New report implicates Iraqi police in Karbala attack; Iraqi gov't to take August off

[ProSense]

US says Iraqi lawmakers to take August break

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House said Friday that Iraq's parliament may take the month of August off but downplayed the impact on political reconciliation efforts seen as key to quelling deadly violence.

"My understanding is at this juncture they're going to take August off, but you know, they may change their minds," said spokesman Tony Snow, who refused to say whether there had been US efforts to dissuade them.

"You know, it's 130 degrees (54 Celsius) in Baghdad in August. I'll pass on your recommendation," he said when a reporter asked about the impact on an Iraq progress report due by September 15.

Reminded that the heat affected the roughly 160,000 US troops in Iraq, Snow replied: "You know, that's a good point. And it's 130 degrees for the Iraqi military."

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Army: Iraqi Police Were in on Jan. Karbala Attack

By Spencer Ackerman - July 13, 2007, 11:50 AM

According to a U.S. Army investigation, the Iraqi Police assisted a brazen January assault on U.S. troops in the southern city of Karbala -- an attack that a U.S. military spokesman tied to Iranian operatives earlier this month.

USA Today obtained a copy of the Army's February 27 report. The report found that the Karbala policemen exploited "a level of trust" that U.S. commanders placed with them to provide security for a provincial headquarters where a contingent of soldiers were stationed. In the assault, one of the most sophisticated on U.S. troops to date, gunmen passed themselves off as part of a U.S. security team and entered the compound past police checkpoints, eventually killing five soldiers.

USA Today reports that in advance of the attack, Iraqi police abandoned their stations, as did Iraqi civilian employees of the compound's PX. The gunmen exhibited signs of knowing how U.S. forces would defend themselves under attack, and used that apparent knowledge to pin down and abduct soldiers and officers.

Earlier this month, in a U.S. military briefing for the press, Brigadier General Kevin Bergner, a former White House aide, accused Iranian operatives of the powerful Qods Forces of masterminding the attack and using Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army to pull it off. Nothing in the Army report is dispositive of Bergner's contention, said to have been gained through interrogation of a Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist in U.S. custody. But at Mother Jones, reporter Laura Rozen notes that Bergner's briefing "failed to mention" the February Army report ascribing complicity to the Iraqi police. It's not difficult to see why -- considering that the U.S.'s long-term strategy in Iraq is to turn security operations over to uniformed Iraqis like the Karbala police.

[EFerrari]

1. The thing is, the US will continue to beat up on the Iraqi gov

until they hand over the share of the oil profits we want. :shrug:

[ProSense]

2. Let them take August off, but

begin withdrawing U.S. troops! Iraq is a sovereign nation and American troops shouldn't be dying while Iraqi politicians vacation.

[EFerrari]

5. But Iraqi politicians didn't ask for their country to be occupied.

I usually agree with you, ProSense, but can't in this case. Maybe they're trying to keep the profits of Iraqi oil for Iraq -- that would be the Iraq that the US has sabotaged since 1968.

The US has a noose around their neck. It's plainly DISGUSTING. It's a stick up.

Our troops are dying over there? Iraqi politicians didn't deploy them.

[ProSense]

8. All the more reason

to leave. One has nothing to do with the other. Occupation vs. sovereignty: They can vacation, work or do whatever to protect their oil, but U.S. withdrawal should not be determined by which choice they make. Whether they vacation or work, Iraq is still fighting a civil war and U.S. troops do not belong in the middle of it.

[EFerrari]

9. I couldn't agree more. Our troops are essentially hold up men

right now while BushCo twists the Iraqi arm until they give it up to Big Oil.

The disrespect to our service people is more disgusting than I can express.

Bring them home.

[shain from kane]

3. It's not exactly like The Garden of Eden over here in August.

[Bluebear]

4. Taking the month of August off, much like our own monkey President. nt

[EFerrari]

7. This isn't about a vacation but about some way to ward off

the predations of American oil companies.

(Oh, those lazy, inept Iraqis want us to do all the heavy lifting -- of their oil profits. Why won't they just roll over for American oil companies? Shiftless ingrates! :sarcasm:)

[aquart]

6. The heat is life-threatening.

Once again, we try to dictate terms in complete ignorance and contempt of the reality of the country and culture.

[ProSense]

10. Is it life-threatening for U.S. soldiers?

Are they taking the month off?

[EFerrari]

11. I wonder how many deaths from dehydration the Pentagon has hidden.

:mad:

[aquart]

16. They should be taking the war off.

It's actually a nutty equivalent. It LOOKS better if THEY are sweltering while WE are sweltering. But why on god's earth would we want anything about that to look better? I fully encourage that legislature to hit the beaches of the Mediterranean and make us look like fools for remaining in Baghdad.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

12. Um, what?

Average daily high for Baghdad in July- 110.

Average daily high for Baghdad in August- 108.

Once again, people shouldn't give Tony Snow the benefit of the doubt.

[EFerrari]

15. Tony should be calling Bingo games, not spinning national opinion.

With apologies to Bingo aficionados.

[aquart]

17. IIRC, they wanted to take July off, too, but bowed to US pressure.

It's too hot to be there. Let's all go home.

[ProSense]

13. Kick! n/t

[mmonk]

14. That's alright. Ours is taking it off as well.

[EFerrari]

18. Whenever I hear that, um, Junior is spending time at the pig farm

I feel relief.

[mmonk]

19. I still picture him taking a swing at the golf course.

[EFerrari]

20. I still can't believe anyone, let alone any cabal, put this guy in office.

I must suffer from a lack of imagination.

The Bush Countdown Clock that my son gave me for Christmas says: 633 days, 18 hrs, 0 minutes, 20 seconds.