Violence in Iraq surges by 40%

Discussion in 'Politics' started by ZZZzzzzzzz, Jul 20, 2006.

  1. Sharp Rise in Baghdad Violence Reported

    By ROBERT H. REID
    Associated Press Writer

    BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Bombings and shootings soared by 40 percent in the Baghdad area in the past week, the U.S. military said Thursday. An American general said extremists were preparing "an all-out assault" on the capital in a decisive battle for the future of Iraq.

    Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric issued his strongest call yet for an end to Shiite-Sunni bloodletting, urging all Iraqis to wake up to the "danger threatening the future of the country" and stand "side-by-side against it."

    U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said there had been an average of 34 attacks a day involving U.S. and Iraqi forces in and around the capital since Friday - up sharply from the daily average of 24 registered between June 14 and July 13.

    "We have not witnessed the reduction in violence one would have hoped for in a perfect world," Caldwell told reporters. "The only way we're going to be successful in Baghdad is to get the weapons off the streets."



    Caldwell said insurgents were streaming into the capital for "an all-out assault against the Baghdad area."

    "Clearly the death squad elements, the terrorist elements, know that Baghdad is a must-win for them," he said. "Whoever wins the Baghdad area, whoever is able to bring peace and security to that area, is going to set the conditions to stabilize this country."

    But much of the bloodshed has been carried out by Shiite militias seeking retribution for attacks by Sunnis - including organized insurgents, religious extremists and Sunnis not affiliated with resistance groups but fearful of Shiite gunmen.

    The result is a pattern of tit-for-tat vendetta killings which is difficult to stop by military action or political overtures to Sunni insurgent leaders.

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-07-20-09-46-03
     
  2. Its almost all sectarian Z!

    You go out of your way to make the US look bad. it serves no purpose.
     
  3. Wasn't getting Zarqawi suppose to end all this? Remember all the hype about getting the number 2 of this and that.....what happened?

    And what the heck happened to the last throes of the insurgency?
     
  4. bsmeter

    bsmeter

  5. According to who?

    Bush certainly didn't say so. You must have read it in some Moonbat blog or the NY Times...wait, same thing, sorry....