http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050513/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

Iraqi Border Town Resisting US Forces

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050513/ap_on_.../iraq_emergency

Iraq Renews State of Emergency for Month

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050513/ap_on_...baghdad_attacks

US Convoy Hit by Roadside bomb in Baghdad

Suicide attack claims 3:

Two Iraqi soldiers and a civilian were killed when a suicide bomber drove his car packed with explosives into a truck carrying 40 soldiers on Friday in Baquba, central Iraq
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,...1704547,00.html

http://snipurl.com/evcx

One policeman killed, three wounded in Baghdad shooting
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=42007

US denies copters downed in Iraq:

An Iraqi official said two US helicopters have been shot down in northwest Iraq, near al-Qaim, but the US military has denied the report.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B68...F55159F0CCF.htm

http://snipurl.com/evcy

Attacks intensify as Iraqi anger grows:

Bomb have killed nearly 400 people in the past fortnight:
http://www.dawn.com/2005/05/13/int6.htm

Seventeen U.S. soldiers killed since Saturday :

The U.S. military is reeling from escalating casualties in Iraq. Since last Saturday at least 15 troops have died in combat in Iraq, mostly from explosions. Another two died in action in Afghanistan.
http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=544037879da82fae

http://snipurl.com/evcz

Human Tragedy Unfolds in Iraq’s Al-Qaim:

The Red Crescent warning that the US offensive has turned the city into a “big disaster”, as local inhabitants complained about the stench of dead bodies laid on the streets or beneath the rubble of houses as a result of the fierce US offensive.
http://www.islamonline.org/English/News/20...article03.shtml

http://snipurl.com/evd1

New Iraqi gov't extends state of emergency for 30 days:

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari announced he was extending for 30 days a state of emergency throughout the country, except for the three Kurdish provinces in the north.
http://www.bakutoday.net/afps/english/shar...3.i99qb4ug.html

http://snipurl.com/evd3

Losing hearts and minds:

On Wednesday, National Public Radio broadcast a piece that made it appallingly clear that we have not cleaned up our character in Iraq. Humiliation remains a primary weapon. For all the soldiers who have a heart, a lot also appear to have lost their minds.
http://snipurl.com/evd4

Head of Abu Ghraib Prison Speaks Out:

"All the way up to the top of the Pentagon, they have a long-standing mindset about Reservists and National Guard soldiers, and we are considered disposable," Karpinski said
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/IraqCovera...d=751870&page=1

http://snipurl.com/evdk

--------------------
First the Insurgents, Then Marines
--------------------

Villagers in west Iraq are glad troops swept out rebels. But they're also wary of the U.S.

By Solomon Moore
Times Staff Writer

May 14 2005

RIBAT, Iraq; After he served the Marines tea and sat them in his garden, the former Iraqi government official pulled up his shirt and showed his scars.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...,0,444145.story

http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick05112005.html

The Rise, Fall and Rise of Ahmed Chalabi
Patrick Cockburn

Roadside Bomb in Iraq Kills Three

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D764FA:2F72C9D

Authorities say attack early Saturday targeted police patrol

Smoke billows over the center of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, after a loud
explosion was heardIraqi police say a car bomb has exploded in
Baghdad, killing at least three people and injuring several others.

Authorities say the attack early Saturday targeted a police patrol.
They say three civilian bystanders were killed in the blast.

Separately, the U.S. military says four Marines have died of wounds
sustained in fierce fighting in western Iraq close to the Syrian
border.

U.S. military officials say the four soldiers were fatally wounded
Wednesday in a roadside bombing attack in the village of Karabilah.
U.S. troops are conducting operations in the border region to flush
out insurgents.

The military says some 100 insurgents and foreign fighters are
believed to have been killed during the weeklong operation.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.

`America kept in dark' as carnage escalates:

U.S. TV accused of ignoring situation - Iraq on brink of civil war, analysts say

TIM HARPER

While American TV viewers turn to runaway brides, fast-food fingers and the daily Michael Jackson aberration, they are missing the

story of an increasingly massive foreign policy failure.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8836.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewb4

Stop the Crime of the Century

In Iraq, there is a crime of breathtaking proportions taking place. Breathtaking, but not necessarily surprising. We know from the historical record that governments will lie and deceive, and we've rarely seen one as immoral and venal as the Bush administration.

by David Michael Green

What has turned this crime into an astonishing demonstration of the depth of American democracy's decay is the complicity of the media establishment in hiding the original crime, and in thus doing so, ripping a gaping hole in the fabric of our political system.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8834.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewb8

Bombs Kill Nine In Iraq:

At least nine people were killed in bombings, as fierce fighting between US troops and rebels near the Syrian border claimed the lives of four marines.
http://www.politicalgateway.com/news/read.html?id=3729

http://snipurl.com/ewbg

Four killed in Iraq suicide blast :

