US military kills al-Qaida leader

By PATRICK QUINN,
Associate Press Writer

BAGHDAD - A U.S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill a wanted al-Qaida in Iraq leader from Saudi Arabia who was responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, a spokesman said Sunday.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul.

According to the military, al-Saudi conducted numerous attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces, including a Jan. 28 bomb attack that killed the five U.S. soldiers.


Read the Rest, at Yahoo! News

Labels: Good News, Iraq, Mosul, terrorists

Senior Airman Lisa Long directs the loading of a Japan Ground Self Defense Force CH-47J Chinook helicopter onto a C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane Feb. 23 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Osakabe Yasuo)

Labels: C-17, CH-47J, Chinook, Globemaster III, Japan, photos, USAF

From DefenseLink:


By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, March 1, 2008 – On what was described as a “fine Navy, Marine Corps day,” in New Orleans, Defense Department officials, servicemembers and distinguished guests gathered today to christen a tangible symbol of America’s mettle.

“This is a special day for a magnificent ship that has a special place in the heart of every American,” Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said during the christening ceremony for USS New York.

Everyone in the country, he said, has felt a special connection with New York since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. “On the day the towers fell, all Americans were New Yorkers,” he said. It also is true then, England said, that the USS New York, with its bow stem forged from nearly 8 tons of steel salvaged from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, is America’s ship.

Sailing under the motto, “Never Forget,” the ship and its sister ships, the Arlington and Somerset, are living tributes to those killed on Sept. 11, England said. By virtue of its name, he added, New York also carries with it a reminder of the U.S. commitment to freedom.

According to naval tradition, the christening of a ship conveys the spirit of the vessel’s namesake. In this case, the christening may have been a formality, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said.

“This timeless tradition that is essential in imbuing the spirit of a namesake into a ship may not even be required, because this ship is already imbued,” the admiral said. “It is forged. It is instilled with that identity already.

“(USS) New York will forever conjure the valor, the sacrifice, the heroism and the tenacity of that city, that state, and our nation,” he added.

The christening also is said to convey the spirit of the ship’s sponsor -- in this case, Dotty H. England, wife of the deputy defense secretary. The tradition goes a step further with the New York, she said.

“With this unique ship, we are also going to give it the spirit of the 9/11 heroes, the spirit of New Yorkers and the indomitable spirit of Americans,” she said. “We will keep that same spirit in our hearts and minds forever.”

The fifth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will transport Marines and their equipment. It also will support amphibious assault, special operations and expeditionary missions.

Though the USS New York has yet to welcome its first crew aboard, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps began writing its storied legacy today.

“In the long years of this warship’s service life, she will help defend America and our allies and friends. Through (that) service, future generations will proudly honor … all of the fallen angels of 9/11,” Gen. Robert Magnus said.

“As sure as day follows the night, good follows evil,” he added. “As you’ve heard (it said), ‘If it takes those who guard the streets of heaven - and it does – to follow evil into the gates of hell, they will come from ships like New York.”

When New York is officially commissioned into the Navy’s fleet in New York City next year, it will carry with it a reminder for all future crews why it’s more than just another new ship.

On Sept. 11, 2006, Boy Scout Troop 40 from Hopewell Junction presented the Navy with a flag flown above Ground Zero.

“Faded, frayed, still bearing the dust and debris from its silent watch, it was an extraordinary gift that will grace the ship forever,” said Navy Rear Adm. Charles H. Goddard, Program Executive Office, Ships. “I can think of no more fitting reminder that freedom is not free.”

Defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. built the 684-foot ship, which can accommodate 800 Marines in addition to its crew. The corporation has a long history building ships for the Navy that includes building many of the ships in President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Great White Fleet.”

It’s a tradition Northrop Grumman’s chairman and chief executive officer said his company is proud to continue with USS New York.

“No matter how many times she carries young Americans into battle, we can be confident that like her namesake, New York, she may know damage, but she’ll never know defeat,” said Ronald Sugar.

And the ship already has proven to be tough, as it took Dotty England two swings to break the bottle of champagne on its bow.


