World-News

Dahr Jamail, Truthout: "The Sahwa played a critical role in the reduction of overall violence in Iraq. When the US decided to pay off the resistance (to the tune of $300 per month per fighter) that was effectively shredding occupation forces from late 2003 until mid-2006, the number of US military personnel being killed began to decline, and has, until recently, continued to decline. The Sahwa were also effective in finding and eliminating al-Qaeda in Iraq, so the fact that we are now seeing a renewing of horrific attacks against the Shia should not come as a surprise as the Sahwa continue to leave their security posts around the country. The Maliki government in Baghdad, which has perceived the Sahwa as a threat from the beginning of the group's formation, is systematically eliminating the perceived threat. Maliki has broken his promise to integrate the Sahwa into the government security apparatus, while continuing to forgo payment to Sahwa forces working in security positions around much of Baghdad."

http://www.truthout.org/052309A?n



Green Zone Deaths Raise Security Fears

Ernesto Londono, The Washington Post: "An American working for a small company with a Defense Department contract was found dead in a vehicle in the fortified Green Zone on Friday morning, US officials said. Another American working for a contractor was killed later in the day in a suspected rocket attack near the US Embassy, US officials said. It appeared to be the first fatal rocket attack in the Green Zone in more than a year."

http://www.truthout.org/052309B?n



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