It is not social justice, it is not helpful, it is just welfare.  And the history of welfare has shown it destroys the humanity of those who become dependent on it.  Just look at the demonicRAT party, deadbeats, burdens on society and moral degenerates.

The NYT’s is just as unaware of reality as Obama

For all the political and economic certainties about health reform, one thing seems clear: The bill that President Obama signed on Tuesday is the federal government’s biggest attack on economic integrity since attacks on integrity began with the formation of the deminicRAT party.

Over most of that period cited by the NYT, The 1970’s to present, an article states that “government policy and market forces have been moving in the same direction, both increasing inequality.” Happy with their tried and true class warfare, the NYT states that “The pretax incomes of the wealthy have soared since the late 1970s, while their tax rates have fallen more than rates for the middle class and poor.” Failing to point out that demonicRATs have participated in the government that has ensured this condition exists and continues.

Nearly every major aspect of the health bill pushes in the direction of the destruction of the middle class. This fact helps explain why Mr. Obama was willing to spend so much political capital on the issue. Only a fool would say that destruction of the founding principle even though it did not appear to be his top priority as a presidential candidate. Beyond the health reform(Freedom Retardation Bill)’s damage to the medical system, it is the centerpiece of his deliberate effort to end what historians have called the age of Reagan and kill the last bastion of quality medical treatment in the world.

Speaking to an audience Obamazombies and puddle (of mud) Democratic legislators and White House aides who could not pass an FBI background check, Mr. Obama stated the obvious truth that health reform would “mark a new (reinvigorated, downward trend into a 1,000 years of darkness) season in America.” He added, “We have now just enshrined, as soon as I sign this bill, the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health care.” Missing I guess the lesson from history that, “He who would trade liberty for security deserves neither.

Hopefully no one has noticed that the party of “no phone taps”, will now tap your medical records.

Continuing class warfare:
“The bill is the most sweeping piece of federal legislation since Medicare was passed in 1965. It aims to smooth out one of the roughest edges in American society — the inability of many people to afford medical care after they lose a job or get sick,” according to the NYT. But their most demented claim just happens to be that “it would do so in large measure by taxing the rich.” The taxation of the rich will in no “large measure” pay for the government mandates. The care will be paid for by rationing and reductions in the quality of care that those person would now receive under the present system. The system now allows all person to receive the same quality care regardless of ability to pay, proving the NYT is demented and lying to to promote their evil desires.

The NYT times reports that “A big chunk of the money to pay for the bill comes from lifting payroll taxes on households making more than $250,000, with the tax bill for households making more than $1 million a year to be $46,000.” This is an example of filling in the amount you want to pay and then worry about the truth later.

The low quality care will be foisted on those unwilling to buy quality insurance plans to benefits, meanwhile, those making less than $88,200 for a family of four, will find that the government does not have the funds to subsidize adequate care. Many of the poor are already covered by Medicaid and the option to just lower enrollment requirements and raise taxes is beyond the tyrants in the capitol. The common refrain that “Insurance costs are also likely to drop for higher-income workers at small companies”, is true, in that small companies will drop the coverage all together.

“Finally, the bill will also reduce a different kind of inequality. In the broadest sense, insurance is meant to spread the costs of an individual’s misfortune — illness, death, fire, flood — across society. Since the late 1970s, though, the share of Americans with health insurance has shrunk. As a result, the gap between the economic well-being of the sick and the healthy has been growing, at virtually every level of the income distribution.” reports the NYT. This statement is farce dissolving into tragedy. It is akin to saying that the number of people who have died is increasing every day, and to solve this problem well no longer observe Mondays and Fridays.

First of all, income is earned, it is not distributed. Second, they provide a glaring example of the ignorance of cause and effect, and what cause can be reasonably attributed to an effect. Third they state “the bill will also reduce a different kind of inequality”, then fail to explain how the “economic well-being of the sick” will be equalized with that of the well.

Lies about the projection of “95 percent of people” being “covered”, proves the old saying that figures lie and liars figure. The proposition that “affluent families” will benefit “by being able to buy a plan that can no longer charge more for pre-existing conditions”, denies the fact that all coverage will be more expensive even if they have no pre-existing condition. Being consoled by the fact that affluent families “insurance will be somewhat more expensive”, ignores the fact that it is already more expensive because of the uninsured.

