IRAQ ARMY: NOWHERE NEAR READY

Baghdad -- Reports of the Iraqi Army's performance in the last month have ranged from proud to disastrous.

By Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science MonitorPosted on May 3, 2008, Printed on May 3, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/84319/

But with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pursuing a fight with militias that has him squared off against the radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr -- and with the drawdown of U.S. troops continuing to pre-surge numbers this summer -- Iraq's security forces may be facing their biggest test yet.

The Americans, who will fall back from more than 160,000 troops to about 140,000 by August, are asking the Iraqis to do more: lead more of the fighting, man more of the checkpoints, carry out more of the security missions on their own.

The question is, are they up to it? The answer will play a crucial role in the assessment the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, will make at the end of summer to decide if the drawdown of troops should continue. More long term, it will help determine how fast the U.S. can safely withdraw most combat troops from the country.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seems to have no doubts about the answer. While in Baghdad recently to show support for Mr. Maliki's willingness to take on the militias she said that Iraqis "are, quite rightly, proud of their security forces and the way they've performed."

British officers are less optimistic

That contrasted with an assessment by British officers of the initial offensive against Mahdi militiamen in the southern city of Basra at the end of March. Their take: The Iraqi Army's performance was an "unmitigated disaster at every level." Earlier this month The Daily Telegraph quoted senior British commanders leveling those charges, and adding that the poor Iraqi performance would delay Britain's planned pullout from the southern region for "many months."

U.S. commanders involved in the fighting in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City this month have no such dire descriptions of the Iraqi units they oversee. But they do point to shortcomings the recent fighting revealed.

Among the weaknesses: a shortage of mid-level officers ready to lead troops, problems with the Iraqis properly supplying their own troops, and a lack of training and experience that shows up in soldiers shooting indiscriminately and in wild volleys when under attack.

"There have been some instances when they haven't performed as well as we'd want them to," says Col. Allen Batschelet, chief of staff for the Baghdad Multi-National Division. "We're definitely seeing some willing soldiers, [but] the mid level [of leading officers] has yet to be developed."

Click on link above to read full story.

NEW LIST OF IRAQ CASUALTIES AND VIOLENCE ACROSS IRAQ ON SATURDAY

War News for Saturday, May 03, 2008

CASUALTY REPORT: (Click on BLUE for additional details)

U.S. Army Sgt. Matt Lammers, 26, served two tours in Iraq as an infantryman, one in 2004 and one in 2007. He was injured both times, but on his second tour he lost his left arm and both legs from an explosive.

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier in a roadside bombing in an eastern neighborhood of Baghdad on Friday, May 2nd.. No other details were released.

The Georgian MoD is reporting the deaths of two Georgian servicemen in a roadside bombing in Diyala Province on Saturday, May 3rd. One additional soldier and an interpreter were wounded in the attack.

The BBC is reporting the death of a British ISAF soldier in a mine explosion in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The other soldiers were wounded in the incident. No other details were released and we assume the death occurred on Friday, May 2nd. Here's the British MoD statement and here's NATO's statement.

The DoD is reporting a new death previously unreported by CENTCOM. Staff Sgt. Chad A. Caldwell died during combat operations in Mosul, Ninawa Province on Wednesday, April 30th. No other details were released.

The DoD is reporting the death of Sgt. Jerry L. DeLoach who died of a non-combat related injury after being evacuated from Iraq to Fort Knox, Kentucky on July 7, 2007. No other details were released.

Reported Security incidents:Baghdad:#1: U.S. soldiers killed 14 suspected Shiite militants in Baghdad, the military said Saturday, as clashes continued in the embattled Sadr City slum and surrounding militia strongholds. A U.S. helicopter allegedly fired a missile Saturday at an apparent target about 50 yards away from Sadr City's general hospital, wounding about 28 people and damaging at least seven ambulances, hospital officials said. The U.S. military did not have immediate comment on the alleged strike, but said in a statement that American forces "only engage hostile threats and take every precaution to protect innocent civilians."A US air strike damaged a hospital in the Iraqi capital's violent Shiite stronghold of Sadr City on Saturday, injuring 20 people, as American forces claimed to have killed 14 militiamen. The US military said it carried out the strike in Sadr City, a bastion of anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, where US troops in separate confrontations killed at least 14 militiamen since Friday. "I can confirm that we conducted a strike in Sadr City this morning," a US military spokesman told AFP. "The targets were known criminal elements. Battle damage assessment is currently ongoing." However, witnesses and an AFP reporter at the scene said the main Al-Sadr hospital had been badly damaged and a fleet of ambulances were destroyed.On Friday, an M1A1 Abrams tanks engaged "criminals" with one round from its main gun after Iraqi army soldiers reported being attacked by small arms fire from a house, the military said."Three criminals were killed in the engagements," the military said.Later Friday, a US warplane also dropped a bomb and killed two others.Nine other militants were killed in other exchanges, some of them early on Saturday.

#2: U.S. soldiers killed four militants early Saturday elsewhere in Baghdad, the military said.

#3: The American military also announced Saturday that a U.S. soldier died of wounds sustained in a roadside bomb that struck the soldier's vehicle during a combat patrol in eastern Baghdad on Friday. The announcement comes a day after the military said another roadside bomb attack in eastern Baghdad killed a U.S. soldier.

#4: Meanwhile, two civilians were killed and seven others wounded in Baghdad's central Salihiyah district Friday evening after a mortar round apparently fired by Shiite extremists toward the U.S.-protected Green Zone fell short.

#5: Gunmen shot and wounded three members of an Iraqi television crew in eastern Baghdad, an Iraqi media watchdog said. "A group of armed men carrying pistols and automatic guns targeted our colleagues and fired at them," the Iraqi Journalists Observatory said in a statement. Cameraman Hameed Hasim was hit in the stomach and mouth and underwent an emergency operation at Baghdad's Al-Kindi hospital, a medic at the hospital said. Reporter Hassan al-Rikabi and driver Azim Habeeb were also wounded in Monday's attack in Baghdad's Al-Rubaie street. The crew work for Beladi TV, which is owned by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's Dawa Party.

#6: A roadside bomb killed a civilian and wounded eight other people, including six traffic policemen, when it exploded near a traffic patrol in Jamiaa district, western Baghdad, police said.

