You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Iraq
Mortar attack, bombings kill 18 in market south of Baghdad
2006-10-23
Five bicycle bombs and a hail of mortar shells ripped apart a market south of Baghdad, killing 18 people in yet another sign that Iraq's government is struggling to contain sectarian violence. Three U.S. Marines were also killed, making October the deadliest month for American forces this year.

In Washington, President Bush met with his top military and security advisers to study new tactics to curb the staggering violence in Iraq, where more than 3 1/2 years of war have now taken more American lives — at least 2,791 — than the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center. U.S. officials have blamed the skyrocketing violence on the holy month of Ramadan, which ends Sunday for Sunni Muslims, as well as the increased vulnerability of American forces during a major two-month security sweep in Baghdad and the approaching U.S. midterm election.

Failure in Iraq will be a failure for the United States but a disaster for the region.
A senior U.S. State Department offered an unusually candid assessment in an interview Saturday with Al-Jazeera television, saying the U.S. had shown "arrogance" and "stupidity" in Iraq. Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, also said the U.S. was ready to talk with any Iraqi group — excluding al-Qaida in Iraq — to reach a national unity. "We are witnessing failure in Iraq and that's not the failure of the United States alone but it is a disaster for the region. Failure in Iraq will be a failure for the United States but a disaster for the region," he said.
Posted by:Fred

00:00