Terrorism & War (2003-2005)

See also: Four Faces of Islam  

Homeland Security and the transformation of  America

Merging the Americas in a New Global Order | Defining terrorism

Rapid reaction against UN foes |

Washington's Farewell Address | No Place to Hide?

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August 2005

Recalling the Kamikazes of 60 Years Ago: "August 15 effectively ended World War II, a conflagration more terrible than any other in history, claiming almost 60 million lives. No one was so foolish in 1945 as to say that it was a war to end all wars, as Woodrow Wilson had hoped World War I would be....

      "It was in Japan where the 'kamikaze' was born.... The Japanese military chose not to use experienced pilots, who were in short supply. But they had no trouble recruiting idealistic young men to learn the rudiments of flying and then take to the air in obsolete aircraft loaded with a 250-pound bomb.

     "The young martyrs were similar in purpose to the youths terrorists recruit today to explode bomb vests in crowded places.... By war's end, Japan had sent almost 4,000 youngsters out over the ocean to be shot down or consummate a fiery, metal-wrenching life's end crashing into an American ship." Human Nature

42-year-olds now in Pentagon's sights: "As part of a package of 'urgent wartime support initiatives,' the Defense Department has requested that Congress raise the maximum age for military recruits to 42 for all branches of the service.... Recruitment goals for most of the months this year have not been met, and military leaders have begun instituting various creative incentives to try to boost the numbers." Homeland Security and the transformation of  America

Warning: 9-11-05 attacks seen for N.Y., L.A., Chicago: "The FBI is warning police that al-Qaida cells may attempt to use fuel trucks as weapons to attack Los Angeles, New York and Chicago on the fourth anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in history. Though officials stress the warning is based on uncorroborated intelligence, the FBI used a computer network to spread the word that Osama bin Laden's terrorist network could hit the U.S. again on or around Sept. 11.... Confirming what the FBI has never confirmed before – that al-Qaida has active sleeper cells in the U.S. – the report said 'the attackers will be members of small al-Qaida cells, which are spread throughout the U.S.'"

July 2005

White House 'concerned' about al-Qaida drug link: "Bin Laden has spent billions of dollars on the successful purchase and development of nuclear weapons – money his al-Qaida terrorist network earned by directing poppy cultivation in the fields of Afghanistan, right under the noses of U.S. occupation forces.

      "...the vast drug fortune already has aided al-Qaida in smuggling nuclear weapons – along with thousands of sleeper agents – over the Mexican border with the help of the MS-13 criminal street gang....

      "According to captured al-Qaida leaders and documents, bin Laden's terrorist network has a plan called 'American Hiroshima' involving the multiple detonation of nuclear weapons already smuggled into the U.S. Al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union – including suitcase nukes, nuclear mines, artillery shells and even some missile warheads." See Homeland Security and the transformation of America

Al-Qaida's U.S. nuclear targets: "The series of attacks is designed to kill 4 million, destroy the economy and fundamentally alter the course of history.... The cities chosen as optimal targets are New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston and Washington, D.C. New York and Washington top the preferred target list for al-Qaida leadership." Signs of the times

March

Army raises enlistment age for reservists to 39: "The U.S. Army, stung by recruiting shortfalls caused by the Iraq war, has raised the maximum age for new recruits for the part-time Army Reserve and National Guard by five years to 39, officials said today. ...The Army said the move, a three-year experiment, will add about 22 million people to the pool of those eligible to serve." 

 

Panama's Security Chief: al-Qaida is here: "Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reports that the al-Qaida terrorist group is active in Panama and may be making the Central American country a base of operations. Panamanian security chief Javier Martinez...said al-Qaida also is planning an attack on the Panama Canal."

 

Lebanon: Syria out, Iran in: "As Syria prepares to withdraw some of its troops from positions in Lebanon, Iran has been fortifying Hezbollah bases and positioning itself to become the dominant force on the ground in Lebanon.... Syria has been under intense international pressure to withdraw its nearly 20,000 troops from Lebanon....

     "Iran is taking action on the ground to fill the resulting void ...  Iran has made preparations to supply Hezbollah bases with tanks, rockets and missiles."