“Maybe the bill’s attempts to hold down the recent growth of medical costs will prove a big success, or maybe the results will be modest and inadequate”, says the Times. But the word which will be used by thinking persons, and the Times did not use, is disaster.

“Legislative majorities come and go,” David Frum, said on Sunday. “This health care bill is forever”, maybe, but it will never affect me. I am not going to pay for it, every law has loop holes.

Officials Give Update on Afghanistan Operations
Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs
Courtesy Story
Date: 03.22.2010

WASHINGTON - International Security Assistance Force Joint Command officials in Afghanistan provided details on various operations conducted in Afghanistan in recent days:

-- A combined Afghan-international patrol stopped a vehicle and found 1,600 pounds of hashish in Helmand province's Registan district yesterday. Two people in the vehicle were detained. They admitted their intent was to deliver the drugs to Taliban members in Barham Chah, and that the route the combined forced was traveling was a main drug-smuggling conduit.

-- An ISAF patrol found three 82mm mortar rounds in the Garm Ser district of Helmand province today.

-- A 9-year-old Afghan girl was treated by international forces after receiving shrapnel injuries during an insurgent attack on Forward Operating Base Bostick in Kunar province yesterday.

-- In Khost province, March 21, international forces treated three Afghan children who were wounded during an insurgent attack. The children were evacuated to a hospital after they were stabilized.

-- In the Arghandab district of Kandahar province, March 21, an Afghan-international patrol found a cache containing six Russian-made rocket-propelled grenades and six Chinese-made RPGs. Two people were detained.

-- In the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand, March 21, a combined force detained an insurgent and confiscated two assault rifles and two vests containing ammunition. The patrol also found two containers of small-arms ammunition near where the insurgent was detained.

-- In the Daman district of Kandahar, March 21, an Afghan police patrol found a 107 mm Chinese-made rocket with wires attached.

-- An Afghan-international patrol in Kandahar, March 21, found a half-buried artillery shell in a grape field.

-- A combined Afghan-international force killed two militants while pursuing a Taliban commander in Zabul province, March 20. When the security force attempted to stop a motorcycle carrying two suspected militants, the militants began firing on the combined force. The security force returned fire and killed them. The search team found an automatic rifle, a pistol, ammunition and a grenade.

-- An ISAF patrol found six mortar grenades in Ghazni province's Gelan district, March 20.

-- Afghan forces with ISAF partners captured several suspected insurgents, March 18, including a senior roadside-bomb facilitator, in Helmand province. The combined force also seized more than 130 pounds of opium.

-- An Afghan-international security force detained two suspected militants for further questioning in the Now Zad district of Helmand province, March 19, after intelligence information indicated militant activity there.

-- An ISAF patrol found six mortar grenades in the Gelan district of Ghazni province March 20.

-- Also, March 20, an Afghan police patrol in the Kandahar district of Kandahar province found an improvised explosive device consisting of a rocket head with wires protruding from it. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the device.

-- A local resident handed over an IED made of more than 30 pounds of fertilizer to a combined force in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province, March 19. The device was subsequently destroyed. Another civilian told the force where to find a cache containing five pressure-plate devices and other items.

-- In the Sabari district of Khost province, March 18, an Afghan turned in 76 rocket-propelled grenades to ISAF forces.

-- An ISAF patrol in the Murqur area of Badghis province was attacked by small-arms fire from insurgents, March 17. The unit remained engaged with insurgents throughout the day, and remained in the area throughout the night. The next morning, the patrol again came under attack from insurgents. The patrol called for air support, and aircraft dropped several bombs on positively identified insurgent positions throughout the day. The firefight ended that evening, and the patrol subsequently reported several insurgents had been killed in the engagement. No civilian casualties were observed or reported, and there was no damage to civilian infrastructure, officials said.

In other news from Afghanistan, officials reported the circumstances that led to a civilian being shot and killed, March 21, during an operation conducted by an Afghan-international force searching for a Taliban commander in the Chak-e Wardak district of Wardak province.

The combined force had gone to the village after intelligence discovered militant activity. Despite repeated requests in Dari, Pashtu, and Urdu for everyone to come out of their homes, a man was found inside one of the buildings. Officials said the assault force reacted to what they thought was hostile intent and shot the man.

It was subsequently determined the individual was an elderly man. No individuals were detained during this operation.

