A
new AP story is out reporting the U.S. Military's "good news" out of Iraq. These guys may not be good at stabilizing a country, but they sure are good at spin.
The military is reporting
a five day trend toward diminished violence
in Baghdad.
Is there really anything to celebrate? Here's the substance of the claim:
Since Ramadan's end, killings in parts of Baghdad where security forces have established a firm presence have fallen by 10 percent to 20 percent, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell said Thursday.
So there's the scoop. Within the military's "clear" areas they have noticed drop in violence. Jeez, one would hope. Especially with the
massive deployment of U.S. troops in the capital to search for a missing Army linguist of Iraqi descent who was abducted while visiting relatives on Monday.
And of course, there has been a surge in Deaths in Baqouba, 35 miles east of Baghdad, which saw
bloody house-to-house fighting outside a chaotic city to the north in which 43 people were killed
The story again attributes the recent surge in violence to Ramadan, noting that some Muslims tend to get violent during their holy month:
Attacks typically rise during Ramadan, in part because some Muslims believe dying during the holiday bestows additional blessings in the afterlife.
This latest bit of good news leaves me with questions.
1. Why would you want the person you kill to have additional blessings? This "It's Ramadan" scenario might explain suicide bombings, but not the rise in sectarian killings or other attacks.
2. Remember last week when O'Reilly and others attributed the increase in killing to the insurgents' desire to influence the US election? If that's true, does the downturn in deaths mean the insurgents want the Rethugs to win?
3. Does this mean we're back to stay the course?