posted April 03, 2006 12:11 PM            

April 03, 2006, 7:41 a.m.
The Other Side of the Story
More good news from Iraq.

By Bill Crawford

Welcome to another round-up of good news in Iraq. Two positive trends have remained strong. First, Iraqi forces continue to takeover more battlespace from the U.S., and they continue to show that they are capable of securing their own country. Second, Iraqi citizens continue to provide tips against terrorists and insurgents. Also noteworthy is that the number of attacks is decreasing, and the number of casualties with it. Finally, this week's edition features several stories about heroes — soldiers who went above and beyond in their service to our country and were recognized for it.

Operation Scorpion kicked off this week, and several factors make it a unique security sweep. The target list for the operation contained 52 names, and was compiled through Iraqi intelligence gathering. Also, the operation was planned solely by Iraqis, in this case Major General Anwar, commander of the 2nd Iraqi Army Brigade, and his staff. Twenty-four of the terrorists on target list were captured. The Iraqi's American advisor spoke about the success of the operation and the continued progress of the Iraqi army:

"This Iraqi Army Brigade has made tremendous progress in the five months we've been working with them," said Colonel David Gray, Commander, 1st BCT, 101st Airborne Division. "In October, they were loosely organized and not very well trained. The success of Operation Scorpion, and their ability to conduct a complex mission in the Hawijah area without suffering or inflicting casualties, demonstrates their professionalism and improved level of discipline."
100 soldiers of the 7th Iraqi Army Division conducted their first independent operation in Anbar Province. The mission showed that the abilities of Iraqis has improved immensely:
"They planned and executed the operation by themselves instead of us guiding them," said Army Staff Sgt. Ken E. Miller, MiTT training officer. "They [Iraqi Army] are ready to show people that they can do this on their own."
Iraqi special forces conducted an operation in Baghdad looking for terrorists involved in kidnappings and executions. During the operation, 16 terrorists were killed, 18 were detained, and one kidnapping victim was rescued.

Iraqi police thwarted an attempted suicide car-bombing on their headquarters south of Baghdad, killing two of the terrorists. Iraqi police came under fire from a passenger in a minibus that was headed towards their position. The explosives-laden minibus blew up when police returned fire. The driver of the minibus was not a willing martyr:

Subsequent examination of the bus revealed that the driver's hands had been chained to the wheel.
Iraqis are increasingly providing information against terrorists. In one instance, an Iraqi turned in a relative, who was eventually detained on charges of participating in drive-by attacks against coalition forces. Near the town of Al Imam, tips led to the discovery of two large weapons caches.

During January, 25 IEDs exploded along a road designated Route Redwing. The 4th ID was sent into the area, along with Iraqi troops, and arrested a terrorist connected to the bombings. The house he was in is now used as an observation post. The local population supports the combined efforts of Iraqi and U.S. forces:

Marez feels many of the locals agree and approve of the U.S. presence in their area. If the 506th is securing the area and keeping bombs and explosives off the road, then the kids have nothing to fear when they're out playing or on their way to school.
The city of Tall Afar, once a focal point of terrorist activity, is now safe thanks to Iraqi forces. Six months after an operation to clear the city of terrorists, the streets are still safe, and schools and markets are open again. The Iraqi battalion in charge of security in the city operates independently and is one of the best in the country.

In Ramadi, Iraqi forces, operating independently, discovered the largest weapons cache yet to be found by Iraqi foces. The operation was based on tips by local Iraqis:

The cache consisted of: sniper rifles, numerous rockets and rocket launchers, multiple hand grenades, RPGs, loaded weapons magazines, numerous artillery rounds, an assortment of propellants, and bomb and IED making materials. Additionally, the IA Soldiers removed a completed suicide vest that was fully armed with explosives and ready to be used in a terrorist attack.
Members of the 5th Iraqi Army Division assumed sole responsibility of the battlespace around the southern half of Diyala Province. Their pride was evident:
"With pride and loftiness, we are assuming battle space from our friends. It is a great day for our battalion," said Col. Hadi Jamal, commander, 3rd Bn., 2nd Brigade, 5th IAD. "It has been assigned to us, as a combat battalion, to conduct planning and coordinate assaults on terrorist nests, chase them and paralyze their movements at day and night."
The Iraqi army took control of security in part of Mosul this week. It is the second handover of battlespace in Mosul to the Iraqis since December. The city is also undergoing major reconstruction:
Since reconstruction began, more than 194 projects valued at $182 million have begun, with 56 completed. The effort to rebuild Mosul's infrastructure has three major focal points.

There are 18 projects dedicated to water and sanitation, 83 projects involving education, and 45 projects designed to support law and governance that have been completed, said Col. Bruce Grant, deputy team leader for reconstruction.

600 Iraqis conducted an independent operation in Bayji. The operation led to the detention of 25 suspected terrorists.

The leader of a terrorist cell was captured in an Iraqi-led operation in the city of Haswa.

An operation northwest of Baghdad resulted in the discovery of several large weapons caches:

The caches contained 20 rockets, 53 rocket-propelled grenades, three anti-aircraft missiles with two launchers, an anti-tank missile, 24 mortar rounds, a mortar tube, and a variety of small-caliber artillery rounds. In addition to the ordnance, soldiers found items commonly used in roadside bombs.
Another tip led U.S. soldiers to a member of a terrorist cell, who in turn provided information on his accomplices. The cell is wanted for IED attacks and kidnapping.

A large cache used for making IEDs was discovered by soldiers from the 6th Iraqi Army Division:

The cache consisted of 16 bags of high-munitions explosives (approximately 900 lbs), one roll of detonation cord, nine long-range communication antennas, two demolition sticks (approximately 300 lbs), two ZPU anti-artillery guns, eight 155 mm rounds, a 122 mm round prepared as a roadside-bomb, a fire extinguisher prepared as a roadside-bomb, 30 82 mm mortar rounds prepared as roadside bombs and a 300-pound acetylene tank prepared as a roadside bomb.
In Abu Ghraib, U.S. soldiers uncovered more than 16 tons of weapons in a five-day period.

A Predator UAV killed three terrorists as they planted an IED near Balad Air Base. The terrorists were observed by the Predator digging a hole for an IED. Once it was clear they were planting an IED, the Predator launched a Hellfire missile, killing all three.

More than one million Shiite pilgrims went to the Iraqi cities of Karbala and Najaf in celebration of Arbaeen. Terrorists routinely target these sorts of events. However, they were unable to do much damage thanks to improved security:

According to Rumsfeld, "this year's pilgrimage passed, for the most part, peacefully," after years of violence once marked the occasion.

Rumsfeld confirms that only "12 were killed and two wounded in connection with the pilgrimage," whereas in 2004 terrorists killed over 120 civilians, injuring over 300 more.

Rumsfeld says, "Iraq is benefiting from added training and increased military capabilities of the 241,000 Iraqi soldiers and police. Provincial governors, provincial police chiefs and Iraqi security personnel executed an extensive security plan."

As usual, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stated the obvious:
"If the coalition does not have an adequate number of forces on the ground, as some argue, how did the Iraqi forces with coalition support manage to protect millions of Iraqis? And if terrorists tried and failed to pull off a massive attack, what does this say about their strength and their capabilities?" he asked.
One of the biggest misconceptions about Iraq is that violence is endemic across the country, but nothing could be further from the truth, as General Casey points out:
Fact: violence is not widespread in Iraq. Three of Iraq's provinces, Baghdad, Al Anbar and Salah ad Din, account for nearly 75 percent of all the attacks. The other 15 provinces average less than six attacks daily and 12 average less than two attacks per day. That does not erase what is happening in Baghdad, but it does put it in perspective.

Fact: 70 percent of Iraq's population lives without incidents.

And how about some perspective on the violence:
The rate of violent deaths in war-ravaged northern Uganda is three times higher than in Iraq and the 20-year insurgency has cost $1.7bn (£980m), according to a report by 50 international and local agencies released today.

The violent death rate for northern Uganda is 146 deaths a week or 0.17 violent deaths per 10,000 people per day. This is three times higher than in Iraq, where the incidence of violent death was 0.052 per 10,000 people per day, says the report.

The news is also good for U.S. soldiers. In March, fatalities fell to a two year low. Moreover, the number of deaths from roadside bombs fell one year low of twelve. In Baghdad, the number of attacks on our troops dropped by 58 percent this week, but this decline isn't the only explanation for the decrease in deaths. The increased capability of Iraqi forces plays a big part.

Despite being targets for terrorist attacks, Iraqis continue to sign up to serve their country in the military. In Ramadi, recruits explained their reasons for making the two year commitment:

"My family encouraged me to sign up for the Iraqi Army. Security is a problem in this area and it's up to the men of the city to take a stance against the violence and help build our new government," said a local Iraqi man, as he waited to be checked by an Iraqi medical doctor.

"With the new government in place, Iraq is heading in the right direction. I drove here from Jazeera to sign up for the Iraqi Army," said an Iraqi Army Candidate.

In related news, efforts to recruit Sunnis into the military are starting to pay off:
They came by the hundreds. Iraqi men, mostly young but a few graybeards, milling about the desert or squatting in the sand with their robes tucked between their legs and turbans fluttering in the breeze.

It's recruiting day. These men have come to join the Iraqi army.

They are Sunni Arabs from tribes that populate the vast desert region to the west along the Syrian border.

On just one day in Qaim, 400 Sunnis showed up to join the Iraqi Army, many of them former insurgents. This Sunnis have no love of the terrorists in Iraq:
One said he joined because his brother had been killed by an insurgent bomb.

"I want to shoot terrorists," he said, his face tightening into a hard scowl.

Another 831 Iraqis signed up in Fallujah.

Japan is providing $655 million in loans to Iraq in order to improve the country's irrigation systems, power plants, and port facilities. The loan is the first installment of the $3.5 billion Japan pledged to Iraqi reconstruction in 2003.

Renovations are complete on the Karbala Government Building:

The local administration building received a full interior make-over, including new heating and air conditioning systems, electrical wiring, wall finishes, stage area, seating, and furniture. The exterior of the building was also upgraded with a power transformer, courtyard area, restroom facilities, and a new coat of paint.
Sadr Al Yousefiyah (reg. req.) use to be used by terrorists to stage attacks against targets in Baghdad. A joint U.S./Iraqi operation liberated the town, which is now the site of numerous projects aimed at rebuilding the town's infrastructure. A project restoring drinking water to the town has already been completed, and another six are underway:
"Half a dozen projects are already underway in the wake of this operation," said McFadden, program manager, 2nd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. "These projects are a mix of short and long-term solutions to the problems facing these people. Some of these projects are simple road repairs to facilitate civilian transportation, while others are complicated and longer term projects developed to repair local electrical networks over the long haul," said McFadden.
More than a dozen reconstruction projects are underway in Yousefiyah, including the rehabilitation of twelve schools. The city now has a "nearly continuous" power supply.

Iraq's first ATM is now available at the Baghdad branch of the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI), and plans are underway to put ATM's throughout the country. TBI issued a statement showing their expectation of opportunities for significant growth in the future:

"We are very happy to be the first financial institution to bring ATM service to the Iraqi people. This is another first for TBI. We continue to be the most modern and innovative bank in Iraq."
This is just another sign that Iraq's economy is getting better. In a recent poll, 56 percent of Iraqis said that the economy was improving, and 65 percent said their economic conditions were improving. Despite the violence, Iraqis are struggling to build a modern, peaceful society.

Unemployment continues to be a problem in Iraq, but Dhi Qar University is working to remedy the situation. It will host a series of job training seminars:

Those taking part in the training courses will learn a number of skills in the electrical, tailoring, carpentry trades, as well as nursing, al-Yasiri said.
An outdoor market in Kirkuk was revitalized with the help of USAID. The work included paving the streets, installing sidewalks, and constructing a drainage canal. Locals provided $10,000 for the project.

U.S. and Iraqi medics conducted a medical clinic for residents of the Jabouri peninsula. The clinic treated more than 250 people, many of them children.

Here's some more of what we have accomplished, via Centcom:

There were virtually no cell-phone subscribers during Saddam Hussein's reign. Today, there are more than 5 million.

Eighty percent of the Saddam Hussein-era debt has been forgiven by Iraq's debtors.

Women comprise 25 percent of the Iraqi parliament, which is the highest proportion in the Arab world and one of the largest percentages worldwide.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provides training on industrial equipment enabling Iraqis to operate and maintain equipment and power systems throughout the country.

Nearly 100 percent of Iraqi children have been vaccinated.

In March of 2003, per capita income in Iraq was $500. Today it has risen to $1,200.

More than 30,000 new businesses have been registered in Iraq since the fall of Saddam.

In education, 3,000 schools have been rehabilitated, 9 million new textbooks distributed, and 36,000 teachers have been trained.

The country has more than 2,000 Internet cafes, and a free press.

The country's electrical output is near pre-war levels, and demand for electricity has doubled.

Alabama Governor Bob Riley returned from Iraq this week and noted that U.S. troops remain upbeat and committed to completing their mission:

"If you had a poll that said, 'Would you like to go home?' I'm sure that 72 percent of the people would say 'I would like to go home, I would like to be with my family,'" he said. "But if you had asked the follow-up question, 'Do you want to leave before your mission is complete?' I believe 75, 80 or 100 percent of them would say no."
Students at the university in Basra are working to alert their countrymen to the dangers of sectarian violence.
The student movement, therefore, has devoted itself to raising awareness about the folly of sectarian violence by distributing leaflets and posters and through the internet. According to members, the group, which supports itself financially, is growing daily.
The story of eleven-year-old Annie Hassee reveals just how important it is for those of us here at home to support our soldiers fighting overseas. Annie sent a letter addressed to "Any Soldier," and it was opened by Scott Montgomery of the South Carolina National Guard, who was at a hospital in Balad, recovering from a wound he received from an IED blast. This simple gift immediately lifted his spirits:
"When I opened it (the envelope), I found a beautiful handmade card from you. It brought a big smile to my face to know that some young girl in Indiana took the time to send a 'good luck' card to someone she doesn't even know."
The two became pen pals, and to show his appreciation Scott gave Annie the Purple Heart he was awarded.

Two Macedonian soldiers were awarded the U.S. Medal of Merit for their contribution in Iraq. The Medal of Merit was established to honor the service of U.S. and allied soldiers.

So many stories in the media are about the most irrelevant subjects. It's a shame that more attention isn't given to stories about real heroes, like Paul Smith. Smith is the only soldier to win the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq. Here is how he did it:

Now all his training, all his experience, all the instincts that had made him a model soldier, were about to be put to the test. With 16 men from his First Platoon, B Company, 11th Engineer Battalion, Sgt. Smith was under attack by about 100 troops of the Iraqi Republican Guard.

...

The Iraqis were practically on top of him. Coolly grasping the situation, Sgt. Smith ordered Spc. Seaman to back the APC south into the compound to a position half way down the eastern wall. There he could arc the big machine gun back and forth, from the gate entrance to the north, all along the western wall of the triangle, to the Iraqi occupied tower in the southwest corner to his left.

To fire the machine gun, Sgt. Smith had to stand in the APC's main hatch, his body exposed from the waist up to a withering fire coming at him from three directions. On the ground through the blur of combat, Sgt. Matthew Keller saw Sgt. Smith grimly firing measured bursts from atop the APC even as a hail of bullets hit around him.

Sgt. Keller yelled at him to get out. Sgt. Smith looked back at him and with a slight shake of his head, made a cutting motion across his throat with his right hand. Sgt. Keller would always remember the look in his eyes. "There was no fear in him whatsoever."

As Spc. Seaman, crouching in the adjoining hatch, fed him ammunition belts, Sgt. Smith directed an expert and murderous fire with the long-barreled M2, hitting Iraqis who tried to enter the compound through the gate or over the wall. He tried also to suppress renewed fire coming from the Iraqis in the guard tower to his left.

Finally, one of his fellow sappers, First Sgt. Timothy Campbell, led a small fire team which stole up to the tower and killed all Iraqis inside. But by this time, Sgt. Smith's machine gun had fallen silent. The attack had been broken. Nearly 50 Iraqi dead lay all over the area. Others were in retreat. But Sgt. Smith was now slumped in the turret hatch, blood soaking the front of his uniform.

Spc. Seaman jumped out of the vehicle in tears. "I told him we should just leave," he said. Pvt. Gary Evans drove the APC out of the compound at high speed to the nearby aid station.

Read it all.

Another name we should all know is Victor Lewis. He was awarded the Bronze Star for "dodging machine gun fire to rescue a pair of fellow Marines."

A Silver Star and Bronze Star were awarded to two Marines for actions in Fallujah when they risked their lives to save a wounded Iraqi soldier:

The two led a counter-assault that killed 13 insurgents and captured eight. Russell was struck in the helmet, suffering a concussion and "bleeding profusely."

"When he discovered that a Marine isolated in a bunker needed ammunition, he raced to supply him by crossing 75 meters of open area while under fire from at least six insurgents," said Russell's citation.

The Iraqi soldier was wounded and pinned down away from the main part of the platoon. The two Marines dashed across an open area under fire to get him to safety so he could be rushed to a field hospital.

Three Marines received the Bronze Star last week for service in Iraq.

posted April 03, 2006 06:01 PM              

By Rod Nordland
Newsweek International

April 3, 2006 issue - At last, President Bush had news he could use from Iraq. He devoted an entire speech in Cleveland last week to the story of how the town of Tall Afar was wrested from Qaeda control and has become a model for defeating the enemy. Praise came not just from the administration; CBS's "60 Minutes" ran a glowing segment on what had been accomplished under Col. H. R. McMaster and his Third Armored Cavalry. McMaster, author of a celebrated book, "Dereliction of Duty," a critical look at how the U.S. military and its leaders got it wrong in Vietnam, made the rounds of the airwaves about how they're now getting it right in Iraq. Tall Afar, said the president, "is today a free city that gives reason for hope for a free Iraq."
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He showed off a letter to prove it. It was from the city's mayor to Gen. George Casey, the U.S. military commander in Iraq, calling American troops "our lion-hearted saviors." In Tall Afar last week, however, things weren't that clear-cut. U.S. troops were able to take a small group of American reporters on a foot patrol through several neighborhoods—rare these days in central and western Iraq, and unheard of in Baghdad. Iraqis along the way were full of praise for their liberators, many of whom they recognized by name. But just in case, two squads of heavily armed troops kept watch, front, rear and flanks, rifles at the ready, and wouldn't let the group linger more than a few minutes in any place; a helicopter gunship shadowed us overhead. In another part of town, police later reported that an insurgent mortar attack wounded six children. A second NEWSWEEK reporter, visiting Tall Afar independently, found other neighborhoods barricaded; Iraqi police warned that he might be killed by insurgents or their supporters if he went any farther.

President Bush extolled Tall Afar as proof of the success of America's new strategy, "Clear, Hold and Build." Tall Afar had been subdued before, in 2004. But after U.S. troops moved on, insurgents moved right back and made over the city in Al Qaeda's image, with Iraqi police barricaded in their station under constant attack. Even the mayor then was an insurgent sympathizer. McMaster brought in a large force, alongside a new Iraqi Army brigade, and after two weeks of fierce fighting in September 2005, retook the town. Al Qaeda even acknowledged the defeat, taking revenge by setting off six suicide car bombs in a day in Baghdad.

McMaster's Third Cav was replaced this year by a brigade of the First Armored Division. The new commander, Col. Sean MacFarland, is the first to admit Tall Afar is still a work in progress. "What's it look like to you—Stalingrad in 1944?" But he ticked off the reconstruction projects in the pipeline and the dramatic drop in insurgent activity—now only a couple of minor incidents every day or two, down from 10 a day only a month ago. "Clean it up, get the infrastructure back, and people will regain their confidence," he said. "It's not Camelot, but it's not Gotham either."

What it is, though, like so many places in Iraq now, is a city increasingly divided along sectarian lines. The neighborhoods we patrolled were largely Shia; those our reporter found barricaded and dangerous were mostly Sunni. "I'd say that zero percent of Bush's talk about Tall Afar is true," said Ahmed Sami, 45, a Sunni laborer. "They turned Shiite neighborhoods into havens, and Sunni neighborhoods into hells." Even in the Shia neighborhoods, people were far from satisfied. "This is all just an outdoor prison for us," said school teacher Abu Muhammed. "We can't even go as far as the market street up there." He gestured to the top of his road, where the Ottoman fortress that dominates the town is located (and which we couldn't visit due to a security scare, even though it holds the mayor's office). "We know the American Army and the Iraqi Army are working and doing their best," said Bakr Muhammed Bakr, a dressmaker whose shop, like most others on the streets, was open for business. "But what are they going to do, put a soldier in front of each Sunni house?"

To Sunnis, that's often what it seems like. "After the battle, resistance became very low, because the city was turned into a military camp," said a Sunni doctor at the Tall Afar General Hospital. In fact, at all times at least 3,000 Iraqi Army, police and U.S. soldiers are on duty inside the city, stationed at a welter of police stations and camps and on checkpoints. Most are Iraqis. They patrol by foot and vehicle constantly. Thousands more are at bases outside the city. Tall Afar's population is only 150,000. (As many as 100,000 people, mostly Sunni, fled during last year's fighting and most have not returned.) That's at least one armed man for every 50 residents, more if reinforcements are used. "That's a pretty high ratio," acknowledged MacFarland, "which is why the enemy is having a hard time. It would be pretty hard to replicate that in a city like Baghdad or Mosul."

The rise of sectarian feelings, after the terrorist bombing of the Shia shrine in Samarra, has complicated matters in Tall Afar as well—though protests there remained peaceful, and there were no reprisal attacks on Sunni mosques, as elsewhere in Iraq. The president's speech suggested Tall Afar was on the verge of being handed back to the Iraqis, but no one on the ground now expects that to happen soon. "There will be American troops in and around Tall Afar at least for the better part of the coming year," said Col. MacFarland. That's good news to Mayor Najim Abdullah al Jubori, who said he was so proud to hear President Bush mention him and his letter that "I could have flown without wings." But to be honest, he went on to explain, the point of his letter was actually a plea to Casey to keep American troops here even longer—not proof of a strategy that will, sooner or later, allow Americans to pull out.

With Ayad Obeidi in Tall Afar
© 2006 Newsweek, Inc.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12016224/site/newsweek/

posted April 03, 2006 06:05 PM              

Friday, February 24, 2006; Posted: 8:29 p.m. EST (01:29 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The only Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support has been downgraded to a level requiring them to fight with American troops backing them up, the Pentagon said Friday.

The battalion, made up of 700 to 800 Iraqi Army soldiers, has repeatedly been offered by the U.S. as an example of the growing independence of the Iraqi military.

The competence of the Iraqi military has been cited as a key factor in when U.S. troops will be able to return home.

"As we see more of these Iraqi forces in the lead, we will be able to continue with our stated strategy that says as Iraqi forces stand up, we will stand down," President Bush said last month. (Full story)

The battalion, according to the Pentagon, was downgraded from "level one" to "level two" after a recent quarterly assessment of its capabilities.

"Level one" means the battalion is able to fight on its own; "level two" means it requires support from U.S. troops; and "level three" means it must fight alongside U.S. troops.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/02/24/iraq.security/index.html

posted April 03, 2006 06:23 PM              

The Lincoln Group was tasked with presenting the US version of events in Iraq to counter adverse media coverage. Here we present examples of its work, and the reality behind its headlines.

By Andrew Buncombe
30 March 2006

This is the news from Iraq according to Donald Rumsfeld and the Bush administration.

A week after the US Defence Secretary criticised the media for " exaggerating" reports of violence in Iraq, The Independent has obtained examples of newspaper reports the Bush administration want Iraqis to read.

They were prepared by specially trained American "psy-ops" troops who paid thousands of dollars to Iraqi newspaper editors to run these unattributed reports in their publications. In order to hide its involvement, the Pentagon hired the Lincoln Group to act as a liaison between troops and journalists. The Lincoln Group was at the centre of controversy last year when it was revealed the company was being paid more than $100m (£58m) for various contracts, including the planting of such stories.

The Pentagon - which recently announced that an internal investigation had cleared the Lincoln Group of breaching military rules by planting these stories - has claimed these new reports did not constitute propaganda because they were factually correct. But a military specialist has questioned some of the information contained within their reports while describing their rhetorical style as "comical". Furthermore, it has been alleged that quotations contained within these reports and others - attributed to anonymous Iraqi officials or citizens - were routinely made up by US troops who never went beyond the perimeter of the Green Zone.

What seems clear is that, taken by themselves, these reports would provide an unbalanced picture of the situation inside Iraq where ongoing violence wreaks daily chaos and horror. Three years since US and UK troops invaded, more than 2,500 coalition troops have been killed. How many Iraqi civilians have died is unclear. The Iraqi Body Count puts the minimum at 33,773, but this figure is based on media reports and the group admits "it is likely that many if not most civilian casualties will go unreported by the media". An extrapolation published in The Lancet 18 months ago said more than 100,000 had been killed.

A former employee of the Lincoln Group, who spent last summer in Baghdad acting as a link between US troops who were part of the Information Operations Task Force and Iraqis contracted by the company to establish contact with Iraqi journalists, said his job was to ensure "there were no finger-prints".

"The Iraqis did not know who was writing the stories and the US troops did not know who the Iraqis were," said the former employee, who declined to be named. It is not known whether the stories included here were ever printed or simply prepared for publication, but he said it was normal for around 10 stories a week to be printed. He said US troops routinely fabricated their quotations.

The former employee said the Lincoln Group paid up to $2,000 for the publication of each article - a sum that had risen from when he started working, suggesting the Iraqi editors realised who was behind the articles and knew there was plenty of money. The Lincoln Group was paid $80,000 a week by the military to plant these stories.

The former employee said the stories - which often feature phrases such as " brave warriors" and "eager troops" - were designed to bolster the image and purported efficiency of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and their involvement in operations. The Bush administration says the ability of Iraqi security forces to deal with insurgents remains the key to a withdrawal of US troops.

In reality, while one article describes the ISF as a "potent fighting force", the training of Iraqi forces has been a slow and troubled process. The Pentagon recently said the only Iraqi battalion judged capable of fighting without US support had been downgraded, requiring it to fight with American troops.

John Pike, the director of GlobalSecurity.org, a Washington-based defence think-tank, who reviewed some of the Lincoln Group stories, said he found them unconvincing. "Anybody who knows about propaganda knows the first rule of propaganda is that it should not look like propaganda," he said. "It's embarrassing enough that [the US military] got caught ... but then for their product to be so cheesy ... It's just embarrassing."

He added: "Some of the vignettes are cartoonish. The ISF? Many of them are surely brave. But a potent fighting force? I think that's a little clearer than the truth. It's propaganda."

Another story mentions the Iraqi oil industry and calls it "unique in that it is the only sector in which every dollar invested, either directly or indirectly, provides direct revenue to Iraq for future reconstruction" .

Yet a report published last November by a group of aid agencies and NGOs claimed that production-sharing agreements (PSAs) proposed by the US State Department before the invasion and adopted by the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), could see Iraqis lose $200bn in revenue if the plan comes into effect.

Data collated by the Brookings Institution says oil production in Iraq remains below the estimated pre-invasion levels. At the moment, Iraq annually spends $6bn to import oil.

The Lincoln Group is headed by Christian Bailey, a Briton with no experience in PR, and a former US Marine, Paige Craig. The company failed to respond to a call seeking comment yesterday. A spokesman for the US military in Iraq, Lieut-Col Barry Johnson, said last night: "The results of the investigation have not yet been made public while the report undergoes final review by Multinational Force leadership. I am unable to comment on unsubstantiated allegations."

While the Lincoln Group has been cleared by one Pentagon inquiry, it remains the subject of a separate inquiry being conducted by the Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General (OIG). A spokesman, Gary Comerford, said that the OIG had been asked by the Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy to review how the company had won its contract.

Criticising the media last week, Mr Rumsfeld said: "Much of the reporting in the US and abroad has exaggerated the situation... Interestingly, all of the exaggerations seem to be on one side.... The steady stream of errors all seem to be of a nature to inflame the situation and to give heart to the terrorists."

'AL-QA'IDA THREATENS ALL IRAQIS' 24 October 2005

The Lincoln version

The chief murderer of al-Qa'ida in Iraq has declared war against all Iraqis. They have also lamely attempted to justify the murder of civilians. Some websites featured the Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's praise of his heathen deeds. The people of Iraq have had enough.

"These thugs clearly hate us; they do not share in our national pride or our belief in a unified Iraq," said one Iraqi. "They only wish to kill our women, our children, our future. We must not and will not let them."

Horror stories are told in homes and shops of friends and family members casually murdered while going about their daily business. These ... are simple folk trying to make the best of their lives. How many more suicide bombs have to go off before al-Qa'ida realises that there is no room for them in the land of the two rivers? In one particular attack, terrorists murdered a young boy and stuffed his body full of explosives in an attempt to lure security forces into an ambush. Is this the only future terrorism has to offer?

The reality check

At least 20 people were killed and 42 others injured when three suicide bombers targeted Baghdad's Palestine Hotel, used by media and contractors. A dozen construction labourers were killed in an attack on Al-Musayyab, south of Baghdad. Muhammad Ali Nu'aymi, secretary of the director-general of al-Mansur municipality, was killed by gunmen. Bodies of six Iraqi citizens were found in al-Mahmudiyah, southern Baghdad.

'IRAQI ARMY DEFEATS TERRORISM' 26 October 2005

The Lincoln version

With the people's approval of the constitution, Iraq is well on its way to forming a permanent government. Meanwhile, the underhanded forces of al-Qa'ida remain bent on halting progress and inciting civil war. The honest citizens of Iraq, however, need not fear these criminals and terrorists. The brave warriors of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are hard at work stopping al-Qa'ida's attacks before they occur.

On 24 October, soldiers near Taji received a report that terrorists were stockpiling dangerous weapons. The soldiers found over 150 tank and artillery rounds. These munitions are similar to the ones that al-Qa'ida bomb-makers often use to construct their deadly bombs. The troops destroyed every last round, ensuring they will never be used against the Iraqi people.

Three al-Qa'ida mercenaries in Baqubah were planning to conduct a suicide vest attack. Officers of the Iraqi Police Service (IPS) spotted them as they drove towards their target. But then something happened. The would-be murderer lost his faith and leapt from the moving vehicle. One of the other suicide bombers panicked and detonated his vest while still inside the car, instantly killing himself and another accomplice.

The reality check

At least five Iraqis killed by suicide bomber on bus in Baqubah, north-east of Baghdad. Bodies of nine Iraqi border guards, who were shot dead, found previous day. Joint US-Iraqi convoy targeted by car bomb in al-Ma'mun area of Baghdad.

'QUICK REACTION CAPTURES BOMBER' 12 November 2005

The Lincoln version

In conjunction with operation El-Sitar Elfulathi in Husaybah and Karabilah, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are sweeping across Iraq in a series of continuous operations aimed at disrupting insurgent activity. Through diligent patrols, organised raids and searches, vehicle checkpoints and interaction with the Iraqi people, Iraqi Army (IA) units have taken down terror cells and removed dangerous criminals from Iraq's streets.

In Baghdad, a quick response to a terror attack led to the arrest of the culprit. On 10 November, terrorists detonated a car bomb in eastern Baghdad wounding three Iraqi women. Immediately the ISF responded, securing the area and treating and evacuating the injured. The soldiers quickly examined the site of the bombing, discovering evidence that led them to the arrest of the suspected bomber. Because of their quick reaction, there was no loss of innocent life and another terrorist is in prison and awaiting his trial.

The ISF has quickly developed into a viable fighting force capable of defending the people of Iraq against the cowards who launch their attacks on innocent people.

The reality check

Ten people were killed when a car bomb exploded at a market in Baghdad. Bodies of three men tortured to death discovered in Shula. Coalition troops killed four alleged insurgents in "safe house" near Ramadi. On November 10, 7 Iraqis killed 30 wounded by car bomb near Al-Shuruqi Mosque, north of Baghdad.

'TRAINING PREPARES IRAQI MARINES' 13 November 2005

The Lincoln version

Terrorist attacks often result in damage to Iraq's infrastructure, but the Ministry of Defence is determined to keep that from continuing. The brave men of the Iraqi Marines are one step closer to taking charge of the security mission at the Al Basrah and Khawr Al Amaya Oil Terminals.

Recently, soldiers from the 6th Platoon Iraqi Marines completed the oil platform defence training at the Al Basrah Oil Terminal.

Their main focus was to acquire the necessary skills to effectively protect the oil terminals. The students trained up to three to four times a day, working closely with the instructors. The intense training they received included how to stand a proper watch, how to work and fight as a team, and how to defend against terrorist attacks on the terminals. When these soldiers assume control of security on the terminal, they will ensure the safety and stability of the maritime environment.

These operations complement counter-terrorism and security efforts as well as deny international terrorists use of the waterways as an avenue of attack.