#7: Meanwhile, two civilians were killed and seven others wounded in Baghdad's central Salihiyah district Friday evening after a mortar round apparently fired by Shiite extremists toward the U.S.-protected Green Zone fell short.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS IRAQ THE FOLLOWING ACTS OF VIOLENCE TOO PLACE:

Diyala Prv:#1: Two Georgian servicemen were killed and one was injured in Iraq on May 2, the Georgian Ministry of Defense said on Saturday. Lieutenant Giorgi Margiev and Corporal Zura Gvenetadze died after their Hummer was hit by an improvised explosive device in the province of Diyala while being on patrol mission, Giga Tatishvili, deputy chief of staff said on May 3. He said that Sergeant Tengiz Mirtskhulava and a local interpreter were wounded with no life-threatening injuries.Khanaqin:#1: An official of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP)'s local committee was assassinated by a group of gunmen in al-Saadiya area, south of the district of Khanaqin, 155 km northeast of Baaquba, on Saturday, a committee member said. "An armed group assassinated Abdul-Kareem Mahmoud, the ICP official, in his orchard in Saadiya, (35 km) south of Khanaqin. The incident is being investigated," Hawri Repwar told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.#2: Also in Khanaqin, a six-year-old child was killed when an improvised explosive device went off near a house in al-Shurta neighborhood, Maj. Ahmed Haqqi, the official in charge of the Khanaqin's investigations office, said.Shirqat:#1: A mortar killed one child and wounded two other children in Shirqat, 300 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.Tikrit:#1: A roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol, killing two Iraqi soldiers and wounding four others on the outskirts of Tikrit, 175 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police and army sources said.Kirkuk:#1: A roadside bomb wounded three policemen when it struck their patrol in central Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.Mosul:#1: Three policemen were wounded when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near their patrol in eastern Mosul on Saturday, police said."The IED targeted a patrol of the Ninewa Emergency Contingent in al-Zuhur neighborhood, eastern Mosul, wounding three policemen," a security source, who asked not to be named, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.Tal Afar:#1: Two civilians were wounded when two rockets landed into an outdoor souk (market) in central Talafar district, 60 km west of Mosul, a local police official said on Saturday. "The two rockets, which fell in al-Ulwa souk, al-Whida neighborhood, injured two civilians and caused damage to a number of stores in the area," Brig. Ibrahim al-Juburi, the Talafar district police chief, told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of IraqAfghanistan:#1: A British soldier has been killed and three others injured when their patrol vehicle hit a mine in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London announced Saturday. The incident happened when the soldiers were providing protection for a routine patrol in the Nowzad area of northern Helmand, described as the limits of Taleban-controlled territory. The MoD said the casualties were taken to the Security Assistance Force (ISAF) medical facilities at Camp Bastion when one soldier was pronounced dead on arrival. The three other Britons were receiving treatment for their injuries, which were said not be serious.#2: The United Nations on Saturday was investigating reports that a controlled explosion of old ordnance has caused more damage to one of the famed Bamiyan Buddha statues that were destroyed by the Taliban seven year ago. Najibullah Harar, chief of information and culture for Bamiyan, said the blast conducted by NATO-led troops near the smaller of the two statues on Thursday had caused cracks in what is left of the 114 foot-high ancient structure and its side walls.#3: Afghan troops backed by the international forces eliminated 17 suspected Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's southern Zabul province, a local official said Saturday. The mop-up occurred in Shar-e-Safa district on Friday, in which17 Taliban militants were killed and three others were captured, Faridullah Khan, a senior police officer in Zabul provincial capital Qalat, told Xinhua. There were no casualties on Afghan and the international troops, Khan stressed.

NEW YORK TIMES: 7,000 MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN?

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is considering sending as many as 7,000 more American troops to Afghanistan next year to make up for a shortfall in contributions from NATO allies, senior Bush administration officials said.

By STEVEN LEE MYERS and THOM SHANKER
THE NEW YORK TIMES

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/03/world/asia/03military.html

They said the step would push the number of American forces there to roughly 40,000, the highest level since the war began more than six years ago, and would require at least a modest reduction in troops from Iraq.

The planning began in recent weeks, reflecting a growing resignation to the fact that NATO is unable or unwilling to contribute more troops despite public pledges of an intensified effort in Afghanistan from the presidents and prime ministers who attended an alliance summit meeting in Bucharest, Romania, last month.

The shortfalls in troop commitments have cast doubt on claims by President Bush and his aides that NATO was stepping up to provide more help in Afghanistan, where the government of President Hamid Karzai faces a resurgent threat from the Taliban and remnants of Al Qaeda.

Click on link above to read full New York Times story.

CNN REPORTS: US STRIKE DAMAGES IRAQI HOSPITAL

U.S. attack damages hospital, Iraqi official says

Story Highlights
NEW: Guided rockets hit target of "known criminal elements," U.S. says
At least 28 people wounded in U.S. attack near hospital, Iraqi says
NEW: Turkish military says it killed 150 Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq
Roadside bomb kills Iraqi traffic officer, wounds eight people

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/03/iraq.main/index.html

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least 28 people were wounded Saturday morning in a U.S. attack on a building near a hospital in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City slum, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.

Employees of al-Sadr Hospital were among the wounded and the facility's property sustained damage in the strike, including some ambulances, the official said.

In a statement, the U.S. military said the strike targeted "known criminal elements."
"We did hit the target, which was a criminal command and control center, which was near a hospital," the military said, adding that it was assessing damages.

The Interior Ministry official called the attack an airstrike, but the U.S. military said it was a guided multiple-launch rocket system strike. These guided rockets are launched from armored vehicles.

Al-Sadr Hospital is one of the two main medical facilities in the district, where Iraqi and U.S. troops have been battling Shiite militias loyal to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
The strike apparently left a large hole in the ground near the hospital, video footage showed. Chunks of concrete and other rubble covered the ground, and car windows were shattered.
The southern portion of Sadr City has been walled off so that U.S. military and Iraqi security forces can control movements there.

Other developments
• Turkey's military said Saturday it had killed more than 150 Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq in an operation that ended early Friday, according to a statement on the military's Web site. Turkey has been staging attacks against rebels with the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party, in the Qandil Mountain region in northern Iraq. A PKK official said Friday there were no PKK casualties.
• A roadside bomb exploded Saturday at a traffic patrol in the western part of Baghdad, killing an Iraqi traffic policeman and wounding eight others, including six traffic police officers, a ministry official said.
• Overnight, six people were killed and 25 were wounded in Sadr City, the Interior Ministry said. The U.S. military said it killed six "criminals." On Friday, U.S. forces killed eight suspected militants during 10 hours of fighting in the Shiite neighborhood, a military statement said.
• A U.S. soldier on combat patrol in eastern Baghdad was killed Friday when a roadside bomb struck the soldier's vehicle, the military said. The number of U.S. military deaths in the Iraq war stands at 4,066, including eight Defense Department contractors.

IS THERE AN ARMY COVER-UP OF RAPE AND MURDER OF WOMEN SOLDIERS?

The Department of Defense statistics are alarming - one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military. The warnings to women should begin above the doors of the military recruiting stations, as that is where assaults on women in the military begin - before they are even recruited.

