Rumsfeld says Baghdad violence is coming down

[Barrett808]

Rumsfeld says Baghdad violence is coming down
by Jim Mannion

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said US and Iraqi troops have reduced the levels of violence in Baghdad but whether that lasts depends on a difficult reconciliation process.

Rumsfeld and Iraq's visiting deputy president Adil Abd al-Mahdi skirted the question of what to do about Moqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shiite cleric whose followers are believed to be behind much of the sectarian violence.

Mahdi, speaking after the hourlong meeting, indicated that Sadr should be dealt with as a political leader separate from his militia.

"We have to distinguish between the political line and the militia line," Mahdi told reporters.

"He is supporting the government, he has ministers in the government. And we are trying to distinguish between the undisciplined groups from the disciplined ones," he said, referring to Sadr.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060825/pl_afp/usiraqmilitary

[Kikosexy2]

1. Just Rummy...

having too much rum as usual...pay no mind...nothing here...move along...drunk bitch ranting mindlessly....

[zreosumgame]

2. seeing Rummy's history

it looks like time to buy lots of bottled water and camping supplies...

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Meanwhile, the US troop level RISES, not decreases.

Nice going, you gnarly, miserable old bastard.

You should have been fired years ago for what you have done.

[damntexdem]

4. Yeah, coming down --

coming right down to the Green Zone to take aim at some sitting ducks there.

[liberal N proud]

5. Just can't stop with the lies...

Did he not get the memo from KKKarl? "It could be much worse" is the new meme.

[C_U_L8R]

6. Ginned Up Rummy

Is there any reason anyone should believe these jerks???

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. depends on a difficult reconciliation process

With who, Saddam?

[livvy]

8. Maybe someone should send him these stories from today.

Yup, downright peaceful over there.

http://icasualties.org/oif/


08/25/06 AFP: Roadside bomb kills Iraqi army officer in Khan Bani Saad
A roadside bomb attack had killed an Iraqi army officer and wounded four of his soldiers Thursday in the Khan Bani Saad district outside Baquba.

08/25/06 AFP; Two bakers killed in Tikrit
Two bakers were killed and three wounded by gunmen in the northern town of Tikrit Friday. Some Islamist insurgents target bakers if their recipes do not conform to those available in the era of the Prophet Mohammed.

08/25/06 Reuters: Gunmen kill two in 2 people in Nasiriya
Two people were killed and two wounded when gunmen clashed with guards at a Sunni mosque in Nasiriya, 375 km (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad, an Interior Ministry source said.

08/25/06 Reuters: Three killed, three wounded by makeshift bomb in Balad Ruz
Three teenage boys were killed and three wounded when a makeshift bomb exploded on a field where they were playing football, police said. The attack took place in the town of Balad Ruz, northeast of Baghdad.

08/25/06 Reuters: U.S. tanks shell Iraqi mosque after attack: military
U.S. tanks shelled a mosque in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi on Friday after coming under rocket-propelled grenade and machinegun fire from the building, the U.S. military said.

08/25/06 Time: Separating Iraqi Politics from War
Pursuing the insurgents is hard enough. But Iraq's top general has to walk a difficult line of battling militias without alienating their political leaders

08/25/06 Time: Is Iran Running Militias in Iraq?
Iraqi politicians say the growing U.S. claims of a clear link between Shi'ite militias and Tehran is pure scapegoating. And renewed Tehran-bashing in Washington could further complicate its efforts to end the civil war

08/25/06 AP: Despite carnage, cleaning up Iraq has taken on sense of 'normalcy'
They're scenes all too familiar in Iraq: shattered buildings, mangled cars, pools of blood. The carnage takes its toll on the landscape -- and those responsible for cleaning up the mess.

08/25/06 Reuters: Turkey bombed Kurdish rebels at Iraqi border
Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish guerrilla positions in the Iraqi border region earlier this week, military sources said on Friday. Several thousand members of the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are believed to be hiding in the mountains...

08/25/06 Reuters: Nine killed in attacks in Baquba
Nine people died in separate attacks in various parts of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said

08/25/06 Reuters: Roadside bomb kills Iraqi soldier in Rashad
A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army patrol exploded in the small town of Rashad, 30 km (18 miles) south of the northern town of Kirkuk, killing one soldier and wounding two others, a military source said

08/25/06 Reuters: Six wounded in hand-grenade attack in Hawija
Six people, including three policemen, were wounded in a hand-grenade attack on a market in Hawija, 70 km (43 miles) southwest of Kirkuk, said police Brigadier General Sarhat Qadir.

08/25/06 ABCNews: Military Intensifies Ramadi Effort Amid Daily Attacks
"There's no sectarian violence out in Ramadi," said Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commander of the multinational forces in Iraq. "It's a different fight because you're fighting al Qaeda. You're fighting terrorists."

08/25/06 WaPo: Into the heart of Baghdad
Gen. John Abizaid made headlines three weeks ago when he told Congress that civil war was a possibility in Iraq. On Thursday, he went into two of Baghdad's most dangerous neighborhoods to see if a new American-led offensive against the death...

08/25/06 IRIN: Threatened teachers fleeing Iraq
Being a teacher in Iraq today has become as dangerous as being a soldier in action, teachers say, and it's a risk many are not willing to take. Ever since a Shi'ite shrine was attacked last February in Samarra, 125km north of Baghdad...

08/25/06 Reuters: Iraqis cautious over Baghdad security crackdown
U.S. commanders have declared their security crackdown in Baghdad a contest for the future of the entire country but many in the capital have a hard time believing anything can save their city from further bloodshed.

08/25/06 AFP: Insurgents kill seven as Iraq violence rages
Sectarian and insurgent violence has claimed seven more victims around Iraq as Muslims from the bitterly divided Sunni and Shiite communities gathered in their respective mosques for weekly prayers.

08/25/06 Reuters: Body of Iraqi soldier found near Qaim
The body of an Iraqi soldier with multiple gunshot wounds, bearing signs of torture, was found in an area near the Syrian border just east of Qaim, 500 km (300 miles) west of Baghdad, said police officer Falah Hassan.

[54anickel]

14. More Iraqis killed as U.S. generals cite security gains

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060825/NEWS07/608250367/1009/NEWS07

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Bombings and shootings continued across Iraq, killing civilians, soldiers and police, authorities said Thursday, as the top two U.S. generals in the region said progress was being made to improve security in Baghdad.

snip>

The U.S. military has said the operation, for which 12,000 troops were sent to Baghdad, aims to curb mostly sectarian warfare.

Said Army Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq: "I think everybody has seen an improvement in the situation in Baghdad over the last weeks because of the operations of the Iraqi security forces supported by the American Army. And we're confident that we can sustain that."

With a week remaining in August, the estimated number of Iraqis killed around the nation was at least 605, according to an Associated Press count. That was about 60% of the estimated total of at least 1,015 killed in July.

But the government's count for July was far higher at 3,500, including 1,500 in Baghdad alone. Reported deaths are thought to be considerably lower than the actual number of people killed.

Among Thursday's incidents:

more...


Violence supposedly down in Baghdad. So, what about the rest of the country....it's nothing but a continuing game of "wack-a-mole".

[gademocrat7]

9. Put down the crack pipe,rummy.

His rear end should be booted all the way to the Hague.

[LynnTheDem]

10. "It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months."

"We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."

"Beyond abuse of prisoners, there are other photos that depict incidents of physical violence toward prisoners, acts that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhuman."

Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004


"I'm not a lawyer. My impression is that what has been charged thus far is abuse, which I believe technically is different from torture … I don't know if it is correct to say what you just said, that torture has taken place, or that there's been a conviction for torture. And therefore I'm not going to address the torture word."

