Looks like we are making good progress in Iraq

[akarunway 1]

Maybe we can liberate Iran next. >Associated Press reporters Ryan Lenz, Qais al-Bashir and Bushra Juhi contributed to this report from Baghdad.


07-17-06 16:57 EDT

Women and children were among the dead and wounded in the assault in Mahmoudiya, hospital officials said.

Several witnesses, including municipal council members, said the attack began when gunmen - presumed to be Sunnis - fired on the funeral of a member of the Mahdi Army, a Shiite militia, killing nine mourners.

Assailants then drove to the nearby market area in the town 20 miles south of Baghdad, killing three soldiers at a checkpoint and firing rocket-propelled grenades and automatic rifles at the crowd. After the gunmen sped away, they lobbed several mortar rounds into the neighborhood, the witnesses said.

The assault occurred a few hundred yards from Iraqi army and police positions, but the troops did not intervene until the attackers were fleeing, the witnesses said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals.

The U.S. command announced that three American soldiers were killed in separate attacks Monday - two in the Baghdad area and one in Anbar province west of the capital. At least 2,553 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

There were conflicting casualty figures in the market attack, with a Shiite television station reporting more than 70 dead. But local police and Dr. Dawoud al-Taie, director of Mahmoudiya hospital, said 50 people were killed and about 90 were wounded.

In Baghdad, Shiite legislator Jalaluddin al-Saghir said Iraqi military authorities had ignored warnings that weapons were being stocked in a mosque near the market. He also said the local police commander refused to order his men to confront the attackers because they lacked weapons and ammunition.

Dozens of Shiite lawmakers, including followers of radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, stormed out of a parliament session to protest the performance of the security forces.

In Mahmoudiya, long a flashpoint of Shiite-Sunni tension, tempers boiled as frantic relatives milled about the hospital, scuffling with guards and Iraqi soldiers who tried to keep them outside so doctors could treat the wounded.

"You are strong men only when you face us, but you let them do what they did to us," one man shouted at a guard.

The Shiite television station Al-Forat broadcast strident quotes from Shiites who blamed the attack on Sunni religious extremists. They expressed outrage that Sunni politicians could not rein in the militants.

The main Sunni bloc in parliament said the attack may have been retaliation for the kidnapping of seven Sunnis whose bodies were found Sunday in Mahmoudiya. The bloc accused Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces of failing to control the situation.

The events also raised doubts about the effectiveness of the U.S. strategy of handing over large areas of the country to Iraqi control, while keeping U.S. troops in reserve.

U.S. troops of the 101st Airborne Division reported hearing detonations and gunfire, the U.S. command said. But Iraqi troops are responsible for security in Mahmoudiya, and American soldiers do not intervene unless asked by the Iraqis.

Four soldiers and a former soldier from the division are accused of raping and murdering a teenage girl near Mahmoudiya on March 12. A sixth soldier is accused of failing to report the crime.

The Mahmoudiya attack was part of a rising tide of tit-for-tat killings and intimidation that many Iraqis fear is the prelude to civil war. The campaign of intimidation and attacks is slowly transforming Baghdad into sectarian zones under the tacit control of armed groups that protect members of their sect and drive away others.

On July 9, Shiite militiamen swept through the mostly Sunni neighborhood of Jihad in western Baghdad, dragging Sunnis from their cars and shooting them in the street. About 50 people were slain.

Faced with such massacres, Iraqis are turning to sectarian militias to protect themselves because government forces cannot. Some Sunnis, who form the backbone of the insurgency, now say privately they want American troops to remain in Iraq to protect them from Shiite militias.

Despite the security crisis, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez came to Baghdad Monday and signed an agreement with the Iraqis to encourage foreign investment and lay the foundation for a market economy after decades of state control.

"We are convinced that Iraq is ready for recovery," Gutierrez told reporters, later acknowledging that "clearly, security is still the No. 1 challenge."

Also Monday, the final group of Japanese troops left Iraq and arrived in Kuwait, ending Japan's two-year humanitarian mission in southern Iraq. The rest of the Japanese contingent, which had numbered more than 600, departed over the past two weeks.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[TheAnvil 0]

Iran would be a very, very difficult undertaking. Check out the terrain. The current Middle East situation is a bit scary.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[Amazon 7]

We keep hearing the same thing about how the situation is getting better there from this administration. I think our leaders should lead from the front... you know.. like real "LEADERS". Lets at least sneak Rumsfeld back in to the Green zone and let him micromanage the "War" from there.

