Monday, February 28, 2005
HISTORY MADE, IGNORED
Haven’t seen this reported very widely. Maybe it never happened:
Iraqi and Coalition Forces made history Feb. 21 when the 40th Iraqi National Guard brigade officially assumed control of their area of operation.
This is the first ING brigade to stand alone and have direct control over an area of operation. The new brigade’s area covers numerous spots in Baghdad, including Haifa Street, Ahdamiyah, Sheikh Malouf and Al Shaab. Coalition Forces will continue to advise the brigade, but the areas will be under complete Iraqi control.
Brig. Gen. Jaleel Khalaf Shwail, 40th Brigade commander, said he is proud to represent his country and his more than 2,800 soldiers.
“This is a historical event in the history of Iraq,” he said. “It is our time to take the liberty and democracy (Coalition Forces) gave to us on a golden plate.”
Seems believable enough. Oh well. We now return you to our regularly-scheduled programming: Aieeee! Iyad Allawi is Shooting Everybody!
UPDATE. Arthur Chrenkoff has more good news from Iraq, and writes:
The fact that so many people, and not just the Sunni sheikhs, now want the piece of the Iraqi action perhaps tells us more about the true situation and future prospects in Iraq than most current news reports. As the old saying goes: victory has many fathers, defeat is an orphan. That the waiting room of the Middle Eastern maternity ward is getting increasingly crowded with paternity claimants is a good - if an indirect - sign that the things in Iraq might be going better than one would think based on the mainstream media coverage.
UPDATE II. Sadly, it’s not all good news:
The death toll from a suicide bombing near a crowded marketplace south of Baghdad yesterday has reached 115, making it the single bloodiest attack in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The car bomb also wounded 148 people.