Baghdad Security Push Could Start Soon

New Iraqi Military Commander Takes Control As Dozens Killed In Attacks

(CBS/AP) 
With so much at stake, U.S. commanders have moved methodically to plan the operation and assemble the force, eager to avoid the mistakes that accompanied two failed crackdowns last year.

The U.S. military considers the operation to have been under way ever since Bush signed the order last month to start moving troops to Iraq. U.S. officers offered assurances that once the operation gets rolling, Iraqis will begin to see a difference.

"It's going to be much more than this city has ever seen and it's going to be a rolling surge," Col. Douglass Heckman, the senior adviser to the 9th Iraqi Army Division, said of the operation.

Monday's slaughter killed 15 people in back-to-back car bombings at a gasoline station in Sadiyah, a mostly Sunni neighborhood of southwestern Baghdad, police said. Eight people were killed when a bomb exploded in a garbage can in a Sunni enclave in central Baghdad, according to police.

Four mortar shells exploded about sundown in a Shiite part of Dora, killing seven people, police said.

The U.S. military reported the deaths of two American soldiers, both killed on Sunday north of Baghdad.

With violence roiling the capital, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has come under strong pressure from fellow Shiite politicians to speed up the operation because most of the recent victims of Baghdad attacks have been Shiites.

They were joined in their appeal by Iraq's Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashimi, who said the government needs to move fast "because people cannot tolerate ... this sort of chaos and the killing around the clock."

"I am very much interested in fact to speed up the implementation of this plan in fact," al-Hashimi told the British Broadcasting Corp. Two of his brothers and one sister were assassinated last year in separate unsolved murders.

U.S. officials believe the previous crackdowns faltered because the Iraqis were unable to bring enough of their own troops to the capital. Some units in southern Iraq refused orders to move to Baghdad.

This time, the Iraqis have promised up to 8,000 new troops, including well-trained Kurdish units from the north.

While Iraqi units have been arriving on schedule, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last week they were at only 55 to 65 percent strength and that "probably isn't good enough."

"There is no specified time for starting the security plan, but preparations and deployment of the forces including the checkpoints inside and surrounding Baghdad has begun," Deputy Prime Minister Salam al-Zobaie told Al-Jazeera television.

Al-Zobaie, a Sunni, said the government had great hopes for the success of the security plan although the Iraqi military contribution would be "less than expected."

Public anger, especially among Shiites, has welled up since a huge truck bomb Saturday devastated the Sadriyah market in a mostly Shiite part of central Baghdad, killing 137 people. It was the fifth major bombing in less than a month against Shiite targets in Baghdad and southern Iraq.

Such attacks have discredited Iraqi security forces at a time when the government is urging people to put their trust in the army and police — rather than sectarian militias.

Under American pressure, Shiite politicians persuaded radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to pull his Mahdi militiamen off the streets to avoid a confrontation with the Americans.

But many Shiites complain that the move effectively handed the streets to Sunni extremists before U.S. and Iraqi forces were ready to assume control.

"This delay in the implementation of the security plan is not good and has had negative consequences for Iraqis," said Falah Hassan, a spokesman for al-Sadr's movement. "We demand that the plan be executed as soon as possible because the terrorists are going too far in their vicious attacks."

In Washington, Bush said he understood that the Iraqis are eager to see improvements in security.

"We'd like to do it as quickly as possible," he said. "The success of that plan is going to depend upon the capacity and willingness of the Iraqis to do hard work. We want to help them do that work."

[obiquital]

"I suspect it is simply for domination of the oil reserves. One thing for sure, we did not go there to fight terrorists, the terrorists weren't there until we took down the government

Posted by dallison7"

1) Canada has more oil reserves than Iraq has. Canada is #2, Iraq is #4.

2) Terrorists have been active in Iraq since 2001 and even prior to that to a lesser extent. Since we took down the government in 2003. So, there were terrorists there before we took down the government.

Hey lars008


don't you get it ?

You post a link to Fox News as your source, is that because they did such a fantastic job of lying the american public into invading Iraq.

yet you trust them now

blind faith only means you can't see

have a look at the links I put in my earlier post. if you want to come back and post, calling me names and stuff. Save your time, if you want to come back and post why the info sources I sent are no good, I'd love to here it.

same to you Fartknocker2
last time you suggested I do some reading, as the news you where supporting was all over every major media outlet. Which I was well aware of, but I unlike you, I am also well aware these same so called major media outlets, where the ones who sucked america into invading Iraq

peace and wake up

wake up, you where lied to about Iraq
why can't you see that ?

and Iran is next

just like the lies and propaganda about Iraq, spread by the same mainstream news media channels like here on the CBS.


