Progress in Iraq?

There is a report from CNN that the Iraqi Cabinet has approved a plan for regarding the withdrawal of US Troops. I'm cautious about it since it always seems that the plans fall through. Here is a link to the story. I've also included the first part of the story.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi Cabinet on Sunday approved a security pact that would set the terms for U.S. troops in Iraq.


Members of the Iraqi Cabinet vote on the security agreement Sunday in Baghdad.

1 of 2 The agreement sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.

The date for all troops to leave Iraq will be December 31, 2011, he said.

These dates are "set and fixed" and are "not subject to the circumstances on the ground," he said.

Twenty-seven of the 40 Cabinet members in attendance voted in favor of the agreement, said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. One minister abstained.

The Cabinet consists of the prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, and 37 other ministers.

The approved draft will be sent to the Council of Representatives, Iraq's 275-seat parliament, later Sunday, where it will be put to another vote. "There is great optimism that they will pass it," said Industry Minister Fawzi Hariri.

Never forget - Iraq Casualities

So Does the Truth Matter?

Hillary was blasted for overexaggerating - lying about her Bosnia trip. What about Palin's bogus Iraq claims?

Per AP - Iraq Military Deaths

As of Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008, at least 4,151 members of the U.S. military have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

No McCain, Afghanistan came first

It has just been conveniently forgotten since for some reason Al-Qaeda, Taliban, Osama Bin Laden became unimportant...

Why again did we go to Iraq and was it worth the 4000+ US Military lives and scores of Iraqi civilian lives?

Barack Obama in Baghdad

Here is the video that goes along with the digg post below

Another Suicide Bombing in Iraq

Complete articled printed on CNN.COM, please click link to read it. Here is an excerpt.

Female bomber kills 16 near government complex

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A female suicide bomber killed 16 people and wounded 40 Sunday when she detonated her explosives in a crowded area of central Baquba, police there said.

Police, women and children were among the casualties, according to the Diyala Military Operations command.

The attack happened near the main government complex in Baquba on a street that security officials had sealed off last week. Only official vehicles were being allowed in the area; civilian vehicles without special clearance were prohibited.

More than 20 female suicide bombers have carried out attacks in Iraq this year, a number much higher than in previous years. According to the U.S. military, women carried out eight bombings in 2007.

51 Killed in Baghdad Blast

Here's a bit from The New York Times, please click link to read entire article

At Least 51 Are Killed in Blast at Busy Market in Baghdad
By RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr. and ALI HAMID
Published: June 18, 2008

BAGHDAD — A car bomb set to explode during the busiest time of day killed at least 51 people and wounded 75 Tuesday evening as shoppers were strolling through a Shiite neighborhood market in Baghdad. It was the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital in more than three months.

The blast struck a crowded bus terminal near a market in Huriya, a northwest Baghdad district that once had a large population of Sunnis but after the American-led invasion saw horrific ethnic cleansing by Shiite militias and death squads, who killed or drove thousands of Sunnis out.

Survivors and relatives of the victims in the Tuesday blast were enraged and on edge. One man lost 11 relatives, including five female cousins. At a courtyard in front of the Kadhimiya Hospital morgue, people screamed, wept and shrieked. Some cursed the government for allowing the blast to happen while others called on God for revenge.

Current Happenings in Iraq

So what is really going on over there. I guess time will tell but we should definitely keep on top of current happenings

via Reuters

Iraq says it wants to restrict movement of U.S. troops

Fri Jun 6, 2008 2:55pm EDT

By Michael Georgy

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday it would not grant U.S. troops freedom of movement for military operations in a new agreement being negotiated on extending the presence of American troops on its soil.

Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said the United States wanted its forces to operate with no restrictions, but this was not acceptable to Iraq.

The United States is negotiating an agreement with Iraq aimed at giving a legal basis for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after December 31, when their United Nations mandate expires.

The negotiations are the subject of heated debate both in the United States and Iraq, where thousands have answered anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's call for weekly protests after Friday Muslim prayers.

While the Iraqi government has confirmed there are major differences between the two sides in the negotiations, few details of the sticking points have been made public.

