Iraq News (3 July)

The Good:

• WaPo reports on progress in the negotiations for the US-Iraq agreement to allow U.S. troops to operate beyond 2008
• The Jordanian King is scheduled to visit Iraq in the first such visit since the fall of Saddam
• The Maysan governor has been detained and the AFP is reporting that it is because he has ties to the Sadrists. Not sure what the full story is here.
• Iraqi businessmen are calling for more Japanese investment in the reconstruction biz at an investors conference in Jordan
• Long War Journal reports on a water distribution site in New Baghdad (w/ photos)

The Bad:

• Brief story about the high toll on U.S. females in Iraq, more than any other conflict, with 97 deaths since 2003

The Ugly:

• WSJ has Douglas Feith explaining why invading Iraq was a good idea in a move that will get him scoffed at tomorrow in the blogosphere
• NY Times reports some shadiness between the Hunt Oil company and the autonomous Kurdish regional government. The CEO has close ties with Bush and Friends
• Iraq actually becomes an election issue (how novel!) as there are rumors that Obama might not call for an unconditional withdrawal and McCain turn up the pressure cooker prior to Obama's Iraq visit
• Some bozo at Alternet says something about Hitchens getting waterboarded, something about torture in Iraq (the U.S. military is actually forbidden from waterboarding for interrogation), and something about imperialism...good for your early morning angry liberal guy outrage
• The AP talks about personal politics for military members. If you thought servicemembers were apolitical, you need to hang out around here more often

"The Man" stands accused of shady oil deals with the Kurds

Iraq News (2 July)

The Good:

• The Benchmarks are a bit dated of a way to measure progress in Iraq, since everything changes so fast for the young democracy, but the U.S. Embassy cites Iraq meeting 15 of 18 benchmarks in a response to a Congressional request
• Foreign Minister Zebari is urging Iraqi Parliament to accept the Status of Forces Agreement to allow U.S. troops to stay beyond the U.N. mandate, which expires at the end of this year
• The largest Sunni political bloc, Tawafuq, may be set to rejoin the Iraqi government and provide ministers (we've heard this one before, don't get excited yet)
• Hezbollah trainers in southern Iraq have fled to Iran reports the AP
  

The Bad:

• U.S. casualties were up from last month
• A Sahwa member near Mosul was killed by a truck bomb
• The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights reports that 2,334 women have been killed by militia extremists from 2005 to 2007! This is an abomination, and hopefully recent operations in Shi'ite-dominated cities like Basra and Amarah hampers this atrocity

The Ugly:

• The imbecile liberal that won't go away, Noam Chomsky, calls the U.S. invasion of Iraq worse than the Mongols to an international media outlet, Al-Jazeera...what an asshole
• A prominent Shi'ite cleric, Yaqobbi, blasts the Iraqi government for holding up provincial elections
• A Renton, WA man is being sued for his work at Abu Ghraib. This truly is the issue that won't die in the media
  
• Like the rest of the country, the Pentagon is going broke from the high fuel costs
  

Iraqi Women targeted by militia thugs

Iraq News (1 July)

The Good:

• Civilian fatalities are down in Iraq for June to 448, Iraqi officials have noted
• $100M has been allocated to Sadr City reconstruction from Baghdad's government
• Oil contracts are being made available to 35 international companies for six of Iraq's oil fields. Iraq is tied with Iran for having the most oil reserves at #2 (Saudi Arabia is #1)
• Jordan has named its first diplomatic envoy to post-Saddam Iraq
  

The Bad:

• 4 Baghdad judges have been targeted with extremist violence, and the head judge in Sadr City has been injured along with his family
• The transfer of security responsibility to the Iraqis in Diwaniyah Province has been delayed due to bad weather
• Aswat al-Iraq reports that the government-funded paper Al-Sabah and the mouthpiece of the Dawa party (Prime Minister Maliki's political party) are furious at the government for not providing adequate electricity during the hot Iraqi summer. Iraqis have resorted to buying gasoline on the black-market as well (long utilized as a way to fund the Mahdi Army). If these government-friendly papers are saying it's bad, you can only imagine what the average citizen has to say

