Iraqi Officials Say Attacks in Baghdad Have Fallen 80 Percent

[FVZA_Colonel]

Source: Reuters

By Aws Qusay
Sat Feb 16, 11:21 AM ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Attacks by insurgents and rival sectarian militias have fallen up to 80 percent in Baghdad and concrete blast walls that divide the capital could soon be removed, a senior Iraqi military official said on Saturday.

Lieutenant-General Abboud Qanbar said the success of a year-long clampdown named "Operation Imposing Law" had reined in the savage violence between majority Shi'ites and minority Sunni Arabs dominant under Saddam Hussein.

"In a time when you could hear nothing but explosions, gunfire and the screams of mothers and fathers and sons, and see bodies that were burned and dismembered, the people of Baghdad were awaiting Operation Imposing Law," Qanbar told reporters.

Qanbar pointed to the number of dead bodies turning up on the capital's streets as an indicator of success.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080216/ts_nm/iraq_dc

[Barrett808]

1. But here's what it's really like in Baghdad:

Patrick Cockburn: Is the US really bringing stability to Baghdad?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=338573&mesg_id=338573

[trthnd4jstc]

2. The Surge has worked in some areas, but....

There is no way to think that this war was necessary. This war may actually be a reason for Impeaching Monkey Boy for Treason. The Iraq war has helped to fuel the number of enemies of the US, as well as the mismanagement of the Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL), it could be argued that Monkey Boy has aided our enemies.

[cstanleytech]

14. I still think its to early

to declare it "working".
In fact the only reason it might be "working" could be because the ones doing the majority of the bombings are just regrouping or even perhaps waiting until US elections are over with.
After all lets face it they know we have a major election coming and they are far from stupid.
If the violence was still high over there then it might help the democrats win and a democratic president might pull the troops out.
However if they bide their time and wait, keep the violance low thereby helping the republicans gain power for atleast 4 or more years it provides the groups with the perfect training ground as well as a kind of recruitment poster to get new members to signup.

[daleo]

3. They say there are carpet stores open on every corner. n/t

[shraby]

4. Baghdad does not = All of Iraq.

[ohio2007]

9. most of Iraq is barren wasteland desert

plenty of scorpions can be found in the no shit desert

[halobeam]

5. Doesn't the cease-fire from al-Sadr's militia men have an impact on the decline

in violence? Does this have anything to do with it? http://www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSL07350722

[Bigmack]

18. That's it! I've been wondering when...

somebody was going to mention Sadr. He's not holding back his militia to make the US surge look good, fer crissakes, he's got some kind of plan. He's looking to take all the marbles.

Nobody in the MSM is mentioning this at all... just troweling on the Bullshit about how the surge is working.

[halobeam]

19. I'm not sure I'm understanding you correctly

I can't see how the "surge is working" meme holds merit, when there is a cease fire. It is NEVER mentioned, and that's why I'm asking. Am I missing something here? Does one thing have nothing to do with the other, or does it?

[Bigmack]

20. I'm agreeing with you...

and I agree that the cease-fire is never mentioned.

[halobeam]

23. okay

Glad to think I didn't lose my mind...yet. ;-)

Any luck finding word one about this? I've had none so far.

[halobeam]

25. Check this out....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3191164&mesg_id=3191164

[ElsewheresDaughter]

6. yeah because 80% of the population has fled or is dead...

[bluestateguy]

7. Sounds like BOWL SHIT to me

Because if the Iraqi government (us) says so, it must be true.

[Teaser]

8. Iraqi statistics are malleable.

Depending on the whim and the politics of the sect in charge of them at the time.

[sutz12]

10. Translation: Iraqi Officials Say Ethnic Cleansing in Baghdad is 80 Percent complete. nt

[sandnsea]

17. Wait until the people come back!

I know, it's pretty easy to keep the peace when all the people are gone.

[halobeam]

24. how about when al-sadr's militia is in a "freeze" right now?

they have stepped back, but until when?

[burrowowl]

11. Does the rise of dropping of 500 lb bombs or

block busters from 4 a week to 4 a day have something to do with this?
Or, increased genocide, plus no water, no electricity, more disease, etc.

[Babel_17]

12. A somewhat false stability

People live in armed neighborhoods and avoid strangers. The collapsed economy has cut down on interaction. The most vulnerable targets, in their millions, have fled and are refugees. The less mobile are already dead.

Efforts to restore a more normal state to Baghdad will paradoxically, and perversely, provide a fertile ground for more ethnic violence.

The battle in Iraq for us is to get the sides to agree to live together and to end the cycle of violence. It's a top to bottom solution which we seem to be failing at.

[Gamey]

13. Yay! Iraq is back at pre-invasion calm and peace!

How do I insert that dripping sarcasm?

[Babel_17]

15. Try this

Insert the word sarcasm between ::

:sarcasm:

Works for me.

[nealmhughes]

16. Actually, the de facto self-segregation of the city into enclaves sharing nominal traditional

superstition is probably a large part of that "success," in other words, there is no city of Baghdad any longer, just a group of adjacent mini-Carcassonnes. What is the point of having a city if there is no interaction at all between the Guelphs and Ghibillines? Wait, that was Medievial Italy, Sunni and Shia?

"They" say that the nominal superstitious hereditary clans of Baghdad were once freely mingling, and intermarrying back in the days of the Saddamzeit. Well, at least they were going to work together and shared small things like electricity and potable water and a sewer that worked, even if it wasn't as rosy as "some" describe.

Iraq was obviously a powderkeg just waiting to be set off by some spark, evidently the only thing that held it together was the strong arm of Tikrit extending out to the provinces. The Ottoman Empire did not complain very much at the Versailles Peace series over the loss the 3 villayets of Mesopotamia. I think we know why now. Reckon that the Sublime Porte knew something we don't?

Even were peace somehow restored tomorrow, we would still see a ferocious fight over the sharing of the oil revenues from the North v. the South and Baghdad and the center demanding their "fair cut," alongside the voracious multi-national petro companies. Actually, that seems to be trumping mere religious affiliation these days in the so-called Parliament and Kurdish demands on Mosul, Baghdad wanting to remain in charge of all three historic areas (Mosul, Baghdad itself and environs and Basra) with Basra and Mosul/Kirkuk being the main oil producing areas. Then we have romantic nationalism, not merely southerners liking cornbread even when in Seattle or New Yorkers taking along selzer to Atlanta, but Kurds v. Arabs. Then are there those pesky Assyrians and Chaldeans and Turkomen . . . when will it all end?

But on the bright side, Brittany is out of the state nervous hospital, or so "they" say.

[Skittles]

21. I think I will go buy a rug there

:o

[truthisfreedom]

22. Perhaps because there's no running water, so the terra-ists are killing people elsewhere?

Terra-ists get thirsty too.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3184452&mesg_id=3184452

[Tempest]

26. Al-Sadr, not the surge is the reason for the drop

If he lifts the cease-fire, attacks will increase again.