Despite claims by Washington聮s puppet government in Baghdad that 聯security聰 in Iraq has dramatically improved over the past six months, the latest figures compiled by the UN聮s refugee agency show that many more Iraqis are continuing to flee their war-torn country to neighbouring Syria than are returning.
Iraq
The polling company Opinion Research Business (ORB) has released detailed data confirming that the death toll from the Iraq war has exceeded 1 million people 聴 more than the total number killed in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
US officials want their puppet Iraqi government to agree to a long-term 聯status of forces agreement聰 that would give the US military 聯broad authority to conduct combat operations and guarantee civilian contractors specific legal protections from Iraqi law聰, the January 25 New York Times reported.
聯General [David] Petraeus has warned that too fast a drawdown [of US troops] could result in the disintegration of the Iraqi security forces聰, US President George Bush declared in his January 28 聯state of the union聰 speech to the US Congress.
聯The killing of innocent civilians is policy聰, Iraq war veteran Mike Blake told a public meeting held on January 19 at the Different Drummer Cafe in Watertown, New York State, near the Canadian border.
鈥淭he death rate in Iraq in the past 12 months has been the second highest in any year since the invasion, according to figures that appear to contradict American claims that the troop 鈥榮urge鈥 has dramatically reduced the level of violence across the country鈥, the British Independent daily reported on January 7.
The US troop death toll in Iraq in November 聴 37 聴 was the lowest since March 2006, when 31 US troops were killed. Nevertheless, 2007 has been the deadliest year on record for the US occupation forces, with 878 troops killed by the end of November 聴 56 more than last year.
聯More deadly violence occurred north and south of Baghdad as insurgents appeared intent on sending a message to US and Iraqi officials that their recent expressions of confidence in the nation聮s security were premature聰, the November 24 Los Angeles Times reported, adding that the attacks were 聯marked by hits on targets that lately had escaped attack聰.
聯A US military convoy opened fire on a column of cars Sunday morning, killing at least two Iraqi civilians in southern Iraq and igniting a new round of anger over the apparent loss of innocent life聰, the US McClatchy Newspapers chain reported on November 18. 聯Police charged that the shootings were unprovoked and said six people, including two Iraqi policemen, died in a barrage of bullets.聰
This month marks the third anniversary of the massive US military assault on the rebel Iraqi city of Fallujah, 55 kilometres west of Baghdad. A year after the US assault, the New York Times described Fallujah as 聯virtually a police state聰. Little has changed in the two years since. The October 14 Chicago Tribune described Fallujah as a 聯place under 24-hour lockdown, surrounded by berms and barbed wire聰.
Meeting Resistance
Directed by Steve Connors & Molly Bingham
Directed by Steve Connors & Molly Bingham
The November 2 British Independent reported that US- NATO ally Turkey 聯has started to impose economic sanctions on Iraqi Kurdistan by stopping flights between Istanbul聰 and Irbil, capital of the Kurdistan autonomous region in northern Iraq.
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