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Saturday, April 03, 2004

War News for April 3, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police chief assassinated near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Police chief in Kufa assassinated. (Last paragraphs.) Bring ‘em on: One US soldier wounded in fire fight near Huwija. Bring ‘em on: US patrol attacked with car bomb near Baquba. One Iraqi civilian wounded. Bring ‘em on: Two Iraqi policemen killed, three wounded in Baquba grenade attack. Bring ‘em on: Iraqi police and demonstrators clash in Basra. Bring ‘em on: One Iraqi policeman killed, three wounded in Mahmoudiya ambush. Bring ‘em on: Two Iraqis wounded in Baghdad rocket attack. Bring ‘em on: Three Salvadoran soldiers wounded in ambush near Najaf. Bring ‘em on: Attempted assassination of city councilman reported in Baquba. Paddledick Powell: “The CIA punked me!" No, Colin. George W. Bush punked you. He used you and your reputation for integrity like a piece of asswipe. Now you have no credibility left. Maybe your kid can get you a nice job at the FCC screening the soap operas for illicit steam. NATO tells Powell to pound sand on Iraq mission. Thailand plans to withdraw troops from Iraq after June 30th. Wider uprising among Sunni Iraqis feared. “Despite Kimmitt's claim that other cities in the Sunni Triangle had been calmed, William Arkin, a former Army intelligence officer and defense analyst, said that the region has never been under military control. ‘We never really defeated the Sunni Triangle,’ he said. ‘Now it's coming back to haunt us. I think it's getting worse because it's not getting better.’” Al-Sadr promises to form alliance with Hezbollah. “’I will support the real Islamic unity that has been created by Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of the victorious Hezbollah, with Hamas,’ al-Sadr said at a Friday sermon in the southern city of Kufa. ‘I want them to accept me as their striking arm in Iraq, as necessity and opportunity dictate.’” 20,000 rally in Baghdad to protest newspaper closure. Shi’ite militia demolish "debauched" Iraqi village near Diwaniya. “Hundreds of militiamen from the Mahdi's Army group besieged the town of Kawlia, 10km south of the city of Diwaniya, with mortars and smashed walls with sledgehammers three weeks ago, reducing to rubble the entire village famed for its dancers and prostitutes since the 1920s.” Report from Mosul. “Like the local citizens, the Iraqi policemen were also eager to discuss the incident, but could offer little insight into Bradsell or his fellow bodyguards. ‘They do not work here at the plant with our security force. Their only job is to protect the foreign executives,’ said Muhammad, a 27-year-old engineer.” Base camps in Iraq receive new names. “Unlike previous U.S. missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, where U.S. camps were often named for heroes from past conflicts, facilities in Iraq are now increasingly bearing the names of those who have died recently while serving their country.” Commentary Editorial: No one expected the Iraqi occupation to be easy. But more than a year into the occupation, the security situation remains out of control. Neither U.S. nor Iraqi forces are able to prevent violent and deadly attacks. In March alone, 48 U.S. troops were killed, the second highest monthly toll since Bush declared major combat operations over on May 1. In all, more than 600 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq. The Bush administration's insistence that things are improving, that all that's needed is staying the course, rings hollow. That's not what Americans are seeing on their television screens. And unless things change, public support for the U.S. mission will erode. Opinion: If you talk to the troops who have served in Iraq, you can only marvel at their bravery and commitment to duty, and the lack of bellyaching at the difficult hands they were dealt. I've interviewed several servicemen and servicewomen who have returned from the war zone, including some who were horribly wounded, and I've yet to hear one of them utter any variation of the complaint, "Why me?"… We rode into this wholly unnecessary conflict on the wave of Mr. Bush's obsession with Saddam Hussein and Iraq, and we've made a hash of it. Hundreds of Americans and thousands of innocent Iraqis have died for reasons the administration has never been able to coherently explain. Casualty Reports Local story: Texas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Idaho soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Texas Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Ohio soldier wounded in Iraq. Local story: New Hampshire Guardsman wounded in Iraq. Local story: Hawaii contractor killed in Iraq. Awards and Decorations Local story: Texas soldier decorated for valor. 86-43-04. Pass it on.

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