Target Centermass

Category: War on Terror

  • UK Soldiers’ Killer May Be European

    There’s a lot of barely-supported speculation in this piece, along with one all-too-obvious observation.

    A suicide bomber who killed three Black Watch soldiers was white, suggesting British troops are being targeted by European terrorists.

    The bomber’s face was seen by surviving troops as he drove up to a road block seconds before the blast. His features have allowed Army commanders to rule him out as an Arab.

    A senior military source in Iraq said: “The bomber was Caucasian. That means he could be from anywhere between Bosnia to Birmingham. We don’t know any more because there wasn’t much left of him.

    “But it confirms our fears that the Black Watch are now up against foreign terrorists.”

    After-the-fact eye witness accounts can often be spotty, and distinguishing a Caucasian definitively from an Arab in a moving vehicle which subsequently explodes is highly suspect. That said, the argument that there is no reason to fully believe this story does not correspond to arguing there is no reason to disbelieve this story. It may be true, but the evidence in this article is scant at best.

    What is obvious, however, is that the Black Watch is facing foreign terrorists. All of Iraq is. Even if this story holds true, it only shows that another obvious fact so many refuse to face — this is a global war against Islamist terror, and Iraq is currently the predominant battlefield.

  • U.S. Sees Hard Fight, Low Civilian Toll in Falluja

    With the allied offensive to remove the current Fallujah terror menace beginning, key U.S. officials expressed their general expectations for the fight.

    Well-armed insurgents will retreat into the heart of Falluja before making a stand against U.S. and Iraqi troops aiming to take control of the city, the top American officer in Iraq predicted on Monday.

    But Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he did not foresee large numbers of civilian casualties in the urban battle as a force of about 10,000-15,000 U.S. and Iraqi troops began an offensive to capture the rebel-held city west of Baghdad.

    “What we have generally seen is that there is an outer crust of the defense — and our estimates tell us that they will probably fall back and go toward the center of the city where there will be probably a major confrontation,” Army Gen. George Casey told reporters at the Pentagon by telephone from Baghdad.

    “I don’t want to get much more specific about what we know about that,” Casey said, adding that rebels had placed car bombs in Falluja and wired streets with explosives as “weapons of choice.”

    Casey said, “We expect that we will have a fight in there over the next few days.”

    At a later Pentagon news conference, Rumsfeld declined to call the battle for Falluja a final showdown with insurgents, who rose up against U.S. and other foreign troops following the ouster of President Saddam Hussein in an American-led invasion last year. Casey said roughly 3,000 rebels were in Falluja.

    “I wouldn’t use the word final,” Rumsfeld said.

    “I think it’s a tough business and I think it’s going to take time.”

    ….

    Both Casey and Rumsfeld said they did not know what rebel leaders, including al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, remained in Falluja.

    “It’s constantly changing. But I do believe that some of the key leaders will stay there and will fight with their soldiers,” said Casey, adding that the rebels were armed with weapons from AK-47 assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and heavy anti-aircraft-type guns.

    This analysis of Fallujah as a booby-trapped and pre-wired exterior serving as a barrier to an anticipated, hard-fought urban showdown sounds familiar. Anybody remember the West Bank refugee camp/terror hive of Jenin in April, 2002, and the Palestinian allegations of a civilian massacre committed by the Israelis? Rumsfeld addressed the civilian issue.

    Despite warnings from some analysts that the assault could kill hundreds of civilians in the city, Rumsfeld predicted that the discipline of U.S. troops would prevent large numbers of innocent casualties.

    “There aren’t going to be large numbers of civilians killed, certainly not by U.S. forces,” he told reporters.

    “The U.S. forces are disciplined. They are well-led. They’re well-trained. They are using precision. And they have rules of engagement that are appropriate to an urban environment.”

    Many residents have already left the city of 300,000 people.

    Despite all this, civilian losses are certain to happen, both at the hands of the American-Iraqi forces and the already-bloodied hands of the Islamist terrorists. Just like Jenin, expect al-Jazeera, along with the usual cast of leftists and anti-American sympathizers, to trumpet the cries of “Massacre!” Just like Jenin, expect the facts to be otherwise, though the truth will be late and will unfortunately but assuredly be downplayed internationally.

  • Let’s Get It On, Fallujah-Style

    It looks like things are getting under way in the pacification (read brutal beatdown) of the Islamist holdouts in Fallujah.

    U.S. forces stormed into the western outskirts of Fallujah early Monday, seizing the main city hospital and securing two key bridges over the Euphrates river in what appeared to be the first stage of the long-expected assault on the insurgent stronghold.