Biographies:
Gordon England
Adm. Gary Roughead, USN
Gen. Robert Magnus, USMC
Rear Adm. Charles H. Goddard, USN

Related Sites:
USS New York Fact Sheet
Program Executive Office, Ships

Labels: ships, US Navy, USS New York

A CLEAR VIEW
A U.S. Army soldier stands outside the front gate of a house he has just searched during a clearing operation in Kesra, Iraq, Feb. 24, 2008. U.S. Army Sgt. Timothy Kingston

Labels: Iraq, Kesra, photos, US Army

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
U.S. admits more Iraqi refugees but pace still slow
Iraq closer to deals with Big Oil
US general seeks to create Iraqi jobs
Iraqi Army, Marines Join Forces to Renovate Dilapidated School House
Coalition captures IED facilitator near Baghdad, 19 other suspects detained
Coalition forces capture Special Groups leader, detain three other suspects (Numaniyah)
Iraqi Sheik turns in weapons cache (Tarmiya)
Local man discovers large cache in barn after return home (Arab Jabour)
MND-C Soldiers conduct air assault, detain 2 in Kanasa
Iraqi SWAT and U.S. Special Forces detain three following operation in Mosul

Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghans protest Danish cartoons, Koran film
Top Commander Unveils New Taliban Tactics

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Attack on Haniyeh's Office - PHOTOS
U.N. Security Council Condemns Escalating Violence
Israeli-Palestinian Fighting Leads to Deadliest Day in Gaza Since 2000
Israeli aircraft target Hamas office
Abbas suspends talks with Israel over Gaza offensive
Worsening Conflict in Gaza Leaves Children At Particular Risk, UNICEF Warns
Bombings Hit Russian Town, Leaving Casualties
Colombia: No. 2 FARC Commander Killed in Gunfight
Officials: 40 Dead in Pakistan Homicide Bomber Attack
Sudan nomads clash with ex-rebels, dozens killed

Other Military News
Bush: No Promise of Troop Returns Before I Leave Office
Navy sonar ban in Southern Calif. upheld
Prince Harry wants another combat tour

Worldwide Wackos
Ahmadinejad: Visit to Iraq Opens New Chapter in 'Brotherly' Relations (Kinda gives you butterflies, doesn't it? -- Oh, wait, that's just my breakfast coming back up)
U.S. envoy leaves China with no North Korea meeting
WITNESS: In Pyongyang, a tale of two concerts
China parliament to approve reshuffle, streamlining

Politics / Government
Clinton Focus: Boosting Turnout - PHOTOS
Clinton Seeks Mileage Out of 'Children' Ad
Huckabee Campaign Unsure of Post-Texas Plans
Media Expert, Clinton Backer Slams Media Coverage
Clinton trails in Texas, deadlocked in Ohio - Video
Clinton cheery in face of grim outlook
'Live, from New York,' it's Hillary?
McCain's big decision: Who to pick as VP
Russians vote for new president - Video
McCain tags Dems on trade treaty
Clinton focuses on turnout in key states
Obama makes only stop in RI, slams rival
Huckabee Still Trails McCain, According to Surveys
Putin era: Moving forward, falling back
Russians Expected to Endorse Putin Protege Medvedev
Police: 8 Killed in Armenian Election Results Clashes

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
3 Teens Arrested in Texas Murders
Cops: Florida Man Blames Gas Costs for Beating Ill Wife
Warrant Sought to Search Home in Ricin Case - VIDEO
Cops: Cab Driver Part of Abandoned Baby Hoax
Jury convicts man of killing family of 5
Breyer, court master of the 'what if?'

U.N. News
Annan says farewell after Kenya coalition deal

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Celebrity TV Chef Robert Irvine Reportedly Fired Over Spiced-Up Resume
EBay sees growing risks to business in coming year

Science / Medicine and Health / Watching the Web
Wisconsin Boy in Critical Condition After Pool Exposure to High Chlorine
Study casts doubt on water on Mars surface
Japan looks to a robot future
The Sickening Truth About Pet Food

Other News of Note
Planes Collide on Florida Runway, Killing 2 - PHOTOS
Man Who Allegedly Shot East Timor President in Custody

Fox News
FOXBusiness: Bad Economic News Could Continue
Will Ferrell's Big Bomb

Reuters
N.Y.'s Plaza Hotel reopens after major facelift
Nepal's controversial "living goddess" retires
GSK bird flu vaccine shows broad cross protection
Buffett has profitable year, faults housing excess
Venezuela urges OPEC to study Exxon row
Northrop-EADS beats Boeing to build U.S. tanker
Motorola wins $335 million Saudi contract
Meter still running on GM's Delphi ride
Credit crisis throws AIG into "uncharted waters"
L'Oreal in talks to take Armani stake: report
Ross to put up to $1 bln into rival to Ambac, MBIA
Market braces for key economic data
Wall St tumbles on recession fears, AIG - Video
Northrop shares rise after tanker win, Boeing dips
Oil slips from record $103 as Turkey removes troops - Video
Dollar pressured on data, halts slide versus euro
Gold powers to record high on dollar, eyes $1,000/oz - Video
Berkshire net down 18 percent, Buffett eyes successors
GM idles 3 more plants due to supplier strike
Nortel shares sink, but CEO's pay rises

