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

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.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.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 -- 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.

- 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.