Today in Iraq

War News for April 10, 2004 Bring ‘em on: US seeks cease-fire in Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Street fighting reported in Baghdad’s Adhimya district. Bring ‘em on: Explosions, smoke reported in and around Green Zone. Bring ‘em on: Supply convoy in Baghdad attacked. Bring ‘em on: US tank destroyed by RPG fire near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Two ICDC members killed, three kidnapped in checkpoint attack near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Polish troops fighting Mahdi Army near Karbala. Bring ‘em on: Three US Marines killed in fighting near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed by roadside bomb near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Mortar attacks on oil facilities near Kirkukreported. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi Red Crescent official and wife killed in Mosul. Bring ‘em on: American contractor captured by insurgents near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Germany reports two embassy staff missing near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Twelve insurgents killed in firefight near Mosul. Bring ‘em on: Iraq translator killed in Hilla drive-by shooting. Bring ‘em on: Nine Iraqis killed, 35 wounded in fighting in Baquba. Two US soldiers and seven American contractors missing after yesterday’s convoy ambush near Abu Ghraib. Defense Department Situation Map, April 7, 2004. Mahdi Army declares cease-fire around Karbala during weekend religious festival. Support for al-Sadr growing. “At least 20,000 worshippers, about twice the usual number, gathered for weekly prayers at a mosque run by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, indicating that he may be winning sympathy from more Shiites as his militia challenges U.S. authority in Baghdad as well as across central and southern Iraq.” General Abazaid requests more troops. Pissing contest ensues between General Abazaid and “senior defense official” (read: “neo-con chickenhawk”) “Abizaid told reporters in Iraq he wanted several thousand more troops, and indicated they may come from the 3rd Infantry Division, which only returned from its last Iraq deployment six months ago. Pentagon officials said it was unlikely the 3rd ID would be called up so quickly. The senior defense official said Abizaid's request was too specific for a warfighting commander to make. The forces Abizaid gets will be decided on by the Joint Staff in Washington. He is supposed to limit his requests to capabilities and Washington decides, based on scheduling and skills and equipment, how to fill those requirements.” 1st Armored Division gets the shaft. “Some of the troops were already in Kuwait, awaiting flights to Germany. Others were headed to Kuwait when they were ordered to turn around.” Berlusconi visits Italian troops near Nasiriyah. No mention of plastic turkey. CPA mouthpiece Dan Senor works the ditto-spanks. “Well, what you've seen over the last few days is in certain isolated pockets of the country. You have some terrorist groups, extremists, former Ba'athists, groups that are, you know, sort of religious extremists that are looking to achieve at the barrel of a gun which they know they'll never be able to achieve at the ballot box, trying to throw the country off course as we get closer and closer to June 30th. As we get closer and closer to handover of sovereignty they're trying to turn the country back to some version of Saddam or some sort of environment where mob violence rules. Authority is determined and attained through mob violence rather than elections.” How many times does Lyin’ Dan mention “isolated pockets” in his interview with Rush? Trouble with the IGC. “’The Governing Council is falling apart, so the hope of the Bush administration to have even a symbolic transition looks remote, especially because they won't have anybody to whom to transfer sovereignty,’ said Marina Ottaway of the Carnegie Endowment for Peace.” Casualty reports Local story: Kentucky Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Kansas Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: North Carolina soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Mississippi Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Indiana Marine wounded in Iraq. This is the Marine whose photo was on the front pages of many newspapers last year when Baghdad fell. 86-43-04. Pass it on.