U.S. Special Forces helped rescue 70 ISIS hostages facing “imminent mass execution” early Thursday morning at a prison near Hawijah, Iraq, but one American service member was killed in the operation. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook provided the following statement:

Early today in Iraq, at the request of the Kurdistan Regional Government, U.S. Special Operations Forces supported an Iraqi Peshmerga operation to rescue hostages at an ISIL prison near Hawijah, Iraq.

This operation was deliberately planned and launched after receiving information that the hostages faced imminent mass execution. It was authorized consistent with our counter-ISIL effort to train, advise, and assist Iraqi forces.

The U.S. provided helicopter lift and accompanied Iraqi Peshmerga forces to the compound. Approximately 70 hostages were rescued including more than 20 members of the Iraqi Security Forces. Five ISIL terrorists were detained by the Iraqis and a number of ISIL terrorists were killed as well. In addition, the U.S. recovered important intelligence about ISIL. (more…)

Following up to yesterday and the Elijah Cummings pre-testimony report, let’s focus on the CBS presentation therein.

CBS is a good reference to show the media obfuscation attempts because CBS holds a vested self-interest in deflections around the various Benghazi narratives.  You might remember it was Ben Rhodes who wrote the Benghazi talking points; Ben’s brother David is President of CBS News.

In addition, you might also remember it was CBS, via 60 Minutes, who withheld/embargoed a broadcast pre election 2012 where President Obama denied al-Qaeda’s terrorist involvement.

A claim Obama denied making in the Candy Crowley debate against his opponent Mitt Romney.  CBS covered Obama’s ass allowing the lie to go undiscovered until after the November 2012 election.  It was also CBS who refused to allow Sharyl Attkisson to continue investigative reporting on the Benghazi story.

Here’s the current presentation of the Elijah Cummings report by CBS: (more…)

There is a lot of talk from the White House of President Obama vetoing this bill.

WASHINGTON DC – Senate Democrats on Wednesday joined with Republicans to approve an annual defense bill, defying a veto threat from President Obama.

The Senate voted 70-27 in favor of the $612 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a wide-ranging measure that would set policy and spending priorities for the Pentagon. Twenty Democrats voted yes, as did Sen. Angus King (Maine), an Independent who caucuses with Democrats.

While the vote total would be enough for Republicans to override Obama’s promised veto, Democratic leaders insist that some of their members would vote differently if asked to override the president. (more…)

NPR has received some preliminary examples of the type of analyst intelligence that was skewed to create a more favorable opinion of President Obama’s foreign policy approach toward ISIS.
In one example the following is noted:

[…]  A military source described the evolution of one report that came out of CENTCOM’s intelligence shop. It was a dispatch on an ISIS attack in Iraq near the Syrian border. The initial CENTCOM report read, “Iraqi forces retreated.” It was sent back for reworking, the source said. Eventually that report came to read that the Iraqi forces had not retreated, but instead had reinforced another Iraqi position. The final draft suggested a strategic decision had been made. But that was not what happened, the source said — the Iraqi forces ran. A second source confirmed the account of the change in wording to put the Iraqi forces in a more positive light. (read more)

In what appears to be a profound sense of professional obfuscation, the head of U.S. Central Command, Gen. Lloyd Austin, told congress that despite the revisions and/or manipulations currently being investigated by the inspector general, the intelligence did not go directly to President Obama. (more…)

Excellent Op-ed in USA Today by Glenn Reynolds: “See something, do something” (excerpt) […]  Stone was cut by the attacker behind his neck, and his thumb was nearly sliced off as the man was wrestled to the ground by the Americans. Sadler said: “The gunman pulls out a box cutter and slices Spencer a few times.” He added that the attacker “never said a word.”
To Americans who remember Sept. 11, 2001, this kind of response — even down to the “let’s go” — echoes the story of Todd Beamer and the passengers of Flight 93. It’s the right response, of course, to terrorists who threaten innocents.
As Brad Todd wrote days after 9/11, it was the response of ordinary Americans on this flight that meant a repeat of the attacks was much less likely: “Just 109 minutes after a new form of terrorism — the most deadly yet invented — came into use, it was rendered, if not obsolete, at least decidedly less effective. … United Flight 93 did not hit a building. It did not kill anyone on the ground. … Why? Because it had informed Americans on board who’d had 109 minutes to come up with a counteraction. And the next time a hijacker full of hate pulls the same stunt with a single knife, he’ll get the same treatment and meet the same result as those on United Flight 93. Dead, yes. Murderous, yes. But successful? No.” (read more)

[…]  Air Force serviceman Spencer Stone, of Carmichael, California, Alek Skarlatos, a National Guardsman from Oregon, and their childhood friend, Anthony Sadler, a university senior, confronted El-Khazzani and wrestled his rifle, a handgun and nine magazines of bullets from him.

In the attack, El-Khazzani pulled out a box cutter knife, slashed Mr Stone in the neck and ‘almost cut his thumb off’ in the melee.

(more…)

God put protective angels on that train.  Spencer Stone (U.S. Air Force), Alek Skarlatos (U.S. National Guard), Anthony Sadler (Pittsburg, CA) and Chris Norman (British Businessman). 

Amazing heroism… U.S. Air Force Spencer Stone charged a terrorist with a fully loaded AK-47, tackled him and suffered a severe cut to the back of the neck.  All of them are heroes. The terrorist, named in reports as Ayoub el-Qahzzani, had at least nine full magazines of ammunition holding almost 300 rounds.

FRANCE – A US solider who foiled a terrorist attack on a French-bound train was knifed in the neck while disarming the crazed gunman.

Spencer Stone (circled above), who is part of the U.S. Air Force, spotted the 26-year-old Moroccan acting suspiciously and heard him trying to arm his weapon in the toilet of the high speed train between Amsterdam and Paris. (more…)

1998 – Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP)
– 52 push-ups in 2 minutes
– 62 sit-ups in 2 minutes
– 2-mile run in less that 14 min 55 seconds
– 6 chin-ups
2002 – Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP)
– 52 push-ups in 2 minutes
– 62 sit-ups in 2 minutes
– 2-mile run in less that 14 min 55 seconds
– 6 chin-ups
2015 – Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP)
– 49 push-ups (no time limit specified)
– 59 sit-ups (no time limit specified)
– 5-mile run in less than 40 minutes
– 6 chin-ups
(US News) Two women have passed the Army’s elite Ranger School, marking a major milestone in the military’s ongoing efforts to consider formally integrating women into all aspects of combat after a decade of war that thrust female troops toward the front lines. (more…)