Today in Iraq

War News for February 8, 2004 Bring 'em on: Bomb at office of Iraq's deputy police chief kills three, wounds eight in Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Polish troops ambushed by roadside bomb in Karbala. Bring 'em on: Rocket attack at US base near Balad. Bring 'em on: Iraqi CDC troops attacked in Fallujah. Bring 'em on: Two US troops wounded by roadside bomb near Baghdad. Bring 'em on: Three Iraqi policemen killed, 11 wounded by bomb at police station in Suwayrah. Bring 'em on: US troops under mortar fire near Kirkuk. Bring 'em on: US troops attacked by small arms fire in Samarra. Japan cancels military flights into Baghdad International Airport due to poor security. Our Ever-Changing Story: Lieutenant AWOL now says Saddam "could have" made WMD. Japanese evacuate Baghdad embassy due to increased terror threat. Arab League report says CPA plans threaten regional stability. Corruption in Iraq's Oil Police. "Several international security companies submitted blind bids last summer for the lucrative contract to guard the oil industry. After the Coalition Authority awarded the contract to Erinys, a relatively obscure outfit formed only two years ago, allegations of impropriety surfaced. Some senior Erinys officials are associated with Ahmad Chalabi, a member of the Iraqi Governing Council and the darling of officials in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. U.S.-trained militiamen from Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress, or INC, were hired as security guards, and the son of a senior INC member is a director of Erinys's Iraq operation. Coalition and U.S. military officials deny any impropriety in the bidding process, and Jonathan Garratt, Erinys's managing director, dismissed the allegations as sour grapes." Ethnic tensions in Kurdish Iraq. Iraqis feel more fear than freedom. "Since late December, at least 803 Iraqis have been killed or wounded in bombings, according to a tally of news reports and military releases. That's more than 20 Iraqis killed or wounded a day on average by the explosions, including explosive devices, car bombs and suicide bombers." KIA: 92 US soldiers younger than 21 killed in Iraq. Iraqi Resistance Report, February 5 - 7, 2004. Soldier's father writes letter to Lieutenant AWOL: "Burying a child will no doubt be the hardest task that his mother and I shall ever have to do. The one question I have, and the one question I would like you to answer, is, 'Why did my son and every other soldier that was killed, maimed and wounded have to suffer settling your vendetta?' My son is gone just when he was laying a strong foundation to build upon for the rest of his life. Now, President Bush, his life has been snuffed out in a meaningless war. Where are all the weapons of mass destruction, where are the stock piles of chemical and biological weapons?" Pentagon discloses eight more US deaths. Commentary Editorial cartoon: Lieutenant AWOL explains his military "service." Casualty Reports Local story: Iowa soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: New Jersey soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Iowa soldier wounded in Iraq. Awards and Decorations Local story: Indiana soldier decorated for valor. Local story: Illinois Marine decorated for valor.