Friday, April 4, 2008

Iraq News (5 April)

The Good: The AP has the scoop that the Prez will announce a decrease in combat tours from 15 months to 12 months for the Army. While the deployment cycle is still pretty grueling, at least this is a move in the right direction. US troops move on Sadr City to pounce on militia thugs, but the Prime Minister has announced a freeze on targeting these groups. It is hard to determine where this is going...

The Bad: A suicide bomber has struck a funeral in Diyala province. Anti-American protests by followers of Sadr took place after Friday prayers yesterday (Iranian media was quick to jump on that one). I'm starting to get the feeling that the Iranian state-controlled media doesn't like the US much, but it's still just a hunch.

The Ugly: Blackwater contract to be renewed?!? Oh my. There was a lot of controversy following the Nisoor Square incident on Sep. 16th, and apparently it is still being investigated after all these months. Also, the Brits fear that General Petraeus will stir up the pot with Iran during the upcoming Congressional testimony. I guess the facts of nefarious Iranian influence are simply inconvenient to some.

Combat tours to be shortened from "too goddamn long" to just "really long"

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