Iraq and other wars

(Reuters) "U.S. and Iraqi troops will soon launch a major sweep in the Shi'ite militia bastion of Sadr City, military officials said on Thursday."

(The goal is to set up a "joint security station" in Sadr City. As long as the Mahdi stays demobilized, that's not too big a deal, but if things turn ugly that joint security station will be the worst place in Iraq. The mayor of Sadr City attended the meeting.)

AFP looks at the Iraqi released casualty numbers. (Feb is 10% shorter than January, so an 8% fall isn't really there. 3 times last year's number, twice as many Iraqi forces killed as January.)

(AP) A Sunni group claimed Friday that it kidnapped 18 government workers and soldiers in retaliation for the alleged rape of a Sunni woman.

Afghanistan: (NYTimes) Pakistan seizes Taleban number 3, (yes, another number 3.) “He’s a big fish, but nobody around here thinks this will deal a permanent blow to the operations of the Taliban,” said one American government official. (How long until the Pakistanis release him?)

(BBC) A Pakistani "anti-terror judge" was injured by a roadside bomb. "Two of Judge Bhatti's guards and his driver were killed."

(AP) "American forces on Afghanistan's eastern border routinely fire upon and pursue Taliban enemies into Pakistan, defense officials told Congress on Thursday, offering the most detailed description to date of U.S. action in that region."

(WaPo) Nearly 90 percent of Army National Guard units in the United States are rated "not ready."