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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Quickhits - Iraq

A UN Report finds that over the last two months almost 6,000 Iraqis have died (3,000/month, 100/day,) with about the same number wounded. Make note that this figure is based on REPORTED deaths, and as the NYTimes included, "The figures do not include dead among the country’s security services." So, the floor on the number is 100/day. It's likely higher.

I heard this great NPR story in the car this morning, a snapshot of US troops working with Iraqi forces in South Baghdad.

The British detained a major figure within the Shia militia movement in Basra. I found this bit interesting,
Burbridge said the detained suspect was "believed to have been acting against the wishes of Sadr".

There have been a number of operations, involving U.S. and Iraqi forces, against Mehdi Army leaders this month. The targets, however, have mostly been rogue elements, Shi'ite sources say. Sadr has made no comment publicly on the arrests.


Iraqi
police found the head of a young woman near Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. A man was killed when a bomb planted under the head exploded as he was trying to take a photo of the head, police said.

I don't know why, but I found the story of Iraq's "ghost train" compelling.

Lastly, I think we should be encouraging the Iraqis to smoke Marijuana rather than arresting them for it. Stoners make very poor insurgents.

(And, again, I know I'm doing alot of Iraq right now, but I really have this feeling we're at another critical point. Maliki's settlement offer with the Sunnis appears to have completely collapsed, and the "security crackdown" in Baghdad seems to be having to effect whatsoever. Both of these were major efforts towards credibility and both seem to have failed miserably. What's next?)

4 Comments:

  • You should be doing a lot on Iraq these days, Mike. Not only is this story not getting enough coverage now that the Israel/Hezbollah conflict has knocked it off the front pages of the international sections of the newspapers, but it really does seem like a turning point has been reached - Iraq is officially a sausage factory that neither the Maliki gov't nor the U.S. military can control anymore.

    BTW, you're doing a great job of "connecting the dots" on all these stories in Iraq (to paraphrase Gingrich.)

    By Blogger Reality-Based Educator, at 5:51 PM  

  • Just having read intensively about the goings on in Iraq, it does feel to me like we're about at a breaking point. Not quite yet, but maybe one significant event away.

    There is no plan B, if the current measures don't work.


    And you mention the other reason I'm writing about it. US soldiers are dying presently in Iraq and CNN, etc is showing civilians getting on planes to relatively little threat in Lebanon.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 6:49 PM  

  • Yeah, it's a shame Brian Williams and the other media bigwigs can't head over to Baghdad after they get done in Beirut and Israel and broadcast from outside the Green Zone. Show Americans first hand just how much "progress" is being made in Iraq.

    But they won't go. They can't. It's too dangerous. And who can blame them? They don't want to end up like ABC's Woodruff and CBS' Dozier. I just wish they be more honest w/ the news from Iraq. As I think you noted in a previous post, Rod Norland from Newsweek has said the conditions in Iraq are much worse than is being reported.

    By Blogger Reality-Based Educator, at 8:20 PM  

  • I agree with you. I don't blame them at all for not going. When the old dog war correspondents like Nicholas Burns won't go out into Iraq, you know it's awful.

    And you won't get any argument from me about how bad Iraq is.

    Mike

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 2:00 PM  

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