report here. –Matt

—————————————————————–

Audit hits State on failures to monitor Iraq work

January 25, 2010

By RICHARD LARDNER

WASHINGTON (AP) – For nearly $4.5 million a year, the State Department in June assigned a 16-person security detail to protect six U.S. contractors in Iraq who already had a team of hired guards they didn’t really need.

The expensive miscue is one of many described in an audit issued Monday of a $2.5 billion State Department contract with DynCorp International for training Iraq’s police force.

The department repeatedly failed to oversee the contract properly, according to the audit by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. The findings also suggest the department remains ill-equipped to watch over the vast amount of U.S. money flowing into Afghanistan.

“I think they need to act quickly to remedy this long-standing concern,” the special inspector general, Stuart Bowen, said about the State Department’s shortage of people and resources to oversee work done by the private sector.

In comments included in the report, Assistant Secretary of State David Johnson disputed the audit’s central conclusion that weak oversight made the $2.5 billion vulnerable to waste and fraud. Johnson said payments are only made to a contractor after the invoices have been carefully checked.

But the report challenges that assertion.

(more…)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Military News: Marines’ Iraq Command Ends–Job Well Done!!!

Filed under: Iraq,Military News — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 4:11 AM

   Well to make up for Avatar, or the lack of coverage by the media, I hope I can at least spread the good word here on FJ. Seven years of blood, guts and tears, fighting their way through the insurgent infested towns of western Iraq, and getting the job done with some authority.  That is the kind of awesomeness I would like to see the film industry take on.  The work the Marines did in the Anbar was close to miraculous, and here is a big Semper Fi to all of you hard chargers that made that happen. –Matt

——————————————————————

Marines’ Iraq command ends

By Adam Schreck

Saturday Jan 23, 2010

RAMADI, Iraq — The Marines marked the end of nearly seven years in Iraq on Saturday by handing the Army their command of Anbar province, once one of the war’s fiercest battlefields but now a centerpiece of U.S.-Iraqi cooperation.

The changing of the guard — overseen by military brass and some of Anbar’s influential Sunni sheiks — signals the start of an accelerated drawdown of American troops as the U.S. increasingly shifts its focus to the war in Afghanistan.

American commanders are trumpeting security gains in places such as the western Anbar province as a sign that their partnership with Iraqi security forces is working, and that the local troops can keep the country safe.

But fears are growing about a possible resurgence in sectarian tensions — fed by the Shiite-dominated government’s plans to blacklist more than 500 parliamentary candidates over suspected links to Saddam Hussein’s regime.

In Baghdad, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met with Iraq’s leaders Saturday to try to alleviate the pressures. While he kept expectations of a breakthrough low — telling reporters after a meeting with President Jalal Talabani it was up to the Iraqis, not him, to resolve the issue — his visit alone underscored Washington’s concern.

The White House worries the bans could raise questions over the fairness of the March 7 parliamentary election, which is seen as an important step in the American pullout timetable and a way to break political stalemates over key issues such as dividing Iraq’s oil revenue.

(more…)

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Legal News: V.P. Biden Says U.S. Will Appeal Blackwater Court Ruling

Filed under: Iraq,Legal News — Tags: , , , , , — Matt @ 2:05 PM

   Thanks to Matt for sending me this one. I am disappointed with this decision, and this is yet again another attack on a ruling determined in U.S. Federal Court.  When was it alright for the US Government to make appeasing Iraq, more important than respecting the rights of it’s US Citizens? Prosecutors completely violated the defendant’s constitutional rights, and the Judge made his ruling. So now we are using the full weight of the US Government legal system, to try and appeal that ruling? Pfffft. Not to mention that the second in command of the US has become the mouthpiece for such an ugly thing.

    Or why is this ok for the US Government to purposely go after these men with this kind of fervor and disregard for their service to nation, yet when it comes to prisoners in Gitmo, we catch and release them? And then these jackasses go on to kill innocents, or worse yet, US citizens and soldiers. I am no legal expert, but at face value, this whole thing is a truck full of ‘wrong’. –Matt

Edit: 01/26/2010 – Check out what the defense has to say about it this. I put it in the comments section.

——————————————————————

U.S. will appeal Blackwater court ruling: Biden

Jan 23, 2010

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday his government would appeal against a court decision to dismiss charges against Blackwater security guards accused of killing 14 Iraqi civilians.

The U.S. federal court decision last month, which found that the defendants’ constitutional rights had been violated, angered Iraqis. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government has hired U.S. lawyers to prepare a law suit against Blackwater, a security contractor now called Xe Services.

“The United States will appeal this decision,” Biden said on a visit to Baghdad. Referring to the court ruling, he said “a dismissal is not an acquittal,” and that the U.S. government would lodge the appeal next week.

The former Blackwater security guards were accused of killing the Iraqis at a Baghdad traffic circle in September 2007.

The incident came to symbolize for Iraqis what they saw as foreigners’ disregard for their lives after private guards protecting U.S. personnel were given immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

It also threw a critical light on the U.S. use of private security contractors in Iraq.

The guards say they fired in self-defense in the incident, which occurred during some of the worst sectarian violence in Iraq.

Story here.

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress