7/1/08

Analysis: Iraq’s ‘08 fate — Basra, Kirkuk
By Naxal Watch(Naxal Watch)
“It is about the struggle for control of the most important governorate in Iraq, in terms of the oil economy,” said Reidar Visser, editor of the Iraq Web site historiae.org and an Iraq expert at the Norwegian Institute of International …
intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2008/01/ana
lysis-iraqs-08-fate-basra-kirkuk.html

2 fires in Iraq’s largest oil refinery kill 1, injure several
Boston Herald – United States
By AP BAGHDAD – Two fires broke out today in Iraq’s largest oil refinery in the northern town of Beiji, killing one person and injuring nine, …
www.bostonherald.com/news/intern
ational/middle_east/view.bg?articleid=1065129

Ron Paul: McCain’s Reckless ‘100 years in Iraq’ Comment Endangers …
Reuters – USA
(Business Wire)—In response to John McCain’s comment at a recent town hall event that he would be fine with keeping American troops in Iraq for 100– or …
www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease
/idUS183560+07-Jan-2008+BW20080107

Dangers of Iraq are awakening
GulfNews – Dubai,United Arab Emirates
They promised democracy in Iraq and actually dragged it to civil war. They promised justice to Saddam – but actually elevated him to another Nasser.…
www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10180167.html

McCain: I would have started Iraq war regardless of WMD
(w/video) When Russert asked him if, like Bush, McCain would have supported the Iraq war even if no weapons of mass destruction were believed present in Iraq, McCain seemed to dismiss the question as irrelevant.
digg.com/2008_us_elections/McCain_I_
would_have_started_Iraq_war_regardless_of_WMD

Death toll in Iraq
By Lister
Including last September when a poll was published claiming Civilian toll in Iraq may top 1 million. That survey was not nearly as accurate as the two published in the Lancet. But it opened up the whole debate. …
exmypar.wordpress.com/2008/01/07/death-toll-in-iraq/

Is Bin Laden Behind New Iraq Killings?
TIME – USA
Roughly 72000 tribal fighters, virtually all of them Sunni, have denounced al-Qaeda in Iraq and formed a kind of confederation of militias with help from US …
www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1700853,00.html

Huge fire hits Iraq oil refinery
BBC News – UK
Reports from Iraq say the country’s biggest oil refinery, at Baiji, has been badly damaged in a huge fire. The fire began with an explosion in the plant’s …
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7175605.stm

As violence ebbs, the next hurdle for Iraq is political progress
Christian Science Monitor – Boston,MA,USA
This will be a pivotal year in Iraq. Nine provinces are now under Iraqi Army control. This year, the US plans to hand over responsibility for security in …
www.csmonitor.com/2008/0108/p13s01-wogn.html

Defense Dept. Briefing on Iraq
Army Col. Charles Flynn, Commander of the 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division conducts a briefing from Iraq to provide an update on ongoing security operations in Iraq. Length: 00:29min. Published: 1/7/2008 9:00:00 AM.
www.c-span.org/rss/video.asp?MediaID=34190

Major fire damages Iraq’s biggest oil refinery
San Diego Union Tribune – United States
By Sabah Al-Bazee BAIJI, Iraq – An explosion at a fuel storage tank caused a huge blaze at Iraq’s largest refinery on Monday, inflicting burns on at least …
www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/
iraq/20080107-0714-iraq-oil-cause.html

RPT-ANALYSIS-War? What war? Economy trumps Iraq in US election
Reuters – USA
By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON, Jan 7 (Reuters) – The Iraq war, once the key issue in the US presidential election, is taking a back seat to the economy as voters …
www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSN07556735

Iraq areas face drought
Trade Arabia – Manama,Bahrain
The winter rains are yet to arrive in Iraq and some areas are in the grip of a drought, says a report. The rains which begin from October have yet to arrive …
www.tradearabia.com/news/newsd
etails.asp?Sn=&artid=136727

Iraq has Vanished from the Primaries
By Robin Koerner
An interesting piece from Corriere della Serra, Italy, translated at WatchingAmerica.com points out that recent successes in Iraq have led to its disappearing from the issue sheet of all candidates, pro and anti-war, Republican and …
themoderatevoice.com/at-tmv/newsweek-blo
gitics/16906/iraq-has-vanished-from-the-primaries/

Last from Me on Whether a President McCain Would Have Invaded Iraq
McCain has pointedly sought to put some distance between himself and the neocons on Iraq, suggesting (as, for example, Josh Gerstein points out in this New York Sun report) that they exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam prior to our …
corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OGJiOWNk
NTAyNjY1NTVlODM5MjZkOTMzNWM3YjM5NzM=

Iraq army day attack toll rises to 14
Inquirer.net – Philippines
BAGHDAD — A suicide attack in Baghdad, which three Iraqi soldiers tried to prevent by flinging themselves on the bomber, killed 14 people, …
newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/worl
d/view_article.php?article_id=110896

Iraq bombs hit Sunni stronghold
BBC News – UK
A double bombing in Baghdad has killed at least six people, including the head of a US-backed armed group which fights al-Qaeda in mainly Sunni Muslim areas …
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7174641.stm

