5 KILLED, 9 WOUNDED AS VIOLENCE ERUPTS AGAIN IN BAGHDAD

Baghdad, May 13, (VOI) - Five persons were killed, nine more were injured and 24 people were arrested in acts of violence throughout Iraq from 9:00 p.m. on Monday until 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, security sources said.

5 killed, 9 wounded in violent acts in Iraq Baghdad

Voices of Iraq Tuesday , 13 /05 /2008 Time 5:28:33
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=79145&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

In Mosul, the U.S. army said five Iraqi soldiers were killed and four others wounded on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device went off near them in Ninewa province."After the bombing, the Iraqi soldiers searched houses near the blast scene and arrested a man who confessed to having detonated the IED," the army added in a statement.Meanwhile, police sources said an Iraqi army soldier was wounded in southwestern Mosul, while security forces defused a car bomb in the same place. Four children were wounded in a bomb explosion and a shootout in two separate incidents in southeastern and western Mosul.In Basra, a police source said on Tuesday security forces conducted search raids in different areas of Basra province, capturing 17 wanted men and suspects on charges of involvement in acts of violence.In Diala, a security source said that unknown gunmen set up a fake checkpoint on Monday and kidnapped three Diala University students in Baaquba.In Karbala, three persons suspected of having planted an explosive charge in a souk (market) in central Karbala were arrested on Tuesday, the province's police and operations chief said.

FRAGILE CEASEFIRE IN BAGHDAD FALLS APART

The much heralded ceasefire in Baghdad's Sadr City section appears to have been short-lived. Violence and killings have resumed residents of the slum area of Baghdad are trying desperately to get out of the way of the escalating attacks.


War News for Tuesday, May 13, 2008

http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

Baghdad:#1: A fragile cease-fire failed to stop fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City where the latest clashes between Shiite extremists and U.S.-backed Iraqi forces killed 11 men and wounded 19, Iraqi hospital officials said Tuesday.

It was not immediately clear if the those killed in the clashes, which escalated early Tuesday, were militants or civilians. There were women and children among the wounded, said hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

#2: The U.S. military said that it responded to several attacks by militants with precision strikes, but only confirmed killing three militants. Two of the militants were killed in a Hellfire missile strike by an attack aircraft, according to the military. U.S. soldiers also suppressed "enemy fire" in four other clashes with tanks and attack aircraft, the military said. The clashes erupted late Monday, just hours after Iraq's main Shiite political bloc and supporters of firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr signed a cease-fire with the hope of ending seven-weeks of fighting that has left hundreds of people dead in the capital.

#3: The military said Tuesday that militants staged several attacks on U.S. soldiers in Sadr City and elsewhere, but there were no troop casualties.

#4: Stover also blamed the so-called "special groups" for a failed surface-to-air missile attack on a helicopter gunship over Sadr City on Saturday. The missile was fired from an unknown location in eastern Baghdad but missed the target, he said. The missile harmlessly exploded, and the rocket body landed in the Azamiyah neighborhood, where it was recovered by allied Sunni fighters and handed over to the U.S. military.

#5: Gunmen killed an army officer, Brigadier-General Nibras Fadhil Abbas, in a drive-by shooting on Monday in Nisoor square in central Baghdad, police said.

#6: A roadside bomb wounded five civilians in the Karrada district of central Baghdad, police said.

#7: Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday called upon his followers to abide by an agreement, signed between Sadrist movement and the United Iraqi Alliance, to stop fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City.

#8: At least 30 followers of the Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr were detained on Tuesday as a Sadr’s office in western Baghdad was raided according to an official source from the office. “The raid, which was carried out with an aerial support, ended with the arrest of 30 persons who were working in social activities with al-Sadr’s office in Shoula,” the source, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq.

#9: Medical sources in Sadr hospital in Sadr city said that a seven years old died after he was run over by a vehicle of the Iraqi army and 15 other men were wounded in a air strike targeted Jamila area in east Baghdad. No confirmation reached us from the US military until time of publication

#10: Medical source in Imam Ali hospital said that five men were killed and four others were wounded in an American air strike around 5:00 a.m. No confirmation reached us from the US military until time of publication

VIOLENCE ESCALATES IN OTHER PROVINCES IN IRAQ

Diyala Prv:Baquba:#1: Gunmen abducted six university students from a minibus near Baquba on Monday, police said. Baquba, the capital of Diyala province, is 65 km (42 miles) north of Baghdad.Nassiriya:#1: A mortar attack killed a woman and wounded three people including a child in Nassiriya on Monday, police said. Nassiriya is 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad.Mahmudiya:#1: A roadside bomb attack on a police patrol killed one policeman and wounded three others on Monday near Mahmudiya, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.Kirkuk:#1: Violence in Iraq’s Kirkuk province has dropped by 70 percent, and coalition and Iraqi forces have “virtually destroyed” al-Qaida in Iraq in the region, the commander of the U.S. brigade combat team in the area said today.Mosul:#1: A bomb blast wounded two children in southeastern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.#2: Five Iraqi soldiers were killed and four others wounded on Tuesday when an improvised explosive device went off near them in Ninewa province, the U.S. army in Iraq said. "An IED went off on Tuesday in the northern Iraq province of Ninewa, killing five Iraqi soldiers and injuring four others, who were rushed to the Mosul public hospital for treatment," the U.S. army said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

