Iraq

(Reuters) Iraqi forces are conducting a "crackdown" in oil rich Kirkuk. (I'm so sick of the now meaningless phrase "crackdown.")

Kirkuk is heating up, and, as both the AP and Reuters version note, Tal Afar is heating up as well. (Baqouba, too, although it's not mentioned here.)

Saturday's car bomb attack in Tal Afar was the fourth suicide car bombing on an army or police checkpoint in the town since the start of the holy month two weeks ago.

The town has been largely free of violence since U.S.-led forces drove out al Qaeda militants in a 2005 offensive. In March, President Bush cited Tal Afar as an example of progress being made in Iraq.

I would argue that this is an inevitable outgrowth of the shift in US policy to pull so many troops into Baghdad.

(AFP) Death of a soldier: US losses mount in Battle of Baghdad. (Read the first section.)

(UPI) The US has "no idea" the level of militia infiltration in the security forces, and more details on the Iraqi brigade that was taken "offline."

And, Duck! After all the threats and statements, I don't put much stock in this, but it did grab my attention. (Indirectly from Al-Quds)

"The head of the Islamabad-based Al-Quds Media Centre has received an audio message from a senior Taliban leader in which he asked Muslims living in the US to leave the country as soon as possible “because God’s punishment would fall on America in the month of Ramazan.”