Iraq News 25 Feb

The Good: Washington Post discusses joint operations between Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces in Mosul. Ninawa province, which contains Mosul (third largest city), is the only province where violence has actually increased since 2007, so security operations in Mosul will be crucial. The WaPo article focuses on some of the challenges faced by our troops and the Iraqi troops.

The Bad: Over 40 Shi'ite pilgrims were killed by a suicide attack on the road between Baghdad and Karbala. The pilgrimage is for the upcoming Arbaeen and Al-Qaeda operatives, most likely, purported this attack near Iskandariyah to inflame sectarian tensions. What a bunch of savages.

The Ugly: The PKK, The "Maoist revolutionary" or terrorist group as I would call them, have encouraged violence in Turkey in response to the ground operations launched by the Turkish military into northern Iraq. This whole thing is becoming a diplomatic hot potato, and meanwhile the Iraqi Prime Minister is AWOL getting medical treatment in London.