When I called my mother last week, she said everybody is worried because of the increase of ‘al-lasiqa,’ a term I have not heard of before I left Baghdad in July 2006. I asked what that is and she said it’s a sticky bomb usually put under the car.
For those who do not know what the sticky bomb is, read this New York Times article about it and how insurgents are using it in Iraq.
21 Comments:
Hiii,
talking about sticky bombs,last week while i was heading back home i hired a taxi from alrowad,iwas surprised to find the armour on the cushion,i sat on it,i said is it to protect us from sticky bombs? laughing.the driver was a police man,he asked me "what is the sticky bomb?" adding "we heard abt it and dont know what is it" i astonished,he is supposed to read this article. btw you r look is the same as in 90's.regards
why does this remind me of that period prior to sistani or the top dog shia gov approving some legislative crap that allowed the US or the constitution or..sometime at the early stages of the war..oh never mind. it probably has nothing to do w/the sofa.
yeah, i was a little concerned back in october when i heard negroponte was coming to town and there was a warning things were going to be heating up in iraq. something about targeted assasinations and sticky bombs.
the new September 2008 Field Manual FM 3-05.130 - Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare says this:
5-31. During the employment phase, SF units support indigenous or other irregular forces conducting operations against the common adversaries of irregular organizations and the United States. Such operations may involve any or all components of the irregular organization. The classic conception of UW employment is SF Soldiers advising and assisting guerrilla forces to raid, ambush, sabotage, and otherwise interdict the adversary in ways designed to drain that hostile power’s morale and resources through military activities up to and including combat.
...
5-33. Regardless of the type of operation employed, the overall purpose is to achieve strategic political-military objectives. The U.S. Army specially selects, trains, equips, and prepares SF Soldiers to persuade irregular forces to act in concert with such U.S. strategic political-military objectives.
ever wonder what they are referring to? why is this happening now? i know cheneyco doesn't want to leave office without knowing the US has legal authority to continue occupying iraq. i would call that a strategic political-military objective. what and how do we think the Joint Special Operations Command is facilitating meeting the US strategic political-military objective? and what is AQ's objective in carrying out this escalation of violence at this time? maybe AQ is disappointed in the iraqi governments resistance to conform to the US demands, or requests to comply w/sofa. or not. why is this happening now? does it make it more or less likely iraq would need the protection of the US occupation?
it probably has nothing to do w/the sofa.
I would agree. I doubt very much if it has anything to do with the SOFA. The insurgents are always trying to come up with new ways to destabilize the Iraqi government and any security attained thus far.
why is this happening now?
The insurgents have been blowing up people for quite some time now, Annie. Did you really think they would stop?
The insurgents are always trying to come up with new ways to destabilize the Iraqi government
speaking of destabalizing the iraqi gov, i hear the kurds are pretty pissed w/maliki lately. wonder what the peshmerga have been up to lately?
The insurgents have been blowing up people for quite some time now, Annie. Did you really think they would stop?
so i guess were off the 'the surge is such a success' message.
wonder what the peshmerga have been up to lately?
No clue. But I'm sure you can come up with something. lol!
so i guess were off the 'the surge is such a success' message.
Nope. The surge was a success. It has lowered the incidents of violence. I don't think anyone ever believed it would completely do away with the violence. Only time and properly functioning Iraqi security and political institutions will bring it to a normal level. I say normal, because you will always have some criminal activity.
Hi Bassam, I seem to have missed a lot here! I've been very sick for nearly a week, but I'm finally starting to feel better. I'll try to read your other new posts later.
When will bombings in Iraq stop? What is in the minds of terrorists? Do they really think the world is going to turn back to some sort of 9th century ideal of Islam if they murder enough people?
Maybe when the American troops leave, the Iraqi people will know how to solve this horrible problem themselves. I hope so.
My best wishes to your family Bassam. I hope they will all be safe.
