Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Eyewitness Iraq: Sectarian Civil War, Wed. 15 Mar.

IRAQ

An unidentified relative mourns over the bodies of his family member, killed in U.S. raid, as they arrive in a hospital in Tikrit, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, March 15, 2006. Eleven people, most of them women and children were killed when a house was bombed during a U.S. raid north of Baghdad early Wednesday, police and relatives said. The U.S. military acknowledged four deaths in the raid that they said netted an insurgent suspect in the rural Isahaqi area, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital. (AP Photo/Bassim Daham)
COMMENTLINE
Here are the latest developments out of Iraq:

Saddam takes the stand for the first time in his trial. Reading from a prepared text, Saddam addressed the Iraqis saying, "Let the people unite and resist the invaders and their backers. Don't fight among yourselves." The judge eventually shuts down the trial because of Saddam's antics.

U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid tells congress the U.S. is winning the "long war" in Iraq.

Iraq reports a U.S. raid north of Baghdad killed as many as 13, mostly women and children. However, the report is disputed and U.S officials are "investigating why there is a discrepancy" in accounts of the incident and the number of people killed.

The U.S. military sends several hundred armored troops from Kuwait to the Baghdad area.

Gen. Abizaid tells a House of Representatives subcommittee on Tuesday that he could not rule out permanent U.S. bases in Iraq.

NEWSLINE
"I am the president of the state still. I am president."

NEWSBYTES
Saddam Urges Iraqis to Unite Against GIs
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Saddam Hussein, testifying Wednesday for the first time in his trial, called on Iraqis to stop killing each other and instead fight U.S. troops. The judge reprimanded him for making a rambling, political speech and ordered the TV cameras switched off. Saddam began his speech...

Saddam urges Iraqi resistance during trial
BAGHDAD (Reuters) -- Iraqi police accused U.S. troops of killing five children in a raid on an al Qaeda suspect on Wednesday as ousted leader Saddam Hussein used his televised trial to call on people to "resist the invaders."

Judge Halts Hussein Trial After Shouting Match
BAGHDAD, March 15 (washingtonpost.com) -- Saddam Hussein and the judge presiding over his mass murder trial shouted angry words at each other today in a Baghdad courtroom, with the deposed leader insisting he is still the rightful president of Iraq and urging his former constituents to fight against American "aggressors."

Sectarian violence biggest Iraq issue
WASHINGTON, March 15 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid told a congressional committee the United States is winning the "long war" in Iraq but sectarian tension is a growing concern.

Iraqis Say U.S. Raid Kills 11 People
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- A U.S. raid north of the capital Wednesday killed 11 people _ most of them women and children, said police and relatives of the victims. The American military confirmed the attack but said only four people died _ a man, two women and a child.

Up to 13 Killed in U.S. Assault
Locals Say Several Iraqi Women, Children Among Dead
BAGHDAD, March 15 (washingtonpost.com) -- At least four and perhaps as many as 13 people were killed, including a number of women and at least one child, in a U.S. military operation Wednesday against a house where insurgent collaborators were believed to have taken refuge, local officials and the U.S. military said.

U.S. Boosting Iraq Forces by the Hundreds
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Concerned about escalating violence as Iraq struggles to form a new government, the U.S. military has sent several hundred troops with tanks and other armor from Kuwait to the Baghdad area.

US 'may want to keep Iraq bases'
(Aljazeera.Net) -- The United States may want to keep a long-term military presence in Iraq to bolster moderates against extremists in the region and protect oil supplies, the army general overseeing US operations in Iraq has said.

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