    An AC-130 gunship raked the city with 40 mm cannon fire as explosions from U.S. artillery lit up the night sky. Intermittent artillery fire blasted southern neighborhoods of Fallujah, and orange fireballs from high explosive airbursts could be seen above the rooftops.

    U.S. officials said the toughest fight was yet to come — when American forces enter the main part of the city on the east bank of the river, including the Jolan neighborhood where insurgent defenses are believed the strongest.

    The initial attacks on Fallujah began just hours after the Iraqi government declared 60 days of emergency rule throughout most of the country as militants dramatically escalated attacks, killing at least 30 people, including two Americans.

    Several hundred Iraqi troops were sent into Fallujah’s main hospital after U.S. forces sealed off the area. The troops detained about 50 men of military age inside the hospital, but about half were later released.

    This is just the prelude to what may well end up being a drawn-out, bloody drama, as urban warfare so often is. It should be made clear, however, that we’re most definitely not rolling into the outskirts of Stalingrad. This is Fallujah, where an ascending Iraqi national army will be assisted by the most professional, best equipped and truly lethal military force the world has known — the American military. Arrayed against them: terrorists and fanatics, outcasts and criminals, armed with RPGs, booby traps, mines, car bombs, mortars and rifles, employing tactics that have already repeatedly failed them.

    The terrorists are desperate, knowing the loss of Fallujah would be a savage blow to their efforts and a tremendous boost to the interim Iraqi government. They also have little hope of a second intervention by the Iraqi government to avert a crushing of Fallujah, as no good came from the previous act of mercy. Their two hopes are contradictory in nature — inflict as much of a bloodletting as possible in hopes of blunting coalition will, or bug out with as much of the leadership intact as possible and strength as can be salvaged.

    To counter this, the Americans are entering the combat with several key advantages, including airpower, intelligence, night-time capabilities, firepower and training. Add to this list the intangibles of optimism and motivation.

    As U.S. forces prepared for what is expected to be the biggest Marine-led urban assault since Vietnam, U.S. commanders pumped up troop spirits Sunday, saying they were no different from the storied heroes of Iwo Jima and Korea.

    Standing before some 2,500 Marines who stood or kneeled at his feet, Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, the commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, told them that they would be at the front of the charge.

    “This is America’s fight,” Sattler said. “What we’ve added to it is our Iraqi partners. They want to go in and liberate Fallujah. They feel this town’s being held hostage by mugs, thugs, murderers and terrorists.”

    Two Marine battalions, along with a battalion from the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, will be the lead units sent into a Fallujah attack. They will be joined by two brigades of Iraqi troops.

    ….

    Sgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent, the top enlisted Marine in Iraq, told troops Sunday the coming battle of Fallujah would be “no different” than the historic fights at Inchon in Korea, the flag-raising victory at Iwo Jima, or the bloody assault to remove North Vietnamese troops who occupied the ancient citadel of Hue in the 1968 Tet Offensive.

    “You’re all in the process of making history,” Kent boomed in a clarion voice. “This is another Hue city in the making. I have no doubt, if we do get the word, that each and every one of you is going to do what you have always done — kick some butt.”

    Marine battalion commander Lt. Col. Mike Ramos said many of the young fighters would be dashing into battle for the first time. In the barracks, Marines could be seen packing up gear, strapping anti-tank missile tubes to their packs. They would also be carrying gas masks in case of chemical weapons, a threat Ramos deemed unlikely.

    “They’re sharpening their K-Bar fighting knives; they’re cleaning their weapons for the last time; they’ve fueled their vehicles and they’ve rehearsed the plan,” said Ramos, 41, of Dallas.

    Ramos predicted that “freedom and democracy” would prevail in Fallujah within days.

    “Make no mistake about it, we’ll hand this city back to the Iraqi people,” he said. “I think it will be rapid.”

    During the fight, rules of engagement allow U.S. troops to shoot and kill anyone carrying a weapon or driving in Fallujah, a move aimed at allowing U.S. troops to fire on car bombers, Ramos said. Military age males trying to leave the city will be captured or turned back.

    “If I see someone who looks like a martyr, driving at high speed toward my unit, I’ll send him to Allah before he gets close,” Ramos said.

    Sattler reminded the troops that the assault would be a joint U.S.-Iraqi effort. The fledgling Iraqi military, which has been under intense U.S. training, needs to be led by example into the fight against Fallujah, he said.