THE FOLLOWING INCIDENTS HAPPENED IN AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan:#1: US-led coalition forces called in airstrikes against the Taliban, killing a dozen militants during fighting in southern Afghanistan that has displaced many families, officials said Tuesday. The coalition said in a statement that its troops opened fire and called in airstrikes Monday after observing militants trying to set up an ambush. The coalition had been targeting a Taliban commander transporting weapons.About 150 Taliban-linked militants have been killed in the past week by Afghan and international troops in southern Helmand province, the provincial governor said Tuesday. The rebels were killed in military action, including air strikes, in the province's southern Garmser district on the border with Pakistan, Helmand governor Gulab Mangal told AFP.#2: In the northern town of Baghlan on Tuesday, a boy dropped an old mortar shell that he was trying to exchange for ice cream with a scrap metal dealer, said police officer Habib Rehman. The shell exploded, wounding 17 children and a man. Fourteen of the children were evacuated to a hospital in Baghlan. Three others were sent to the nearby town of Pul-e-Khumri, said Dr. Narmgui from the Baghlan hospital. Like many Afghans, Narmgui goes by one name.#3: On Monday, a rocket hit a house in the eastern Kunar province, wounding two children and a man, said provincial deputy police chief Abdul Sabor Allayer. He blamed insurgents for the attack.#4: A Pakistani soldier was killed and another injured as suspected militants attacked security check post in the country's northwestern tribal region on Tuesday, local media reported. The security forces returned fire when suspected militants fired mortars and used automatic weapons to hit check post in Bajurtribal agency, News Network International (NNI) news agency said. There was no report of casualties on the part of the militants. And there was no claim of responsibility.#5: A US military helicopter has made an emergency landing in Afghanistan amid reports that militants shot it down. No one was seriously injured in the "hard landing" in the north-eastern province of Nuristan on Monday night, coalition forces said. The Taleban say they shot the helicopter down. The US military says the helicopter has been taken to a coalition base. "The cause of the helicopter incident is still under investigation. However, initial reports indicated it may have been caused by some form of ground fire," a statement said, the AFP news agency reports.

AP BREAKING NEWS: BUSH OFFICIALS IGNORED CORRUPTION IN IRAQI GOVERNMENT

Ex-officials: Bush admin. ignored Iraq corruption
Ex-State employees allege Bush Admininstration ignored corruption at senior levels in Iraq

ANNE FLAHERTYAP News
May 13, 2008 00:30 EST
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=165811

The Bush administration repeatedly ignored corruption at the highest levels within the Iraqi government and kept secret potentially embarrassing information so as not to undermine its relationship with Baghdad, according to two former State Department employees.

Arthur Brennan, who briefly served in Baghdad as head of the department's Office of Accountability and Transparency last year, and James Mattil, who worked as the chief of staff, told Senate Democrats on Monday that their office was understaffed and its warnings and recommendations ignored.

Brennan also alleges the State Department prevented a congressional aide visiting Baghdad from talking with staffers by insisting they were too busy. In reality, Brennan said, office members were watching movies at the embassy and on their computers. The staffers' workload had been cut dramatically because of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's "evisceration" of Iraq's top anti-corruption office, he said.

MONDAY: 1 US SOLDIER, 25 IRAQIS KILLED; 36 IRAQIS WOUNDED. SADR CITY RESIDENTS FEAR MORE VIOLENCE

Supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and members of the largest Shi'ite bloc in Parliament formally signed a cease-fire agreement that should end seven weeks of heavy attacks in Sadr City. Still, many residents are afraid of new sources of violence. At least 25 Iraqis were killed and another 36 were wounded across Iraq in the latest incidents. Also, an American soldier was killed when a roadside bomb blasted his road-clearing patrol in Baghdad last night.

http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12828

In Baghdad, two dumped bodies were found. Gunmen killed a defense ministry officer. The Iraqi army killed eight suspects and detained 16 more. In Hurriya, U.S. forces killed three suspects that residents say were college students; eight people were also detained. Two civilians were injured during a bombing in al-Binouk. Clashes between U.S. forces and gunmen left three civilians with injuries. A bomb targeting a U.S. patrol injured one civilian instead. Also, one suspect was killed in Baghdad.

Although violence has tapered off in Sadr City, two people were killed and 24 were wounded overnight. U.S. forces also killed three gunmen. Meanwhile, gunmen fired a rocket at a U.S. helicopter, but no casualties were reported.

An Iraqi soldier was killed and two more were wounded in al-Rashad during a roadside bombing.
In Nassiriya, two policemen were wounded when a bomb hidden in an air conditioning unit blew up.
Two bodies were found near Samarra.
An Awakening Council (Sahwa) member was killed during a bombing in Shurqat.
A Sahwa leader was killed in Garma.
In Mosul, 81 suspects were arrested during security operations.
Six suspects were arrested in Kirkuk.
In Makhmour, four suspects were detained.
Gunmen in Suleimaniyah injured one woman. Near town gunmen in a cab shot and injured a woman.
Iraqi officials reported that Turkish warplanes bombed suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebel camps in northern Iraq, but no casualties were reported.
A U.S. forces conducted an air strike in Arab Jabour, but no casualties were reported.

MISOGYNY RAMPANT IN ARMED FORCES: ONE IN THREE WOMEN EXPERIENCE SEXUAL ABUSE

I knew it was bad, but I didn't know just how bad. Colonel Ann Wright, retired U.S. Army, grabbed the audience's attention at a panel called Women in the Military, hosted last month by Women Center Stage in New York City, when she said that one in three women in the military is sexually abused by her male colleagues. Ann wants to see huge signs displaying this statistic in every recruiting office, to let young women know what to expect if they sign up.

By Nancy Van Ness, The WipPosted on May 12, 2008, Printed on May 12, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/85099/

After 26 years in the U.S. Army/Army Reserves, Ann went on to serve in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps for fifteen years, receiving the State Department's Award for Heroism in 1997. She helped open the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, in January 2002 and then was Deputy Chief of Mission in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. But in 2003 she resigned from the Diplomatic Corps, saying, "I have served my country for almost thirty years in the some of the most isolated and dangerous parts of the world. However, I do not believe in the policies of this Administration," referring to the invasion of Iraq. Since then, she has advocated tirelessly for peace.

She described first hand accounts from witnesses and seeing photographs that document an atrocious rape that ended in the murder of a female US soldier in Iraq, which the military had reported as a suicide. She pointed out that even in the handful of cases resulting in court martial and conviction, few perpetrators have served any prison time.

Two other young veterans, Kelly Dougherty and Jen Hogg, described life in the military for women today.

Sgt. Kelly Dougherty, now Executive Director of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) and former chair of its Board of Directors, told of a veteran who calmly described killing an Iraqi while she breast-fed her baby. To Kelly, this was just one example of the incredible disconnect veterans live with and of the brutalization that everyone in the armed forces is subjected to. She noted, however, that this is new for women, since for the first time in US history so many women are participating in combat situations.

Click on link above to read full story.

DAHR JAMAIL: US INVASION OF IRAQ LEADS TO FOOD CRISIS IN FALLUJAH

FALLUJAH, May 12 (IPS) - Sharp increases in food prices have generated a new wave of anti-occupation and anti-U.S. sentiment in Fallujah.

Inter Press Service
By Ali al-Fadhily and Dahr Jamail*

"This is a country that was damned by the Americans the moment they stepped on our soil," Burhan Jassim, a farmer from Sichir village just outside Fallujah told IPS. "This is Iraqi land that has always been blessed by Allah with the best production in quality and quantity, but now see how it has been turned into a wasteland."

Fallujah faces this new crisis after much of the city was destroyed by U.S. military operations in 2004.

The area around Fallujah city, which lies 70 km west of Baghdad, has traditionally been one of the most agriculturally productive in Iraq. Farmers planted tomatoes and cucumbers north of Fallujah, others grew potatoes south of the city near Amiriya. Both areas had plenty of date palm trees and small fruit plantations. Now production is down to a fraction of what it was.

Farmers have been struggling with changing times. "We changed our motors from electric to diesel oil to avoid electricity failures during the UN sanctions (during the 1990s)," Raad Sammy, an agriculture engineer who has a small farm in Saqlawiya on the outskirts of Fallujah told IPS. "We used to have a minimum of 12 hours electricity per day under the programmed cut, but there is practically no electricity now. And now we also have to face lack of fuel for our pumps, and the incredible increase of fuel prices on the black market."

The price of agricultural products has skyrocketed. "The average price for one kilogram of tomatoes is approximately one dollar," Yasseen Kamil, a grocer in Fallujah told IPS. "This price is when there is no crisis such as Americans blocking the entrance into the city. It is naturally doubled in winter when we have to import everything from Syria and Jordan."

Fallujah residents say the price of food now exceeds their income. The average income for government employees is 170 dollars a month, and no more than 100 dollars for labourers and salesmen.

Residents say unemployment in the city is well above 50 percent. Under these circumstances, a food crisis has hit people harder than it might elsewhere.

"The social effects of the situation are enormous," Ahmed Munqith from the city told IPS. "We believe that people are carrying out illegitimate acts in order to obtain their daily life necessities. The food crisis has led to vast corruption, and raised crime rates to peak point."

As with any difficulty now, many Iraqis believe that the occupation forces want it this way.
"It is obvious that the prices are up and life is difficult in this city and all of Iraq because it has been so planned," Sheikh Ala'in, a cleric in Fallujah told IPS. "Occupation planners designed this poverty in order to make Iraqis work for them as policemen and spies. Iraq is floating on a lake of oil, but there is no gas to run water pumps. What an irony."

Residents say they are told of a world food crisis that may be affecting them. But their crisis arises mainly from local factors like shortage of water, fuel and electricity.

