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Iraqi political scenario is boiling up with each passing day and has heated up the political sphere of US as well. The rhetoric on troop withdrawal has become the focal point. US has nothing to rejoice with in Iraq and the conflict is leading to the disappointment of all, as no tangible results have yet been achieved.
Iraqi chaos is going from bad to worse and more or less has become a bitter pill for Bush which neither he could gulp down nor vomit. With each passing day, hopes for the rapprochement and rejuvenation are dying. Nevertheless, here are the excerpts of what Iraq went through from Sept. 9 to, Sep 15, 2007.
September 9, 2005
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The Iraqi government defended its efforts to stabilize Iraq on the eve of a key US progress report, but said it needs more help and was not ready for an abrupt withdrawal of American forces.
On the other hand, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called on Iraq’s neighbors to stop interfering in Iraqi affairs and warned that ongoing violence threatens to spread across the region resulting in total chaos of the entire Mideast region.
September 10, 2005
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Nine US soldiers have been killed in Iraq, including seven in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad. Eleven other were injured in the accident. Two detainees that army was deporting were also killed and the third one was injured seriously.
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In an interview the David H. Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary, accused Iraqi Government responsible for the dilapidated scenario and said that US efforts are hampered by the Iraqi politicians who have failed to achieve any tangible results.
September 11, 2005
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Top US military commander in Iraq, General Petraeus, has come under heavy criticism in Congress as he reports on the progress of the US military surge. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos dismissed Gen Petraeus’ assertion that military objectives of the surge were being met. Lantos alleged that the tactical successes in surge were strategic failure. He further added that it was time for troops to leave.
September 12, 2005
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Bush’s plan to reduce approximately 30,000 troops from Iraq by next summer was vociferously criticized in the senate and Democrats leaders while some of the Republicans even vowed to force Bush again to accept a more dramatic change in Iraq policy.
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The Iraqi army and US troops killed 12 insurgents each and detained 59 in different parts of Iraq during day. On the other hand one civilian was killed and five wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near a convoy of security vehicles close to Beirut Square in eastern Baghdad, police said.
September 13, 2005
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In a great upheaval, a Sunni ally of US and Iraqi government, Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, has been killed in a bomb attack in the city of Ramadi mocking US claims to reduce the sectarian violence. He was the leader of an alliance of Sunni Arab tribes that rejected al-Qaeda because of its methods and worked with the US.
September 14, 2005
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Finally Bush succumbed to the tremendous pressure on Iraq war strategy and decided to reduce troops in Iraq. Accepting the advice of general Petraeus he made a live televised address backing a limited withdrawal from Iraq. According to his plan 5700 troops will be back at home by Christmas and 21,500 more will be back home by July 2008.
On the other hand, political upheaval are adding fuel to the fire in Iraq and now the controversy has started over the oil minister’s remark that oil contracts signed by the regional government are illegal and Iraq’s Northern Kurdish administration has demanded his resignation.
September 15, 2005
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Troop withdrawal in Iraq has kinks one after the other and after US president Bush on Friday announced the withdrawal of approximately 27,000 troops from Iraq by the summer 2008, now the US defense secretary Robert Gates has hinted for a bigger troop withdrawal from Iraq by the end of 2008. Gates suggested that out of more than 160,000 troops in Iraq US could cut about 100,000 by the end of 2008.
Even as the counter allegation on each other hasn’t stoped yet, yesterday US congress again blamed Iraqi government for doing almost nothing to contribute in restoring peace and stability in Iraq. Congress alleged that Iraqi government even failed to achieving stability and reconciliation between country’s feuding factions.
