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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Plan unveiled to protect Iraqi voters |
| 2004-12-31 |
| Plans were unveiled here to deploy 100,000 Iraqi police and soldiers to stave off a bloodbath on election day, as US President George W. Bush said polls would go on as scheduled on January 30. The deadly violence came as battles between US troops and Iraqi insurgents in the northern city of Mosul killed at least 26, including a US soldier, and 30 people died when a booby-trapped house in Baghdad exploded. A dozen Iraqi deaths Thursday brought the three-day toll to well over 100. The grim business of hostage taking again surfaced, with two Lebanese businessmen kidnapped in an upmarket neighborhood of Baghdad late Wednesday. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #7 If the Sunni "insurgency" isn't crushed decisively, there will be no end to the violence. Oh, I wouldn't say that. If the Shiites and the Kurds were to clean out the Sunnis, I'm sure they could do it in ways that the U.S. military couldn't. Could move a little bit faster that way. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-12-31 1:21:12 PM |
| #6 Why don't we just have them all vote with absentee ballots? This would eliminate polling station violence, although it would substantially increase the risk of a Christine Gregoire victory. Love that assturban pic. |
| Posted by: Captain Pedantic 2004-12-31 12:54:15 PM |
| #5 It will be interesting to see if the election results in the de facto partitioning of Iraq. With shias and Kurds in control of the govt, I would think they would devote all of their energies to isolating and crippling the Sunnis, even at the risk of civil war. I'm not sure they have a choice. If the Sunni "insurgency" isn't crushed decisively, there will be no end to the violence. |
| Posted by: HV 2004-12-31 9:33:33 AM |
| #4 The Iraqi people are pacifist sympathizers, who will 'straddle the fence' because of it's cushy neutral position to do so! I suspect atleast 1/3 of the 100,000 troops will be 'scouts' or intel gatherers for the insurgents. Another 1/3 won't shore up their positions or worse, may step aside during insurgent attacks or run away! I hope the US watches it back at the end of January! |
| Posted by: smn 2004-12-31 2:55:02 AM |
| #3 Lol! I guess I've sort of conglomerated the terms - like this: |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-31 2:53:58 AM |
| #2 Asshats? YOu mean "assturbans". |
| Posted by: someone 2004-12-31 2:37:07 AM |
| #1 Allawi and Yawer decided that the elections would go forth, not Bush - but this is the Khaleej Times - taking the typical cheap shot suggesting puppetry's afoot. Get a grip, you wankers, things changed 6 months ago. I wish the Iraqis well in the elections - but they're going to have to pull it out of the fire themselves - mainly by turning in the asshats when they find out about them. Otherwise, they'll keep getting hit for being sheep. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-12-31 2:14:24 AM |