The Ugly:

• The Rand report on the failure to adequately plan for post-invasion Iraq is available
• The Pentagon has ordered KBR to check the electric wiring for all buildings under their supervision in Iraq following the electrocution of many service members. Yo, Mr./Mrs. KBR electrician, check my old office in the embassy (lights smoked 2 times and one small fire)
• More ISAF troops have died in Afghanistan this month than Iraq for the second straight month

Diwaniyah Turnover delayed (graphic from AFP)

Iraq News (30 June)

The Good: The security responsibility of Diwaniyah province is set to be turned over today from Coalition Forces to the Iraqis, which will make it the tenth. The security has been mostly provided by the Poles and other members of the coalition, and has seen some level of Shi'ite extremist activity from the Mahdi Army. Interesting story about a chaplain at FOB Falcon in Baghdad at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ambassador Crocker is saying that more talks are possible with Iran, now that much of the illicit militia activity has subsided.

The Bad: A truck bomb has killed 7 north of Baghdad. The Los Angeles Times profiles the Hollywood-like, Sons of Iraq superstar, Abu Abed, who is now in hiding in Amman, Jordan. A former insurgent, Abu Abed has been credited with purging the streets of Ameriyah from the murderous Al-Qaeda goons. Now the Shi'ite-dominated government is after him. 10 KIAs have been identified by the DoD, their names are here.

The Ugly: From the "Over There" department, 30K troops are getting called up to Iraq unless Gen. Petraeus says they aren't needed. A newly-released Army study says that there weren't enough troops for post-invasion Iraq which led to the chaos and calamity following the fall of Saddam (Al-Jazeera English has more). No shit! Best...war...ever.

Abu Abed in Hiding (from LA Times)

Iraq News (27 June)

The Good: Major General Hertling has said that Al-Qaeda is defeated in northern Iraq, and U.S. forces are pursuing remaining elements into small towns and villages. This comes after news that the emir of the Islamic State of Iraq in Mosul has been killed in a U.S. airstrike. Long War Journal reports that the Mahdi Army has been decimated, while many young men in Sadr City (known to be the home base of JAM) are employed in the neighborhood guard to provide security. These employment opportunities are seen as crucial to provide alternatives to joining the militia, much like the Sons of Iraq program has kept many young Sunni men from joining the insurgency.

The Bad: The Middle East Times reports deteriorating security conditions in Mosul as they say the Iraqi Army is unable to maintain order in Iraq's third largest city. A bombing on a group of Sunni sheikhs has killed 3 Marines from MNF-W and many civilians west of Baghdad. More on our friend, Nicole Suveges, from the Washington Post. Iraq's soccer coach gets canned for losing 1-0 to Qatar. An editorial from a town in Wisconsin says Americans aren't sacrificing enough and are in a Sept. 10 mindset. Agreed.

The Ugly: The Wall Street Journal reports that the July 31 deadline for the Status of Forces Agreement, which will allow U.S. forces to operate starting in 2009, may be delayed. Disputes between the U.S. military and the Iraqis remain over some possible civilians killed in recent escalation of force incidents.

Neighborhood Guard in Sadr City (from Reuters)

Iraq News (26 June)

The Good: President Talabani is visiting President Bush in Washington and has thanked him for liberating Iraq. Not surprising since President Talabani is a Kurd, and Saddam waged a brutal campaign of genocide against the oppressed Kurdish people during the 80s. He was also there to discuss the Status of Forces Agreement beyond 2008, which Al-Jazeera English has some details on. 14 militia thugs have been arrested in the southern province of Nasiriyah. A retired Airman is trying to send a whole bunch of Chicago-style pizzas to the troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Tony Soprano is selling some items from the Sopranos to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and Brangelie have donated $1M to Iraqi kids. This blog is defiantly anti-celebrity for a variety of reasons, but this is an example of Hollywood doing some good. Money talks and bullshit walks.

The Bad: 10 U.S. soldiers have been killed since Monday, with three soldiers and an interpreter killed Tuesday night in Ninawa province. An IED in the holy city of Karbala has killed one child.