Whatever the reason, residents simply want relief. "We just want our lives back," said a college student who gave her name only as Nada. "We want to eat, buy clothes, get proper education and breathe pure air. No thanks to Americans for their effort to bring us democracy that killed half of us by their bombs and is now apparently killing the other half by starvation. Can you pass this message to the American people for us?"

According to the UN, at least four million people in Iraq do not have enough food, while approximately 40 percent of the 27.5 million population do not have access to clean drinking water. At least 30 percent do not have access to proper health services.

(*Ali, our correspondent in Baghdad, works in close collaboration with Dahr Jamail, our U.S.-based specialist writer on Iraq who has reported extensively from Iraq and the Middle East).

NEW YORK TIMES: SADR CITY CEASEFIRE PUT TO TEST AND FAILS

BAGHDAD — A column of Iraqi armor set out on Sunday to test a new truce in the Sadr City area of Baghdad between the militias and the Iraqi government by venturing north on a major thoroughfare that borders the Shiite enclave.

But the Iraqi forces had barely started to move when they were struck by three roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices, or I.E.D.’s, as the military calls them.

By MICHAEL R. GORDON and STEPHEN FARRELL
THE NEW YORK TIMES
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/world/middleeast/12sadr.html?partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all

As Sadr City and Iraqi government negotiators struggled to complete the cease-fire agreement, the scene was a vivid demonstration that a durable accord in the densely populated neighborhood, where intense fighting has been going on for more than a month, had yet to be achieved.

“They promised that there would not be any explosions, that people would show us where the I.E.D.’s are,” said a combat engineer with the Ninth Iraqi Army Division who identified himself as Colonel Alaa. “In 10 meters three I.E.D.’s exploded on us.”

Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded by the blasts, including the Iraqi colonel, who strode through a rubble-strewn street with a bandage on his left leg.

"THUNDER ROAD"-BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S VIDEO TRIBUTE TO THE FORGOTTEN HEROES OF THE IRAQ WAR

Only "THE BOSS" knows how to spell out in song the true picture of the Iraq war. "Thunder Road" is Bruce Springsteen's musical video tribute to the brave young men and women who are caught in the middle of an ugly war started for no reason whatsoever by President Bush, Vice President Cheney and a band of "chickenhawks" who NEVER served a day in their life in the uniform of any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States of America.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb8SCqWRc7I

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: HOW DO YOU SLEEP KNOWING YOU STARTED ALL THIS? (GRAPHIC MUSIC VIDEO OF IRAQ WAR)

There have been many music videos made of the Iraq war, but this is one of the best because it asks the question of President Bush how does he sleep knowing he started all this. His daughters will never see service in the military, nor will Dick Cheney's daughter. In fact, very few members of Congress have a loved one serving in the military of the United States of America.

This is a VIDEO you can't just watch ONCE. It shows graphic footage from the war and asks the question on the minds of so many people: "Mr President: How do you sleep at night knowing you started all this?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWaaXiFmRG0

IRAQ WAR (MUST SEE VIDEO)

Far too many Americans have been shielded by the mainstream media from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And when the media does show something from the wars, it is some sanitized version of the war that is right out of Pentagon propaganda files. This VIDEO doesn't pull any punches and shows the war as it is seen by our brave young soldiers and Marines fighting the war. We are determined to not let their valor go unnoticed. BILL CORCORAN, editor of this blog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU4CwBBSdyE

NOT FOR THE TIMID: IRAQ WAR MUSIC VIDEO. VERY GRAPHIC

This is a collection of scenes from the Iraq war and is not for the timid, but is posted for people who want to know what our troops are REALLY going through in Iraq.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU4CwBBSdyE

NEW VIDEO SHOWS 2nd Battalion 24th Marines Firefight In Yusufiyah, Iraq

This video shows a Marine unit in a firefight in Yusufiyah, Iraq. Warning: Explicit language.
We show this video because the mainstream media in the United States no longer covers the Iraq war the way it should be covered.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd-cUy3bV7c

CBS' LARA LOGAN AND A NEW VIDEO OF EYE TO EYE FIGHT IN SADR CITY

Lara Logan, the CBS News war correspondent, interviews Lt. Col. Dan Barnett, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, about the battle for Sadr City in this NEW video from CBS News on the war in Iraq.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSe6FT-pzDE&feature=related

GRIPPING VIDEO OF A NIGHTVISION FIREFIGHT IN SADR CITY (NEW)

Ever wonder what our brave young soldiers and Marines go through during a night fight? Now you can see exactly what it is like as seen through night vision goggles on this exclusive YouTube video of a recent firefight in Sadr City.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UjI--xP9fk

TEN GIS KILLED IN FIRST TEN DAYS OF MAY: NAMES AND HOMETOWNS

This is the latest casualty list from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Names of deceased are in BLUE and additional information can be obtained by clickong the name of the deceased GI.

