In 2003 when Baghdad fell to U.S. and British Forces a now memorable scene was witnessed as a giant bronze statue of Saddam Hussein was torn from its footing and plummeted to the ground. After the statue was removed from its base a 2-foot section of butt check was taken by British forces soldier Nigel Ely with the help of US Marines.

Now the Iraq government is asking that Nigel Ely return the two foot section of butt cheek. According to Iraqi officials Ely “illegally removed Iraqi cultural property.”

In the meantime Ely says the portion of butt cheek he removed from the Saddam Hussein statue has already been turned into a new piece of art and he plans to sell the butt piece to raise money for veterans’ charities in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Apparently bringing back a piece of Saddam butt is a bigger deal then Ely may have originally thought, the chief of war art relic company has been questions by authorities for attempting to help Ely sell the piece.

According told the BBC:

“This is like having a chunk of the Berlin Wall—it’s part of history but it’s not cultural property.”

Here’s a video of the Saddam Hussein statue being pulled to the ground after his fall from leadership:

Do you believe that Nigel Ely has the responsibility to give the 2-foot portion of Saddam Hussein’s butt back to the Iraq government or should he be able to do what he wants with the fallen piece of national history?

Iraq Would Like Saddam Hussein’s Bronze Butt Returned Immediately is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Iraq war death of David Emanuel Hickman will forever hold a special meaning, while he suffered the same fate as nearly 4,500 of his fellow American soldiers he was also the last American soldier to fall in the region.

The 23-year-old soldier was killed on Nov. 14, 2011 when an improvised explosive device was detonated, he was just one month away from leaving the war torn country as the final US troops left Iraq.

Speaking about the fallen soldiers life his friends and family called him a jokester who was given the nickname “Zeus” because he joked that his physique was so impressive that the gods would be envious.

An outside linebacker in high school his school had to scrape their complicated defense after he graduated because nobody else could figure out how to run the plays.

Hickman joined the military with the specific goal of becoming a member of the Special Forces, as a friend put it he “didn’t sign up to get his life on track. He wanted to be a physically and mentally elite soldier.”

Speaking of his life a friend told the Washington Post:

“There aren’t enough facts available for me to have a defined opinion about things. I’m just sad, and pray that my best friend didn’t lay down his life for nothing.”

Even by military standards Hickman died at the young age of 23 when the average age for fallen soldiers is 26, although approximately 1,300 fallen were 22 or younger.

It’s hard to lose a loved one, it’s even harder to realize their life could have been saved if the United States had just pulled out of the country one month earlier.

Our condolences go out to the family, friends and fellow soldiers of David Emanuel Hickman.

Remembering The Final American Soldier Killed In Iraq [In Memoriam] is a post from: The Inquisitr

In the early morning Sunday hours 110 armored trucks and other vehicles carrying more than 500 soldiers began a five-hour drive from Iraq to Kuwait down the main supply route previously referred to as Main Supply Route Tampa, thus marking the end of a U.S. occupied era in Iraq.

According to CNN those soldiers were the last of 12,000 who were stationed at the Camp Adder base just one month earlier, a base that even as of Thursday’s flag-casing ceremony was still home to more than 1,000 troops.

The base, formerly full of coffee shops, an Italian Restaurant and other shops, is now in the hands of the Iraqi government to do with it what they please.

According to the Associated Press troops cheered, pumped their fists in the air and hugged one another as they left the base while one military member shouted “We’re on top of the world!”

Many of the men and women to leave with the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division had been with the war since it started, some serving on their 2nd, 3rd and even 4th deployments into the country. Speaking to CNN one staff sergeant who entered the country in 2003 noted:

 ”The biggest thing about going home is just that it’s home.” That soldier added, “It’s civilization as I know it—the Western world, not sand and dust and the occasional rain here and there.”

Do you think it’s about time the soldiers in Iraq come home? Unfortunately for many of the soldiers happy to be leaving one war they will soon embark on deployments to Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries with terrorist interests.

