THE US, THE UN AND IRAQ, ELEVENTH THREAD

Rama, Be realistic! I am only one citizen with one vote. My influence doesn't go beyond my personal vote. Even my wife votes differently from me .

Baghdad

3 unidentified bodies were found in Baghdad today by Iraqi Police. 2 in Saidiyah and 1 in Kamaliyah.

Diyala

A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt detonated at the entrance of Shefta husseiniyah at around 05:00 pm killing 12, injuring 16.

Mosul

Gunmen exploded a primary school on the right bank in al-Intisar neighbourhood, east Mosul, late this afternoon. No casualties were reported.

An abandoned carbomb explodes on the left bank of Mosul (west Mosul), in al-Shifaa neighbourhood near al-Tahira church causing the death of 1 policeman and the injury of 1 woman and damage to the outer wall of the church.

Salahuddin

1 policeman killed during clashes with gunmen late last night.

Basra

One of the representatives of Ayatollah al-Sistani in Basra, Sheikh Mohammed Felek escapes from an assassination attempt as gunmen driving two modern cars open fire upon him in al-Zubair city, west Basra at 09:00 this evening.

1 policeman killed and another injured as gunmen open fire upon them near Ibn al-Jawzi shrine, 2 km to the south of Basra city this evening.

2008 McClatchy Newspapers

Baghdad

2 civilians killed and 4 injured as IED targets US convoy in Ur neighbourhood, east Baghdad, at around 11:00 this morning. No American casualties were reported.

Basra

Clash between gunmen and Iraqi security forces at a checkpoint in al-Jumhuriyah neighbourhood, downtown Basra, left a number of wounded including 2 soldiers, at 1:30 pm. The gunmen were stopped at the checkpoint because of the ban on vehicles, then they started shooting, witnesses said, and that started a gun battle in which a number of civilians were wounded by random fire. Police have not reported number of casualties yet. An official of the Sdarist office in Basra, Sheikh Ali al-Seaedi, denied any relation of the Sadrists to this incident. . He added that the gunmen were followers of Ahmed Bin Hasen al-Kufi, who alleges to be a descendant of the Immam al-Mahdi.

2008 McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON ?- Against the backdrop of the improved security situation in Iraq, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced Thursday a shift in U.S. strategy that will require an extended U.S. presence in Iraq, although with fewer troops.

Gates and top uniformed officers sketched out a plan that runs counter to pledges by Democratic presidential contenders to bring about a rapid drawdown of the U.S. military presence in Iraq. One candidate, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, called for the withdrawal of nearly all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of 2009.

Gates and the uniformed military leadership said a smaller U.S. presence will be needed for the foreseeable future to provide support for Iraqi forces. They didn't go as far as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., however, who says that U.S. troops may be stationed in Iraq for decades or even a century.

"We'll have some people here, if the government of Iraq wants it, for some period of time. That could be five to 10 years. But it will not be at the levels we're at now. I don't believe that that will be necessary," said Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, during a teleconference from Baghdad.

Escalation has ?'sucked all the flexibility' out of the system.In an interview this week, Army Chief of Staff George Casey said the high troop levels in Iraq are causing growing manpower strains on the Army. The Wall Street Journal reports that Casey offered this candid assessment:

"The surge has sucked all of the flexibility out of the system," Army Chief of Staff George Casey said in an interview this week. "And we need to find a way of getting back into balance."

UPDATE: Lawrence Korb and Brian Katulis: "After the Surge: U.S. Army Chief of Staff Case Is Right to Be Worried"

General: Iraqi forces far from ready

U.S. commander says troops are a long way from becoming self-sufficient


The Associated Press
updated 11:57 a.m. ET, Thurs., Jan. 17, 2008

WASHINGTON - A senior military commander told a House panel on Thursday that Iraq's security forces are on track to add another 80,000 personnel by the end of the year, putting them well within reach of their goal of more than 600,000. He said the forces are still a long way from becoming self-sufficient.

