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Nickdfresh
09-28-2006, 07:09 AM
U.S.: Iraq suicide attacks rising during Ramadan
POSTED: 10:10 p.m. EDT, September 27, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- With the Islamic holy month of Ramadan under way, insurgent attacks in Iraq have risen in the past two weeks, particularly in Baghdad, a U.S. military commander said Wednesday.

"This has been a tough week," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said. "This week's suicide attacks were at their highest level of any given week."

About half of those attacks targeted security forces, Caldwell said.

He said around 50 percent of car bombings were suicide strikes, blaming "terrorists" and "illegal armed groups" for attacks during Ramadan, which began Saturday.

But Caldwell said murders and executions were the largest cause of civilian deaths in Baghdad and attributed them to sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shiites.

Hours after Caldwell's comments, gunmen killed 10 worshippers and wounded another 11 as they headed to a Sunni mosque in Baghdad, police said.

The attack happened at Al-Mushahada Mosque in the northern Hurriya neighborhood during evening prayers. During Ramadan, it is customary for Muslims to go out for evening prayers after breaking their fasts.

In another likely sign of sectarianism, police said Wednesday they discovered 17 unidentified bodies in the past 24 hours, putting the total number of corpses found in the Iraqi capital this week at 77.

The bodies bore signs of torture, with hands bound and gunshot wounds to the head, police said.

Also Wednesday, a bomb planted in an Iraqi police officer's car exploded in Baghdad, killing the officer and a civilian, Iraqi emergency police said. The explosion occurred on central Baghdad's Rasheed Street as the officer was heading to work.

Car bombers also struck two neighborhoods in the capital Wednesday, police said. One attack in southern Baghdad killed five civilians and wounded eight, police said. The other wounded two civilians in northern Baghdad.
U.S.-led raid kills 8 in Baquba

Also Wednesday, U.S.-led coalition forces killed four suspected terrorists and four civilians in a raid in Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, a military statement said.

The military said troops were "targeting a terrorist tied to extremist leaders" of al Qaeda in Iraq in the Diyala and Salaheddin provinces.

"Coalition forces, through their Iraqi interpreters, announced they were in the area, whereupon the shooting ceased from most locations except the target building," the statement said.

Caldwell said the troops announced their presence, with the intent for people in the house to come out peacefully. But that didn't happen, and "an escalation of force" occurred, he said.

Coalition troops killed two of the suspects outside the building and then called in airstrikes because of heavy enemy fire from inside, the military said.

The military statement said forces found the bodies of two other suspects and four women inside the building. Two additional suspected terrorists were wounded, given medical treatment and then detained, the military said. Another woman was wounded and treated.
Other developments

# Seven in 10 Iraqis favor a commitment by U.S.-led forces in Iraq to withdraw in a year, according to a survey by the University of Maryland. (Full story)

# A U.S. soldier and a Marine were killed Monday in combat in Anbar province, west of Baghdad, the military said Wednesday. It was undisclosed whether the deaths occurred during the same or in different incidents.

# Another U.S. soldier died Wednesday from wounds he received when his patrol was attacked in southern Baghdad, the military said. The number of U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war stands at 2,702, according to military reports. Seven American civilian contractors of the military also have died in the conflict.

# Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq's parliament debated Tuesday the creation of autonomous regions, namely the draft federalism bill proposed by the country's most powerful political bloc, the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance. Under federalism, Iraq's government would be decentralized -- and Kurds, Shiites and Sunni Arabs would have separate autonomous areas. Sunnis have vehemently opposed the concept of autonomous regions, largely because the nation's oil industry is in the Kurdish north and the Shiite south. (Full story)

CNN's (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/09/27/iraq.main/index.html) Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.

binnie
09-28-2006, 07:16 AM
It's a sorry situation, and probably one that cannot be put into words. Seems to me like there is anarchy, in the literal sense of the word, not the hyperbolic one: a lot of different groups of people, wanting different things, many of whom don't recognise their "elected" leaders and are prepared to blow the shit out of one another until they get their own way.

In a country that has nver experienced democracy, it must be odd to suddenly have it imposed and then be expected to get on with it: the US and UK governments should have looked back at the beginings of democratic governments in parts of Europe in the early twentieth century, then maybe they could have anticipated some of this chaos rahter than expecting to be royally thanked for remooving Sadam.

I honestly don't think I will see a peaceful Iraq in my lifetime - my heart goes out to the troops, aid workers and civilians in that country who live with unimaginable fear every day.

I am not one to post in this forum frequently, but reading articles like the one above forces you to have an opinion.

Ellyllions
09-28-2006, 09:06 AM
What is going on in Iraq?


"Hard worK"



(sorry, I just had to say it)

I believe that we're getting very close to seeing the end of this thing.

LoungeMachine
09-28-2006, 10:02 AM
According to Elly, this could be seen as a sign of SUCCESS.

Yes, Ell....the insurgency is in it's last throes :rolleyes:

Ellyllions
09-28-2006, 10:05 AM
Easy Lounge.

There are 2 sides to EVERYTHING.
Even this.

LoungeMachine
09-28-2006, 10:15 AM
Originally posted by Ellyllions

I believe that we're getting very close to seeing the end of this thing.

Really?

How so?

Your pResident, as well as all military experts say otherwise.

By all means, please enlighten us as to why so you see "the end of things" [whatever that means] getting close......


I can't wait to read it.:cool:

FORD
09-28-2006, 10:19 AM
According to a Busheep who just called the Sam Seder show, "We need to stay in Iraq because we need the territory to be able to invade Iran"

Can you believe the thought process of these morons??

Ellyllions
09-28-2006, 10:28 AM
Originally posted by LoungeMachine
Really?

