Iraq News (May 10)

The Good: Washington Post has good embed journalism from Mosul on the ups and downs of US forces working with Iraqis to secure the population from terrorists. If Sadr City calms down, expect to hear most reporting to focus on Mosul. The Sadr Trend has reportedly negotiated with the UIA bloc (the bloc Prime Minister and ISCI are part of) to allow the Iraqi Security Forces into Sadr City to seize heavy weapons. This is similar to what happened in Basra, and it turned out alright. The Sadr Trend was forced to allow the Iraqi Security Forces in because the Sadr City residents were suffering (no shit). The MRAP vehicles are getting more armor upgrades to lessen the effect of IED attacks on our troops. Story for those seeking a Saturday heartwarmer on a SSGT from 2ID who helped out an Iraqi girl in Diyala province. Long War Journal has the scoop on Special Forces conducting ops in Sadr City to target militia thugs.

The Bad: An errant rocket struck the BBC bureau in Baghdad, most likely targeting the Green Zone. The militia's rockets often miss their targets and kill civilians in the process. Luckily, no one was hurt in this particular attack. In an alarming move, the Sadrists have spoken ill of Sistani! Grand Ayatollah Sistani is, as far as I can tell, the most influential person in Iraq, and the Sadrists are mad that he hasn't condemned the situation in Sadr City.

The Ugly: As if we needed the Ambassador to tell us, more unrest in the Middle East would cause oil prices to go sky-high. The Time article takes the opportunity to make the Iraq war all about "teh oil". Some perv in KBR got busted with child porn. Most of the KBR contractors I know are professional, but I guess every organization has that one bozo that makes everyone else look like a jackass.

1LT Baxter Conducts COIN (pic from Washington Post)