Iraqi PM: We Have Defeated Terrorism

Maliki Says Iraq's Government Has Conquered Armed Groups In Baghdad

(AP)  Iraq's prime minister said Saturday that the government has defeated terrorism in the country, a sign of growing confidence after recent crackdowns against Sunni extremists and Shiite militias.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched the crackdowns to extend the authority of the government over areas in Baghdad and elsewhere that have largely been under the control of armed groups since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

"They were intending to besiege Baghdad and control it," al-Maliki said. "But thanks to the will of the tribes, security forces, army and all Iraqis, we defeated them."

He was speaking at ceremonies marking the fifth anniversary of the 2003 assassination of Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, a leading opponent of Saddam Hussein who was killed in a truck bombing in the southern Iraqi city of Najaf after returning from exile in Iran.

Such attacks plagued Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion, but violence in the country has now fallen to its lowest level in four years. The change has been driven by the 2007 buildup of American forces, the Sunni tribal revolt against al Qaeda in Iraq and al-Maliki's crackdowns, among other factors.

"Under the national unity government, the Iraqis have achieved national feats ... that are now lighting the course of our march," said al-Maliki.

Bolstered by this confidence, the prime minister plans to visit the United Arab Emirates on Sunday and also Italy and Germany later in the month - apparently hoping improved security at home will pay dividends in greater international support.

Iraq is also enjoying a surge in oil revenue driven by record crude prices and the highest production levels since Saddam's ouster. The government expects to earn a total of US$70 billion from oil in 2008 if prices remain high.

Planning to put some of this money to work, the Iraqi government held a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday for a major project to refurbish the main road to the Baghdad airport. The road was once considered one of the most dangerous in the world but has become safer with the decline in violence in the country.

Despite recent gains, daily attacks continue throughout Iraq. Gunmen attacked a police patrol Saturday near Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, killing one policeman, police said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Also Saturday, one policeman was killed and a passer-by was injured near Nasiriyah, 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, when a bomb attached to the policeman's car exploded, police said, speaking on condition of anonymity for the same reason.

On Friday, one Iraqi citizen was killed and seven were wounded when an explosion occurred in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmouk, said the U.S. military.

AP Exclusive: U.S. Removes Uranium From Iraq

The last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program - a huge stockpile of concentrated natural uranium - reached a Canadian port Saturday to complete a secret U.S. operation that included a two-week airlift from Baghdad and a ship voyage crossing two oceans.

The removal of 550 metric tons of "yellowcake" - the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment - was a significant step toward closing the books on Saddam's nuclear legacy. It also brought relief to U.S. and Iraqi authorities who had worried the cache would reach insurgents or smugglers crossing to Iran to aid its nuclear ambitions.

What's now left is the final and complicated push to clean up the remaining radioactive debris at the former Tuwaitha nuclear complex about 12 miles south of Baghdad - using teams that include Iraqi experts recently trained in the Chernobyl fallout zone in Ukraine.

"Everyone is very happy to have this safely out of Iraq," said a senior U.S. official who outlined the nearly three-month operation to The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

While yellowcake alone is not considered potent enough for a so-called "dirty bomb" - a conventional explosive that disperses radioactive material - it could stir widespread panic if incorporated in a blast. Yellowcake also can be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, nuclear weapons using sophisticated equipment.

The Iraqi government sold the yellowcake to a Canadian uranium producer, Cameco Corp., in a transaction the official described as worth "tens of millions of dollars." A Cameco spokesman, Lyle Krahn, declined to discuss the price, but said the yellowcake will be processed at facilities in Ontario for use in energy-producing reactors.

The deal culminated more than a year of intense diplomatic and military initiatives - kept hushed in fear of ambushes or attacks once the convoys were under way: first carrying 3,500 barrels by road to Baghdad, then on 37 military flights to the Indian Ocean atoll of Diego Garcia and finally aboard a U.S.-flagged ship for a 8,500-mile trip to Montreal.