By Ann Wright t r u t h o u t Perspective
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042808A.shtml

But, now, even more alarming, are deaths of women soldiers in Iraq and in the United States following rape. The military has characterized each death of women who were first sexually assaulted as deaths from "noncombat related injuries," and then added "suicide." Yet, the families of the women whom the military has declared to have committed suicide strongly dispute the findings and are calling for further investigations into the deaths of their daughters. Specific US Army units and certain US military bases in Iraq have an inordinate number of women soldiers who have died of "noncombat related injuries," with several identified as "suicides."
Ninety-four US military women have died in Iraq or during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Twelve US civilian women have been killed in OIF. Thirteen US military women have been killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Twelve US Civilian women have been killed in Afghanistan.
Of the 94 US military women who died in Iraq or in OIF, the military says 36 died from noncombat related injuries, which included vehicle accidents, illness, death by "natural causes" and self-inflicted gunshot wounds, or suicide. The military has declared the deaths of the Navy women in Bahrain, which were killed by a third sailor, as homicides. Five deaths have been labeled as suicides, but 15 more deaths occurred under extremely suspicious circumstances.
Eight women soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, (six from the Fourth Infantry Division and two from the 1st Armored Cavalry Division) have died of "noncombat related injuries" on the same base, Camp Taji, and three were raped before their deaths. Two were raped immediately before their deaths and another raped prior to arriving in Iraq. Two military women have died of suspicious "noncombat related injuries" on Balad base, and one was raped before she died. Four deaths have been classified as "suicides."
Nineteen-year-old US Army Pvt. Lavena Johnson was found dead on the military base in Balad, Iraq, in July, 2005, and her death characterized by the US Army to be suicide from a self-inflicted M-16 shot. On April 9, 2008, Dr. John Johnson and his wife Linda, parents of Private Johnson, flew from their home in St. Louis for meetings with US Congress members and their staffs. They were in Washington to ask that Congressional hearings be conducted on the Army's investigation into the death of their daughter, an investigation that classified her death as a suicide despite extensive evidence suggesting she was murdered.

US Army Reserve Colonel, Retired, Ann Wright is a 29-year veteran of the Army and Army Reserves. She was also a US diplomat in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia, Afghanistan and Mongolia. She resigned from the US Department of State in March 19, 2003, in opposition to the Iraq War. She is the co-author of "Dissent: Voices of Conscience."

Click on http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/042808A.shtml to read full story.

FOX NEWS STILL FEATURES PENTAGON PUNDITS

Even after the New York Times revealed the military analysts seen on cable news stations are for most part making money off the war as lobbyists or on Board of defense contractors, FOX NEWS continues to give military analysts face time without any disclosure as to their ties to the defense industry.

And Fox is still airing -- without disclosure -- two of the exposed pundits, Robert H. Scales and Thomas McInerney. See them for yourself.

The New York Times publishes an exposé on the hidden ties between media military analysts and the Pentagon that most likely violate federal "covert propaganda" laws.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) calls for an investigation of the propaganda purveyors, especially those with business ties to the Pentagon.

Huffington Post, April 28, 2008 By Josh Silver
http://www.freepress.net/node/39000

The Pentagon announces that it is immediately suspending their Retired Military Analyst Program.

Thousands of Americans are calling on Congress to launch an official investigation, and hold the Pentagon and their lapdog corporate media pals accountable.

NEW VIDEO: "FOR ELI" A POETRY TRIBUTE TO OUR FALLEN HEROES

A must watch three-minute video:

Andrea Gibson at the 2006 poetry slam, performing "For Eli"
Fu** Your Yellow Ribbon.

Click on link below to play video:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19832.htmhttp://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19832.htm

"For Eli"
By Andrea Gibson

Eli came back from Iraq and tattooed a teddy bear onto the inside of his wrist above that a medic with an IV bag above that an angel but Eli says the teddy bear won't live and I know I don't know but I say, "I know"cause Eli's only twenty-four and I've never seen eyes further away from childhood than his yes old with a wisdom he knows I'd rather not have Eli's mother traces a teddy bear onto the inside of my arm and says, "not all casualties come home in body bags"and I swear I'd spend the rest of my life writing nothing but the word light at the end of this tunnel if I could find the fucking tunnel I'd write nothing but white flags somebody pray for the soldiers somebody pray for what's lost somebody pray for the mailbox that holds the official letters to the mothers,--------------fathers,--------------------sisters,and little brothers of Micheal 19... Steven 21... John 33 how ironic that their deaths sound like bible verses the hearse is parked in the halls of the high school recruiting black, brown and poor while anti-war activists outside walter reed army hospital scream 100, 000 slain as an amputee on the third floor breathes forget-me-nots onto the window pain but how can we forget what we never knew our sky is so perfectly blue it's repulsive somebody tell me where god lives cause if god is truth god doesn't live here our lies have seared the sun too hot to live by there are ghosts of kids who are still alive touting M16s with trembling hands while we dream ourselves stars on Survivor another missile sets fire to the face in the locketof a mother who's son needed money for college and she swears she can feel his photograph burn how many wars will it take us to learn that only the dead return the rest remain forever caught between worlds of shrapnel shatters body of three year old girltowelcome to McDonalds can I take your order?the mortar of sanity crumbling stumbling back home to a home that will never be home again Eli doesn't know if he can ever write a poem again one third of the homeless men in this country are veterans and we have the nerve to Support Our Troops with pretty yellow ribbons while giving nothing but dirty looks to their outstretched hands tell me what land of the free sets free its eighteen-year-old kids into greedy war zones hones them like missiles then returns their bones in the middle of the night so no one can seeeach death swept beneath the carpet and hidden like dirteach life a promise we never kept Jeff Lucey came back from Iraq and hung himself in his parents basement with a garden hose the night before he died he spent forty five minutes on his fathers lap rocking like a baby rocking like daddy, save me and don't think for a minute he too isn't collateral damage in the mansions of washington they are watching them burn and hoarding the water no senators' sons are being sent out to slaughter no presidents' daughters are licking ashes from their lips or dreaming up ropes to wrap around their necks in case they ever make it home alive our eyes are closed america there are souls in the boots of the soldiers america fuck your yellow ribbon you wanna support our troops bring them home and hold them tight when they get here

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"

O'REILLY: "WE DIDN'T INVADE IRAQ"

Yesterday, Fox News host Bill O’Reilly made the incredible claim that the United States never invaded Iraq: “We didn’t invade Iraq.” He added, “It was a declaration of war, it was a declaration to enforce the first Gulf War Treaty.”

Watch it: http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/30/oreilly-invade-iraq/

Despite O’Reilly’s revisionist history, the United States did invade Iraq.

The U.S. military forcefully entered the country in order to overthrow that nation’s leader. That’s an invasion. During a 2006 speech, President Bush discussed his administration’s “two major invasions as a part of the war on terror.”

Even O’Reilly himself has, in the past, admitted that the United States invaded Iraq:
– “I’ll submit that most folks still have no idea why the Bush administration invaded Iraq.” [1/28/08]

– “Iraq was invaded to create a friendly country between Iran and Syria, thereby pressuring those nations into a more sensible foreign policy.” [3/6/06]

O’Reilly’s “first Gulf War Treaty” claim is also questionable. During a March 15, 2004 interview, former U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix challenged O’Reilly on this exact point:

O’REILLY: [W]e liberate Iraq — liberate Kuwait, all right, and then we have a treaty, and the treaty says U.N. weapons inspectors are allowed to do X, Y, and Z, and 17 times Saddam says — violates those. Now you can understand why the United States government might be a little teed off about that. […]

O’REILLY: But do you understand that when you have 17 violations of a treaty, a war treaty, that you basically have to take action?

