Iraq: US-Controlled ‘Green Zone’ Under Attack
(A man carries the body of a child killed in mortar attack, in Sadr City, Baghdad’s Shiite slum, Iraq, Tuesday, May 1, 2007. AP photograph)
At times I marvel at those who create a web of lies and then gradually come to believe in them. The world is informed that the US troops’ two-month-old ’surge’ was ‘progressing well’ in Iraq. And in September the US chief commander in Iraq is expected to submit the ‘progress report’.
But the news of the dramatic/deadly/daring attacks and explosions that take place in the most secure and fortified areas of the capital city of Baghdad tend to take away the fig leaf.
Here is the latest:
Mortar rounds slammed into the U.S.-controlled Green Zone on Tuesday, with one striking within 100 yards of the Iraqi prime minister’s offices, a government official said. No casualties were reported, writes Qassim Abdul-Zahra of the Associated Press.
“It was the second attack against the Green Zone in 12 hours, and it underscored heightened concerns about security in the area that is home to the U.S. and British embassies and thousands of American troops.
“An Iraqi government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity in discussing security issues, said six mortar rounds fell around the offices of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday and the closest came within 100 yards of the compound.
“The explosions late Monday also were directed toward that part of the Green Zone, also known as the international zone, the official said.
“Insurgents and militia fighters routinely fire rockets and mortars into the Green Zone, which houses the U.S. and British embassies, the Iraqi government headquarters and thousands of American troops on the west bank of the Tigris River…”
With the rebels/militants/terrorists openly challenging the might of the only superpower in the most fortified zone, one can imagine what is happening in other parts of Iraq from where the news seldom makes the headlines.
Meanwhile the White House and the Congress quibble over war funds, Presidential veto and deadlines. To read my earlier post please click here…
Finally, this unbelievable story under the heading: “Iraqi Parliament Planning Two Month Recess”…
“Yes, you read that correctly. The Iraqi parliament – who our brave young men and women are fighting to protect and preserve – is planning on taking a two month vacation during the months of July and August. This is wrong on so many levels…” Read on…