Lt. Gen. James Dubik, head of the Multi-National Security Transition Command, said the Iraqi defense minister has stressed to him that the country probably won't assume responsibility for internal security until as late as 2012. Also, it would be unable to defend its borders until at least 2018.

There are "positive signs, indeed, and steps forward, but the truth is that they simply cannot fix, supply, arm or fuel themselves completely enough at this point," Dubik told the House Armed Services Committee.

At a a news conference Thursday, Army Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, said, "In terms of them being able to fight, they've really increased their capacity to do that."

"What has not yet caught up with that is equipping" the Iraqis, Odierno told Pentagon reporters by video conference from Iraq. He said Iraqi forces also need U.S. help with logistics.

More gear, training needed
In private discussions, Dubik said, the Iraq defense minister ?- Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi ?- continually raises the point that the Iraqis need to buy more air and fire support, helicopters and logistics equipment. These purchases will likely take several years, and training Iraqi soldiers and other personnel on the new equipment will take more time after that, he said.

In advance of an industry summit in Dubai next month, al-Obeidi has released a shopping list of necessary items. The list includes ground vehicles, helicopters, tanks, artillery and armored personnel carriers.

Last year, the U.S. spent about $5.5 billion to train and equip Iraqi security forces, while the Iraqis designated $7.5 billion. Mark Kimmitt, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said he expects the Iraqis will devote $9 billion this year to the effort and the U.S. will contribute $3 billion.

Rep. Ike Skelton, the Democratic chairman of the panel, said he is worried that while Iraqi forces get up to speed, U.S. troops will become worn out.

"Security in Iraq has improved over the past year, due to the heroic efforts of our troops. ... But the question now is how do we sustain it?" Skelton asked.

'No number on the refrigerator'
The training and equipping of Iraqi security forces has long been considered the linchpin in the Bush administration's exit strategy in Iraq. But the public and members of Congress, including many Republicans, have said they want to know there's light at the end of the tunnel.

"I think most Americans would like to have on their refrigerator a chart they can follow that speaks to when we can get out," said Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md.

Dubik responded: "When I talk to my dad about these kinds of things, my advice to him is put no number on the refrigerator."

"Does that mean we'll be there forever?" asked Bartlett. He later noted the U.S. long-term presence in South Korea.

"I don't think people have any stomach for that," Bartlett said.

Dubik said the U.S. has already begun to reduce the number of brigades and will continue to do so as the Iraqis assume more control. But the goal must be not to lose ground, "so that the successes that we fought for, we can retain and leave in such a way that the job is complete," he said.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that "all available evidence" shows U.S. plans to withdraw five combat brigades through next summer remain on track ?- which would bring the overall troop level to about 130,000.

Gates said evaluations of conditions on the ground from Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander, later this year would determine whether further withdrawals can be made in 2008. The defense secretary said he remains hopeful that "the pace of the drawdowns in the first half of the year will continue in the second half of the year."

Previously, Gates has expressed hopes that the U.S. military presence in Iraq can drop to around 100,000 troops before President Bush leaves office.


'In the fight'
Iraqi security forces, which now comprise about 500,000 personnel, have grown substantially in the past six months, Dubik said. In the past year, the army has added 55,000 soldiers to its ranks and 15 more combat battalions have taken the lead in combat operations. The national police have grown by 7,500.

"They're in the fight," he said. "They take casualties two or three times of the coalition force."

Still, the burgeoning force remains plagued by numerous issues, including a large absentee rate with 23 percent gone at any one point. Also, the Iraqi army lacks enough midlevel officers needed to lead units. Equipment and infrastructure also are lacking, particularly a logistics system that can sustain combat units with such necessities as food and fuel.

In September, an independent panel led by retired Gen. James Jones recommended handing off more combat missions to the Iraqis this year. It also recommended scrapping Baghdad's national police force because of corruption and sectarian interests among its members.