 

Recruit foreigners for U.S. military: "With the Army and Marines having trouble maintaining their ranks, it's time to sign up aliens - even illegal aliens - as volunteers... Just to stay at their present sizes, the Army and Marines are shoveling money into more advertising, extra recruiters and bigger enlistment bonuses. And yet it's clear... that the U.S. military is far too small to handle all the missions thrown its way."

February 2005

Letter to Congress on Increasing U.S. Ground Forces: "...our national security, global peace and stability, and the defense and promotion of freedom in the post-9/11 world require a larger military force than we have today. The administration has unfortunately resisted increasing our ground forces to the size needed to meet today's (and tomorrow's) missions and challenges. So we write to ask you and your colleagues in the legislative branch to take the steps necessary to increase substantially the size of the active duty Army and Marine Corps....

     "Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution places the power and the duty to raise and support the military forces of the United States in the hands of the Congress." See The Draft is Back

January 2005

 

Iraqis Brave Long Trips, Cold to Vote: "Emotional and jubilant Iraqi expatriates braved long trips and frigid weather to cast their votes across the United States on Friday.... Those who were born in Iraq or have a father from there and are over 18 are eligible to vote for a slate of political parties or candidates to form a transitional national assembly that will write a new Iraqi constitution."

 

Insurgents Vowing to Kill Iraqis Who Brave the Polls on Sunday (Registration required): "The black sedan made its way down Madaris Street, the young men inside tossing leaflets out the window. 'This is a final warning to all of those who plan to participate in the election,' the leaflets said. 'We vow to wash the streets of Baghdad with the voters' blood.' ...'To those of you who think you can vote and then run away,' the leaflet warned, 'we will shadow you and catch you, and we will cut off your heads and the heads of your children.'"


December 2004

Iraq-Bound Troops Confront Rumsfeld Over Lack of Armor: "Specialist Thomas Wilson, a scout with a Tennessee National Guard unit scheduled to roll into Iraq this week, said soldiers had to scrounge through local landfills here for pieces of rusty scrap metal and bulletproof glass - what they called 'hillbilly armor' - to bolt on to their trucks for protection against roadside bombs in Iraq.... Why don't we have those resources readily available to us?'"

 

The Shia party : We now know not only that there will be an election in Iraq on Jan. 30th, but who is going to win it. This is because a single party slate has been assembled out of the various Shia factions to contest it; and the Shia are three-fifths of Iraq's population. In defiance of any advice I might have given, the electoral system cuts several Gordian knots by making the whole of Iraq into a single constituency. It is thus a radical system of proportional representation, in which each party will be assigned seats according to its share of the overall vote. ...

November 2004

Gulf syndrome is beyond doubt, inquiry finds (UK): "The Government should 'publicly acknowledge'that 6,000 British veterans are suffering from Gulf war syndrome and set up a fund to compensate them, an independent inquiry concluded yesterday."

 

Pentagon Wants Women In Combat: "...last May the Army told Pentagon officials in a special report that if it was forced to keep the vital FSCs all-male, it would simply not have enough soldiers. 'Army manpower cannot support elimination of female soldiers from all units designated to be unit of action elements,' the Army report concluded. '...pool of male recruits too small to sustain force.'"

October 2004

Female soldiers eyed for combat: "The Army is negotiating with civilian leaders about eliminating a women-in-combat ban so it can place mixed-sex support companies within warfighting units, starting with a division going to Iraq in January. ... The ban prohibits the Army from putting women in units that 'collocate' with ground combatants....

     "Gen. Schoomaker is increasing the number of combat brigades from 33 to 48, and naming them 'units of action.' The brigades are being married up permanently with support units so they can move out more quickly to war zones, instead of waiting for the additional personnel to arrive." More troops are needed and many who finished their assignment are being recalled, but our President has promised not to reinstate the draft. Let's pray that he will keep his promise -- and use the ongoing battles to draw His people to Himself. Prayer

Russia tied to Iraq's missing arms: "Russian special forces troops moved many of Saddam Hussein's weapons and related goods out of Iraq and into Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 U.S. military operation.... Most of Saddam's most powerful arms were systematically separated from other arms like mortars, bombs and rockets, and sent to Syria and Lebanon, and possibly to Iran.... The RDX and HMX, which are used to manufacture high-explosive and nuclear weapons, are probably of Russian origin, he said....

