8 G.I.’s Die in Baghdad, Most in a Day Since ’05

[ProSense]

8 G.I.’s Die in Baghdad, Most in a Day Since ’05

Darko Bandic/Associated Press
A G.I. with a side arm dispersed children Tuesday in Baghdad after his armored vehicle ran into a ditch.

By MICHAEL LUO
Published: October 4, 2006

BAGHDAD, Oct. 3 — Eight United States soldiers were killed Monday in Baghdad, the United States military said, the most in the capital in a day since July 2005.

Four of the soldiers died in a roadside bomb attack; the four others were killed by small-arms fire in separate incidents.

Monday’s loss also represented one of the highest nationwide death tolls for American troops in the past year. In late August, nine soldiers and a marine were killed in a day. But before that, the last time eight or more soldiers were killed in hostile action was last November.

“Obviously this was a tragic day, with eight killed in 24 hours,” said Lt. Col. Barry Johnson, a military spokesman.

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That photo is worth a thousand words!

[bigscott]

1. 16 dead already this month

Why is this NOT on the news? I know Woodward and Foley and hastert etc but this is total BULLSHIT. this is 4 dead PER DAY so far this month and 16 more grieving families that could care less about the MFing pedophile that the GOP is covering for -

[Erika]

2. 2,732 U.S. troops now dead in W's war of choice

The blood is on his hands. So many Iraqis have been needlessly killed and maimed.

This "war" must stop.

[rwork]

3. If we are there 10 years or more

And an American soldier steps out of a door, he will be shot at.

[gratuitous]

4. Better requisition another shipment of corners

Looks like we'll need to turn another corner or two here, and that right quick. Maybe we could send some purple ink over and pose a bunch of Iraqis to hold up their ink-dipped fingers for the cameras? No, not that finger, the other one.

[johnnyrocket]

5. What a nightmare!

We're sitting ducks, and getting slaughtered. God help us.

[ProSense]

6. Reality Spoils "Commemoration of Success"

Congress approves 20 million USD to celebrate victories in Iraq, Afghanistan

13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Republicans in Congress optimistically have set aside 20 million dollars for a post-war victory party once the US military tames raging insurgencies and violence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The measure, inserted into a defense spending bill, would empower President George W. Bush to designate "a day of celebration" to commemorate US military success in both key fronts of the US-led war on terror.

The bill also allows the White House to "issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities."

Lawmakers originally envisioned that the victory celebration could be held as early as this year, but the measure passed last week measure allows the funds to be rolled over into 2007 if need be.

Opposition Democrats in Congress issued a statement saying the Republican administration should focus more on winning the war, and less on planning the victory fete.

"Instead of focusing on party planning and public relations, his administration needs to change course and get on the path to victory," said Rebecca Kirszner, a spokeswoman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid.

"Staying the course will not work. It's time for a new direction."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061004/pl_afp/usiraqvictorypolitics_061004190753

WEDNESDAY, 04 OCTOBER 2006

Reality Spoils "Commemoration of Success"

"Eight United States soldiers were killed Monday in Baghdad ... the most in the capital in a day since July 2005. Four of the soldiers died in a roadside bomb attack; the four others were killed by small-arms fire in separate incidents," reports the New York Times today. Juan Cole adds that there have been 23,416 US casualties in the Iraq war, and that 21 GIs have been killed since Saturday.

Cole contends that "the Department of Defense is using flimsy excuses for not revealing the nature and severity of the wounds GIs receive" and that we have to read local newspapers to get the real stories. A Kerrville, Texas story about a wounded soldier reports that "a spokesman for the U.S. Army in Fort Wainwright said she could not verify the injury or discuss any soldier’s condition without the soldier’s permission," but the soldier's aunt told the paper that he has "a piece of shrapnel in the back of his neck near the brain stem."

But, never fear. Victory is just around the corner. Congress set aside $20 million in the military spending bill for this past year to "pay for a celebration in the nation’s capital 'for commemoration of success' in Iraq and Afghanistan" and to “issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” What kind of ceremony would you like to see?

The bill has a built-in roll-over for next year. Alas, the year 2007 doesn't look so great either:

Bob Woodward . . . writes in his new book . . . that things are going to change in Iraq in 2007. They are going to get worse. The intelligence division of the Joint Chiefs of Staff circulated a secret intelligence estimate in May predicting that violence in Iraq will not only continue for the rest of 2006 but increase thereafter, according to an advance look at "State of Denial" by The Washington Post. (Journal News, viaMcJoan's story at Daily Kos)

More about those injuries: Juan Cole cites the story of a Whitman, Mass. soldier lost both lower legs. The Whitman VFW Post and Legion have raised $8,000 to assist in his recovery. The Texas soldier is the beneficiary of "a benefit account" established at the Wells Fargo in Kerrville, Texas.

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[ProSense]

7. U.S. Military Ties Iraqi Unit to Militia

U.S. Military Ties Iraqi Unit to Militia

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 4, 2006

Filed at 7:22 p.m. ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraqi authorities pulled a brigade of about 700 policemen out of service Wednesday in its biggest move ever to uproot troops linked to death squads, aiming to signal the government's seriousness in cleansing Baghdad of sectarian violence.

The government move came amid steadily mounting violence, particularly in the capital. A U.S. military spokesman said the past week had seen the highest number of car bombs and roadside bombs in Baghdad this year.

Four U.S. soldiers patrolling in Baghdad were killed by gunmen on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, also announcing the deaths of two other soldiers a day earlier in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk. The deaths brought to 21 the number of Americans killed in combat since Saturday.

The suspension of the police brigade was the first time the Iraqi government has taken such dramatic action to discipline security forces over possible links to militiamen, though some individual soldiers have been investigated in the past. Baghdad's Sunnis widely fear the Shiite-led police, saying they are infiltrated by militias and accusing them of cooperating with death squads who snatch Sunnis and kill them.

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[Imagevision]

8. 16 already dead in OCT. is upped to 20