Photo for the Day - January 5, 2007

COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt Cristina Kavanagh, left, and 1st Lt. Tanya Frazier provide space-based theater ballistic warning to U.S. forces in the Southwest Asia theater from the Combat Operations Space Cell inside the Combined Air Operations Center.
Courtesy of DoD - USAF photo by Master Sgt Scott Wagers

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 010-07 January 04, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sgt. Thomas E. Vandling Jr., 26, of Pittsburgh, Pa., died January 1st in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle while on combat patrol. Vandling was assigned to the 303rd Psychological Operations Company, Oakdale, Pa., a subordinate unit of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
For more information on this soldier the media can contact Tina Beller at the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command public affairs office at (910) 432-7714.

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei Dead

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei has been seriously ill and some are reporting he is now dead...

>>> Allahpundit has this take at HotAir.com...
Pajamas Media: Iran’s supreme leader dead

>>> Iranian.ws had this story on him Jan. 2nd...
Iran's Supreme Mullah Leader Will Be Dead Soon

>>> Update: Friday, January 05, 2007
YNET.com weighs in with this report... (But they still leave us not knowing if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's is dead or alive - Good read though)
Online rumors: Iran's supreme leader dead
.
>>> 3:30pm CST
UPI.com has this report...
Iran: Reports supreme leader dead false

More to come as more info comes out...
AubreyJ.........

Photo for the Day – January 4, 2007

Never Forget our Brave Men and Women in Afghanistan

U.S. Army Sgt. Munraj Singh, of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 102nd Infantry Regiment, looks out over the village of Dingak, Afghanistan, Jan. 3, 2007, while Soldiers with his unit search for possible enemy observation posts and weapons caches.
DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Michael L. Casteel, USA

Blu-ray, HD Format Wars End In Compromise

Both Combo Drives and Dual-format Disk will soon hit the Markets.
Read the story at theInquirer.net

OK... Some of you have no idea as to the difference between Blue-ray and HD or if you should even care.
I would say read on...
>> What is HD DVD?
>> What is Blu-Ray?
>> Blu-ray and HD-DVD - What You Need To Know

My Take...
Go Blu-ray!!!
AubreyJ.........

Hanging of Saddam’s Half Brother and Former Chief Justice Delayed

An undisclosed aide to Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said the execution of Saddam's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim and Awad al-Bandar, a former chief justice of Saddam's Revolutionary Court, has been delayed due to international pressure. This aide wouldn't say when the executions might take place, but one Shiite member of the Iraqi parliament was reported as saying he was sure it would be done sometime Sunday. (Both men were originally expected to be hanged today.)

I for one think the longer the authorities in Iraq postpone these executions due to outside pressure... the worse it will be for them to get anything done in the future.

This is the Country of Iraq that was put together by/for the Iraqi people. It’s not the country of the UN or any other World Group.

Keep them out of your local affairs and much can be achieved in the near future. Ask your American friends for advice and help when so needed... but the final call should always be yours to follow through on.

More info on these two men sentenced to be hanged can be found at BBC News
AubreyJ.........

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

No. 009-07 January 04, 2007
DoD Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pvt. David E. Dietrich, 21, of Marysville, Pa., died December 29th in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire while on combat patrol. Dietrich was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Friedberg, Germany.
For more information on this soldier the media can contact the 1st Armored Division public affairs office at 011-49-611-705-4859.

The Central Criminal Court of Iraq Convicts 48 Insurgents - Three Sentenced to Death, Eight Sentenced to Life

Baghdad, Iraq
January 3, 2007

The Central Criminal Court of Iraq convicted 48 security detainees from December 8 to 28, for various crimes including murder, kidnapping, illegal possession of special category weapons, violation of the terrorist laws, failure to renew resident identification, possessing and using a fake ID, use or attempted use of explosives, and illegal border crossing.