       "Disclosure of the missing explosives... was used by the Democratic presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, who accused the Bush administration of failing to secure the material.... [However] U.S. forces defeated the defenders around April 3 and found the gates to the facility open.... The Pentagon said there was no evidence of large-scale movement of explosives from the facility after April 6....

     "'The organized effort was done in advance of the conflict,' Mr. Shaw said. The Russian forces were tasked with moving special arms out of the country.... The Russian units were dispatched beginning in January 2003 and by March had destroyed hundreds of pages of documents on Russian arms supplies to Iraq while dispersing arms to Syria.... Officials believe the Russians also can explain what happened to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs."

September 2004

US troops 'coerced to re-enlist': "A US congresswoman has called for an investigation into claims that Iraq war veterans were threatened with being sent to Iraq unless they stayed on."

 

Pastors' children confirmed dead in Russian hostage drama: "After days of searching for them, two pastors in the Russian southern town of Beslan have now discovered that six of their eight young children died in the local school hostage drama that shocked the nation, their Christian mission organization confirmed....Neighbors of the Totiev family reportedly told the parents 'with tears' in their eyes, 'You lost your children, but we feel like they were our children too. They were shining lights on our street.' ...

      "As others in the crowd began cursing and vowed to take revenge against 'the terrorists,' Pastor Sergey Totiev, who lost two children in the siege, stood up at the end of the service and reportedly said: 'Yes, we have an irreplaceable loss, but we cannot take revenge. As Christians, the Bible teaches us that we must forgive. Vengeance is in God’s hands.' The Russian Ministries team described it as 'the most powerful sermon and witness that has perhaps ever been heard in that community.' It said 'the crowd was very moved by what Pastor Totiev said.'" Isaiah 45:3

July 2004

The next two links are month-old news stories, but we were in Romania at the time and didn't read about it. Whether you did or not, this faithful Korean Christian is worth remembering.

Hostage Dreamed of Missionary Work in Arab Nations: "Kim Sun-il, the 33-year-old Korean being held captive by Iraqi insurgents, first went to Iraq in June of last year as a translator for a Korean trading company. A native of Pusan and a devoted Christian, Kim graduated from a local theological seminary but later enrolled at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul to study Arabic." He learned their language and was willing to give his life in order to share Christ with the needy in Iraq. His work as translator was simply his entrance pass for the assignment God had given him. Read the next link and pray for his grieving family.

List of Foreigners Taken Hostage in Irag: "Here is the status of some of those taken captive: ...Kim Sun-il, 33, South Korea. Translator, beheaded June 22 by al-Qaida-affiliated group." Phil 1:20-21

May 2004

Understanding the War in Iraq - The Third Jihad: "Iraq is but a footnote in the bigger context of this encounter, but an important one none the less. This war is what the Jihadists themselves are calling the 'Third Great Jihad' and are doing so within the framework of a time line which reaches back to the very creation of Islam in the seventh century.... No religion in history grew as fast, in its infancy, than did Islam....

     "The long-range strategy of the Third Jihad counts on three strategic goals. 1. The U.S. withdrawing from the region just as it did in Southeast Asia, following Vietnam. 2. Taking control of the oil wealth in the Muslim countries, which would be upwards to 75% of known reserves, and 3. Using nuclear weapons or other WMDs to annihilate Israel. A further outcome of successfully achieving these objectives would be to place the United Nations as the sole arbiter in East/West negotiations....

     "Evidence of the Bush Administration awareness of this plan is found in the facts that immediately following the 9/11 attack, their first move was to shore up Pakistan and Egypt." I don't like the tone at the beginning of this article, but some of the information on Islam is important. See Chronology of Conquests in the Name of Allah and pray for our president. Romans 8:26-27

 

U.S. proposes drafting women: "The Selective Service System has proposed revamping the draft to include the registration of women, expanding the age limits and requiring that young Americans keep the government informed about those critical skills most valuable to the military." See The Draft is Back