    “This is a whole can of whoop-butt all combined here,” Kent said, surveying the Marines surrounding him.

    A pumped-up crowd shouted a deafening “Hoo-rah” in response.

    Good luck and happy hunting, troops.

  • Saudi Religious Scholars Support Holy War in Iraq

    A group of Islamists have issued a statement to supposedly rally the Iraqi citizenry against the coalition forces.

    Prominent Saudi religious scholars urged Iraqis to support militants waging holy war against the U.S.-led coalition forces as American troops prepared Saturday for a major assault on the insurgent hotbed of Fallujah.

    The 26 Saudi scholars and preachers said in an open letter to the Iraqi people that their appeal was prompted by “the extraordinary situation through which the Iraqis are passing which calls for unity and exchange of views.” The letter was posted on the Internet.

    “At no time in history has a whole people been violated … by propaganda that’s been proved false,” Sheik Awad al-Qarni, one of the scholars, told Al-Arabiya TV.

    “The U.S. forces are still destroying towns on the heads of their people and killing women and children. What’s going on in Iraq is a result of the big crime of America’s occupation of Iraq.”

    In their letter, the scholars stressed that armed attacks by militant Iraqi groups on U.S. troops and their allies in Iraq represent “legitimate” resistance.

    The scholars were careful to direct their appeal to Iraqis only and stayed away from issuing a general, Muslim-wide call for holy war. They also identified the military as the target, one that is considered legitimate by many Arabs who view U.S. troops and their allies as occupiers.

    The independent scholars — some of whom have been criticized in the past for their extremist views — apparently did not want to antagonize the Saudi government, a U.S. ally, or appear to be flouting its efforts to fight terrorism.

    Saudi Arabia has sealed off its long border with Iraq and bars people from crossing into that country. Its most senior clerics issued a statement last year saying the call for jihad — or holy war — should only come from the ruler and should not be based on edicts issued by individual clergymen.

    This is pure propaganda, and it ain’t aimed at Iraq. The Iraqi nationals on the ground on Iraq know better than the city-destroying and baby-killing crap.

    Make no mistake, folks, these “scholars” are not trying to speak to the Iraqi people. No, they realize that they already have any Iraqi national support from the local Baathists and Islamists that they will get, pending disaster. The Saudi Islamist “scholars” are actually trying to stir a further movement into Iraq from Saudis, Syrians, Egyptians, et al. in hopes of strengthening the bastards we’re currently facing.

    I take this as an important sign of progress, because it stinks of desperation. The Islamists failed to affect the Afghan elections. They failed to pull off anything substantial enough to have any impact on the American election. Their rallying points in Iraq are fallen or facing increased pressure or impending assault. And now, apparently they need more numbers. This is begging for cannon fodder, bomb-belt carriers and car-bomb drivers. Because they are losing and verging on being impotent to stem the tide.

  • Veteran Sues After He Receives Duty Order

    A former soldier has been recalled and doesn’t want to report for duty. And this time, if the details are correct, I generally agree with him.

    A veteran of the first Persian Gulf War is suing the Army after it ordered him to report for duty 13 years after he was honorably discharged from active duty and eight years after he left the reserves.

    Kauai resident David Miyasato received word of his reactivation in September, but says he believes he completed his eight-year obligation to the Army long ago.

    “I was shocked,” Miyasato said Friday. “I never expected to see something like that after being out of the service for 13 years.”

    His federal lawsuit, filed Friday in Honolulu, seeks a judgment declaring that he has fulfilled his military obligations.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry Yee said his office would defend the Army. He declined to comment further. An Army spokewoman at the Pentagon declined to comment to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

    Miyasato, 34, was scheduled to report to a military facility in South Carolina on Tuesday.

    Within hours of filing the lawsuit, however, Miyasato received a faxed letter from the Army’s Human Resources Command saying his “exemption from active duty had not been finalized at this time” and that he has been given an administrative delay for up to 30 days, said his attorney, Eric Seitz.

    Miyasato, his wife, Estelle, and their 7-month-old daughter, Abigail, live in Lihue, where he opened an auto-tinting shop two years ago.

    His lawsuit states that Miyasato is suing not because he opposes the war in Iraq, but because his business and family would suffer “serious and irreparable harm” if he is required to serve.

    Miyasato enlisted in the Army in 1987 and served in Iraq and Kuwait during the first Persian Gulf War as a petroleum supply specialist and truck driver.

    Miyasato said he received an honorable discharge from active duty in 1991, then served in the reserves until 1996 to fulfill his eight-year enlistment commitment.

