BAGHDAD - The number of U.S. troops killed in November remained at a low not seen since March 2006 on Thursday, a respite from years of bloodshed that forced some 2 million Iraqis to flee and prompted the buildup of nearly 30,000 more American forces.
The U.S. military said that an American soldier had been killed by small-arms fire on Wednesday in Baghdad, bringing the number of troops killed in Iraq to 35 for the month so far. In May, as the influx of troops gained momentum, 126 Americans died.
During that six-month period, streets that had been closed during the sectarian fighting have reopened with strict limits: Checkpoints, roadblocks, concrete blast walls, and American and Iraqi patrols are still the norm in many parts of the capital.
But some of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who fled their homeland for neighboring Syria and Jordan and beyond are returning with money, transport and protection from their government. The program also seeks to win favor from neighboring countries such as Syria and Jordan that are struggling with an estimated 2.2 million Iraqi refugees.
Late Wednesday, about 20 buses carrying hundreds of Iraqi refugees rolled into a Baghdad depot the first from the Iraqi-funded effort to speed the return of families. National Security Minister Sherwan al-Waili, who met the convoy, said each returning family would receive $750 to get started rebuilding their lives.
"The returning home of displaced families is considered as a great victory for law enforcement and national reconciliation," military spokesman Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said. "We didn't ask any family about his sect or ethnicity. Such things were created by terrorism and will disappear along with terrorism."
Officials gave varying figures for the number of people who returned in the convoy. Iraqi diplomats in Syria said 800 would leave while al-Moussawi put the figure at more than 400.
The returning families were hustled into cars to take them home. Those who lived outside Baghdad were taken to a government-owned hotel to spend the night.
"We heard that the security situation has improved, so we have returned home. The government has provided us with a force guarding us from the Iraqi borders to Baghdad," Sami Abu Muhanad, one of those returning, told AP Television News on Thursday.
Syria has tightened visa rules for Iraqis in hopes of forcing people to return home and blocking new refugees.
Earlier this month, the Iraqi embassy in Damascus set up 11 registration centers for Iraqis to apply for the trip home. In Jordan, Iraqi ambassador Saad al-Hayyani told The Associated Press that Iraq will give Jordan $8 million to help ease the refugee burden.
Officials in Iraq and Syria say more than 46,000 refugees returned in October and the flow has continued this month. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees could not confirm the figures, but said more Iraqis were leaving Syria than arriving with a daily average of 1,500 departures compared with 500 arrivals.
Sybella Wikes, press officer for the UNHCR in Syria, said the agency doesn't "think it's time" yet for a massive refugee return.
"We certainly can't define the situation as being safe in any area in Iraq," she said.
The U.N.'s misgivings continue to be borne out in Iraq's daily violence. On Thursday, police said they pulled six bodies from the Tigris River about 25 miles south of Baghdad. The bodies were handcuffed and had signs of torture and five including a young child had been beheaded. In Baghdad, a bomb on a minibus killed one person, police said.
Still, many Iraqis are willing to risk it either out of homesickness, lack of money or a genuine hope that conditions are improving.
Abdul-Khaliq Mohammed, a 49-year-old father of six, left his predominantly Sunni neighborhood in western Baghdad for Syria more than a year ago to escape violence. He returned when relatives said life was improving.
"I still have doubts about the current calm in Baghdad, but no matter what happens, even if the security situation gets bad again, I have no intention of going back to Syria, where life was very difficult and expensive to us," he said as he ate breakfast after returning to his house.
The number of Iraqi civilians killed has declined drastically in the past six months as tens of thousands of Iraqis nationwide, mostly Sunnis, have broken with the insurgents and joined U.S.-backed self-defense groups.
In November to date, at least 648 Iraqi civilians have been killed or found dead, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press. This compares with 2,155 in May.
Originally posted by LatinLover
Im glad that we are continuing making progress :)
Yeah, 2 millions of refugees, thousands of dead civilians, thousands of soldiers killed. A country devastated for decades, with aftermath for the area that are extremly dangerous for the peace process while there are countries with the nuclear weapons involved.
Yeah talk about progress...
