Schuetz

American helicopters and warplanes recently over a two day period, attacked a Shiite area on the outskirts of Baghdad, killing at least 15 people and wounding 10 according to Iraqi Interior Ministry officials. Some of the casualties were said to be women and children, or what the US military casually refers to as collateral damages. That account was disputed by American officials who claim six of those killed were insurgents and five were wounded from the attack that hit two buildings in Hussainiya, where gunmen were alleged to have been hold up after firing on American troops.

Ironically, more than 60 people were either killed or found dead in Iraq on the same Saturday that the 15 were killed. On that same Saturday evening, celebratory gunfire killed and wounded many more as a consequence of Iraqs victory over Vietnam in the Asian Cup soccer competition. Two people were killed in Baghdad and at lest 50 others wounded, Iraqi police said. Kindi Hospital officials said nine people had been killed by post-game gunfire in the capital. In Basra at least three people were killed. American military officials said a soldier was killed by an explosion near his vehicle in Diyala Province on the Friday that preceded the bloody Saturday. An aide to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was stabbed to death in Najaf, the Shiite holy city on that same Friday night. A bomb destroyed a minibus on bloody Saturday morning killing five people and wounding eight others, according to Interior Ministry Officials. Also on Saturday, 13 people were reported killed in the northern city of Mosul, during a spate of bombings and other killings the Iraqi police said. Three Iraqi Army soldiers and one policeman were among those killed.

Interestingly, in spite of all of the above, Marine General Peter Pace who heads the militarys Joint Chiefs of Staff, but wont for much longer said parts of Iraq have undergone a sea change in improved security. Perhaps this statement explains why he wasnt reappointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. He was recently driven down the streets of Ramadi that US soldiers had nick-named The Gauntlet and The Racetrack before a combination of US offensive and new Sunni Arab tribal alliances brought relative peace to the area. Reporters were told this reinforced his sense of optimism about the US troop build-up, focused mainly on Baghdad, but also includes Gamadi and other areas of Anbar Province.

With flanks of soldiers and other security personnel, Pace walked past street side fruit and vegetable stands, stopping every so often to shake hands with locals and chat with storekeepers on an afternoon when he was the only shopper in sight. Earlier Pace met with US commanders in Baghdad which prompted this reply, What Im hearing right now is a sea change thats taken place in many places here, that its no longer a matter of pushing al-AQaida out of Ramadi, for example but rather, now that they have been pushed out, helping the local police and local army have a chance to get their feet on the ground. In the face of Paces optimism there is still much violence in Iraq as the previously mentioned two days proves. Bombings and killings continue almost unabated. In the face of this, Pace said that he and the Joint Chief of Staff would give President Bush their recommendation in September on whether to continue the troop buildup or to change course, Its a safe bet that they will recommend continuing despite whatever is going on, on the ground In Iraq. None of them want to blow their careers, as Pace obviously did. So despite the continued violence, which will be dismiss as collateral damages and other casualties of war, right along with our own losses, President Bush will be told exactly what he wants to hear, stay the course.

Cedric McClester is an award winning journalist who has written for local, national and international publications. He has a Masters of Science Degree in Education from New York's Fordham University. The Boston born journalist is married and resides in New York. Mr. McClester is the author of the leading selling book on the topic of Kwanzaa, the African-American cultural holiday. His latest effort is a childrens book entitled: The Legend of Nia Umoja, on the Gumbs and Thomas imprint.

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