Iraq’s al Qaeda wing has united with a kindred Syrian group in the frontline of a struggle to oust President Bashar al-Assad, sharpening a dilemma for nations that back the revolt, but fear rising Islamist militancy.
The leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, said his group had trained and funded fighters from Syria’s al-Nusra Front - which is blacklisted by the United States - since the early days of the two-year-old uprising.
He said in a statement posted on Islamist websites and seen by Reuters on Tuesday that the two groups would operate under the joint title of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
While the group’s work with other Syrian opposition forces is well-documented, the continued presence of al-Qaeda in Syria among rebel forces is unlikely to sway those debating whether or not to increase monetary/military support for those opposing the Assad regime.
10 years ago today, U.S. Marines toppled a large statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, a gesture symbolizing the end of his rule.
Here’s our front page from the next day.
Also from our archive: Marine in historic photo identified — http://usat.ly/YfVjU9
In the above clip, Andrew Sullivan explains why he feels he has “blood on my hands” due to the Iraq War. “That’s a high-drama, melodramatic, queeny kind of thing to say,” he explains. “But … (long pause) … it’s true.” Sullivan was very hawkish at the beginning but later recanted the stance.
The Washington Post commissions a piece on pre-Iraq media failures, kills it, runs one about how the media did great.Via @mlcalderone
Retired Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, who led coalition forces during the Persian Gulf War, has died, according to the Associated Press. More details as we get them.
UPDATE: The Associated Press now has a story but it offers no other new details.
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Wait time grows for disabled veterans seeking benefits
Veterans across the country are waiting an average of 260 days for a decision on a war-related disability claim – three days longer than last week and 80 days longer than in mid-2011, according to data recently released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. More than 815,000 veterans are waiting for a response from the VA this week.
Attention to the issue is growing. A new story from The New York Times underscores the extent to which some families must sacrifice as a result of their wait, and Congress addressed the backlog in a hearing on Friday, Sept. 21.
Check out our interactive map each week for a look at how wait times have changed around the country. Learn how the backlog is affecting veterans nationwide by clicking cities with pulsing red circles. We’ll be adding more veterans’ voices, along with additional coverage from our media partners, so stay tuned.
For anybody concerned with the impact of America’s wars, this should be an issue of the highest order – with individual soldiers serving more tours of duty than ever before, and shouldering a burden so disproportionate to that of the general populace, making sure things like the above don’t happen should be imperative.
» A constant fear: ”Because of the daily explosions, we must write our wills before go out of home,” said Safeen Qadir, a college student in Kirkuk, one of the cities targeted by attacks. “The death exists in every inch of the city of Kirkuk, and no one is spared from the crime of terrorism.” No group has taken credit for the attacks yet, but the style is similar to prior al-Qaeda attacks.
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I have been lucky. Having the opportunity to do something like this is fantastic. It is fair to say I wanted to recover some of my self-esteem.Tony Hayward, former CEO of BP • In a New York Times profile, examining the daily life of the former BP executive, just over two years after he famously lamented his loss of life. Hayward now finds himself at the helm of Genel Energy, a drastically smaller oil company (currently worth about $3 billion on London’s stock market), and he hopes to redeem his image globally. source (via • follow)
» Many assume that al-Qaeda are behind the attacks, after the group’s spokesman in Iraq warned that the group was re-organizing after losing ground to U.S. forces. A double-bombing in the town of Taji, which was timed to follow five other explosions that would draw the attention of emergency responders, was the deadliest of the attacks, killing 41 and wounding others.
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