"We regret this loss of life and offer our condolences to the family," said Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Michael Regner, ISAF Joint Command deputy chief of staff for joint operations. "Our combined forces take numerous precautions to prevent civilian casualties, and this incident is being reviewed together with our Afghan partners."

ISAF leaders will meet with local officials to discuss how to minimize future incidents, and the family will be offered compensation according to local customs.

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 19, 2010 - Afghan and international forces detained numerous suspected insurgents and found stockpiles of weapons in recent operations around Afghanistan, military officials reported.

-- A combined Afghan-international force in the Panjwayee district of Kandahar province detained several suspected militants today for further questioning.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban facilitator last night south of Kandahar. He's believed to be responsible for planning complex attacks, developing methods to conceal bomb-making materials and building vehicle bombs. The force also detained several other suspected insurgents.

-- In Khost province last night, an Afghan-international force in the province's Khost district captured a Haqqani terrorist network subcommander accused of organizing suicide bombings, planting roadside bombs and attacking coalition forces. Two other suspected insurgents also were apprehended, and the assault force recovered a shotgun and an automatic rifle.

-- In Paktia province last night, a combined force killed one militant and wounded another in the Gardez district. The wounded militant received immediate medical assistance, and he was detained along with two others. A search team found automatic rifles, grenades and bomb-making materials.

-- In the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province last night, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found a weapons cache buried in a vacant compound. The cache contained five Russian-made hand grenades, six rocket-propelled grenades and various small-arms ammunition. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

-- Also in Nad-e Ali, another patrol found and destroyed 23 pressure-plate triggering devices for roadside bombs yesterday.

-- In Kandahar province yesterday, an Afghan police patrol found a grenade launcher with nine rounds, four assault rifles with hundreds of rounds, 10 pistols with more than 600 rounds, and three pistols with silencers. Three people were detained, and the cache was confiscated.

-- Afghan forces, assisted by international forces, safely located and destroyed three roadside bombs near Gazkul in Kandahar province and Khas in Oruzgan province this week. The three bombs were placed along routes commonly used by local people and by international forces for resupply. The bombs, all of which were reported by villagers to Afghan forces, were safely destroyed in place, with no injury to civilians or structures.

-- Afghan and ISAF forces conducted an operation March 17 in the Shindand district of Herat province, capturing a prominent Taliban leader and discovering a weapons cache. The cache contained five units of TNT, five 60 mm mortars, two heavy anti-aircraft artillery rounds, an explosive vest, four rocket-propelled grenades, an anti-tank mine, 11 hand grenades, two pressure-plate triggering devices, 31 fuses and more than 3,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

Later, the commander of Task Force Center conducted a meeting with key representatives of the surrounding villages to involve local communities, show them the success of the operation, and build consensus against hostile elements.

No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations, officials said.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)

American Forces Press Service
KABUL, March 12, 2010 - Afghan and international forces killed one insurgent, detained 16 suspected militants and seized enemy weapon stockpiles in recent operations in Afghanistan.

An Afghan-international security force captured a Taliban facilitator today who is believed to be responsible for roadside-bomb attacks in Kandahar province's Zharmi district, along with two other suspects.

In Paktika province's Zurmat district last night, a combined force captured a Taliban subcommander responsible for participating in attacks against coalition forces, executing Afghan citizens and conducting battle-damage assessments after Taliban attacks. The assault force also captured two other insurgents and recovered multiple automatic rifles, grenades, ammunition and explosives.

In the Garm Ser district of Helmand province today, a combined patrol found three bags of opium weighing 10 to 20 pounds each, a bag of hashish, a 105 mm shell and more than 200 yards of command wire. The force apprehended the suspected insurgent in possession of the cache.

In the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand today, a combined force found six rocket-propelled grenades, a pressure plate detonator and 400 rounds of small-arms ammunition.

In the Chorah district of Uruzgan province yesterday, a combined patrol found 12 illumination artillery rounds and five mortar casings.

Afghan soldiers working with International Security Assistance Force members arrested three suspected insurgents March 10 in the Khashroad district of Nimroz province.

In a separate operation that day in Kandahar's the Jharai district, Afghan soldiers forces captured two insurgents who had been under surveillance for several weeks.

Also on March 10, Afghan soldiers killed an insurgent and captured four others in Wardak province's Maidan district. They recovered a rifle, a pistol and small-arms ammunition.

No Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations, officials said.