The reality check

Deputy health minister, Jalil al-Shammari, and his bodyguards are killed north of Baghdad. Amir Al-Saldi, Baghdad municipal official, is killed in Ghazaliya. Clashes in al-Qadiyah district of Samarra leave three dead. An Iraqi soldier is killed and six others wounded, three seriously, in a roadside bomb explosion in Kirkuk.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/features/story.jsp?story=684665

posted April 03, 2006 09:08 PM            

The articles you're complaining about have been covered before. The events they told about were true. False articles was not the claim made by the media. They were upset because they came from coalition writers writing about actual events....but not false stories. We leave the lying stories to the lying American press corp.

The terrorists and those fighting against the legitimate government of Iraq are going to lose...some will lose their lives.

The Iraqi military and police forces now total almost 250,000 and increasingly, they are taking over more responsible.

In spite of the jerks, leftist idiots and general naysayers claims that it's not fast enough, it takes time to train the noncoms and lower echelon officers to lead military forces in the field. That's being done and they're getting OJT.

posted April 03, 2006 09:23 PM              

quote:

---

Having paid off journalists for favorable columns and secretly financed bogus news releases supporting administration policies at home, we have the U.S. government using tax dollars to hobble precisely the independent expression that our troops are supposed to be fighting to make possible abroad.--Edward Wasserman .. Knight professor of journalism ethics at Washington and Lee University.

---

********

well i already posted this elsewhere but this seems like a better place for it.......

Congressional Candidate Slams Press Coverage of Iraq--With Bogus Photo

By E&P Staff

Published: March 29, 2006 2:30 PM ET

NEW YORK How far will critics of media coverage of the Iraq war go to prove reporters are wrongly focusing on the negative?

One answer came this week, in a shocking if amusing episode featuring one Howard Kaloogian, a leading Republican running for the seat in Congress recently vacated by indicted Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

Kaloogian posted on the official Web site for his campaign a picture taken in “downtown Baghdad,” he said, during his visit to the city, which supposedly indicated that the media was wrong about the level of violence there.

“We took this photo of downtown Baghdad while we were in Iraq,” he wrote. “Iraq (including Baghdad) is much more calm and stable than what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it - in part because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism."

But the blogosphere quickly smelled a rat. The photo featured people who didn’t seem dressed quite right for Iraq, and signs and billboards that looked off, too. In the now-familiar pattern, the ace detective work leaped from obscure blogs to the well-known (Talking Points Memo, Eschaton, Attytood, more), and back again, as eagle-eyed experts proposed alternative locales, with Turkey a likely suspect.

In less than a day, it was over. “Jem6X” at the popular DailyKos blog confirmed the street scene was in Bakirkoy, a suburb of Istanbul, not Baghdad.

Tipped off by someone who recognized the actual intersection in Turkey, Jem went through online photo galleries and in a matter of minutes today found a snap taken by a “Faruk” that lined up with the “Baghdad” photo in numerous conclusive ways. Game, set, and match to the blogosphere.

posted April 04, 2006 12:09 AM            

I don't give a rats @ss whether you, the leftist press, terrorists or anyone else resents it but at least the other side of the stories got told...instead of the terrorists viewpoint with the press constantly trolls for in Iraq; that and any bad news they can dredge up.

Further Petron, these bird brained leftist..so called journalists were paying stringers for stories straight from the terrorists themselves and didn't even know it. Bound to happen when they're sitting around on their balcony covering the war from their hotel rooms.

Leftists, the leftist press, the leftists in Congress and the terrorists are going to lose this war Petron. Count on it.

posted April 04, 2006 01:02 AM              

quote:

---

There will be American troops in and around Tall Afar at least for the better part of the coming year, That's good news to Mayor Najim Abdullah al Jubori, But to be honest, the point of his letter was actually a plea to Casey to keep American troops here even longer--—not proof of a strategy that will, sooner or later, allow Americans to pull out.---Col. Sean MacFarland

---

posted April 04, 2006 01:04 AM              

quote:

---

The only Iraqi battalion capable of fighting without U.S. support has been downgraded to a level requiring them to fight with American troops backing them up-- the Pentagon

---

posted April 04, 2006 01:05 AM              

quote:

---

Press releases from military writers stated facts Petron. Period.

---

do you mean like in this 'things are great in iraq' piece you posted by a 'military writer'?.....

http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/001098.html

Pro-War Propaganda from an America Soldier in Iraq

"This is a letter from Ray Reynolds, a medic in the Iowa Army National Guard, serving in Iraq:

* The country had its first 2 billion barrel export of oil in August.

Nonsense. First, there's nothing in the Fact Sheet about oil. Iraq is presently exporting approximately 1.9 million barrels of oil a day, or under 60 million barrels per month. And that's going to be difficult to maintain. You probably already know that insurgent attacks have been limiting the exports.

posted April 04, 2006 01:28 AM            

Do you have any personal insights to Illuminate the copious efforts spent to share others opinions?

posted April 04, 2006 01:43 AM            

Here's a fact check for you Petron. I don't trust the source you used nor many of the other sources you typically use.

I'll take the word of troops on the ground in Iraq or recently returned troops over any of the sources you quote...any day.

Here's a question for you Petron. Why are you and your leftist buddies trying to talk down the successes in Iraq...successes by both the coalition forces and the Iraqi military forces?

What's your stake in an Iraqi failure Petron?

posted April 04, 2006 02:06 AM            

Electricity
Expanding Access to Electricity
In 2002 Baghdad had access to electricity on a near continuous basis while the rest of Iraq was limited to 3 to 6 hours daily. The U.S. government has made significant progress in improving electricity supply in Iraq and distributing it more equitably throughout the country. USAID has added over 1490 MW of new or rehabilitated capacity to the electrical grid.

Expanding Access to Electricity
Restoring and improving Iraq’s electricity supply has been USAID’s biggest and most costly challenge. In April 2003, Iraq’s usable electrical generation capacity was 2,500 MW — 58 percent of the pre-conflict level. Before the conflict, access to power was unreliable and varied greatly throughout the country. USAID is restoring electricity to homes, public facilities, and business throughout Iraq.

USAID has helped increase electrical generation to an average daily peak of approximately 4,500 MW. However, estimated total demand in Iraq is 8,500 MW and the looting of cables, destruction of hightension towers, and sabotage of fuel lines persist. Decades of operation without regular maintenance have resulted in increased breakdown and a need for significant rehabilitation.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Repaired thermal units, replaced/ added turbines, rehabilitated the transmission network, and installed and restored generators.
Returned to pre-war daily generation levels of 3,958 MW by October 2003 and reached a peak of 4,584 MW during July 2004.
USAID has added 1,086 MW of generation capacity through new generation, maintenance and rehabilitation work, and repaired the 400 KV Khor az Zubayr-Nasiriyah transmission line.
USAID and partners are rehabilitating or constructing 25 distribution substations in Baghdad to improve the distribution and reliability of electricity for more than two million residents. Eight critical substations were energized early in anticipation of the summer peak.
USAID has also begun an Operations and Maintenance Program (O&M) at the 19 generation sites throughout Iraq to improve the output and reliability.
NEXT STEPS
USAID and partners will continue to improve power generation capacity and stability.

Short term: Continue with maintenance and rehabilitation work to increase generation. By October 2006, USAID and the Ministry of Electricity will have added an additional 712 MW to the national grid for a total of 1500 MW increase in new or rehabilitated generation capacity.

Longer term: Continue training Iraqi workers on plant O&M to ensure project sustainability.
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplishments/electricity.html

Health
USAID is helping strengthen essential primary health care services throughout Iraq. USAID-supported emergency campaigns in 2005 alone immunized 98% of children between 1-5 years old (3.62 million) against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and 97% of children under five (4.56 million) against polio. USAID partners have trained 11,400 staff at over 2,000 community-based centers in almost every province to managing malnutrition in children. Over 600 primary health care centers have been provided with ‘clinic in a box’ kits of key equipment and furniture; over 2,500 primary health care workers have been trained to expand the availability of essential primary health care services to children under five.
Strengthening Essential Primary Health Care Services
Once considered the best in the region, Iraq’s health system currently has some of the worst health statistics. Diarrhea, measles, respiratory infections, and malaria – compounded by under-nutrition affecting 30 percent of children under five – contribute to excessive rates of infant and child mortality. Lack of care during pregnancy contributes to high maternal mortality rates. Tuberculosis and cholera have reemerged.