    The Army announced last year that it would involuntarily activate an estimated 5,600 soldiers to serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Army officials would be tapping members of the Individual Ready Reserve — military members who have been discharged from the Army, Army Reserve or the Army National Guard, but still have contractual obligations to the military.

    Miyasato said he never re-enlisted, signed up for any bonuses or was told that he had been transferred to the Individual Ready Reserve or any other Army Reserve unit.

    “I fulfilled my contract,” Miyasato said. “I just want to move on from this, and I’m optimistic that I’ll be successful.”

    Miyasato speculated that he may have been picked because his skills as a truck driver and refueler are in demand in Iraq. He told reporters he did the same work as that done by a group of Army reservists who refused to deliver fuel along a dangerous route in Iraq last month.

    I suspect that this is an administrative error, as I’m sure we have sufficient numbers of transport troops in the IRR, and I would expect for this to be resolved in Miyasato’s favor. Earlier, when I said I generally agreed, I meant that I agreed up to a point. However, if the Army truly needed the man, I would expect him to serve. If the Army called me up, I would go, and I am also free of IRR commitment.

  • Clock Ticking on Fallujah

    While air strikes continue to hit the Islamist stronghold of Fallujah, the pressure is mounting on both the Islamists in the city and the Iraqi and American forces readying for assault.

    U.S. warplanes attacked targets in and around the insurgent-held city of Falluja early Saturday, while sporadic gunfire and artillery echoed through the night.

    U.S. and Iraqi forces are gearing up for a major offensive in the western city and interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Friday the “window is closing” for a peaceful settlement there.

    “We intend to liberate the people and bring the rule of law,” Allawi said in Brussels, Belgium, where he was visiting the European Union and NATO to discuss aid for his fledgling government.

    Allawi will make the decision whether to begin the assault. Iraqi authorities have asked Falluja city leaders to hand over the insurgents.

    That the terrorists are on the clock is obvious. The battle that is brewing is one they cannot win. Unless they avoid the assault, the terrorists can only hope for another act of restraint by Allawi, whether driven by high losses or another gambit of mercy.

    That the clock is a danger to the coalition is more subtle but two-fold.

    First, I wrote less than two weeks ago about the British agreement to move troops of the Black Watch Regiment to Baghdad to free up American forces for the anticipated Fallujah action. Well, as somehow seems wont to occur to troops in a war zone, the Black Watch has suffered casualties and the anti-war Brit press is melodramatically playing it for all it’s politically worth.

    British newspapers are keeping Prime Minister Tony Blair in the hot seat by playing up the nation’s grief and anger over the deaths of three soldiers redeployed to a US-run sector of Iraq.

    For the second day in a row, the national dailies ran front-page stories about the deaths of three soldiers in a suicide attack after their Black Watch regiment redeployed in the last week to an insurgent-hit area near Baghdad.

    The Daily Express, a mass circulation tabloid, ran a 12-year-old girl’s poignant farewell note to her father who was killed in the bombing under the headline: “So Is It Really Worth It Mr. Blair?”

    “To Dad, Love you and miss you, Love Kirstin,” read the note to Sergeant Stuart Gray from his daughter Kirstin Gray.

    The Express and other newspapers also ran a searing condemnation from Private Craig Lowe, a serving soldier whose brother Paul was one of the three killed.

    He said his 19-year-old-brother had been deeply opposed to a conflict fought over “money and oil”.

    “He (Paul) thought they shouldn’t be there, they should all just be back here because it’s a war which nobody knows why it was started or what it was done for,” said Lowe, who himself returned from Iraq last month.

    The Independent newspaper ran a front-page photograph of Paul Lowe wearing his ceremonial military kilt against a backdrop of the number 19, his age. The headline read: “A boy who just wanted to come home.”

    The Ministry of Defense in London on Friday named Private Paul Lowe, along with Sergeant Stuart Gray, 31, and 22-year-old Private Scott McArdle as the soldiers killed along with an Iraqi civilian translator.

    The trio, all from the Scottish-based Black Watch regiment, died on Thursday afternoon when a vehicle-borne suicide bomb exploded at a checkpoint they were manning by the Euphrates River.

    ….

    The incident happened just two days after the 850-strong Black Watch battle group started full operations at Camp Dogwood, a bleak outpost to the west of the insurgent-hit town of Mahmudiyah, southwest of Baghdad.

    ….

    The redeployment has been hugely controversial in Britain, with Blair’s critics accusing him of sending troops into harm’s way largely as a symbolic gesture to show that the United States is not fighting alone in Iraq.