(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 1, 2010 - Combined Afghan-international operations in Afghanistan have killed several insurgents in recent days and led to drug and weapons confiscations, military officials reported.

A combined patrol operating in the Koti village of Kapisa province Feb. 27 used intelligence information to conduct an operation against an insurgent leader responsible for supplying weapons and equipment used in attacks against Afghan forces and members of the International Security Assistance Force.

During the operation, several armed men were observed near the compound. When the men displayed hostile intent, the patrol took defensive measures, killing several of the men.

Throughout the operation, Afghan National Police protected two women and two children in an adjacent compound. No civilians were injured.

Also on Feb. 27, a combined force operating in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province discovered a large amount of drugs. Led by Afghan National Police, the patrol discovered about 1,700 pounds of hashish on the trailer of a broken tractor. The drugs were confiscated and moved to a nearby police compound.

In another operation, Afghan forces turned a large weapons cache over to an ISAF explosive ordnance disposal team in the Bala Boluk district of Farah province yesterday. The cache consisted of three rockets, three mortar rounds, 30 hand grenades, 24 rocket-propelled grenade warheads, more than 700 large-caliber machine gun rounds, a pistol and a radio.

Another combined force captured two militants in a compound while pursuing a Taliban commander in Kandahar city last night. The force also found assault rifles, pistols, grenades and 200 blank identification cards.

A combined patrol destroyed four 107 mm rockets found in the Gelan district of Ghazni province yesterday.

No shots were fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during the operations.

On Feb. 24, Afghan National Police, assisted by international forces, recovered two weapons caches after insurgents attacked a police checkpoint in Daykundi province. The caches, discovered in two locations, were found after insurgents engaged a checkpoint with machine-gun fire. The police returned fire and cleared a compound from which insurgents were seen firing.

The police discovered two assault rifles, two machine guns, a shotgun and about 5,000 rounds of ammunition. After searching the immediate area, the police also found 1,100 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which the Afghan government banned in January because it can be used to make explosives. The ammonium nitrate was destroyed on site with no injury to civilians or damage to property.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2010 - Combined Afghan and international forces uncovered weapons caches and detained suspected insurgents during multiple operations in Afghanistan today.

A security force searched a compound in Logar province after reports indicated militant activity. While searching the compound, the force captured a Taliban subcommander responsible for the movement of weapons and leading explosive attacks against Afghan and coalition troops.

In another operation today, a force captured a few suspected insurgents in the Nimroz province while in pursuit of a Taliban commander operating in southern Farah province. The force detained an individual in an empty field on suspicion of supporting militant activities.

After detaining the individual, the force searched a nearby compound after reports indicated militant activity there and detained a pair of additional suspected insurgents. The force discovered Taliban paraphernalia and a type of handheld radio often used by militants for communication.

In Kandahar province today, a patrol found a weapons cache containing two artillery rounds, two grenades, an anti-tank mine, ammunition and a radio. The munitions will be destroyed.

In operations yesterday:

-- A security force searched a compound in Nimroz province after getting reports of militant activity. The force detained several militants, found weapons and a large amount of explosives and detonators during their search. Coalition experts detonated the explosives in place.

-- The Afghan National Police discovered 55 pounds of explosive material in Kandahar province. Two insurgents were arrested. An investigation has been launched into the case.

-- A combined Afghan and international security force found and destroyed a cache of 18 mortar rounds, a grenade launcher and bomb-making materials in Helmand.

-- Afghan police discovered and diffused three mines in Uruzgan province. The remote-controlled mines had been placed by insurgents in different districts of the province.

-- A combined force on a routine patrol found four 40-pound bags of opium in Helmand, along with an assault rifle with ammunition magazines, a bayonet and a letter from an anti-Afghan-government organization.

-- An international patrol observed a group of suspicious individuals near the border in eastern Afghanistan. After receiving positive confirmation that the group consisted of insurgents, the patrol requested air support. Coalition aircraft dropped precision-guided munitions on insurgent locations. More than a dozen insurgents reportedly were killed.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2010 - Iraqi security forces arrested a suspected al-Qaida in Iraq weapons dealer and two other suspected terrorists during a series of combined operations in Baghdad today.

Intelligence reports led Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors to a home in western Baghdad in search of a terrorist wanted for building and distributing silencers for pistols used to conduct robberies and assassinations. Based on incriminating evidence and information gathered during the operation, forces arrested the suspected weapons dealer.

