NOW Petraeus admits to rise in Iraq violence

[babylonsister]

Petraeus admits to rise in Iraq violence


By Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
9:57 AM PDT, September 29, 2007

BAGHDAD -- Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, acknowledged today that violence had increased since Sunni Arab militants declared an offensive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

"Certainly Al Qaeda has had its Ramadan surge," Petraeus said in his first comments to reporters since he returned from Washington to give lawmakers a status report on the war in Iraq. But he said the level of attacks was "substantially lower" than during the same period last year.

The Army general said he saw no need to revise the projections he presented to Congress this month for a gradual withdrawal of the additional forces deployed to Iraq as part of the troop buildup. He did not provide figures.

Militants with the extremist group Al Qaeda in Iraq have launched a string of deadly bombings in recent weeks, including one this week that killed at least 24 people at a reconciliation meeting between Sunni and Shiite tribal, religious, political and security leaders in the Diyala provincial capital, Baqubah.

At least 11 Iraqis were killed in bomb blasts, mortar and gunfire today. The U.S. military also announced the deaths of two soldiers in small-arms fire, one during combat operations in a southern section of Baghdad and the other in Diyala.

A U.S. military panel, meanwhile, sentenced an Army sniper to an effective 44 days confinement in connection with the deaths of two Iraqi men. Spc. Jorge G. Sandoval Jr., 22, was also demoted to a private and ordered to forfeit his salary for the days he spends behind bars.

more...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/middleeast/la-fg-iraq30sep30,0,7324298.story?coll=la-home-center

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. scum-sucking, political whoring, betraying POS.

General, you are not a credit to your uniform.



Here is the trap that has been set for America. The neocons who thought that WE caused our defeat in Viet Nam have been ready to pounce on any criticism of the military. They coined that silly mantra, Support the Troops. And for 6 years, the troops have gotten a free ride.

What has that free ride let to?

Gitmo torture
Abu Ghraib torture
Murders in Kut, Fallujah, Baghdad
Rapes
massacres

With all of that Americans, for the most part, stayed quiet.

Now we have a political whore who lied to congress before, lied to Americans on a number of issues, promoted the BUsh agenda in LTTE and editorials, and again lied to Congress and Americans most recently.

We cannot criticize him?

Again, this is a direct result of the "Support The TRoops" at all costs neocon agenda.

[Nimrod2005]

2. War criminal who betrayed his country!!!

[marmar]

3. Move On was far too charitable with "Betrayus".....

And where has media coverage of Iraq violence disappeared to? I haven't heard a peep.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. MIke Moore was too gentle on F 911 & the medical industry

and we are being too kind on the neocons.

[onethatcares]

5. well dammit, msn news just posted some

shit about U.S. and Iraqi violence being down. who to believe??