Iraq violence rages on but US coalition optimistic

[leftchick]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060823/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrest_060823110329

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq has been hit by more bomb attacks and murders as commanders from the US-led coalition in the country expressed cautious optimism that a plan to restore peace to Baghdad was working.

Violence continued around the country Wednesday, killing at least four civilians and an army officer and wounding six police, while six bodies were also found.

Last month, before Baghdad's latest security plan got fully underway, there were a record number of insurgent attacks, but coalition commanders said that August was expected to buck the upward trend.

"The numbers of sectarian killings which have taken place in Baghdad over the last few weeks are dramatically reduced," said Lieutenant General Rob Fry, the commander of British forces in the coalition, in a news conference.

"We are always very cautious not to take just two weeks of data and make a long-term assessment on it ... but the initial indications are very positive," US spokesman Major General William Caldwell told reporters on Tuesday.

[Supersedeas]

1. Mission Accomplished....again

[ComerPerro]

2. If the media were even half as biased to the left as RWers claim

we wouldn't always hear about "cautious optimism".

They keep complaining that "no one ever reports the good news".


Well, there is no good news.

The closest stories to "good news" are stories about us rebuilding stuff we destroyed, or the "optimism" of BushCo officials.

That's not news.

[EST]

3. Well, sure.

Eventually you run out of people to kill.

[Avalux]

4. So just who are the "coalition commanders" at this point?

Who is the coalition? :shrug: I'm having a hard time with the statement that sectarian killings have dramatically been reduced over the last few weeks. What am I hearing and seeing if that's the case?

[Sherman A1]

5. It's good to be optimistic

might be better to be realistic, but what would we know?