Date
Total
Name
Place of Death - Province
Cause of Death
10-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Al Asad - Anbar
Non-hostile - vehicle accident
09-May-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US
Specialist Mary J. Jaenichen
Iskandariyah - Babil
Non-hostile - injury
06-May-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0

US
Private 1st Class Aaron J. Ward
Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

US
Specialist Alex D. Gonzalez
Mosul - Ninewah
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, RPG
02-May-2008
3
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 2

GE
Lieutenant Giorgi Margiev
Diyala Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

GE
Corporal Zura Gvenetadze
Diyala Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Private Corey L. Hicks
Baghdad (eastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
01-May-2008
5
US: 5 UK: 0 Other: 0

US
Lance Corporal Casey L. Casanova
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Corporal Miguel A. Guzman
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Lance Corporal James F. Kimple
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Sergeant Glen E. Martinez
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Specialist Jeffrey F. Nichols
Baghdad (central)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)
Total
12
US: 10 UK: 0 Other: 2

MARINE CORPS TIMES: ON AGAIN OFF AGAIN SHIFT OF MARINES TO AFGHANISTAN IS ON AGAIN

Shift of Marines to Afghanistan back on table

By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writerPosted : Sunday May 11, 2008 10:02:51 EDT
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_afghanistan_051008w/

Even if peace breaks out across Anbar province and the rest of Iraq, Marines may not get a break from the current op tempo.

Next stop: Afghanistan. Not this year — but maybe in 2009.

Senior Pentagon officials say the proposal to shift Marines out of Iraq and into Afghanistan in large numbers is back on the table.

Top military leaders shot down the idea last fall when Commandant Gen. James Conway said publicly that he’d like to leave Iraq to the Army and essentially take over the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.

Click on this link to read full account: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_afghanistan_051008w/

IRAQ'S AMBASSADOR TO US TICKED OFF AT DEMS FOR WANTING TO CUT FUNDING FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Iraq's ambassador to the United States insisted Sunday his government was doing more to pay its own way as angry Democrats in Congress push to cut US funding for reconstruction.

Iraq envoy rejects Democrats' anger over US funding
21 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080511/pl_afp/usiraqcongresspoliticsbudget

Samir Sumaidaie told CNN: "We are taking over as fast as we can. We are taking over on the construction side. We are taking over on the security side.

"And as time goes on, the money spent by the Americans on reconstruction or on our arms (armed) services will come down to zero and we'll take on the full load," he said.

Democrats say that with Iraq profiting from booming oil prices, its government is letting billions of dollars sit idle in US bank accounts as Washington spends up to 12 billion dollars a month in the country.

The Senate's armed services committee has proposed banning US funds for all large-scale projects in Iraq costing above two million dollars, demanding Baghdad assume a larger share of reconstruction costs.

Click on link to continue reading

AP IMPACT: NUMBER OF DISABLED VETS RISING

WASHINGTON - Increasing numbers of U.S. troops have left the military with damaged bodies and minds, an ever-larger pool of disabled veterans that will cost the nation billions for decades to come — even as the total population of America's vets shrinks.

By JENNIFER C. KERR, Associated Press Writer 23 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080511/ap_on_re_us/disabled_veterans

Despite the decline in total vets — as soldiers from World War II and Korea die — the government expects to be spending $59 billion a year to compensate injured warriors in 25 years, up from today's $29 billion, according to internal documents obtained by The Associated Press. And the Veterans Affairs Department concedes the bill could be much higher.

Why?

Worse wounds. More disabilities. More vets aware of the benefits and quicker to file for them.
Also, ironically, advanced medical care. Troops come home with devastating injuries that might well have killed them in earlier wars.

Time is also a factor when it comes to disability compensation costs. Payments tend to go up as veterans age, and an increasing number of soldiers from the Vietnam War will be getting bigger payments as they get older and are less able to work around their disabilities.

The number of disabled veterans has jumped by 25 percent since 2001 — to 2.9 million — and the cause really is no mystery.

"This is a cost of war," says Steve Smithson, a deputy director at the American Legion. "We're still producing veterans. We've been in a war in Iraq for five years now, and the war on terror since 9/11."

VA and Census Bureau figures show the previous six-year period, before hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, saw a more modest increase of 4 percent in the number of disabled vets.

Veterans can make claims for disability benefits long after their military service has ended.
Today's veterans — disabled or not — number nearly 24 million. That population is projected by the VA to fall under 15 million by 2033, mostly because of dying World War II and Korean War vets. But costs are expected to rise.

Inflation accounts for a big chunk of the increase. But even when the VA factors out inflation, the compensation for disabled veterans would still grow from $29 billion to $33 billion in today's dollars — a more than 10 percent increase. And the department acknowledges the estimate could rise by 30 percent.

VA officials were not eager to talk about reasons for the increases. They declined several requests for interviews. In a written response to a handful of questions, the agency noted a few factors at play in the rising costs, such as the aging veterans population, an increase in the number of disabilities claimed and the severity of injuries sustained.

Click on link to read full story.

TIMES ONLINE GRAPHIC VIDEO SHOWING PARADING OF FIGHTER'S BODIES IN SADR CITY

This graphic video and accompanying story shows fighter's bodies being paraded as a taunt to the Mahdi Army in the Sadr City section of Baghdad.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/iraq/article3908164.ece

WASHINGTON POST: DEAL REACHED ON CEASEFIRE IN SADR CITY. WILL IT HOLD?