The trial court found a Syrian man and a Saudi Arabian man guilty of violating Article 4/1 of the Terrorist Law. The defendants were captured June 19 in a targeted raid on Al-Qaeda members. The defendants were found guarding a house containing a hostage and both admitted that they were responsible for guarding the hostage. On Dec. 26 the trial panel considered all the evidence and sentenced the men to death.

The trial court found a Sudanese man guilty of violating Article 4/1 of the Terrorist Law. Iraqi Army Soldiers apprehended the defendant July 7, during a random bus stop. The defendant is a media leader for Al-Qaeda and produced videos and flyers for the organization. The defendant confessed to being a member of Al-Qaeda multiple times to both Iraqi and Multi-National Forces. On Dec. 12 the trial panel considered all the evidence and sentenced him to death.

The trial court found two Iraqi men guilty of kidnapping in violation of Article 421 of the Iraqi Penal Code. MNF apprehended the defendants Aug. 30, after spotting them randomly stopping vehicles outside of Kirkuk. The defendants were armed with AK-47s and stopped a minivan full of people. The two defendants and two other men force the people from the vehicle and starting beating one individual. They then forced this individual into the trunk of a BMW and drove away. As MNF followed the BMW two men with the defendants exited the vehicle and ran away. The defendants then surrendered and MNF were able to free the hostage. On Dec. 13 the trial panel considered all the evidence and sentenced both men to life imprisonment.

The trial court found an Iraqi man guilty of illegal possession of special category weapons in violation of Order 3/2003. MNF captured the defendant Sept. 27, while conducting a raid on his residence. A search of the residence revealed two large weapons caches consisting of RPG rounds, RPG launchers, mortar tubes, hand grenades, AK-47s, and thousands of rounds of ammunition, as well as execution hoods. The weapons caches were found hidden on the roof and basement of the defendant’s home. On Dec. 13 the trial panel considered all the evidence and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The trial court found two Iraqi men guilty of violating Article 4/1 of the Terrorist Law. MNF captured the defendants in their home in Ramadi Sept. 24 after following wires leading from an IED in the road to the defendant’s home. On Dec. 14 the trial panel considered all the evidence and sentenced the men to life imprisonment.

The trial court found three Iraqi men guilty of use or attempted use of explosives, in violation of Article 345 of the Iraqi Penal Code. MNF captured the defendants Aug. 25 after spotting a vehicle driving away from an IED site near Rutba in Al Anbar Province. Upon stopping the vehicle MNF discovered seven 115mm High Explosive Rounds – the same type used to make the discovered IED. On Dec. 19 the trial panel considered all the evidence and sentenced the men to life imprisonment.

The trial court found an Iraqi man guilty of murder and illegal possession of special category weapons in violations of Article 405 of the Iraqi Penal Code and Order 3/2003. MNF captured the defendant Sept. 30, after a spotting him and another man placing an IED. After a chase through the desert the defendant and another man exited his vehicle and took up a defensive position and fired upon MNF vehicles killing the driver of one MNF vehicle.

The other insurgent placed his hands on his head in order to surrender to MNF. When MNF exited their vehicles to apprehend the surrendering man, he and the defendant fired upon MNF, killing another Soldier. Further fire killed the defendant’s companion. The defendant then surrendered. Two grenades were found in his possession. On Dec. 17 the trial panel considered all the evidence and sentenced him to two fifteen year sentences, for a total of thirty years imprisonment.

Those convicted of illegal possession of special category weapons, failure to renew resident identification, possessing and using a fake ID, and illegal border crossing, were sentenced from between two years to 30 years imprisonment. Those convicted included 28 Iraqis three from Saudi Arabia, two from Yemen and one each from Jordan, Syria and Sudan.

Since its reorganization, under an amendment to CPA order 13, in April 2004, the Central Criminal Court has held 1,809 trials for Coalition-apprehended insurgents. The proceedings have resulted in the conviction of 1,569 individuals with sentences ranging up to death.
(Taken from press release #A070103a by the Multi-National Force-Iraq - Combined Press Information Center)