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

Last American Troops Left Iraq This Morning is a post from: The Inquisitr

On Thursday afternoon Defense Secretary Leon Panetta will hold a quiet ceremony in Baghdad where he will formerly announce the withdrawal of American Troops just in time for the holidays.

Under a US-Iraq agreement U.S. troops were to be withdrawn from the region by December 31, 2011, however after eight years, eight months and 25 days Panetta plans to bring American military personnel home a few weeks early.

In celebration of the occasion Panetta will then leave with his staff followed by the troops guarding the ceremony.

While the withdrawal is a time for celebration among military families the response from Iraqi citizens has been met with mixed emotions. In celebration of the news thousands of people burned American and Israeli flags over the last several days while one resident told the Washington Post :

“What’s the point of lighting a candle at the beginning of a tunnel when you know you will be walking in darkness?” he asked. “I am happy they are going, but I know my happiness won’t last for long.”

It’s still unclear how much sectarian violence will be witnessed in the area, since the war began more than 100,000 Iraqi citizens and 4,487 American lives were lost.

Are you happy that American troops are being sent home after nearly one decade of fighting in the region?

American Troops Leaving Iraq, Leon Panetta To Hold Quiet Ceremony is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tariq Aziz served as Saddam Hussein’s top diplomat for many years and now an official for Iraq’s prime minister says he will be executed in 2012, shortly after U.S. troops pull out of the area.

Speaking to CNN on Monday Iraq adviser Saad Yousif al-Muttalibi said of the planned execution:

“It will definitely take place, and it will take place after the Americans leave Iraq.”

Responding to the news of a planned execution a lawyer for Aziz appeared shocked, noting:

A lawyer for Aziz said he was surprised. “I did not expect the government would be that stupid, by doing this they will drag this country to the edge of the abyss.”

“What about the national reconciliation that this government has been calling for? The government’s position will be even weaker if they carry out the execution after the American troops leave the country and this will lead to more conflict among Iraqi factions.”

News of the planned execution shouldn’t come as a surprise after an October 2010 court hearing found Aziz guilty for involvement in the 1999 massacres of Shiite Muslims.

Captured by U.S. forces in April 2003 and forced to testify during the Saddam Hussein trial his family believes Aziz did nothing wrong and was only acting on behalf of his country during his 22 years in office.

In a statement Aziz’s daughter Zainab Aziz noted:

“My father served his country for more than 22 years. He delivered himself to the U.S. Army (after the fall of Hussein) because he wasn’t afraid. He didn’t do anything wrong. He served his country,” and “He has been wronged.”

Aziz served as the deputy prime minister from 1981 through 2003.

When and where the execution will take place is still unknown.

Do you think Tariq Aziz deserved the death penalty for his involvement in various Iraq citizens murders?

Saddam Hussein’s Top Diplomat Tariq Aziz To Be Executed By Iraqi Forces is a post from: The Inquisitr

America’s war in Iraq will come to a close by the end of this year. President Barack Obama made the announcement today that virtually all US troops will be coming home from Iraq by the end of this year.

President Obama declared:

“After nearly nine years, America’s war in Iraq will be over. The coming months will be a season of homecomings. Our troops in Iraq will definitely be home for the holidays.”

About 150 of the 39,000 troops in Iraq will stay in Iraq to assist in arms sales. Everyone else will be back home by December 31.

The president stressed that the pull out was part of his 2008 campaign pledge. The war in Iraq has so far claimed the lives of 4,400 Americans and have cost more than $700 billion.

It should be noted that after the pullout, there will still remain nonmilitary US personnel who would remain in Iraq and would need security, 1,700 of which would be diplomats, law enforcement officers and various professionals and experts. They will be secured by 5,000 security contractors and 4,500 support staff.

Are you finally relieved that this war is finally coming to an end? What do you think is in store for the Iraqis?

