Riehl World View

More On Afghanistan

Via Hershel at Captain's Journal - one of the most insightful blogs when it comes to war and all things military.

We learn several things from this article. First we learn the limitations of Woodward’s reporting, or the editing at the Washington Post, or both. This report is monumental. Obama ran against the campaign in Iraq, unequivocally stating that the troops needed to be in Afghanistan. This was stated too many times to count, in too many different venues and publications to recite. It’s now clear that he will allow somewhat less than 70,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Afghanistan at any one time, regardless of what might have been advocated half a year earlier.

Taliban Capture US Soldier

Let's hope this doesn't end as badly as it might. The soldier was not involved in the major offensive in the South. It's unclear if this is in response to it, or the Taliban just taking advantage of an opportunity. An AP video report on the offensive below.

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier has been captured by militants in Afghanistan, the U.S. military and the Taliban said Thursday.

A soldier mans a weapon at the rear of a U.S. Army helicopter over Afghanistan in May.

 The unidentified soldier has been missing since Tuesday. U.S. forces are exhausting all resources to find the soldier, the military said.

"We are not providing any further details at this time, in order to protect the welfare of the soldier," a military statement said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the abduction. The U.S. soldier was kidnapped along with three Afghan soldiers, Taliban commander Mulvi Sangeen said.

Obama Will Hold Terror Detainees Indefinitely!

Change! Not! So much for all the BS campaign rhetoric.

The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, has drafted an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.

AP: Obama Reaching Out To Hezbollah

As a general rule, I'd be hesitant to put much stock in this, but Obama has shown a willingness to continue to reach out to Iran post-election. And the AP put enough stock in their source to include the claim in a recent news item. Hmm.

Speaking about his party's relations with foreign countries, he said Hezbollah was open to talks with representatives of all Western governments except the United States.

"Several US officials at different levels and more or less close to the administration have asked to speak with but we have refused," he said.

"It is useless to have any dialogue with the Americans since they regard us as terrorists," Qassem added. "The Europeans for their part have a role to play, especially as they are taking a different approach from the Americans."

The Law v What's Right?

Two articles to read on the lawsuit by the 9/11 families versus members of the Saudi Royal family.

One here, and one here.

It's obvious which way one's heart might go. But what about the law? The second link to NRO suggests the law isn't actually clear. The Obama DOJ has sided with the Saudis. I'm not certain Bush would be doing anything differently. But that's not clear, either.

Afghanistan Engagement

Just happened to flip by Fox News to check reports from Iran and caught this new video out of Afghanistan, which I was able to record. A helicopter engages 15 Taliban fighters on a road. It finishes up with a brief ground fight as one Taliban blows himself and another gets a grenade tossed his way and shot for good measure. It should also display pretty well in full screen mode.

Virgins wanted ....

North Korea: What If?

Via Bill at Pundit Guy

While all eyes are on Iran, trouble continues to brew on the Korean peninsula. The regime in Pyongyang has ratcheted up their rhetoric significantly in the last few weeks. The latest threat comes in the form of a missile pointed toward Hawaii. Allegedly, Kim Jong Il has plans to fire a Taepodong-2 with a range of 4,000 miles on July 4th in the direction of the 50th state. What do we make of all this and why should we worry?

Jimmah Carter: Set My Terrorists Free

Because the old coot has nothing better to do than shell peanuts sinced he whacked himself in the head with a hammer so many times building habitats for humanity. It was well known in family circles that Billy Carter was actually the more intelligent one. That's why he stayed drunk. Can you imagine having this idiot for a brother? You'd drink, too.

Former President Jimmy Carter will urge the Obama administration to remove Hamas from the terrorist list, FOX News has learned.

Carter, a chief defender of the U.S.-designated terror group, said Tuesday he will meet with officials in the Obama administration in two days to discuss his latest trip to the Middle East.

Al Qaeda Group Kills Nine Hostages

While the world understandably focuses on Iran, a NY Times reports claims that an al Qaeda aligned group in Yemen appears to have killed 9 foreign national hospital workers. Mostly women and children, along with a doctor - 7 Germans, a Brit and a South Korean. No discrimination there.

The Yemeni state news agency, Saba, reported that three women from the party had been found shot to death, Reuters reported. But The Associated Press, citing an unnamed Yemeni official, reported that all nine had been murdered.

“We know that a 36-year-old couple, their three children in the ages between one, three and four years and two young women were kidnapped but we have no secured information about their death,” said a German government official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The Yemeni state news agency, Saba, reported that three women from the party had been found shot to death, Reuters reported. But The Associated Press, citing an unnamed Yemeni official, reported that all nine had been murdered.

Levin With Mike Rogers, Debra Burlingame On Terrorism And Miranda

Scroll at link for audio of Mark with Congressman Mike Rogers and another of Mark with Debra Burlingame as guests on his show. They're discussing Obama going back on his word regarding Miranda rights for terrorists. Available here.

Obama just set us back a decade in the war on terror and we'll likely pay for it one day, unfortunately. But I'm sure he'll be fine. He and his family have ample security.