And, in a symbolic way, the mission linked the current attempts to stabilize Iraq with some of the high-profile claims about Saddam's weapons capabilities in the buildup to the 2003 invasion.

Accusations that Saddam had tried to purchase more yellowcake from the African nation of Niger - and an article by a former U.S. ambassador refuting the claims - led to a wide-ranging probe into Washington leaks that reached high into the Bush administration.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "Iraqi PM: We Have Defeated Terrorism"

Great!

We have re-re-re-re-re-defeated al-CIA''duh-in-Iraq at long last.

Sounds like there remains no reason whatsoever for us to be there.

Load up the trucks, and roll to the airport!

[feelfree4u]

%u201CWhy we stand for immediate withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq%u201D

%u201CTHE U.S. occupation of Iraq has not liberated the Iraqi people, but has made life worse for most Iraqis.%u201D

%u201CTens of thousands of U.S. service people have been killed or maimed, and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have lost their lives as a result of the U.S. invasion in 2003, the ongoing occupation, and the violence unleashed by them.%u201D

%u201CIraq''s infrastructure has been destroyed, and U.S. plans for reconstruction abandoned. There is less electricity, less clean drinking water, and more unemployment today than before the U.S. invasion.%u201D

%u201CAll of the justifications initially provided by the U.S. for waging war on Iraq have been exposed as lies; the real reasons for the invasion %u2014 to control Iraq''s oil reserves and to increase U.S. strategic influence in the region %u2014 now stand revealed.%u201D

%u201CThe Bush administration has insisted again and again that stability, democracy, and prosperity are around the next bend in the road%u2026But the U.S. has deliberately stoked sectarian divisions in its ongoing attempt to install a U.S.-friendly regime, thus driving Iraq towards civil war.%u201D

%u201CWe call on the U.S. to get out of Iraq %u2014 not in six months, not in a year, but now.%u201D

www.ipetitions.com/petition/OutNow

[guadalcanal3]

Defeated terrorism???....in Iraq??...yeah riiiight...Will he still be saying that when the next carbomb goes off? (which it will)

[feelfree4u]

Re: "...daily attacks continue throughout Iraq. Gunmen attacked a police patrol Saturday near Mosul, 225 miles northwest of Baghdad, killing one policeman..."

Re: "...Also Saturday, one policeman was killed...near Nasiriyah..."

Obviously, these "Iraqi" stooges were killed by freedom-fighters, and not "terrorists", cuz the "terrorists" have been defeated again, according to our main installed stooge, Maliki.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "The Iraqi government sold the yellowcake to a Canadian uranium producer, Cameco Corp., in a transaction the official described as worth "tens of millions of dollars."

So, some Canadian pirates bought some stolen uranium from Iraqi stooges, for profit.

[poopus123]

Posted by FeelFree4U

Dude, I''m giggin'' your posts. They are very comical. Too bad for you that everything''s improving in Iraq and we arent going home until the time is right.

Well, that pretty much sucks for you, doesn''t it? How does it feel to be on the wrong side of history?

Oh well, I wish you a happy life even though you''re burning up with hatred for Bush. HAHAHAHAHA. You dummy.....

[feelfree4u]

Re: "Accusations that Saddam had tried to purchase more yellowcake from the African nation of Niger - and an article by a former U.S. ambassador refuting the claims..."

Nope. This absurd claim was soundly and publicly refuted by the IAEA as a shabby hoax, BEFORE the beginning of the illegal war of aggression against Iraq.

CBS Newz continues to try to prop-up this fraudulent claim, even 5+ years later.

What an insult to journalism, and to common sense.

[occams_taser]

LOL!

http://tinyurl.com/1h1y

[beehive21-2009]

Defeated the punks , stop thinking we are leaving, who will care for the third world fools ? Start thinking up some names for new States eg. Oilabama,Oilah,Yorkoil,Sipoil,The White House is, ChevronTexaco house , now, it appears.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "and we arent going home until the time is right"

Posted by poopus123

Sounds like you are saying that the installed puppet officials in Iraq are neither legitimate nor sovereign.

I agree.

[occams_taser]

Did Maliki fly in wearing a flightsuit and stand under a giant "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner? That''s required in these kind of announcements.

[barocalto]

%u201CWe call on the U.S. to get out of Iraq %u2014 not in six months, not in a year, but now.%u201D

Posted by FeelFree4U
.............

Well Obama doesn''t fell that way now....

[cdfoxtrot]

"Iraqi PM: We Have Defeated Terrorism". Famous last words???

[feelfree4u]

Re: "Well Obama doesn''t fell that way now...."

Posted by Barocalto

Who cares what that Corporate/AIPAC-controlled stooge thinks?

I sure don''t.

[barocalto]

I love this Bush might just get his democracy in the middle east.

I noticed that the North Korean have given up there nuclear program and Bush doesn''t get any credit for this remarkable piece of diplomatic work.

And for all you Bush hater out there and we know there are a lot to bad you all lose again. Bush get his eight years and a big pension you all pay for.. Life is wonderful....

[occams_taser]

He sounds like Baghdad Bob!

al-MalikiBob: I AM HERE TO TELL YOU (boom!) WE HAVE DEFEATED (boom!) TERRORISM (sound of ambulance in background)

[fluffytoes-2009]

Curious how the Bushbots who keep saying how things are wonderful in Iraq and how Bush is a genius have remained utterly silent about Bush''s buddy Ray Hunt undermining the Iraqi and US governments with the backdoor Kurdistan oil deal.

Well, I guess we shouldn''t be surprised. The Bushbots are pretty much reality challenged.

Details here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/zx9898

[feelfree4u]

Nice ones, "occams_taser"!

[barocalto]

the backdoor Kurdistan oil deal.
Posted by fluffytoes

Great at least someone is trying to get more oil and cheaper gas for Americans which is more then I can say for the Democratic congress.

[occams_taser]

You can''t really "argue" with a Bushbot, it''s like talking to one of the Koresh Cult. It''s better to just ignore them and hope they seek treatment. Sort of like when you''re out on the street and you pass by someone who is hallucinating and talking to imaginary people.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "Bush get his eight years and a big pension you all pay for.."

Posted by Barocalto

That probably won''t add up to much, if he ends up facing a gallows of firing squad, following his trial.

[barocalto]

-What a blow to LIBS. What a devastating blow.
Posted by globalcool08

Dude you got it Libs hate any good news out of Irag.

[chalres-2009]

Good. Now our troops can come home.

[barocalto]

his trail.
Posted by FeelFree4U

There will be no trail as there was no impeachment. And you will be paying part of his pension each and every pay check... This is so great...

[fluffytoes-2009]

globalcool08, so your post then affirms that you support people undermining the US government. You''re confirming that it''s okay to undermine the Iraqi government.

Talk about blind, mindless robots.

Do you actually think, or do you just spew "lib" taunts all over the Internets?

[occams_taser]

The one thing you gotta wonder about is what''s in it for the Bushbot cultist who posts fevered messages about "You LIBS!" this and "You LIBS" that. What''s in it for the low-level peon Koreshi? Why do they always fall for the cult leader? There is some interesting work there for a PhD in Abnormal Psych.

[feelfree4u]

RE: "There will be no (trial) as there was no impeachment..."

Posted by Barocalto

That''s fine with me. A summary execution is clearly in order at this point, as the logical alternative.

[barocalto]

A summary execution is clearly in order at this point, as the logical alternative.

________________________________________
Posted by FeelFree4U
Very good retort%u2026. My hat is off to you%u2026

[ioweign]

raqi PM: We Have Defeated Terrorism
Maliki Says Iraq''''s Government Has Conquered Armed Groups In Baghdad

-What a blow to LIBS. What a devastating blow.

Posted by globalcool08 at 03:34 PM : Jul 05, 2008

Just how many "Missions Accomplished" does this make now...

[barocalto]

Her only other alternative was to either be stoned or become a suicide bomber for allah.
Posted by globalcool08

Thanks for the info...