America’s War in Iraq to End This December (All Troops Coming Home) is a post from: The Inquisitr

The United States is abandoning a plan to keep troops in Iraq past the year-end withdrawal deadline. Instead, US troops will be heading home within the next three months, officially ending 8-years of involvement in the Iraq war.

The Associated Press reports that US officials have been discussing whether to pull out troops by the December 31st withdrawal deadline, which was set in 2008, or to negotiate a new security agreement. The United States arrived in Iraq in March 2003. More than 4,400 American soldiers have lost their lives in Iraq.

USA Today reports that officials from the US and Iraq have also been discussing a training program for Iraq security forces. Thousands of troops could remain in Iraq to help the training process, but no final decision on the training program has been made yet.

The training program, which would involve about 4,000 troops, does not look good at the moment. A dispute over legal protections for the troops has jeopardized the program.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said

“(The United States remains) “committed to keeping our agreement with the Iraqi government to remove all of our troops by the end of this year. At the same time we’re building a comprehensive partnership with Iraq under the Strategic Framework Agreement including a robust security relationship, and discussions with the Iraqis about the nature of that relationship are ongoing.”

The troop withdrawal does not include the 160 active-duty soldiers that are attached to the US Embassy in Baghdad.

The AFP notes that there are currently 41,000 troops remaining in Iraq.

Are you happy that US troops are leaving Iraq?

US Troops to Leave Iraq Before 2012 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Iraq has signed an agreement that will send 18 U.S. fighter jets to the country at a cost of $3 billion. The deal is seen as a way for the country to protect their airspace after years of relying on American pilots.

The F-16 fighter jets are expected to arrive in Iraq by next fall according to some estimates while other reports place their arrival in early 2013 until which time U.S. troops will continue to protect Iraq airspace.

While the jets may be delivered by 2013 Iraq’s top-ranked military officials have let it be known recently that their Air Force is not even close to being ready to protect their own air space, speculating that U.S. assistance may be required until 2020.

The U.S. military is more optimistic about Iraq’s possible self-protecting goals with US Army Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter saying the F-16 deal is “a game-changing capability” that “provides the basis for their air sovereignty.”

U.S. and Iraqi officials had hoped to complete the deal last year however Iraq needed to use their extra money to buy more food rations for their population and ultimate cut their goal of 36 F-16 fighters to just 18.

As part of the agreement Iraqi fighter pilots will receive customized training from U.S. fighter pilots.

Do you think the United States providing fighter jets to Iraq is a smart move or another example of U.S. politicians and military officials over stepping their bounds.

Iraq Buys 18 U.S. Fighter Jets For $3 Billion, Training Included is a post from: The Inquisitr

Cpl. Dakota Meyer was not supposed to drive repeatedly into a firefight with insurgents in Afghanistan on September 8th, 2009- but his high school football coach says the young man was always a kid who sought to discover “how far he can push the envelope.”

Cpl. Meyer defied orders on that day, risking and expecting death as he drove headlong into danger, unwilling and unable to allow his friends to remain unprotected in the battle. He recalls his expectation that he would not survive defiance of “orders to stay put” on what he describes as the “worst day of his life” in an interview:

“I don’t think there was ever a question in my mind if I was going to die… It was just when.”

In fact, Cpl. Meyer did not defy orders once- he did it five times, ultimately rescuing 23 Afghan troops and 13 of his fellow American soldiers. USA Today describes the chaos into which the brave young man headed:

Inside the narrow valley, Taliban insurgents were dug into the high ground and hidden inside a village, pouring down deadly fire at Afghan forces and their American advisers. Armed militants swarmed the low ground to try to finish off the troops… Meyer’s team was pinned down near the village. He wasn’t going to wait and see whether they would get out… Meyer set himself in the turret of a Humvee and rode straight into the firefight, taking fire from all directions.