There have been a number of deals made between warring factions in Iraq on a ceasefire, but the problem is many of militants are in separate groups and they don't feel an obligation to abide by the ceasefire.

Will this time be different? Only time will tell.

Deal Reached to End Fighting in Sadr City Agreement Reported by Aide to Cleric

By Sholnn Freeman and Ernesto Londoño Washington Post Staff Writers Sunday, May 11, 2008; A21

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/10/AR2008051000626.html

BAGHDAD, May 10 -- A top aide to Moqtada al-Sadr said Saturday that the influential Shiite cleric had reached an agreement with lawmakers aligned with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to end fighting in the Sadr City district of the capital.

The aide, Salah al-Obaidi, said Sadr agreed to take his Mahdi Army militia off the streets as early as Sunday in exchange for restrictions on raids and arrests. The agreement also includes provisions to reopen roads into Sadr City and expand government humanitarian assistance, he said.

Obaidi said the deal was reached after several days of discussions between leaders in Sadr's political movement and the United Iraqi Alliance, the majority bloc in Iraq's parliament.
Ali Dabbagh, chief spokesman for Maliki, said the government supported the agreement but would continue a security operation aimed at ridding Sadr City of gunmen and heavy weapons.

U.S. military officials did not respond to requests for comment about the truce, and Dabbagh said the agreement did not include language calling for the withdrawal of American troops from Sadr City.

Violent clashes have erupted almost daily in Sadr City since late March, leaving as many as 500 people dead and 2,100 injured. The conflict has pitted Sadr, who also leads one of Iraq's most popular Shiite political organizations, against Shiite-led government forces backed by the U.S. military.

The U.S. military has said it has killed more than 200 fighters in the past month in the area, where it says militiamen have fired hundreds of rockets and mortars at U.S. and Iraqi targets.
Meanwhile, Maliki launched an operation Saturday in northern Iraq to crack down on Sunni insurgents who flocked to the city of Mosul after being run out of other provinces.

Click on Washington Post link to read full story.

YAHOO/REUTERS REPORTS: US FORCES KILL WOMAN AND CHILD IN MOSUL

Two civilians killed in U.S. operation in N.Iraq
51 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080511/wl_nm/iraq_attack_dc

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A woman, a child and two gunmen were killed by U.S. forces conducting a military operation targeting al Qaeda in northern Iraq, the military said on Sunday.
It said U.S. forces fired on a car carrying suspected militants that refused to stop near the northern city of Mosul on Saturday.
"Coalition forces fired three warning shots, but the driver refused to stop and one man made threatening movements from inside the vehicle," the military said in a statement.
"Coalition forces responded to the perceived threat and engaged the vehicle."
It said a woman and a child in the vehicle were killed, along with the two armed men.
The military said it regretted the deaths of civilians.

WASHINGTON POST: WARRING WITH SHADOWS: ON PATROL IN MOSUL

Frustration and Deceit on U.S.-Iraqi Patrol in Mosul

By Ernesto LondoñoWashington Post Foreign ServiceSaturday, May 10, 2008; A07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/09/AR2008050902836.html

MOSUL, Iraq -- An hour before sunrise, under a star-studded sky, 1st Lt. Michael Baxter's soldiers packed their gear into Bradley Fighting Vehicles, heading out to patrol neighborhoods where fighting insurgents often seems like warring with shadows
.
Soldiers took long drags on cigarettes before strapping 40 pounds of armor and gear onto their backs, saying little save for quick back-and-forth on radios. They crammed into the cabins of the tracked, armored vehicles that rattle like flimsy wooden roller-coaster cars and tuned out the sights and sounds of the city.

Mosul, a city in northern Iraq that straddles the Tigris River, has long been a stronghold of Sunni insurgents. When U.S. and Iraqi security forces aggressively fought Sunni extremists in Baghdad and other provinces, insurgents flocked to Mosul in recent months.

The patrols took place on the eve of an offensive against the insurgents that Iraqi officials had vowed to undertake here. The offensive has been dubbed Lion's Roar, and it may cast a spotlight on the readiness and competence of the Iraqi military and police in northern Iraq.

"This is their operation," said Maj. Amanda Emmens-Rossi, a U.S. military spokeswoman in Mosul. "It was conceived and led by the Iraqi military."

U.S. military officials say an offensive here is unlikely to unfold like the 2004 battle of Fallujah, in which U.S. troops fought entrenched insurgent cells with considerable success. And the battle in Mosul is considerably different from recent fights in Baghdad and Basra.

Click on link to read full account.

US CONFIRMED DEATHS: NAMES, HOMETOWNS, CAUSE OF DEATH

U.S. Confirmed Deaths Reported Deaths:

4075 Confirmed Deaths:

4073 Pending Confirmation:

2 DoD Confirmation List

Latest Coalition Fatalities (click on BLUE for more details)
05/10/08 MNF: Soldier killed in non-combat incident
A U.S. Soldier was killed when the vehicle he was traveling in experienced a roll over near Al Asad May 10. [url pending]

05/10/08 MNF: MND-Center Soldier dies
Center soldier died of non-combat related injuries May 9. The name of the deceased is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin and release by the Department of Defense.
05/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty

Pfc. Aaron J. Ward, 19, of San Jacinto, Calif., died May 6 in Al Anbar, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his unit came under small arms fire while conducting cordon and search operations. He was assigned to the 170th Military Police Company...