Al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists use weapons equipped with silencers while robbing financial institutions, businesses and private citizens to acquire funds for attack operations, U.S. officials report.

In addition to robberies, al-Qaida recently has claimed responsibility for assassinating Iraqi officials, security forces and civilians as part of its attempts to disrupt the national election process, said U.S. officials. Members of al-Qaida in Iraq also admit to conducting robberies and claim to use stolen funds to purchase illegal weapons, explosive material and bomb-making components, officials said.

In southwestern Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a home for a suspected terrorist leader believed to be responsible for planning and coordinating robberies of financial institutions and private businesses in Baghdad. The man also allegedly is involved in car-bomb attacks and is connected to terrorists responsible for building homemade bombs.

The security team discovered circuitry used to make explosives. Information obtained during a preliminary investigation led forces to arrest a man allegedly linked to the leader of the al-Qaida in Iraq robbery cell and one other suspected associate.

In a separate operation, Iraqi forces arrested seven suspected terrorists west of Kirkuk as part of a concerted effort to prevent future car-bombing attacks throughout the country.

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Iraq news releases.)

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2010 - As national elections in Iraq loom on the horizon, Iran continues to subvert its western neighbor's security and political infrastructure, top American military officials said.

Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top American commander in Iraq, said Iran aims to foment violence in Iraq and to play diplomatic and other nonmilitary roles that call into question Iran's respect for Iraqi sovereignty.

"Iran clearly has a strategy that goes across lethal aims, diplomatic aims and then soft-power aims -- i.e., influencing people through investment in the economy -- and into some other practices inside of Iraq," the general said yesterday at the Army and Navy Club here.

Despite success in recent years against Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq, several new groups have formed that are receiving support from within Iran, Odierno told audience members at the event sponsored by the Institute for the Study of War.

Though down from peak levels, Iranian-backed violence is being generated in part by two groups -- Kataib Hezbollah and the Promised Day Brigade -- that gain funding and military expertise inside Iran before exporting their operations across its western border, the general said.

"We still have EFPs explode just about every day in Iraq," said Odierno, referring to what the military calls "explosively formed penetrators," an especially deadly type of roadside bomb that's designed to pierce armor and is believed to have Iranian origins. "We still uncover Iranian rockets and other goods that are made, and individuals that are trained, in Iran to conduct attacks against both U.S. and Iraqi security forces."

Asked whether Iran respects Iraqi sovereignty, Odierno replied, "I would say, since they conduct and support lethal actions inside of Iraq, it's clear that they don't."

As the March 7 Iraqi national election date nears, concerns have mounted that Iran, a Shiite Muslim country, has influenced a decision by Iraqi lawmakers to bar several hundred politicians from the ballots on the grounds that they are linked to Saddam Hussein's Baath party. The decision primarily disqualified Sunni politicians seeking office.

Two Iraqis involved in blocking the candidates have ties to the Iranian government in Tehran and are attempting to influence the outcome of the Iraqi election, Odierno said. The two men had several meetings in Iran, he said, including one with an Iranian whom the United States placed on the terrorist watch list for a bombing in Kuwait in the 1980s.

One is Ahmed Chalabi, who reportedly is perceived as having supplied faulty intelligence in 2003 before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The other is Ali Faisal al-Lami, who was arrested and subsequently freed after being suspected of masterminding a bomb attack on American and Iraqi officials.

"[Lami] and Chalabi clearly are influenced by Iran. We have direct intelligence that tells us that," Odierno said. "We believe they're absolutely involved in influencing the outcome of the election, and it's concerning that they've been able to do that over time."

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in recent days expressed concern about the increased levels of violence in Iraq as the election date nears, and he also has denounced Iran's reach into areas throughout the Middle East, including Iraq.

Speaking to reporters in Cairo after Iran recently announced it would increase its levels of uranium enrichment, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen -- the top U.S. military officer -- characterized Tehran as "hard to predict."

"I remain extremely concerned about them as a country -- not their people, but their leadership," Mullen said in Feb. 15 remarks, "and the recent rhetoric concerning the increased enhancement in terms of nuclear fuel, their reach to Hezbollah, their reach to Hamas, their reach into Yemen, their reach into even Afghanistan, as well as Iraq."