The Ugly: Whoever thought war would be so damn expensive? The Pentagon needs $100B to repair worn-out equipment, and Rep. Murtha claims it will come from personnel cuts. The LA Times suggests that the fear of being called a "flip-flopper" is preventing the presidential candidates from developing a viable Iraq strategy. I agree. There are a lot of moving parts and complexities with foreign policy in Iraq and trying to stick with positions from 2003/2004 when the whole reality on the ground has changed is foolish. Brooks writes a NYT go-Bush-go piece in which he describes the surge success due to the Prez, describing his position as "courageous", even though Bush hid behind Petraeus/Odierno the whole time and has been afraid to craft any future policy beyond the surge...which is almost over.

Mr. Talabani Goes To Washington

Iraq News (24 June)

The Good: The new report to Congress on Iraq is available from the DoD, and it shows a huge decline in violence over the past several months. However, the report mirrors warnings from the brass about extremists still maintaining the ability to conduct spectacular attacks and that infrastructure is still bad. Anbar province, once known for its violent insurgency in Fallujah and Ramadi, is to be turned over to provincial Iraqi control (the 10th of 18 provinces) with the U.S. military in an overwatch role. This transition is crucial to get the U.S. military out of Iraq. The Prime Minister announces a new offensive in the volatile Diyala province. Fox news reports progress in Mosul following the Mother of Two Springs operation.

The Bad: A disgruntled city council member has gunned down two of our troops and wounded three in Salman Pak. This town, just south of Baghdad, was an Al-Qaeda stronghold but was purged of many extremist elements during the surge strategy of 2007.

The Ugly: William Kristol goes for the jugular against the MoveOn.Org "Not Alex" ad saying that they are insulting the troops in his NY Times Op-Ed. Azzaman discusses international oil companies hitting a snag as quarrelling still exists in Iraqi Parliament about the Hydrocarbon Law. Speaking of Parliament, the problem of low water levels in Iraq's reservoirs does not appear to be solved. Part 2 in WaPo about Al-Qaeda's propaganda apparatus, As-Sahab, which the article suggest Al-Qaeda is conducting an effective communications campaign.

There's Lies And Then There's Statistics. Violence way down in Iraq.

Iraq News (23 June)

The Good: The Christian Science Monitor talks about Sadr calling for restraint of his Mahdi Army during the Maysan province offensive; however, this could indicate they are trying to regroup. Parliamentary blocs are pushing for resolution on the Provincial Elections bill, which is viewed as a major step forward for political progress in Iraq. 6 more international oil companies have been added to develop Iraqi oil infrastructure. These companies are non-Western (Turkey, Vietnam, Pakistan, Thailand, Angola and Algeria), which kind of puts a hole in the "No Blood For Oil!" meme. Jordan has returned 2,500 antiquities which had been looted from Iraq. Looted artifacts are symbolic of the chaos and poor strategy of the initial invasion of Iraq, and returning antiquities can help make amends.

The Bad: A female suicide bomber has struck a courthouse in central Baqubah, killing 15 near a courthouse. A subsequent mortar attack has killed 10 Sawha fighters at a checkpoint. Iraq has lost to Qatar, 1-0, in the world cup qualifying round. However, McClatchy reports that the Iraqis can still pummel the Americans in soccer, as the guys from the 10th Mountain lost 9-0 to a Sahwa team. Obviously, it was a friendly game designed to promote mutual cooperation.

The Ugly: The NYT reports that news coverage of Iraq is in the crapper, as far as major news networks in America go. That's why you'll find a lot of links on these posts to Iraqi news sites that are in English. Frank Rich says that opinions by Americans of Iraq were decided in early 2007. If that is the case, Americans need to re-evaluate the situation as reality has changed immensely since then.