USAID and partners are helping the Ministry of Health (MoH) build capacity to enhance policy, increase access to health care, and improve essential services for mothers and children. Technical specialists work closely with communities to increase participation and improve primary health care services. USAID also supports the design and construction of a pediatric hospital in Basrah.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Reestablishing essential primary health care services:

2005 emergency campaigns supported the immunization of 98 percent of children 1-3 years (3.62 million children) against measles, mumps, and rubella. As a result, there has been a 90 percent reduction in laboratory confirmed cases of measles between 2004 and 2005.
97 percent of children under five (4.56 million) immunized against polio during the 2004-05 national polio immunization campaign, enabling Iraq to maintain its polio-free status.
Vaccinated 3.2 million children under five and 700,000 pregnant women, with UNICEF and WHO.
Provided supplementary doses of vitamin A for more than 1.5 million nursing mothers and 600,000 children under two, and iron folate supplements for over 1.6 million women of childbearing age.
Trained 11,400 staff at over 2,000 community child care units to screen for malnutrition and to provide monthly rations of high protein biscuits to malnourished children and pregnant mothers.
Renovated 110 facilities and equipped 600 centers with basic clinical and lab equipment.
Trained over 2,500 primary health care workers, improving access to essential primary health care.
Building Capacity and Strengthening Health Services:

posted April 04, 2006 02:10 AM            

Restoring Essential Services
In 2003, Iraq's 140 major water treatment facilities were operating at about 35 percent of their design capacity (3 billion liters a day) due to inadequate maintenance, lack of plant operators, power shortages, and looting. USAID is helping improve the efficiency and reliability of existing treatment facilities, and is constructing several new facilities, especially in the south where water quality is particularly poor. Iraq has 13 major wastewater treatment facilities, operating at about a quarter of their design capacity. Baghdad's three sewage plants, comprising three quarters of the nation's total sewage treatment capacity, were not treating waste for more than six years before the conflict, allowing raw waste to flow into the Tigris River. In the rest of the country, most wastewater treatment facilities were only partly operational before the conflict, and a shortage of electricity, parts, and trained staff exacerbated the situation.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Nationwide:

Restored or provided new water treatment to over 2.4 million Iraqis and sewage treatment to over 5.1 million.
Baghdad:

Expanded Sharq Dijlah water plant by 50 MGD and rehabilitated three sewage plants, which serve 80 percent of Baghdad's population, thus eliminating dumping raw sewage into the Tigris.
Kerkh wastewater treatment plant (WTP) began operating on May 19, 2004, the first major Iraqi plant to operate at full capacity in more than 12 years.
Standby generators have been procured and installed at 27 Baghdad water facilities, ensuring continued supply of treated water in the event of power outages.
Refurbished existing sewage lines and pump stations serving the Kadhamiya area of western Baghdad.
South:

Rehabilitated the Sweet Water Canal system: repairing breaches, cleaning and repairing the main water storage and settling reservoir and refurbishing 14 water treatment plants around Basrah city.
Treated water production increased by over 100 percent, serving over 1.1 million additional people.
South Central:

Rehabilitated two water plants and four sewage plants.
Najaf, Diwaniyah, Hillah, and Karbala sewage plants serve nearly 1 million people.
Water treatment plants in Najaf and Karbala serve more than 375,000residents and pilgrims near one of Iraq's holiest shrines.
North:

Provided major equipment for Mosul Water and Sewer Directorates. Refurbished the Kirkuk WTP.
NEXT STEPS
Complete refurbishment of Baghdad's Sharkh Dijlah water plant to serve approximately 432,000 additional people.
Complete construction of a water treatment plant in Baghdad's Sadr City to provide potable water to 192,000 residents in one of the city's poorest areas
Complete the rural water project to provide potable water systems serving small rural communities of up to 5,000 people throughout Iraq.
Complete rehabilitation of the Zafaraniyah sewage networks in eastern Baghdad, relieving backed up sewage.
Continue to support O&M through onsite training and plant management, as well as direct purchasing of consumables such as alum, chlorine, and diesel fuel.
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplishments/watsan.html

Completed Projects: Roads and Bridges
Iraq’s transportation networks are vital supports of Iraqi commerce, culture, and infrastructure. By 2004, USAID had rebuilt a series of crucial bridges, reconnecting Iraqi cities and provinces while reestablishing key commercial links to neighboring countries. A new railway connects Iraq’s only deep water port to a faster and more reliable distribution system, improving the movement of goods and equipment throughout the country while befitting local exporters.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: BRIDGES
USAID completed 36 detailed assessments and demolished irreparable bridge sections in the rebuilding of three key bridges: the Al Mat Bridge, the Khazir Bridge, and the Tikrit Bridge.

The Al Mat Bridge is a key link on the main highway between Baghdad and Jordan used by more than 3,000 trucks daily. Work was completed and the bridge was reopened to two-way traffic on March 3, 2004.
The Khazir Bridge is critical to the flow of fuel and agricultural products in northern Iraq. The bridge’s four lanes were completed on May 1, 2004.
The Tikrit Bridge is an important link for passengers and commerce over the Tigris River between Tikrit and Tuz Khurmatu. This two-lane bridge was reopened to traffic on September 15, 2004. In addition, USAID also repaired a floating bridge over the Tigris River at Al Kut, improving traffic for 50,000 travelers a day.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: RAILROADS
USAID’s partner completed an assessment of over 1,100 kilometers of railroad track and rail facilities throughout the country to identify priority projects. Proper rail construction and maintenance is vital in Iraq; rails can expand significantly during the heat of the day. If not done correctly, the rails will bow in the heat and cause trains to derail.

posted April 04, 2006 02:14 AM              

the information was factchecked back in early 2004 when reynolds wrote that bunch of b.s.

posted April 04, 2006 02:16 AM            

Food Security. Iraq currently imports almost $3 billion in food commodities annually. USAID programs are helping expand production of wheat, the most costly component of the Public Distribution System food basket, to minimize food imports. Already, efforts on select Iraqi farms have doubled wheat production, from 0.8 metric tons per hectare (MT/ha) to between 1.5 and 2.0 MT/ha. Over 360 crop demonstrations nationwide have introduced farmers to improved production technologies for wheat, barley, rice, and maize. In 2004 alone, the USAID program imported 4,000 tons of certified wheat seed, greatly improving crops on over 30,000 hectares.

Private Sector Development. Decades of conflict and mismanagement have resulted in a severe lack of functioning agricultural machinery. USAID programs will repair 20 percent of Iraq’s tractor and combine harvester fleet by September 2006. The nationwide program will establish networks of trained technicians to support continued maintenance. Expanded wheat production from repaired equipment alone could easily reach an additional $36 million in revenue in the first year of this continuing program. USDA has also funded a U.S. Feed Grains Council private sector initiative to develop a private Iraqi credit facility for poultry producers for operational expenses and capital improvements.

Poverty Reduction. Development and growth of the agricultural sector, currently employing 25 percent of the Iraqi workforce, will reduce poverty and improve household incomes. USAID supports the development of high value crops like date palms, tomatoes, and olives. In the south, USAID works with impoverished farmers to improve broad-bean production; in the north, vulnerable groups are participating in workshops on beekeeping, a traditionally profitable business. USAID-sponsored date palm nurseries across 13 governorates will produce 410,000 offshoots annually, eventually contributing $40 million to the Iraqi economy annually. Through Department of Defense funds, Multi-National Force-Iraq (MNF-I) commanders also support local agricultural projects such as livestock vaccinations.

Livestock improvement programs benefit the poorest sectors of society. USAID is renovating 70 veterinary clinics and providing training across Iraq, benefiting over 180,000 breeders. Fertility treatments will increase water buffalo herds by 20 percent. USAID assisted farmers to expand domestic feed grain production to revitalize the domestic poultry industry, previously a major source of income.

Irrigation. Over half the irrigated area in southern Iraq is affected by water-logging and salinity, diminishing crop production and farmer incomes. USAID and the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) are working to establish an integrated soil-water-crop management approach, including demonstrations illustrating efficient water use. USAID also assists Iraqi ministries in preparing a National Water Strategy to manage water allocation, storage capacity, hydro-dam reservoirs, and flood control.