BLIX: Well, you’re talking about a war treaty. It was a cease-fire. It was not a war treaty.

O’REILLY: Oh, come on. Now don’t play semantics here, sir.

BLIX: Second — all right. I’m trying to be precise. You are imprecise.

O’Reilly’s claim is almost as unbelievable as Wolfowitz’s statement earlier this week that the U.S. “occupation [of Iraq] ended in June of 2004.”

WARNING: GRAPHIC NEW VIDEO: HUNDREDS KILLED BY US STRIKES IN SADR CITY. GRAPHIC IMAGES OF BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN.

It is has been five long years since President Bush stood on the deck of the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln under a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" and told the world that the United States had won the war in Iraq.

Since that day, 3,926 of the 4,061 Americans KILLED in Iraq have been KILLED in the war Bush said was OVER.

In this NEW VIDEO from THE REAL NEWS NETWORK, foreign correspondent Pepe Escobar narrates a story of death and mayhem at the hands of US troops on the civilians of Sadr City in Baghdad.

Link to THE REAL NEWS NETWORK graphic video: http://therealnews.com/web/index.php?thisdataswitch=0&thisid=1434&thisview=item&renewx=2008-05-02+09%3A52%3A22

Many of the images are of young babies and small children and anyone watching this video should be warned the footage is EXTREMELY GRAPHIC.

Hundreds killed by US strikes in Sadr City

Transcript:PEPE ESCOBAR, THE REAL NEWS ANALYST:

It’s been five years since George W. Bush proclaimed Mission Accomplished in Iraq. Now take a very good look at these images. Yes, they are disturbing. You won’t see them on Western TV networks. And no, there’s not a hint of mission accomplished about them. These are innocent civilians-– poor Shi’ite Arabs living in the three million-strong Sadr City in Baghdad, one of the largest slums in the world.

As The Real News has reported Sadr City is being walled in–- transformed into a gulag, and pounded relentlessly by US air strikes. The Pentagon-–and the Iraqi government–-say they are “protecting the Green Zone” by attacking Sadr City.As if that traumatic scene of the helicopter leaving the roof of the US embassy in Saigon in 1975 was rattling too many military minds.

1745 Iraqi civilians were killed in April-– against 159 policemen and 104 soldiers. Over 400 people were killed in Sadr City alone. Only 10% were guerrillas.

This carnage is a direct consequence of Dick Cheney’s recent tour of the Middle East, Iraq included.

This carnage is a direct consequence of Gen. David Petraeus’ surge.

These are victims of a vicious political battle between the al-Maliki government in Baghdad, supported by the al-Hakim family, and the US, against Muqtada al-Sadr, who they fear will win the next elections in October-–because, of course, he is immensely popular.

And in the big picture, these deaths are a graphic example of how the sophisticated Pentagon machine plans to deal with “problematic” urban slums in the future. We wall them, we isolate them, and we bomb the hell out of them. Who cares about collateral damage? It may be very harsh to say, but that's how it is.

Pepe Escobar: New strategy to fight resistance--Wall-in a section of the city and bomb it

Friday May 2nd, 2008

Based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Pepe Escobar writes The Roving Eye for Asia Times Online. He has reported from Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, US and China. He is the author of the recently published Red Zone Blues. Pepe is a regular analyst for The Real News Network.

DISCLAIMER:Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.

US PRESS CONTINUES TO LIE TO AMERICA ABOUT IRAQ

The mainstream media in the United States continues to lie to the American public about the worsening conditions in Iraq. Time and time again you will see pundits and anchors make outlandish claims that things are much better in Iraq since the so-called "surge" was initiated.

Nothing could be further from the truth and the mainstream media in the United States are doing a great disservice to the men and women in the military, their families back in the United States, and to the American public in general.

FOX NEWS is by far the worst. The stations anchors, reporters and pundits go on TV day after day claiming things are getting better in Iraq when just the opposite is true.

The way the American media LIES to the American people is far worse than what Josef Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda for Hitler's Nazi Germany, did during WW 2.

Here is what took place in IRAQ on Thursday, May 1 and anyone that can say things are getting better in Iraq should be taken to the nearest psych ward and admitted before they do anymore harm to people listening to them or to themselves.


Thursday: 2 US Soldiers, 93 Iraqis Killed; 212 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 9:00 p.m. EDT, May 1, 2008
http://www.antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12768

At least 93 Iraqis were killed and 212 more were wounded in the latest violence. Two mass grave were found in Duluiya, but the number of bodies was not reported yet.

An American soldier was killed during a car bombing today in central Baghdad. Also, the DOD announced the death of a Marine in Texas; he died from wounds received in 2005 in Anbar province.

A female suicide bomber killed 35 people and wounded 76 others in Balad Ruz. After the bomber struck a wedding convoy, another suicide bomber targeted the first responders who arrived on the scene.

In Baghdad, five bodies were found. A car bomb targeting a U.S. patrol killed nine and wounded 26 others in Camp Sara; three American soldiers were also injured. In Salhiya, a mortar shell wounded three people. A civilian was wounded in Tayaran Square when members of a private security company opened fire. A roadside bomb in Ghadeer injured two policemen and wounded three civilians. A roadside bomb in Bayaa left no casualties, but three were injured by a bomb in Zaafaraniyah.

Five civilians were injured during a bombing in al-Obeidi Mosque. A large cache of weapons was confiscated in Abu Dsheer. Also, clashes broke out in Amil, where U.S. airstrikes left five dead, 12 wounded, and hit watermains.

In Sadr City, U.S. forces reported killing 17 gunmen in separate clashes. Hospital officials said that 11 bodies were brought to the hospital and 72 people were treated for injuries.

Two Iraqi soldiers were killed in Mosul when a roadside bomb blasted them.

A bicycle bomb targeting an Awakening Council (Sahwa) patrol in Hawija wounded two of them and a child.

In Duluiya, two Arab nationals blew themselves up during a raid. Two policemen were injured during the blasts. Also, two mass graves were found.

Twelve roadside bombs were defused in Basra.

A roadside in Abu Khames killed one Iraqi soldier and wounded four others.

WASHINGTON POST: WOMEN SUICIDE BOMBERS INVOLVED IN BOMBING THAT KILLS 35 AT BAGHDAD WEDDING

At Least 35 Die As Bombers Hit Wedding ConvoyWoman Involved in Iraq Attack

By Sholnn FreemanWashington Post Staff WriterFriday, May 2, 2008; A12

BAGHDAD, May 1 -- Two suicide bombers attacked a wedding convoy as it passed through a busy market area in Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and wounding at least 65, police said.

As police and rescue crews rushed to the site after the first explosion in the town of Balad Ruz, the second bomb was detonated, police said. They said one of the attackers was a woman.
The double bombing was the latest in a series of high-profile attacks in Diyala, a largely Sunni area.