"What I can confirm now, with no hesitation, is that there will not be freedom of movement for American (forces) in Iraq," Salih told Arabiya television.

complete article at this link

The Iraq Situation

Far too often I wonder what is happening in Iraq. We've been there for a while so I understand interest wanes, but I believe we must stay on top of what is going on there as well as in Afghanistan. The AP had this article you can check it out in its entirety at this link

Iraqi lawmaker: US-Iraq security talks stall

By LAUREN FRAYER – 21 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AP) — Lawmakers allied to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Tuesday that negotiations over a U.S.-Iraqi security pact and the future status of American troops in Iraq were stumbling, with "almost all points under dispute."

Dawa party lawmaker Haidar al-Abadi told reporters in Baghdad's U.S.-guarded Green Zone that "almost all American suggestions were countered by different Iraqi ones."

"The negotiations are at a standstill, and the Iraqi side is studying its options," al-Abadi said, reading a statement from his party.

The agreement, which both sides hope to finalize this summer, would outline the long-term security relationship between Iraq and the United States and provide a legal basis for American troops to stay in Iraq after their U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo described talks over the pact as "active" and said Tuesday that "texts are very much in flux."

"One thing I can affirm is that a fundamental principle underlying these negotiations is our recognition of and respect for the fact of Iraqi sovereignty," Nantongo said in response to an e-mailed request for comment. "There is no question of the U.S. forcing anything."

The U.S. State Department's top Iraq adviser, David Satterfield, met Tuesday with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, whose office issued a statement afterward saying the two "discussed efforts to ensure Iraq's rights and its full sovereignty."

Both sides also pledged to try to finish the agreement on time, it said.

But al-Abadi, a Shiite legislator close to the prime minister, said talks have hit major stumbling blocks over the future status of U.S. military bases and American use of airspace over Iraq.

"The Americans have some demands that the Iraqi government regards as infringing on its sovereignty," al-Abadi said. "This is the main dispute, and if the dispute is not settled, I frankly tell you there will not be an agreement."

Australian PM speaks out against Iraq War/Invasion

via ChinaView

Australian PM criticizes former gov't over Iraq commitment

CANBERRA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Monday attacked the previous government for committing Australia to the Iraq war.

Making a ministerial statement before parliament's question time, Rudd said the Labor Party had never supported the Howard government's decision to go to war back in March 2003.

Former prime minister John Howard had at the time presented four reasons for going to war: to prevent further terrorist attacks, to stop Iraq giving weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to terrorists, to prevent other rogue states giving WMD to terrorists and to put an end to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.

But Rudd said on every count the Labor rejected these arguments, as further terrorist attacks have not been prevented, no evidence of a link between WMD and the former Iraqi regime and terrorists have been found, the actions of rogue states have not been moderated, nor have the humanitarian crisis in Iraq been removed

Rudd said the manner in which the decision to go to war had been made was of utmost concern.

Australia must never repeat the same mistakes it made when it became involved in the conflict, Rudd said.

"The decision to go to war was taken without a full and proper assessment by the (Howard) government of its consequences," he said.

The decision to go to war had had a number of consequences for the nation, including a great financial cost, which Rudd put at more than 2.3 billion dollars (2.19 billion U.S. dollars).

He also said the decision to invade Iraq without the United Nations approval had set a dangerous precedent and had undermined the international system

To Those who have helped us - WE MUST DO BETTER

WE MUST DO MORE and We can so WE SHOULD.

via 60minutes

The List: A Mission To Save Iraqi Lives
Branded As Collaborators By Insurgents, Many Iraqis Who Helped The U.S. Face Grave Danger

(CBS) The refugee crisis in Iraq is among the biggest humanitarian emergencies in the world. Millions of Iraqis have fled the war, many marked for death because they worked for the United States. They were translators, office workers, many other things, but now the enemy has branded them as collaborators.

When that happened in Vietnam, the U.S. brought more than 100,000 refugees to the states. But today, the U.S. government, which was so desperate for Iraqi workers, is not so eager to help them now.

As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, one young American named Kirk Johnson has jumped into this breach. All he wanted to do was rescue one of his Iraqi co-workers. When he did, a thousand more pleaded for help and Johnson began "the list."


