General admits to secret air war (Sunday Times Britain)

[doublethink]

THE American general who commanded allied air forces during the Iraq war appears to have admitted in a briefing to American and British officers that coalition aircraft waged a secret air war against Iraq from the middle of 2002, nine months before the invasion began.

Addressing a briefing on lessons learnt from the Iraq war Lieutenant-General Michael Moseley said that in 2002 and early 2003 allied aircraft flew 21,736 sorties, dropping more than 600 bombs on 391 “carefully selected targets” before the war officially started.

The nine months of allied raids “laid the foundations” for the allied victory, Moseley said. They ensured that allied forces did not have to start the war with a protracted bombardment of Iraqi positions.

If those raids exceeded the need to maintain security in the no-fly zones of southern and northern Iraq, they would leave President George W Bush and Tony Blair vulnerable to allegations that they had acted illegally. -snip-

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1669640,00.html

[ClassWarrior]

1. OH. MY. GOD.

That's big.

NGU.

[doublethink]

3. Gotta love The Sunday Times Britain ....

The DSM .... now this .... :)

[helderheid]

2. HUGE

Good lord!

[iconoclastic cat]

4. I wonder what the Times's grand finale on this series will be?

[doublethink]

21. Hopefull 'GUILTY' on all counts .....

at the War Crimes Tribunal of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Condi, on and on. Peace.

[LynnTheDem]

5. Yes, Big Brave America.

The "most cowardly war ever fought", brought to you by AWOL bush.

Bomb, attack, invade, occupy one of the weakest 3rd world nations on the planet.

Beat your chests, Americans. You should be so proud.

:sarcasm:

[lawladyprof]

7. I remember thinking when all the chest beating was going on

that really one oughtn't to get too proud of shooting fish in a barrel.

[FreedomAngel82]

8. Of course

It's the old school yard bully effect. They had to do something so Bush could look victorious. Just like the Saddam hole capture and the tople of the statue. They'll do something when we leave.

[Karenina]

13. Kinda reminds me of "Gladiators"

I'm no "big screen" fan (too "sensitive to visual images) and friends dragged me to the Englisch language theatre to see it. Spent most of the time with my jacket over my head. I did, however, view the "fix" of the final battle...

[FreedomAngel82]

6. I remember hearing about this

Him coming out and actually admitting it is really big. Remember his name and send this to Conyers! Hopefully he can get this guy to some of the hearings he's planning!

[doublethink]

9. Yep time to mass e mail this one out ..... n/t

[babsbunny]

10. Will anything come of this?

Say Yes! Please???

[doublethink]

15. Just like the DSM ..... WE have to SCREAM ..... about it ......

like FreedomAngel82 up there says ... e mailing it to Conyars, all our reps, other media, make a grass roots stink on anything we get against the Bush Regime ... LOUDER !!! Chop this tree down. peace. :) :bounce:

[ClassWarrior]

19. Exactly.

Never Give Up.

[Spazito]

11. Thanks, doublethink, for the post and the link

I hope you post this in LBN as well, it certainly qualifies, imo.

[doublethink]

17. Okay will do ..... n/t

Peace.

[pretzel4gore]

12. lookit this too:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2003/030524-iraq-bribes01.htm
>
Us Army Chief Says Iraqi Troops Took Bribes To Surrender Dollar Notes Easier To Take Than Bullets; Iraq: The Aftermath
General Tommy Franks: Iraqi troops were bribed'

In-Depth Coverage By Andrew Buncombe

SENIOR IRAQI officers who commanded troops crucial to the defence of key Iraqi cities were bribed not to fight by American special forces, the US general in charge of the war has confirmed.

Well before hostilities started, special forces troops and intelligence agents paid sums of money to a number of Iraqi officers, whose support was deemed important to a swift, low-casualty victory.

<
the iraq 'war' wasn't a war, it was premediated murder of countless innocents by the same assholes who staged 911

[frictionlessO]

14. Michael does it again! This is HUGE! Reccomend this, please.... n/t

[gratuitous]

16. The defendant, Michael Moseley, will please rise

The Hague is calling.

And Moseley has the gall to say that this unprovoked bombing of civilians who were no threat to him, who couldn't fight back, and who couldn't get away "laid the foundations" for the allied victory in Iraq.

Maybe someone should show Mr. Moseley a list of the current casualties in Iraq. If this is victory, what would defeat look like? You'll have plenty of time to come up with an answer as you sit in a cell for your crimes against humanity.

[kittenpants]

18. hell yeah! loving this British press!

maybe it could rub off over here?

[libodem]

20. they were trying to goad

Iraq into fighting back...bully tactics. There will probably never be any statistics on caualties from those little bombing sprees, civilian or otherwise.

[ulTRAX]

22. this is news?

It was widely reported at the time that the US and UK were aggressively reducing Iraq's anti-aircraft batteries. Reporting was that it was being done to pave the way for a possible invasion. Many thought at the time that this policy was just more proof Bush had no intention of working through the UN.

[frictionlessO]

23. True and here is were all those statements of record caome back to haunt

them.

I thought more than one person had put forth that this very "aggressions" were illegal. Its not so much news but just a gathering of evidence and finding invetsigative material within.

They left a trail of scarlet because they didn't think we'd (a.) find out and/or (b.) that we would really give a shit and/or (c.) be able to do anything about it ...ever.

I could be very wrong though...