al-Shabab Violence Intensifies In Somalia

VICE News: Dozens Reported Killed by Bombings at Restaurant and Busy Intersection in Somalia

The Somali militant group al Shabaab bombed a busy junction and a nearby restaurant in the town of Baidoa on Sunday, killing as many as 55 people.

"The restaurant and the junction were very busy and the death toll may rise," Police Major Bilow Nurr told Reuters from Baidoa, which is located about 150 miles northwest of Mogadishu. Another police officer said a suicide car bomb blew up at the junction while a second blast, possibly a bomb that had been planted or a suicide bomber, struck the restaurant.

Ismail Olad told Reuters the two locations were full of civilians and security forces. "I heard a huge crash at the busy junction and as I ran, I heard another blast at a restaurant ahead of me. The whole place was covered by smoke," he said.

According to a journalist reporting live from the scene via Twitter, 55 people were confirmed dead and 60 were hospitalized. Police Colonel Abdi Osman said at least 17 were killed, mostly civilians, with 25 others injured.

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More News On Al-Shabaab's Attacks In Somalia

Twin Suicide Bombings Kill at Least 20 as Shabab Violence Intensifies in Somalia -- NYT
Somalia Baidoa bombings which killed dozens blamed on al-Shabaab militant group -- Independent
Al-Shabab suicide bombings kill 21 people in Somalia -- UPI
Deadly Explosions Rock Somali Town -- VOA
Bomb attacks kill at least 21 in Somalia -- Sky News

Islamic State Launches Two Suicide Bombing Attacks That Kill 70 In Baghdad

Al Jazeera: ISIL bombings near Baghdad kill scores of Iraqis

Roadside bombs near Iraq's capital kill at least 70 while military comes under assault in Abu Ghraib and near Fallujah.

Two bomb blasts have killed at least 70 people at a market just outside Baghdad and security forces have been targeted elsewhere in one of Iraq's bloodiest days in recent weeks.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsiblity for Sunday's attacks, the deadliest of which hit the predominantly Shia neighbourhood of Sadr City, just north of the Iraqi capital Baghad.

The explosions, caused by two roadside bombs, left 100 people injured in addition to the deaths.

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More News On Today's Suicide Bombing Attacks In Baghdad

Twin suicide bombing kills 70 in Baghdad's deadliest attack this year -- Reuters
Twin bombing attacks in Baghdad market kill at least 59 -- AP
Islamic State Launches Attacks in Baghdad -- WSJ
Over 70 feared killed, 100+ wounded in Baghdad blasts -- RT
Two Bombings Kill Dozens at a Baghdad Market -- NYT
At least 70 killed, dozens wounded in Baghdad market bombings -- PBS
Double attack shows Islamic State can still shake Baghdad -- Washington Post

Remembering The Last Great Tank Battle

We Are The Mighty: ‘The last great tank battle’ was a slugfest of epic proportions

The men of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment spearheaded one of the American columns that invaded Iraq on Feb. 23, 1991. After three days of light fighting they stumbled into one of the largest Iraqi armored formations and annihilated it with cannons, TOW missiles and mortars in the Battle of 73 Easting, often called “the last great tank battle of the 20th century.”

Then-Capt. (now Lt. Gen.) H.R. McMaster, commander of Eagle Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, literally wrote the book on the battle and commanded one of the lead elements in the fight.

Helicopters buzzed over Eagle Troop as the ground invasion of Iraq began on Feb. 23. The mission of the 2nd ACR was simple in theory but would be challenging to achieve. They were to cut off Iraqi retreat routes out of Kuwait and destroy the large armored formations thought to be hiding in the flat, featureless desert.

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WNU Editor: M1 tanks vs T-72s .... not a fair fight. Then-Capt. H.R. McMaster is now a Lt. General.

Corruption Is Still A Huge Problem In Ukraine

Washington Post: The corruption that fueled Ukraine’s 2014 revolution won’t go away

KIEV — From a wood-panel office overlooking Kiev’s Victory Avenue, Andriy Pyvovarsky, a former chief executive turned government reformer, earns $300 a month to manage a vast ministry more reminiscent of a “holding company.”