Dubik said that since the panel's visit to Iraq, the national police force has undergone significant leadership changes. Also, the Iraqi minister of interior has been "very aggressive" in pursuing corruption cases, he said. Some 6,000 recent internal affairs investigations have resulted in approximately 1,200 firings and 500 disciplinary actions.

Rama, Be realistic! I am only one citizen with one vote. My influence doesn't go beyond my personal vote. Even my wife votes differently from me.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Members of an obscure messianic cult fought pitched battles Friday with Iraqi security forces in two southern cities, leaving at least 80 people dead, injuring scores and spreading panic among worshipers marking Shiite Islam's holiest holiday.

The clashes, which erupted as worshipers marched, chanted and beat their chests in Basra and Nasiriya, represented the first major test for Iraqi security forces since Britain completed a transfer of responsibility for security in the region in December.

Members of the cult, which calls itself the Supporters of Mahdi, mingled with the crowds in at least three sections of Basra and in Nasiriya, then fired shots at worshipers and the security forces, police and witnesses said.

BAGHDAD (AP) ?- A powerful Shiite politician accused the Iraqi government and legislators of allowing "personal whims" to delay national unity, addressing thousands of worshippers who rallied Friday to commemorate the death of one of the most revered saints.

The criticism in Baghdad by Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the head of parliament's largest Shiite political bloc, was among the strongest to date and came on the eve of the culmination of Ashoura, the most important holiday on the Shiite calendar.

More than a week of Ashoura observances are scheduled to climax Friday night through midday Saturday. Activities surrounding the commemorations have been marred by violence, with a suicide bomber striking worshippers on Thursday, killing at least 11 and wounded 15 at a mosque in violent Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.

With security tight, pilgrims poured into the Shiite holy city of Karbala, home to the tomb of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad's grandson who was killed during a seventh century battle in the area. He also is the most beloved of Shiite saints.

People lined up to be searched at the entrance of the twin shrines of Hussein and his brother Abbas. Tents providing tea, milk, food and first aid filled the streets outside.

A series of bombings in recent weeks have raised concerns about the sustainability of security gains made over the past six months. Critics have accused Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shiite-led government of failing to take advantage of the nationwide decline in violence to embrace minority Sunnis and make progress on the political front.

BAGHDAD ?- Government troops in southern Iraq fought with a millennial religious militia group on Friday in clashes that left more than 40 people dead, but the troops successfully protected millions of pilgrims on the first day of Ashura, the largest religious holiday for Iraq's Shiite majority and one frequently marred by violence.

The holiday, when pilgrims travel to the sacred city of Karbala, coincided with new criticism of the Iraqi government and Parliament from both a leading Shiite party that until now had backed the government and from a former political ally, the anti-American Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr. He signaled that he might allow his militia to become active at the end of February after a yearlong freeze.

Lifting the freeze could have troubling consequences for the American military, which has been able to use the calm to focus on those Shiite insurgents, most of whom it believes are linked to Iran, who have ignored the freeze. The Americans have also used the calm to stabilize Sunni and mixed neighborhoods in the Baghdad area. Since the freeze, the number of bodies found daily in Baghdad neighborhoods as a result of sectarian killings has dropped to about three after months of dozens being found.

Mr. Sadr's spokesman, Saleh al-Obaidi, said that in several provinces Mr. Sadr's militia had been unfairly singled out and that many had been detained but not charged by members of the Iraqi security forces. However, he said no final decision had yet been made to lift the freeze.

"Many officers in the Iraqi police and army and have made bad use of the freeze to pressure our people, and hundreds of families have been pushed out of their homes," Mr. Obaidi said. "We've been thinking of renewing the freeze. We understand the situation, we are in a period of trying to rebuild Iraq and bring more security, but unfortunately our people are suffering."

The backdrop to the conflict is the longstanding struggle for power in the predominantly Shiite south of Iraq between followers of Mr. Sadr and followers of the Shiite cleric Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. Both are from clerical families that boast a lineage of revered, martyred ayatollahs. Both have militias linked to them. The party led by Mr. Hakim, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, has a wing of fighters trained by Iran's Quds Force, an elite element of the Revolutionary Guard. They no longer function as an independent militia, but many have joined the police and have singled out members of Mr. Sadr's militia, the Mahdi Army.