April 2004

Republican senator: Bring back the draft : "A Republican U.S. senator is calling for a return of the military draft so the cost of the Iraq operation could be borne by people of all economic strata. ... 'Why shouldn't we ask all of our citizens to bear some responsibility and pay some price?' Hagel said, arguing that restoring the draft would force 'our citizens to understand the intensity and depth of challenges we face.' The senator also argued re-instituting the draft, which ended in the early '70s, would cause the burden of military service to be spread among all economic classes of people. 'Those who are serving today and dying today are the middle class and lower middle class,' he claimed." See The Draft is Back

 

Bin Laden Comes Home to Roost: "The CIA, ever mindful of the need to justify its 'mission,' had conclusive evidence by the mid-1980s of the deepening crisis of infrastructure within the Soviet Union. The CIA, as its deputy director Robert Gates acknowledged under congressional questioning in 1992, had decided to keep that evidence from President Reagan and his top advisors and instead continued to grossly exaggerate Soviet military and technological capabilities in its annual 'Soviet Military Power' report right up to 1990. Given that context, a decision was made to provide America’s potential enemies [Bin Laden & al-Qaida] with the arms, money - and most importantly - the knowledge of how to run a war of attrition violent and well-organized enough to humble a superpower." Psalm 27:1-4

 

Nader tells youths to brace for draft : "'The Pentagon is quietly recruiting new members to fill local draft boards, as the machinery for drafting a new generation of young Americans is being quietly put into place,' Mr. Nader said in a press release.... Mr. Russo, one of three front-runners vying for the Libertarian nomination, said at a party forum in Virginia last month that 'the draft is a bipartisan effort between Republicans and Democrats that will start after the 2004 presidential election, for obvious reasons,' a prediction he repeats on his campaign Web site.

    "It would take legislative action by Congress to reinstate the draft...." Both the House and Senate bills have been written. See The Draft is Back

 

Inside camp of troubles: "Last year, more than a dozen of the company's soldiers were transferred back to Fort Dix for treatment of a variety of maladies. ...'One night, I had 10 or 15 people with temperatures over 103, unexplained night chills, all kinds of things,' said Sgt. Juan Vega, the company's principal medic. About a dozen of the 160 soldiers in the company suddenly developed kidney stones, he said.....

     "Pentagon officials have confirmed that tanks hit by DU shells are the biggest potential sources of battlefield radioactivity.... In addition, a UN environmental report on Iraq warned last year of a 'high risk of inhaling DU dust' within 150 meters of any target hit by DU shells 'unless high-quality dust masks are worn.' The soldiers never received dust masks." See The Draft is Back

March 2004

Agency initiates steps for selective draft: "The government is taking the first steps toward a targeted military draft of Americans with special skills in computers and foreign languages."

 

Oiling up the draft machine? "...a few weeks ago, on an obscure federal Web site devoted to the war on terrorism, the Bush administration quietly began a public campaign to bring the draft boards back to life. 'Serve Your Community and the Nation,' the announcement urges. 'If a military draft becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men ... receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service.'"

February 2004

The Costs of Empire, Part 1: "The process of creating and maintaining an empire... is costly, very costly, in terms of lives, money and liberty. It requires a large military establishment, which can consume a substantial, if not disproportionate amount of the national treasury. And it requires stationing and deploying forces around the world....

    "Currently Pentagon officials are in the final throes of crafting an updated National Military Strategy that is expected to acknowledge a need to redistribute US forces and revamp their chains of command throughout the globe." The Revolutionary Roots of the UN


December 2003

Army 'forcing out sick Gulf war veterans' (UK): "The Ministry of Defence forced 'hundreds' of victims of Gulf war syndrome to quit the Army under a system known as manning control to avoid paying them medical pensions. If the soldiers were medically discharged they would have been automatically eligible for a medical pension. But because they were forced to quit, they received nothing."  U.S. soldiers face similar injustices. See Military and The Draft is Back

November

US National Guard Pay Delayed, Denied: "While National Guard soldiers fulfill their duty, risking their lives around the world, the Pentagon apparently is not living up to its obligation to pay them the right amount or on time. In six Guard units examined by the General Accounting Office, a stunning 94 per cent of soldiers had pay problems, including: Under- and over-payments. Three-month delays in active duty checks. Pay and benefits cut off for wounded soldiers in the hospital. 'They were being told they weren't entitled to certain health care benefits, in spite of their injuries.'"