Atrocity in Diyala (photo from NYT)

Iraq News (21 June)

The Good: Did you know that Baghdad was one of the most multicultural, cosmopolitan cities in the world until those thugs on horseback, The Mongols, destroyed it in the 13th century? You didn't! Well, now Iraqis are becoming more free to embrace their liberal outlook on the world as reported by Newsweek with liquor stores, barbers free to operate without intimidation from the militia, and a guy who likes Snoop Dogg. A "sticky" IED factory (bombs that gets attached to unsuspecting civilian cars) has been seized in Maysan. Stars and Stripes talks about the COIN efforts having huge dividends in small Iraqi villages. Oil production in Iraq has stabilized at 2.5M barrels a day, which is a post-invasion record. The Iraqi Oil Ministry wants exports to go all the way to 4M barrels a day. U.S. forces have detained 25 suspected Al-Qaeda in Iraq members during weekend operations throughout the country. Live Leak has footage of a JDAM drop on a Mahdi Army hideout in Sadr City (go to ~1:30 for the boom).

The Bad: One of our troops has been killed by an IED in Diyala province. The article also has information on anti-U.S. protests after Friday prayers because of the Status of Forces Agreement, which is still in discussion. Dr. Rubaie says the Iraqi government knows the location of the 5 kidnapped British hostages, who were abducted at the Ministry of Finance in May 2007. Hmm... I dunno, this dude is a bit of a shady character. Is it right to lead these people's families on? Also, I thought those kidnapped were in Iran. A Sadrist lawmaker has criticized Iraqi operations in Maysan province against militia elements (this comes as no surprise).

The Ugly: Iraq's reservoirs and the Tigris and Euphrates are at record-low levels according to Azzaman. This is definitely poor for agriculture, and considering Mosul Dam provides a good chunk of the electricity in Iraq (which is already in terrible shape), that's going to make things worse as temperatures climb to 120F for the inferno-like Iraqi summer. NY Times has a montage of photos after recent operations in Basra, Sadr City, and Mosul, which highlights security improvements, but still shows overwhelming poverty. Whistleblower from KBR talks about how the mega-contractor ignored cancer-causing chemicals at a water treatment plant in Basra.

Baghdad Liquor Sto' (photo from Newsweek)

Iraq News (20 June)

The Good: Iraqi Spec Ops have captured a militia leader in Baghdad. Col Ferrell talks about tactics in preventing extremists from re-entering the Sunni areas south of Baghdad during a press conference. Australian News is more optimistic about new development of Iraqi oil infrastructure stabilizing crude prices than the "no blood for oil" crowd in the states. This comes at a time when the Iraqi Finance Minister has announced plans for Iraqi natural gas to be transferred to Jordan from Anbar province via pipeline. The Iraqi-led "Promise of Peace" operation continues with big successes in Maysan province.

The Bad: Kim Gamel of the AP reports that caches are turning up in the darndest places in Iraq as of late. A bakery, a fish farm, etc. While the seizure of weapons from extremists is always welcome, the fact that they are still turning up in civilian areas indicates that there is still some level of support for extremism from common Iraqi citizens. Murderous thugs have killed a student in Diyala province.

The Ugly: The House has passed the Iraq/Afghanistan funding bill. It's ugly because it took so fuckin' long. Can't the political factions of this country agree on anything. Bipartisanship has a knack for making our govermental institutions look like Sharks and the Jets...except more flamboyant and more embarrassing. Rumors abound in the Iraqi news as Azzaman suggests the U.S. was behind the savage bombing in Baghdad and Ahmadinejad's crazy tale of avoiding being kidnapped by CIA spooks makes the rounds. Someone get him a tin foil hat for god sakes.

Ahmadinejad Brings Teh Crazy To the Press (not a surprise)

Iraq News (19 June)

The Good: Iraqi Security Forces launch major operations in Amara, which generally had a small government/coalition footprint and has been suspected of harboring smuggled Iranian weaponry and proxy fighters. This comes after some members of the militia surrendered in the southern Maysan province along with their weapons before the operation started. Iraq's Foreign Minister praises U.S. flexibility on the Status of Forces Agreement which would allow U.S. military forces to operate past 2008. Major Western oil corporations are in the final stages of negotiations with the Iraqi Oil Ministry on modernizing oil fields and infrastructure. A leader in the Islamic State of Iraq in Mosul (terrorist group affiliated with Al-Qaeda) has been detained.