    Blair has insisted the decision was military, not political.

    ….

    However the deaths, so soon after the redeployment, were bleak political news for a prime minister who has seen his opinion poll ratings tumble since he opted to back the invasion of Iraq.

    Blair came under swift condemnation, with Alex Salmond, leader of the Scottish National Party, bitterly contrasting “the bravery of our soldiers with the duplicity of the politicians who sent them there”.

    Blair, however sturdy in his resolve and right in his cause, cannot for long be asked to pay a political price for Fallujah.

    Secondly, the planned election calendar adds to the pressure and, as is the norm, Kofi Annan and the dysfunctional United Nations ain’t helping.

    U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has warned the United States, Britain and Iraq that an assault on Falluja risked further dividing the Iraqi people and undermining planned January elections.

    …. U.N. officials made no secret of their fear that a large-scale attack on Falluja could provoke an election boycott by Sunni Muslims [previously discussed here] and undermine efforts to promote stability.

    Okay, granted a beatdown of the terrorists may spur a Sunni boycott, but a prolonged standoff will most assuredly affect the election. Possibly damned if you do, certainly damned if you don’t. No matter the UN’s eventual level of love for the election, Iraq is better off with a pacified Fallujah. Let’s roll.

  • Iraq Insurgents Call for Hassan’s Release

    The terrorists in Iraq are reportedly hoping to save a hostage’s life.

    The militant group al-Qaida in Iraq purportedly called Friday for the release of the kidnapped executive of the CARE charity, Margaret Hassan, and promised to free her if she fell into their hands.

    In a message posted on the Internet, the group led by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said it wanted the world to know “if (the kidnappers of Margaret Hassan) handed us this captive, we will release her immediately unless it is proven she was conspiring against Muslims.”

    “We are demanding that those who are in charge of her release her unless she is proven to be an agent. If guilty, they should show that to everybody so as not to attribute something to our religion that is alien to it,” the message said.

    The authenticity of the statement could not be verified, but it was signed “al-Qaida in Iraq” and appeared on Web site known for publishing messages from Islamic militant groups. The person who posted it used the pseudonym Abu Maysara al-Iraqi — the name usually associated with statements from al-Zarqawi’s group.

    Are the Islamists suddenly having a change of heart and looking to do their good deed of the day? Hell no. As I stated before, they have stumbled badly and are in danger of cutting their own feet out from under themselves. The Iraqi nationals are very opposed to the kidnapping and threatening of the humanitarian Hassan. Knowing that they will now face constant pressure from the Iraqi government and the coalition following President Bush’s re-election, the terrorists are grasping at straws to maintain any local support that they can. The murder of Hassan, while tragic, would only serve to strengthen the government’s hand and undermine the terrorists.

    No, there is no change of heart for the heartless, but evil can be driven to do good out of desperation.

  • Karzai: There’s a New Sheriff in Town

    While not wearing a white cowboy hat or (visibly) packing six-shooters, newly-elected President Hamid Karzai promised to lay down the law to bring stability to the fledgling Afghan democracy.

    Making his acceptance speech a day in the capital Kabul, Karzai said his pre-election vow to eliminate private militias had clearly won the support of the people. He announced, “This will be a government based on the constitution of Afghanistan and in respect of the constitution of Afghanistan. A government that will work for the strengthening of the Afghan National Army, the police and other institutions of the state, There will not any private militias forces in Afghanistan. That’s the first demand of the Afghan people. There will definitely, definitely not going to be any drug thing in Afghanistan.”

    While needed, changing the warlord-druglord culture will be a herculean challenge. The only true hope for a long-term supplanting of the territorial militias lies in building a capable, professional military with a greater loyalty to national success than to regional or religious goals. Elimination of the opium fields will require constant vigilance and especially the installment of a viable economic alternative for the Afghan people. This will be troublesome in a nation not blessed with great natural resources and will require much foreign assistance.

    Karzai is a courageous man with great dreams for his country and his countrymen. Our continued support should never become an issue.

  • World Leaders React to Four More Years

    Under the headline “Europe Allies Extend Olive Branch to Bush,” the AP has put forth a piece addressing the reactions of several international leaders. The responses seemed to range from “Crap! I guess we have to find a way to deal with you” to “We’re already dealing with you, but try to find a way to deal with the crap from these other countries.”

    French President Jacques Chirac:

    “We will be unable to find satisfying responses to the numerous challenges that confront us today without a close trans-Atlantic partnership,” wrote Chirac. He addressed the letter to “Dear George.”

    Shut up and get back to us when you show a greater willingness to address the radical Islamist movement outside your borders. And when you show a greater desire to have your decisions driven by anything other than setting France up as an alternative to U.S. leadership. Oh yeah, how about you try paying attention to which pieces of crap you deal your weaponry?

    German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder:

    “The world stands before great challenges at the beginning of your second term: international terrorism, the danger of weapons of mass destruction, regional crises — but also poverty, climate change and epidemics threaten our security and stability,” Schroeder wrote. “These challenges can only be mastered together.”

    Shut up and let us know when you remove your lips from Chirac’s ass. It’s unseemly. Just break up with him and conquer Paris already; this time we might just let you. Oh, and wave goodbye to our bases.

    Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero:

    [His] government wants “a relationship of efficient, constructive cooperation with the U.S. government and with President Bush, respecting the ideas of each side.”

    Zapatero, who angered Washington by withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq, stayed up most of the night to watch as Republican red crept across the U.S. electoral map.

    How about an “efficient, constructive” shut up, you yellow-bellied, short-sighted socialist piece of crap? Is that good for you?

    Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer:

    “We’ve had a very good relationship with them for the last four years and I’m sure we’ll be able to keep building on that over the next four.”

    Much love to the Aussies.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin:

    “I would feel happy that the American people have not allowed themselves to be scared and made the decision they considered reasonable,” Putin said at a Kremlin news conference

    We absolutely have to realize, as a nation and very damn soon, that the Russians are facing the same enemy of Islamist bastards that we face.

    British Prime Minister Tony Blair:

    “A world that is fractured, divided and uncertain must be brought together to fight this global terrorism in all its forms and to recognize that it will not be defeated by military might alone but also by demonstrating the strength of our common values, by bringing freedom and democracy to Iraq as we have done to Afghanistan, by pursuing with the same energy peace in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine,” Blair said.

    Much love to Blair and the courage and fidelity of the Brits. He has been a stalwart ally since 9/11, and his people should rank him, in time, with the likes of Winston Churchill.

    Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka:

    “It is not natural to have — maybe not a cold war — but, in any case, a chilling of relations along theses lines …. I hope that European leaders and President Bush will show initiative in this area.”

    Poland needs to be rewarded for their valor and friendship. We earned it with Ronald Reagan; we need to repay it under Dubya.

    Terrorist Yassir Arafat:

    An ailing Yasser Arafat congratulated Bush and expressed hope that a second term would help give a new spark to the Middle East peace process, an aide to the Palestinian leader said.

    Arafat’s death may well be the spark needed for peace in the Middle East. That, or it could be the fuse that sets off the powderkeg he played a huge role in concocting. Either way, Bush cannot trust a living Arafat in any peace process.

  • Hungary to Bail from Iraq

    Hungary announced plans to withdraw its troops from the Iraqi coalition, though its defense minister plans to ask for an extension on the current Hungarian commitment until after the planned Iraqi election.

    Hungary will withdraw its 300 troops from Iraq by the end of March, the country’s new prime minister said Wednesday.

    The announcement is a blow to President Bush’s efforts to hold the coalition together despite increasing violence in Iraq. Hungarian officials said they delayed the announcement until after the U.S. presidential elections.

    The Hungarian force, a transportation contingent, is based at Hillah, 65 miles south of Baghdad, and is under Polish command.

    The parliamentary mandate for Hungary’s mission in Iraq will expire Dec. 31. Peter Matyuc, a defense ministry spokesman, said the government would ask the parliament Monday to extend it until March 31.

    Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said it was the country’s duty to stay through Iraq’s January elections. “To stay there much longer is impossible,” he said.

    One Hungarian soldier has died in Iraq, killed when a roadside bomb exploded by the water-carrying convoy he was guarding.

    Hungary on Wednesday abandoned its military draft system after 136 years.

    Hungarian withdrawal is a shame, but understandable in light of the troop-level difficulty they could soon face without a draft. They should have our thanks for their brave involvement to date, as well as their wisdom in delaying their announcement so as to not have an impact on the U.S. presidential contest.

    The announcement will have no impact on Polish involvement.

    Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said Wednesday that Hungary’s decision to pull out of its troops from Iraq will not influence his country.

    He said Hungary has the right to make its own decisions. Poland also wishes to withdraw its troops and cut the number of soldiers there, but his country has to strictly abide by the withdrawal schedule and complete its mission to maintain stability in Iraq.