Mystery Illness Causing Major U.S. Casualties in Iraq: "The overwhelming majority of soldiers sent home for recovery from the current Persian Gulf War were not injured in combat but probably by a doctor’s needle. Were some “shot to death” by vaccinations?... A series of anthrax and smallpox vaccinations are blamed by some for leaving soldiers so gravely ill they have difficulty breathing and sleeping and experience loss of memory. Others have been diagnosed with lupus and heart ailments. At least six died shortly after receiving their shots. But the Pentagon has rejected such claims in such a routine and intimidating manner that many GIs say they no longer report the illness. They’re told to 'suck it up' and move on." Please pray for our soldiers. John 15:7-8

4,000 names given to military recruiters: "The Oakland school district turned over names and phone numbers of almost 4,000 students to military recruiters this week, in a controversial move required to comply with federal law. A provision of President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind Act gives recruiters special access to names, phone numbers and addresses of high school juniors and seniors." See The Draft is Back

Rumsfeld Visits Asia to Discuss Adjustments to US Forces: "Rumsfeld said in the post-Cold War era, the U.S. was moving from a static defensive posture to 'a footprint that recognizes it's not possible today to predict with precision where a threat may come from or exactly what kind of a threat it might be.' The U.S. and its allies need 'more agility' and access to a larger number of locations to face those threats." The Draft is Back

Notice sparks return of US military draft fears: "A routine notice advertising the need for people to serve on US draft boards has prompted suggestions the Pentagon may restart the military draft. But officials have denied a move to return to the draft, which was abolished in 1973. 'There are no secret discussions,' said Pat Schuback, a spokesman for the Selective Service System, the government agency that would be in charge of conscription if the US had it." Yet the bill for the draft has already been written: The Draft is Back

U.S. to Call Up Thousands of Troops for Iraq Duty: "U.S. defense officials said on Wednesday the Pentagon would begin ordering thousands of fresh troops to prepare for service in Iraq...." Joshua 1:9

US raises spectre of conscription: "The American defence department has begun a recruitment drive for local draft boards, raising questions about a possible revival of conscription.... There has been no draft in the US since it was ended by Congress in 1973, the year that US troops pulled out of Vietnam.... Re-instatement would require action by the president and approval by Congress...."

    And the twin bills for the House and Senate have already been written. The Draft is Back

 

Nato hints at undertaking pre-emptive missions: "NATO’s military commander said on Tuesday he sees the alliance taking on more stabilisation missions in the future, pre-emptively going into troubled regions to try to prevent them from becoming runaway breeding grounds for terrorists. US Marine Corps General James L. Jones, who took over in January as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said the alliance has to transform from a 20th century reactive force to one willing to actively deploy its troops to hotspots." The Draft is Back'

Reaction to Rumsfeld memo mixed: "...the memo said the United States has no way to measure whether it is winning or losing the war, has not made "truly bold moves" to fight terrorists and is in for "a long, hard slog" in Iraq and Afghanistan.... The memo suggested that the government might need a "new institution" to fight the war and should consider a way to counter radical Islamic schools that are churning out terrorists. -------...James Dobbins... director of international security and defense for the Rand think tank, said ... solving the problem may call for "restructuring institutions."

October 2003

Senator Says Downed Chopper Lacked Protective Gear: "Many U.S. helicopters in Iraq lack routine anti-missile equipment that might have thwarted last weekend's attack on a Chinook helicopter that killed 15 U.S. troops, a Democratic senator said on Wednesday.... '

Israel will be destroyed: "The official television station of the Palestinian Authority has begun broadcasting a video clip depicting the destruction of Israel and its replacement by a Palestinian state...." But our God is in charge of Israel's destiny. No one can thwart His purposes! See The Lord

July 2003

A Former Special Forces Soldier Responds to Bush's Invitation for Iraqis to Attack US Troops: "...the first image in my mind was a 20-year-old soldier in an ever-more-fragile marriage, who'd been away from home for 8 months. ... His weapon weighs seven pounds, ten with a double magazine. His boots are bloused, and his long-sleeve shirt is buttoned at the wrist. It is between 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit at midday. He's been eating MRE's three times a day, when he has an appetite in this heat.... Mosquitoes and sand flies plague him in the evenings, and he probably pulls a guard shift every night, never sleeping straight through...." Let's keep praying for our soldiers in Iraq. John 15:7-8

June 2003

Abbas threatens to resign Palestinian prime minister blames Arafat for inciting Hamas: "Abbas has has accused PA Chairman Arafat of inciting Hamas to escalate attacks against Israel in an attempt to undermine the new prime minister." Luke 21:10

Israel declares all-out war on Hamas: "The Israeli army has been ordered to 'completely wipe out' the Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas, army radio reported on Thursday, a day after a suicide bomber killed 16 people on a Jerusalem bus."

