We don't know what is going on in Iraq. Take a look at this independent Iraqi news site

[beachmom]

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/index.tpl

Look at the headlines:

Gunmen kill 4 members of one family in... 15 Reads

Policeman killed near Falluja, culprits arrested... 13 Reads

Truck accident kills Iraqi soldier, wounds 12 in... 13 Reads

Four civilians killed, 16 wounded in car bomb... 13 Reads

Policewoman, civilian gunned down in two separate incidents... 17 Reads

Top story:

Baaquba bombing fatalities up to 28, wounded 20

The suicide explosive belt bombing attack amongst a gathering of policemen on Monday morning resulted in the death of 28 policemen, including one officer, and the injury of 20 others, including a child and a woman," Maj. General Abdul-Kareem al-Rubaie told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

An official security source said earlier that twenty policemen were killed and 25 others wounded in an initial count of the deadly suicide bombing.

"A suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt blew himself up amidst a gathering of forces of the Diala police command's 2nd quick intervention contingent in central Baaquba, killing 20 policemen and injuring 25 others, including a child and a woman," the source, who refused to be named, told VOI.

"The policemen were having their morning training on the main road leading to the Blue Dome (the headquarters of the local council) when a suicide bomber attacked them," the source added.

Baaquba, the capital of Diala province, is 57 km northeast of Baghdad.

Iraqi blogger Zeyad pointed out the site, saying:

The mainstream U.S. media continues its effective news blackout on Iraq security developments, with the remaining scant coverage devoted to partisan "Iraq policy" debate on the domestic front. And in this case, no news means good news for the average American, which explains why I often receive emails from ideologues asking me why I am not acknowledging that the "tide has turned" or that "we are winning" in Iraq.

He added that since most Iraqi bloggers no longer live in Iraq, it is hard to get news. For anyone fluent in Arabic, a lot of the news is in that language; still, I see a lot of English, and recommend you bookmark this site if you want to know what is really happening in Iraq. Zeyad adds, "you'll get a much better picture of the security situation in Iraq from what is available than what you get from American news outlets". Considering that General Petraeus's public affairs guy uses his time to send nasty e-mails to bloggers, I am thankful that there are Iraqi bloggers and Iraq independent news outlets to see the full picture of what is going on in Iraq.

[spanone]

1. our media has chosen not to talk about iraq.

it's bad for reputhuglicon presidents

[rodeodance]

2. yesterday I posted that hundreds killed in iraq last week ----yet, msm is silent for

the most part (numbers were from Iraq body count)

[tekisui]

3. Couple the lack of information flow out of Iraq with MSM's *All IRAN-All The Time*

Drumbeat. Iraq is lost, the country is no more, and will never be. Time to move onto Iran.


It is sad.

[bdamomma]

8. trying to get americans geared up for another invasion

we got to stop this, we will not be immuned from this idiocy of these neo cons.

go to this site also:

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/55ABE840-AC30-41D2-BDC9-06BBE2A36665.htm

[leftchick]

4. thanks for the link

check this out from today.....

