Baghdad councilors are falling victim to attacks, one by one

[dArKeR]

THE GUARDIAN , BAGHDAD

Gunmen have killed six Bagh-dad councilors in the two weeks since the US occupation formally ended, sending a wave of fear through Iraq's grass-roots politicians.

"I am not sure if I can continue," a member of the council in Mansour, the capital's wealthiest suburb, said on Friday. He had been happy in a first interview to have his name used but changed his mind after Jinan Joseph, a fellow councilor, was gunned down in his own home the night before.

Unlike the frequent attacks on Iraqi police stations and the assassinations of a handful of senior politicians, the killings of councilors go largely unreported in the Baghdad media.

Yet they are the most vulnerable group in Iraqi society.

"Sixty-one of roughly 750 councilors have been killed in the last year. That's about 8 percent," the anonymous councilor said.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/07/18/2003179446

[grasswire]

1. OMG

WE didn't hear this on our televisions, did we? I didn't see it in the NYT or WaPo, either.

[aquart]

2. Nothing of ours will be allowed to survive in that place.

America is the touch of death in Iraq.

BushCo thinks it will be better when Negroponte's death squads get going. It won't.

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. The freeper media might say, 8% is pretty good

but I wouldn't really want to put words in their mouths. I would suspect that given sufficient time the number would probably reach 100% they haven't had much time yet.

[REVOLT823]

4. From all I read on this board,

I get the distinct feeling that things are horribly out of control over there, and we have absolutely nocontrol over the situation. "Iraqi Councillors getting gunned down in their own homes", wow, it looks like the insurgents have free reign to me.

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. They are out of control

and yes, there are good things going on but overall it is still a dangerous and degenerating situation. Transferring sovereignty was in name only and for the benefit of this country. The Iraqi's are living the hell of what's real.

"Ali Radhi, an engineer chosen by the various district councils to be Baghdad's mayor, recounted how he had approached a minister in the new government for extra finance for the capital.

"He told me, `Go to the Americans. They appointed you.'"

Another councilor said: "They tell us we are traitors because we are with the Americans, but they're the ones who were really appointed. We were elected."

except...
"The US-backed authority supervised the process to prevent Baathists re-emerging, but their controlling hand and the fact that many of the councilors who attended the caucuses were already on the US payroll as guards, translators and subcontractors affected the councils' image. "

[dArKeR]

6. Even the Whore media doesn't report about anyone being captured

when these attacks occur. It does seem like the rebels have free reign