Four people were arrested as suspects in the murder of Nick Berg. We don't know whether they were the four guys shown in the video alongside Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, though I'll bet they are. Al-Zarqawi himself remains at large.

Posted by: Attila at 01:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Yeah, I know: a few of you are sick of the Nick Berg issue. But murder is one of the things I've studied, so this case is going to hold an enduring fascination for me.

Dorkafork points me to this article, which discusses (briefly) the analysis the video is being subjected to. I get the impression from the story that the FBI is simply using the version off the web, and does not have access to the original, though in the digital age that probably makes a lot less difference. Dorkafork has been complaining about the quality all along, but I suspect the original is just as bad as what we've been viewing. Still, it might make a difference in terms of things like blowing up the images of the perps' hands to check for distinguishing characteristics.

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There's a small wrapup on the Izzedin Salim assasination in the Toronto Star; the article also discusses the Sarin gas incident.

A lot of stories aren't pointing out that the position Salim held was a temporary one: the council chair rotates every month. So while Salim was an important figure, he wasn't as pivotal on the IGC as some would have you believe.

There's some discussion of who might have done the deed: the American authorities suggest that it looks like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, our favorite murderer, but the al-Rashid Brigades also claim responsibility.

This is bad, but it isn't quite the disaster we've been led to believe by some news accounts.

Posted by: Attila at 01:35 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Smash makes a reasonably good case that it's over in Fallujah, and that we've effectively won.

Via Outside the Beltway.

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The best information on the Sarin gas story appears (as always) to be at The Command Post.

It's worth noting that several mainstream sources seem to want to either gloss over the story or somehow minimize it.

But it's absolutely huge: clearly, this stuff is around, has been around, and those who thought Saddam got rid of his stockpiles of WMDs without documenting that fact (the "secret compliance" theory) need to re-think their position.

Posted by: Attila at 12:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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James shares some good news with us regarding Iraq--both in terms of winning "hearts and minds," and in terms of Iraqi security forces gaining some legitimacy in the eyes of the general population there. Looks like things are cooling down a bit--which is a much-needed bit of cheer.

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