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2010 - An Afghan-international joint security force killed more than 20 enemy militants and captured more than five others during an operation today in Afghanistan's Farah province in pursuit of a Taliban commander believed to responsible for organizing suicide-bombing attacks.

The combined force targeted a series of compounds in Farah's Baghwa district near Tali Zardad after intelligence information indicated militant activity.

As the combined force approached one of the buildings in the targeted compound, a militant hiding inside tossed a grenade at them. After calling for the militant to surrender, the combined force attempted to enter the building, and the militant detonated a suicide vest he was wearing. No members of the combined force were harmed by the blast.

After the explosion, a large number of armed militants attempted to maneuver on the combined force. The combined force engaged the militants, killing more than 20 and wounding one. At least five other militants were captured and were detained along with the injured individual, who received medical treatment for his injuries.

In addition to the suicide vest and grenade used by the first militant, the combined force found a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, RPG rounds, grenades, a machine gun, multiple assault rifles and ammunition magazines, bomb components, handheld radios of a type often used by militants for communications and a heavy machine gun.

In the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province last night, a combined force searched a compound after intelligence indicated militant activity and captured a Taliban subcommander with ties to several militant networks believed to be responsible for bombing attacks.

Yesterday, a combined patrol discovered four mortar rounds and a 55 mm shell in one area and three 155 mm Russian-era artillery rounds in another area of Kandahar City.

No Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations, officials said.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan's Interior Ministry and NATO's International Security Assistance Force are conducting a joint investigation into the suspicious death of four Afghan civilians found in eastern Afghanistan's Paktia province.

A combined force of Afghan and international troops last night found the bound and gagged bodies of two women and the bodies of two men during an operation in the province's Gardez district.

The force went to a compound near the village of Khatabeh after intelligence confirmed militant activity there. Several insurgents engaged the force in a firefight and were killed. Subsequently, a large number of men, women and children left the compound, and were detained by the force. Members of the combined force found the bodies inside.

The force immediately secured the area and requested medical support for a combined forensic investigation.

Eight men were detained for further questioning.

"ISAF continually works with our Afghan partners to fight criminals and terrorists who do not care about the life of civilians," ISAF spokesman Canadian army Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay said. "The Interior Ministry of Afghanistan has sent a high-ranking delegation today to jointly investigate this incident. We will cooperate fully in this joint investigation and provide any assistance the Interior Ministry requires."

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2010 - Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors have arrested more than two dozen suspected terrorists and killed others during a series of operations in the past two days to break up terrorist groups in Iraq, military officials reported.

In the largest sweep, Iraqi Forces today arrested 22 suspected terrorists with the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group during operations with U.S. forces targeting a weapons-smuggling and rocket-attack network operating in rural villages southeast of Baghdad near the Iranian border.

An unknown number of suspected Kataib Hezbollah terrorists were killed during the operation, officials said.

Intelligence reports led Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors to the village of Ali ash Sharqi, 160 miles southeast of Baghdad, in search of weapons caches and smugglers loyal to Kataib Hezbollah.

While approaching the village, the team was fired upon by people dispersed in several homes. Members of the team returned fire, killing the perpetrators. Local authorities transported the bodies to an Iraqi medical facility in the area. While the number of casualties has not yet been confirmed, officials said, initial reports indicate five people were killed.

During the engagement, one suspect fled on foot, but was apprehended in a nearby field. The suspect suffered injuries while fleeing and was evacuated to a nearby medical facility for treatment.

The team continued the operation and arrested 12 suspected Kataib Hezbollah terrorists believed to be smuggling and stockpiling Iranian-made weapons near homes in Ali ash Sharqi.

In Ali al Gharbi, a village 145 miles southeast of Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched with warrants for members of Kataib Hezbollah who conduct assassinations, extort civilians and local Iraqi businesses, and transport weapons from Iran into southern Iraq.

They searched several homes and found electric circuits used to detonate improvised explosive devices, several assault rifles and military equipment. Iraqi forces arrested 10 suspected Kataib Hezbollah weapons smugglers believed involved in rocket attacks against security forces.

Iraqi and U.S. intelligence indicates a recent increase in smuggling by members of Kataib Hezbollah, who then stockpile weapons and explosives in Iraqi communities for future attacks.

Kataib Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for rocket attacks aimed at security forces working to secure populated areas. Combined security operations today along the Iranian border were expected to disrupt Kataib Hezbollah's efforts to transport rockets, explosives and other weapons into Iraq, officials said.