The attackers appear to be targeting members of the Awakening movement, mainly Sunnis who have joined with U.S. forces to fight the Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Women are involved in an increasing number of the attacks. On Tuesday, a female suicide bomber struck in the village of Mukhisa, killing one person and wounding five, all members of the Awakening movement. On April 21, a female bomber blew herself up in the home of a group of Sunni Awakening members, killing three people

Click on this link to read full story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/01/AR2008050100689_pf.html

FALLUJA---NOT WHAT THE MEDIA IS TELLING YOU

Falluja's struggle after invasion

By Dahr Jamail

Al-Jazeera (I highly recommend reading the piece on the Al-Jazeera website, as it includes photos and video)By Dahr JamailFive years ago, George Bush, the US president, announced aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier that the war in Iraq was a "mission accomplished".

But events in the western Anbar province had already been spiralling out of control and were threatening the volatile security situation in occupied Iraq.

On April 28, 2003, US soldiers occupying the Al-Qaid school in Falluja opened fire on dozens of demonstrators who had been protesting the use of the premises as a forward base for the US 82nd Airborne Division.

Residents of Falluja had also been protesting against the use of night vision goggles, which they mistakenly believed were used by US soldiers to spy on their wives and daughters.

Click on this link to read the full story of the plight of Faulluja: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/093992AB-96A7-45DE-966E-9F0726706DE0.htm

FIRST GI KILLED IN MAY BY CAR BOMB IN BAGHDAD

Car bomb kills 1st US serviceman in May-military

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Thursday , 01 /05 /2008 Time 10:04:52
http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=78005&NrIssue=2&NrSection=1

Baghdad-Voices of IraqBaghdad, May1, (VOI)-A car bomb aimed at a U.S. patrol in Baghdad on Thursday killed a US soldier, raising the death toll to (4064) since the start of military operations of Iraq war in March 2003.

“A Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldier was killed in car bomb explosion aimed at US patrol in central Baghdad on Thursday”, The U.S. military said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq-Voices of Iraq(VOI).The soldier's killing brings the number of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the beginning of military operations in March 2003 to 4064.

The intense combat between militiamen loyal to Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and U.S.-Iraqi troops for more than a month pushed the death toll of US servicemen to soar to 51 in April, making it the deadliest month since September 2007.29 soldiers were killed in February 2008, while 40 were killed in January 2008.December 2007 saw the death of 23, thus becoming the month with the second lowest number of U.S. fatalities after February 2004 during which 20 soldiers were killed.

November 2004, which witnessed fierce battles between U.S. forces and armed groups in Falluja city, Anbar province, remains 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.AM

US DEATHS CONFIRMED BY THE DOD

Note to President Bush: The "mission has been accomplished" for these brave young Americans.

Almost five years ago, Bush stood on the deck of the carrier Abraham Lincoln, under a banner proudly proclaiming "Mission Accomplished," and boasted about how US forces had won the war in Iraq.

It is now almost FIVE years later and here is a list of brave young Americans KILLED in Bush's stupid war in the past two days---a war that Republican Presidential candidate John McCain says may have to go on for another "100 years." McCain, of course, parses his words by saying if there are no casualties.

What former military person such as McCain who is supposedly in their right mind could ever make a prediction there won't be casualties in a guerrilla war like the one going on in Iraq?

Here is the sad list of KIA from the Iraq war. Can McCain say this won't be happening every single day for the next 100 years?

Editorial comment by BILL CORCORAN, editor of CORKSPHERE

U.S. Confirmed Deaths Reported Deaths: 4065 Confirmed Deaths: 4059 Pending Confirmation:6 DoD Confirmation List (Click on BLUE for more info on the life and death of each GI killed in IRAQ in Bush's "Mission Accomplished" war)

Latest Coalition Fatalities

05/01/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Bryan E. Bolander, 26, of Bakersfield, Calif., died April 29 in Baghdad from wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment...

05/01/08 DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Sgt. Merlin German, 22 of Manhattan, N.Y., died April 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, from wounds he suffered while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq, on Feb. 22, 2005.

05/01/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Staff Sgt. Clay A. Craig, 22, of Mesquite, Texas, died April 29 in Baghdad, Iraq, from wounds suffered when he received small arms fire during combat operations. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment...

05/01/08 MNF: MND-B soldier attacked by VBIED
A Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldier was killed from wounds sustained when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device struck the soldier's vehicle during a combat patrol in central Baghdad at approximately 9:15 a.m. May 1.

04/30/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 3 of 3)
Pfc. Adam L. Marion, 26, of Mount Airy, N.C. He was assigned to the 171st Engineer Company, North Carolina Army National Guard, Saint Pauls, N.C....died April 28 in Baghdad...of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their forward operating base

04/30/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 2 of 3)
Sgt. Marcus C. Mathes, 26, of Zephyrhills, Fla. He was assigned to the 94th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division...died April 28 in Baghdad...of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their forward operating base

04/30/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (part 1 of 3)
Sgt. Mark A. Stone, 22, of Buchanan Dam, Texas. He was assigned to the 94th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division...died April 28 in Baghdad...of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their forward operating base

04/30/08 MNF: MND-N Soldiers attacked in Ninewah Province
A Multi-National Division - North Soldier was killed as a result of an explosion occurring near the Soldier's patrol in Ninewah Province, April 30.

04/30/08 DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. William T. Dix, 32, of Culver City, Calif., died April 27 at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident...

04/30/08 MNF: MND-B soldiers attacked by IED (Baghdad)
Two Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldiers were killed when their patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device in southern Baghdad at approximately 4:15 p.m. April 30.

04/30/08 MNF: MND-B soldier attacked by IED
A Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldier was killed from wounds sustained by an improvised explosive device during a dismounted patrol in northern Baghdad at approximately 1 a.m. April 30.

STILL MORE SIGNS THE 'SURGE' IS A DISASTER: 30 KILLED IN BAGHDAD. ANOTHER GI KILLED

BAGHDAD - Two suicide bombers killed 30 people and wounded 65 others when they detonated explosive vests in a busy market in a town northeast of Baghdad on Thursday, Iraqi police said.
Police said the second bomber struck as crowds rushed to evacuate the wounded from the first attack, a common tactic used by bombers to maximise casualties.

30 die, dozens wounded in Iraq suicide attack
The double suicide bombing hits north of Baghdad as violence escalates
MSNBC News Services
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24401830/

The U.S. military reported early Thursday that a soldier had been killed by an explosion Wednesday near a patrol in Ninevah Province, bringing the monthly count to at least 50 — 27 in Baghdad — in the deadliest month since September when 65 U.S. troops died.

Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, at least 4,062 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq, according to an Associated Press count.

Around Iraq, at least 1,080 Iraqi civilians and security forces were killed nationwide this month, or an average of 36 a day, according to an AP tally. That's down from March's total of 1,269, or an average of 41 per day.

Officials reported at least 479 deaths in Sadr City but they could not break down the number of militants, Iraqi Security forces and civilians.

IF THE 'SURGE' IS SUCH A SUCCESS, WHY IS ALL THIS HAPPENING IN IRAQ?

