Iraq Report, May 23/05

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TOP TOPICS

• U.S. troops are taking the fight to Baghdad. Operation Squeeze Play is supposed to reduce insurgent strongholds in western Baghdad.

• Michael Yon has another dispatch on the battle for Mosul. Plenty of good reading and poignant photos, as usual.

• Various Iraqi religious leaders are calling for unity and restraint in the face of increased violence. With the threat of civil war looming, religious leaders may be a crucial link in holding Iraq together.

Other Topics Today Include: Al Qaeda in Iraq claims a U.S. pilot; the battle of Mosul; Thunder 6 comes home; the power of candy; reconstruction highlights; al-Sadr at it again; Carnival of the Liberated; T-72s for Iraq; Russia's WMD thoughts; Romanian journalists freed; Support the troops!

REPORTS FROM THE FIELD

• Michael at A Day In Iraq posts about the "Power of a Piece of Candy".

• Al Qaida in Iraq claims to have captured and killed a U.S. pilot, although U.S. officials claim they are not aware of any missing pilots.

• Thunder 6 is headed home - "My duffel bag stands in a rumpled pile at my side. It is half empty. So am I. But not for long."

• Umm... Well... I hope this ISN'T the Way to Amarillo - really. But even the MoD had to grant that Dragoons in Iraq were brilliant. Then the Norwegians sing "Kosovo" to an old Beach Boys tune. Hat tip: Jennifer (Yowza!).

RECONSTRUCTION & THE ECONOMY

• Here are some of this week's reconstruction highlights: A well digging program has finished wells at 81 sites; 69 of those sites are now active and 12 have been abandoned due to dry wells or other issues. Approximately four million rural Iraqis live in regions where water is either scarce or of poor quality. The rehabilitation of a major sewage treatment plant - 22% co0mplete - in Karbala will make the facilities fully functional and improve public health for the city’s 549,000 residents. Apple tree seedlings planted in March are growing well; the 15,000 seedlings were provided as part of the Apple Orchard Improvement Project supported by the MOA and USAID. The renovation of five additional veterinary clinics, serving 345 communities, will begin soon through grants from MOA/USAID. The Ministry of Education delivered 433,524 school supply kits to 1,870 Iraqi schools. More than 80,000 additional kits have arrived in governorate warehouses and will be distributed to schools in the coming weeks. By the end of the program a total of 525,000 kits will have been distributed. DePaul University has undertaken three law library renovations. This is part of the $3.8 million legal education reform component of USAID’s HEAD program. Total USAID Assistance spent in Iraq 2003 - 2005 = $4,928,810,106

IRAQI POLITICS

• The Sadrists are stirring up trouble again. Moqtada al-Sadr called for a protest against the US presence in Iraq. In response thousands of Shiites defiled American flags they had painted on roads outside mosques.

• The latest Carnival of the Liberated is up at Dean's World.

THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

• An interesting item popped up briefly in the news regarding Russia's thoughts on WMD in Iraq. I don't know exactly what it means, but it seems an effort to re-establish UN "jurisdiction" with regards to whether or not there are WMD in Iraq.

• Iraqi PM Ibrahim al-Jaafari is holding talks with Syria and Turkey regarding the involvement of terrorists from those countries in attacks on Iraqi infrastructure and coalition forces, which generally cause a great deal of Iraqi loss of life.

• Three Romanian journalists were freed over the weekend after almost two months in captivity.

• 77 T-72 tanks donated by Hungary are being refurbished for the Iraqi Army. The T-72s are the main combat power of a new Iraqi Armor Division being created with the assistance of the US Army.

ETCETERA

• Do you have your GI Bracelet? Many military families fall into financial hardship when the breadwinner is injured or killed. The entire $5 purchase price of the GI Bracelet is donated to support our troops and their families! Please join us to give back to these brave people in their time of need.

• The troops are still there. So is the Winds of Change.NET consolidated directory of ways you can support the troops: American, Australian, British, Canadian & Polish. Anyone out there with more information, contact us!

• Don't forget Chief Wiggles' Toys for Iraq drive!

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