NEXT STEPS
Integrated Pest Management (IPM). USAID is currently working with the MoA to increasing wheat, maize, and rice production, and to expand cash crops such as dates, grapes, honey, and olives. Soil and Water Resources Management Program. In close collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and other ministries, USAID is developing a National Land and Water Resources Strategy Plan for improved water allocation, flood control, reservoir management, and water use efficiency.
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplishments/agri.html

Completed Projects: Telecommunications
Since early 2003, telephone subscriptions in Iraq have increased almost four-fold, rising from 1.2 million land lines to 4.6 million land and cell lines. USAID has worked extensively to restore and expand Iraq’s vital telecommunications network, connecting government agencies, businesses, and Iraqi citizens to each other throughout the country and to the outside world. In 2004, emergency repairs to the wired network reconnected 20 major cities and 70 percent of Iraqi subscribers. Key equipment was replaced and expanded. Iraqi engineers also received the training necessary to operate and maintain the equipment. Currently, USAID is helping the Ministry of Electricity consolidate communications, a move that will improve electrical service nation-wide.

Reconnecting Iraq
Prior to the conflict, 1.2 million Iraqis subscribed to landline telephone service and much of the telecommunication network was centralized in Baghdad. However, many of the network’s switches were damaged during the conflict and service was disrupted. In Baghdad, 12 telephone exchange switches (out of 38 total) serving 240,000 out of 540,000 telephone lines were out of service. These switches connect main telephone trunk lines to individual consumer lines.

As part of USAID’s effort to restore critical infrastructure and services, USAID’s partner worked with the Iraq Telecommunications and Postal Commission (ITPC) to restore the national fiber optic telecommunications network, repair the telephone switching system in Baghdad, and restore international telecommunications capability. USAID relied on ITPC personnel to perform much of the reconstruction activities and handed over operation and maintenance of all switch sites in mid-March 2004.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Audited more than 1,200 km of the national fiber optic backbone network.
Performed emergency repairs to the national fiber optic network from Mosul to Umm Qasr, connecting 20 cities to Baghdad and the 70 percent of Iraqis that have landline telephone accounts.
Purchased tools, equipment, and parts and provided management oversight to assist ITPC in the restoration of the fiber optic network.
Replaced obsolete transmission equipment between Baghdad and Basrah in collaboration with the ITPC.
Reconstituted Baghdad area phone service by installing switches with 240,000 lines at 12 sites.
In total, USAID installed 12 domestic switches and one international switch, fully integrating the new equipment with the existing switches. The switches provide connection points for ITPC to connect subscribers.
Installed a satellite gateway system and restored international calling service in December 2003.
Trained ITPC engineers and technicians in the operation and maintenance of the satellite gateway system and the new telephone switches.
NEXT STEPS
In June 2005, USAID contractors began the installation of a $51.8 million consolidated fiber optic network which will connect electricity and communications sectors, allowing Ministry of Electricity officials to monitor and control the electrical grid from a central location. The network will also provide for inter-bank electronic transfers, and essential for commerce nationwide. This move, scheduled to finish in June 2006, will vastly improve the delivery of service to Iraqis throughout the country.
http://www.usaid.gov/iraq/accomplishments/telecom.html

posted April 04, 2006 02:24 AM            

I posted this article:
Death Throes of the Mainstream Media
Joan Swirsky
Friday, Feb. 11, 2005

posted April 04, 2006 02:35 AM              

of course as sanctimonious as jwhop acts about 'sources', he's still the only one posting unsourceable pieces like this one......

quote:

---

Now, let's hear from the troops who were actually in Iraq and not in a staging area in Kuwait awaiting deployment orders to enter the war.--jwhop

---

An Iraq war veteran who was part of the original invasion force went public yesterday with allegations that Sen. John McCain snubbed the troops when he visited the front lines

Identified only by his first name, Iraq GI Dan described the McCain visit during an unsolicited call to Sean Hannity's ABC Radio Network broadcast -
http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/001026.html

posted April 04, 2006 02:38 AM              

you still dont see the ridiculous irony in that??

posted April 08, 2006 11:58 AM              

********

The version which appears below has had many corroborating details removed, to avoid compromising possibly sensitive military information. The author must remain anonymous.

http://www.linda-goodman.com/ubb/Forum16/HTML/000636.html

americanthinker.com
"Thanks, Rush!
For calling The American Thinker a "brilliant new blog"on your show of September 23, 2004

posted April 08, 2006 10:32 PM              

********

Official: Iraq in 'Undeclared Civil War'

Apr 8, 4:15 PM (ET)
By MARIAM FAM

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A car bomb killed six people Saturday near a Shiite shrine south of Baghdad, and the death toll from the deadliest attack of the year rose to nearly 90. A senior official warned Iraq was in an "undeclared civil war" that can be curbed only by a strong government and greater powers for security services.

With sectarian tensions rising, U.S. Marines on Saturday beat back the largest attack in weeks by Sunni Arab insurgents in the western city of Ramadi - another sign of the crisis facing this country three years after Baghdad fell to U.S. forces.

The car bomb exploded at a small shrine in the Euphrates River town of Musayyib, 40 miles south of Baghdad. Police said most of the six dead and 14 wounded were Shiite pilgrims visiting the shrine.

Fears of more attacks are running high in Shiite areas following the Thursday car bombing that killed 10 in the Shiite holy city of Najaf and the suicide attack the following day against a Shiite mosque in Baghdad - the deadliest attack in Iraq this year.

Despite the violence, U.S. officials have discounted talk of civil war. However, a senior Iraqi official said Saturday that an "undeclared civil war" had already been raging for more than a year.

"Is there a civil war? Yes, there is an undeclared civil war that has been there for a year or more," Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal told The Associated Press. "All these bodies that are discovered in Baghdad, the slaughter of pilgrims heading to holy sites, the explosions, the destruction, the attacks against the mosques are all part of this."

Kamal said the country would still be spared from all-out sectarian war "if a strong government is formed, if the security forces are given wide powers and if they are able to defeat the terrorists."

"Then we might be able to overcome this crisis," he said.

The death toll from the Friday bombing of the Buratha mosque in north Baghdad rose to 85 because some of the wounded died, Dr. Riyadh Abdul Ameer of the Health Ministry said. Officials said the death toll could rise because of severe injuries among the 156 people wounded in the attack by suicide bombers, including one dressed as a woman.

Also Saturday, Sunni insurgents launched their strongest attack in six weeks against the Anbar provincial government headquarters in Ramadi, 75 miles west of Baghdad. There were no U.S. casualties, Marines said.

A U.S. Air Force F-18 fighter bombed insurgent positions, unleashing thunderous explosions that shook the city. U.S. Marines guarding the government headquarters fought back with anti-tank rockets, machine guns and small arms fire.

Sporadic shooting occurred around the government building after sunset, and an Iraqi soldier was killed Saturday in a separate fight in Ramadi, U.S. officials said. Three Iraqi soldiers were wounded in a clash with insurgents in Fallujah, about 30 miles east of Ramadi, police said.

The U.S. military reported Saturday that a U.S. Marine died from wounds suffered in hostile action the day before in Anbar province but gave no further details.

In other developments Saturday:

- Police found four headless bodies showing signs of torture that were dumped on a farm about 20 miles north of Baghdad.

- A mortar round hit a house near the Education Ministry in central Baghdad, killing two men, police said.

_Gunmen killed a Shiite cigarette vendor and police found the body of a man killed by a roadside bomb near a highway.

---
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060408/D8GS1JRO2.html

posted April 08, 2006 10:33 PM              

just like the bs article that started this thread........

let me know if youre unsure of my opinion.....

*********

U.S. Study Paints Somber Portrait of Iraqi Discord
By ERIC SCHMITT and EDWARD WONG

WASHINGTON, April 8 — An internal staff report by the United States Embassy and the military command in Baghdad provides a sobering province-by-province snapshot of Iraq's political, economic and security situation, rating the overall stability of 6 of the 18 provinces "serious" and one "critical." The report is a counterpoint to some recent upbeat public statements by top American politicians and military officials.

The report, 10 pages of briefing points titled "Provincial Stability Assessment," underscores the shift in the nature of the Iraq war three years after the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Warnings of sectarian and ethnic frictions are raised in many regions, even in those provinces generally described as nonviolent by American officials.

There are alerts about the growing power of Iranian-backed religious Shiite parties, several of which the United States helped put into power, and rival militias in the south. The authors also point to the Arab-Kurdish fault line in the north as a major concern, with the two ethnicities vying for power in Mosul, where violence is rampant, and Kirkuk, whose oil fields are critical for jump-starting economic growth in Iraq.