How so?

Your pResident, as well as all military experts say otherwise.

By all means, please enlighten us as to why so you see "the end of things" [whatever that means] getting close......


I can't wait to read it.:cool:

Babe, according to your President as well.

I see no other alternative.
Our soldiers have been ordered not to interfere with the civil violence. And they don't. That's why you hear of them finding mass graves. They're not allowed to interfere in any violence that is of a civil nature so as to not give the impression of taking sides. And that's also one reason so many are getting killed right now. They're not allowed to get involved so they're easy targets.

As the Iraqi's fight amongst themselves, and those calls for us to get out get louder and more stringent.....we'll have to pull out no matter what our President or our murderous military generals want.

Ellyllions
09-28-2006, 10:29 AM
Originally posted by FORD
According to a Busheep who just called the Sam Seder show, "We need to stay in Iraq because we need the territory to be able to invade Iran"

Can you believe the thought process of these morons??

That's just fucked up.

WACF
09-28-2006, 11:12 AM
You will see civil war before you see peace in Iraq.

Sectarian fighting along with the hatred for foreign troops will tear that country down even farther.

Guitar Shark
09-28-2006, 11:44 AM
Originally posted by Ellyllions
As the Iraqi's fight amongst themselves, and those calls for us to get out get louder and more stringent.....we'll have to pull out no matter what our President or our murderous military generals want.

Ah, so what you're predicting is failure. Well, at least we agree on that.

Ellyllions
09-28-2006, 11:49 AM
What part of this wouldn't be considered failure?

An American flag flying over Baghdad? We didn't go there to do that.

If by failure you mean the country going into a civil war? No way anyone could act like we can control that. Ya can't control human behavior....so at this point we have to decide when is our best time to get out.

As far as I'm concerned, if they're fighting each other they're standing on their own feet and we can come home.

Guitar Shark
09-28-2006, 11:55 AM
Originally posted by Ellyllions
What part of this wouldn't be considered failure?

An American flag flying over Baghdad? We didn't go there to do that.

If by failure you mean the country going into a civil war? No way anyone could act like we can control that. Ya can't control human behavior....so at this point we have to decide when is our best time to get out.

As far as I'm concerned, if they're fighting each other they're standing on their own feet and we can come home.

Well, it might not fit your definition of "failure" but it certainly would be a failure by the Bush administration's standards. They (allegedly) went into Iraq to fight the war on terror and to promote democracy in the Middle East. If we leave while the Iraqis are fighting amongst themselves, and creating huge numbers of new terrorists (according to the recently declassified report) then how are either of these goals accomplished?

Ellyllions
09-28-2006, 12:06 PM
Yep, and they also said that they went into Iraq over WMD, to have a place to fight terrorists, and to liberate the people of Iraq.

In my mind, it's like expecting your 2 dogs to tell you who peed on the rug. How many civil wars and battles have we had on our own soil during the birth of our democracy? I'm not going to allow the Bush Administration to define victory for me.

No matter when we leave, or under what circumstances the terrorists around the world are going to claim victory. And there ain't a damn thing we can do about that. As long as there's one single terrorist standing when we pull out, you'll hear, "See how weak they are!"

Guitar Shark
09-28-2006, 12:10 PM
I am beginning to think that we agree more than we disagree.

Ellyllions
09-28-2006, 12:11 PM
Wanna hug?

: )

EAT MY ASSHOLE
09-28-2006, 12:36 PM
Get a room, you fags.

Nickdfresh
09-28-2006, 01:30 PM
Originally posted by Ellyllions
Babe, according to your President as well.

I see no other alternative.
Our soldiers have been ordered not to interfere with the civil violence. And they don't. That's why you hear of them finding mass graves. They're not allowed to interfere in any violence that is of a civil nature so as to not give the impression of taking sides. And that's also one reason so many are getting killed right now. They're not allowed to get involved so they're easy targets.

As the Iraqi's fight amongst themselves, and those calls for us to get out get louder and more stringent.....we'll have to pull out no matter what our President or our murderous military generals want.

Unfortunately, we already have. By supporting a largely Shia domination of the gov't because of the percentages of the population, we have in fact 'taken sides.' The side that has ties to Iran, tortures and kills suspected Sunni insurgent abductees, and will inevitably lead Iraq into an Islamic republic.

Why are U.S. servicepeople dying for this?

Nitro Express
09-28-2006, 02:08 PM
What's going on in Iraq? The same thing that's been going on for years. Tribal warfare, religiouse warfare, and thugs trying to intimidate themselves into power.

One such thug did. His name was Saddam Hussain. These people know we will pack up and leave eventually. They are fighting for who controls Iraq after the US has had enough and goes home.

Steve Savicki
09-28-2006, 04:35 PM
Originally posted by FORD
According to a Busheep who just called the Sam Seder show, "We need to stay in Iraq because we need the territory to be able to invade Iran"

Can you believe the thought process of these morons??
The President is making a name for himself before the election, '06 or otherwise.

binnie
09-29-2006, 04:46 AM
Originally posted by Nickdfresh


Why are U.S. servicepeople dying for this?

Because this situation wouldn't exist if US and UK forces hadn't gone in to "liberate" Iraq: is it fair to leave them to a state of anarchy that we have caused?

It's the same reason why British troops are dying if Afghanastan....

Now I don't want people to die, on either side, but I also believe we have responsibility to finish what we started: as soon as there were no WMD's then we got all the "free Iraq, bring Democracy" bravado - well, to accomlish that its gonna take a long time. If we leave now, another dictator just as dangerous as Saddam will take power and all of those troops will have dies for nothing.....