http://icasualties.org/oif/


News
Current Time in Baghdad: 6:58:51 PM
10/29/07 VOA: Suicide Bomber Kills 22 Inside Iraqi Police Base
Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber has blown himself up at a police base in the city of Baquba, killing at least 22 people and wounding about 15. The bomber struck this Monday morning as police recruits gathered for a training session at the base...
10/29/07 Reuters: Car bomb kills 4, wounds 11 in Baiji
A car bomb killed four people and wounded 11 in the town of Siniya, near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, police and hospital officials said. Two houses were demolished by the blast.
10/29/07 Reuters: Gunmen kill policeman in Falluja
Gunmen killed a policeman near the city of Falluja, 50 km (35 miles) west of Baghdad, police said. The source added that security forces captured two suspected al Qaeda militants who were involved in the attack.
10/29/07 IOL: British base in Iraq attacked
The British base at Basra International Airport, 25 kilometres north-west of the city, came under Katyusha rocket attack early on Monday morning, media reports said. British forces fired back at the source of the rockets in Mohandessin neighbourhood...
10/29/07 AFP: Turkish army encircles 100 Kurdish rebels
Turkish forces have encircled 100 Kurdish rebels in a mountainous area near the border with Iraq, the Anatolia news agency reported on Monday. Turkish army units had blocked off routes used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels to return...
10/29/07 Reutters: Turkish Soldier killed as Turks mark national day
A Turkish soldier was killed on Monday by a Kurdish rebel landmine and Turkey marked its national day in an outpouring of colourful patriotic support for the armed forces.
10/28/07 MCI: Chalabi back in action in Iraq
Ahmad Chalabi, the controversial, ubiquitous Iraqi politician and one-time Bush administration favorite, has re-emerged as a central figure in the latest U.S. strategy for Iraq.
10/28/07 AP: Ramadi, Iraq claws back from ravages of war
For veterans of Ramadi, it seems like a different place and a different war. Just last year, soldiers were breaking down doors, hunting insurgents and struggling to secure the city block by block. U.S. troops now are invited into...
10/28/07 radionz: Iraq unable to hand over PKK leaders to Turkey
Iraq's foreign minister is warning of serious consequences if Turkey launches a ground assault against Kurdish rebels based in the mountains of northern Iraq.
10/28/07 AP: New fighting leaves 15 Kurdish guerrillas dead
Turkish troops killed 15 Kurdish guerrillas in fighting Sunday far from the increasingly tense Iraq border region where some of the separatists have sought refuge, a news report said. Turkey’s prime minister called for unity between Turks...
10/28/07 Reuters: Gunmen blow up al-Sadr office in northwestern Baghdad
Gunmen blew up the office of supporters of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in northwestern Baghdad's Hurriya district after dusk, police said. No one was harmed in the attack.
10/28/07 Reuters: Gunmen kill retired police brigadier-general in Mosul
Gunmen killed a recently retired police brigadier-general in a drive-by shooting in western Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
10/28/07 Reuters: Five bodies found in Baghdad on Sunday
Police said they found five bodies in various parts of Baghdad on Sunday.
10/28/07 Reuters: Car bomb kills 2, wounds 13 in Baghdad's Kadhimiya district
A car bomb killed two people and wounded 13 others in the Shi'ite Kadhimiya district of northwestern Baghdad, police said.
10/28/07 Reuters: Suicide bomber kills 7 in Kirkuk
A suicide bomber killed at least seven people in a huge explosion that ripped through shops and set cars ablaze in the northern oil centre of Kirkuk.
10/28/07 Reuters: Body pulled from Tigris River
Police found a body riddled with bullets near the Tigris River in the town of Suwayra, 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
10/28/07 Reuters: Gunmen kill woman in Kut
One woman died when gunmen attacked her house in southern Kut, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad, police said.
10/28/07 AP: 10 Anti-Al Qaeda Sheiks Kidnapped
Iraqi police say 10 sheiks allied against Al Qaeda have been kidnapped. The group was made up of both Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders. Police say they were traveling home to Diyala province after a meeting with a government official in Baghdad...
10/28/07 AFP: Iraq troops find 17 decomposed bodies
IRAQI troops found 17 decomposed bodies of unidenfied men near the restive city of Baquba in a grim reminder of sustained sectarian bloodletting, as 12 other people were killed in the country today.
10/28/07 Suicide car bomber kills 7 in Iraq
A suicide car bomber killed at least seven people today in a huge explosion that ripped through shops and set cars ablaze in the northern Iraqi oil centre of Kirkuk. Some 25 people were also wounded in the blast...
10/28/07 NYTimes: Iraq Hampers U.S. Bid to Widen Sunni Police Role
The American military’s push to organize Sunni Arabs into local neighborhood watch groups has been one of the United States’ most important initiatives in Iraq — so much so that President Bush flew to Anbar Province in September...
10/28/07 NYTimes: raq balks as U.S. seeks more policing by Sunnis
The U.S. military's push to organize Sunni Arabs into local neighborhood-watch groups has been one of its most important initiatives in Iraq — so much so that President George W. Bush flew to Anbar Province in September to highlight growing...
10/28/07 Reuters: Gunmen kill policeman in a drive-by shooting in central Hawija
Gunmen killed a policeman in a drive-by shooting in central Hawija, 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, police said.
10/28/07 Reuters: Gunmen wound policemen in northern Mosul
Gunmen wounded a police colonel and his driver when they opened fire on their car in northern Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, police said.
10/28/07 Reuters: Police arrest 5 gunmen in Iskandariya mosque
Police arrested five gunmen in a Shi'ite mosque containing weapons in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.
10/28/07 Reuters: 4 bodies found and Baghdad on Saturday
Four bodies were found in different districts of Baghdad on Saturday, police said.
10/28/07 AP: Iraqi Women Serve As Ramadi Police
The women received their first paychecks a few weeks ago _ about $500 for a month's work as police officers. They paid rent, bought food, wiped out debts. But the seemingly simple transaction has left at least one woman in fear for her life...
10/28/07 AP: Army Boosting Efforts To Lure Trainers For Iraqi Forces
Army Capt. Matthew Foster, like many officers, was not thrilled to hear he had been assigned to a training team destined for Iraq to work with the national police.

[bdamomma]

12. this is interesting they dusted this guy off again.

he is a criminal too.

10/28/07 MCI: Chalabi back in action in Iraq
Ahmad Chalabi, the controversial, ubiquitous Iraqi politician and one-time Bush administration favorite, has re-emerged as a central figure in the latest U.S. strategy for Iraq.

[skip fox]

26. all in last two days!

n/t

[graywarrior]

5. Interesting that this one has the most views

Iraq wins first gold medal in world Paralympics

Baghdad - Voices of Iraq
Sunday , 28 /10 /2007 Time 7:25:00

Baghdad, Sept 17, (VOI) – An Iraqi swimmer with special needs won his country its first gold medal in the 100 meters freestyle in the international Paralympic games in Taiwan, upping the number of Iraq's medals to eight.

"Swimmer Falah Nahed managed to win Iraq a gold medal in the 100 meters freestyle in 1.12.36 minutes at the end of these world events for athletes with special needs," according to the correspondent from the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI), currently with the Iraqi team in Taiwan.
The special competition involves only swimming, fencing and table tennis.
Nahed was followed by a swimmer from India and in third place by a swimmer from host country Taiwan.
Iraq now has eight medals in the games: one gold and three bronze in swimming, one bronze in table tennis and three in fencing.

[beachmom]

13. Well, that shows there really is an "Iraq" among the regular people

who live there. The problem is that with the invasion of the country, the religious extremists of all sects gained control. The normal everyday people are less interested in that, and just want to live their lives, including cheering on sporting events where Iraq does well. They were very excited when an Iraq woman won the equivalent to American Idol in the Middle East.

[graywarrior]

17. We need to hear more of those stories

[babylonsister]

6. Recommend-we have to get news elsewhere, such as this post. nt

[bdamomma]

7. the sanitizing of our news continues, this is so bad for all of us.

[Buzz Clik]

9. Most of the incidents in the first quote block were minor; the Baaquba bomb was reported.

I heard about the Baaquba bomb on NPR this morning.

[babylonsister]

11. But did we hear about them? And I wouldn't think they were minor had

a member of my family been involved.

[beachmom]

14. Fair enough, but delve deeper into the site. I think the point Zeyad

was making is that MOST of the American coverage (and Zeyad is currently in America, but of course, in touch with friends and family still in Iraq) is around Iraq policy, with not enough on what it is like in Iraq today. I do think that NPR is one of the better news outlets, and they really do try to focus on how the war affects Iraqis' lives. Still, even they cater to the DC conventional wisdom that "the surge is working", even though Iraqis have left the country, and still are not interested in returning. Why will they not return? Nobody is pondering that question enough.

[Buzz Clik]

18. Ok. I see your point and I agree.

[beachmom]

10. Here is an example of the kind of up close and personal reporting of Iraqis we never see:

http://www.aswataliraq.info/look/english/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrArticle=57456&NrIssue=2&NrSection=4

Shukriyya, a mother of five who now lives alongside 80 other displaced families in a camp in the central Iraqi province of Wassit, said that her old neighbors continue to keep in touch with her and offered her all kinds of help. "They visited us three times here and provided us with substantial assistance, including food, clothes, and money collected from residents in our old neighborhood," Shukriyya told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

"This nice gesture by our neighbors made us even more anxious to return home, where we lived for 16 years."

Shukriyya was forced to leave her home in Abu Gharib district in western Baghdad after receiving threats of kidnapping her children.