The Bad: Baghdad and Mosul university attacks are under attack by Iraqi policemen according to the Iraqi newspaper, Azzaman. Militia thugs often masquerade or moonlight as Iraqi Security Forces in certain parts of the country and engage in violence, usually for money or strange religious beliefs. A Mahdi Army leader was behind the bombing in Baghdad that killed scores of civilians yesterday. This is not the first time that the militia has resorted to terrorism to justify its existence, as a crowded pet market in the Rusafa district of Baghdad was targeted last November that left over a dozen killed. Reuters has the round up of the deadliest atrocities in Iraq in the past year.

The Ugly: David Ignatius of WaPo says that Obama and McCain's plan for Iraq are both "unrealistic". I agree with Mr. Ignatius; unfortunately, a well-thought out plan for America's foreign policy in Iraq doesn't fit into a twenty-second soundbite. An IRR call-up, Matthis Chiroux, is openly resisting in DC. Sure, there have been a lot of IRR callups and many I served with weren't too happy about it, but when life hands you a bag of dicks you've gotta sort it out. I don't see how stirring up the pot with IVAW in DC is helping matters.

Cache Seizure By Iraqi Security Forces Near Sadr City (from AFP)

Iraq News (29 May)

The Good

• ABC News has cited Maliki's "Midas Touch" as Sadr City's markets are opened back up again after a huge Iraqi Army offensive.
• Another surge brigade of U.S. forces (~4000 troops) is being redeployed with no replacement, as U.S. force structure decreases to 15 Brigade Combat Teams.
• FIFA has lifted the ban on the Iraqi Football Association so that Iraq can play in the World Cup qualifying match.
• U.S. forces killed 10 IED-emplacers just outside Sadr City, and Iraqi troops have made huge cache finds in Sadr City.
• Recommended reading from AFP: Now that Al-Qaeda has fled Mosul, the citizens are allowed to drink and smoke again. I don't know how the Iraqis could have gone without smoking. Almost every Iraqi male I know smokes. One gentleman mentioned he could open up his ice factory again. Ice was banned by Al-Qaeda, because it didn't exist in the time of Prophet Mohammed.

The Bad

• A suicide bomber has killed at least 16 in the Sinjar district of Ninawa province (West of Mosul).
• The Iraqi Accordance Front says the Maliki government is hindering its return to the cabinet. Iraqi politics as usual, and it's going very, very slow.

The Ugly

• A militia commander in Sadr City says "duh, we was duped!" in regards to the cease-fire.
• There's a big conference in Sweden on reviewing the International Compact for Iraq. Iraq is asking for debt forgiveness, but Al-Jazeera says there is low expectations abound for this conference. Maybe everyone just wanted to go to Stockholm check out the Swedish babes.

Iraq Soccer Lives

Iraq News (28 May)

The Good

• The Sarafiyah bridge in Baghdad has been reopened after a suicide truck bomber destroyed it in April 2007.
• The Jordanian King has called for more economic and political support in dealing with Iraqis. Some Arabic nations have been hesitant to have strong diplomatic ties with the Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government.
• An oil smuggling gang in Basra has been detained.

The Bad

• Former U.S. counter terrorism czar, Richard Clarke, has said that having U.S. forces in Iraq "helps Al-Qaeda". I would agree with him that a long-term presence is not beneficial to counter-terrorism, but U.S. forces have been instrumental in crushing extremist elements in Iraq by utilizing COIN strategy.
• The Iraqi Accordance Front was supposed to end its boycott of nearly one year, but they have suspended negotiations. While security improvements have been tremendous in the last month, political progress has seriously lagged.

The Ugly

• Australian OIF/OEF vets are reportedly "ashamed" that they have been kept out of combat roles in Afghanistan and Iraq. I've served with a lot of Aussies, and they're all awesome, but some people have that mentality that they need to see action (I'm not one of those, but I'm thankful there are people like that).
• The State Department needs more of their Foreign Service Officers to volunteer for Iraq or they'll be "voluntold".
• Sadr has called for protests on Friday because of the Strategic Framework Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq to extend the military presence beyond the U.N. mandate (which expires at the end of 2008). Last time Sadr called for protests in April, they were cancelled. Let's see how this turns out before we start freaking out.

