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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (248114)	11/11/2007 4:25:11 PM
From: Ruffian	Respond to of 281500

or Taxicabs:).............

To: steve harris who wrote (248114)	11/11/2007 4:27:54 PM
From: Ruffian	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Libs must be having a shit conniption, lol Iraqi PM: Sectarian violence 'is closed now' BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The number of bombings and suicide attacks has dropped dramatically in the Iraqi capital, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Sunday, claiming sectarian violence "is closed now." art.iraq.kid.ap.jpg An Iraqi boy looks at a U.S. soldier at a security checkpoint in Baghdad last week. Meanwhile, a roadside bomb missed a U.S. convoy in eastern Baghdad, killing a 12-year-old girl and wounding four other Iraqis, police said. Al-Maliki, a Shiite Muslim, told reporters that "terrorist acts" including car bombings and suicide attacks have dropped by 77 percent from last year's high, a sign that Sunni-Shiite violence "is closed now." "When the sectarian strife is over, then I will not fear the gangs who are running between the provinces," al-Maliki said, an apparent reference to al Qaeda and other Sunni religious extremists that have been driven from the capital. "The majority of these terrorists are fleeing to nearby countries, and I warned our brothers in the Islamic and Arab countries to be aware in order that they not harm these countries," he said. Al-Maliki said he was considering an amnesty for those "who were lured or committed some crimes," although he added that the move would not include those "convicted of killings or bombings." In a sign the government is working toward reconciliation, 70 former members of Saddam Hussein's party were reinstated to their jobs after they joined the fight against al Qaeda in Anbar province, said Ali al-Lami, a senior official with the commission that considered their cases. Don't Miss * Iraq's new crisis: Moms, dads abandoning kids * U.S. releases nine Iranians in Iraq * 2007 the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq Al-Lami told The Associated Press that the former Baath party members included 12 university professors, officers in the disbanded Iraqi army, former policemen and teachers. The upbeat statements reflected those of U.S. military officials. Last week, the commander of U.S. troops in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, said bombings and killings had been declining steadily since a spike last June and "it continues to come down every month." Despite security improvements, violence continued Sunday, although at a lower level than last year, when the sectarian slaughter was at its height and 30,000 U.S. reinforcements had yet to arrive. U.S. soldiers sealed off part of the Baladiyat area after a roadside bomb exploded as an American convoy was passing through the mostly Shiite district, a policeman said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. The Iraqi victims were all bystanders, he said. There were no reports of American casualties. In western Baghdad, assailants in a speeding car hurled a hand grenade at a minibus traveling to Baiyaa, a flashpoint neighborhood where Shiite militiamen drove away many Sunnis this year. Three minibus passengers were seriously wounded, a policeman said on condition of anonymity because he was also not authorized to release information to media. On Saturday, attackers -- also traveling by car -- threw a grenade at a civilian vehicle in Baiyaa, wounding two passengers. U.S. officials have attributed much of the decline in violence to success in driving al Qaeda in Iraq and other Sunni extremist groups from the Iraqi capital. Also Sunday, the U.S. military said it had achieved "significant progress" in operations against al Qaeda in four northern provinces since American and Iraqi forces launched Operation Iron Hammer last week. A U.S. statement said during the first week of the operation, U.S. and Iraqi forces had detained more than 200 suspected extremists, captured three "high value" al Qaeda operatives and seized more than a ton of various explosives. U.S. officers had predicted that al Qaeda and other extremists groups would try to regroup in the mostly Sunni north after they were driven from strongholds in Baghdad and Diyala province this year. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.