[oneamerican-]

This, yet again, is clearly a major defeat not only for the terrorists, but for the far-left Bush-bashing liberals who continue to lose all the battles in their War on America.

[formrusmcsgt]

Iraq''s prime minister said Saturday that the government has defeated terrorism in the country...

Let''s get our troops out then.

[ioweign]

There are many missions in a time of war, dummy lib. Wars consist of many MISSIONS. Question is, how much longer are you going to whine and cry every time a story comes out about the bad guys being defeated? If this article had been about a suicide bombing attack, you''''d be jumping for joy.

Posted by globalcool08 at 03:45 PM : Jul 05, 2008

Iraq has absolutely nothing to do with the War on Terror even your shrub says so.

I am not talking about patrols, maneuvers or tasks.


Not the brightest bulb are ya - "Mission Accomplished Again"

[cdfoxtrot]

Aaaaawwwwee...what''''s the matter fluffytoes, does this article bother you?? Does it hurt your defeatest cause? AAaaaweee...I''''m so sorry that the jihadists are being driven out of Iraq. I''''m so sorry this hurts your messiah Obama''''s election efforts...

Posted by globalcool08

The "jihadists" as you call them were not in "Eye-Rack" before the illegal invasion. Why we should be grateful for their alleged removal is beyond me. Any pretense that things are going well in "Eye-Rack" will help McBush, not Obama. And I wouldn''t get too complacent, globalcool08. The people you despise in "Eye-Rack" are being bribed by the US to stay at home and not attack the Americans. Once the money stops flowing, or their leaders decide otherwise, it''ll be back to business as usual. "Eye-Rack" will not be the western-style democracy you dream of. Your president has opened a pandora''s box over there, and strengthened "Eye-Ran''s" hand in the process.

You can put out all the mindless drivel you want, and pretend your fearless leader is some kind of genius, but you''re in a tiny minority at this point. The illegal war is a disaster and we''re paying for it at the fuel pumps every day.

[cdfoxtrot]

Aaaaawwwwee...what''''s the matter fluffytoes, does this article bother you?? Does it hurt your defeatest cause? AAaaaweee...I''''m so sorry that the jihadists are being driven out of Iraq. I''''m so sorry this hurts your messiah Obama''''s election efforts...

Posted by globalcool08

The "jihadists" as you call them were not in "Eye-Rack" before the illegal invasion. Why we should be grateful for their alleged removal is beyond me. Any pretense that things are going well in "Eye-Rack" will help McBush, not Obama. And I wouldn''t get too complacent, globalcool08. The people you despise in "Eye-Rack" are being bribed by the US to stay at home and not attack the Americans. Once the money stops flowing, or their leaders decide otherwise, it''ll be back to business as usual. "Eye-Rack" will not be the western-style democracy you dream of. Your president has opened a pandora''s box over there, and strengthened "Eye-Ran''s" hand in the process.

You can put out all the mindless drivel you want, and pretend your fearless leader is some kind of genius, but you''re in a tiny minority at this point. The illegal war is a disaster and we''re paying for it at the fuel pumps every day.

[formrusmcsgt]

This, yet again, is clearly a major defeat not only for the terrorists, but for the far-left Bush-bashing liberals who continue to lose all the battles in their War on America.

Posted by OneAmerican- at 03:52 PM : Jul 05, 2008

Hilarious.

If a word of this were true, our dignitaries wouldn''t still be sneaking in and out of Iraq unannounced like insurgents.....

[feelfree4u]

How''s it going today in Iraq (partial)?-

Baghdad

- On Friday night a roadside bombed detonated near the Salama hospital in Yarmouk neighborhood (west Baghdad).

- Around 11 am a roadside bomb targeted a police patrol in Karrada neighborhood near Andalus intersection downtown Baghdad.

- Police found 3 dead bodies in Baghdad : 2 were found in west Baghdad (Karkh bank)

Kirkuk

- In the morning a roadside bomb targeted an official of the patriotic united of Kurdistan%u2019s convoy.

