Wesley Morgan
@wesleymorgan.bsky.social
Writing about America’s post-9/11 wars https://linktr.ee/wesleysmorgan Author of THE HARDEST PLACE (2021) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/227894/the-hardest-place-by-wesley-morgan/ Signal: https://tinyurl.com/kzmejtaw
All the other logos behind Jennifer Hegseth at the military families initiative announcement are like, the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Air Force, the 101st Airborne, the Special Forces, MARSOC. And then there’s Delta Force’s semi-official semi-secret insignia that they don’t wear on their uniforms
A third of an IDF infantry battalion mutinied at Sde Taiman last week, apparently over brigade commander’s insistence that they take down murals related to hazing (no direct connection to discontent over Gaza war, let alone ugly past of Sde Taiman) www.timesofisrael.com/14-givati-so...
Pembroke is a super cool castle in its own right, FYI. Built in the early 1200s by 1184-86 crusader veteran William Marshal and has an unusual dome on top of its circular keep that’s reminiscent of stuff you see in Turkey and the Levant.) castlestudiestrust.org/blog/2020/05...
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 2d agoRare to see two of my four all-time favorite subjects (Neanderthals, Welsh castles, GWOT, orange desserts) combined like this www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Rare to see two of my four all-time favorite subjects (Neanderthals, Welsh castles, GWOT, orange desserts) combined like this www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...
Digging for Neanderthals under a medieval Welsh castle
Unscathed by destructive Victorian-era excavations and modern tourism, Wogan Cavern may provide scientists with a glimpse into the lives of our earliest ancestors.
nationalgeographic.com
Update on the status of what was once Swedish Village in southern Gaza from @avischarf.bsky.social, including more recent Planet SkySat imagery and ground footage showing the whole area has been paved over: bsky.app/profile/avis...
Jake Godin@godin.bsky.social · 2mo agoSome notes from new June 10 SkySat imagery over Gaza from @planet.com: First, there's further clearing activity where Swedish Village once stood. Unclear what the clearing is for (perhaps a larger outpost). I shared an update earlier on the destruction of the village here: bsky.app/profile/godi...
Sami Sadat was US SOF’s favorite general in the later stages of the Afghan war: polished, English speaking, western degrees, etc. He’s also the general who, as the final ANA 215th Corps commander in 2021, ordered helicopters to strafe Taliban-controlled markets in Helmand as collective punishment.
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 3d agoI read “The Sympathizer,” I have an idea where this is headed thekabultribune.com/en/0010566
I read “The Sympathizer,” I have an idea where this is headed thekabultribune.com/en/0010566
Sami Sadat Seeks Political Support from U.S., NATO After Claiming Armed Operations in Kandahar
Gen.Sami Sadat, head of the United Front of Afghanistan, has called on the United States, NATO and other countries to provide “political” support following reports of the group’s armed activities in K...
thekabultribune.com
Our latest visual investigation indicates the U.S. dropped a 2,000-pound bomb on a residential area on Qeshm Island in southern Iran, killing a 2-year-old and his parents. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/w...
Evidence Indicates U.S. Dropped Bomb on Residential Area in Iran, Killing 3 Civilians (Gift Article)
The weapon, one of the largest in the U.S.’s arsenal, struck a house in a heavily populated area, according to a Times analysis.
nytimes.com
Had a dream where Ice Cube was rapping and the three things I remember him saying were “party,” “the army,” and “Shibari”
Well, I’ve been to Benihana now, with some friends who are extreme enthusiasts. I’m sorry to say my experience didn’t match. Made me think of the old knight in Indiana Jones: tired and ailing and yearning for relief, while still nobly going through the motions of time-honored duty for the faithful
Breaking news: we now know the identity of the person the Trump DOJ is trying to deport with a never-before-used "Alien Terrorist Removal Court." It's Nazira Haji Zada, the mother of one of the Afghan men who were convicted of plotting an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day 2024.
For those surprised by this, worth noting that the only years since 1997 when the US *hasn't* bombed targets in Iraq were 2012, 2013, and 2022 (and there are some indications there may have been unannounced strikes in 2022). At least monthly strikes through July 2021; strikes on at least...
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 7d agoIt's been a few days since the US bombed Iran, but it struck multiple Shiite militia targets in Iraq yesterday. DOD has stopped announcing strike numbers, but the militias say the strikes spanned *7 provinces.* That would mean the widest-ranging US strikes in Iraq since at least 2020.
In 2026 so far, the Trump admin has bombed: —Iran—14,000+ strikes; 1 JSOC mission —Somalia—strikes on 66 days —Caribbean/E. Pacific—31 strikes —Iraq—strikes on 26+ days —Syria—strikes on 18 days —Arabian Sea—9 strikes —Nigeria—strikes on 3 days; 1 JSOC raid —Venezuela—strikes on 2 days; 1 JSOC raid
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 7mo agoYear-end tally of Trump admin combat actions in 2025: —Yemen—1,000+ strikes* —Somalia—140+ strikes, 1 ground raid** —Syria—78+ strikes, 3 ground raids*** —Iran—3 B-2 strikes —Iraq—1 strike —Nigeria—1 set of TLAM strikes —Caribbean—11 strikes —Eastern Pacific—20 strikes —Venezuela—1 known CIA strike
It's been a few days since the US bombed Iran, but it struck multiple Shiite militia targets in Iraq yesterday. DOD has stopped announcing strike numbers, but the militias say the strikes spanned *7 provinces.* That would mean the widest-ranging US strikes in Iraq since at least 2020.
