Withdrawal Plans Could Leave Thousands in Iraq

As they awaited details on President Barack Obama's plan to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq, Congressional leaders were skeptical. Although we would be withdrawing troops from Iraq, it will still be leaving tens of thousands behind. I don't think this is going to make the troops very happy.

Senior administration officials were expected to outline a plan that would bring most of the 142,000 forces home by August 2010. As many as 50,000 troops could remain for cleanup and protection operations. To me, it seems easy to set dates in the future and then when you get there, circumstances have changed. So seeing is believing.

Air Force Must Do More in War Efforts

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the Air Force is not doing enough to help in the Iraq and Afghanistan war effort. He complained that some military leaders are stuck in the old ways of doing business. He also said that getting the military services, largely the Air Force, to send more unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan has been like pulling teeth. He addressed officer students at the Air Force's Air University. He did praise the Air Force for its overall contributions but made a point of urging it to do more and to undertake new and creative ways of thinking about helping the war effort instead of focusing mainly on future threats. He also included a broad appeal to the entire military. The Army, Navy and Marine Corps have been expanding their fleets of drone aircraft.

Bombs, Gunmen Kill as Many as 53 in Iraq

Car bombs and gunmen struck new U.S. allies, police and civilians Sunday in northern Iraq, killing as many as 53 people. The attacks came even as the American military released a captured diary and another document they say show that al-Qaida in Iraq is cracking under a Sunni revolt against its brutal tactics. The violence coincided with a visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to Baghdad, where he warned that hard choices face Iraq's political leaders on how to stabilize the country despite promising new signs of progress toward reconciliation. The deadliest bombing on Sunday was near Balad, 50 miles north of Baghdad, against a checkpoint manned jointly by Iraqi police and members of an awakening group.

U.S. Agrees To New Talks With Iran

The United States has accepted an Iraqi proposal to hold new talks with Iran about the security situation in Iraq. The as yet unscheduled meeting would be the fourth round of talks between Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and his Iranian counterpart. Two previous sessions ended inconclusively with Iran rejecting U.S. allegations that Iran is supporting Shia insurgent groups in Iraq by providing bomb make material responsible for the deaths of American troops.

Iraq Fails to Meet Key Targets

Iraq has managed to reach only three out of 18 progress benchmarks set by the US, a draft of a key report seen by the Washington Post newspaper says. They reported findings of the Government Accountability Office, a Congressional watchdog, contrast with a White House study saying eight goals have been met. The targets were established to monitor Iraq's military and political progress.

Prime Minister Rules Out Iraq Exit Timetable

Gordon Brown has ruled out setting a timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq, saying they still have an important job to do. The prime minister said in a letter to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell, the military still had clear obligations to discharge. He insisted setting a timetable would undermine those efforts. Sir Menzies said Mr. Brown was ignoring the reality in Iraq and should accept that UK efforts there had failed.

Iraqi Bomb Death Toll Reaches 344

The governor of the Sinjar region of north-western Iraq has said 344 people died in Tuesday's multiple bomb attacks against the minority Yazidi community. He said another 400 people had been injured by the blasts and that he believed 70 others were still buried in the rubble of destroyed buildings. About 600 local residents had been made homeless, the governor added.

Sunnis End Boycott Of Iraqi Parliament

Sunni legislators returned to Iraq's parliament July 20, after a five-week boycott, raising hopes the assembly can make progress on power sharing bills demanded by Washington before the lawmakers take a month's break. Nut the return of the Sunnis and the hard-line Shiite faction loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Mugtada al-Sadr could also signal problems for many of the bills, including the oil law, which is a top U.S. priority. The 44 members of the Iraqi Accordance Front attended the parliament session after striking a deal with the Shiites and Kurds to reinstate the Sunni speaker. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who was ousted by the Shiite dominated assembly last month for erratic behavior.

Base Lacks Fuel and Electrical Power In Iraq

A shortage of electricity and fuel at an Iraq military base has led to deteriorating equipment, difficulties with medical care and spoiled food that sent Iraqi troops to the hospital, according to a U.S. report. The assessment said that the Al Rasheed Brigade facility was not receiving enough electrical power from the city grid and was relying on generators. But contractors were not supplying enough fuel to keep the five generators going, leading to failures in the wastewater processing and refrigeration systems.In the most significant incident, the report said 300 Iraqis were hospitalized with intestinal illnesses after eating bad food.

Turkish Troops Massing on Iraqi Border

It has been reported that Turkey has massed a huge military force on its border with Iraq bolstered fears than an invasion targeting hideouts of Kurdish rebels could be imminent. But we wonder just how deeply into Iraq is the Turkish army willing to go? How long would they stay and what kind of fallout could come from allies in Washington and other NATO partners?