The Ministry of Infrastructure’s bloated portfolio of almost 300 state-owned enterprises, including a railroad, seaports and roads, funnel cash to corrupt businessmen with connections to Ukraine’s parliament, he says. For months, they have blocked his attempts to privatize them.

“This is an existential issue for the deputies,” meaning members of parliament, Pyvovarsky said in an interview this month. “If the state-owned companies suddenly disappear, if they’re privately owned, then what’s in it for them? They cannot skim from those companies anymore.”

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WNU Editor: I would say it is worst today. What infuriates me is how the oligarchs .... being the only ones who have money .... are buying assets that are literally being sold by desperate buyers for pennies on the dollar. Foreigners are also getting into the game .... primarily Ukrainian expats in Canada and the U.S., who are buying choice real estate .... while at the same time accusing Russia for the dire straits that Ukraine finds itself in today. Regular readers of this blog know that I have family in Ukraine ... and they are in the real estate business. To say times are tough is an understatement .... and while they will survive, many of their competitors and colleagues have already thrown in the towel.

Ukraine President Poroshenko Orders The Military To Make Plans To Retake Crimea

Crimea (BBC)

Eurasianet.org: Poroshenko Orders Ukrainian Military Focus On Crimea, Black Sea

Ukraine is planning a "substantial enhancement" of its military position around the Black Sea and on the border of Crimea as part of a strategy of regaining the territory that Russia annexed two years ago.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced the initiative on Friday, commemorating the second anniverary of the Russian annexation. "Crimea was, is and will be an integral part of the Ukrainian state and the country-criminal will be forced to return the loot," Poroshenko said.

"I am confident that we will certainly return these two administrative territories under the Ukrainian sovereignty. This extremely complex and promising process has already begun. Today, I have instructed to organize a special session of the National Security and Defense Council to clarify our strategy for the reintegration of Crimea," he said.

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Update #1: Poroshenko orders convening NSDC meeting on Crimea's reintegration (Interfax Ukraine)
Update #2: Kiev trains ‘special unit’ to take back Crimea from Russia – Ukrainian Interior Minister (RT)

WNU Editor: It is not going to happen.

China's Submarine Fleet Will Be Twice The Size Of The U.S. Navy's Submarine Fleet By 2029

Chinese subs participate in a military exercise in the East China Sea.
Photo from The Telegraph

Dave Majumdar, National Interest: Undersea Crisis: China Will Have Nearly Twice as Many Subs as the U.S.

The United States Navy needs more attack submarines to meet its global commitments. Worldwide, the service is only able to provide the Pentagon’s regional combatant commanders with less than two-thirds the number of submarines that they need.

“The threats in the undersea environment continue to go up,” Vice Adm. Joseph Mulloy, the service’s deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources told the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and projection forces subcommittee on February 25.

The U.S. Navy—which has roughly 52 attack submarines—is on track to have 41 attack boats by 2029. The Chinese, meanwhile would have “at least 70, and they’re building,” Mulloy said. “You get back into the whole quality versus quantity issue, but at the same time the Russians are also building. . . and they build much higher-end submarines.”

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WNU Editor: 2029 is far away in the future. Anything can happen between then and now.

Was Life Better For Iraqis Under Saddam Hussein?

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein admires a photograph of himself during an exhibition of gifts on June 2001. The photograph was presented to him for his birthday on April 28, 2001, by the Iraqi Information Ministry. (photo by REUTERS)

Adnan Abu Zeed, Al-Monitor: Were Iraqis really better off under Saddam?

BAGHDAD — The Baath regime led by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein collapsed in September 2003 in the wake of the US invasion. Iraq has been uneasy ever since and has yet to recover. Every now and then, voices are heard measuring the current security chaos against the relative stability of Saddam’s rule (1979-2003).

But whose voices are they, really?

Saddam is remembered amid Iraq's current state of the deteriorating political, security and economic situation. Citizens, cultural and political elites, and active politicians have compared post-Saddam governments to his regime.

In a Jan. 25 interview conducted with Asharq Al-Awsat, former Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi (2014-15) said, “Iraqis are nostalgic for Saddam’s days,” in a reference to the worsening situation in the country and the political rift.

