Maliki Intends to Lift Curfew in Baghdad--after 9 MONTHS. I had

[rodeodance]

forgotten they were under curfew. No wonder violence is down and it is so quiet. (well, at least it is some of the reason).



Maliki Intends to Lift Curfew in Baghdad
Planned Easing of Security Restrictions Reflects Recent Drop in Violence, Officials Say

By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, November 13, 2007; Page A14

BAGHDAD, Nov. 12 -- Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hopes to soon declare an end to a nine-month-old security plan and curfew in Baghdad because of a recent decline in violence, Iraqi officials said Monday.

Maliki expects to gradually lift the curfew, which now extends from midnight to 5 a.m., and to reopen this month 10 roads in the capital that have been shut as a security precaution, according to one of his aides. The aide cautioned that the plans could be altered depending on fast-moving conditions on the ground.

[shain from kane]

1. New IED targets opening up. With 10 roads being closed, there was a lack of targets. Insurgents

were starting to complain.



Using same language as Rumsfeld.

From the internets---

JIM LEHRER: And he said "that we should consider bombing Iraq which he said had better targets. At first I thought Rumsfeld was joking, but he was serious."

DONALD RUMSFELD: How does he know? I don't think I've met this person two or three times in my life. And I did say the truth, and the truth was -- I think what I said was Afghanistan is -- someone said "are you running out of targets?" And I said "Afghanistan is running out of targets." And the reason was we needed people on the ground, and we needed to target designators that could help us with the Taliban.



Edited to add reference.