April 2003

Putin and Schroeder: UN Should Manage Iraqi Settlement Process: "Putin says he and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder agree that their main task is to return the Iraqi settlement process to the United Nations....  The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, Gennady Seleznyov, says Iraq is not yet America's 51st state and suggested the United States pay Moscow for the Russian contracts interrupted by the war." Lamentations 1:2

Does the European conflict over who will rebuild Iraq remind you of "The Little Red Hen"? If so, take a look at the politically correct version.

 

In Baghdad, a power vacuum: "Anarchy appeared to be widening in Baghdad on Friday as the jubilation accompanying the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule gave way to a spree of violence and looting."North Korea and the US 'on a slide towards conflict': "War in North Korea is now almost inevitable because of the country's diplomatic stalemate with America, a senior UN official claims. Ahead of this week's crucial talks between members of the UN Security Council, Maurice Strong, special adviser to the Secretary General Kofi Annan, was gloomy on the chances of a peaceful settlement. 'I think war is unnecessary, it's unthinkable and unfortunately it's entirely possible,' he said." Read about the powerful, behind-the-scenes UN strongman in Rapid Reaction against UN Foes

 

Across the Euphrates: "Since this war began there have been plenty of media references to the Euphrates, which along with the Tigris River (east of the Euphrates) defines the heart of Babylonia, or Mesopotamia, meaning literally 'Between Rivers'...." See map and history at Israel-Arafat 'History in a Nutshell'

 

Basra's last-stand militia using five-year-olds as human shields: "Pro-Saddam Hussein militia in Basra are using children as young as five as human shields and threatening men with death if they do not fight for them, British troops revealed yesterday."

March

Suicide bombers now 'routine military policy' for Iraq: "...a car exploded at a checkpoint near the Shi'ite Muslim shrine city of Najaf, about 160km south of Baghdad, killing four soldiers who were searching it. The driver also died in the blast. Iraqi television said President Saddam Hussein had awarded the bomber, Ali Hammadi al-Namani, two posthumous medals."

     Let us pray for our soldiers, for our president, for the wounded -- and for the grieving and frightened families in both the U.S. and Iraq -- that many would turn to the true God and receive His truth, strength, peace and comfort. John 15:7-8

 

Human shields-turned-hawks: "They arrived as Saddam apologists willing to die for the despot—but they left Iraq weeks later with changed hearts and a determination that Saddam must go. Many of the human shields who had arrived with much fanfare to 'stop' the United States and Britain were swayed by the strongest supporters of Saddam’s ouster: the Iraqi people.'" Jeremiah 32:26

 

Children forced to take up guns? "Iraq has sunk to a new low in unconventional warfare, with regime forces threatening children and having them take up guns on the battlefield, according to U.S. officials and a reporter embedded with coalition troops. Coalition leaders report Iraqi paramilitary forces are going into homes and threatening whole families with death if they don't join the battle.

     "'...in the vicinity of Najaf ... Iraqi regime forces are seizing children from their homes and telling their families that the males must fight for the regime or they will all face execution,' Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks said this morning." John 15:7-8

 

Iraqi soldiers tell of forced fighting: "...the Iraqi private with a bullet wound in the back of his head suggested something unusually grim. ... that many Iraqi soldiers were fighting at gunpoint, threatened with death by hard-core loyalists of President Saddam Hussein. ...`

    "`The officers threatened to shoot us unless we fought,' said a wounded Iraqi from his bed in the American field hospital here. 'They took out their guns and pointed them and told us to fight.' 

    " ...American medics patched up the wounds of three other Iraqi soldiers...."