AP World News
Jets give All-Pro Faneca record deal
Duke holds on for Coach K's 800th win
Johnnie Carr funeral: 'She was our mama'
Selig says there's no ban on Barry Bonds

News Blaze
Support Our Troops, Read Their Stories
New IP Force integrates with MND-B Soldiers in Jamia
PHOTO: A Watchful Eye
Iraq News
Read about Operations in Iraq
FOB Warhorse Memorial Photos
Videos

CENTCOM: News Releases
Feb. 22 Statement from Multi-National Force - Iraq commending cease-fire extension
Successful operations target top Taliban leader
Civilians targeted in northern Iraq
Coalition forces identify terrorist killed in Feb. 17 operation

USJFCOM
SOCJFCOM continues to ready warfighters for global operations - podcast
More about SOCJFCOM
Phase one of Multinational Experiment 5 wraps up
More about Multinational Experiment 5
Joint Knowledge Online extends cultural awareness training for U.S. Forces Korea - podcast
Newsmaker Profile: Director of Joint Training Army Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya - podcast

Multi-National Force-Iraq
Dairy Farm Inspected, Plans Made to Benefit Agricultural Community
Georgians Provide Medical Services, Humanitarian Assistance
Soldiers Patrol with Iraqi Police, Show Unity, Build Trust

DefenseLink
TOP NEWS
Air Force Awards Tanker Contract to Northrop Grumman
Gates Returns From Around-the-World Trip
Special Report: Travels with Gates
Gates Meets with Turks, Urges Open Dialogue
Rapid Withdrawal From Iraq Would Negate Security Gains
Bush Meets With NATO Chief

MILITARY NEWS
Commandant Halts New Vest Buys
Guard Team Key in Ricin Response
University Helps DoD Celebrate African-American History

IRAQ NEWS
Baqouba ‘Sons of Iraq’ Agree to Return to Duty
Soldiers Patrol With Police, Build Goodwill for All
Troops in Iraq Kill Five, Detain 23 Suspects

AFGHANISTAN NEWS
Coalition Forces Bring Winter Supplies to Villagers

WHY WE SERVE
Desire to Serve Brought Airman Back to Force

FACE OF DEFENSE
Soldiers Teach Afghan Police First Aid

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
America Supports You: Group ‘LEEPS’ to Help Afghan Police

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

Philippines
Baler Radar Site Catanduanes Radar Site Manila

South Korea
Cheju Upper/Radar Chonju Chunchon Inch'on Kunsan Masan Mokp'o
Osan Pusan Seoul Suwon Taegu Taejon Tonghae Radar Site Ulsan Yosu