"The final threat gave us 24 hours to leave," the aggrieved mother said. "The threats were definitely made by strangers. We had good relations with everyone in the neighborhood."

In the same camp was Abu Saleem, 52, a former resident of Abu Gharib district, who told VOI that his tent is the only refuge from death. "I am looking forward to the day I will be home. I am sick of the camp life, but we have made good friends with people here who share our distress and are anxious to return to their homes," Abu Saleem told VOI.

Um Anas, a middle-aged woman who left Abu Dashir neighborhood in western Baghdad with her family and is now staying with her relatives in central Baghdad's al-Karada, said, "I lived in Abu Dashir for more than 20 years and I developed good relations with my neighbors there."

"We seriously considered leaving our home after receiving threatening texts warning us to leave our home in 24 hours or to bear the consequences for staying."
"Our old neighbors regularly check on us. They also asked me to return to Abu Dashir after they managed to obtain a recommendation letter from a religious office there, but I refused and decided to stay with my relatives until the security situation is stabilized," Um Anas said.

Haidar Ziyara al-Rubaie, a media representative for the Displacement Department in Kirkuk, told VOI that the first batch of displaced persons arrived in Karbala in early 2004. "They were from Talafar, Ninewa province, and were housed in tents in an amusement park in the west of the city and in a deserted hotel, which was a former base for Polish forces in Iraq."

How many reports have any of you seen on traditional media of "refugee camps"? I hear in a general way of refugees within and without the country, but to read of someone actually living in a tent is just rarely seen. The American media needs to do a better job.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

15. I discovered that site just before I saw your post. Check out these Iraqi blogs.

I follow a number of Iraqi blogs and one of them recommended it. I was about to post the link in hope that more people will pay more attention to what's going on in Iraq for Iraqis.

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/

Here are some others that I follow for anyone interested:

http://livesstrong.blogspot.com/
http://youngmammy.blogspot.com/
http://ejectiraqikkk.blogspot.com/
http://liberatethis.com/
http://twentyfourstepstoliberty.blogspot.com/
http://citycalledhell.blogspot.com/

[Arkansas Granny]

16. I watched national news last night on CBS and our local news

this morning. There was absolutely no mention of Iraq. I went to google news, world and U.S. and again, no mention of Iraq. It's become invisible.

[Victoras]

22. the invisible Iraq

Iraq has rolled up because of the Turkish ultimatium
for Iraq to correct the Kurdish insurrectionists busily attacking Turkey...
the ?US in turn instructs Iraq to 'pull the blanket over their heads' routine
and the threat will disappear...

[TwilightGardener]

19. I don't believe there's any "media coverup"--I just think things are

quiet right there for now, for various reasons--al-Sadr's militia is standing down, we've stepped up the airstrikes and raids, a lot of neighborhoods have probably had their "troublemakers" removed and members of opposing tribes have left. Al Qaeda was never that numerous of a presence (although they made a big splash with the suicide bombs), and the Sunnis are fighting them. Vehicle traffic is restricted in many areas, there are walls, barriers, and curfews, and we are paying off the sheiks and militia heads to enforce peace among their ranks--thus we are on a low simmer for now. Now, how in the world will we maintain all of this, since the underlying dynamics of inter-tribal hatred and political strife remain? That's the question.

[ProSense]

20. They're spinning a better security picture

Monday 22 October: 81 dead

Bodies are popping up everywhere

The true picture is most likely worse.

[truebrit71]

21. News from Iraq seems to have dropped off the MSM's radar...

...perhaps the presstitutes have received further warnings from their handlers aboiut toeing the line...

[Javaman]

23. This is the link I always use if I want the real news...

http://warnewstoday.blogspot.com/index.html

[BrklynLib at work]

24. K & R

[moondust]

25. The truth is often inconvenient.

We have to be weaned off it if the corporate media are to prevail and make their masters filthy rich.

Fox has successfully argued in court that they don't have to tell the truth. Others are likely to get on board as lies are easier to produce and, I would guess, usually more profitable.

[Amonester]

27. kick & recom'd

near total blackout in the divided states

[Disturbed]

28. The US Corp Media has be instructed to report only good

news about Iraq & Afghanistan. Those reporting anything that is not favorable to the Busholini Regime will be punished.