At least four people have died in a suicide car bomb attack targeting a police convoy in central Baghdad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4546961.stm

http://snipurl.com/ewbh

Nine U.S. Troops Killed :

The U.S. military said on Saturday nine of its troops were killed in an offensive against "insurgents" and "foreign fighters" in western Iraq, and guerrillas struck again in Baghdad, leaving at least five people dead.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14706795.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewbi

US forces encircle Iraqi town:

A local doctor says five people were wounded when shells hit a house. He describes the situation as "catastrophic," saying the hospital lacks medicines and there's concern ambulances could come under fire.
http://www.kfty.com/news/national/story.as...F0-91268A35558E

http://snipurl.com/ewbj

Report: U.S. makes mistake on Iraq:

The escalating insurgency wreaking havoc in Iraq was made significantly worse by major mistakes of U.S.-led forces, a report from a leading Washington security think tank concluded.
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/2005...13549-9704r.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewbm

British Intelligence Warned of Iraq War:

Blair Was Told of White House's Determination to Use Military Against Hussein
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8835.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewbn

$50 billion more asked for Iraq, Afghan wars:

The Senate Armed Services Committee has recommended a further $50 billion be set aside to fund U.S. military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the U.S.-declared global war on terrorism.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050513/pl_nm/...ss_funding_dc_1

http://snipurl.com/ewbo

War cost nears $250bn :

The proposed new war spending for fiscal 2006, which starts on October 1, would push the cost of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and its aftermath toward $250bn, far ahead of initial expectations voiced by the Bush administration.
http://snipurl.com/ewbp

The Nobility of Slaughter: Tom Friedman, the Imperial Chronicler:

"The war in Iraq is the most important liberal, revolutionary US democracy- building project since the Marshall Plan. It is one of the noblest things this country has ever attempted abroad." (New York Times)
http://www.counterpunch.com/whitney05132005.html

http://snipurl.com/ewbq

Italy sent troops to Iraq to secure oil deal:

Italian troops were sent to Iraq to secure oil deals worth 300 billion dollars, and not just for post-war humanitarian purposes, an Italian television report by RAI claimed on Friday.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8831.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewbu

Carnage in Iraq

FOR THOSE WHO hoped that the formation of an Iraqi government last month would lead to something resembling peace, the past several weeks have brought sharp disappointment. Almost every day seems to bring reports of one or more suicide bombers or other terrorists killing dozens of Iraqi civilians,...

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

Rice Makes Surprise Visit to Iraq

By ANNE GEARAN

SALADHIN, Iraq -- Secretary of State of Condoleezza Rice, on a heavily guarded surprise trip to Iraq on Sunday, urged patience for the country's fragile new government and said Iraqis have made remarkable political progress that can overcome a recent surge of violence.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

--------------------
Marines Wrap Up Assault in West Iraq
--------------------

Troops estimate they killed 125 fighters and captured 39 suspects in their weeklong offensive that sent the remaining rebels fleeing into Syria.

By Solomon Moore
Times Staff Writer

May 15 2005

QAIM, Iraq; Marines concluded their offensive into insurgent strongholds in western Iraq on Saturday, saying they had pushed guerrillas out of villages and towns where they had become entrenched but acknowledging that many of the fighters had escaped.

The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...0,3978502.story

US Military Ends Week-Long Offensive Against Insurgents

http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D779FC:2F72C9D

US officials confirm deaths of nine Marines in operation and capture
of 39 insurgents who have what they called "intelligence value" The
U.S. military officials in Iraq have announced that a week-long
operation against militants was over as they confirmed the deaths of
nine U.S. Marines in that operation. The U.S. officials say during the
operation they have captured 39 insurgents who have what they called
"intelligence value".


U.S. ground troops, supported by tanks and helicopters, worked to
surround what they believe are insurgent strongholds in a village near
the Euphrates River, Saturday. The move to encircle the insurgents is
the latest phase of Operation Matador, a sweep across the border
region aimed at crushing the followers of Jordanian militant leader
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Witnesses say village residents shut themselves indoors as U.S. troops
took up positions on the northern bank of the Euphrates.

According to a doctor at a nearby hospital, five people were wounded
when a house was rocked by an explosion. The source of the shelling
could not be confirmed.

The loss of the four marines brought to nine the number of American
dead in the week-old campaign.

Marine commanders say more than 100 insurgents and foreign fighters
are believed to have been killed in the campaign.

Operation Matador began last weekend in a western desert area
suspected to be one of the main routes into Iraq used into Iraq by
foreign fighters, including suicide bombers.

Syria has denied Iraqi accusations that it is allowing guerrillas to
enter Iraq from its territory.

Iraq starts battle over constitution
In a surprise visit Sunday, US Secretary of State Rice urged political
alternatives to insurgents' violence. By Scott Peterson
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0516/p01s01-woiq.html?s=hns

Iraq: how we were duped

All three leaders of the "Coalition of the Willing" - the United States, Australia and Great Britain - had survived politically after a war that divided citizens and challenged long established principles of international law.