In other operations in Iraq, Iraqi forces arrested five suspected terrorists today during two operations in northern Iraq targeting two al-Qaida in Iraq bombing cell leaders.

In Rashidiyah, five miles northwest of Mosul, a combined team searched a home for a suspected leader of an al-Qaida in Iraq explosives cell that carries out attacks throughout the region. Based on evidence and information gathered during the operation, Iraqi forces arrested three suspected criminal associates of the wanted man.

In an operation in Baqouba, 32 miles northeast of Baghdad, the Iraqi 3rd Emergency Response Unit and U.S. advisors searched two homes for a wanted al-Qaida in Iraq leader in Diyala province. The terrorist group is responsible for IED attacks, assassinations and kidnappings in the area.

Information gathered at the scene led Iraqi police to arrest two suspected criminal associates of the wanted terrorist.

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Iraq news releases.)

American Forces Press Service
BAGHDAD, Feb. 11, 2010 - Iraqi Security Forces captured an explosives and assassination-cell leader and four additional suspected terrorists today during three operations here and in northern Iraq to suppress al-Qaida in Iraq, military officials said.

In western Baghdad, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched two residential buildings with court warrants for two members – one a leader -- of an AQI cell responsible for numerous assassinations and improvised explosive device attacks in the region.

Iraqi Security Forces identified and arrested both men and a suspected criminal accomplice based on preliminary questioning and evidence collected at the scene.

During a separate security operation in Abu Ghraib, about ten miles west of Baghdad, ISF and U.S. advisors searched a residential building for a suspected terrorist cell member who builds and employs IEDs in coordination with AQI, targeting security forces in Iraq.

The security team arrested the suspect after finding numerous electronic components used to make IEDs and IED initiators in his apartment and an adjacent workshop.

In a third operation last night, in a rural area south of Kirkuk, Iraqi forces and U.S. advisors searched a building for a suspected AQI member who provides safe haven for visiting AQI leaders.

Evidence collected at the scene led Iraqi police to arrest a suspected criminal associate of the warranted man.

(From a Joint Forces Iraq news release.)

American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Feb. 11, 2010 - Afghan and international forces captured one Taliban commander and killed another as part of multiple operations across Afghanistan last night, military officials reported.

A combined Afghan-international force searched a compound in the Wali Mohammad Shaheed district of Ghazni province after intelligence indicated militant activity there. During the search, the force captured a Taliban commander and another suspected insurgent.

Meanwhile, another combined force using intelligence information stopped a vehicle in north Helmand province's Washer district. As the force approached the vehicle, the driver, who was the sole occupant, drew an AK-47 and pointed at them. The combined force then engaged and killed him. The driver was a Taliban commander responsible for directing attacks, and procuring weapons and explosives for several insurgent networks.

In another operation in Helmand last night, a combined force searched a small compound in a rural area in the Reg-e Khan Neshin district after intelligence confirmed militant activity there. During the search, the force detained several suspected
militants and found several rocket motors.

In other operations last night:

- In Kandahar, an Afghan-international force searched a compound in the Arghandab district after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force captured a small group of insurgents, including a Taliban subcommander responsible for weapons trafficking and attacks against coalition and Afghan troops. The force found several weapons, including automatic rifles.

- In Khost, a combined force searched a compound in the Sabari district after intelligence found militant activity. The force detained several insurgents and found multiple weapons, including automatic rifles and a large amount of ammunition.

- In Zabul, an Afghan-international force searched a compound in a rural area west of Qalat City after intelligence confirmed militant activity. The force captured a Taliban subcommander involved in small-arms and improvised explosive device attacks on coalition and Afghan troops. The force also recovered multiple weapons, including automatic rifles and pistols.

No Afghan civilians were harmed during the operations.

(From an International Joint Command-Afghanistan news release.)

American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Feb. 5, 2010 - A combined Afghan and international security force detained several suspected insurgents and seized weapons and opium in recent operations, military officials reported.

A combined force searched a compound south of the village of Bangluk in Kabul province's Kalakan district last night after intelligence indicated militant activity there. The force detained "a few" suspected insurgents, officials said.

Meanwhile, a combined security force arrested several suspected insurgents and confiscated a weapons cache yesterday in Kabul's Paghman district. The cache contained 18 hand grenades, three AK-47 assault rifles, a pistol and ammunition.