Donald Rumsfeld
Press Briefing
May 4, 2004


"Let me be clear: I failed to recognize how important it was to elevate a matter of such gravity to the highest levels, including the president and the members of Congress."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

According to eye witnesses to debate at the highest levels of the Administration. ... whenever Powell or Armitage sought to question prisoner treatment issues, they were forced to endure what our source characterizes as "around the table, coarse, vulgar, frat-boy bully remarks about what these tough guys would do if they ever got their hands on prisoners."
The Nelson Report
As quoted by Talking Points Memo.com
May 6, 2004

________________
"It's not correct to say "Nothing was done." You're making a set of conclusions that are just simply not accurate."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

From U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell to investigators for the International Committee of the Red Cross, a broad array of officials pressed the Pentagon to improve conditions or face a likely Iraqi backlash, officials from the government and the organizations said yesterday."
The Washington Post
Pentagon Was Warned of Abuse Months Ago
May 8, 2004

________________
"I can't conceive of anyone looking at the pictures and suggesting that anyone could have recommended, condoned, permitted, encouraged, subtly, directly, in any way, that those things take place."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

Detainees under supervision of military intelligence were at high risk of being subjected to a variety of harsh treatments ranging from insults, threats and humiliations to both physical and psychological coercion, which in some cases was tantamount to torture...
International Committee of the Red Cross
Report on the Treatment of Iraqi Prisoners
February, 2004

________________
"I have the report somewhere here and I'd be happy to let you see it. I'm reluctant to start discussing it, but I can say what I said. They found a number of things that they were concerned about, as they always do. And it's helpful, I must say."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

The report said the ICRC’s inspections “suggested the use of ill-treatment against persons deprived of their liberty went beyond exceptional cases and might be considered a practice tolerated by” coalition forces.
Wall Street Journal
Bush Faces Some Stark Choices in Iraq
May 7, 2004

________________
"And when General Taguba came in and made his report, he indicated that a number of the issues that had been raised last year by the ICRC had, in fact, been corrected by the command structure between the time that they were observed by the ICRC and the time that General Taguba's team arrived on the scene."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

On at least one occasion, the 320th MP Battalion at Abu Ghraib held a handful of “ghost detainees” … that they moved around within the facility to hide them from a visiting International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) survey team. This maneuver was deceptive, contrary to Army Doctrine, and in violation of international law."
Gen. Antonio Taguba
Article 15-6 Investigation of the 800th Military Police Brigade
May 7, 2004

(note: this is the only mention of the ICRC in the Taguba report.)


________________

"We did not release the Taguba report to the press. That was done by someone to release against the law a secret document."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

Q: "Mr. Secretary, can you say why it was classified secret?" Do you know?
RUMSFELD:"No, you'd have to ask the classifier."

Donald Rumsfeld
Press Briefing
May 4, 2004


In no case shall information be classified in order to: (1) conceal violations of law, inefficiency, or administrative error; (2) prevent embarrassment to a person, organization, or agency.
George W. Bush
Executive Order 13292
March 25, 2003

________________
We do not want America -- they do not want Americans or coalition forces in their country over a prolonged period, and goodness knows we don't want to be there."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

The United States is planning to establish up to four long-term military bases in Iraq. The proposal would transform America's ability to project its power in the Middle East.
The Daily Telegraph
America plans military bases in Iraq to apply pressure on Middle East
April 21, 2003

________________
"We value human life. We believe in individual freedom and in the rule of law. For those beliefs, we send men and women of the armed forces abroad to protect that right for our own people and to give others who aren't Americans the hope of a future of freedom."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

The latest allegation involved an elderly Iraqi woman said to have been abused by U.S. military guards. The woman, arrested last July, was reportedly put into a harness and forced to crawl on her hands and knees while a guard rode her donkey-style.
The Boston Herald
Guards treated woman like donkey
May 6, 2004

________________
"Above all, ask them if the willingness of Americans to acknowledge their own failures before humanity doesn't light the world as surely as the great ideas and beliefs that made this nation a beacon of hope and liberty for all who strive to be free."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones initiation and we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You of heard of need to blow some steam off?"
Rush Limbaugh
It's Not About Us; This Is War!
May 4, 2004

________________
"This is also an occasion to demonstrate to the world the difference between those who believe in democracy and in human rights, and those who believe in rule by terrorist code."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

"My view and the view of the British chain of command is that the Americans' use of violence is not proportionate and is over-responsive to the threat they are facing. They don't see the Iraqi people the way we see them. They view them as untermenschen."
Senior British Officer
Quoted in the Daily Telegraph
April 11, 2004

________________
"These events occurred on my watch. As secretary of defense, I am accountable for them and I take full responsibility."
Donald Rumsfeld
Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee
May 7, 2004

rumsfeld is an idiot, a liar, a war criminal, and a dickhead MFing rightwingnut. Only MFing rightwingnut dickheads are stupid enough to believe anything rummy has to say.

But then, "deeply stupid" is a way of life to MFing dickhead rightwingnuts.

[struggle4progress]

17. Maybe we could simply donate The Don to the Iraqis?

[oblivious]

11. Brings back fond memories of Baghdad Bob (see quotes)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3833977#3834112

[leesa]

12. Wasn't it just yesterday they announced the US would have to launch

a massive wave of violence in Baghdad to control the rampant violence in Baghdad?

[Ilsa]

13. "...Coming down..."' like to the Green Zone? nt Who believes anything

that shithead has to say anymore anyway? Why did the reporters even bother with this milquetoast assessment? Yeah, "milquetoast," as in that's what Georgie W needs for breakfast.

[barb162]

15. yeah right, it's a few deadenders

[struggle4progress]

16. Uh .. yeah ... Baghdad's morgue had 1,850 gunshot victims last month

Baghdad's morgue had 1,850 gunshot victims last month
AGENCIES , BAGHDAD
Friday, Aug 11, 2006,Page 1

Almost 2,000 bodies were taken to Baghdad's morgue last month, the highest tally in five months of rising sectarian bloodshed which has forced the US to boost troop levels in the capital to head off a civil war ...

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2006/08/11/2003322699


Posted to the web on: 10 August 2006
Baghdad morgue speaks of a nation at war with itself

BAGHDAD — About 3400 people were killed in Iraq in June and July, with 60 bodies a day brought to Baghdad’s morgue last month, underlining the increase in sectarian bloodshed since an attack in February on a major Shiite shrine. Morgue assistant manager Dr Abdul Razzaq al-Obaidi said yesterday that about 90% of the deaths were caused by violence in the capital, where US and Iraqi forces have increased troop numbers. “Most of the cases have gunshot wounds to the head. Some of them were strangled and others beaten to death with clubs” ...

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A247865

[BenDavid]

18. Well hell I am skeptical,

because all this month we have heard how bad it was in July in Iraq. The news gave us also during the month of August the middle east chaos, and then side tracking us again with a 10 year old murder, but all the time telling us how awful it was in Iraq in July...
Now if you watch CNN or Fox, you get the 10 year old murder, but now you are hearing more of how the deaths and attacks have decreased....Now since this is beginning the news out of Iraq in September will be how the attacks and deaths have decreased in August and things are looking better....Now comes October and the mediawhores will still be reporting how much the attacks and deaths have come down in Iraq in September as compared to August, and oh about the 19th of October ther might be news of troop withdrawal....uh huh....
Now if the mediawhores are not reporting but one side of the story and the real news is saying different that a civil war is still going strong then we all must write call and report the lies.....Hey, if a President can lie us into war, he sure as hell will lie us out of one.....

[oblivious]

19. Bump for this thread to contrast with new thread.

Iraqi Casualties Have Risen 51%, U.S. Study Finds
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2490158