"The people on my list have been tortured, they've been raped, they've lost body limbs. There's one guy on my list who's been thrown out of a moving vehicle. And all of this because they helped us. They came every single day to try to pitch in, in our efforts there," Johnson tells Pelley.

Johnson says we owe these Iraqis "speedy resettlement" in the United States.

The U.S. failed to grant that speedy resettlement. So Johnson has taken it upon himself to plead the cases of some of an estimated 100,000 Iraqis who worked for America.

"font-weight:bold;">"These are the names, the supporting documents, the recommendation letters, the cell phones, every bit of information that we could compile to help the government live up to their obligation to these people and help resettle them," he says.

A binder holds the list of nearly 1,000 Iraqis Johnson is trying to get into the U.S. He gets Iraqis free lawyers, helps them navigate the system, and pleads their cases to the State Department, with praise from their former American employers.

And the binder is filled with the threats written by the enemy that make life in Iraq impossible.

"In the name of Allah, who kills the tyrants. This is your last warning," Pelley reads from one warning.

"Yeah, 'And to all those who work or cooperate with the pagan occupation forces we are running out of patience and our hearts are full of hatred,'" Johnson adds.

Threats like that have pushed four million Iraqis from their homes. About a million of them are hiding in neighboring Jordan, where 60 Minutes traveled to meet some of the people sending Johnson desperate e-mails by the thousands.

"The most common subject line that I get is simply 'Help,'" Johnson says.

"You know, I wonder how you feel when someone sends you an e-mail that says 'My life is in your hands,'" Pelley asks.
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Please take the time to read about this in its entirety. We must honor our commitment to those who did risk their life to help us. We also need to help our Veterans more when they come home. It seems somehow we can find a balance.

New Deployments Announced

I knew there would be more soon. Never prepared for the announcement. I do have family in the military so I often check to see what is new. Pray for all involved - families, military, civilians , emotional health, mental health, physical health, finances, wisdom.

via Iwon - complete announcement found at this link but here is a bit of information about who is going over:


Currently there are 155,000 troops, including 17 combat brigades, in Iraq.

The seven Army combat brigades and one division headquarters units that would be sent to Iraq later this year are:

- 25th Infantry Division Headquarters

- 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, from Fort Carson, Colo.

- 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, from Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

- 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan.

- 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, from Fort Bragg, N.C.

- 172nd Infantry Brigade from Schweinfurt, Germany

- 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Hood, Texas.

- 1st Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, from Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

The four National Guard brigades being alerted for Iraq duty are:

- 72nd Brigade Combat Team, Texas National Guard

- 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania National Guard

- 256th Brigade Combat Team, Louisiana National Guard

- 278th Brigade Combat Team, Tennessee National Guard

The unit told to prepare for deployment to Afghanistan was the 86th Brigade Combat Team from the Vermont National Guard. There are currently 33,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, including 15,000 serving with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, and 18,000 in the U.S.-led effort to train the Afghan Army and conduct counterinsurgency operations.

Came across this widget

does anyone know how accurate it is?








click here to learn more

In the News: Who is watching the Iraq Police?

came across this gem while browsing through USA TODAY site:

'Phantom' police on payrolls in Iraq

By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY

BAGHDAD — Iraq's government has spent millions of dollars on "phantom" police officers who left the force or died, but whose names remained on department payrolls while others illegally pocketed their salaries.

An investigation by the Iraqi Interior Ministry in six provinces found that 15-20% of the names on police payrolls there no longer corresponded to active-duty officers. More than 11,000 names have since been purged nationwide as part of a broad effort to cut graft.

The excess money for salaries sent by the federal government in Baghdad often ended up in the hands of other police officers, said Army Brig. Gen. David Phillips, the top U.S. adviser for police training.

"A lot of those police officers disappeared — either ran away, didn't come to work, killed, any number of things," Phillips said. "There was still pay going out there … unless someone stopped it."

In recent months, the Interior Ministry has sent officials to provincial police stations, where they refused to pay anyone who couldn't walk in to collect their salary in cash.