 

Military Analysis / Iraqi military relying on guerrilla tactics: "The general view is there are four grades of Iraqi forces. First there are conscripts who, like conscripts in most countries, are fairly ineffective in military terms. Then there is the regular army. Next there is the Republican Guard. It's like moving in on a dart board. Finally there is the Special Republican Guard, many of whom are from Tikrit, north of Baghdad, Saddam's hometown....

     "The psychological warfare is clearly geared toward the first two groups--the regular troops and the conscripts...

    "The allies will certainly win. But what happens is that you start forcing coalition casualties. Significantly, the allies do not take casualties as well as the Iraqis. Even if a small number of soldiers are killed, it will be all over the media that night. There is a certain squeamishness about death."

     Of course. 2 Chronicles 20:6-12 And as our soldiers face the threats ahead, let's pray that God open their eyes to see Him as their Savior and their dearest Friend.

repeat 3 Russian Firms' Deals Anger U.S.: "Iraq Purchased Jamming Gear, Missiles, Night-Vision Goggles ... The United States delivered a protest to the government of President Vladimir Putin yesterday for refusing to stop Russian arms dealers from providing illegal weapons and assistance to the Iraqi military."

Battle teaches Marines dangers of complacency: "The Marines decided to sleep here Friday in a makeshift camp near a tomato field flanked by old farmhouses they decided not to search. And why should they search them? The enemy — the Iraqi soldiers they had encountered since pouring across the Kuwaiti border and into war that morning —wanted to quit. ...

     "On that moonless night, Iraqi soldiers crawled from an armory and communication center — the farmhouses the battalion neglected to search. Beneath the farmhouses, unknown to the Marines, lay tunnels laden with arms, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades. ... Then... Boom! ... Iraqi soldiers had launched a Soviet-built rocket-propelled grenade."

     An object lesson for all of us! Engaged in spiritual warfare that rages as fiercely as the Iraqi war, we cannot afford to close our eyes to "Wiles of the devil" nor neglect our spiritual armor. See Clothed by the King and Armor of God

Cruise missiles found in hidden bunker (scroll down to this title): "Cases of rockets, giant anti-shipping mines and other ammunition are piled from floor to ceiling in dozens of bunkers at what is marked on maps as the Az Zubaya Heliport. The most disturbing find was two Russian-made Al-Harith anti-shipping cruise missiles, each 6m long and 1m in diameter, and nine warheads, hidden in two enormous reinforced concrete bunkers.... Some of the boxes are clearly marked with the names of British manufacturers." See next link:

Military Policy Suppresses Religious Expression Among U.S. Troops: "That policy prohibits American troops from wearing Christian or Jewish symbols or singing hymns in order to avoid offending Muslims...'

     "'There's a strange political correctness that even extends into the military,' Whitehead says. '...I don't think we should bow to religious intolerance of other countries.' ...the U.S. Constitution applies to American citizens in whatever part of the world they might find themselves." Matthew 10:32-39

 

U.S., British Forces Take Iraqi Port: "... Iraqis waved in celebration as members of the 1st Marine Division hauled down giant portraits of Saddam Hussein.

    "'We're very happy... Saddam Hussein is a butcher,' said a man in the back of a pickup truck... A woman fell at the feet of the Americans and embraced them.... Television images from other parts of Iraq also showed Iraqi prisoners, marching in single file with their hands behind their heads. Sahhaf, the Iraqi information minister, said the images were fabricated." Iraqi misinformation? Sahhaf's assignment is propaganda, not honesty. Psalm 12:8

 

Pak Islamic parties threaten to send youth to Iraq: "Pakistan's religious coalition has threatened to send the country's youth to Baghdad to fight American forces. ..  the alliance would send its youth to fight against US in Iraq as it did to oppose American intervention in Afghanistan....

     "Meanwhile, Afghanistan announced that it would soon be setting free 900 Pakistani militants taken into custody for fighting along with Taliban regime." See Four Faces of Islam

 

First shots fired at sea as allied battle plan unfolds: "The first shots of the war have been fired, killing at least one Iraqi during a suspected operation to mine the waters off Kuwait. But that opening skirmish is about to be dwarfed by the most formidable military assault in modern warfare: 250,000 British and American troops — backed by more than 1,000 aircraft, 400 tanks and a 110-strong armada — are poised to unleash their awesome power on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq the moment the order is given."