If you are here for news and to be informed, do realize you where lied to about Iraq, just like you are being lied to about Iran. If you are an American citizen, do realize the massive debt you will be taking on again when they go to war with Iran.

here are some links, copy and paste them and have a read.
this guys where bang on accurate on reporting pre invasion of Iraq, and they will prove themselves again on Iran.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=PIL20070205&articleId=4689

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=SYM20070205&articleId=4690

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=home



Article her by Colonel Sam Gardiner
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/17/143241

Scott Ritter on Target Iran: The Truth About the White House%u2019s Plans for Regime Change
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/10/16/144204&mode=thread&tid=25


Retired Colonel Sam Gardiner on Iran War Plans
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/04/17/143241

here is a list of journalist worth reading

Robert Fisk, Jonathan Cook, Richard Bulliet, Michel Chossudovsky, Patrick Seale, Paul Craig Roberts, Paul J. Balles, Mark Weisbrot,
John Pilger, Juan Cole


peace

[hillaryin08]

Time to put the democrats on suicide watch again

[bluestardad]

Does anyone know what has been going on for the last 4 years?

[lars008-2009]

you'll get your chance to kill muslims alright.............. or be killed by them.....

the real fascist nazi's of today are the fascist nazi islamic muslims.....

'Obsession'
Documentary gives insight into radical Islam's global threat
http://www.foxnews.com/video2/launchPa

ge.html?110506/110506_fnl_obsession&%2
7O
bsession%27&FNL&Documentary%20gives%20in
sight%20into%20radical%20Islam%92s%20glo
bal%20threat&Foxlife&-1&%27Obsession%27&
Video%20Launch%20Page&News
http://www.obsessionthemovie.com/12min.htm
http://myspace.com/waragainstthewest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BL4-mxE87w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUpcpEQtgp4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BUqXSeCDJc

UK TV AIRS SHOCK 'UNDERCOVER' LOOK INTO MAINSTREAM BRIT MOSQUES...
Dispatches: Undercover Mosque
This is part one of the much-anticipated UK Channel 4 documentary Dispatches: Undercover Mosque, exposing evidence of Islamic supremacism, shocking misogyny, and support for violence at a number of Britain%u2019s leading mosques and Muslim institutions. (Thanks again to LGF operative kasper.)
http://littlegreenfootballs.co
m/weblog/?entry=24018_Dispatches-_Underc
over_Mosque&only

[tibu987]

"Civilization will not attain to its perfection until the last stone from the last church falls on the last priest." %u2014 Imile Zola
-
Yes, religion, all religions, has caused more turmoil and death in this world than anything else.
Education is the answer. But, that solution is milleniums away.
'Nuff said.

[j-whitman]

Bush now think's this is WW2 & he is Truman - LOL

TRUMAN WON WW2 IN LESS TIME, PAID FOR THE WAR WITH TAXES, PROSICUTED WAR PROFITEERS, & ACTUALLY KEPT HIS ALLIES ------- BUSH IS NO TRUMAN

------- THIS IS NOT WW2 -------------

[j-whitman]

DISHONORING OUR TROOPS -- FOR BUSH'S POLITICAL GAIN
DISHONORING AMERICA -- FOR BUSH'S POLITICAL GAIN

[j-whitman]

Badax,,, When has Bush ever been right ???? --NEVER,, -- THIS TIME IT'S KILLING OUR TROOPS & DISHONERING AMERICAN VOTERS

[jimfinster]

I second that motion.

[frankly6]

lars08

Extremists on both sides want to turn this whole mess into a religious war while the rest of us just want to live in peace and raise our families. If you want to kill Muslims you should just shut up, sign up, and go to Iraq.

[lars008-2009]

ISLAM IS A VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW!

ISLAM PRACTICES SLAVERY OF NON MUSLIMS
ISLAM PRACTICES APARTHIED OF NON MUSLIMS
ISLAM PRACTICES RAPE OF NON MUSLIMS
ISLAM PRACTICES GENOCIDE OF NON MUSLIMS

ALL ARE VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW AND ARE CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY

[heetseeker]

crater7

The simplest ideas are always the best.

