http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2012/04/27/sadr-to-barzani-no-overthrow-of-iraq-government/
Also on Friday, it was revealed that an elite Afghan soldier shot dead an American trainer and his translator at a U.S. base on Wednesday. This is the first such rogue attack reported to have been carried out by the “closely vetted” special forces of Afghanistan.
Sadr to Barzani: No Overthrow of Iraq Government
Friday: 7 Iraqis Killed, 7 Wounded
by Margaret Griffis, April 27, 2012
During talks with Kurdish President Massoud Barzani yesterday, Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr mandate insisted that there would be no support for an overthrow of the government, but he did suggest the possibility of not renewing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s mandate as premier. Barzani and Sadr have both called Maliki a dictator in recent weeks, and the increasingly marginalized Sunnis mostly agree with them.
Although Maliki has promised he would not run for a third term, at least one advisor has intimated that Maliki has every right to run again. Furthermore, the recent arrestsof high-ranking election officials suggest that the administration is gearing up to hamper new elections if not outright cancel them.
At least seven Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded today:
A 45-year-old woman was killed along with her three children when gunmen stormed their Abu Garma home.
A chemical warfare victim finally succumbed to the aftereffects of an attack that took place in Balisan 25-years-ago.
Two gunmen were killed and two soldiers were wounded in a clash at a stronghold near Buhriz.
In Baghdad, a bomb wounded three people in the Shabb neighborhood.
A blast in Bani Saad left one wounded.
In Baquba, a civilian was wounded when a sticky bomb exploded.
A power transmission tower was sabotaged in Hadeed.
and....
http://news.antiwar.com/2012/04/27/back-to-back-killings-between-us-afghan-forces/
Back-to-Back Killings Between US-Afghan Forces
Billions of dollars continue to be spent on the failed training mission
by John Glaser, April 27, 2012
Another Afghan police officer opened fire on American troops on Thursday, injuring two of them in the latest indication that Washington’s claim that the training mission is going well is a lie.
Also on Friday, it was revealed that an elite Afghan soldier shot dead an American trainer and his translator at a U.S. base on Wednesday. This is the first such rogue attack reported to have been carried out by the “closely vetted” special forces of Afghanistan.
Deadly shootings between Afghan soldiers and their American counterparts has increased markedly in occurrence, especially over the last year. Which is why the Wall Street Journal’s report almost a year ago on a leaked NATO document on the training mission in Afghanistan is so revealing. It said “the killings of American soldiers by Afghan troops are turning into a ‘rapidly growing systemic threat’ that could undermine the entire war effort.” And that was a year ago.
U.S. and Afghan authorities claim that both attacks occurred after verbal altercations between the Afghan and American soldiers. Further details are not known, however. In the Thursday event, two additional Afghan police were killed in the ensuing gun battle, although only one was reported to have shot at Americans.
The training mission continues to be the most central part of the war and it is failing miserably. Not only do Afghan soldiers have no qualms about shooting at U.S. soldiers, but they are a pathetic security force in and of themselves.
and....
Scott Horton Interviews Gareth Porter
Scott Horton, April 24, 2012
Gareth Porter, investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy, discusses Washington Post writer David Ignatius’s claim that a deal has already been made on Iran’s nuclear program and that ongoing talks are scripted; why the US and Iran can’t just “make a deal and shut up already;” how Benjamin Netanyahu’s bluff about attacking Iran is influencing US policy and helping the GOP win election; why it’s still unlikely NATO will drag the US into war in Syria, like Libya before; and the US-Afghan Strategic Partnership Agreement that envisions US involvement through 2024.
MP3 here. (24:38)
Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy. The paperback edition of his latest book, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, was published in 2006.
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