 

Troops... on the eve of combat: "If you ask an infantry soldier what he's fighting for, it usually has nothing to do with grand ideals or even protecting loved ones back home. When battle comes, an infantry soldier fights for the man to his left and his right, and for little else. Combat breeds a sense of camaraderie that's impossible to find anywhere else." That's true among Christians as well. So let us stand together and battle in prayer for His will to be done. Pray that God protect His faithful ones -- especially in Arab countries -- and use this threatening circumstances to draw many to Himself. 2 Chronicles 20:12

 

 Iran Warns U.S. 'Biggest Blow' Is Coming: "President Bush has given Saddam Hussein and his sons 48 hours to leave Iraq. Now U.S. officials worry we now face a dangerous window of vulnerability.

      "Top concerns: A pre-emptive Iraqi attack against U.S. and allied forces and/or Israel using weapons of mass destruction. A terrorist attack by al-Qaeda operatives using chemical, biological or radiological weapons within the U.S. A wave of suicide bomber attacks by terrorist cells trained by or paid for by Iraq." Psalm 62:5-8

 

Mortal fear rules Saddam's inner circle: "Saddam Hussein knows it can be lonely at the top. In the grip of a crisis he turns - like any other leader - to his inner circle for advice. But at the moment when he needs them most, President Saddam's choice of confidants is limited. Decades of dictatorial rule have left him with an inner circle where no one is totally trusted and the penalty for giving sound but unpalatable advice is death....

     "Today, the former bodyguard with little formal education is the third or fourth most powerful person in Iraq, according to exiled dissidents. He may also pose the biggest internal threat to President Saddam. 'He's a dangerous person because of his silence,' said Salah Umar al-Ali, a former diplomat and fellow Tikriti. 'He has ambition and wants to be leader.'"

      Ponder this quote by Thomas Sowell. It refers to socialist totalitarianism but applies to more traditional dictatorships as well. Human nature doesn't change with time. Galatians 5:19-26

 

Mask, gun: check. Bullets: not so fast: "This may surprise the folks back home, but the U.S. Army forces massing across the Iraqi border are largely unarmed. Even though all U.S. soldiers deployed to the six main Army camps in northern Kuwait must carry their rifles at all times -- even to the latrine in the middle of the night -- few are carrying any bullets.

     "This is not an oversight.... it's an effort to stave off the sad inevitable: Once the Army starts issuing ammo en masse, soldiers will accidentally shoot themselves and each other." Psalm 61:1-4

February 2003

Germany's leading role in arming Iraq: "German firms made up the bulk of suppliers for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs. What's galling is that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and his minions have long known the facts.... Over the years, well over half of the precursor materials and a majority of the tools and know-how for their conversion into weapons were sold to Iraq by German firms."

 

Young Guns: "Dolores Paige told the Marine Corps recruiter he could enlist all the students at Willowridge High School -- except her son. 'I told him, 'You take all these kids if you want to, but don't you call my house -- you ain't getting my baby.'" Psalm 23

January 2003

Pentagon eyes mass graves Option would fight contamination after bioterror deaths: "Since the Korean War, the U.S. military has taken great pride in bringing home its war dead, returning bodies to next of kin for flag-draped, taps-sounding funerals complete with 21-gun salutes. But the 53-year-old tradition could come to an abrupt halt if large numbers of soldiers are killed by chemical or biological agents..."  

 

America's Ultra-Secret Weapon: "If there's a second Gulf War, get ready to meet the high-power microwave. HPMs are man-made lightning bolts crammed into cruise missiles. They could be key weapons for targeting Saddam Hussein's stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons. ... 

     "The powerful electromagnetic pulses can travel into deeply buried bunkers through ventilation shafts, plumbing and antennas. But unlike conventional explosives, they won't spew deadly agents into the air, where they could poison Iraqi civilians or advancing U.S. troops."

      In contrast, Iraq's chemical and biological reserves alone could bring unthinkable, torturous harm and death to large civilian population centers. But let's pray that we can avoid war -- not the least for the sake of Christian missionaries who serve the poor in Arab countries. For war is certain to fuel explosive rage and revenge among militant Muslims. See Four Faces of Islam and Psalm 62:5-8

 


Previous links on this topic: The War - Part 1

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