Rudyard Kipling"
“When you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldier”
General Douglas MacArthur"
“We are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.”
“It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.
“The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
“May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .” “The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
“Nobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Anatomy of a raid: How the United States took out ISIS leader Baghdadi
Monday, October 28, 2019
Iraqi youth watch the news of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi death, in Najaf, Iraq October 27, 2019. (REUTERS FILE)
Hindustan Times : With Baghdadi’s body “mutilated by the blasts,” US forces used a DNA test onsite to confirm his identity in around 15 minutes.
On Saturday, Trump arrived back at the White House at around 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30pm in Syria) after a round of golf in Virginia, according to his official schedule. At around 5 pm, he gathered in the White House Situation Room with Vice President Mike Pence, Defence Secretary Mark Esper, national security adviser Robert O’Brien, and other intelligence officials. They watched the raid unfold live “as if you were watching a movie,” said Trump.
* Moments after they gathered, US military personnel and military dogs lifted-off in eight helicopters from an unidentified military base in the Middle East, according to Trump. The personnel came from the Delta Force, one of the US special units mainly focused on counter-terrorism and often deployed to capture high-value targets. A US official told Reuters the operation was staged from an airbase in western Iraq. The on-the-ground operation in the Idlib region of Syria was supported by military aircraft and ships, said Trump. The operatives were also equipped with a military robot but did not ultimately use it.
* Upon approaching Baghdadi’s compound, the helicopters came under gunfire but US forces were able to quickly suppress the assault and land safely. Believing the main compound door to be booby trapped, they entered in just seconds by blasting through the wall, said Trump. “We were getting full reports on a minute-by-minute basis,” he added.
* US forces quickly cleared the compound “with people either surrendering or being shot and killed,” said Trump. Eleven children were removed, uninjured, and taken into care by a third party whom the president declined to name. US soldiers captured and later imprisoned several Islamic State fighters.
* Baghdadi fled into a subterranean area of the complex and into a tunnel, dragging three of his young children with him. Esper told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that US forces called for Baghdadi to surrender but the world’s most wanted man refused. Chased by the dogs and confronted by a dead end, Baghdadi - “whimpering and crying and screaming,” according to Trump - ignited his suicide vest, killing himself and his children and causing the tunnel to collapse. No military personnel were hurt although one dog was badly injured.
* With Baghdadi’s body “mutilated by the blasts,” US forces used a DNA test onsite to confirm his identity in around 15 minutes. “The test results gave certain, immediate and totally positive identification. It was him,” said Trump.
Speaking on NBC News’ Meet The Press with Chuck Todd on Sunday, O’Brien said: “We were in the Situation Room. And the commander of the mission called and said, ‘100% confidence, jackpot.”
* The soldiers proceeded to search the compound, taking “highly sensitive material” including information on Islamic State’s origins and its future plans. In total, US forces were in the compound for around two hours before flying back out via the same route they flew in.
