Iraq

(Reuters) "Attacks in Iraq last month reached their highest daily average since May 2003, showing a surge in violence as President George W. Bush completed a buildup of U.S. troops, Pentagon statistics show.....

The June numbers showed 5,335 attacks against coalition troops, Iraqi security forces, civilians and infrastructure..... the average daily number of attacks was 177.8, higher than the 176.5 last October and 173.1 in May."

(AP) "Iraq's national security adviser expressed doubt Friday that Iraqi forces will be able to assume security control of the whole country by the end of the year, a goal of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government."

A Reuters article accepts the propaganda that "the surge" didn't start until June, "The so-called "surge" force has been in place for about a month, but Democrats and some Republicans have stepped up calls for a strategy change leading to withdrawal."

(CNN) Lt. Gen Odierno is forced to "clarify" his remarks about needing until November to issue an assessment.

(TimesOnline) A very interesting "slice of life" piece on the multiple, daily indirect fire sirens.

(Reuters) New UN ambassador Khalilzad makes a plea to the UN to "to play an expanded role in Iraq as a mediator both internally and with neighboring countries." (Please talk to Iran for us.)

And, (Youtube) MadMustard found a slightly edited version of the CNN/Michael Ware video showing some of the tactics of the Sunni tribal groups. (In the earlier version, there was a segment about these "tribal forces" turning on and slaughtering Shia civilians.)