Meyer, who said he couldn’t “sit back and watch” his buddies get slaughtered, explained that he put himself in harm’s way so many times simply because his “best friends were in there getting shot at” during the 2009 incident. In addition to saving 36 people from the dangerous firefight, the Marine also transported out four of the bodies of fellow soldiers who did not survive the incident- Marines 1st Lt. Michael Johnson, 25, Gunnery Sgt. Edwin Johnson, 31, Staff Sgt. Aaron Kenefick, 30 and Navy Corpsman 3rd Class James Layton, 22. The four fallen men were found in a ditch, out of ammunition and stripped of radios and other equipment.

Cpl. Dakota Meyer is set to be awarded the honor for bravery by President Obama on September 15th, and is the third living Medal of Honor recipient following the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Cpl. Dakota Meyer Receives Medal of Honor For Saving 36 is a post from: The Inquisitr

29 people were killed during prayer services at Baghdad’s largest Sunnie mosque on Sunday night when a suicide bomber entered the building and blew himself up.

The bombers actions on a holy space was the same type of attack that brought the country to the brink of civil war five years ago. According to Iraqi security officials lawmaker Khalid al-Fahdawi, a Sunni, was killed in the attack which occurred at 9:40pm local time.

Security officials have counted 29 people among the dead while 38 more Iraqi’s were injured during the attack.

At this time no specific terrorist organization has claimed credit for the attack, although the method of suicide bombing is typically reserved for militant al-Qaeda members, which in itself is dominated by a Sunni faction.

While it may seem unlikely that al-Qaeda would attack their own religious faction, intelligence officers in the area have speculated for some time now that the group will do just about anything to re-ignite sectarian violence in the region.

If the suicide bomber was a member of al-Qaeda the move would be a departure from the groups recent attacks which have focused on Iraqi security forces in an attempt to prove how unstable the current government and their forces have been as the United States slowly pulls out of the area, leaving control of everyday operations to the Iraqi people.

29 Dead In Iraq Mosque Bombing, Al-Qaeda Expected is a post from: The Inquisitr

On December 31, 2011 the United States will reach their withdrawal deadline and with that date looming officials in Iraq are now asking the U.S. to sell them 36 F-16 fighter jets so they can protect themselves.

The sale would mean billions of dollars in revenue for the United States and could help cement ties between the two countries during a transition period while keeping Iran in check.  Earlier in the year Baghdad attempted to buy 18 of the jets at a cost of $4.2 billion but delayed their plans because of unrest due to the Arab Spring.

Talks have recently resumed thanks to $10 billion in oil revenue which was generated due to price surges. If the sale is finalized the price point reached will include Iraqi pilot training before the planes are delivered.

Iraq officials are also looking to arm themselves with U.S. built ground-to-air missiles and large guns.

Iraq Wants United States To Sell Them 36 F-16 Fighter Jets is a post from: The Inquisitr

15 members of terrorist group al-Qaeda were sentenced to death by an Iraqi court this week. The group was suspected of a 2006 wedding party massacre that killed 70 people.

The court ruled that the group had planned and carried out the attack in the Shiite town of Dujail.

The defendants were arrested in May and Iraqi TV had been airing their confessions to show that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was protecting his country from terrorist activities. According to the defendant the massacre occurred because the groom was a Shiite and the bride a Sunni.

In what can only be described as one of the most brutal attacks in the area the group through 15 children into the Tigris River with concrete blocks around their necks, while the men were blindfolded and shot in the back of the head while their hands were tied behind their backs while the women were raped and then murdered.

Iraq Court Sentences 15 al-Qaeda Members To Death is a post from: The Inquisitr

In Canada it was Remembrance Day and in the US it was Veteran’s Day but in either case it was a time where we could pause and remember all that was, and continues to be given so that we can enjoy the world we live in.

The folks from Post Secret have put together a wonderful video of thoughts from military families and soldiers currently on deployment to Iraq and Iran.