Mahdi militia members had been accused of acting as death squads, ousting thousands of Sunnis from their homes as well as targeting American and Iraqi government soldiers. However, some of the recent fights between them in the south have appeared to be about little more than which one will control a neighborhood or city.

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's government is at a stalemate. As in the United States, there is much discussion here of the need for political reconciliation. What does that mean? That the majority Shiites and the minority Sunnis and Kurds must find a way to govern collectively at the national level. As national security adviser to the head of Iraq's governments since March 2004, I have participated in the development of democracy in my country. I strongly support the government and applaud its achievements. But I understand that the political objectives of Iraq's three main communities are unrealizable within the framework of a unitary, centralized state.

It has been impossible to maintain a political consensus on many important issues. For one thing, the U.S.-dominated coalition, which has its own objectives, must be accommodated. The regional "superpowers" (Iran and Saudi Arabia) meddle in Iraq's affairs, and their own sectarian tensions are reflected in the violence here. The absence of truly national political parties and leadership that reach the Iraqi people exacerbates the problem.

Overall, Shiites see their future based on two fundamental "rights": Power must be exercised by the political majority through control of governmental institutions, and institutional sectarian discrimination must be eliminated. Kurds see their future bound to their "rights" of linguistic, cultural, financial and resource control within Kurdistan. Sunni Arabs are driven by resistance to their loss of power, as well as fear of revenge for past wrongs and the potential for reverse discrimination.

The current political framework is based on a pluralistic democratic vision that, while admirable, is entirely unsuited to resolving this three-way divide. It ignores underlying issues and expects that a consensus will emerge simply by enacting a liberal constitutional legal order.

Pluralistic democracy will not take root unless the national political compact recognizes and accommodates the fears and aspirations of Iraq's communities. Resolution can be achieved only through a system that incorporates regional federalism, with clear, mutually acceptable distributions of power between the regions and the central government. Such a system is in the interest of all Iraqis and is necessary if Iraq is to avoid partition or further civil strife.

Only through a new political compact among Iraq's main communities will a viable state emerge. A key condition for success is that the balance of power should tip decisively to the regions on all matters that do not compromise the integrity of the state. The central institutions must earn their legitimacy from the power that the three main ethnic groups are prepared to give them. Iraq needs a period during which the Shiites and the Kurds achieve political control over their destinies while the Sunni Arab community is secure from the feared tyranny of the majority.

re. ican's explanation of "sorosaisms " .

it would have been easier and less space-consuming if he had stated :
"sorosaisms is responsible for all the troubles in this world ! " .
there would have been no need to elaborate .
hbg(in a mellow mood because the sun is shining and he doesn't believe in "sorosaisms")

hamburger wrote:

re. ican's explanation of "sorosaisms " .

it would have been easier and less space-consuming if he had stated :
"sorosaisms is responsible for all the troubles in this world ! " .
there would have been no need to elaborate .
hbg(in a mellow mood because the sun is shining and he doesn't believe in "sorosaisms")

Sorosaisms are not responsible for all the troubles in the world.

Sorosaisms are responsible for all the malarkey presented about the troubles in Iraq by much of the news media.

BAGHDAD ?- A police raid Saturday on an extremist Shiite Muslim mosque thought to be the headquarters of an extremist cult capped a weekend of violence in southern Iraq, while elsewhere tensions between Iraq's Shiite-led government and renegade Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr continued to escalate.

Iraq's national security advisor said he was briefly taken hostage Saturday in a Baghdad mosque and implied that his captors were Sadr supporters. Mowaffak al Rubaie was released only after Iraq's interior minister, who oversees the police, intervened.

