Pacific Views

The Last Throes ... of Diplomacy in Iraq

Our vice president wants us to believe that the insurgency is in its "last throes." Ahem. Maybe when he said 'throes,' he meant 'throws.' And maybe at the end, he meant to add 'at the end of round one.' The latest from the fast-fading insurgency:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents mounted attacks against Arab and Muslim diplomats in Iraq on Tuesday, wounding Bahrain's top envoy in a kidnapping attempt. Pakistan's ambassador also escaped an assault on his convoy.

The attacks came three days after gunmen seized Egypt's top envoy to Iraq as he was buying a newspaper in the capital, appearing to signal an insurgent campaign to discourage Islamic countries from bolstering ties with the U.S.-backed Iraqi government. ...

Juan Cole has the latest mideast security roundup, also noting that the gender terrorism of throwing acid at uncovered women is making its first appearance in Iraq.

Cole also gets two responses from readers who disagree with some of his previous posts.

Culled from news reports and the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, coalition forces suffered 83 casualties in June, with 78 of those being American troops, with approximately 115 US troops wounded severely enough to be taken off duty. At least 430 Iraqis also died in June, many in suicide and carbombings, with a significant number of those being either Iraqi soldiers and police or prospective recruits.

Posted by natasha at July 5, 2005 01:09 PM | Iraq | Technorati links |