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · 4mo agoImpossible to know the numbers since CENTCOM is not announcing them—or even to be certain that these are US strikes and not Israeli ones—but it seems a US strike campaign against Iraqi PMF is heating up. Two strikes in two days on a PMF base in Anbar, and yesterday a strike was also reported...
Two of the weirdest Army helicopters, the H-37 and H-21, right in one shot. Unfortunate that the surplus of Hueys available for Vietnam movies has caused the Huey to supplant in the popular memory of the war all the other strange species that were flying around in the early years
After the trailers at the Landmark theater on U Street last night, they played this annoying Anthropic ad with the tasteful serifed fonts meant to convince you that they’re good guys (the one that starts creepy and gloomy and then turns happy) One person booed, and then the whole theater booed
New Anthropic Ad Implies AI Could Kill Us All
A new commercial from Anthropic about asking the "hard questions" about AI implies that the tech could kill us all.
futurism.com
In Xanadu, did Kublai Khan a stately pleasure dome decree... This summer... One man. One impossible dream... "but at what cost?" Kenneth Branagh, Tilda Swinton, John Turturro <<haunting whisper>> "For he on honey-dew hath fed... and drunk the milk of Paradise..." KUBLAI KHAN: XANADU
Jesse Hawken@jessehawken.bsky.social · last wk.Studio execs are going to want to adapt more poems for the big screen now
Sentinel-2 imagery taken over the past 10 days in southern Lebanon shows continued mass demolitions in villages in IDF-occupied territory. Haddatha, Beit Yahoun & Kounine, north of Bint Jbeil, all show signs of large-scale demolitions between July 18 & July 28 (in addition to previous demolitions).
Jake Godin@godin.bsky.social · 3w agoThis is the area around Baraachit as seen in June 25 and July 15 Sentinel-2 imagery. Both of the villages of Haddatha and Beit Yahoun show signs of heavy demolition/destruction. They were both previously outside the Yellow Line before it was extended last month.
This—from Wes Moore on the things he’s said about his military service that turned out not to be true—is the same logic Tim Kennedy used to suggest that because his book went through Army *security* review, it had an Army seal of *factual* approval. But that’s not something the Army does!
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · last mo.Moore said 1SG “Meister’s death had a significant impact on him because of their friendship and because Moore had helped support the PRT team’s movement that day.” But that day “Moore was home…on emergency leave” and his supervisor says “there was no plausible way Moore could have known Meister.”
This—from Wes Moore on the things he’s said about his military service that turned out not to be true—is the same logic Tim Kennedy used to suggest that because his book went through Army *security* review, it had an Army seal of *factual* approval. But that’s not something the Army does!
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · last mo.Moore said 1SG “Meister’s death had a significant impact on him because of their friendship and because Moore had helped support the PRT team’s movement that day.” But that day “Moore was home…on emergency leave” and his supervisor says “there was no plausible way Moore could have known Meister.”
@hoosierhomer.bsky.social lol at your new profile name…I’ve been *meaning* to read Crucible of War literally since it came out, when I was a kid and my dad read. My big unaccomplished 2020 covid goal.
Al-Qahtani was largely unknown to most everyone outside of Afghanistan or those hunting for him, but his successful targeting is arguably among the most important kills of the entire war. His potential impact as leader of a future Al-Qaeda or related movement will (thankfully) never be known
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · last yr.In Oct 2016, JSOC finally killed its no. 1 Afg target, Farouq al-Qahtani, aka OBJ Smokescreen, in a drone strike in the Helgal valley. DOD made no mention of civilian casualties, but al-Qaida alleged that his family died with him. Intelligence personnel involved confirmed to me that this was true.
Missed this last fall: in al-Qaida’s 9/11 24th anniversary video, it released what I think is the only publicly available photo of Farouq al-Qahtani, who the CIA and JSOC viewed as the top AQ figure in Afg and its no. 2 most dangerous figure (after Ibrahim al-Asiri) between 2011 and 2016.
Wesley Morgan@wesleymorgan.bsky.social · last yr.In Oct 2016, JSOC finally killed its no. 1 Afg target, Farouq al-Qahtani, aka OBJ Smokescreen, in a drone strike in the Helgal valley. DOD made no mention of civilian casualties, but al-Qaida alleged that his family died with him. Intelligence personnel involved confirmed to me that this was true.
Every single time I see the JBL logo, for a split second I think it says UBL
isla@demomolos.bsky.social · last wk.zero dark thirty raid but on the factory making Bluetooth JBL speakers
"What am I reading lately" hmm uhh. Wikipedia entry list of Mesopotamian deities. Wikipedia entry list of fire deities. Wikipedia entry list of wind deities. Wikipedia entry Cambrian explosion. Wikipedia entry Greek primordial deities. That's the main stuff right now. And lots of their hyperlinks