Possible Sadr Protest on Friday (photo from Al-Jazeera English)

Iraq News (27 May)

The Good

• Muqtada al-Sadr might be trying to brush up on his studies and boost his theological credentials according to WaPo, but the LA Times reports that the Mahdi Army is losing popular support in the Shi'ite district of Sadr City due to its racketeering and thug-like tactics.
• The U.S. Presidential hopefuls may address the women in combat issue. Haha, silly politicians, military women are already in combat roles, get with the times!
• Reuters reports that major heads of the state-run oil industry have been replaced, which is most likely an attempt to curb the corruption that has plagued the Iraqi oil industry.
• Six young boys, who were being trained to be utilized as suicide bombers by a Saudi foreign fighter, have been rescued by Iraqi security forces in Mosul.
• The Long War Journal reports that a Special Groups commander has been detained in the Shula neighborhood.

The Bad

• The law to allow Provincial elections later this year has been met with some serious foot-dragging in Iraqi parliament. Some of the Kurdish lawmakers stormed out of Parliament yesterday when the issue of Kirkuk came up.
• A suicide bomber killed 6 Sahwa members yesterday north of Baghdad.

The Ugly

• Many countries (including the U.S. and Iran) are set to meet at the upcoming Stockholm conference on Thursday to discuss Iraq's security. Not sure if it's going to be productive or not, and it sounds like more of a boondoggle. Condi is already ramping up the anti-Iranian rhetoric, and this thing might degenerate into a shouting match.
• As far as I can tell, Iraqis are nuts about soccer. The recent announcement that Iraq could be suspended from FIFA, thereby preventing Iraq from a shot at the World Cup, will result in some pissed off Iraqis. This shit needs to get resolved in a expeditious manner.

Iraqi Soccer Might Be in Trouble

Iraq News (26 May)

The Good: With Al-Qaeda on the run in northern Iraq and militia fighters lying low in Basra and Baghdad, violence in Iraq for the week ending Friday was at ~300 security incidents. This is the lowest in more than 4 years. You just can't argue with statistics. Washington Post has some photos from a place you never hear about in Iraq (primarily because there is little violence), Kurdistan. However, the Prime Minister of the autonomous region has warned against U.S. forces making a hasty withdrawal. Stars and Stripes has an article on U.S. forces attempting to jump start the Iraqi economy through micro-grants. Time has a report on Prime Minister Maliki and Ambassador Crocker meeting with Grand Ayatollah Sistani as Najaf seeks reconstruction aid. Also, McClatchy reports that Basra is seeing a renewal of culture.

The Bad: While there have been major security improvements in Iraq, the political arena has not been as kind. Voices of Iraq reports that talks are destined to collapse between the Iraqi Accordance Front (largest Sunni Bloc in Parliament) and Prime Minister Maliki. The IAF has been boycotting the cabinet for months, and they were supposed to return their ministers to the government. That has yet to happen. Also, a U.S. soldier was killed in Salah ad-Din.

The Ugly: Trouble for Iraqi soccer (er football) as FIFA makes a decision on whether to allow Iraq to play in the world cup qualifier. Japan is looking to end the air support it provides to coalition forces in Iraq by 2009.

Kids Happy To See The Iraqi Army Provide Food Rations in Sadr City (photo from LA Times)

Iraq News (25 May)

The Good: Ambassador Crocker, not normally prone to optimistic neo-con banter, has said that AQI is close to defeat. This is in no doubt due to the successful Mosul operations which have detained over a 1,000 in the past two weeks, and there are even reports that life is getting back to normal in the city that was held hostage by terrorist thugs. Iraqi military leaders are announcing that Al-Qaeda has been cleared from Mosul. Violence in Iraq, as marked by number of attacks, is at the lowest level since March 2004. Reconstruction in the mostly Shi'ite southern Iraq is progressing according to WaPo, but security gains in northern Iraq must be cemented with reconstruction as well.