Congressman Welch headed to Iraq
Boston Globe – United States
The delegation will examine the political and military situation in Iraq, investigate the status and quality of US taxpayer-funded reconstruction projects …
www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles
/2008/01/07/congressman_welch_headed_to_iraq

Iraq is not a dirty word … in McCain campaign
Sydney Morning Herald – Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
Photo: Ap NOT so long ago it would have been unimaginable that full-throated support for the larger troop presence in Iraq could be considered a political …
www.smh.com.au/news/world/iraq-is-not-a-dirty-word-
x2026-in-mccain-campaign/2008/01/07/1199554571312.html

Iraq army day suicide attack kills 14
AFP –
BAGHDAD (AFP) — A suicide attack in Baghdad that three Iraqi soldiers tried to prevent by flinging themselves on the bomber killed 14 people, …
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gqpBEREYA1_oZ8GUizpN0svUsS5Q

IRAQ: 2 SUICIDE BOMBERS, LOCAL SUNNI LEADER KILLED
Agenzia Giornalistica Italia – Italy
(AGI) – Baghdad, 7 Jan – Two suicide attacks in Adhamiya, the Sunni neighbourhood of Baghdad, have resulted in the death of three people, including the head …
www.agi.it/world/news/200801071101-cro-ren0013-art.html

Iraq war makes a comeback at Democrats’ debate
Newsday – Long Island,NY,USA
NASHUA, NH – After falling off the political radar, the Iraq war re-emerged yesterday as a flash point between Hillary Rodham Clinton and the surging Barack …
www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-ushill075528994jan07,0,1372915.story

A Darker Shade Of Green Zone
Washington Post – United States
The next day, they would return to work — Warr assisting Iraq’s Air Force, Bastidas working with the Defense Ministry, and both counting the days until …
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008
/01/04/AR2008010404125.html?hpid=moreheadlines

President: Yemen supports Iraq’s security, stability
Xinhua – China
6 (Xinhua) — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Sunday reiterated Yemen’s support for Iraq’s security and stability, local media reported.…
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/07/content_7378194.htm

Obama and Iraq
Wall Street Journal – USA
This is particularly evident on the central national security challenge of the day, the Iraq war. Mr. Obama’s problem is not his initial opposition to the …
online.wsj.com/article/SB1199664959
23671075.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

They Can’t Handle the Truth
The Weekly Standard – USA
by Fred Barnes THERE’S A TRUTH THE Democratic presidential candidates can’t handle: the success of the “surge” in Iraq. The addition of American troops and …
www.weeklystandard.com/Check.asp?idArticle=14561&r=oumdm

Two US soldiers killed in bomb attacks in Iraq
Xinhua – China
6 (Xinhua) — Two US soldiers were killed in separate bomb attacks in Iraq this weekend, the US military said on Sunday. One soldier was killed on Sunday …
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/07/content_7377784.htm

US Military Deaths in Iraq at 3910
The Associated Press –
6, 2008, at least 3910 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/ALeqM5gqgQCc
v26kB1dkgZRZNHmbn_1J8gD8U0N0CO0

Deadly Bombing Mars Iraqi Celebration
New York Times – United States
Many of the group’s suicide bombers have been recruited abroad and smuggled into Iraq from neighboring countries. Despite the insistence by Americans and …
www.nytimes.com/2008/01/07/world/middleeast/07iraq.html?hp

Iraq surge brings a lull in violence but no reconciliation
Financial Times – London,England,UK
By Steve Negus, Iraq correspondent Already, the “surge” of US troops into Baghdad is beginning to recede, leaving behind a country where, by most accounts, …
www.ft.com/cms/s/dc42a32c-bcc1-11dc-bcf9-0000779fd2ac.html

Iraq: Hail Caesar?
For more details, please click on the link to read the article.
www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context
=viewArticle&code=AL-20080106&articleId=7732

Iraq death rate belies US claims of success
Independent – London,England,UK
By Kim Sengupta The death rate in Iraq in the past 12 months has been the second highest in any year since the invasion, according to figures that appear to …
news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article3315022.ece

Hugs, tears bid more soldiers Godspeed in Iraq
MLive.com – MI,USA
Reed, 35, who leaves immediately for his first deployment to Iraq, hugged his weeping daughter as she wrapped her arms around his neck. At the same time, …
blog.mlive.com/grpress/2008/01/hugs
_tears_bid_more_soldiers_g.html

6/1/08

It’s Time to Recover Iraq from the ‘Occupiers’ …
By William Kern
According to this op-ed article from Iraq’s Kitabat newspaper, Iraqis are now grappling with how to dis-empower militia groups and factions that have grown powerful during the occupation, but which have gone completely out of control. …
themoderatevoice.com/war/iraq/withdrawal/
16904/its-time-to-recover-iraq-from-the-occupiers/