The patterns of discord mapped by the report confirm that ethnic and religious schisms have become entrenched across much of the country, even as monthly American fatalities have fallen. Those indications, taken with recent reports of mass migrations from mixed Sunni-Shiite areas, show that Iraq is undergoing a de facto partitioning along ethnic and sectarian lines, with clashes — sometimes political, sometimes violent — taking place in those mixed areas where different groups meet.

The report, the first of its kind, was written over a six-week period by a joint civilian and military group in Baghdad that wanted to provide a baseline assessment for conditions that new reconstruction teams would face as they were deployed to the provinces, said Daniel Speckhard, an American ambassador in Baghdad who oversees reconstruction efforts.

The writers included officials from the American Embassy's political branch, reconstruction agencies and the American military command in Baghdad, Mr. Speckhard said. The authors also received information from State Department officers in the provinces, he said.

The report was part of a periodic briefing on Iraq that the State Department provides to Congress, and has been shown to officials on Capitol Hill, including those involved in budgeting for the reconstruction teams. It is not clear how many top American officials have seen it; the report has not circulated widely at the Defense Department or the National Security Council, spokesmen there said.

A copy of the report, which is not classified, was provided to The New York Times by a government official in Washington who opposes the way the war is being conducted and said the confidential assessment provided a more realistic gauge of stability in Iraq than the recent portrayals by senior military officers. It is dated Jan. 31, 2006, three weeks before the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra, which set off reprisals that killed hundreds of Iraqis. Recent updates to the report are minor and leave its conclusions virtually unchanged, Mr. Speckhard said.

The general tenor of the Bush administration's comments on Iraq has been optimistic. On Thursday, President Bush argued in a speech that his strategy was working despite rising violence in Iraq.

Vice President Dick Cheney, on the CBS News program "Face the Nation," suggested last month that the administration's positive views were a better reflection of the conditions in Iraq than news media reports.

"I think it has less to do with the statements we've made, which I think were basically accurate and reflect reality," Mr. Cheney said, "than it does with the fact that there's a constant sort of perception, if you will, that's created because what's newsworthy is the car bomb in Baghdad."

In their public comments, the White House and the Pentagon have used daily attack statistics as a measure of stability in the provinces. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a senior military spokesman in Baghdad, told reporters recently that 12 of 18 provinces experienced "less than two attacks a day."

Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on the NBC News program "Meet the Press" on March 5 that the war in Iraq was "going very, very well," although a few days later, he acknowledged serious difficulties.

In recent interviews and speeches, some administration officials have begun to lay out the deep-rooted problems plaguing the American enterprise here. At the forefront has been Zalmay Khalilzad, the American ambassador, who has said the invasion opened a "Pandora's box" and, on Friday, warned that a civil war here could engulf the entire Middle East.

On Saturday, Mr. Khalilzad and Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the senior military commander in Iraq, issued a statement praising some of the political and security goals achieved in the last three years, but also cautioning that "despite much progress, much work remains."

Mr. Speckhard, the ambassador overseeing reconstruction, said the report was not as dire as its assessments might suggest. "Really, this shows there's one province that continues to be a major challenge," he said. "There are a number of others that have significant work to do in them. And there are other parts of the country that are doing much better."

But the report's capsule summaries of each province offer some surprisingly gloomy news. The report's formula for rating stability takes into account governing, security and economic issues. The oil-rich Basra Province, where British troops have patrolled in relative calm for most of the last three years, is now rated as "serious."

The report defines "serious" as having "a government that is not fully formed or cannot serve the needs of its residents; economic development that is stagnant with high unemployment, and a security situation marked by routine violence, assassinations and extremism."

British fatalities have been on the rise in Basra in recent months, with attacks attributed to Shiite insurgents. There is a "high level of militia activity including infiltration of local security forces," the report says. "Smuggling and criminal activity continues unabated. Intimidation attacks and assassination are common."

The report states that economic development in the region, long one of the poorest in Iraq, is "hindered by weak government."

The city of Basra has widely been reported as devolving into a mini-theocracy, with government and security officials beholden to Shiite religious leaders, enforcing bans on alcohol and mandating head scarves for women. Police cars and checkpoints are often decorated with posters or stickers of Moktada al-Sadr, the rebellious cleric, or Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, a cleric whose party is very close to Iran. Both men have formidable militias.

Mr. Hakim's party controls the provincial councils of eight of the nine southern provinces, as well as the council in Baghdad.

In a color-coded map included in the report, the province of Anbar, the wide swath of western desert that is the heart of the Sunni Arab insurgency, is depicted in red, for "critical." The six provinces categorized as "serious" — Basra, Baghdad, Diyala and three others to the north — are orange. Eight provinces deemed "moderate" are in yellow, and the three Kurdish provinces are depicted in green, for "stable."

The "critical" security designation, the report says, means a province has "a government that is not functioning" or that is only "represented by a single strong leader"; "an economy that does have the infrastructure or government leadership to develop and is a significant contributor to instability"; and "a security situation marked by high levels of AIF [anti-Iraq forces] activity, assassinations and extremism."

The most surprising assessments are perhaps those of the nine southern provinces, none of which are rated "stable." The Bush administration often highlights the relative lack of violence in those regions.

For example, the report rates as "moderate" the two provinces at the heart of Shiite religious power, Najaf and Karbala, and points to the growing Iranian political presence there. In Najaf, "Iranian influence on provincial government of concern," the report says. Both the governor and former governor of Najaf are officials in Mr. Hakim's religious party, founded in Iran in the early 1980's. The report also notes that "there is growing tension between Mahdi Militia and Badr Corps that could escalate" — referring to the private armies of Mr. Sadr and Mr. Hakim, which have clashed before.

The report does highlight two bright spots for Najaf. The provincial government is able to maintain stability for the province and provide for the people's needs, it says, and religious tourism offers potential for economic growth.

But insurgents still manage to occasionally penetrate the tight ring of security. A car bomb exploded Thursday near the golden-domed Imam Ali Shrine, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens.

Immediately to the north, Babil Province, an important strategic area abutting Baghdad, also has "strong Iranian influence apparent within council," the report says. There is "ethnic conflict in north Babil," and "crime is a major factor within the province." In addition, "unemployment remains high."

Throughout the war, American commanders have repeatedly tried to pacify northern Babil, a farming area with a virulent Sunni Arab insurgency, but they have had little success. In southern Babil, the new threat is Shiite militiamen who are pushing up from Shiite strongholds like Najaf and Karbala and beginning to develop rivalries among themselves.

Gen. Qais Hamza al-Maamony, the commander of Babil's 8,000-member police force, said his officers were not ready yet to intervene between warring militias, should it come to that, as many fear. "They would be too frightened to get into the middle," he said in an interview.

posted April 09, 2006 06:29 PM              

The Supreme Council, led by Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, is especially sensitive about being portrayed as being more loyal to Iran than Iraq, because the party was founded in Iran in the early 1980's and has a militia that fought against Iraq during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, in which a million people died.

Mr. Mubarak told Al Arabiya on Saturday "that Shiites are mostly always loyal to Iran and not the countries where they live."

"Naturally Iran has an influence over Shiites who make up 65 percent of Iraq's population," he added.

Many Iraqi Shiites distrust Iran because of the historical Arab hostility toward the Persians and because of the bloody war between the two countries in the 1980's. But some of the ruling parties now in Iraq are very close to Iran. They include the Supreme Council, the Islamic Dawa Party (Mr. Jaafari's group) and the organization of Moktada al-Sadr, the militant cleric who has led two uprisings against the Americans.

The American ambassador here, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been authorized by the White House to open discussions with Iran on issues involving Iraq. Mr. Khalilzad told Fox News today that a meeting would not be held until after the Iraqis form a new government.

Mr. Mubarak's comments on civil war touched on the biggest question confronting both Iraqis and Americans here these days: Has one already begun? Many people say it has, including Iraq's former prime minister, Ayad Allawi, an ally of the White House. The deadly bombings of Shiite gathering places, presumably by Sunni Arab insurgents, adds to the evidence; the health ministry said today that the death toll from a triple suicide bombing of Mr. Hakim's main mosque on Friday had risen to 90, with at least 175 injured.

Violence continued to flare across Iraq today. In the southern town of Qurna, believed by some to be the site of the Garden of Eden, the mayor and his wife were gunned down in their car this morning. In Baghdad, concealed bombs in five different locations killed at least four people and injured at least 16. Police in the capital found five bodies at three sites; the victims had been tortured and shot.