[TheAnvil 0]

I haven't heard anyone say the Middle East has gotten better since the recent abductions of Israeli soldiers. Who has stated such a stupid thing?

No SecDef from any administration has any business directing operations in a war zone.

Should the Israelis catch Iranian forces on the ground in Southern Lebanon, we all need to be very concerned.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[billvon 3,120]

And are doing pretty well in Afghanistan too:

Taliban takes control of 2 Afghan towns

(AP) Mon Jul 17, 7:29 PM ET

KABUL, Afghanistan - Taliban militants seized two towns in tumultuous southern Afghanistan, forcing police and government officials to flee, officials said Monday.

The Taliban operate freely in large areas of southern Afghanistan and police presence there often is virtually nonexistent, but insurgents only were known to have completely seized one town since their hard-line regime was toppled by U.S. forces in 2001.

They were quickly driven out of that town, Chora, in Uruzgan province.

The attacks came with thousands of U.S.-led troops involved in an offensive against Taliban holdouts and allied extremists in remote southern and eastern provinces to curb the deadliest upsurge in violence since the hard-line militia was ousted in late 2001.

On Monday, large numbers of militants chased out police after a brief clash in the town of Naway-i-Barakzayi, in Helmand province near the Pakistan border, district police chief Mullah Sharufuddin said.

Scores of Taliban forces overran police holed up Sunday in a compound in the nearby Helmand town of Garmser. The security forces and a handful of government officials fled, a local government official said.

[Amazon 7]

Quote

I am delighted to be back in Iraq. This is my third visit to your country since liberation. Each time I return, I see more signs of progress. Schools and universities are open. A new currency is in circulation. Baghdad is bustling with commerce. Slowly, but surely, you - the Iraqi people - are taking back your country, building a free society from the remains of Saddam Hussein's tyranny.

He said the same thing just a week ago on his latest trip to the heavily defended Green Zone.


I think he needs to go for a drive thru the Scenic Anbar province.....in one of the humvee's he deems as adequate for our young men and women.

And he really does need a permanant office there in the hellhole he and his buddies created.

[TheAnvil 0]

I know about the week ago trip. I'm talking about since the abductions and the latest Israeli offensive.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[Amazon 7]

Gee the thread is talking about Iraq.....not Israel

[billvon 3,120]

>He said the same thing just a week ago on his latest trip to the heavily defended Green Zone.

"When it comes to spreading the peace, we're turning a corner, and we're not turning back." (GWB)

"The president has had a rough road - but now, with the big news from Iraq and a growing economy, he is turning the corner." (Scott Reed)

"Turning the Corner in Iraq" (speech by Joe Biden)

"Tomorrow the world will witness a turning point in the history of Iraq, a milestone in the advance of freedom, and a crucial advance in the war on terror." (GWB)

"I really think we've turned the corner here." (GWB on an Iraqi's comment)

"I believe that (the Iraqis) have been turning the corner psychologically for some time, but yesterday is just a huge affirmation of that." (Condi Rice)

A planned negotiation in Iraq "is a turning point for the Iraqi citizens, and it's a new chapter in our partnership." (GWB)

Not to be a downer, but if you turn a corner eight times - aren't you going in circles?

[skydyvr 0]

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Not to be a downer . . .

LOL

Quote

. . . but if you turn a corner eight times - aren't you going in circles?

Gee, can I buy you a bigger magnifying glass?

. . =(_8^(1)

[akarunway 1]

Quote

>He said the same thing just a week ago on his latest trip to the heavily defended Green Zone.

"When it comes to spreading the peace, we're turning a corner, and we're not turning back." (GWB)

"The president has had a rough road - but now, with the big news from Iraq and a growing economy, he is turning the corner." (Scott Reed)

"Turning the Corner in Iraq" (speech by Joe Biden)

"Tomorrow the world will witness a turning point in the history of Iraq, a milestone in the advance of freedom, and a crucial advance in the war on terror." (GWB)

"I really think we've turned the corner here." (GWB on an Iraqi's comment)

"I believe that (the Iraqis) have been turning the corner psychologically for some time, but yesterday is just a huge affirmation of that." (Condi Rice)

A planned negotiation in Iraq "is a turning point for the Iraqi citizens, and it's a new chapter in our partnership." (GWB)

Not to be a downer, but if you turn a corner eight times - aren't you going in circles?