By Gary Hughes

The three leaders survived despite evidence - still emerging - that now seems to prove that the detailed justifications for the war were not only wrong, but in many cases known to be wrong or uncertain before the war began. This is the second battle for Iraq - the battle for the truth.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8839.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewvb

Iraq is a bloody no man's land. America has failed to win the war. But has it lost it?

"The battlefield is a great place for liars," Stonewall Jackson once said on viewing the aftermath of a battle in the American civil war.

By Patrick Cockburn

The great general meant that the confusion of battle is such that anybody can claim anything during a war and hope to get away with it. But even by the standards of other conflicts, Iraq has been particularly fertile in lies.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8845.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewvd

Iraqi police find 30 bodies as Rice makes surprise visit:

The bodies of 34 men shot execution-style were found in three locations in less than 24 hours, police said Sunday, a day when drive-by shootings and suicide bombings killed at least eight Iraqis, including a senior Industry Ministry official and a top Shiite cleric.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/20...5-15-iraq_x.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewvp

US troops kill Iraqi civilians:

US troops have shot and killed eight Iraqis, including five civilians, during an attack on a patrol.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BF6...01CBDE17FB1.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewvq

Trigger-happy US troops 'will keep us in Iraq for years':

The officer said: "US troops have the attitude of shoot first and ask questions later. They simply won't take any risk. - "I explained that their tactics were alienating the civil population and could lengthen the insurgency by a decade. Unfortunately, when we ex-plained our rules of engagement which are based around the principle of minimum force, the US troops just laughed."
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8842.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewvr

Dahr Jamail': A “Welcome Parade” of Blood and Seething Anger

As if to add insult to injury, with over 400 Iraqis killed in violence during the first two weeks of the newly sworn in Iraqi “government,” USSecretary of State Condoleeza Rice made a surprise one day visit to the newest US colony.
http://dahrjamailiraq.com/weblog/archives/...ches/000242.php

http://snipurl.com/ewwo

More nasty surprises await U.S. troops in Iraq:

The last couple of weeks have been among the bloodiest since the U.S. invasion, with more than 420 people killed. The insurgents have been mounting an average of 70 attacks a day, compared to 30 or 40 in March.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columni...ll=chi-news-col

http://snipurl.com/ewvt

Bin Laden henchman ‘seriously wounded’:

IRAQ’S most wanted terrorist, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has been seriously wounded, according to a doctor who claims to have treated him last week.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1613016,00.html

http://snipurl.com/ewvv

Iraq rebels 'flushed out by US' :

"I left al-Qaim with nothing. My five-year-old son was killed in the clashes," Hassan al-Kubaissi, 34, told the news agency.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4548109.stm

Deadly firefight in a desert town shocks marines:

Last week insurgents across Iraq killed more than 100 people. Yet it was a battle the insurgents lost that may have worried coalition commanders most.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-1612884,00.html

Dahr Jamail: Amman, Iraq, and Al-Qaim:

Of course it behooves the military to claim they are battling “foreign fighters,” because as in Fallujah and elsewhere, it doesn’t look good in the press to admit that they are fighting Iraqis who are fighting for their independence from the occupiers of their country.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8840.htm

http://snipurl.com/ewvx

Mosul Diary: "They Destroyed Everything":

US influence is on the retreat in Nineveh province, as it is in the rest of Iraq. There are few troops on the ground: no more than six thousand American soldiers remain in an area with a population of nearly three million.
http://www.counterpunch.org/patrick05132005.html

In pictures: Iraq Uncensored :

Iraq Uncensored photographers present insights and subtleties beyond what daily news reporting can provide.
http://www.mothers-milk.org/IraqUncensored/iuindex.html

http://snipurl.com/ewvy

Marines' Families Await Word From Iraq : `

`I need to be strong so I don't fall apart,'' she said, her voice breaking. Lima Company has about 160 members, and most of their families have not heard from them because they are still fighting.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/stor...5006638,00.html

http://snipurl.com/eww0

Families frustrated in quest for the truth:

They paid the ultimate price on the battlefields of Iraq -- some killed by the enemy, others by their own side. For that sacrifice, some families of slain troops say the U.S. military has paid them back in lies and a lack of information.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8838.htm

http://snipurl.com/eww2

Looking for Battle, Marines Find That Foes Have Fled

By Ellen Knickmeyer

The hunt for foreign insurgents proves frustrating and deadly for U.S. Marines during Operation Matador.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

Oil-for-Food Benefited Russians, Report Says

By Justin Blum and Colum Lynch

Top Kremlin operatives and a Russian politician reaped millions of dollars in profits under the U.N. program by selling oil that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein allowed them to buy at a deep discount, a Senate investigation has concluded.

To view the entire article, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...er=emailarticle

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11...1614010,00.html

Insurgents greet Rice with car bombings, murders and chaos