30/11/07

Turkish army ‘authorised’ for Iraq strike: PM
AFP –
ANKARA (AFP) — The Turkish government authorised the army this week to
carry out a cross-border strike against Kurdish rebel targets in northern
Iraq, …
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iQdGvb8osqMWFVGbKwcZ_EI5a9ZQ

Slowing death rate in Iraq encourages Pentagon
CNN International – USA
US soldiers in Baquba, Iraq, salute during a service Wednesday for comrades
killed by a suicide bomber. Thirty-six troops have died in November and 38
…
edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/11/30/iraq.us.deaths/

Australian PM-Designate Says Combat Troops to Leave Iraq in Mid-2008
Voice of America – USA
By Phil Mercer Australia’s prime minister-designate has said the country’s
550 combat troops will leave Iraq by the middle of next year. …
voanews.com/english/2007-11-30-voa12.cfm

Crackdown on Iraq Sunni leader after bombs found
Reuters – USA
The incident threatened to increase political tension across Iraq’s
sectarian divide at a time when violence has been falling dramatically. …
www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL30246733

Iraq PM asks Bush to order Saddam cousin’s handover
Reuters UK – UK
They were convicted of genocide for their roles in a campaign against
Iraq’s Kurds in 1988, but the US military has said it will not hand them
over until it …
uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKL3026360820071130

Iraq’s Housing Problem
By Scarecrow
Iraq Street The US military in Iraq has invested a lot of media effort trying to convince not only Americans but also Iraqis to believe we’re making so much progress in reducing violence that displaced Iraqis can begin returning home. …
www.firedoglake.com/2007/11/30/iraqs-housing-problem/

Reporting from Iraq
By theofarrell
There’s an interesting piece in the London Review of Books on embeds in Iraq. The first half of this review is the usual story of soldiers carelessly mowing down civilians and not showing much remorse about it: “the chick got in the way …
kingsofwar.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/reporting-from-iraq/

Over Iraq with a US Marine Tail-Gunner
By Telstar Logistics
Judging from his most recent photos, SSgt Crissman has now completed his tour of duty in Iraq. What a relief! There’d been a long interval since he’d posted his previous batch of pictures, and we’d feared for the worst. …
telstarlogistics.typepad.com/telstar
logistics/2007/11/over-iraq-with.html

Iraq Oil Wrangles Continue…
By Andy Rowell
The Kurdish regional government’s oil deals with foreign companies drew sharp criticism yesterday in the Iraqi parliament, with some lawmakers saying the contracts set a dangerous precedent for the future of Iraq’s vast oil industry. …
priceofoil.org/2007/11/30/iraq-oil-wrangles-continue%E2%80%A6/

Separate wars in Iraq, Afghanistan
Baltimore Sun – United States
While there remains a great deal to debate in regard to funding the war in
Iraq, no such disagreement exists in supporting the mission in Afghanistan.
…
www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/
bal-op.disaggregate30nov30,0,7993414.story

Dyer: The US in Iraq: An ‘enduring’ relationship that isn’t
Salt Lake Tribune – United States
The word “enduring” crops up a lot in connection with the US adventure in
Iraq. As soon as the US Army occupied the country in 2003, it began work on
14 …
www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_7593847

US boost efforts to admit Iraq refugees
AFP –
Foley said efforts to accelerate the application process apply to Iraqis
who have been subcontracted to work with or for the US interests in Iraq,
…
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hFoj79sGz9yc3Z5g129Arv4o0eXg

Iraq’s numbers don’t add up, US says
Los Angeles Times – CA,USA
By Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer BAGHDAD — As US forces
begin to scale back in Iraq, the military is becoming increasingly reliant
on Iraqi …
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-i
raqstats30nov30,0,3908382.story?coll=la-home-world

Iraq Ops Update
Coalition forces detained 12 suspects during operations targeting al Qaeda in central & northern Iraq.
www.globalsecurity.org/military/lib
rary/news/2007/11/mil-071129-afps01.htm

The slaughter of Iraq’s intellectuals
By Jack Mehoffer
Control, intimidation, and even murder of Iraqi intellectuals, professors, lecturers and teachers has become more or less systematic since the US-led invasion of Iraq began in March 2003. Under the subsequent occupation, …
budz.wordpress.com/2007/11/30/the-slaughter-of-iraqs-intellectuals/

News & Views 11/29/07
By dancewater(Cervantes)
My Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) is in Dhi Qar Province in southern Iraq . It’s a dusty, sparsely populated backwater as far from Baghdad as you can get. It is inhabited by “marsh Arabs,” Bedouin tribesmen, and simple peasants, …
warnewstoday.blogspot.com/2007/11/news-views-112907.html

Two Days in Fallujah
I learned a lot listening to my colleagues and the generals, all of whom have more experience in Iraq than I do, explain how the situation had changed and what we were likely to see in the future. I made a modest contribution about our …
johnsonmatel.com/blog1/2007/11/two_days_in_fallujah.html
johnsonmatel.com/blog1/

Iraq: The Gift Bush Keeps On Giving
By Jeff Huber(Jeff Huber)
Bush doesn’t appear to be worried about the effect the Iraq war will have on his legacy. In fact, he seems downright determined to ensure his Mesopotamia Mistake never makes the transition from current event to historical case study. …
zenhuber.blogspot.com/2007/11/iraq-gift-bush-keeps-on-giving.html

Bush Scolds Congress on Iraq Spending Impasse, But Compromise May …
FOX News – USA
The president has threatened to veto a proposed three-month, $50 billion
emergency funding bill to keep operations in Iraq and Afghanistan up and
running …
www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314006,00.html