Not a day goes by that either President Bush or someone from the administration or FOX NEWS are not shouting about how well the "surge" is working in Iraq.

There is only one problem with their story.

It is all a pack of LIES.

Here is what happened in Baghdad and other provinces in Iraq on Thursday ALONE:

http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/

Baghdad:#1: A car bomb aimed at a U.S. patrol in Baghdad on Thursday killed at least nine Iraqi civilians and wounded 26, police said. The explosion occurred about 9:15 a.m. in a crowded commercial area in eastern Baghdad, police officials said, adding the nine killed included three women and a child. The U.S. military said no American soldiers were killed, although three were wounded in the attack.A parked car bomb exploded targeting a US military convoy in Camp Sara moving in the direction of the Sina'ah (industrial) street, central Baghdad at 9.20 Thursday. The explosion killed 8 civilians and 1 American soldier, wounding 21 civilians and 2 American soldiers, said Iraqi Police. No comment was available from the US military at the time of publication.

#2: In fighting late Wednesday and early Thursday in Sadr City, U.S. soldiers killed 17 militants in a series of clashes. Several of the militants had fired on the military or were preparing to. Other militants were killed while planting a roadside bomb. The fighting was reported in statements issued Thursday by the military.Health officials also said clashes in Baghdad's Shiite militia stronghold of Sadr City killed eight people, including two women and a child, and wounded 18 others, including women and children.The Iraqi officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to release the information.

#3: Random fire from 4 SUVs belonging to a private security company injured 1 civilian. The incident took place in Tayaran Square, central Baghdad at 1 pm.

#4: A roadside bomb exploded targeting a police patrol passing under Ghadeer traffic fly over in Ghadeer neighbourhood, east Baghdad at 1.15 pm, injuring 2 policemen and 3 civilians.

Diyala Prv:Bahraz:#1: An Iraqi soldier was killed on Thursday and four more were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded targeting their vehicle patrol in south of Baaquba city, a police source said. “An explosive charge went off targeting an Iraqi army vehicle patrol in Abu Khamees region in Bahraz district, south of Baaquba, killing one soldier and seriously injuring four more,” the source told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq.

Dalouiya:#1: Two gunmen were killed, two cops were wounded, and two mass graves were found in a security raid in eastern Dalouiya, the chief of local police said on Thursday. “Police and army forces, backed by U.S. troops, launched a crackdown operation in al-Busaliebi region in eastern Dalouiya after receiving intelligence tips on the presence of al-Qaeda gunmen in the region,” Colonel Mohamed Khaled Abdul Hamid told Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq. “The operation witnessed a shootout between the forces and two gunmen, identified as Arab nationals,” he added. “The clashes led the gunmen to blow themselves up by explosive belts, injuring two policemen, while three suspected gunmen were arrested,” he explained. “Two mass graves were found at the same place,” the colonel pointed out.

Hawija:#1: In the northern city of Kirkuk, an Iraqi was killed and three members of the Awakening Council were wounded when a bicycle carrying explosives went off in Howaiyja area, Iraqi police sources told dpa.

Mosul:#1: A roadside bomb struck an Iraqi patrol car on Thursday, killing two Iraqi soldiers in the northern city of Mosul, police said.

NEW US CASUALTY REPORT FROM IRAQ AND UPDATE ON INJURED GI

Iraq Today http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/ is reporting the death of three US soliders, two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Details have not been released pending notification of next of kin by the DoD.

Also, a report on the recovery progress of Cpl. Bryan Castro injured in 2007 when a bullet from enemy fire shattered his skull.

MNF-Iraq is reporting the death of a Multi-National Division - North soldier in an explosion in Ninewah Province on Wednesday, April 30th. No other details were released.

The DoD is reporting a new death of a soldier in a non-combat related incident at Camp Buehring, Kuwait on Sunday, April 27th. No other details were released.

The DoD is reporting a new death of a soldier in a small arms fire attack in Bastion, near Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Tuesday, April 29th. No other details were released.

Casualty Reports:Army Cpl. Bryan Castro, 21, Oct. 8, 2007, in Iraq, when a bullet from enemy fire shattered his skull. For the past several months, Castro has been recovering at the VA on Miranda Avenue, which specializes in treating traumatic brain injuries. The most visible sign of Castro's injuries are pencil-thin grooves shaved into his buzz cut, showing where surgeons put titanium mesh into his skull.

BAGHDAD CAR BOMB KILLS 9, WOUNDS 26

A car bomb has exploded in a crowded commercial area in eastern Baghdad, killing at least nine Iraqi civilians and leaving 26 others wounded. The blast occurred at about 9:15 a.m. police officials said, adding that a child and three women were among those killed. There were no reports regarding the possible US casualties. Health officials also said clashes in Baghdad's Sadr City killed eight people, including two women and a child, and wounded 18 others, including women and children, AP reported.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=53913&sectionid=351020201

WEDNESDAY IN IRAQ. 5 US SOLDIERS, 71 IRAQIS KILLED, 155 IRAQIS WOUNDED

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has admitted there is definitely an uptick in the number of US deaths in Iraq. April was one of the bloodiest months in seven months in Iraq with a total of 51 US soldiers and Marines killed in Iraq.

The month ended with a bloodbath in Iraq.

Wednesday: 5 US Soldiers, 71 Iraqis Killed; 155 Iraqis Wounded

Updated at 7:40 p.m. EDT, April 30, 2008
http://antiwar.com/updates/?articleid=12762

Although more bodies are stacking up in the aftermath of his security crackdown, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki continues to threaten the Mahdi army. At least 71 Iraqis were killed and another 155 were wounded in the latest round of violence. Five American soldiers were killed in separate events.
Two U.S. servicemembers were killed when they came across an IED in Baghdad. Also, one American soldier was killed in an IED attack in Baghdad this morning. Also, the DOD reported that one U.S. soldier died of injuries unrelated to combat. An exlosion in Ninewah province left another American soldier dead. April was the deadliest month for U.S. troops since September.

Prime Minister al-Maliki set forth several conditions that the Mahdi army will likely not accept before he is willing to end a failed security crackdown that many believe was designed to sideline Sadrists ahead of elections. The crackdown, which began in Basra in March, triggered a backlash that left hundreds dead and thousands injured, including American soldiers. U.S. authorities report that at least 925 Iraqis were killed aand 2605 were wounded so far. The initial fighting ended in most cities except Sadr City, but the militias remain in control of Basra.


In Sadr City, hospital authorities reported as many as 35 dead and 129 wounded in the last 24 hours.

In Baghdad, four people were found dead. Mortars wounded four people. In Hay al-Amil, mortars injured six people. U.S. forces killed 10 gunmen. Two people were wounded when mortars fell in Bayaa.

In Amil, mortars injured six civilians. U.S. forces killed two people in Abu Dsheer. A roadside bomb in Ur left no casualties. No casualties were reported after mortars fell in the Green Zone. Increase activity by gunmen in Amil and Mashtal forced the closing of schools.
A roadside bomb in Hawija blasted an Awakening Council (Sahwa) patrol, killing two and wounding two others.
Gunmen killed a woman during a home invasion in Kut.

