 Smoke from two car bombings rises over Baghdad Augusth 16th 2008 The American dominated operations to "stabilise" Iraq and somehow save the green zone government's hide continue apace. As do the counterattacks.
Depending on who you believe things are going swimmingly, although if you're a US army spokesbot perhaps it'd be a good idea to dodge any questions asking you to specify precisely for whom things are going so well. Here's a (very) partial list of today's "incidents," if you want a more complete listing hit the always excellent "Today In Iraq" Baghdad - The sweep in Baghdad allegedly netted nearly 300 militants over the last two days - well maybe maybe not if past performance is anything to go by most of them aren't if fact guilty of anything and will be released in a few months. Given how they'll be treated they'll be very militant indeed by the time they get out.
- Eight people were killed and 29 seriously injured by a roadside bomb targetting a flea market at the Al-Nahda Bridge in central Baghdad. (That particular bridge is also a pickup point for people travelling to the South of the country so it gets targetted a lot. Last week's attack there killed 9 and wounded more than twenty people.)
- Another bombing this time on Tunis street killed 14 and wounded at least 45.
- There were two other car bombings that I haven't been able to get details of yet.
Baquba - Two policemen were killed in separate attacks in Baquba.
- A civilian was killed in Abu-Karmah.
Basra - The British fought a running gun battle on the streets with local militias.
- One policeman was killed and three wounded by a group of tribal fighters attacking the Governorate's headquarters.
Karbala - The battles there continue. Interesting how the "Shia militant's" being targetted are the nationalist ones opposed to breaking up Iraq isn't it? - just sayin' . (Keep an eye on reports of fighting in Karbala and Najaf if anything happens to the shrines in either place all hell will break loose.)
- Karbala is now under curfew (theoretically) all this means is that both sides have a free field of fire.
Mosul - Green zone government troops closed bridges and patrolled the streets (fighting running gun battles as they did so in both Yarmouk and Arisala.) That's what the western news reports say. What they don't say is that the "militants" were so confident that they distributed leaflets telling residents what they going to do and warning them to stay inside. According to an email I got from a resident in Mosul, what the leaflets said was that procedings would kick off with the governor being killed and matters would procede from there.
Oh and President Cheney Bush is "frustrated" (but not with the Iraqi government which is just as well because there isn't an Iraqi government for him to get frustrated at.) markfromireland | 