Returning Iraq refugees begin picking up the pieces
AFP –
On leaving Iraq, he rented a small apartment in the city of Hims in western
Syria and began looking for work — in vain. “We suffered far more than the
…
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jNSgmwmiR9haQPfaDqm-eTHJXq5w

Australian troops to leave Iraq by mid-2008: Rudd
AFP –
SYDNEY (AFP) — Australia’s prime minister-elect Kevin Rudd on Friday said
that Australia’s 550 combat troops in Iraq would be withdrawn by the middle
of …
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gFDarOlh0SnvgueLCuqmuxaimOVw

Iraq: US soldier killed as raids carried out around Baghdad
Al-Bawaba – Amman,Jordan
According to AFP, the soldier died in western Baghdad on Wednesday,
bringing the number of troops killed in Iraq to 35 for the month so far.
…
www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Iraq/219495

US Military Deaths in Iraq at 3880
The Associated Press –
29, 2007, at least 3880 members of the US military have died since the
beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press
count. …
ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqgQC
cv26kB1dkgZRZNHmbn_1J8gD8T7M0U04

Iraq Lacks Plan on the Return of Refugees, Military Says
New York Times – United States
David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq, speaking at a
two-day military briefing on measuring military trends for a small group of
American …
www.nytimes.com/2007/11/30/world/middleeast/30refugees.html?hp

Iraq Asks US to Hand Over ‘Chemical Ali’
The Associated Press –
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s prime minister has appealed to President Bush to
hand over Saddam Hussein’s cousin, known as “Chemical Ali,” and two other
former …
ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-
3oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8T7J3QG0

Deadly cholera threatens Iraq’s children
CNN – USA
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Cholera deaths at a Baghdad orphanage and
deteriorating water and sewage systems are spurring fears of a larger
outbreak of the …
www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/11/29/iraq.main/

29/11/07

More Iraq news that you won’t see in the MSM
By Cassy Fiano
In the QUAGMIRE! that is Iraq according to Dems, deaths have been dropping. Citizens have been returning. Progress is being made, and victory is inevitable, if Democratic leaders will only let us achieve it. …
wizbangblog.com/content/2007/11/29/mor
e-iraq-news-that-you-wont-see-in-the-msm.php

Iraq: The Gift Bush Keeps On Giving
By Jeff Huber
Bush doesn’t appear to be worried about the effect the Iraq war will have on his legacy. In fact, he seems downright determined to ensure his Mesopotamia Mistake never makes the transition from current event to historical case study. …
www.atlargely.com/2007/11/iraq-the-gift-b.html

A Look Inside Iraq with Author Haifa Zangana & the Filmmakers of …
By CODEPINK(CODEPINK)
In honor of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, CODEPINK co-hosted an event at Busboys and Poets to provide an insightful look into the present state in Iraq with Haifa Zangana and the filmmakers of …
codepinkdc.blogspot.com/2007/11/l
ook-inside-iraq-with-author-haifa.html

As Iraq Improves, Survey Shows Journalists Continue to Despair
By Rich Noyes
Even as the violence ebbs and Iraqi refugees are returning home by the thousands, a new survey of Iraq war correspondents finds most are still deeply pessimistic about conditions in Iraq, with one in six (15%) saying that they believe …
newsbusters.org/blogs/rich-noyes/2007/11/29/iraq
-improves-survey-shows-journalists-continue-despair

Congressional Report Assails Bush Executive Order on Iraq …
The executive order was written so broadly as to alarm civil libertarians, who feared it was a back-door attempt at criminalizing the antiwar movement — which Bush could conceivably argue posed a threat to Iraq by seeking to end the US …
www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004802.php

US denies seeking permanent bases in Iraq
Xinhua – China
29 (Xinhua) — The White House said on Thursday that the US government is
not seeking permanent military bases in Iraq. “We do not seek permanent
bases in …
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/30/content_7171225.htm

US to control growth of Iraq neighbourhood patrols
Reuters – USA
US commanders backed the “Awakening” movement as they tried to bring down
violence which threatened to tip Iraq into sectarian civil war, training
and …
www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL29451060

US will work with Australia on Iraq withdrawal: ambassador
AFP –
SYDNEY (AFP) — Washington will work with Australia’s new leader on his
plan to withdraw combat troops from Iraq but will not follow his example
and ratify …
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jINuijJx7lezs-K6SLyGw_BOHOyA

Saudi oil plants targeted in missile plot
Sydney Morning Herald – Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
About half of those seized were said to have fought in Iraq. Officials said
there were plans to attack oil industry targets and preparations were being
made …
www.smh.com.au/news/world/saudi-oil-plants-
targeted-in-missile-plot/2007/11/29/1196037071840.html

Bronx soldier killed by roadside bomb in Iraq
Newsday – Long Island,NY,USA
A Bronx man who enlisted in the Army in January was killed Tuesday by a
roadside bomb in Iraq, the Defense Department said last night. Pvt. Isaac
T. Cortes, …
www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/
ny-nysold29r5480540nov29,0,2112281.story

6000 Sunnis Join Largest Ever Security Pact With US in Iraq
By Gateway Pundit(Gateway Pundit)
In this photo released by the US Air Force, Sunni tribal leaders congratulate each other after signing a security pact in Hawija, 240 kilometers (150 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007. Nearly 6000 Sunni Arab …
gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2007/11/
6000-sunnis-join-largest-ever-security.html

US Deaths in Iraq Remain Low in November
The Associated Press –
The US military said that an American soldier had been killed by small-arms
fire on Wednesday in Baghdad, bringing the number of troops killed in Iraq
to 35 …
ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3oYe
FwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8T7AI600