Hillary’s Claim: I Wouldn’t Have Started Iraq War
By Eric Kleefeld
Obama spokesman Bill Burton immediately pounced, bringing up Hillary’s 2002 vote to authorize the Iraq War: “Hillary Clinton may try to rewrite history, but it’s hard to believe she didn’t know what would happen after she voted for a …
tpmelectioncentral.com/2008/01/hillarys_
claim_i_wouldnt_have_started_iraq_war.php

Iraq Army Day bomb attacks kill 14
A spate of bombings, including a suicide blast which two Iraqi soldiers tried to prevent by flinging themselves on the attacker, rocked Baghdad during Army Day celebrations, officials said.
www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/07/2132697.htm

11 die in Iraq suicide bombing
Jerusalem Post – Israel
Near the city of Khalis in volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, suspected al-Qaida in Iraq fighters attacked the house of a local sheik and…
www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1198517307
154&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

As troops do better on Iraq battlefield, relations with the media …
International Herald Tribune – France
General David Petraeus, the senior American officer in Iraq, and his subordinates have worked hard to convey the rationale for their strategy and the …
www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/06/america/military.php

Bomber Kills 4 Soldiers on Iraqi Army Day
New York Times – United States
Many of the group’s suicide bombers have also been recruited abroad and smuggled into Iraq from neighboring countries. Despite the insistence by the …
www.nytimes.com/2008/01/07/world/middleeast/07iraqcnd.html?hp

Arabic translator flees Iraq and death, lands in NYC DA’s office
Newsday – Long Island,NY,USA
By SAMUEL MAULL | AP Writer 3:58 PM EST, January 6, 2008 NEW YORK – Khalid Abood believes he would be dead by now if had stayed in his native Iraq.…
www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/n
y-bc-ny—iraqitranslator0106jan06,0,534851.story

Two US soldiers killed in Iraq
Africasia – London,UK
A US soldier died on Sunday when his patrol vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb in Baghdad, the US military said. It said another soldier had been killed …
www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?a
rea=mideast&item=080106171259.rexzakmp.php

Bomb blasts mar Iraq Army Day holiday
Reuters India – Mumbai,India
By Ross Colvin BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A suicide bomber blew himself up among soldiers and civilians celebrating Iraq’s national Army Day holiday in central …
in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31269120080106

Suicide Attack on Iraqi Crowd Kills 11
The Associated Press –
BAGHDAD (AP) — Two Iraqi soldiers threw themselves on a suicide bomber who slipped into a crowd celebrating Iraq’s Army Day, but the attacker detonated an …
ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gkx-3
oYeFwuWKCusr2jrojs98w8wD8U0DVL80

Republicans split on terror war
The Australian – Sydney,Australia
The President and his former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld were singled out for attack by Mike Huckabee for botching the war in Iraq. …
www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/
0,25197,23014507-5015647,00.html

Republicans Huckabee, Romney Clash Over Bush’s Iraq Policies
Bloomberg – USA
Arizona Senator John McCain, the new front-runner in New Hampshire, emphasized his support of the troop surge in Iraq in an appearance on CBS’s ``Face the …
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=
20601087&sid=aNRtXAuK8CWs&refer=home

Iraq’s Middle Class Is Languishing
By forums@www.military-quotes.com (Team Infidel)
Years of political turmoil, US-imposed sanctions and war have devastated Iraq’s workforce. Hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals have left the country. Businesses have closed. Insurgents and thugs have targeted professors, …
www.military-quotes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51227

Bomb hits Iraq Army Day celebrations, 9 killed
Reuters – USA
While overall levels of violence in Iraq are down, US military figures show that suicide bomb attacks have increased slightly since reaching a low in…
www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSCOL639697

Suicide Bomber Kills Eight in Baghdad
Wall Street Journal – USA
Army Day — an official holiday — this year marks the 87th anniversary of the establishment of Iraq’s army with military parades and other ceremonies. …
online.wsj.com/article/SB1199620779406
70459.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Soccer coach returns to Iraq to provide expertise
Guardian Unlimited – UK
Wohali, who has coached for a week on dusty training grounds adjacent to Iraq’s national Sha’ab stadium, said he did not see the capital’s violence as an …
football.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews
/feedstory/0,,-7202555,00.html

IRAQ REPORT At a glance
Fort Worth Star Telegram – Fort Worth,TX,USA
US war toll: At least 3909 members of the US military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. …
www.star-telegram.com/279/story/392787.html

Iraq’s 'al-Qaida' gunmen kidnap tribal leader, 13 of his family members
Xinhua – China
6 (Xinhua) — Dozens of al-Qaida gunmen in Iraq attacked the house of a tribal chieftain in Diyala province, northeast of Baghdad, kidnapping him and 13 of …
news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/06/content_7374564.htm

Republican candidates trade blows on Iraq
Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee accused rival Mitt Romney of switching positions on President George W Bush’s troop build-up in Iraq in a potentially crucial debate in New Hampshire on Saturday (local time).
www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/06/2132633.htm

FACTBOX-Security developments in Iraq, Jan 6
Reuters – USA
BAGHDAD – A roadside bomb wounded seven people travelling in a minibus in the southern Baghdad district of Doura on Saturday, police said. …
www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSL06244746