Today in History
0871 - Battle at Marton: Ethelred van Wessex beats Danish invasion army
1121 - Dirk VI becomes count of Holland
1458 - Hussite George van Podiebrad chosen king of Bohemia
1498 - Vasco da Gama's fleet visits Mozambique Island
1629 - English King Charles I leases house of commons
1675 - Prince William III installed as Governor of Overijssel
1776 - Americans begin shelling British troops in Boston
1789 - Pennsylvania ends prohibition of theatrical performances
1799 - Congress standardizes US weights & measures
1807 - Congress bans slave trade effective January 1, 1808
1819 - Territory of Arkansas organized
1819 - US passes its 1st immigration law
1824 - Interstate commerce comes under federal control
1831 - John Frazee becomes 1st US sculptor to receive a federal commission
1836 - Republic of Texas declares independence from Mexico
1853 - Territory of Washington organized after separating from Oregon Territory
1855 - Aleksandr Romanov becomes tsar of Russia
1858 - Frederick Cook, New Orleans, patents a cotton-bale metallic tie
1861 - Government Printing Office purchases 1st printing plant, Washington, DC; US Congress creates Dakota & Nevada Territories out of the Nebraska & Utah territories
1863 - Congress authorizes track width of 4'8½" for Union Pacific RR
1865 - General Early's army is defeated at Waynesborough
1866 - 1st US company to make sewing needles by machine incorporated, Connecticut
1867 - Congress abolishes peonage in New Mexico; Jesse James-gang robs bank in Savannah MO, 1 dead; US Congress creates the Department of Education, passes the 1st Reconstruction Act
1876 - Rutherford B. Hayes declared President (won electoral vote by 1), despite Samuel J. Tilden (D) winning popular vote
1893 - 1st federal railroad legislation passed; required safety features
1896 - Battle of Aduwa, Abyssinia (Ethiopia) defeats invading Italians
1899 - President McKinley signs bill creating Mount Rainier National Park (5th in US)
1901 - Hawaii's 1st telegraph company opens
1904 - "Official Playing Rules of Professional Base Ball Clubs" adopted
1907 - General Louis Botha named premier of Transvaal
1909 - Great Britain, France, Germany & Italy ask Serbia to set no territorial demands
1910 - 2 trains crash in snow storm in Wellington WA, 118 die
1915 - British Vice Admiral Carden begins bombing of Dardanelles forts; Vladmir Jabotinsky forms a Jewish military force to fight in Palestine
1917 - Jones Act: Puerto Rico territory created, US citizenship granted
1919 - 1st congress of Communist International opens at the Kremlin
1923 - "Time" magazine debuts
1925 - Japan's House of Representatives recognizes male suffrage; Nationwide road numbering system & US shield marker adopted; SDAP-Second-Faction (Dutch Socialists) of parliament demands drastic disarmament
1927 - Babe Ruth becomes highest paid baseball player ($70,000 per year)
1929 - Congress creates Court of Customs & Patent Appeals
1930 - 1st US indoor glider flight, St. Louis Terminal Building
1933 - "King Kong" premieres at Radio City Music Hall & RKO Roxy, NYC; Most powerful earthquake in 180 years hits Japan
1934 - Union Pacific tests light-weight high-speed passenger train, Omaha
1937 - Mexico nationalizes oil
1938 - Landslides & floods cause over 200 deaths (Los Angeles CA); Trials of Soviet leaders begins in the Soviet Union
1939 - Eugenio Pacelli chosen as Pope Pius XII; Mass Legislature votea to ratify the Bill of Rights; 147 years late
1940 - Soviet armies conquer Tuppura Island Finland
1942 - Admiral Helfrich departs Java for Ceylon
1943 - 1st transport from Westerbork Netherlands to Sobibor concentration camp; Sea battle in Bismarck Sea finishes, US & Australia win
1944 - Fumes from locomotive stalled in a tunnel suffocate 521 in Italy
1945 - 8th Air Force bombs Dresden; King Michael of Romania gives in to Communist government
1946 - Dutch troops land on East Bali; Ho Chi Minh elected President of North Vietnam
1946 - Kingman Douglass becomes deputy director of CIA
1949 - 1st automatic street light (New Milford CT); Lucky Lady II (USAF B-50 Superfortress), completes 1st nonstop round-the-world flight at Fort Worth TX, covering 23,452-mis in 94 hours
1950 - Silly Putty invented
1955 - King Norodom Sihanukh of Cambodia succeeded by his father
1956 - Morocco tears up the Treaty of Féz, declares independence from France
1958 - 1st surface crossing of Antarctic continent is completed in 99 days
1958 - Yemen announces it will join the United Arab Republic
1962 - JFK announces US will resume above ground nuclear testing
1965 - "Sound Of Music" opens
1966 - 215,000 US soldiers in Vietnam
1968 - USAF displays Lockheed C-5A Galaxy, biggest plane in the world; USSR launches space probe Zond 4; fails to leave Earth orbit
1969 - 1st test flight of the supersonic Concorde
1970 - American Airlines' 1st flight of a Boeing 747; Rhodesia becomes independent republic; Supreme Court ruled draft evaders can not be penalized after 5 years
1972 - Jean-Bédel Bokassa appoints himself President for life of Central African Republic
1972 - Pioneer 10 launched for Jupiter flyby
1973 - "Black September" terrorists occupy Saudi Embassy in Khartoum
1974 - 1st class postage raised from 8¢ to 10¢; Grand jury concludes President Nixon is involved in Watergate cover-up
1976 - Walt Disney World logs its 50 millionth guest
1977 - Future Tonight Show host Jay Leno debuts with host Johnny Carson; Libya amends constitution
1978 - 1st broadcast of "Dallas" on CBS TV; Soyuz 28 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Czechoslovakian) to Salyut 6
1981 - Aircraft hijacked by 3 Pakistani terrorists
1982 - Terror group "The Illuminated Path" frees 260 prisoners in Peru
1983 - Compact Disc recordings developed by Phillips & Sony introduced
1984 - Iran offensive against Iraq fails
1985 - US approves screening test for AIDS
1986 - Protesters try to stop Land Rover motor company being sold to US; Dutch Liberal Party merged with SDP
1989 - 12 European nations agree to ban chlorofluorocarbon production by 2000; Exxon Houston runs aground in Hawaii, spills 117,000 gallons of oil
1991 - UN votes in favor of US resolutions for cease fire with Iraq
1994 - Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh promises to surrender if taped statement is broadcast; it is - he doesn't; William Natcher, (Representative-Democrat-KY), casts his 18,401 & last consecutive vote
1995 - Ferry boat sinks off Sumbe Angola, 42+ killed; Space shuttle STS-67 (Endeavour 8), launches
1997 - Saudi Arab billionaire Prince al-Waleed bin Talal aquires 5% of Apple; Soyuz TM-24 returns to Earth (Russia)