The Bad: The detention of many Sadrists has led to some nasty rhetoric emanating from the trouble-making cleric's followers. They have denounced the Iraqi government amidst these detentions in Baghdad, and also the reported break-up of Friday prayers in Basra supposedly instigated by the Iraqi police. There have been 14 "honor-killings" in the Kurdish region in the first 10 days in May. This barbaric practice against women is a serious human rights issue.

The Ugly: The story from the San Francisco Gate about veterans going to school is good news. Sure college is swell, but the fact that many employers don't want to hire vets because they're afraid they will have to incur the health care cost of PTSD puts vets at a serious disadvantage in the civilian world. USA Today has an article about injured vets having emotional problems due to the lack of a love life. Reminds me of Born on the 4th of July, and it's sad.

Cleanup Crew in Mosul (from the AFP)

Iraq News (24 May)

The Good: An injured female Iraq vet urges Michiganders to reflect on what Memorial Day really means. An LA Times correspondent visits Mosul and says the recent security offensive has brought about better stability, but it will need to be followed up by some serious reconstruction efforts (classic COIN doctrine). Basra's ports are much more productive now that the government is in control of them as opposed to militia thugs. Aswat al-Iraq refutes the AP article yesterday that suggested Sistani was moving towards jihad against America (h/t Gateway Pundit). According to the Sadr Trend, 300 "Sadrists" were detained in Baghdad by Iraqi Security Forces. Mr. Sadr's people aren't drawing a lot of water in this town right now, and these "Sadrists" were most likely militia. Operations are going so well in Sadr City, that the Iraqi soldiers are chillin' out by blasting Lebanese music. Of course, most Sadr City residents say that the trash needs to be collected and services need to be provided, posthaste. The Iraqi government really needs to push this aspect of the operation, or else the citizens will be sympathetic to the Mahdi Army for quite some time.

The Bad: Sunni Imams are still furious about the Qur'an as target practice incident, as reported from Friday's prayers. Damn, another attack in Fallujah...This time 6 Marines got injured and an interpreter was killed. One U.S. soldier was killed near Baghdad.

The Ugly: Joe Galloway of McClatchy says we need to help vets be able to go to college this Memorial Day, and coincidentally the War Funding/GI Bill just passed the Senate. Too bad that thing is probably DOA with a Presidential veto due to all the greedy pork and add-ons. Congress wants to shut down the military analyst program at the Pentagon due to the stink made last month by the NY Times. There's talk about splitting up the mega-KBR contract to cut in other corporations (DynCorp and Fluor) according to the NY Times. I thought this person's quote was pretty funny: "But what is KBR doing for all this money? They are slinging hash, washing laundry." I'd say KBR workers are, for the most part, just guys and gals trying to do their job, and I've been impressed with their service. But the way contracting is set up seems to favor a few richie-rich types back in Houston, and could provide justification to drag the Iraq war on endlessly. That and there is little oversight of the few bozos that commit crimes while serving in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

Iraq News (23 May)

The Good: The Egyptian online gazette is already discussing investment opportunities in Iraq now that Al-Qaeda is being badly defeated, while the Iraqi military continues the offensive against the despised terrorists in Mosul. General Petraeus appeared for his confirmation hearing for being appointed to head CENTCOM, and he mentioned that further troop cuts in Iraq will be likely this fall. The Prime Minister met with Sistani yesterday, and the Prime Minister said that Sistani approved of the Iraqi-led operation in Sadr City, which has met little resistance. ABC remarks on the "good news" about Iraq, since the offensives in Basra, Sadr City, and Mosul are all Iraqi-led. The Prez sez Iraq is seeing progress, but he probably should've avoided "going political" in front of the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg.

