Ind. Congressman to Take Leave of Absence. Rep. Steve Buyer is taking an indefinite leave of absence from his job as a lawmaker to report for active military duty. A Gulf War veteran and an Army reservist since 1987, Lt. Col. Buyer, a Republican from Indiana, will act as an operational law judge advocate. [Associated Press war headlines via GoUpstate.com]
Iraqi Commander Surrenders. The commander of Iraq’s 51st division and his deputy surrendered to U.S. Marines today, according to U.S. military officials. By Michael R. Gordon. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]
Another good source: Arab News
Probably good to get some international perspectives on the War in Iraq — a friend of mine from humorweb shared the following — some good reading:
Britain:
http://www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.independent.co.uk
http://www.mirror.co.uk
Australia:
http://www.smh.com.au
France:
http://www.lemonde.fr
Germany:
http://www.faz.com
http://www.heise.de/tp/english/default.html
Russia:
http://english.pravda.ru
A commander’s words to his men. There is a long tradition of military commanders giving final words of encouragement to their troops before battle. Below is a speech given by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment. It seems somewhat ironic to me that our military leaders appear to be more eloquent, and have a better understanding of the meaning of what they are doing, than the politicians who instruct them in our name. [kuro5hin.org]
What’s Going On?. Forrest Sawyer on CNBC has been suggesting that there are surrender talks ongoing between American forces and high-level Iraqi officials,… [Cooped Up]
U.S. Reports Talks Urging Surrender. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that allied officials had held secret talks with Iraqi troops about defecting or surrendering. By Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]