In Mosul, a body was discovered. Two suspects were detained.

The tortured and shot bodies of a man and woman were discovered in Tikrit.

A roadside bomb injured six women in Buhriz.

NAMES, HOMETOWNS, PLACE OF DEATH, CAUSE OF DEATH FOR 51 GIS KILLED IN IRAQ IN APRIL

51 US DEATHS IN APRIL IN IRAQ. WE HAVE LIST OF NAMES, HOMETOWNS, WHERE AND CAUSE OF DEATH

The official Department of Defense casualty figures for the month of April have been released and 51 US servicemen were killed during the month. Some of the names have yet to be confirmed pending contact with next of kin. The rest of the soliders and Marines killed in the month of April are listed by name and date of death with the province where they were killed and cause of death. You can click on the names in "BLUE" to obtain more details of each death.

Total Name Place of Death - Province Cause of Death 30-Apr-2008 4 US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0 US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Ninawa Province Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad (southern part) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad (southern part) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad (northern part) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 29-Apr-2008 2 US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0 US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad (northeastern part) Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire US NAME NOT RELEASED YET Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 28-Apr-2008 4 US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Specialist David P. McCormick Baghdad (western part) Hostile - hostile fire -

Rocket fire US Private 1st Class Adam L. Marion Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire

US Sergeant Marcus C. Mathes Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire

US Sergeant Mark A. Stone Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire 27-Apr-2008 1 US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Private 1st Class William T. Dix Camp Buehring Non-hostile 24-Apr-2008 1 US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Staff Sergeant Shaun J. Whitehead Iskandariyah - Babil Hostile - hostile fire - IED, small arms fire 23-Apr-2008 4 US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Sergeant Guadalupe Cervantes Ramirez Camp Arifjan Non-hostile - vehicle accident

US Private 1st Class John T. Bishop Golden Hills - Salah Ad Din Non-hostile - vehicle rollover

US 1st Lieutenant Timothy W. Cunningham Golden Hills - Salah Ad Din Non-hostile - vehicle rollover

US Staff Sergeant Ronald C. Blystone Baghdad (eastern part) Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 22-Apr-2008 3 US: 3 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Private Ronald R. Harrison FOB Falcon (nr. Baghdad) Non-hostile - injury

US Lance Corporal Jordan C. Haerter Ramadi (near) - Al Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)

US Corporal Jonathan T. Yale Ramadi (near) - Al Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED) 21-Apr-2008 4 US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Airman Apprentice Adrian M. Campos Dubai - Non-hostile

US 1st Lieutenant Matthew R. Vandergrift Basra - Basrah Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Specialist Steven J. Christofferson Baiji - Salah Ad Din Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Sergeant Adam J. Kohlhaas Baiji - Salah Ad Din Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 20-Apr-2008 1 US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Petty Officer 1st Class Cherie L. Morton Galali, Muharraq Non-hostile 18-Apr-2008 2 US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Specialist Benjamin K. Brosh Balad - Salah Ad Din Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)

US Specialist Lance O. Eakes Baghdad (north of) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 17-Apr-2008 1 US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Staff Sergeant Jason L. Brown Sama Village Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, grenade 14-Apr-2008 4 US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Specialist Arturo Huerta-Cruz Tuz - Salah Ad Din Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Sergeant Joseph A. Richard III Baghdad (northeastern part) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Corporal Richard J. Nelson Al Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Lance Corporal Dean D. Opicka Al Anbar Province Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 12-Apr-2008 1 US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Specialist William E. Allmon Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 09-Apr-2008 5

US: 5 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Technical Sergeant Anthony L. Capra Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Specialist Jeremiah C. Hughes Baghdad Non-hostile - injury

US Sergeant Jesse A. Ault Tunis (died in Baghdad) - Salah Ad Din Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Sergeant Shaun P. Tousha Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Specialist Jacob J. Fairbanks Baghdad Non-hostile - suicide 08-Apr-2008 2 US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Staff Sergeant Jeffery L. Hartley Kharguliah - Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Major Mark E. Rosenberg Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 07-Apr-2008 4 US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Sergeant Timothy M. Smith Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Sergeant Michael T. Lilly Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack

US Specialist Jason C. Kazarick Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack

US Sergeant Richard A. Vaughn Baghdad (eastern part) Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire 06-Apr-2008 7 US: 7 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Staff Sergeant Jeremiah E. McNeal Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Staff Sergeant Emanuel Pickett Baghdad Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Private 1st Class Shane D. Penley Rustamiyah - Baghdad Non-hostile

US Colonel Stephen K. Scott Baghdad (Green Zone) Hostile - hostile fire - rocket attack

US Major Stuart A. Wolfer Baghdad (Green Zone) Hostile - hostile fire - rocket attack

US Captain Ulises Burgos-Cruz Diyala Province (Died in Balad) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US Specialist Matthew T. Morris Diyala Province (Died in Balad) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack 03-Apr-2008 1 US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0

US Staff Sergeant Travis L. Griffin Baghdad (near) Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

Total 51 US: 51 UK: 0 Other: 0

WHITE HOUSE NOW ADMITS MISSION 'UNACCOMPLISHED' FIVE YEARS LATER IN IRAQ

White House admits Mission Unaccomplished in IraqFive years after Bush’s 'Mission Accomplished' statement, White House 'paid price' for wrong impression.

WASHINGTON - The White House said Wednesday that it had "paid a price" for the "Mission Accomplished" backdrop to US President George W. Bush's May 1, 2003 Iraq speech, saying it left the wrong impression.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=25639

"President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific, and said, 'Mission Accomplished For These Sailors Who Are On This Ship On Their Mission,'" said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

"We have certainly paid a price for not being more specific on that banner. And I recognize that the media is going to play this up again tomorrow, as they do every single year," she said.

The "Mission Accomplished" banner hanging behind Bush on the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier has become a powerful symbol to his critics of how badly he underestimated the difficulties ahead in Iraq, where more than 4,000 US soldiers have paid the ultimate price.

51 US DEATHS IN APRIL IN IRAQ. WE HAVE LIST OF NAMES, HOMETOWNS, WHERE AND CAUSE OF DEATH

The official Department of Defense casualty figures for the month of April have been released and 51 US servicemen were killed during the month. Some of the names have yet to be confirmed pending contact with next of kin. The rest of the soliders and Marines killed in the month of April are listed by name and date of death with the province where they were killed and cause of death.

You can click on the names in "BLUE" to obtain more details of each death.


