http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=775609&page=1

Scantily Clad Saddam: Geneva Conventions Violation?

Leaked Photos Draw Mixed Reaction from Iraqis

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D9673E:2F72C9D

For second day, Iraqi newspapers carry photos of former President
Saddam Hussein in US custody - this time, wearing traditional robe

A newspaper vendor pins up copies of the Saturday edition of Iraq's
Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, showing a picture of Saddam Hussein Photos
published by a British newspaper showing the jailed former Iraqi
president Saddam Hussein wearing just his underwear continue to draw
mixed reactions from Iraqis. The controversy comes as another
government official was assassinated in the streets of the capital.

For the second day Iraqi newspapers are carrying photos of former
President Saddam Hussein in U.S. custody - this time, wearing a
traditional robe. Photos published Friday by the British tabloid The
Sun showed the former leader wearing nothing more than underwear.

The pictures have prompted a mixed reaction from people in the Iraqi
capital, Baghdad.

Thirty-five year-old Sattar Jabbar says it is a shameful that these
photos were published because Saddam Hussein was president of Iraq
once, and its a humiliation for the government and the people. He adds
that he thinks the U.S. government allowed the photos to be published
to warn other Arab leaders they could suffer similar humiliation if
they disagree with the United States.

Maithan Shehab Ahmad says he hates Saddam after the 12 years he spent
in the military fighting in the Iran-Iraq war. But he says he was
disgusted to see the photos.

"Saddam Hussein stole my life from me," he said. "I spent 12 years of
my life in the military and he took everything. But that does not mean
we accept the humiliation of our president."

U.S. officials have condemned the publication of the photos and
promised to investigate how they were leaked to the British newspaper.
The pictures, which show the former leader with a mustache, were
apparently taken within a few months of his capture in December 2003.
More recent photos of Saddam reveal that he has grown a beard.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has also condemned the
publication of the photos, which they say violate a prisoner's right
to privacy.

But not everyone in Baghdad was angry.

Shopkeeper Ayad Mahmoud says the photos would only humiliate the Iraqi
people if they liked or respected Saddam. "But if you ask anyone, they
will tell you he did not represent the Iraqi people, he was just a
tyrant," he adds.

Meanwhile, gunmen killed a senior trade ministry official as he drove
to work early Sunday. It is the latest in a series of attacks
targeting senior government officials.

Three Romanian Journalists, Guide, Freed in Iraq

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D9673F:2F72C9D

They were seized March 28 Romania says three Romanian journalists and
their Iraqi guide, kidnapped nearly two months in Baghdad, have been
freed.

Details were not immediately clear. But a statement Sunday from the
Romanian presidency said the reporters are safe and will soon return
home.

The reporters and driver were seized March 28. The kidnappers
threatened to kill them unless Romania withdrew its small military
contingent from Iraq by April 27. Romanian President Traian Basescu
rejected the demand.

Meanwhile, gunmen today killed the director-general of Iraq's Trade
Ministry, Ali Mousa Salman, as he was driving to work in Baghdad. His
driver also was killed

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

--------------------
Radical Cleric Reaches Out
--------------------

Muqtada Sadr says he wants to reconcile Iraq's Muslim factions. U.S. reaction is cautious.

By Carol J. Williams
Times Staff Writer

May 23 2005

BAGHDAD; An influential anti-U.S. Shiite Muslim cleric on Sunday joined the campaign to get Arab Sunni Muslim leaders to help quell the sectarian violence roiling Iraq, even as insurgents continued to attack government officials and American troops.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,5020127.story

-----------------------------------------------------------
ATTACKS HIT VITAL SECURITY IN IRAQ
By Sharon Behn
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
-----------------------------------------------------------
Iraq's insurgents are conducting increasingly sophisticated and lethal attacks on the private security companies that are crucial to the nation's reconstruction and the eventual departure of U.S. troops, contractors and U.S. officials say.

These contractors and officials point to the surprising level of planning and brutality involved in a May 8 attack on the British security company Hart Security Ltd., which provides protection to convoys, homes and individuals in Iraq.

Twelve out of 18 Iraqi and international guards were killed in the attack, in which insurgents ambushed a convoy escorting cargo for the U.S. forces from Baghdad to a base in al-Asat, about 90 miles west of the city.

Once resistance from the security team ended, the attackers moved in to finish off the wounded, then piled several of the bodies on top of a bomb so they could not be removed without setting off an explosion, sources said.

The terrorists taped the event, presumably to develop a training and recruiting tool and to study to refine their techniques. The six-minute video is available on the Internet with a claim of responsibility from the terrorist group Ansar al-Sunnah Army.

Security specialists said the terrorists appeared to have calibrated mortars in advance of the attack, permitting direct hits on the five-vehicle convoy just as it hit a series of hidden bombs laid out in a "daisy chain" along the road.

The militants then managed to split up the convoy and systematically wipe out members of each smaller component.

Such attacks "have become much more organized and much more complex," said one retired special-operations officer working as a security manager for a firm operating in Iraq.

"In 2003, they were random small-arms fire. Then they escalated to roadside bombs ? sometimes command-detonated or with tripwires. Then they escalated to car bombs that would run a ramp and pull into a convoy or traffic circle.

"And now they are very well organized, rehearsed, orchestrated, using a combination of rocket-propelled grenades, [roadside bombs] set in a daisy chain to get the wounded as they exit the vehicles, heavy machine guns, small arms and hand-thrown grenades," he said.

At least 93 security operators have been killed in Iraq since April 2003, icasualties.org reported. The Web site showed the number of contractor deaths spiking in April with 20 killed, the most since 31 contractors died in August 2004. So far, seven have been killed this month.

Security operators think the numbers are higher. About 130 private security companies, each with hundreds of operators working in Iraq, are hired to defend personnel, facilities and convoys.

Most are highly skilled and ex-military professionals who have been in the protection business "longer than the average soldier in Iraq has been alive" said one U.S. official in Baghdad.

As in any industry, the sector also has its share of inexperienced wannabes, as they are described derisively by some of the operators in Baghdad.

Some guards also say recruiters have hit the bottom of the professional barrel and are hiring anyone who knows how to handle a gun.

Security companies are making huge profits providing clients with a line of armored cars, low-visibility cars, armed guards known as "shooters," and drivers.

With the intensity and sophistication of terrorist attacks increasing, and with the constant fear of kidnapping, the cost of security has mushroomed to account for 16 percent of the total reconstruction budget.

But the bottom line is that without private security companies, "reconstruction would not be done" in Iraq, said Lawrence Peter, director of a group representing private security companies in Iraq.

"Private security companies are responsible for the security of the entire reconstruction effort," Mr. Peter said. "If we didn't have them here, we would need another division of troops.

"These men who have died, they served with distinction," he said.
(http://insider.washtimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20050523-122656-2558r)

http://csmonitor.com/2005/0523/dailyUpdate.html

US to consolidate forces into four huge bases in Iraq
US also wants bases in Romania, Bulgaria, and Azerbaijan

Car Bomb Blast Outside Baghdad Restaurant Causes Heavy Casualty

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D99FA8:2F72C9D

One report says several nearby cars were on fire, and bodies could be
seen in the street

Thick smoke rising from the scene where the blast occurredA car bomb
has exploded outside a restaurant in the Iraqi capital, killing three
people and wounding at least 50 others. The Associated Press says
several nearby cars were on fire, and bodies could be seen in the
street.

Elsewhere in Baghdad, police say gunmen shot and killed a top Iraqi
security official, Wael al-Rubaei, and his driver as they traveled to
work. Sunday, the director-general of Iraq's Trade Ministry and his
driver were killed in a similar attack.

In northern Iraq Monday, five people were killed and at least 13
others wounded in a car bomb explosion near the oil city of Kirkuk, in
the town of Tuz Khormato.

And, in Samarra, also to the north, three U.S. soldiers were hurt when
three suicide attackers targeted a U.S. military base.

Separately, the U.S. military says three American soldiers were killed
in two attacks in the city of Mosul Sunday.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

Car bombs hit Iraq town, up to 30 feared dead or hurt:

Up to 30 people were feared dead or wounded after two car bombs exploded outside a building housing a Shi'ite organisation in the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar on Monday, police sources said.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml...ss/uk/worldNews

http://snipurl.com/f3ed

===

Four people killed in car bomb attack in northern Iraq:

A suicide car bomb attack struck the government headquarters of the Iraqi town of Tuz Khurmatu, south of Kirkuk, on Monday, killing four people and wounding more than 10 others, police said.
http://english.eastday.com/eastday/english...1ai1119887.html

http://snipurl.com/f3ee

===

At Least Three Killed in Baghdad Bombing:

A car bomb detonated Monday outside a popular restaurant in northern Baghdad, killing at least three people and injuring more than 70, hospital officials and eyewitnesses said.
http://snipurl.com/f3ef

===

Gunmen kill Iraq PM adviser:

GUNMEN assassinated an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari's office today, an interior ministry official and police sources said.
http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.js...storyid=3170037

http://snipurl.com/f3eg

===

Three U.S. Soldiers Killed:

Three Task Force Freedom Soldiers were killed and one was injured in two separate terrorist attacks in Mosul May 22.
http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Casualt...rt=20050526.txt

http://snipurl.com/f3eh

===

U.S. Soldier Killed:

Soldier died of wounds sustained in an attack at 10:00 a.m., May 22 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was detonated near a combat patrol, just north of Tikrit
http://www.centcom.mil/CENTCOMNews/Casualt...rt=20050527.txt

http://snipurl.com/f3ei

===

Iraq counter-insurgency chief gunned down:

Five US soldiers killed as troops conduct massive sweep for insurgents.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=13566

http://snipurl.com/f3ej

===

U.S., Iraqi Troops Detain About 300 People:

"This is the largest combined operation with Iraqi security forces to date," said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Clifford Kent. "The Iraqi Security Forces have the lead in this operation while we perform shaping and supporting roles."
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=781974

===

Soldier Faces Murder Trial In Unarmed Iraqi's Death:

A month after he backed out of a plea deal, an Army soldier faces trial on a charge alleging he murdered an unarmed Iraqi in retaliation for a deadly attack on a U.S. base.
http://news4colorado.com/crimeaccidentrepo..._143091519.html

http://snipurl.com/f3ek

===

U.S. Soldier Accused of Murdering Iraqi Police Officer:

Corporal Dustin Berg, fired three times at his Iraqi partner, Hussein Kamel Hadi Dawood al-Zubeidi, and killed him. As Berg ran away, he picked up Zubeidi's AK-47 and shot himself in the side.
http://www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file...ews/soldier.php

http://snipurl.com/f3em

===

Desertion huge problem for US in Iraq war :

"If I have to go to prison because I don't want to kill anybody, so be it," said Sergeant Benderman.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=2&ObjectID=10126890

===

Cynthia McKinney: Sgt. Kevin Benderman, An American Hero :

But given the climate we face right now, asserting such a right takes real courage. And it is the exercise of that courage which makes Sgt. Benderman a hero in my book.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8928.htm

http://snipurl.com/f3eo

===

Sending Mental Health Patients into Battle:

The United States is having trouble recruiting new soldiers for the war effort in Iraq. So the army is recycling its old fighters. The blog "War is Real" is written by just such a soldier. He describes his fears of returning to the desert -- and his battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/internatio...,357186,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f3ep

===

Australia: PM to 'meet the market' in defence personnel:

Prime Minister John Howard says he has asked for an update on the recruitment and retention of Defence Force members after a survey reportedly found that one in three wanted to leave their jobs.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200505/s1374899.htm

http://snipurl.com/f3es

===

Down and out with Iraqi forces:

"Restoring Iraq to military self-sufficiency will require at least a decade," he says. "For that reason alone, Iraq will remain an American protectorate well into the next decade."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8930.htm

http://snipurl.com/f3eu

===

US military to build four giant new bases in Iraq :

The decision to invest in the bases, which will require the construction of more permanent structures such as blast-proof barracks and offices, is seen by some as a sign that the US expects to keep a permanent presence in Iraq.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/st...1489979,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f3ew

===

A War That Cannot Be Won :

Here, for the person truly concerned with the welfare of humankind, American and non-American alike, may be the first lesson of bogus wars: never enlist in a war against something or someone that can't surrender.
http://www.mises.org/story/1822

===

Humiliating Saddam or the Entire Arab-Muslim Nation?:

No sovereign nation with an ounce of dignity even facing a vicious dictatorship would concede for a foreign force, especially one with an alien culture and values, to enter its territory to capture and humiliate its leadership.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8934.htm

http://snipurl.com/f3ez

--------------------
Dozens Killed in Wave of Iraqi Attacks
--------------------

Forty-five people are dead after bombs hit several targets, including a Baghdad restaurant. U.S. says 285 suspected militants are arrested.

By Jeffrey Fleishman
Times Staff Writer

May 24 2005

BAGHDAD; Car bombs ripped through Iraq, killing at least 45 people Monday, wounding more than 140 and increasing pressure on a new Iraqi government unable to stop a wave of insurgent violence.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,5478881.story

Car Bombing in Baghdad Kills at Least 2

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D9CD44:2F72C9D

Attack came as US military announced it had rounded up 428 suspects
over the past 30 hours in a major operation against insurgents Iraqi
officials say at least two people were killed and several others
wounded in a car bomb blast in central Baghdad Tuesday.

Earlier reports said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.

It came as the U.S. military announced it had rounded up 428 suspects
over the past 30 hours in a major operation against insurgents in a
western suburb of the capital.

On Monday, dozens of people were killed and scores were hurt in a
series of car bombings and other attacks in cities and towns across
Iraq.

Also Monday, an al-Qaida-linked group claimed responsibility for
gunning down a top Iraqi security official (Wael al-Rubaei) and his
driver in Baghdad.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/050524/3/21gjz.html

Zarqawi, Iraq insurgency leader, reported wounded

http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/...705/052705w.php

Back to the basic question on Iraq

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/525...DA0F35975B3.htm

A base for the corruption of democracy

http://www.detnews.com/2005/nation/0505/24/A05-190826.htm

Bush Aides had their doubts about invasion

http://web.tickle.com/tests/uiq/index-pop....redswingline&z=

The Metrics of Losing
Tom Engelhardt

Car bomb blasts rock Iraqi town :

Officials said at least 20 people were killed in the attack, and others were trapped as a building collapsed.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4573987.stm

http://snipurl.com/f4ey


Seven US soldiers killed in Iraq :

Seven US soldiers have been killed in two separate bomb attacks in Iraq.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4575861.stm

http://snipurl.com/f4ez



Nine US troops killed in Iraq

Bombings, shootings and other attacks have claimed the lives of nine US troops in two days, the military said Tuesday.
http://snipurl.com/f4fk



Surge in U.S. Deaths in Iraq Draws Concern:

Eighteen U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq during the past week - 14 in the past three days alone.
http://snipurl.com/f4f1



Death rate for reservists in Iraq rises:

At least 21 part-time soldiers and Marines have died in May
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisob...ld/11726972.htm

http://snipurl.com/f4f2


Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is reported to have been wounded.:

The militant group, al-Qaeda in Iraq, says it's Jordanian-born leader has been injured in the path of god, and urged all Muslims to pray for him.
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s1376239.htm

http://snipurl.com/f4f3



US fights Iraq fire with street fighters:

The US, instead of training up a regular professional Iraqi army, will create what in effect will be armed militias, acting under US central command, to take the militias of the resistance on at their own game.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8941.htm

http://snipurl.com/f4f4



British lawmaker: Iraq war was for oil:

Labour politician and former UK environment minister Michael Meacher has slammed Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush for starting a war, he says, to secure oil interests.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/AC9...5EF74C46694.htm

http://snipurl.com/f4f5


Take the Long Way Home:

I am tired of trying to figure out a way to jar the American people into understanding how unutterably wretched the situation is over there, so that pressure from the citizenry at large can be brought to bear upon the Administration and this disaster can be brought to an end.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/052405B.shtml

--------------------
1,000 U.S. Troops Launch Offensive in Iraq
--------------------

By ANTONIO CASTANEDA
Associated Press Writer

May 25 2005, 4:24 AM PDT

HADITHA, Iraq -- About 1,000 U.S. Marines, sailors and soldiers encircled this Euphrates River city in the troubled Anbar province before dawn on Wednesday, launching the second major anti-insurgent operation in this vast western region in less than a month.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...opinternational

--------------------
Beleaguered Iraqi Police Maintain Sense of Honor
--------------------

Poorly equipped men are shot at and lured into traps. Still, they show up at the station.

By Jeffrey Fleishman
Times Staff Writer

May 25 2005

BAGHDAD — Scar tissue from shrapnel runs like a shiny thread above Jawad Ali's ear. It rises like a blister on his thumb. His skin is a diary of these brutal streets. He slipped out of his bulletproof vest the other day and pulled down his collar, exposing a bullet wound from an insurgent attack on his way to work.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,1542130.story

Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/n...usa_congress_dc

House Panel backs $45 billion for Iraq

http://www.freep.com/news/nw/iraq24e_20050524.htm

In Iraq, efforts to catch militants fuel rage, fear

Reports: US Forces Begin Another Operation in Western Iraq

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D9F82C:2F72C9D

Hundreds of US troops are reported to have advanced into the western
Iraqi town of Haditha Hundreds of U.S. troops are reported to have
advanced into the western Iraqi town of Haditha - the second such
operation in the region this month.

A U.S. Marine writes an identification number on the forehead of an
Iraqi man detained during a search in HadithaNews reports quote
residents as saying troops began their operation before dawn
Wednesday, searching homes and detaining suspects.

Earlier this month, U.S. Marines carried out another major operation,
targeting militant hideouts near the Syrian border.

Meanwhile, the Al-Qaida in Iraq militant group said Tuesday its
leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been hurt, and the group called on
Muslims to pray for his recovery. The message appeared on the group's
website, but its authenticity could not be immediately verified.

The statement did not say where or when Iraq's most wanted terrorist
was wounded, but earlier this month there were reports that Zarqawi
was had been sighted at a hospital in the western city of Ramadi.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

IRAQ: U.S. Claims Over Siege Challenged
By Dahr Jamail
AMMAN - As with the siege of Fallujah six months back, U.S.. claims over the siege of the Iraqi town Al Qa'im are being challenged now by independent sources.
http://ipsnews.net/new_notan.asp?idnews=28741

A violent street finds calm
Iraqi forces, backed by the US, now keep order in Baghdad's
once-infamous insurgent stronghold of Haifa Street. By Scott Peterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0526/p01s02-woiq.html?s=hns


Do US women belong in the thick of the fighting?
In Iraq, US servicewomen are killed and wounded in combat at a much
higher rate than in previous wars. By Brad Knickerbocker
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0526/p01s03-usmi.html?s=hns

Abu Ghraib as Normalcy

The message Bush is sending to his shock troops in the gulag is clear: If by some freak chance your torture duties are uncovered, you will be gently removed from the scene with only nominal punishment ­ as long as you don't rat out your superiors, of course.

By Chris Floyd

The young soldier thought she'd been sent to fight for democracy and freedom, but it was a lie. Instead she found herself in Hell, committing crimes, violating her own nature, her sense of duty perverted by leaders who twisted it into a weapon to serve aggressive war.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8947.htm

http://snipurl.com/f5ak

===

Four killed in Iraq attacks:

Four Iraqis, mainly members of the security forces, were killed in attacks around the country on Wednesday, officials said, adding to a daily drumbeat of violence that has killed more than 600 people this month.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=42675

===

4 Task Force Baghdad Soldiers killed :

Three Soldiers were killed when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device exploded near their convoy at 1:30 p.m. About 30 minutes later, another Soldier at an observation post was shot in a drive-by shooting.
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/Releases/May/050524i.htm

===

Police chief of northern Iraqi town killed :

The police chief of the northern Iraqi town of Sharqat was killed by gunmen who ambushed his car on Wednesday, police and hospital officials said.
http://snipurl.com/f5an

===

US forces raid Iraqi city; At least three resistance fighters killed :

The assault, called Operation New Market, focused on the city of Haditha. According to initial reports, three armed men were killed during several fierce gun battles that broke out after U.S. occupation forces entered this town before dawn
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Iraq/184054

===

US: al-Zarqawi "aides" arrested:

US and Iraqi forces say they have arrested two "top aides" to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a day after the country's most wanted man was reportedly wounded.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D45...DC59BA0BEAC.htm

http://snipurl.com/f5as

Iraqi Interior Minister Confirms al-Zarqawi Wounded

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DA1746:2F72C9D

Bayan Jabor says he received information five days ago about
Jordanian-born militant's condition

Bayan JaborIraq's interior minister has confirmed reports that
Jordanian-born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been wounded.

Interior Minister Bayan Jabor told a news conference in Baghdad
Thursday that he received information five days ago about al-Zarqawi's
condition, but he did not say where the information came from.

The al-Qaida in Iraq militant group had said Tuesday that its leader,
al-Zarqawi, had been injured in recent fighting.

Separately, Iraq's defense minister, Sadoun al-Dulaimi announced a
massive security operation in Baghdad, in which some 40,000 Iraqi
troops will be deployed to hunt down insurgents.

Earlier Thursday at least two Iraqi policemen and a civilian were
killed in a car bomb blast in the capital. And the U.S. military said
an Iraqi child was killed during clashes with insurgents in the town
of Tal Afar, near Mosul. The military said insurgents had used the
child as a human shield.



Car Bomb Attack in Baghdad Kills at Least Three

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DA1747:2F72C9D

Authorities say attack targeted police patrol in northern Baghdad's
popular Shula district At least three people have been killed in a car
bomb attack in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, as U.S. and Iraqi troops
continue an offensive against insurgents in the west of the country.

A U.S. soldier removes a hat and cardboard box from a damaged SUV,
after a roadside bomb detonated next to an American military convoy
guarded by two Humvees in eastern BaghdadAuthorities say Thursday's
attack targeted a police patrol in northern Baghdad's popular Shula
district. They say at least two policemen and one civilian were killed
in the attack.

The latest violence came as more than one thousand U.S. and Iraqi
troops continued their search for insurgents loyal to Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi in the western city of Haditha, in al-Anbar province. U.S.
officials say 10 suspected insurgents have been killed and two U.S.
Marines wounded in Operation New Market.

The operation is the second major offensive in al-Anbar province this
month.

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

Nine Iraqis, including three policemen killed :

A man working as a translator for the US military, was killed in a separate attack in Baghdad today, police officials said.
http://snipurl.com/f5zs



Car bomb kills 3 in Baghdad; Shi'ite assassinated:

In another district of southern Baghdad, professor Moussa Salum, a deputy dean at Baghdad's Mustansiriya University, was gunned down as he was going to work, police and doctors said. Three of his bodyguards were also killed.
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.htm...y=1117092049000

http://snipurl.com/f5zt



Senior industry ministry official killed in Baghdad:

Insurgents shot dead a senior official in Iraq's ministry of industry and minerals in an ambush in Baghdad on Thursday, police said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAR645502.htm

http://snipurl.com/f5zu



Marine killed in latest US Iraq offensive:

The latest offensive in western Iraq has claimed the life of a US Marine. A company commander says one of two Marines wounded in the launch of Operation New Market on Wednesday has died from his injuries.
http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3394901

Iraqi govt to deploy 40,000 troops in Baghdad:

Iraq's defence minister announced a massive security operation on Thursday that will see more than 40,000 Iraqi troops deployed in the capital to hunt down insurgents and their weapons.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L2674852.htm

http://snipurl.com/f5zy



Zarqawi 'replaced by deputy' :

Speculation over the fate of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the insurgent leader in Iraq, grew today as a statement on a militant website said a deputy had been appointed to take over his duties.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,276....html?gusrc=rss

http://snipurl.com/f5zz

Pressure builds on Iraq's insurgents
The government says 40,000 Iraqi troops will be deployed throughout
Baghdad in Operation Thunder. By Scott Peterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0527/p01s01-woiq.html?s=hns

Suicide explosion at shrine kills 25:

The death toll in a suicide explosion at a Shrine in Pakistani capital on Firday has increased to 25, hospital sources said.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Lan...=en&DSNO=737153

http://snipurl.com/f70p



US Soldiers Opened Fire at a Bus in Baghdad:

Three civilian Iraqis travelling in a minibus were killed, reportedly shot dead by US forces, AFP reported, citing officials.
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?catid=1...atte=2005-05-26

http://snipurl.com/f70q



U.S. Chopper Shot Down Near Baghdad; 2 GIs Dead:

Two American soldiers were killed Thursday night when their helicopter was shot down near Baghdad, while another chopper was hit but landed safely, the U.S. military said.
http://www.nbc11.com/news/4534103/detail.html

http://snipurl.com/f70r

--------------------
U.S. Ponders Iraq Fight After Zarqawi
--------------------

The militant may have suffered grave injuries. If he dies, the insurgency's divisions could widen.

By Jeffrey Fleishman
Times Staff Writer

May 28 2005

BAGHDAD; Cryptic messages posted on Internet sites reporting that militant leader Abu Musab Zarqawi had been wounded raise questions about the future of a factionalized Iraqi insurgency driven in part by the power of his personality and mercurial strategy against U.S.-led forces.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,6551704.story

--------------------
The Perilous Ins and Outs of Travel in Iraq
--------------------

From arrival to takeoff, a trip to Baghdad is an eye-opener to insecurity, struggles of a nation.

By Marjorie Miller
Times Staff Writer

May 28 2005

BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT; The flight out of Iraq has been grounded by a sandstorm. The sky is opaque, amber-yellow, and travelers pass the time talking guns.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

--------------------
Muslims Across World Protest Koran Reports
--------------------

Rallies in Iraq, Egypt, South Asia, Indonesia and Malaysia seek an apology from the U.S.

From Associated Press

May 28 2005

CAIRO; Muslims spat on the American flag, threw tomatoes at a picture of President Bush and burned the U.S. Constitution in protests Friday from Egypt to Indonesia over the alleged desecration of Islam's holy book at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...headlines-world

Zarqawi Followers Clash With Local Sunnis

By Ellen Knickmeyer

BAGHDAD, May 28 -- For four days this month, U.S. Marines were onlookers at just the kind of fight they had hoped to see: a battle between suspected followers of Abu Musab Zarqawi, a foreign-born insurgent, and Iraqi Sunni tribal fighters at the western frontier town of Husaybah.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

45 Iraqis, GI Killed in 2 Days of Attacks :
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...5038626,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f81k


Car Bomb Attack Kills Nine Iraqi Soldiers: :

Meanwhile, severe clashes erupted today between joint Iraqi, US forces and gunmen in Ameriya area in western Baghdad.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Lan...=en&DSNO=737880

http://snipurl.com/f81l



British serviceperson killed in Iraq :

The Ministry of Defence can confirm that there has been a hostile action against British Forces from Task Force Maysan in South-Eastern Iraq at around 0900 local time on Sunday 29 May 2005, which has resulted in a fatality and a number of injuries.
http://news.mod.uk/news_headline_story.asp?newsItem_id=3265

http://snipurl.com/f81m



Eleven UK soldiers face war crimes trial:

At least four, thought to be privates and NCOs, face specific charges of murder and abuse over Mr Mousa's death from heart failure and asphyxia, allegedly due to multiple injuries, on 15 September 2003. But alongside another seven soldiers and officers, the four alleged assailants also face wider war crimes charges.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8965.htm

http://snipurl.com/f81n


Death penalty returns to Iraq, with a vengeance :

Seven convicted Iraqi criminals and "insurgents" are currently on death row and although the sentences have yet to be carried out, the interior ministry have vowed that the first hangings will take place next month.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=42796

http://snipurl.com/f81o


Long Jailings Anger Iraqis:

A large proportion of inmates at Abu Ghraib and another facility are held months without charges. Critics urge a transfer to Iraqi custody.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8973.htm

http://snipurl.com/f81p

The extraordinary pleas of Saddam's right-hand man :

Letters from Iraq's former deputy PM Tariq Aziz insist he is innocent and claim he is being held illegally
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8972.htm

http://snipurl.com/f81u


Listen to Thom Hartmann's interview with George Galloway

This British Parliamentarian has been taking the President (and British Prime Minister) to task on the Iraq war.

Audio and transcript
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8971.htm

http://snipurl.com/f81w


In case you missed it:

Video - Galloway v The U.S. Senate
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8869.htm

http://snipurl.com/ezkc



Dying in Iraq is not a career choice :

The GI Rights Hot Line, a not-for-profit organization with an 800 number set up to offer information, received over 32,000 calls last year from soldiers who do not want to go to Iraq, or go back to Iraq for a second or third deployment.
http://pww.org/article/articleview/7135/1/271/



Battle Scars:

When soldiers follow the flag overseas, their families go to war, too. When they return, life is never the same.
http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/10582...-11371543c.html

http://snipurl.com/f81y

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050529/ap_on_...zazkxBHNlYwN0bQ
'
Insurgents Kill 30 As Iraqis Crack Down

--------------------
Rebels Confront Baghdad Operation
--------------------

By Carol J. Williams
Times Staff Writer

May 30 2005

BAGHDAD; Insurgents defied a much-touted military crackdown in the capital Sunday, targeting police checkpoints, the Oil Ministry and convoys of U.S. and Iraqi troops.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,4233691.story

Two Suicide Bombings in Iraq Kill at Least 25

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=DB094F:2F72C9D

Authorities say attacks occurred outside a government building in town
of Hillah Iraqi police say two suicide bombings south of Baghdad have
killed at least 25 people and wounded at least 100 others.

The attacks Monday occurred outside a government building in the town
of Hillah (95 kilometers from the capital). Officials say the bombers
blew themselves up in a crowd of former Iraqi police commandos
protesting a decision to disband their unit.

The bombings came as U.S.-backed Iraqi troops searched houses and set
up checkpoints around Baghdad in an operation to root out insurgents.

The al-Qaida network in Iraq, led by wanted Jordanian terrorist Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi, says it has launched an offensive in response to the
operation.

In another development, Iraq's main Sunni political party (the Iraqi
Islamic Party) says U.S. troops arrested its leader, Mohsen
Abdul-Hamid, and his three sons today at their home in Baghdad. U.S.
military officials could not confirm the arrests.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

'Martyrs' In Iraq Mostly Saudis

By Susan B. Glasser

Arabs reportedly lured by rapidly proliferating jihadist web sites hailing martyrdom as the inspiration for a new generation of terrorists.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

US and Iraqis join to stem abuse
An effort is under way to promote the rule of law among Iraqi troops
who deal with detainees. By Scott Peterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0531/p06s02-woiq.html?s=hns

Bush Opts for Civil War in Iraq:

Considering reports that 80% of Sunnis support the insurgency passively if not actively, it looks as if extermination of Sunnis will be required if the US is to achieve "victory" in Iraq.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8981.htm

http://snipurl.com/f8wj



Death and Humiliation

“This is the freedom and democracy that America has brought us.”

Dahr Jamail

Abdul Hamid refused their apology in the Arab media, and stated that he was humiliated when US soldiers held their boots on his head for 20 minutes. It was also stated that he accused American soldiers of removing items from his home, including a computer. This is standard operating procedure with home raids-I can’t tell you how many Iraqis I’ve interviewed after their homes were raided who complained of money, jewelry and other belongings being looted by American soldiers.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8982.htm

http://snipurl.com/f8wb



Do The People Of Iraq Have A right To Resist U.S. Occupation?

The American antiwar movement is disunited on the important question of whether or not to support the right of the Iraqi people to resist U.S. aggression as best they can, including by force of arms.

Jack Smith

This is a right Americans unquestionably would invoke were their country invaded and occupied by a foreign power. They would take whatever measures were necessary to defeat the enemy and force it to withdraw.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8968.htm

http://snipurl.com/f81h



Bombers Attack Iraq Police; Up to 30 Dead :

Two suicide bombers blew themselves up Monday in a crowd of police officers south of Baghdad, killing up to 30 people and wounding dozens
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...5041033,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f8wc



Iraq hit with new violence:

The largest Iraqi-led counterinsurgency operation since the downfall of Saddam Hussein set off a violent backlash on Sunday across Baghdad. At least 20 people were killed in the capital, 14 of them in a battle lasting several hours when insurgents launched sustained attacks on several police stations and an army barracks.
http://snipurl.com/f8wd



Iraqi helicopter crashes, killing all five on board :

An Iraqi helicopter crashed today in Jalulaa region of eastern Iraq's Diyala province, and the Iraqi pilot, as well as a US officer and three soldiers were killed,"
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-05/...ent_3023769.htm



Gunmen In Car Kill 2 Iraqi Police Sergeants
http://snipurl.com/f8we



British soldiers face war crimes charges :

Father tells of grief that followed death of Iraqi while in custody
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1495344,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f8wf



U-S military says it mistakenly detained Sunni leader :

The man who was arrested is the head of Iraq's largest Sunni Arab political party and once served as president of the U-S-backed Iraqi Governing Council, which has since been dissolved.
http://snipurl.com/f8wg



Iraqi PM orders probe into arrest of Sunni leader:

"We believe there are parties that are benefiting from such raids on prominent Sunni leaders who have been supporting the political process and democracy in Iraq.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L3029728.htm



Insurgency, Terrorism or Civil War? :

At what point does the claim that violence in Iraq is "merely" the work of a bunch of terrorists lose its tenability?
http://service.spiegel.de/cache/internatio...,358228,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f8wi

Bush Opts for Civil War in Iraq:

Considering reports that 80% of Sunnis support the insurgency passively if not actively, it looks as if extermination of Sunnis will be required if the US is to achieve "victory" in Iraq.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8981.htm

http://snipurl.com/f8wj



Abu Musab al-Zarqawi flees Iraq for emergency surgery:

He has suffered from bouts of high fever since being wounded by a missile that struck his convoy three weeks ago as he fled an American offensive near the town of al-Qaim in northwestern Iraq, the commander said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1632576,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f8wk



Iraq Minister Warns Of Fuel, Power Hikes:

The Iraqi government may decrease subsidies for fuel and electricity, despite a severe shortage of both in the country, the electricity minister said Sunday as he warned Iraqis to prepare for more blackouts this summer.
http://www.wral.com/apbusinessnews/4545597/detail.html

http://snipurl.com/f8wl

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle...sp?story=642848

Iraqi suicide bombers kill dozens in show of defiance against crackdown

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1495800,00.html

Basra out of control, says chief of police

http://www.antiwar.com/jamail/?articleid=6158

'Tthis is the Freedom America Has Brought Us'
Dahr Jamail

Operation Desperation; Rumsfeld's Baghdad fiasco

"I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." Vice President Dick Cheney; assessing the strength of the insurgency on CNN's Larry King 5-30-05

by Mike Whitney

It's clear now that the size and strength of the insurgency has surpassed all the previous predictions and that the civilian leadership of the occupation forces is lashing out in desperation to quell the violence. Iraq has quickly degenerated into the most poorly executed military campaign in American history.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8990.htm

http://snipurl.com/f9v2

Military Confirms 5 Killed:

A military spokesman says four U.S. Air Force personnel and an Iraqi have been killed in a plane crash near Baghdad.
http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=3410829



Four bodies of dead Iraqi policemen found in western Iraq:

The four policemen were handcuffed and executed by shooting, noting that a lieutenant colonel was among them.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Lan...=en&DSNO=738578

http://snipurl.com/f9v7



Iraq Governor Killed :

The governor of western Iraq's Anbar province has been killed during clashes between US forces and his abductors.
http://www.kten.com/article.asp?id=8330

http://snipurl.com/f9v8



Basra out of control, says chief of police :

Families can still stroll but militia gangs hold power in port city
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/st...1495667,00.html

http://snipurl.com/f9va



This is a must listen - Audi Report

60,000 Iraqis 'Disappeared' into US Camps

Dahr Jamail Back in the area after a brief US visit, hear Dahr's latest astounding update --with Fintan Dunne

Audio file
http://www.kathymcmahon.utvinternet.com/mr...News050530a.mp3

http://snipurl.com/f9wa

Website:
http://www.BreakForNews.com/

A reminder of duplicity in Iraq war :

The prospect of dying in Iraq has made recruitment so difficult that the Army expects to have only 10 percent of the 80,000 troops it will need to replace those in Iraq and Afghanistan next year in place by this fall.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story...?storyID=365510

http://snipurl.com/f9vd



Fewer and Fewer Latinos Willing to Die in Iraq:

A total of 215 Latino soldiers serving in the U.S. army have already died in Iraq, but according to anti-war activists, this bad news comes with a silver lining: an ever smaller number of young people of Latin American descent are enlisting in the armed forces.
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=28887

http://snipurl.com/f9ve



Vietnam Vets Protest Against Iraq War:

"The only time they care about us is on Memorial Day, when they're putting wreaths on our graves," one veteran said to the crowd. "But if they have to spend a dime to keep us alive or to keep us sane, they don't want it on TV."
http://www.nbc5.com/news/4547634/detail.ht...ss=chi&psp=news

http://snipurl.com/f9vf



Iraq Strategy: Addition by Distraction:

Nothing like a celebrity trial to distract people from their problems. Apparently, that's the latest strategy from the Bush regime's puppet administration in Baghdad.
http://villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/000967.php

http://snipurl.com/f9vg

Blowing the whistle on the Iraq War charade :

The following are a few of many issues which should have rung alarm bells in the lead up to the war.
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=3504

http://snipurl.com/f9vz



America's mess, not Bush's:

Democrats and liberals blame George W. Bush for the American mess, but it is worse than that. In sum, the immoral and futile war in Iraq, increasingly disapproved in polls but steadily unopposed by politicians, belongs not just to our feckless president, but to the nation.
http://snipurl.com/f9w1

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/30/cheney.iraq/index.html

Iraq Insurgency in 'last throes,' Cheney says