Take a moment. Watch. And remember what is being given in blood so we can feel safe.

via Neatorama

A wonderful video of soldier secrets is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former Iraqi official Ali Hassan al-Majid has been executed in Iraq, the BBC is reporting.

Majid, referred to as an “enforcer” in Saddam Hussein’s regime, was put to death for several crimes- one of which is believed to have resulted in the deaths of around 5,000 Iraqis, mostly women and children. Majid was convicted of killing Shia Muslims in 1991 and 1999, and a gas attack on a town called Halabja in 1988.

Majid refused to cooperate at his trials for crimes against Iraqi people, declining to enter a plea, and at one point saying:

“I am the one who gave orders to the army to demolish villages and relocate the villagers. The army was responsible to carry out those orders. I am not defending myself. I am not apologising. I did not make a mistake.”

Majid, first cousin to Hussein, was Ba’athist Iraqi Defense Minister, Interior Minister, military commander and chief of the Iraqi Intelligence Service and governor of Kuwait during its Iraqi invasion. Majid was captured during the invasion of Iraq by US forces in 2003, and subsequently tried for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

‘Chemical Ali’ executed in Iraq is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bullets whizzing by your head are one thing. IEDs just waiting to blowup passing troops is a daily occurrence. Such are the hazards of trying to survive in a war-zone. What isn’t expected though is to die because of toxin laden water.

However such is the case of Indiana National Guardsman Lt. Col. Jim Gentry who when he passed away this past Tuesday was classified as the first American soldier to die from exposure to a cancer-causing toxin while serving in Iraq.

The guilty agent in the matter was a hexavalent chromium which the Iraqis use to prevent corrosion in the pipes used to pump water into the ground at oil-pumping sites. The chemical has been linked to leukemia and several other kinds of cancer, as well as leading to damage of the liver and kidneys. It is also the same chemical poison that was blown onto the clothes and into the faces of hundreds of unknown soldiers in one of Iraq’s wind swept deserts.

Hexavalent Chromium is the same compound that lead to the famous “Erin Brockovich” trial in California and what Max Costa, chairman of New York University’s Department of Environmental Medicine calls the one of the most potent carcinogens know to man.

“I’m dying now because of it,” Gentry said 11 months ago while answering questions from lawyers embroiled in a legal battle over who is to blame for hundreds of soldiers’ exposure to the chemical.

Gentry, of the 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry of the Indiana National Guard, commanded more than 600 soldiers in Iraq, including about 140 from Indiana.

He is included among a growing group of those soldiers who are suing Houston-based defense contractor KBR Inc., which the soldiers blame for not properly protecting them.

Source: Courier Press

The area in Iraq where this was supposed to happen was the Qarmat Ali facility which KBR took over control of after it had been looted and abandoned. Part of that looting was the slashing open of the containers holding the chemical. Then during many of the high wind storms that are found in the area the rust-colored chemical was spread into the air and ground around the facility.

KBR has denied any responsibility or wrong doing that might have led to any soldiers becoming ill or dying. However in light of a recent lawsuit filed against KBR by soldiers a whistle-blower has come forward with some pretty damning documents and information.

Former KBR employee Edward Blacke — who worked for the company as its health, safety and environmental coordinator in Iraq — described in a written report to the Senate Democratic Policy Committee what he said were criminally negligent actions that led to illnesses such as Gentry’s.

A trained emergency medical technician, Blacke said soldiers and contractors alike were showing similar symptoms when he arrived at the Qarmat Ali facility. They were coughing up blood, dealing with severe eye, nose and throat irritation and struggling to breathe.

Along with an Iraqi interpreter, Blacke checked the slashed-open bags and discovered that they contained sodium dichromate, which contains hexavalent chromium.

“He (the interpreter) was reluctant to say more, and when pressed, he said he knew it was poisonous and that he was aware of many workers from the plant who were made ill by it,” Blacke told the committee.

