Iraq on high alert after election candidates shot dead

[Adsos Letter]

Source: AFP
BAGHDAD, (AFP)

Iraq on Friday prepared for its first election since 2005 with police and soldiers on high alert after gunmen killed candidates and campaign workers, raising security fears ahead of polling day.

The run-up to Saturday's poll had been relatively free of violence but the shooting of election contenders in Baghdad and in the cities of Baquba and Mosul, north of the capital, on Thursday night exposed the threat that such attacks could throw polling day into chaos.

The elections -- being held in 14 of the country's 18 provinces -- are seen as a key test of Iraq's steadily improving stability, as US President Barack Obama looks to redeploy American troops to Afghanistan.

Iraqi and US military commanders have in recent days warned that Al-Qaeda poses a threat to the elections.

Campaigning for the vote officially ceased at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) on Friday and Iraq's borders will be closed at 10:00 pm, while transport bans and night-time curfews will also be put in place as part of stepped up security measures.

Saturday's vote is expected to see Sunni Arabs turn out in force in a reversal of the January 2005 parliamentary elections and is also being seen as a quasi referendum on the leadership of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090130/twl-iraq-vote-575b600.html

[kentuck]

1. Damn!

That is so predictable.

[Lasher]

2. God, I'm glad I don't have to listen to Junior anymore.

He would have been on TV right now saying this is a sign that the tax cuts worked, or something.

[Adsos Letter]

3. Or Rumsfeld...

with his "freedom is messy' bullshit...

[SoCalDem]

4. This would be their first "real" election.. The others were all Bush-appointees

masquerading as elected officials.. Does anyone in their right mind believe all the purple-finger fever shit??

as we wind down, the "real war" will start..all we have done is postpone their civil war, and create hard feelings allround:(

[Why Syzygy]

5. And exactly who opened the doors of Iraq to "Al Qaeda"? George W. Bush!

That's who. God help them. And forgive us.
(The Bush cabal also created THAT Hussein, so don't give me any grief about a DICTATOR)

[SpiralHawk]

6. "Nothing to worry about. I won the war already. SMIRK" - ex-Commander AWOL