Sinister
Dec 19th, 2006, 07:23 PM
Bleak assessment in Pentagon study
Over 900 insurgent and sectarian attacks a week for 3 months
David S. Cloud and Michael R. Gordon, New York Times
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
(12-19) 04:00 PST Washington -- There were an average of 959 insurgent and sectarian attacks against American and Iraqi targets every week in Iraq over the last three months, the highest level ever recorded, according to a Pentagon report on security trends in Iraq issued Monday.
The report also says armed militiamen affiliated with radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr pose the gravest danger to the security and stability of Iraq, surpassing Sunni Arab insurgents and even al Qaeda terrorists. The finding is the military's strongest declaration of the danger posed by al-Sadr.
Overall, the report, which covers the period from early August to early November, described a worsening security environment in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.
The rise in attacks was a jump of nearly 160 a week compared with the weekly average in the previous three months. Civilian casualties reached an all-time high of more than 90 a day, the report said. While the majority of attacks were directed at American forces, most of the casualties were suffered by the Iraqi military and civilians.
The report was issued on the same day Robert Gates was sworn in as the new defense secretary, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. At an afternoon ceremony at the Pentagon attended by President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, Gates asked military commanders to give him "unvarnished" advice "on how to proceed" in Iraq.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/19/MNGMAN25KN1.DTL&feed=rss.news
Over 900 insurgent and sectarian attacks a week for 3 months
David S. Cloud and Michael R. Gordon, New York Times
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
(12-19) 04:00 PST Washington -- There were an average of 959 insurgent and sectarian attacks against American and Iraqi targets every week in Iraq over the last three months, the highest level ever recorded, according to a Pentagon report on security trends in Iraq issued Monday.
The report also says armed militiamen affiliated with radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr pose the gravest danger to the security and stability of Iraq, surpassing Sunni Arab insurgents and even al Qaeda terrorists. The finding is the military's strongest declaration of the danger posed by al-Sadr.
Overall, the report, which covers the period from early August to early November, described a worsening security environment in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq.
The rise in attacks was a jump of nearly 160 a week compared with the weekly average in the previous three months. Civilian casualties reached an all-time high of more than 90 a day, the report said. While the majority of attacks were directed at American forces, most of the casualties were suffered by the Iraqi military and civilians.
The report was issued on the same day Robert Gates was sworn in as the new defense secretary, replacing Donald Rumsfeld. At an afternoon ceremony at the Pentagon attended by President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, Gates asked military commanders to give him "unvarnished" advice "on how to proceed" in Iraq.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/19/MNGMAN25KN1.DTL&feed=rss.news