In an e-mail to McClatchy, Rubaie said that Sadr's followers "used the same tactics that they used before on Abdul Majid al Khoei." Sadrists were accused of fatally stabbing Khoei, a moderate young Shiite cleric who was considered a rival to Sadr, in 2003. A warrant for Sadr was issued in 2004, but it's never been executed, and he's denied any involvement.

On Friday, a spokesman for Sadr warned that the cleric might not extend a six-month cease-fire by his Mahdi Army militia, which U.S. officials say has contributed to the reduction in violence in Iraq. In a statement, Salah al Obeidi charged that rival Shiite militias have infiltrated Iraq's security forces and that some senior security officials remain in their jobs although they've been charged with human rights offenses.

- Around 10 a.m. two mortar shells slammed into Al Shoala neighborhood, minutes later another two mortar shells hit Al Ghazaliyah neighborhood. No casualties were reported.

- A bomb exploded inside a restaurant in Sadr city, killing one and injuring 13.

- Police found two bodies in Baghdad, one in Dora and one camp sara.

Kirkuk

- Two roadside bombs targeted mourning Ashura pilgrims in Kirkuk. The first explosion was near Al Adham mosque in southern Kirkuk. The second bomb was in the same neighborhood, two men were killed and six were injured, police said. A curfew was imposed in the city.

- Two gunmen were killed as they were setting a bomb inside a building in Al Multaqa town south of Kirkuk. Police said the bomb exploded killing the two.

Nineveh

- A rocket slammed into the northern city of Talafar, killing seven and injuring twenty people.

Al Anbar

- Three suicide bombers wearing bomb vests attacked a police checkpoint near Al Ubeidi police station in eastern Ramadi, two of the vests exploded killing six policemen and injuring 13. The third suicide bomber's vest didn't explode and police detained him, Iraqi police said.

Diyala

- A roadside bomb targeted a police vehicle in Khaniqeen, east of Baquba, injuring two police officers.

- A roadside bomb targeted the Diyala governor's convoy near his house in Al Wajihiya area, about 25 kilometers east of Baquba, killing three bodyguards and injuring two.

Baghdad

- Around 8 a.m., a roadside bomb targeted a police patrol at Zayouna neighborhood (east Baghdad) killing one civilian and injuring two policemen.

- Around 12 p.m., one mortar shelling hit the area beyond Saidiyah amusement park having one house damaged and injuring two people.

If all bad news about Iraq is Sorosaisms then is all good news Icanisms?

Sorosaisms are responsible for much of the malarkey presented by much of the news media about the problems in Iraq.

USA invaded Iraq for its oil.

USA's invasion of Iraq was illegal.

One in four homeless are veterans.

USA's invasion of Iraq ruined USA's image.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is not part of the al-Qaeda confederation.

USA's no-fly zone over northeastern Iraq protected al-Qaeda in Iraq.

USA's occupation of Iraq causes al-Qaeda to mass murder Iraqi civilian non-murderers.

A majority of it's legal voters want the USA to remove its troops from Iraq as soon as possible.

USA's occupation of Iraq causes Iraqi insurrectionists to mass murder Iraqi civilian non-murderers.

Sorosaisms are responsible for all the malarkey presented about the troubles in Iraq by much of the news media.

ican: Much false bad news about Iraq is sorosaisms.


Please identify for us which bad news about Iraq are false?

Sorosaisms are responsible for much of the malarkey presented by much of the news media about the problems in Iraq.

USA invaded Iraq for its oil.

USA's invasion of Iraq was illegal.

One in four homeless are veterans.

USA's invasion of Iraq ruined USA's image.

Al-Qaeda in Iraq is not part of the al-Qaeda confederation.

USA's no-fly zone over northeastern Iraq protected al-Qaeda in Iraq.

A total of 655,000 Iraqis died by violence March 2003 thru June 2006.

USA's occupation of Iraq causes al-Qaeda to mass murder Iraqi civilian non-murderers.

A majority of it's legal voters want the USA to remove its troops from Iraq as soon as possible.

USA's occupation of Iraq causes Iraqi insurrectionists to mass murder Iraqi civilian non-murderers.