KIlled in Iskandariya

Have you seen Reuter's daily "Factbox" on Iraq? I've started using it to update my Statistics on Green Zone Attacks. I'm scanning it today and see "Iskandariya."

Four policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near a police station in Iskandariya, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Iskandariya is a predominantly Shia town. When Bush proposed his Troop escalation, I thought it unlikely to succeed because it was too focused on Baghdad, among more obvious reasons. Iskandariya, the town few have heard of provides one example of the fact that the war isn't confined to, nor will be won in Baghdad... of course, it won't really be "won." Here's a little dated chronology of incidents in Iskandariya:

On June 19, 2003, a soldier from the 804th Medical Brigade was killed when the military ambulance in which he was traveling was hit by a rocket propelled grenade near Iskandariya. Another attack, on November 9, killed a soldier from the 18th Military Police Brigade. Three more US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb on January 28, 2004 and another bombing on February 4 killed yet another soldier. [2]

Note, these are US soldier incidents, that is, the tip of the iceberg in one town of many siginficant towns and cities:

• Arbil (ܐܪܒܝܠ) (أربيل)
• Baghdad (ܒܓܕܐܕ) (بغداد)
• Baiji
• Baquba (بعقوبه)
• Basra (بصرى)
• Nuhadra/Dahuk (ܢܘܗܕܪܐ)
• Al Diwaniyah (الديوانية)
• Fallujah (الفلّوجة)
• Halabja
• Al Hillah (الديوانية)
• Karbala (كربلاء)
• Kirkuk (ܟܪܟܘܟ) (كركوك)
• Kut (الكوت)
• Iskandariya (إسكندرية)
• Mosul/Nineveh الموصل
• Najaf (النجف)
• Nassiriya (الناصرية)
• Osiraq (أوزيراك)
• Samawah (السماوة)
• Samarra (سامراء)
• Ar Ramadi (الرمادي)
• Ar Rutba (الرطبة)
• As Sulaymaniyah (السليمانية)
• Tadji
• Tikrit (تكريت)
• Umm Qasr (أم قصر)

Of 18 Iraqi governorates, the US escalation focused on two, Al Anbar and Baghdad. Here's alist of the 18 provinces:

• Al Anbar
• Al Basrah
• Al Karbala
• Al Muthanna
• Al Qadisyah
• An Najaf
• Arbil
• As Sulaymaniyah
• At Ta'mim
• Babil
• Baghdad
• Dahuk
• Dhi Qar
• Diyala
• Maysan
• Ninawa
• Salah ad Din
• Wasit

Now the establishment media finally reports that a Bush military war advisor (czar), Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, was skeptical of the surge policy.[3] This was reported in non-corporate, alternative media on May 16 by DemocracyNow:

President Bush has tapped Pentagon General Douglas Lute to be the administration's first war czar. If confirmed by the Senate, Lute will be responsible for overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lute was selected after several retired generals refused to take the job. The selection of Lute has surprised some because he has repeatedly questioned the size of the U.S. force in Iraq and has criticized the so-called surge. [4]

Sources:

1. Reuters Factbox for Iraq, May 5, 2007.
2. Art History Club Iskandariya link.
3. Associated Press, June 6, 2007, ANNE FLAHERTY, "Bush war adviser was skeptical on Iraq."
4. DemocracyNow, May 16,2007, News Headlines.

Iskandariyah, Iskanderiyah, Iskanderiya, Iskanderiyeh or Sikandariyeh