Birthdays
1316 - Robert II the Steward, King of Scotland (1371-90)
1409 - John II, French duke of Alençon/co-fighter of Jeanne d'arc
1459 - Adrian VI [Adriaan F. Boeyens], Pope (1522-23)
1769 - DeWitt Clinton (Governor/Senator-NY)
1793 - Sam[uel] Houston, 1st president of Texas (1836-38, 1841-44)
1810 - Leo XIII [Vincenzo G Pecci], 256th pope (1878-1903)
1824 - Henry Beebee Carrington, Union Brigadier General
1828 - Jefferson Columbus Davis, Union Brevet Major General
1829 - Carl Schurz, Union Major General / journalist / political reformer
1876 - Pius XII [Euhenio MGG Pacelli], 260th Pope (1939-58)
1908 - Jan Brasser Dutch resistance fighter (Witte Ko)/communist
1916 - Anne Vondeling Dutch politician (PvdA)
1917 - Desi Arnaz Santiago Cuba, singer/actor (Ricky Ricardo-I Love Lucy)
1923 - Robert H.Michel (Representative-IL)
1930 - Jan van Noor,Dutch 2nd Chamber member (CDA)
1931 - Duane F.Graveline, astronaut; Mikhail S.Gorbachev Privolnoye, Soviet Secretary-General (1985-91); Tom Wolfe Richmond, journalist/author (Right Stuff)
1940 - Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, chairman (South African Progressive Federal Party, 1979-86)
1943 - Rosa DeLauro (Representative-CT)
1946 - Brian J. Donnelly (Representative-MA)

Passings
0986 - Lotharius King of France (954-86), dies at 44
1122 - Floris II the fat one, count of Holland
1127 - Charles the Good, Count of Vlanderen, murdered
1333 - Wladyslaw IV the Short One/Great, duke/king of Poland
1383 - Amadeus VI count of Savoy
1840 - Heinrich Olbers, German astronomer (discoverer of comets & asteroids), dies at 81
1855 - Nicholas I Pavlovitch, tsar of Russia (1825-55), dies at 58
1862 - Frederick West Lander, Union Brigadier-General/poet, dies at 40
1895 - Ismail Pasha, kedive of Egypt (1863-79), dies at 64
1916 - Elisabeth OL [Carmen Sylva], Queen of Romania, dies at 72
1973 - Cleo Noel, US ambassador to Sudan is assassinated
1979 - Mullah Mustafa Barzani, Kurdish leader, dies at 75; Sir Richard Sykes, British ambassador is assassinated in Holland
1986 - Zafer Masri, mayor of Nablus, murdered
1991 - Clark Mollenhoff, US journalist (Pulitzer Prize)
1996 - Jacobo Majluta, President of Dominican Republic (1982), dies at 61

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Lockhart, Hayden J., USAF (OH); F100D shot down, released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

1966
Worst, Karl Edward, USAF (AR); O1E shot down, KIA, Body not recovered

1968
Martin, Donald E., US Army (IN); escaped April, 1968

Widener, Larry Allen, US Army (OH); KIA, remains recovered March, 1968 - ID'd February, 1974

1969
Bogiages, Christo C., Jr., USAF (FL); F105D shot down

Evans, William A., US Army SF (WI); KIA, Body not recovered (w/May)

May, Michael F., US Army SF (MI); KIA, Body not recovered (w/Evans)

1970
McVey, Lavoy D., USMC (CO); fell from helicopter during attempt to search for Skibbe,presumed Killed

Skibbe, David W., USMC (IL); wounded in field, cable on rescue helicopter hoist snapped during extraction, fell and presumed Killed

Labels: Headlines, History