Iraq

(Reuters) "Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki proposed on Wednesday forming a cabinet of technocrats to replace his splintering national unity government and called for greater powers to push through his nominations." (If you give Maliki more power, he promises to be non-sectarian.)

(AP) Two more Sistani aides have been killed making it 5 since June. (Still not clear who is behind this.)

(BBC) The US says they have arrested an Iranian Quds officer in Sulaimaniya (NE Kurdish) who has been involved in transporting improvised explosive devices.

(AP) "The U.S. second-in-command in Iraq said Thursday that violence was down in Baghdad following the seven-month security operation in Baghdad, but that too many civilians are still dying."

(AP) An interesting interpretation of the new Sunni cooperation in Baghdad. (Please protect us from the Shia government you created.)

(NYTimes) The Cholera epidemic has reached Baghdad and Basra. (As the only cure is clean water, it's likely to get far, far worse. The US has limited chlorine after the chlorine bombs last year.)

And, Juan Cole has some Iraqi politics. Maliki accuses Allawi of secret talks with Baath guerillas. Two members of Allawi's coalition withdraw, and Sunni VP Tariq Hashemi says that "Iraqi politicians are maneuvering to call a vote of no confidence in the al-Maliki government."

In "the Other War," (WaPo) U.S. Army Gen. Dan K. McNeill "said Thursday that a shipment of weapons intercepted by international forces in western Afghanistan this month clearly came from Iran and almost certainly was sent here with the knowledge of "at least the Iranian military.""