Jeesh. You're going in squares or rectangles? I guess you could be taking katy corners too. But that's if you turn the same direction every time. If you go right then left then right then right again where do you end up? How bought if you are in REVERSE?

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

[rmsmith 1]

We are using the wrong tactics. We need to deploy what everybody really wants: DishNetwork TV, tons of Hostess HoHo's, Soda Pop, Starbucks, etc., to fatten-up these folks while watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Baywatch, or better yet Dr 90210...translated of course!

[Richards 0]

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Not to be a downer, but if you turn a corner eight times - aren't you going in circles?

[shropshire 0]

<> - He is such a wanker... All of those places were opne before he bombed the shite out of them and now he thinks that he's a hero for rebuilding them - tw@.

.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[akarunway 1]

Quote

Quote

Not to be a downer, but if you turn a corner eight times - aren't you going in circles?

Squares Bill .... going in squares.

Richards

[kallend 2,150]

Quote

>He said the same thing just a week ago on his latest trip to the heavily defended Green Zone.

"When it comes to spreading the peace, we're turning a corner, and we're not turning back." (GWB)

"The president has had a rough road - but now, with the big news from Iraq and a growing economy, he is turning the corner." (Scott Reed)

"Turning the Corner in Iraq" (speech by Joe Biden)

"Tomorrow the world will witness a turning point in the history of Iraq, a milestone in the advance of freedom, and a crucial advance in the war on terror." (GWB)

"I really think we've turned the corner here." (GWB on an Iraqi's comment)

"I believe that (the Iraqis) have been turning the corner psychologically for some time, but yesterday is just a huge affirmation of that." (Condi Rice)

A planned negotiation in Iraq "is a turning point for the Iraqi citizens, and it's a new chapter in our partnership." (GWB)

Not to be a downer, but if you turn a corner eight times - aren't you going in circles?

And how does "Mission Accomplished" fit in to this scheme of corner turning?

Poorly conceived, poorly managed, poorly executed by a bunch of bumbling morons in the White House.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

No SecDef from any administration has any business directing operations in a war zone.

I personally would love to see Rummy as close to the action as possible His doctrine is a complete and utter failure. Let him see it up close all day every day. Maybe it's not too late for him to learn something.

We are all engines of karma

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

Not to be a downer, but if you turn a corner eight times - aren't you going in circles?

LOL!!!

We are all engines of karma

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

We are using the wrong tactics. We need to deploy what everybody really wants: DishNetwork TV, tons of Hostess HoHo's, Soda Pop, Starbucks, etc., to fatten-up these folks while watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Baywatch, or better yet Dr 90210...translated of course!

I agree 100%. It would also be way cheaper. Maybe we should open up our own think tank, call it the "Baywatch Foundation"?

We are all engines of karma

[rushmc 23]

Quote

We keep hearing the same thing about how the situation is getting better there from this administration. I think our leaders should lead from the front... you know.. like real "LEADERS". Lets at least sneak Rumsfeld back in to the Green zone and let him micromanage the "War" from there.

Just keep reading from your news sources and you will get the news that supports your (perfered) views as we all know there is nothing good happeinign over there unless you talk to the soldiers.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[idrankwhat 0]

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No SecDef from any administration has any business directing operations in a war zone.

Normally I might agree with this statement, but not in this case. If you're going to be a Defense secretary who ignores the advice of the military leadership in favor of his own gut instinct and the advice of political think tanks, then he needs to lead the charge.

[idrankwhat 0]

Quote

Just keep reading from your news sources and you will get the news that supports your (perfered) views as we all know there is nothing good happeinign over there unless you talk to the soldiers.

Cheney, June 2005:
''I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."

[rushmc 23]

Quote

Quote

Just keep reading from your news sources and you will get the news that supports your (perfered) views as we all know there is nothing good happeinign over there unless you talk to the soldiers.

Cheney, June 2005:
''I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency."

Yep, this is the ONLY administration that did not perdict a war correctly

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[Channman 2]

OOPs, I ended up in a Liberal Blog again, ya'll continue, pardon my intrusion.

[Amazon 7]

Gee maybe we could "win" this war if all the right wing conservative warmongering chickenhawks would serve our country in Iraq instead of from half way around the world..