Today in Iraq

War News for July 30 and 31, 2004 Bring ‘em on: Iraqi chief of a teachers’ college assassinated near Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Twenty insurgents killed in heavy fighting near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Two Pakistani hostages executed by insurgents. Bring ‘em on: One Polish soldier killed, eight wounded in roadside bomb ambush near Madlul. Bring ‘em on: One US soldier killed in ambush near Hawija. Bring ‘em on: US troops under rocket attack near Tirkit. Bring ‘em on: Italian soldiers in firefight near Nasiriyah. Bring ‘em on: Eleven US Marines wounded, two US helicopters damaged in multiple attacks near Ramadi. Bring ‘em on: US Marines under mortar fire near Fallujah. Bring ‘em on: Bulgarian troops under mortar fire near Karbala. Bring ‘em on: Two Iraqi children wounded in Baghdad mortar attack. Ransom demands. “The governor of Iraq's Al-Anbar province said on Saturday that he would happily resign if kidnappers released three of his sons, snatched from their home by gunmen four days ago. ‘I am ready to give in to your demands, and if you believe my presence in Ramadi does not serve the interests of the region, I am ready to go,’ said Abdel Karim Berges in an open letter to the province.” The unreported war in Iraq. Powell visits Baghdad. “His one tangible promise was to speed up the flow of the $18 billion in American reconstruction aid, less than $500 million of which has been released so far, so that Iraqis could see the realization of long-promised improvements in water, electricity and other areas.” Water shortage in Basra. “A humanitarian crisis could erupt in Iraq's second largest city of Basra with the shortage of drinking water at the peak of summer made worse by power cuts, a senior U.N. official warned on Thursday.” Election of Iraqi interim national assembly postponed. Al-Jazeera. “Alongside the conflict in Iraq, Al Jazeera's viewers are witnessing a second drama. The Arab channel is coming of age and struggling for respect while covering a war opposed by the Arab world — and fending off a round-the-clock blitz of impassioned criticism from all sides. In the midst of the mayhem, the young, influential and controversial Qatar-based news organization is setting its sights beyond the Middle East, breaking into English-language news and striving for a place among international institutions such as the BBC and CNN. ‘My country is collapsing, and my job is to watch the collapse,’ correspondent Audday Katib said. A government engineer under Saddam Hussein, Katib landed a job with Al Jazeera months after the U.S.-led invasion.” Crooks. “A comprehensive examination of the U.S.-led agency that oversaw the rebuilding of Iraq has triggered at least 27 criminal investigations and produced evidence of millions of dollars' worth of fraud, waste and abuse, according to a report by the Coalition Provisional Authority's inspector general. The report is the most sweeping indication yet that some U.S. officials and private contractors repeatedly violated the law in the free-wheeling atmosphere that pervaded the multibillion-dollar effort to rebuild the war-torn country.” Lieutenant AWOL’s shabby coalition. “For the first time, administration officials are acknowledging the delicate nature of their ‘coalition of the willing’ - the group of some 30 nations that lent their names and limited numbers of troops to the occupying force built mainly of American and British forces. The multinational force, which the administration stitched together as traditional NATO allies balked, is increasingly tattered.” Ukraine bails. “Ukraine is negotiating with the United States and Poland to reduce and eventually withdraw its troops from Iraq, a top defense official said Thursday, becoming the latest country to consider pulling out its mission.” Contractors killed in Iraq. Commentary Analysis: “Most Americans realize that people are dying, even if they don't see photos or footage of the body bags. Yet they haven't heard enough about the many costs of the Iraq War. The facts are startling. The government has spent more than $150 billion in taxpayer money thus far, and that price tag is likely to grow by at least $50 billion a year while Iraq remains occupied. Economist Doug Henwood estimates that this war, if the U.S. military stays there for three more years, will cost U.S.households an average of $3,415.” Analysis: “The United States in principle handed over authority in Iraq to an appointed Iraqi government a month ago. There were hopes at the time that the change to indigenous, if not representative, government by Iraqis would bring about some improvement in the situation there. So far it hasn't worked. There was, first of all, some hope that the security situation in the country would improve: Iraqis' opposition to the status quo would no longer have as its direct target foreign, non-Muslim rule - occupation by foreigners.” Opinion: “The Bush administration no doubt had its real reasons for invading and occupying Iraq. They've simply chosen not to share them with the American public. They sought justification for ignoring the Geneva Convention and other statutes prohibiting torture and inhumane treatment of prisoners but were loath to acknowledge as much. They may have ideas worth discussing, but they don't welcome the rest of us in the conversation. They don't trust us because they don't dare expose their true agendas to the light of day. There is a surreal quality to all this: Occupation is liberation; Iraq is sovereign, but we're in control; Saddam is in Iraqi custody, but we've got him; we'll get out as soon as an elected Iraqi government asks us, but we'll be there for years to come. Which is what we counted on in the first place, only with rose petals and easy coochie.” If Ron Reagan, Jr. is writing stuff like this about Lieutenant AWOL, the little monkey is going down hard in November. Casualty Reports Local story: West Virginia Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Vermont Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Kansas soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Oregon Guardsman killed in Iraq. Local story: Three West Virginia Guardsmen wounded in Iraq. Local story: Two Oregon Guardsmen wounded in Iraq. Local story: Pennsylvania Marine wounded in Iraq. Local story: New York Marine wounded in Iraq. Local story: Two Arkansas Guardsmen wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.