Hi David,
Sorry to hear you were sick. I'm glad you are feeling better.
I talked to my parents this morning. They said they no longer care even if a bomb explodes in front of their house. They said they had seen enough that no extra bomb will make them worried or scared. They, however, are having fun with my niece!
Thanks for your kind words and for keeping my family in your thoughts.
b
I'm glad to hear that your parents are having fun with your niece Bassam. :)
I just read an article written by an Iraqi journalist in Baghdad. It really impressed upon me how difficult that life is today for ordinary people who are just trying to live and work.
Bad case of Baghdadophobia
I can't even imagine having to live with such constant fear everyday!
david, i also read something in the nyt your link reminded me of.
simply called: Worse?
apparently i am not alone is thinking it is related to sofa.
Why are people so evil?
why do they have the capacity for evil? i don't know erin.
well, in case anyone is interested..some people are throwing a victory celebration on saturday. it appears they think the war is over and 'we' have won. at first i seriously thought this was satire, like the wishful thinking nyt edition, but it isn't. if you scroll down you can see all of the sites that are honoring this celebration day called 'Victory In Iraq Day'. there are over 100 rtwing blogs participating in this, some the most well known like Instapundit,
The Jawa Report, blackfive,
LGF.
i really don't know what to think, people are still dying on both sides.
By every measure, The United States and coalition forces have conclusively defeated all enemies in Iraq, pacified the country, deposed the previous regime, successfully helped to establish a new functioning democratic government, and suppressed any lingering insurgencies. The war has come to an end. And we won.
(not my bold, that's from the text) maybe this is some kind of appreciation to bush, a goodbye thing..i don't quite get it.
am i missing something?
Oh my God, Annie! That's such a joke. A victory! I mean, I would never want anything but victory, but with the daily attacks, absence of electricity, no clean water, cholera, segregation and yet victory is achieved.
i'll say one thing for our rightwing Bassam, they have a 'forward outlook'. ever the optimists. i have just been reading some of the comment sections and blog posts from that VD list. it's Orwellian, that's putting it mildly.
Bassam, this 'theme' is coming from the top. (i should have guessed!)
this just in from the white house: Perino: SOFA Means U.S. Can ‘Celebrate The Victory’ In Iraq»
w/video..
Q: Can you remind us again why this agreement is not the timetable that the president fought so hard against? […]
PERINO: This is a mutually agreed to agreement. And that’s what one of the things that is different about an arbitrary date for withdrawal when you say you’re going to leave win or lose. We believe that the conditions are such now that we are able to celebrate the victory that we’ve had so far and establish…a strategic framework agreement.
clutching victory from the hands of defeat!
What are your views on the Iraqi Parliament's decision on the future of US troops in their country? Do they fit with this? -
http://threescoreyearsandten.blogspot.com/2008/11/welcome-iraqi-referendum.html
eid mubarak Bassam
Thanks, Annie!
kinda fucked up how these things get named, you know? I read where a victim is surveilled and the bomb is painted same color as gas tank and the bomb stays put with a magnet. These things and the way they are deployed are very sophisticated, yet so simple.
how are you celebrating Bassam?
i haven't heard hardly anything about Eid this year. lots of references to Kwanzaa, which is a new holiday i know little about, and Chanukah to go along w/our christmas cheer, but no muslim holidays even tho there are so many muslims in the US.
hmm. anyway i hope you are finding a way to celebrate this holiday season. i went to see a production of Arabian Nights at berkeley rep on sunday w/my family, it was fantasitic, with the most amazingly gorgeous costumes. my sister knows the costume designer (we all went to HS together) and she told me there were over 100 costumes.
i had always imagined the main storyteller (the bride) to be a much more alluring female character than the actress who played the part in this production, but nonetheless it felt like being bathed in cultural beauty.
Annie, maybe "alluring" is as "alluring" does. :-)
maybe "alluring" is as "alluring" does. :-)
always edo, always.
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