Total Name Place of Death - Province Cause of Death
30-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Ninawa Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad (southern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad (southern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad (northern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
29-Apr-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad (northeastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire

US
NAME NOT RELEASED YET
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
28-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist David P. McCormick
Baghdad (western part)
Hostile - hostile fire - Rocket fire

US
Private 1st Class Adam L. Marion
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire

US
Sergeant Marcus C. Mathes
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire

US
Sergeant Mark A. Stone
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - indirect fire
27-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Private 1st Class William T. Dix
Camp Buehring
Non-hostile
24-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant Shaun J. Whitehead
Iskandariyah - Babil
Hostile - hostile fire - IED, small arms fire
23-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant Guadalupe Cervantes Ramirez
Camp Arifjan
Non-hostile - vehicle accident

US
Private 1st Class John T. Bishop
Golden Hills - Salah Ad Din
Non-hostile - vehicle rollover

US
1st Lieutenant Timothy W. Cunningham
Golden Hills - Salah Ad Din
Non-hostile - vehicle rollover

US
Staff Sergeant Ronald C. Blystone
Baghdad (eastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
22-Apr-2008
3
US: 3 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Private Ronald R. Harrison
FOB Falcon (nr. Baghdad)
Non-hostile - injury

US
Lance Corporal Jordan C. Haerter
Ramadi (near) - Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)

US
Corporal Jonathan T. Yale
Ramadi (near) - Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)
21-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Airman Apprentice Adrian M. Campos
Dubai -
Non-hostile

US
1st Lieutenant Matthew R. Vandergrift
Basra - Basrah
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Specialist Steven J. Christofferson
Baiji - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Sergeant Adam J. Kohlhaas
Baiji - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
20-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Petty Officer 1st Class Cherie L. Morton
Galali, Muharraq
Non-hostile
18-Apr-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist Benjamin K. Brosh
Balad - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack (VBIED)

US
Specialist Lance O. Eakes
Baghdad (north of)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
17-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant Jason L. Brown
Sama Village
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire, grenade
14-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist Arturo Huerta-Cruz
Tuz - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Sergeant Joseph A. Richard III
Baghdad (northeastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Corporal Richard J. Nelson
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Lance Corporal Dean D. Opicka
Al Anbar Province
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
12-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Specialist William E. Allmon
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
09-Apr-2008
5
US: 5 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Technical Sergeant Anthony L. Capra
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Specialist Jeremiah C. Hughes
Baghdad
Non-hostile - injury

US
Sergeant Jesse A. Ault
Tunis (died in Baghdad) - Salah Ad Din
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Sergeant Shaun P. Tousha
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Specialist Jacob J. Fairbanks
Baghdad
Non-hostile - suicide
08-Apr-2008
2
US: 2 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant Jeffery L. Hartley
Kharguliah - Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Major Mark E. Rosenberg
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
07-Apr-2008
4
US: 4 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Sergeant Timothy M. Smith
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Sergeant Michael T. Lilly
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack

US
Specialist Jason C. Kazarick
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - RPG attack

US
Sergeant Richard A. Vaughn
Baghdad (eastern part)
Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire
06-Apr-2008
7
US: 7 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant Jeremiah E. McNeal
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Staff Sergeant Emanuel Pickett
Baghdad
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Private 1st Class Shane D. Penley
Rustamiyah - Baghdad
Non-hostile

US
Colonel Stephen K. Scott
Baghdad (Green Zone)
Hostile - hostile fire - rocket attack

US
Major Stuart A. Wolfer
Baghdad (Green Zone)
Hostile - hostile fire - rocket attack

US
Captain Ulises Burgos-Cruz
Diyala Province (Died in Balad)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

US
Specialist Matthew T. Morris
Diyala Province (Died in Balad)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack
03-Apr-2008
1
US: 1 UK: 0 Other: 0



US
Staff Sergeant Travis L. Griffin
Baghdad (near)
Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack

Total
51
US: 51 UK: 0 Other: 0

IRAQI WOMEN BEHEADED FOR NOT WEARING A VEIL

"Women Are Being Beheaded for Taking Their Veil Off": Honor Killings On Rise in Iraq

By Terri Judd, Independent UKPosted on April 30, 2008, Printed on April 30, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/83710/

At first glance Shawbo Ali Rauf appears to be slumbering on the grass, her pale brown curls framing her face, her summer skirt spread about her. But the awkward position of her limbs and the splattered blood reveal the true horror of the scene.

The 19-year-old Iraqi was, according to her father, murdered by her own in-laws, who took her to a picnic area in Dokan and shot her seven times. Her crime was to have an unknown number on her mobile phone. Her "honor killing" is just one in a grotesque series emerging from Iraq, where activists speak of a "genocide" against women in the name of religion.

In the latest such case, it was reported yesterday that a 17-year-old girl, Rand Abdel-Qader, was stabbed to death last month by her father for becoming infatuated with a British soldier serving in southern Iraq.

In Basra alone, police acknowledge that 15 women a month are murdered for breaching Islamic dress codes. Campaigners insist it is a conservative figure.

Violence against women is rampant, rising every day with the power of the militias. Beheadings, rapes, beatings, suicides through self-immolation, genital mutilation, trafficking and child abuse masquerading as marriage of girls as young as nine are all on the increase.

Du'a Khalil Aswad, 17, from Nineveh, was executed by stoning in front of mob of 2,000 men for falling in love with a boy outside her Yazidi tribe. Mobile phone images of her broken body transmitted on the internet led to sectarian violence, international outrage and calls for reform. Her father, Khalil Aswad, speaking one year after her death in April last year, has revealed that none of those responsible had been prosecuted and his family remained "outcasts" in their own tribe.

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http://www.alternet.org/story/83710/

MSNBC 'HARDBALL' HOST CHRIS MATTHEWS SPARKS WAR WITH IRAN DEBATE

MSNBC'S host of "Hardball," Chris Matthews, departed from his nightly rants on the Hillary, Obama and McCain POTUS race, just long enough to devote one segment of his Wednesday show to the possibility the United States is laying plans to go to war with IRAN.

FOX NEWS has been hyping going to war with IRAN for months, and now CBS News is talking about a U.S. attack plan aimed at Iran.


"Hostile" Iran Sparks U.S. Attack Plan

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2008

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/29/eveningnews/main4056941.shtml

(CBS) A second American aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday as the Pentagon ordered military commanders to develop new options for attacking Iran. CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports that the planning is being driven by what one officer called the "increasingly hostile role" Iran is playing in Iraq - smuggling weapons into Iraq for use against American troops.

"What the Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen and -women inside Iraq," said Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. U.S. officials are also concerned by Iranian harassment of U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf as well as Iran's still growing nuclear program. New pictures of Iran's uranium enrichment plant show the country's defense minister in the background, as if deliberately mocking a recent finding by U.S. intelligence that Iran had ceased work on a nuclear weapon.

No attacks are imminent and the last thing the Pentagon wants is another war, but Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen has warned Iran not to assume the U.S. military can't strike. "I have reserve capability, in particular our Navy and our Air Force so it would be a mistake to think that we are out of combat capability," Mullen said. Targets would include everything from the plants where weapons are made to the headquarters of the organization known as the Quds Force which directs operations in Iraq.

Later this week Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to confront the Iranians with evidence of their meddling and demand a halt.

If that doesn't produce results, the State Department has begun drafting an ultimatum that would tell the Iranians to knock it off - or else.