Today in Iraq

WAR NEWS UPDATE FOR SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2006 A masked Iraqi policeman aims his weapon as shots are fired after a suicide car bomb attack in the northern city of Mosul July 30, 2006. Three policemen were seriously wounded by a suicide car bombing near their patrol in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. REUTERS/Khaled al-Mousily (IRAQ) Note: Because of Matt's very comprehensive post which came early on Sunday morning, I'm doing an abbreviated post today. Unfortunately, there has been some news. Bring 'em on: Four Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 killed in action in Anbar province on Saturday. No further details announced at this time. Note: These are not the four Marines KIA cited in Matt's post, whose deaths Thursday were only announced yesterday. Total U.S. military deaths in Iraq now stand at 2,578, according to ICCC. OTHER SECURITY INCIDENTS Two killed, 36 injured by bomb targeting a bus in al-Hillah, south of Baghdad. Bomb targeting police vehicle in Baqouba kills one police officer, wounds one civilian. Civilian also killed by unknown gunman in nearby town of Maqdadiya. U.S. airstrike kills two people who the U.S. describes as terrorists. Four people arrested by ground forces in the same incident. Car bomb near the U.S. consulate in Kirkuk kills 2 Iraqis, injures 7. Four Iraqi police killed in ambush in Kirkuk. Also, an attorney was assassinated in the same city. Three Iraq police injured in car bombing in Mosul. Five killed by bomb targeting minibus on highway between Mahmudiya and Alexandria. Also, policeman killed and another injured by a roadside bomb in Fallujah. Note: This story also refers to a bomb killing two people in a minibus near Mahaweel. This may be the same incident referred to above as happening near Hillah. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS Let Freedom Reign: al-Maliki warns TV outlets against reports that "capitalize on the footage of victims of terrorist attacks." He is not more specific but appears to be concerned about incitement. Shake-up expected in Iraq cabinet as security situation continues to deteriorate.

AP, Sunday, July 30, 2006 BAGHDAD, Iraq — Changes will be made in the Iraqi Cabinet following an escalation in violence threatening Baghdad, politicians said Sunday. The Cabinet changes could take place as soon as next week, said Hassan al-Suneid, a lawmaker from the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party. Among the ministries that could be affected is Interior because of a collapse in security as bloody sectarian attacks escalate. Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani is under fire because of the ongoing violence. On Sunday, al-Bolani acknowledged sectarian influences have corrupted the government and jeopardized the country. He conceded corruption exists in his own ministry. "We will not allow any act of violence and sectarianism inside the ministry. Our country faces big confrontations and challenges," al-Bolani told parliament members as he briefed them on what he said is a new security plan to be announced in September. Al-Suneid said the minister's previous comments to parliament "have not been encouraging," adding that "there are fears he will be replaced and that's why he addressed the parliament." Al-Bolani, however, told The Associated Press he was unaware of any cabinet reshuffle. Some ministries expected to be affected include the health, transport and justice ministries. The first set of changes in al-Maliki's cabinet will include the service ministries, followed shortly afterward by security ministries — which are among the most important as bloody sectarian clashes threaten to unravel the country. Sheik Mahid Mualla, a cleric from the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the country's biggest Shiite party, said upcoming changes are necessary for the country to survive. "The success of these is the success of the government," Mualla said.

Rumors circulate of a possible coup attempt in Iraq. Excerpt:

By Joshua Partlow and Saad Sarhan Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, July 29, 2006; Page A13 BAGHDAD, July 28 -- A Shiite Muslim political leader said Friday that rumors were circulating of an impending coup attempt against the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and warned that "we will not allow it." Hadi al-Amiri, a member of parliament from Iraq's most powerful political party, said in a speech in the holy city of Najaf that "some tongues" were talking about toppling Maliki's Shiite-led government and replacing it with a "national salvation government, which we call a military coup government." He did not detail the allegation. A new government would mean "canceling the constitution, canceling the results of the elections and going back to square one . . . and we will not accept that," he said. Amiri is also a top official in the Badr Organization, the armed wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which is the leading member of a coalition of Shiite political parties governing Iraq.

U.S. troops in Iraq suffering from kidney stones due to excessive Gatorade consumption. Command Sgt. Major Lawrence A. Hall of the 1st Squadron, 167th Cavalry, is restricting Gatorade consumption at Camp Anaconda. A secondary benefit -- "Cutting back on the amount of Gatorade also means fewer convoys on the highways bringing the stuff in and, as a result, fewer people dying from roadside bomb attacks.." You can't make this stuff up -- C NOTE: As many people have noted, the Lebanon war has drawn attention away from Iraq. We want to make sure we stay focused on our mission. However, for a comprehensive update and analysis of the situation in Lebanon, I recommend Juan Cole's post today. There's no need for me to reinvent it. -- C QUOTE OF THE DAY In 2004, Mr. Lieberman praised Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld for expressing regret about Abu Ghraib, then added: “I cannot help but say, however, that those who were responsible for killing 3,000 Americans on September 11th, 2001, never apologized.” To suggest even rhetorically that the American military could be held to the same standard of behavior as terrorists is outrageous, and a good example of how avidly the senator has adopted the Bush spin and helped the administration avoid accounting for Abu Ghraib. . . . If Mr. Lieberman had once stood up and taken the lead in saying that there were some places a president had no right to take his country even during a time of war, neither he nor this page would be where we are today. But by suggesting that there is no principled space for that kind of opposition, he has forfeited his role as a conscience of his party, and has forfeited our support. Believe it or not, The New York Times.