Diyala

- On Friday evening gunmen planted a bomb near a house at Shuhdaa neighborhood in Jalwlaa (northeast Baquba).

Anbar

- At 10:55 am a roadside targeted Khalid Abu Mihahid a leader of the Islamic party in Falluja near the Islamic headquarter.

###

I wonder what it might look like there, if the al-Maliki stooge had not already re-re-re-re-re-defeated "terrorism"?

[ioweign]

This, yet again, is clearly a major defeat not only for the terrorists, but for the far-left Bush-bashing liberals who continue to lose all the battles in their War on America.

Posted by OneAmerican- at 03:52 PM : Jul 05, 2008

An unnecessary loss of life caused by Bush and Co.

9/11/2007
At the Senate Armed Services hearing on progress in Iraq today, Sen. John Warner (R-VA) asked Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, "if we continue what you have laid before the Congress, this strategy, that if you continue, [you are making America safer]?" "[Sir, I don%u2019t know actually]," replied Petraeus.

[oneamerican-]

This, yet again, is clearly a major defeat not only for the terrorists, but for the far-left Bush-bashing liberals who continue to lose all the battles in their War on America.

Now just try to claim Saddam didn''t have a WMD program - PROVEN WRONG.

[hermitdave]

GOSH--then the crusade is almost over and the crusaders can come home. Then all those lucky people of IRAQ can live free and happy in BUSHLAND. They might even tour BUSH PALACE someday. Don''t you feel all all WIZZARD OF OZZIE?

[whiskyrocker]

The war is finally over. Everybody can go home now. See ya tomorrow.

[feelfree4u]

Re: "You can put out all the mindless drivel you want, and pretend your fearless leader is some kind of genius, but you''re in a tiny minority at this point. The illegal war is a disaster and we''re paying for it at the fuel pumps every day."

Posted by cdfoxtrot

No doubt about it.

"PRESIDENT BUSH %u2013 Overall Job Rating"

"L.A. Times/Bloomberg 6/19-23/08"

"Approve- 23%"

What a silly and irrelevant minority of dead-enders.

[oneamerican-]

This, yet again, is clearly a major defeat not only for the terrorists, but for the far-left Bush-bashing liberals who continue to lose all the battles in their War on America.

Now just try to claim Saddam didn''''t have a WMD program - PROVEN WRONG.

You liberals have already hit bottom - but by all means, please keep digging your hole deeper.

[rjso]

"Despite recent gains, daily attacks continue throughout Iraq."

So now it''s only half a clusterfukk.

[cold777]

You liberals have already hit bottom - but by all means, please keep digging your hole deeper.


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Posted by OneAmerican- at 04:04 PM : Jul 05, 2008

Oh they will, that''''s guaranteed. We''''ll just sit back and watch them.


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Posted by globalcool08
======================================================
Isn''t there a pencil club meeting you have to attend?

[piercetheval]

...You mean it''s all over?
ALL YE,
ALL YE
OUT ARE IN FREE!
Now all you soldiers click your heels three times and repeat...

[cold777]

The LIBS are pulling their hairs out over this! Hilarious!! Sad, but Hilarious!!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by globalcool08
======================================================
If you keep repeating it to yourself a million times maybe you will start believing it.

[randynason]

Oh my God- that''s AMAZING- and, just in time for the upcoming election, too.
By the way, have you seen the Tooth Fairy and her entourage of tinkerbells? Oh yeah, I forgot- They''re on this site, masquerading as neo-conservative Bush-ittes.

[ioweign]

Iraqi PM: We Have Defeated Terrorism
Maliki Says Iraq''s Government Has Conquered Armed Groups In Baghdad
#####

Watch Halliburton stock drop like an anchor this Monday as the Republicans SELL - HAL

[cold777]

If you keep repeating it to yourself a million times maybe you will start believing it.


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Posted by cold777 at 04:09 PM : Jul 05, 2008

ROFTL.....did I "strike a nerve" in you there LIB?

LOL!!!


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Posted by globalcool08
======================================================
If you hurry you still might catch the pencil club meeting!