I am not a military officer, but surely, any successful military or intelligence led action must rely on the element of surprise? To launch what is in effect a promotional trailer for our Baghdad offensive strikes me as unwise in the extreme. My view is that it will be as Fallujah, where we telegraphed the operation and allowed hundreds perhaps even thousands of insurgents to relocate to safe areas, to live to fight another day.

Spare a thought for our military leaders though. War is rarely a purely military affair. Politicians need to be seen to be "in control" and "doing something." Hence the set-piece production "New Way Forward."

Some die-hards will stay in Iraq and duke it out with us and be anihilated. But sadly, the net effect of the troop surge in Baghdad will be utterly meaningless. Most will live to fight another day.

[panhandlpete]

America has been put "on sale" to the highest bidder. The public does not know who owns our ports as the DUBAI deal was quietly withdrawn from the news. Our airlines were offered for sale. Many cities/states offered toll roads for sale. The fast-track trade policy that GWB wants reinstated will help him move forward with the American Trade Union that eliminates the north and southern borders. (So why the big push/fight over illegal immigrats to get amnesty.....just a way of diverting attention until he gets all the plans in place for the ATU.)

Can you imagine how much damage he can do during the next two years if Congress grants him line item veto, like he asked in his speech?

The WAR is foremost on people's minds, but forces are at work here at home (boardrooms, committees, organizations) which have plans to drastically change our way of life.

[crater7]

"BAGHDAG SECURITY PUSH COULD START SOON" HEY! I HAVE AN IDEA, LETS DROP LEAFLETS FROM PLANES AND TELL ALL THE BAD GUYS THAT THE TROOP SURGE IS COMMING, THEY WILL ALL RUN AND HIDE. THE VIOLENCE STOPPED. WALA, WE CAN BRING OUT TROOPS HOME. NO MORE BAD GUYS.
SIMPLE, AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NO NEW PLANS.

[heetseeker]

"Distinguishing Shadow From Substance"

I am not opposed to US troops being in Iraq. I am a pragmatist. My view is that we have created a prophecy that has fulfilled itself. Therefore under present conditions our presence in Iraq is necessary. Pre-2003, although Saddam was known to compensate the families of Palestinian suicide bombers, Iraq was not the haven for terorist activity and sectarian extremism that it is today.

Today Iraq is a finishing school and proving ground for the worst of the worst. New techniques are being developed and perfected to create mayhem and madness and our "flowering democracy" is now a failed state. On top of that, far from being an ally in the war on terror, Iraq is now an unwitting exporter of international terrorism.

Is it at all likely that if we leave Iraq, "they will follow us home." I think it is absolutely plausible (but not certain). Unfortunately, the problem the administration has is that of the little boy who cried wolf. You see, when fear becomes a policy of state and threats of "mushroom clouds", "smoking guns" and "weapons of mass destruction" are revealed as see through-shams, then people become suspicious.

Sadly, for the administration it is on the fast track of a slippery slope. You see, if people become suspicious, then they raise doubts. If they raise doubts it is because they distrust and if they distrust the war will be lost.

[ihatebush1]

The thousand year civil war cannot be solved by our troops. The Republican talking points about "winning" in Iraq is just talk.

The only way to fix this mess is for the world to get involved DIPLOMATICALLY along with boots on the ground. The United States cannot "win" this alone.

How can anyone think that more of our blood and more of our money aimed at a MILITARY victory will change the hearts and minds over there?

I give our current effort in Iraq an 18% chance of success. There is alomst certain failure. Even if the whole world got involved DIPLOMATICALLY and with troops, I would still only give that about a 50% chance of success.

That's not being "defeatist" (republican made-up word).

That's just calling it the way I see it.

[inventagod]

Bu$h says "You are all fools! And my defense buddies are now so rich, they could buy America from the Chinese."

Too late, USA. Fascists rule the land.

[antoniof123]

Well, we will add another 21,500 troops to Iraq and then the Republicans will request another 25,000 troops claiming that it will still work. Then in 2008 a Democrat will be President because America will be sick and tired by then. Of course the poor guy or girl who has to get the military out will then be branded by the Republicans as defeatist. Of course by that time this country will be such a mess that we will not care what those fools say anymore.