US begins retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria for killed troops

The U.S. military has begun carrying out strikes against targets in Iraq and Syria late Friday night local time. U.S. Central Command said it struck more than 85 targets using more than 125 precision munitions. “The facilities that were struck included command and control operations, centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces,” CENTCOM said in a statement. Friday’s strikes are in response to last weekend’s deadly attack at the small U.S. military post in northeast Jordan known as Tower 22. Three U.S. troops were killed in the attack, while more than 40 others were injured. The United States has accused the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, of carrying out the attack. U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, indicated that the U.S.’s response would be multipronged and could include multiple aspects occurring over days. “We will have a multitiered response,” Austin said on Thursday. “And, again, we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is.” Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, were the first U.S. troops to be killed in the ongoing attacks carried out by Iraqi militias. President Joe Biden and Austin attended Friday’s dignified transfer, which is the process in which a fallen U.S. service member is returned to the United States via Dover Air Base, hours before the strikes began. Biden spoke with the families of the service members earlier in the week.

Syria, Straighten Out !

“...This week, the United Nations Security Council will hear a new report from an independent commission that points to Syrian involvement in the terrorist bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, and 22 others last February. Syria is destabilizing Lebanon, permitting terrorists to use its territory to reach Iraq, and giving safe harbor to Palestinian terrorist groups. The United Nations has passed strong resolutions against terror. Now the United Nations must act -- and Syria and its leaders must be held accountable for their continuing support for terrorism, including any involvement in the murder of Prime Minister Hariri.”

President George W. Bush

I missed the speech.
I'll go watch or listen to it at the White House site.

Hat Tip: AubreyJ at AubreyJ.org

U.S. Aims To Pressure Syria On Democracy And Other Mid East News

The U.S. is using the largest gathering of world leaders to try to keep up international pressure on Syria by branding it a meddlesome neighbor and a holdout against democratic advances in the Middle East.

Oh please. They're Ba'thists ! They're not going to bow to any pressure !

The U.N. gathering has seen some Mideast diplomacy that would have been shocking just a year or two ago.

Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia have held high-level public meetings with Israel - a rare event for Muslim countries. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon received particular praise at the summit for the Gaza pullout, deemed a "courageous" act by Pakistan's president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

On Saturday, Rice had her picture taken with her counterpart from Libya. Washington still considers the North African nation a state sponsor of terrorism, but it has dropped economic penalties and strengthened diplomatic ties since Libya renounced weapons of mass destruction in December 2003.

Do you think any of the above would be true today if not for the policies of this Administration ? Well, I don't expect Moonbats to actually think so I guess the question was rhetorical.

U.S. Assails Syria As Area Troublemaker

In a spirited attack, the State Department's spokesman on Friday accused Syria of making trouble not only for Iraq, by allowing foreign fighters to infiltrate the country, but also for Lebanon and the Palestinians.

"Syria, more and more, is being recognized as a destabilizing element in the region," Adam Ereli said Friday. "It's not just about Iraq; it's about Iraq, it's about Lebanon, it's about the Palestinian Authority. Because there's a connection between Syria and terrorism and murder and mayhem in each of these three different areas."

"Innocent people are getting blown up in Iraq because Syria is allowing its territory to be used by terrorists bent on sowing murder and mayhem in Iraq," Ereli said. "And they're not going to succeed. The international community is not going to let this continue to happen."

He accused Syria, which removed its occupying army from Lebanon this year, of maintaining "a residual presence" that endangers Lebanon's sovereignty and its people.

As for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza and the West Bank, Ereli said Syria continues its association "with terrorist elements that are bent on sabotaging the peace process. ... And they are certainly out of step with the rest of the world on that."

"Does Syria not care that young guys from Yemen or Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan or Iran come into Damascus airport with a one-way ticket and no job and no place to stay and then find their way into Iraq where they strap bombs to themselves and blow themselves up and kill children in a market? Women and children in front of a market?" Ereli asked.

"I mean, why does Syria continue to let that happen unless there's a deliberate decision to do it? There certainly seems to be an unwillingness to take actions to stop it."

Syrian President Bashar Assad had better get his butt in line.

Syria pulls back more troops in Lebanon amid pressure for full withdrawal

They're probably redeploying them to the Iraqi border in a futile preparation for invasion by us.

Shouldn't that be "Syria pulls back more troops from Lebanon amid pressure for full withdrawal"