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Sunday, September 26, 2004 |
 The Scotsman. The attacks have become more sophisticated and they are showing a lot of ingenuity, Mr Claridge explained. In a recent incident a convoy was under surveillance and followed on to a bridge. Cars blocked either end and the convoy came under fire in a prolonged and aggressive encounter. It was being controlled via radios by a general who was expertly directing his men. This is straight out of Grozny (Feb 3 2003 post)...
10:34:43 AM 
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The current hostage crisis in Iraq was anticipated on Global Guerrillas months ago (see Target: Halliburton). The ongoing failure to anticipate the bazaar's operation keeps the counter-insurgency forces behind the power curve in Iraq.
Another example from the AT: The Black Banners demanded that India pull out its troops from Iraq - when India has no troops in Iraq. They then demanded that the employer of the three Indian hostages, Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company (KGL), halt operations in Iraq. The negotiations to secure the release of the hostages were protracted, not because the issues being discussed were intractable political ones but because of hard wrangling over money. Ultimately, US$500,000 paid by KGL to the kidnappers did the trick and the hostages were released.
10:30:41 AM
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CSM. The Guerrilla War in Iraq. So true: War is never by the books. Adversaries learn and adapt. The political climate shifts on both sides. Loyalties and alliances couple and decouple. The civilian populace - caught in the crossfire - often remains passive just to survive. The insurgency in Iraq is different than historical insurgencies. It is characterized by innovation enabled by the bazaar of violence and system disruption (see Global Guerrillas for more). Unfortunately, the US military leadership and the US national security planners aren't aware of this (Kerry's team isn't any better -- they are just as confused).
10:19:37 AM
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AP. American troops have arrested a senior commander of the U.S.-trained Iraqi National Guard for alleged ties to insurgents, underscoring the obstacles toward building a strong Iraqi security force capable of taking over from U.S. troops and restoring stability to the country.
10:08:07 AM
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CSM. Training Iraqi forces. "With constant contact and death threats, they quit at unbelievable rates," says Nunn, adding that several hundred soldiers have left his battalion over the past few weeks. More than 700 Iraqi security forces have been killed this year. "The greatest challenge we meet with the training mission now is retention," says Nunn. "The psychological campaign put on by the insurgents is working, and there are levels of distrust between the people and the Iraqi security forces."
10:00:16 AM
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Daily Kos. USAID's daily Iraq update. Lots of activity. There are unofficial reports of criminal gangs in Baghdad conducting activity with a view to kidnapping ex-pats for the bounty offered by terrorist organizations. Currently the threat of kidnapping is extremely high.
9:52:54 AM
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Went on a whale watch with the family yesterday. Lots of fun. We saw a pod of four hunchback whales at a distance so close that we could almost touch them.
9:37:06 AM
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© Copyright 2004 John Robb.
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