I thought the surge was working?? Iraq violence jumps in February

[malaise]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7272353.stm
<snip>
The number of Iraqis killed by violence rose in February for the first time in several months, official figures show.

At least 633 civilians died, according to data from several ministries - up from more than 460 deaths in January.

The increase was mainly due to two attacks in Baghdad and one near Karbala that killed at least 150 people.
-

Meanwhile 14 more Iraqis were killed by a car bomb in Baghdad this morning with 40 more injured.

[frogcycle]

1. today's headlines:

03/02/08 Reuters: Car bomb kills 4 in Samara
A car bomb exploded in Samarra, 100 km (62 miles) north of Baghdad, killing four people including a policeman, his wife and child, said Samarra police Lieutenant Colonel Basim al-Douri. Nine others were wounded in the blast.

03/02/08 Reuters: Three bodies found in Baghdad
Three bodies were found in different parts of Baghdad, police said.

03/02/08 Reuters: 13 gunmen and 2 policemen killed near Tal Afar
Clashes between gunmen and police killed 13 gunmen and two policemen in a village near the town of Tal Afar, 420 km (260 miles) north of Baghdad, Najim Abdullah, the mayor of Tal Afar, said. Four gunmen were arrested.

03/02/08 Reuters: 2 people wounded by roadside bombs in eastern Baghdad
Two people were wounded when two roadside bombs exploded in quick succession in eastern Baghdad, police said.

03/02/08 Reuters: 1 Iraqi soldier killed, 2 wounded by roadside bomb in Baghdad
An Iraqi soldier was killed and two wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near their patrol on Saturday in the eastern Zayouna district of Baghdad, police said.

03/02/08 AFP: Five killed in bomb attack on Iraqi bus
Five people were killed and four wounded when a roadside bomb ripped into a passing minibus in Iraq's troubled Diyala province, police said Sunday. Police Major Mohammed Al-Karkhi said the attack took place in the village of Al-Kheraiz, east of Baquba...

03/01/08 MCT: Two bodies found west of Ramadi
Anbar - Police found two bodies in Thira’a Dijla area west of Ramadi
03/01/08 MCT: Sheikh of Uqabi tribe killed during fighting with the insurgents
Sheikh Hasan Rahim, the sheikh of Uqabi tribe was killed during fighting with the Iraqi army forces against the insurgents of Qaida in Mulla Eid village around 5:00 p.m

03/01/08 MCT: Two bodies found in Baghdad
Baghdad - Police found two unidentified bodies in Baghdad. One body was found in Saba al-Bor north Baghdad while the second body was found in Saidiyah neighborhood south Baghdad

03/01/08 Reuters: Roadside bomb kills 3 Iraqi soldiers, wounds 3 others
A roadside bomb killed three Iraqi soldiers and wounded three others when it struck their patrol just north of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, the Iraqi army said.

03/01/08 bosnewslife: Archbishop Kidnapped In Iraq; Three Others Killed
Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday, March 1, condemned the kidnapping of the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Paulos Faraj Rahho, and the killing of three people accompanying him, saying it was a "premeditated"...

03/01/08 Xinhua: Gunmen kidnap 11 people NW Baghdad
Unknown gunmen kidnapped 11 people on Saturday who were traveling near a town in the volatile Diyala province, a provincial police source said. The abduction occurred when unknown gunmen intercepted a mini-van carrying passengers...

03/01/08 Reuters: Roadside bomb kills 1. wounds 3 in Mahmudiya
A roadside bomb killed one person and wounded three others in Mahmudiya, 30 km (20 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

03/01/08 Reuters: Gunmen kill 1 killed, wound 10 in Diyala province
One person was killed and 10 wounded, including women and children, when gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Shi'ite pilgrims returning from the Arbain religious rite in Diyala province north of Baghdad near the border with Salahuddin, police said.

03/01/08 AFP: Suspected female suicide bomber boss held
US forces have detained the suspected leader of a cell recruiting female suicide bombers in the restive province of Diyala northeast of Baghdad, the military said today. The suspected militant was detained north of Khan Beni Sad in the province...

All is well. Practically a vacation haven now. :sarcasm:

[malaise]

2. WTF???

Yes things are going swimmingly. I'll call my travel agent so I can surge away for a holiday :sarcasm:

[tekisui]

3. As long as Americans are dying at lower rates than 100-120 per month

they claim success. It's disgusting. 30 US dead a month is easy to forget in the media.

[malaise]

4. But we get non-stop live coverage of court trials

when one man kills someone in a domestic dispute. Let me state that I condemn all violence but what is covered on M$M is beyond odd.

[izzie]

5. I think it is silly to say it worked.

Sada said his people were not to fight and some chiefs got together and said lets not fight and for years we have been moving 'like' people together so they would not fight and now we move in 30,000, 10,000, more than he said, and say it is working. The people who did all this killing are now in another country fighting. If it has worked why is the country still in such a mess? As long as Bush is in office we will stay I think and with McCain also. The thought that might is the way to go is just part of these peoples make-up. Lots of people think this way. Some times great armies do not win and that is a fact.

[ThomWV]

6. Then I'd say its working. Put in more armed men and you get more shootings.

Put in more occupiers and you will expect more resistance to them.

[Perry Logan]

7. We are dealing with people who will go to their graves believing they have never made a mistake.

[spanone]

8. the surge is fantasy.....pure political propaganda

[KharmaTrain]

9. Surge? How About Calling It What Is It...A Lull

This feels more and more like early '68...the politicians getting ready for the election were trumpeting how we were "winning" in Vietnam and how the Saigon government would stand up on its own. Then came Tet.

It's time we redefine what's really going on...it's a lull...buying time while the Sunnis and Shiites manuever for their next round of bloodletting. They're waiting us out, but they won't wait for long...one car bomb or another Haditha and our forces could find themselves in the midst of a shooting war where they've armed both sides.

Our corporate media is clueless about Iraq...a combination of them operating on the cheap so that there is very little coverage from what's going on in the country and a national myopia where many want to pretend things are going or the war has gone away like some bad dream. That dream is soon to turn into a nightmare...

:hi: