Iraq Says U.S.-Led Military Role Crucial

[leftchick]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4633147,00.html

~snip~

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) - Iraq told an international conference Tuesday that U.S.-led military operations in the war-ravaged country are essential to allowing all people to vote in January national elections. And it received broad global support in the process.

~snip~

But Iraq took center stage, with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari telling the conference that security was the key concern in staging his country's Jan. 29 elections. He also defended the American-led multinational force in Iraq, which is widely seen in the Arab world as an army of occupation.

``The contribution of the multinational force is essential to help secure necessary conditions for voting and to support our security forces in stabilizing the country,'' Zebari said.

Zebari addressed representatives of 20 nations, including Iraq's six neighbors, and bodies such as the Group of Eight, the European Union and the Arab League, who came to this Red Sea resort to discuss Iraq's future. The two-day conference, which ended Tuesday, was attended by states that had opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq but now recognize the need to contribute to its reconstruction.

[KingChicken]

1. Too late, the vote is officialy fucked, ontime or not

[saigon68]

2. CIA AGENT ALLAWI "Iraq Says U.S.-Led Military Role Crucial"

Bring em on he continued

[daleo]

3. Puppet says, "it is vital that the puppeteer pulls my strings"

"Otherwise, I can't move, and I will die".

[maddezmom]

4. of course, the Iraqi forces are either being killed, arrested or defecting

It's safe to say they are targeting Iraqi security forces with a campaign of threats, intimidation and murder," said Lt. Col. Paul Hastings, a military spokesman in Mosul.

Concerns are growing that the campaign is succeeding in part because the insurgents have infiltrated the Iraqi security forces.

The recently deposed police chief in Mosul, Muhammad Kheiri Barhawi, whose force almost entirely deserted when the fighting began two weeks ago, was arrested Sunday by Kurdish forces in the province east of Mosul. A senior officer in the Mosul Police Department said Mr. Barhawi, found in possession of $600,000, was under investigation on suspicion of collaborating with insurgents.

Three national guardsmen in Mosul were detained this week on suspicion of collaborating with insurgents, including one who was found helping insurgents who had set up an illegal checkpoint to identify other Iraqi troops, according to an American military commander here.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/23/international/middleeast/23iraq.html

[maddezmom]

5. much more here: Iraq Falls Short on Vote Security

Iraqi and American officials believe it is important to deploy Iraqi forces, rather than have American troops police the polls, to ensure the credibility of the vote. But American commanders say that only 145,000 Iraqi security personnel will be trained and ready by election day, now scheduled for Jan. 30, far short of the 270,000 that Iraqi officials say are needed.

much more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/23/international/middleeast/23vote.html

[LynnTheDem]

6. Ain't it funny how the "greatest military in the world" can't control Iraq

but bushCartel think Iraqi troops can.

bushCartel; dumbest MFers on the entire planet.

[maddezmom]

9. and once again outsourcing the hunt for al Zaqawi to Iraqi Security Forces

Another reason for the Fallujah operation was to capture Iraq (news - web sites)'s most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whose Al-Qaeda-linked group was allegedly operating out of the city. But he is now believed to have escaped before the US-led assault began on November 8.


Iraqi security forces said Tuesday they were focusing their hunt for Zarqawi, who has a 25 million dollar US bounty on his head, on an area in north-central Iraq after receiving a tip-off.


Zarqawi's group has claimed responsibility for many of the most ferocious attacks in Iraq, including car bombings, kidnappings and beheadings of hostages.


Iraq was pressing ahead with preparations for January's elections as world powers and Middle Eastern states, in a rare show of unity, threw their weight behind the ballot.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041123/wl_afp/iraq&cid=1512&ncid=1480

[atreides1]

7. "The contribution of the multinational force is essential..."

Translation:It's better that westerners die in large groups then Iraqi
soldiers or police officers.

[bullimiami]

8. There is no "IRAQ". What a joke.

There is little news I find even remotely credible now.
It insults the intelligence.