05/09/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Spc. Alex D. Gonzalez, 21, of Mission, Texas, died May 6 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered small arms fire and a rocket-propelled grenade attack. He was assigned to the 43rd Combat Engineer Company...

TEHRAN IRAN TIMES SAYS IRAQ WAR COSTING US A WHOPPING 5.54 MILLION AN HOUR

News you won't read in the mainstream media in the United States. The Tehran Times is reporting the Iraq war is costing the US taxpayer a whopping $5.54 MILLION dollars a HOUR.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=167952

AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE MAG SAYS: WAR WITH IRAN MIGHT BE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

One of the leading Conservative magazines in the United States, The American Conservative, posted the following on their web site:

War With Iran Might Be Closer Than You Think
Posted on May 9th, 2008 by Philip Giraldi
http://www.amconmag.com/blog/2008/05/09/war-with-iran-might-be-closer-than-you-think/

There is considerable speculation and buzz in Washington today suggesting that the National Security Council has agreed in principle to proceed with plans to attack an Iranian al-Qods-run camp that is believed to be training Iraqi militants.

The camp that will be targeted is one of several located near Tehran. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was the only senior official urging delay in taking any offensive action.

The decision to go ahead with plans to attack Iran is the direct result of concerns being expressed over the deteriorating situation in Lebanon, where Iranian ally Hezbollah appears to have gained the upper hand against government forces and might be able to dominate the fractious political situation.

The White House contacted the Iranian government directly yesterday through a channel provided by the leadership of the Kurdish region in Iraq, which has traditionally had close ties to Tehran. The US demanded that Iran admit that it has been interfering in Iraq and also commit itself to taking steps to end the support of various militant groups. There was also a warning about interfering in Lebanon.

The Iranian government reportedly responded quickly, restating its position that it would not discuss the matter until the US ceases its own meddling employing Iranian dissident groups.

The perceived Iranian intransigence coupled with the Lebanese situation convinced the White House that some sort of unambiguous signal has to be sent to the Iranian leadership, presumably in the form of cruise missiles. It is to be presumed that the attack will be as “pinpoint” and limited as possible, intended to target only al-Qods and avoid civilian casualties.

The decision to proceed with plans for an attack is not final. The President will still have to give the order to launch after all preparations are made.

WILL CHICAGO PUSHBACK AGAINST IRAN WARMONGERING?

More than 7,000 miles separate Chicago and Tehran. But on May 14, the city council of the American city will consider whether to take a stand on an event that would have far reaching consequences for residents of both: a US attack on Iran.

A resolution introduced into the council by one of its members, Alderman Joe Moore, would put the city on record as opposing a preemptive strike against Iran by the US. The resolution urges all congressional representatives whose districts include parts of the city to "clearly express the will of the people of Chicago in opposing any attack on Iran, and urging the Bush administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with that nation."

Acting Locally: Will Chicago Push Back Against Iran Warmongering?

By Michael Lynn, Comment Is FreePosted on May 10, 2008, Printed on May 10, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/85010/

The resolution is the result of an initiative launched by Chicago's No War On Iran Coalition, a broad-based grouping of local anti-war, social justice and faith organisations. Ranging widely in viewpoints, the goal that unites us all is preventing the United States from launching another elective war that we believe would prove even more disastrous than the five-year-old one next door in Iraq.

Recent events have added urgency to the goal. In April, General David Petraeus, the commanding officer of American forces in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to that country, testified to several congressional committees. In their testimony, both struck a common theme: the role of Iran in promoting insurgent attacks in Iraq. Both men accused so-called "special groups" of Iran's Revolutionary Guards of being responsible for the deaths of American troops and rocket strikes on the Green Zone.

That testimony flies in the face of the opinion of the American intelligence community, expressed in a 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (pdf) that Iran "is not likely to be a major driver of violence" in Iraq. It nevertheless allowed the Bush administration to assign blame for the Iraq debacle to Iran and provide the rationale for military action if they so chose. The president issued a thinly veiled threat in insisting that Iran cease supplying weapons in Iraq or "America will act to protect our interests, and our troops."

Click on this link http://www.alternet.org/story/85010/ to read complete story.

US BOMBARDS SADR CITY DESPITE CEASEFIRE

The US military has ignored the ceasefire drawn up between the Iraqi government and the Sadr militia and have continued to pound Sadr City with bombs.

Heavy bombardment on Sadr city despite ceasefire

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Saturday , 10 /05 /2008 Time 9:44:56
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=78856&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Baghdad, May 10, (VOI) – Three large parts of Sadr city were subjected to heavy bombardment that was continuously carried out by U.S. helicopters, starting from Saturday 3:30 p.m. until now, despite the Iraqi government and representatives of the Sadr movement having signed an agreement to stop confrontations in the city.

