Friday, December 15, 2006

Meanwhile in Iraq

At least 18 killed in another bloody day in Iraq: Hospital sources said 13 people were killed in violence in different areas of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.

Exposed: Iraq Psy-Ops Campaign:
A mysterious psychological operations campaign is underway in Iraq, with Muqtada al Sadr’s Mahdi Army as its target. In recent days, Baghdad residents report receiving phone calls that caller ID show to be originating from outside Iraq.

Diplomat's suppressed document lays bare the lies behind Iraq war: The Government's case for going to war in Iraq has been torn apart by the publication of previously suppressed evidence that Tony Blair lied over Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction.

Three US occupation force soldiers killed in Iraq: Two US marines killed in occupied province of Al-Anbar, one soldier killed in Nineveh province.

No yellow ribbons for this soldier!: Missing Soldier Classified As Captured In Iraq: Ahmed Qusai al-Taayie, a 41-year-old Iraqi-born resident of Ann Arbor, Mich., was snatched off the street while he was visiting his Iraqi wife in Baghdad on Oct. 23.

Iraqi Red Crescent accuses U.S. forces of attacks: The Iraqi Red Crescent accused U.S. forces on Friday of carrying out a spate of attacks on its offices over the last three years during operations to flush out suspected militants.

Tribal Leaders Don't Trust Iraq Soldiers: Tribal leaders and some political groups in the strife-ridden Iraqi province of Diyala are turning to terrorists and insurgents for protection rather than trust Iraqi soldiers and police, the commander of U.S. forces in that area said Friday.

Sadrists want U.S., British embassies in Iraq closed: The political committee in al-Shaheed al-Sadr's office urged the Iraqi government to close down the U.S. and British embassies in Baghdad and expel the two ambassadors

Top general calls for more troops: The Army's top general warned on Thursday that his force ``will break'' without thousands more active duty troops and greater use of the reserves. He issued the warning as President Bush considers new strategies for Iraq.

Bush weighing deeper commitment in Iraq, officials say: - President Bush is weighing whether to make a deeper American commitment in Iraq despite growing public unhappiness with the war, according to senior U.S. officials and former officials familiar with Bush's high-level review.

Graham Says 20-Thousand More Troops Needed In Iraq: South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says about 20,000 more American troops are needed if Iraq is going to establish a working democracy.

U.S. considers 35,000 more troops for Iraq: Senator John McCain said that U.S. military commanders were discussing the possibility of adding as many as 10 more U.S. combat brigades — a maximum of about 35,000 troops — to "bring the situation under control" while Iraq's divided political leaders seek solutions to the worsening bloodshed here.

Despite Its $168 Billion Budget: The Army Faces a Cash Crunch: At a time when the war in Iraq is deepening, and debate over pulling out the troops is intensifying, the rising cost of waging the fight is outpacing even the Army's huge budget. The financial squeeze is leaving the Army short of equipment and key personnel.

Democrats Expected to Increase U.S. Military Spending: This year's Pentagon budget is $436 billion. That amount does not include more than $140 billion that's being spent this year alone on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rice hints Baker report to be snubbed: US secretary of state tells Washington Post that US will not 'trade away' Lebanon to Syria nor allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons – in exchange for peace in Iraq. Says administrations stepping up efforts for Israeli-Palestinian calm.

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