That statement might seem hasty, but amid the heated political environment, it fuels tension and leads to finger-pointing. We have often heard that Saddam’s men or the Baathists are the ones making the comparison. Many Iraqi media outlets, such as Al-Masalah website, noted that Allawi’s statement has “dubious" motives and that Allawi is paving the way for the return of the Baath Party. Parliament members discussed Feb. 8 a decision to ban the Baath Party; however, this matter has yet to be settled.

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WNU Editor: For the Sunni population life was better under Saddam .... for the Kurds it was hell. I guess it depends on who you ask.

Has Syrian President Assad Won The War?

Robert Fulford, National Post: Assad’s victory is at hand

More than a quarter of a million Syrians have been killed since the Arab Spring of 2011 set the stage for the civil war in Syria. About 11 million other Syrians have been forced from their homes by the fighting. About four million have left the country in an attempt to find safety elsewhere. As a UN report recently put it, Syria is a “fractured state on the brink of collapse.”

Russia and the U.S. have jointly announced that a cessation of hostilities in Syria will, probably, come into effect at midnight Friday. Russia has agreed to convince the Syrian government and its Iranian allies to stop fighting. The U.S. has agreed to get a similar undertaking from the factions that, with some U.S. help, have been fighting against the Syrian government.

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WNU Editor: After five years of war Assad is still alive .... if that is the metric that is used in gauging success and victory .... then he has been victorious. But the future is still not set .... there are many who want him dead for the misery and suffering that he has caused, and I will not be surprised if one day someone will finally "get to him". So yes .... victory is at hand for him, but the costs of this war will continue long after it is over.

Growing Intrigue In The Kremlin

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

A Mi-8 helicopter during Su-34, Su-27 and MiG-29 aircraft during the aerial rehearsal of the May 9 Victory Parade in Moscow. © Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovich

Stratfor: Analysis: The Kremlin's Cracks Are All-Too Familiar

Summary

Feb. 27 marks the anniversary of the assassination of Russian opposition heavyweight Boris Nemtsov. His killing sparked two weeks of intrigue in Russia's top political circles, laying bare previously obscured Kremlin infighting and putting President Vladimir Putin's continued control in question. The dispute, which went far beyond the death of one opposition leader or even broad factional competition, was in fact a struggle over who controls Russia's future. In this it mirrored a three-year period of division in the early 1920s that ended in a leadership transition and set the trajectory of the Soviet Union.

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WNU Editor: There is a lot to digest in this analysis. What's my take .... everyone is now positioning themselves for the day when Putin is no longer in office. Loyalties and alliances are being formed (or strengthened), and while the focus is on what is happening in Moscow, regional politics are also  playing an important role. And while there may be some similarities to the era of the 1920s .... no one is thinking of a return to those days. I will be commenting more on this Startfor analysis later tonight on this post.

Hat Tip James for this link.

Will The Republican Party Stop Donald Trump?

New York Times: Inside the Republican Party’s Desperate Mission to Stop Donald Trump

The scenario Karl Rove outlined was bleak.

Addressing a luncheon of Republican governors and donors in Washington on Feb. 19, he warned that Donald J. Trump’s increasingly likely nomination would be catastrophic, dooming the party in November. But Mr. Rove, the master strategist of George W. Bush’s campaigns, insisted it was not too late for them to stop Mr. Trump, according to three people present.

At a meeting of Republican governors the next morning, Paul R. LePage of Maine called for action. Seated at a long boardroom table at the Willard Hotel, he erupted in frustration over the state of the 2016 race, saying Mr. Trump’s nomination would deeply wound the Republican Party. Mr. LePage urged the governors to draft an open letter “to the people,” disavowing Mr. Trump and his divisive brand of politics.

The suggestion was not taken up. Since then, Mr. Trump has only gotten stronger, winning two more state contests and collecting the endorsement of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.

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Update: Did Christie just spark 'draft Romney' move? (The Hill)

WNU Editor: This is all interesting .... if true. But what I find strange is that instead of trying to understand why Trump is appealing to so many voters, it appears that many in the Republican "establishment" have decided that it would best serve their interests if they take him down. My prediction .... the Republican establishment in Washington were ineffective in stopping President Obama's agenda .... they will also be ineffective against Trump. In the end .... the ones who will decide on who will be President will be the voters come November .... but in the meantime .... for someone who is outside from all of this .... it is an interesting political show to watch.