Reporter of Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) said that airstrike operations covered the areas of Jameela, al-Gayiara, and al-Dakhil, but he could not contact medical sources to learn whether there were any casualties among Sadr city's residents.Earlier on Saturday, the Sadr bloc's official spokesperson said that the bloc brokered a deal with the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to stop fighting in the troubled eastern Baghdad district of Sadr City, and end the crisis between the two sides."

A 14-point agreement was reached with a delegation from the ruling Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC) to end the crisis in Sadr City," Sheikh Salah al-Ubaydi told VOI.Ubaydi said the agreement, effective as of Sunday, provided that all the items included would be implemented in four days' time, noting it calls for a "ceasefire, ending all armed activities and opening of all outlets leading to Sadr City."An official spokesman for the government confirmed the agreement reached with the Sadrists on Friday evening with the objective of "sustaining the stability and security in Sadr City."

"There are talks between a UIC delegation and the brothers from the Sadrist bloc, and a 14-point agreement was reached," Ali al-Dabbagh told VOI on Saturday."The agreement included the clearing of Sadr City of all explosive charges and mines, the closure of all illegal courthouses, ending all armed activities and acknowledging that the Iraqi government is the sole party that runs security issues and decides sending any forces to any area to impose order and security," Dabbagh noted.

US SOLDIER KILLED IN IRAQ

Baghdad, May 10, (VOI)- The U.S. army said Saturday a service member died of injuries sustained from a “non-combat” incident.

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=78775&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

“A Multi-National Division – Center soldier died of non-combat related injuries May 9,” the U.S. army said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq- Voices of Iraq- (VOI).The death brings the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 to 4074.

Of this number, 9 soldiers have been so far killed in May.November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, is the month that witnessed the highest U.S. death toll with 137.

April 2004 comes second with 135, followed by May 2007 during which 126 U.S. soldiers were killed.SK

CHENEY TELLS RIGHT WING RADIO HOST IN MISSISSIPPI IRAQ IS GOING "SWIMMINGLY"

Cheney: Bagdad’s Disneyland-Style Amusement Park Is Evidence That Things Are Going ‘Swimmingly’ In Iraq

Filed Under: Iraq

By Amanda on May 9th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/05/09/cheney-amusement-iraq/

Cheney: Bagdad’s Disneyland-Style Amusement Park Is Evidence That Things Are Going ‘Swimmingly’ In Iraq»

Today, Vice President Cheney appeared on The Paul Gallow Show in Mississippi. During the interview, he and the host lamented the media’s alleged bias in its Iraq coverage, suggesting that they should cover more good news — such as the Disneyland-style amusement park being developed for Baghdad:

GALLOW: You know, I look at this, and every once in a while, we’ll see a story, Mr. Vice President, things like an amusement park opens in Iraq or in Baghdad, which is totally counter to what we’re hearing over here, as far as the marketplaces being open, the schools, and things such as that. But I saw a story several weeks ago about an amusement center maybe over there, and I’m thinking this is not what you get in today’s media.

CHENEY: No, that’s true. It’s — what gets covered obviously is bad news. That’s — you know, if everything is going swimmingly, then that’s not news, so it doesn’t get the kind of attention.
Cheney and Gallow must be living in Never Never Land. This amusement park is not good news. The Pentagon is fast-tracking the development of the “Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience, a massive American-style amusement park that will feature a skateboard park, rides, a concert theatre and a museum.” The firm designing the project also developed Disneyland. The financier, Llewellyn Werner, has admitted that he is doing the project not to help Iraq, but because he wants to make boatloads of money:

After explaining skate…boarding, Werner tells the assembled Iraqi business and government men, “I’m a businessman. I’m not here because I think you’re nice people. I think there’s money to be made here.”

More significantly, the Pentagon is also now backing a $5 billion plan to create a “zone of influence” around the new $700 million U.S. embassy. The area will include luxury hotels, a shopping center, and condos in an effort to “transform” the Green Zone into a “centerpiece for Baghdad’s future.”

In Iraq, however, many people are opposed to the plan. Some U.S. embassy officials have called the plan “unrealistic.” One added that Iraqis, a majority of whom oppose the U.S. presence, are unlikely to want the U.S. to “turn this area into downtown Kansas City.”

It’s hard to report that things are going swimmingly…when they’re not.

AP REPORTS: BBC OFFICE HIT IN ATTACK ON IRAQ GREEN ZONE

BAGHDAD - Shiite militants launched rockets toward the fortified Green Zone on Friday, taking advantage of a sandstorm that gave cover from attacks by U.S. aircraft. Some rockets fell short, including one that damaged the British Broadcasting Corp. bureau.

The Associated Press
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24527960/

At least five other rocket explosions were heard. But U.S. authorities did not confirm any strikes inside the Green Zone, which includes the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government.

The salvos from Sadr City have come in response to a U.S.-led push into Sadr City, the Baghdad stronghold of the powerful Mahdi Army led by anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. One of the American objectives is to push militants deeper into the district and put their rockets and mortars out of range for the Green Zone.

Click on link to read full story.