After digging in, Blacke said he was “totally taken aback” to find that KBR knew as early as May 2003 of the toxin’s presence, but it ignored both a United Nations report and an internal report and failed to notify its workers there and the soldiers who were guarding the plant.

Source: Courier Press

Besides the on-going lawsuit U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) has been following any developments relating to the soldiers exposure and has introduced legislation that would ensure the affected soldiers get the proper medical treatment.

First American soldier to die by toxin laden water is a post from: The Inquisitr

Your taxpayer dollars at work: the US State Department has sent representatives of YouTube, WordPress, Twitter and other tech companies to Iraq to “explore new opportunities to support Iraqi government and non-government stakeholders in Iraq’s emerging new media industry.”

The State Department claims that “during their visit to Iraq, they will provide conceptual input as well as ideas on how new technologies can be used to build local capacity, foster greater transparency and accountability, build upon anti-corruption efforts, promote critical thinking in the classroom, scale-up civil society, and further empower local entities and individuals by providing the tools for network building.”

Twitter….. Iraq….

Raanan Bar-Cohen, VP Media Services at WordPress.com writes that the group has discovered that among other things, only 5% of Iraqi’s have internet access, but mobile coverage is nearly universal.

And Twitter and WordPress is going to help how exactly?

If Oprah wasn’t enough, I think we might be seeing the top of the Twitter bubble now, because this is insane. You can follow the trip on Twitter via the hashtag #Iraqtech.

WTF: State Department sends Twitter rep to Iraq to help the locals is a post from: The Inquisitr

The world’s largest private army is getting a makeover.

Blackwater Worldwide is dumping its name in favor of Xe, after its original name became a liability.

Blackwater guards killed 17 Iraqi civilians in 2007, and the company has become well known through its alleged disdain and abuse employees hand out to the people they are suppose to be protecting.

Blackwater Lodge and Training Center, the subsidiary that conducts much of the company’s overseas operations and domestic training, has been renamed U.S. Training Center Inc according to the NY Times.

The new name is pronounced Zee….as in Na-zi. Ironic or purposely picked?

Blackwater changing its name to Xe. It’s pronounced Zee, as in Na-zi. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Holidaying in Iraq? be sure to visit the giant shoe.

Residents in Saddam Hussein’s home town of Tikrit attended the unveiling of a shoe sculpture, remembering the Bush shoe throwing incident Thursday. The single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth by Baghdad-based artist, Laith al-Amari, is said to honor the shoe throwing and “is a source of pride for all Iraqis.”

The irony of course is that the show thrower, 29 year old Muntadhir Al-Zaidi is currently seeking asylum in Switzerland because he fears for his safety.

The sculpture includes an ode to al-Zeidi and mentions the virtues of being “able to tell the truth out loud.”

Iraqi’s build giant shoe to honor Bush shoe thrower is a post from: The Inquisitr

Iraq has announced that it will deny a license to controversial private army Blackwater Worldwide, preventing the company from providing protection to US interests in the country.

The Iraqi Government said that the decision was due to improper conduct and excessive use of force, in particular the 2007 killings of 17 Iraqi civilians by the company.

Blackwater has a long reputation for aggressiveness and using excessive force in protecting American officials. The company is regarded as the one of, if not the largest private army in the world.

It’s not clear yet when Blackwater will be thrown out of the country. The State Department said it was studying in implications.

Iraq to Blackwater: So Long, Farewell, Alveterzane, Goodbye is a post from: The Inquisitr

With President Elect Barack Obama set to withdraw US troops from Iraq in 2010, security will fall into the main control of the Iraqi Army.

Rumors of poor command, low morale and general incompetence for the Iraqi Army have circulated for years, but we’ve never heard them being called uncoordinated before.

The following video was taken of Iraqi soldiers in training attempting to do jumping jacks (side-straddle hop in military lingo).

The Future of Iraq is in Safe Hands, but Uncoordinated Feet is a post from: The Inquisitr