The Bad: A bombing has killed at least 6 civilians in the city of Fallujah. Anbar province was very calm for many months, but has seen an uptick in violence (most likely due to terrorists fleeing from the Mosul offensive, sounds like a bit of whack-a-mole). A NATO soldier has been killed in Afghanistan due to a protest that turned violent over the Qur'an shooting incident in Iraq. While Sistani supports the Iraqi-led operations, he may be silently issuing fatwas against the U.S. presence in Iraq. This has the potential to be disastrous for U.S. forces as Sistani is very influential and has been credited with keeping the peace. Juan Cole has more on this issue, in what Allahpundit calls "a turd in the progress punchbowl". U.S. forces announce that two children were killed in an air strike.

The Ugly: Soldiers aren't the only people who have trouble when coming back from Iraq to the states. Read about some NY Times journalists awkwardly re-adjusting to America. Also from the NY Times, a big, nasty article on how taxpayer money got misspent in Iraq (as if there was any doubt).

Did the reclusive Ayatollah declare jihad against the U.S.? (photo from AP)

Iraq News (22 May)

The Good: 11 militia thugs tried to take on U.S. forces near Sadr City...and they got dead. The temporary head of CENTCOM, LTG Dempsey, said Al-Qaeda in Iraq is at it's weakest due to the counter-insurgency strategy, the rise of the Sahwa councils, and improved Iraqi Security Forces. This comes at a time when attacks in Mosul are down a stunning 85% due to the recent Iraqi-led offensive. Also, Sadr City remains calm during the Iraqi-led Operation Salam. General Petraeus has called for diplomacy with Iran and utilizing the military as a "last resort" against the Islamic nation. This is certain to throw a monkey wrench into the McCain-Obama foreign policy square-off. The NY Times has a great write-up about the one and only Iraqi metal band, Acrassicauda. Is headbanging the best path towards reconciliation and an end to the bloodshed? I think so! The Prime Minister is meeting with the tremendously influential Grand Ayatollah Sistani in Najaf today.

The Bad: It's a sad day for the free press in Iraq as a sniper has killed an Afaq TV reporter in Baghdad, and a journalist for Al-Sharq newspaper was found in Diyala province with a gunshot wound to the head. 8 civilians have been killed in an apparent escalation of force incident involving a U.S. chopper near the oil city of Bayji.

The Ugly: The Washington Post reports that some vets are suffering breathing problems due to a fire at a sulfur mine in Mosul in 2003. The Boston Globe has an editorial from the Center for American Progress on why the US must leave Iraq, since it would enable leverage with the Iraqi government. I agree that the military should leave Iraq, just not at the dangerous and unrealistic pace at which the Democrats want.

Could Metal Save Iraq? (from NY Times)

Iraq News (21 May)

The Good: So far so good with the Iraqi-led Operation Salam (Operation Peace) that is taking place in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Michael Gordon of the NY Times has the details from a tactical perspective, the LA Times has the perspective from the district's citizens (they were mostly welcoming of the Iraqi Army), and AFP states that the Sadrists in Najaf have okayed the operation. Iraqi media reports that 100 IEDs have been taken off the streets of Sadr City, and one of the concerns of the operation was that most of the main thoroughfares had been mined by the Mahdi Army. The trial of Tariq Aziz continues as he stands accused of ordering the execution of Iraqi merchants during the Saddam-regime.

The Bad: The Seattle Post-Intelligencer discusses the detention of minors in Afghanistan and Iraq and relates it to the imprisonment of juveniles in the U.S. (hint: it's all Bush's fault according to the Op-Ed). This Egyptian editorial in the Middle East calls the Shi'ite-dominated Iraqi government a "Frankenstein Monster". Iraq is DFL in the Global Peace Index for 2008.

The Ugly: The President has apologized for the bullet-riddled Qu'ran incident, which will have the unintended consequence of dragging it out in the media cycle. But that's more productive than the White House flipping out at NBC for an interview with the President. When did it become the job of the government to publicly express rage at the domestic media? Military public affairs would never do that, and I don't see why the White House would be any different over an issue like Iraq (note: I understand I frequently flip out on the media, but I don't pretend to speak for the DoD). Admiral Mullen warns Congress about Iran and says violence is on the rise in Afghanistan.

Regulators...mount up (From Al-Jazeera English)