Elsewhere, an International Security Assistance Force patrol detained "a few" individuals in a known Taliban compound yesterday in Helmand province's Nad-e-Ali district, officials said. The individuals tested positive for explosives residue and had bomb-making materials and more than 20 pounds of opium in their possession. They were turned over to Afghan security forces.

In Kabul's Bagrami district, Afghan forces discovered 68 82 mm mortar rounds Feb. 1.

No shots were fired and no Afghan civilians were harmed during these operations, officials said.

(From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news release.)

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2010 - Combined Afghan and international security forces detained two Taliban operators and numerous suspected insurgents during operations in Afghanistan over the past two days.

A combined Afghan and international security force searched a compound in Helmand province today and detained an undisclosed numbers of suspected insurgents.

In Logar province last night, a security force searched a compound and captured a Taliban operator responsible for providing weapons and refuge to Taliban members.

Also last night, a force searched a compound in Kandahar province and captured a Taliban operator with direct ties to several militant networks. Another insurgent was captured during the search.

In operations Jan. 23:

-- A security force observed a man planting a homemade bomb near a patrol base in Helmand province. After the force fired warning shots, the man continued digging, and he was shot and killed.

-- Troops discovered a cache of munitions in Kandahar province. The cache consisted of 38 rocket-propelled-grenade rounds, eight rifles and 2,200 rounds of small-arms ammunition.

-- Forces operating in the Helmand province discovered a large cache of homemade explosives. The 680-pound cache included 36 five-liter jugs of explosives.

-- A security force searched a compound in Helmand and captured a Taliban facilitator who is known to buy and transport weapons. The force found explosive materials during the search.

In operations Jan. 22:

-- A combined security force searched a compound in Kandahar and captured a Taliban facilitator with close ties to several militant networks. The force also detained another suspected insurgent.

-- In Zabul province, a force set up a temporary roadblock. The force searched a bus and detained suspected insurgents.

-- Afghan citizens turned in a cache of munitions to Spanish forces based in Baghdis province. The cache consisted of 78 Russian mortar rounds, nine rockets and five Chinese rocket projectiles. All the munitions were in poor condition, adding to the hazard they posed to Afghan citizens, officials said.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2010 - Iraqi special operations forces with U.S. advisors arrested four suspected terrorists wanted on warrants southeast of Baghdad today.

The suspects allegedly are affiliated with an al-Qaida terrorist cell in central Iraq. They are wanted for conducting attacks against Iraqi civilians and U.S. forces, as well as training suicide bombers.

Two of the suspects were women believed to be training to conduct suicide missions using car bombs.

In other operations today, Iraqi security forces arrested two suspected terrorists during a combined operation in southeastern Baghdad to arrest a terrorist cell leader. The cell leader is suspected of kidnappings and assassinations targeting security forces and government leaders.

Elsewhere, Iraqi police and U.S. advisors arrested four suspects while searching two homes for the man believed to have been involved in planning car-bomb attacks. A man who attempted to flee into another building later was caught by the security team.

In operations yesterday:

-- Northwest of Mosul, Iraqi soldiers and U.S. advisors searched a home for a suspected explosives cell leader. Based on the results of preliminary questioning and evidence collected at the scene, troops arrested four suspected criminal associates of the warranted individual.

-- Iraqi soldiers and U.S. advisors searched several buildings for a suspected al-Qaida member responsible for arranging meetings for high-level members of the terrorist group northeast of Baghdad. Soldiers found an assault rifle, nine ammunition magazines and a hand grenade hidden in the building.

In operations Jan. 23:

-- Iraqi troops and U.S. advisors searched a home northeast of Baghdad for a suspected al-Qaida cell member believed to be involved in placing car bombs and kidnappings in the region. After questioning the occupants and collecting evidence, forces arrested the wanted individual and two suspected criminal accomplices.

-- Iraqi soldiers and U.S. advisors searched a building for an al-Qaida member believed to be involved in explosive attacks, assassinations and kidnappings northeast of Baghdad. Three suspected criminal associates were arrested on site.

-- Iraqi security forces captured a suspected senior terrorist cell member and two suspected criminal accomplices during a joint security operation conducted in northeastern Baghdad. The cell member is suspected of coordinating attacks for the terrorist group throughout the city.

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Iraq news releases.)