Iraq - So that's what victory looks like
(AP) "The U.S. military will likely maintain or possibly even increase the current force levels of more than 140,000 troops in Iraq through next spring, the top US. commander in the Middle East (Gen. John Abizaid) said Tuesday in one of the gloomiest assessments yet of how quickly American forces can be brought home." (There are currently 147,000 troops in Iraq that we were told were just last Thursday were part of a rotation, not permanent.)
(AP) "The Iraqi army's 4th division took over operational control of central Salahuddin province on Monday from the U.S.-led coalition, the government said." (Salahuddin province is a Sunni insurgent stronghold containing the cities Samarra and Tikrit. It's not quiet. So is this a search for troops in a Sunni hotspot? Unlike the previous handover, the US is maintaining it's base and continuing operations.)
(Reuters) "Iraq's entire police force will undergo a month-long re-training course, an Interior Ministry official said on Monday, under a plan American officials hope will weed out sectarian death squads infiltrated in its ranks. "
(AP) "The Iraqi government said Tuesday it will shut down all offices belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, around the country." (The PKK is responsible for the terror attacks in Turkey and Iran. No word on whether their political arm, the PUK, will be shut down as well. I don't think this will go down well if Maliki is serious.)
(AP) "U.S. soldiers trying to win back Baghdad's streets say they have been surprised by the power and popularity of Shiite militias, whose presence they view as a major obstacle to curbing violence in the city."
(Times Online) SCIRI has started a system of "neighborhood watch" groups. The Sunnis accuse them of acting as intelligence for the death squads, Sadr sees it as an effort to encroach on his territory.
(Bloomberg) "Iraq is in danger of sliding into civil war and its government and the international community must do more to pull it back from the brink, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said."
Later: (AP) Maliki replaced the chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein. Maliki is struggling to stay on top of the Shia majority.
(AP) "The Iraqi army's 4th division took over operational control of central Salahuddin province on Monday from the U.S.-led coalition, the government said." (Salahuddin province is a Sunni insurgent stronghold containing the cities Samarra and Tikrit. It's not quiet. So is this a search for troops in a Sunni hotspot? Unlike the previous handover, the US is maintaining it's base and continuing operations.)
(Reuters) "Iraq's entire police force will undergo a month-long re-training course, an Interior Ministry official said on Monday, under a plan American officials hope will weed out sectarian death squads infiltrated in its ranks. "
(AP) "The Iraqi government said Tuesday it will shut down all offices belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, around the country." (The PKK is responsible for the terror attacks in Turkey and Iran. No word on whether their political arm, the PUK, will be shut down as well. I don't think this will go down well if Maliki is serious.)
(AP) "U.S. soldiers trying to win back Baghdad's streets say they have been surprised by the power and popularity of Shiite militias, whose presence they view as a major obstacle to curbing violence in the city."
(Times Online) SCIRI has started a system of "neighborhood watch" groups. The Sunnis accuse them of acting as intelligence for the death squads, Sadr sees it as an effort to encroach on his territory.
(Bloomberg) "Iraq is in danger of sliding into civil war and its government and the international community must do more to pull it back from the brink, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said."
Later: (AP) Maliki replaced the chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein. Maliki is struggling to stay on top of the Shia majority.
posted by mikevotes at
11:07 AM
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