"Gunman in Iraqi Army uniform kills two; Fired on US military team" by Brian Murphy, Associated Press | May 3, 2009
BAGHDAD - A gunman wearing an Iraqi Army uniform opened fire on a US military team yesterday, killing two American soldiers and wounding three, the US military said, in an attack that could sharpen worries about militant infiltration in Iraq's security forces.
Then -- as the MSM propaganda organs have been telegraphing -- we simply must stay. We can't withdraw, not now, not ever!
Iraqi officials described the attacker - who was killed in the gun battle - as a soldier who was also a Sunni Muslim preacher for his unit near Mosul, one of the last urban strongholds for Sunni insurgents. The ambush could increase pressure on the Shi'ite-led government to root out possible turncoats and slow efforts to bring Sunni militiamen into the police and military as rewards for helping battle Al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgent factions.
But any possible slowdown of the Sunni outreach will meet resistance from Washington, which sees the sectarian reconciliation as essential for Iraq's stability and to keep security gains from rolling back. In the past, attackers have used military and police uniforms to bypass checkpoints and gain access to heavily guarded bases. But several Iraqi military officials said the gunman was a low-ranking Iraqi soldier.
The attack would mark one of the few confirmed cases where a member of Iraq's security forces targeted US troops. On Feb. 24, two Iraqi police officers in Mosul opened fire on a visiting US military team, killing one American soldier and an interpreter. The gunmen remain fugitives.
Now THAT CERTAINLY STINKS!! See: Occupation Iraq: Israel's IEDs and related links, please.
Earlier this week, a US military spokesman, First Lieutenant John Brimley, called the February shooting "definitely an anomaly." Yesterday's attack follows the deadliest month for US troops in Iraq since September - with 18 American soldiers dying in April.
In the northern city of Kirkuk, security patrols were boosted after an attempted suicide bombing Friday was foiled by guards at the last moment at a Shi'ite mosque. Tensions have risen in Kirkuk as Kurdish leaders seek to incorporate it into their semiautonomous area, making it one of the most politically sensitive issues for Iraqi leaders and for US military commanders preparing to withdraw their troops by the end of 2011.
Yeah, whatever. That carrot been out in front of us for six years. I believe its a MSM mirage.
--more--"
Just wondering why the Globe left all this action out:
".... A separate gunman fired at other U.S. soldiers at the outpost, then fled, according to Maj. Derrick Cheng, a spokesman for American forces in northern Iraq....
Elsewhere, U.S.-backed Iraqi troops arrested the leader of a Sunni paramilitary group north of Baghdad in the town of Duluiyah. Mullah Nadhim al-Jubouri, and his two brothers, Yassir and Thakir, were arrested on warrants accusing them of terrorism, the U.S. military said, without elaborating.
The move was likely to spark anger among members of the so-called Awakening Councils, which have turned against al-Qaida in Iraq in what is considered a key factor in the drop in violence.
The Iraqi government has assumed control of the groups from the U.S. military, but many of the Sunni guards accuse it of failing to pay them and of making unfair arrests....
Authorities identified the would-be attacker as a Syrian teenager who they believe was recruited by al-Qaida in Iraq. The suspect — 19-year-old Ammar Afif Hamada — was tackled on the doorsteps of the mosque while it was filled with worshippers.
The dramatic capture was welcome good news for Iraqi authorities after a spike in blasts by suspected Sunni insurgents that have claimed more than 200 lives since late April and raised question about the durability of recent security gains.
It also could offer investigators insights into insurgent operations in northern Iraq and smuggling routes from Syria — long considered one of the main pipelines to replenish insurgent ranks from across the region. Hamada traveled from Syria to the northern city of Mosul about a week ago, then arrived Wednesday in Kirkuk, where he was moved from safe house to safe house in mainly Sunni areas, according to a police officer involved in the investigation. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.
Kirkuk police chief Maj. Gen. Torhan Abdul-Rahman Youssef confirmed the details and said Hamada has been an al-Qaida operative in Iraq for the past four years and has confessed to participation in many operations in Diyala province and Baghdad. Hamada, meanwhile, was being treated for serious head injuries at a hospital in Kirkuk after being beaten by guards and worshippers at the scene, police said.
--more--"Yeah, I guess you don't need all those details cluttering up your mind.
And after a day off (which means no one got killed and nothing happened there, right, Globe?):
"Iraq insists US keep deadline for lifting forces; Soldiers set to leave cities by June 30" by Robert H. Reid, Associated Press | May 5, 2009
BAGHDAD - A series of high-profile bombings has raised questions whether Iraqi forces can assume more security responsibilities, especially in Mosul.
Nationwide, at least 451 people were killed in political violence last month, compared with 335 in March, 288 in February, and 242 in January, according to an Associated Press tally.
At least they were consistent this time.
"In all, at least 432 people, including 80 Iranian pilgrims, have been killed in violence so far this month, compared with 335 people in March, 283 in February, and 242 in January"
Also see: Occupation Iraq: Undercounting the Dead
Even in Baghdad, where violence is down sharply from two years ago, attacks are continuing.
Two car bombs exploded almost simultaneously yesterday near the Oil Ministry and a police academy, killing at least three people and wounding eight. The attack was significant because it occurred in a sensitive, well-guarded area in the heart of the Iraqi capital....
Wow, do I ever smell a false flag!
The agreement does not preclude combat soldiers from patrolling in Baghdad, Mosul, and other cities....
Translation: we aren't really pulling out.
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