Lebezniatnikov
quote:
Originally posted by d-miurge
Yeah, 2 millions of refugees, thousands of dead civilians, thousands of soldiers killed. A country devastated for decades, with aftermath for the area that are extremly dangerous for the peace process while there are countries with the nuclear weapons involved.
Yeah talk about progress...
I think you're missing Latin's point. The easiest way to achieve progress is to screw everything up so badly that you're starting with a really low base-line. Then any little future improvement is "progress" over the current situation!
erdega
quote:
Originally posted by LatinLover
Im glad that we are continuing making progress :)
I am glad the "world's only superpower" is taking a beating from an invisible enemy only they can appreciate, all in defense of war propaganda and their imperialist objectives
Nice to see that you still don't know how to follow the rules about posting photos of injured soldiers
Lebezniatnikov
Not that I dictate what is appropriate or not, but posting pictures of IED's and saying you are glad Americans "are taking a beating" is a bit over the line in my opinion.
MisterOpus1
quote:
Originally posted by LatinLover
Im glad that we are continuing making progress :)
Ahh yes, that good ol' "progress" chant.
With 2007 still having a month left, it will still be regarded as the "deadliest year of the war for United States troops":
And finally, let's also not forget (once again) that the whole point of the SURGE! was to clear the way for the political process to move forward. But unfortunately, things are "going nowhere" in "political terms":
Oh, almost forgot, an interesting piece on NBC Nightly News the other night depicting a wave of violence thats gone largely unreported lately against women in Iraq. They are increasingly unable to walk around without a hijab, wear cosmetics, or work.:
Not to worry, though - there's plenty of good jobs for those Iraqi women fleeing into Syria:
Originally posted by XaNaX
Nice to see that you still don't know how to follow the rules about posting photos of injured soldiers
They are soldiers who have never fought a real army and instead of being hunters as they are used to are now hunted as they consider themselves invincible , I've seen what they have done, killing everyone from defenseless chilldren to journalists to grannies in wanton orgies of violence and I consider entire American military as imperial teroristic in nature notwithstanding that they push the policies of the criminal regime in Washington and those invested in them
This is internet, freedom and democracy and if you can't live with both , it's your problem , you can't see this stuff in your controlled mainstream media , besides these photos are very tame to what's out there so you have no basis to talk about it
MisterOpus1
quote:
Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov
Not that I dictate what is appropriate or not, but posting pictures of IED's and saying you are glad Americans "are taking a beating" is a bit over the line in my opinion.
Agreed. Erdega, I think you need to edit your post a little bit. I understand your message and agree with your general sentiments, but the mods have explicitly stated to avoid such pictures and language depicting the deaths of anyone. I'd rather see you edit it a little before Lira/Neo intervenes - from what I recollect they will suspend or ban people for this.
MisterOpus1
quote:
Originally posted by erdega
This is internet, freedom and democracy and if you can't live with both , it's your problem , you can't see this stuff in your controlled mainstream media , besides these photos are very tame to what's out there so you have no basis to talk about it
Erdega:
quote:
5. TA is not exactly a "democracy": I'll try to be as democratic as possible here, but it doesn't mean you can do/say all you want. If you feel you're being treated unfairly, talk to a mod. We will help you as much as we can. But, if you think all mods are treating you unfairly, tough luck.
Again from what I recollect, that rule was inserted largely because of the death pictures controversy in the past. I'm only giving you a heads up on the matter. You've contributed a great deal to the forums lately, and although I don't agree with everything you say I enjoy reading your posts. So please consider editing before a mod jumps in.
Lebezniatnikov
quote:
Originally posted by erdega
They are soldiers who have never fought a real army and instead of being hunters as they are used to are now hunted as they consider themselves invincible , I've seen what they have done, killing everyone from defenseless chilldren to journalists to grannies in wanton orgies of violence and I consider entire American military as imperial teroristic in nature notwithstanding that they push the policies of the criminal regime in Washington and those invested in them
Fact remains, you don't see anyone here saying that all Serbs deserve to get firebombed for what the Vojska Republike Srpske did in Srebrenica.
quote:
besides these photos are very tame to what's out there so you have no basis to talk about it
