AP: Iraq Lawmakers Extend State of Emergency (Again)

[Hissyspit]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=INTERNATIONAL

Iraq Lawmakers Extend State of Emergency

By BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Beset by rampant sectarian violence, Iraq's parliament voted Wednesday to extend the country's state of emergency for 30 more days, as at least 66 more Iraqis were killed or found dead.

Wednesday's deaths included those of eight soccer players and fans cut down by a pair of mortar rounds that slammed onto a field in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood.

- snip -

Lawmakers present for a closed-door meeting attended by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki voted unanimously to extend the emergency measures, said legislators Ammar Touama and Kamal al-Saidi.

The state of emergency has been renewed every month since it was first authorized in November 2004. It allows for a nighttime curfew and gives the government extra powers to make arrests without warrants and launch police and military operations. The measures are implemented in all areas of the country apart from the autonomous Kurdish region in the north.

"We are the Shiite nation and we aren't going anywhere," one bleeding man shouted from his hospital bed.

MORE

[Erika]

1. How blanking sad that W did this to these people

Does he have an answer?

[gulfcoastliberal]

2. We can't stop their civil war. Ergo, we need to leave. NOW.

Please justify $3 billion/week and more dead and wounded US forces, without using the RW talking points. I sincerely hope our new majority understands they were elected to REMOVE ourselves from that mess - the ALTERNATIVE to STAY THE COURSE. Declare victory and leave. ASAP.

[LynnTheDem]

3. The state of emergency has been renewed every month since it was first authorized in November 2004.

That's the "progress" bush is so "pleased with" in Iraq.

[antiimperialist]

4. 66 die in Iraq (Wednesday)

the violence continues. Innocent lives are lost and all due to this illegal unilateral invasion based on lies.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/09/africa/ME_GEN_Iraq.php

[Phredicles]

5. But... but... I thought the violence in Iraq was all about influencing our

election. So shouldn't it stop now that the election is over?:sarcasm:

[krkaufman]

6. Just the sarcastic remark I was going to make.

I *do* pray that some reporter will have the guts to ask that question of Shrub at his next press conference, or Snow sooner.