Today in Iraq

War News for August 10, 2004 Bring ‘em on: US patrol repels multiple attacks in Sadr City. Bring ‘em on: Heavy fighting continues in Najaf. Bring ‘em on: Two US soldiers wounded by roadside bomb in Baghdad. Bring ‘em on: Police station and US airfield under mortar fire near Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: Deputy governor escapes assassination attempt in Kirkuk. Bring ‘em on: One Iraqi policeman killed, three wounded in patrol ambush near Mussayab. Bring ‘em on: One British soldier killed, five wounded in street fighting in Basra. Bring ‘em on: Assyrian Christian compound in Baghdad mortared. Bring ‘em on: Police station attacked in Dinawiyah. Bring ‘em on: Offices of Allawi’s political party attacked and burned in Nasiriyah. Bring ‘em on: Danish troops ambushed by anti-tank fire near Basra. Three Iraqi civilians killed. Lieutenant AWOL says “good progress” made in stabilizing Iraq. Report from Al-Anbar province. “The toll of combat deaths in Anbar, west of Baghdad, has mounted even as Marines battle loyalists of renegade cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in southern Iraq, and accounts for a third of Americans tallied as killed in action since the June 28 transfer of political power. At least four Marines were killed in the past week there, including one yesterday, in what military statements posted on the Pentagon's Web site describe only as ‘enemy action.’” Poles transfer military authority in Najaf and Qadisiyah provinces to US Marines. “The BBC's Dan Griffiths in Washington says the situation in Iraq is putting a strain on the traditionally strong relationship between the US and Poland.” Logistics report. “Iraqi sources said U.S. combat units outside of Baghdad have experienced a slowdown in shipments of food, water and supplies over the past few days. The sources said the units most affected have been in the Sunni Triangle and Anbar province near the Syrian border.” Crisis. “This document, ‘Disease Outbreaks in Iraq,’, lists the “most likely diseases during next 60-90 days (in descending order), Diarrhea diseases (particularly children), Acute respiratory illnesses (colds and influenza), Typhoid, Hepatitis A (particularly children), Measles, diphtheria, and pertussis (particularly children), Meningitis, including meningococcal (particularly children), Cholera (possible, but less likely). The Documents adds: ‘MOST LIKELY DISEASES DURING THE FOLLOWING 90-180 DAYS, Diarrheal diseases (particularly children), Acute respiratory illnesses (colds), Typhoid, Hepatitis A (particularly children), Conjunctivitis (Eye infections), Measles, diphtheria, and pertussis (particularly children), Coetaneous leishmaniasis, Meningococcal meningitis (particularly children), Malaria, Cholera (possible, but less likely).’ Why the U.S. and its allies targeted the Iraqi children in particular?” Thai troops prepare to withdraw from Iraq. Senator Hollings spanks Lieutenant AWOL. “We have turned Iraq into a shooting gallery. More than 900 American soldiers have been killed. More than 6,000 are wounded. Ten thousand Iraqi civilians are dead since we moved in. New polls show Arabs hate our Iraq policy. They still like our products, technologies and movies, but as a result of our policies, now an unheard of 98 percent of Egyptians have an unfavorable attitude toward America; 89 percent of Moroccans, and 85 percent of Jordanians do.” Commentary Editorial: “Thwarting Al Jazeera's news coverage will not halt the violence that has been tearing Iraq apart for the past 16 months. But it may spare Mr. Allawi the embarrassment of having that violence so visible to a worldwide audience. It may also give his government a freer hand to abuse human rights and pursue personal political vendettas in the name of restoring law and order.” Editorial: “Understandable, but not excusable. Part of this may come from what is termed the "shiny penny'' syndrome. The Iraq story was a shiny new penny for the media and media consumers for awhile, and now it has moved beyond the easy- to-understand stage of overthrowing Saddam, with compelling photographs and soundbites, to the much more hard to digest business of building a working nation out of a set of hostile and competing building blocks. Seeing what's going on in the Laci Peterson case is much more interesting, right? Wrong. We are at a time when history is shaping itself and our soldiers are sacrificing themselves, and we ought to appreciate those sacrifices as much as we ever have. The press has a responsibility to keep this issue at the forefront.” Analysis: “Several weeks into this new phase in Iraq, how well can we say the American-led occupation went, and how are things going now? While we know that the situation is not going to change overnight, our measures do not show much improvement in the quality of life for Iraqis since our last report on this page in May. Though the unemployment rate appears to be dropping and electricity production is rising, the economy is still not much better than it was under Saddam Hussein.” Opinion: “Ironically, too, our bombs and heavy-handed firepower become major insurgent recruiters in guerrilla warfare. And that's what's happening in Iraq, where a significant percentage of the population is now openly clamoring for the Yankees to go home. Many Iraqis have already either turned to actively supporting the guerrillas or they're sitting on the sidelines, afraid to take sides and allowing the guerrillas to attack our forces at will.” Opinion: “This is not the story you hear on the stump, nor at the Republican convention, or even from much of the mainstream media. But it is undeniably true. You can make excuses for the president's record, but you can't simply deny the scope of the failure. Most independent voters are reluctant to vote out a president, particularly in the middle of a war. But outside of the luxury suites, it's hard to believe that many people think we ought to continue on the same course we're on.” Casualty Reports Local story: Louisiana Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Washington State Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Maryland soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Tennessee soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: Mississippi soldier killed in Iraq. Local story: California Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Illinois Marine killed in Iraq. Local story: Army medic wounded in Iraq. 86-43-04. Pass it on.