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11/18/2003 Archived Entry: "Iraq?"

US forces pound Iraqi insurgents (Nov 18th 2003)
"These are operations of the 'search and destroy' type which are very spectacular
and designed primarily to occupy television airtime for the U.S. public back home,"
said Francois Gere, director of France's Institute for Diplomacy and Defence.
"This is like using sledgehammers to swat flies. This is not how you fight guerrillas."

Support for U.S. slipping among Iraqis: (CIA Report) (Nov 12th 2003)
Increasingly aggressive tactics by U.S. forces, such as last weekend's
"show of force" aerial raids and mortar attacks, could backfire by
alienating more Iraqis, the CIA officials worry.
Does anyone read these documents??

New Poll: Most Iraqis Now View US as 'Occupier' (VOA) (Nov 18th 2003)
Another contributing factor to the growing Iraqi resentment could be
the widely held belief that most U.S. troops view the Iraqi people with
suspicion and hostility. On the streets of Baghdad and elsewhere, even
the most minor tales of American mistreatment of Iraqis routinely get
passed from person to person.

Philippines to pull troops out of Iraq if security worsens

Pentagon Debunks Reports on Osama-Saddam Ties
Several outlets, including The Washington Times and FOX News, ran with the story.

U.S. aircraft pound insurgent positions in central Iraq
As a result, much of Baghdad has been left with only brief,
10-15 minute periods of electricity in the last three days.

U.S. administrators said the outages were a result of maintenance work on the national grid.
But Iraqi government officials said they were caused by the collapse of steel pylons carrying
high-tension lines after heavy rains and high winds.