Reuters: Baghdad violence fuels fears of civil war

[UpInArms]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L25697675.htm

BAGHDAD, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Fearful Iraqis spent sleepless nights guarding their homes and asking who would be next after gunmen burned mosques and houses in a Sunni enclave following the worst bomb attack since the U.S. invasion.

The city of 7 million was under a tight curfew for a second full day since Thursday's bombing in which more than 200 Shi'ites died.

The government called for calm, desperate to avert the sort of sharp escalation in violence that followed an attack on a Shi'ite shrine in Samarra in February. This time, many fear, such revenge attacks could push Iraq over the edge.

"Everybody is tense, everybody is expecting something may happen at any moment," said Abu Marwah, 40, a Sunni Arab translator who spent much of the night on the roof of his house with his Kalashnikov at hand, keeping watch for militia attacks.

Exploding mortar bombs kept other Baghdad residents awake.

...more...

It's difficult to believe that it has taken this long for the media to start calling it "civil war" - :grr:

[Vinca]

1. Is there a number per day that must be reached until

it's an "official" civil war? Anyone with a functioning eye in their head can see that all hell has broken loose over there. Some might call it civil war, I call it the biggest blunder in the history of this country and we know who has the blood on their hands. It's hard to imagine how this will ever be resolved. What a tragedy.

[zanne]

6. It does seem hopeless.

We can't stay in Iraq and let our soldiers be caught in the middle of a civil war. But when we leave, I believe things will get alot worse. The neocons got us into this, but they'll expect us to get us out. And when we do pull the troops out, the Dems will be blamed for the ensuing violence.

[zanne]

8. This administration won't call it civil war until...

The Iraqi government has to become completely unraveled, then cease to exist. Also, the Iraqi Army must turn against itself, killing each other off. Then they'll admit it's a civil war.

[NOLADEM]

2. Captain of Titanic's concerns about moisture on deck fueling fears of sinking

[Massachusetts]

3. One more time

FUBAR, thanks georgie boy the American public will be left with the task of cleaning up your mess......just like your daddy has had to clean up after your private foibles throughout your miserable life.

[rman]

4. It has been full-blown 'civil war'

for many months now.

Or something that looks like civil war... i mean, just look at who benefits - any Sunnis and Shiites that are killing one another are not killing US troops, and in the process Iran gets implicated as the bad guy. Also it deepens the chaos of war, making it it easier to remove civil liberties (curfew, martial law) and making it ever harder to find out conclusively who is doing all that killing, making it easier for the war profiteers to do what they do: profit from war.

[spanone]

5. ???FEARS??? of civil war? Bullshit.

[karlrschneider]

7. Somehow this makes me recall the old cliche', "a little bit pregnant"

:eyes:

[LibDemAlways]

9. The media won't officially call this insanity a

"civil war" until a Dem. President is inaugurated in Jan. 09. On that day it will become an official "civil war" and "a huge problem" for the new Commander in Chief whose Presidency will be "in jeopardy" because of it. Then, before the last inaugural partygoer has gone home, the steady drumbeat calling for impeachment will begin.