Belgian trade delegation to visit Kurdistan

May 28, 2009 - 03:59:34 ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: An agreement was reached with Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht to send a trade delegation of investors to the Iraqi Kurdistan region to explore investment opportunities, the region’s president, Massoud Barazani, said on Thursday. “We consider this visit of paramount importance now that Belgium, the seat of the European Union (EU), is enhancing its investment in Iraq,” Barazani said in a joint press conference he held with De Gucht, who had arrived earlier on Thursday in the Salaheddin resort city. For his part, De Gucht said, “We consider Iraq as a federal state; and that is how we paid a visit to the Kurdistan region”. “We work on increasing our diplomatic representation in Iraq but there are no plans at present to open a consulate in the Kurdistan region,” said the Belgian top diplomat. De Gucht had arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday morning (May 27) on a surprise visit to the country. He held a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari upon his arrival. The visiting minister also held meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani. AmR (P)

Korea's Obama Test: Hiroshima sized Nuclear Weapons

North Korea's test of a second nuclear device Monday didn't surprise readers who saw John Bolton's recent prediction on these pages. But it does once again put in sharp relief the world's failure to counter dictator Kim Jong Il's challenge to global security. If history is any guide, Kim's strategy is to keep escalating until he extorts more money, aid and global recognition. This time in particular he's testing President Obama and his vow to "engage" the world's rogues. South Koreans react to news that Pyongyang tested another nuclear device. By early accounts, yesterday's underground test outside the northeastern city of Kilju was successful. If the initial reports of a 10 to 20 kiloton blast are true, then North Korea's scientists have come a long way since their first test in October 2006. That blast registered less than a kiloton and was widely considered a failure abroad, if not in the North, where Kim used it to bolster his prestige. In response to that test, the Bush Administration and China at first increased sanctions and diplomatic pressure. But they quickly turned to strike a deal offering Pyongyang aid and recognition in return for the North's promise to dismantle its nuclear programs. The North and the U.S. later made a public-relations show of blowing up the cooling towers at the Yongbyon reactor, but the deal foundered over the North's refusal to allow adequate inspections, turn over its plutonium or acknowledge its clandestine uranium program. President Bush nonetheless removed North Korea from the U.S. list of terror-sponsoring nations. Kim is returning to this playbook now that Mr. Obama is in the White House, and Kim can't be displeased with the reaction so far. After the North launched a long-range ballistic missile in April, Mr. Obama declared that "Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something. The world must stand together to prevent the spread of these weapons. Now is the time for a strong international response." But the U.S. couldn't even get a Security Council resolution at the U.N. and had to settle for a nonbinding "presidential statement" of rebuke. After Pyongyang said it would put two American journalists on trial in June, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said there was an "open door" to talks. And when the North refused to return to the six-party nuclear talks, Presidential envoy Stephen Bosworth said the U.S. is "committed to dialogue." Monday's test brought more global tut-tutting, with the White House saying that "such provocations will only serve to deepen North Korea's isolation." But Kim Jong Il can be forgiven for concluding that his multiple violations will sooner be rewarded than punished. We can already hear the response in world capitals that there is "no alternative" to this kind of policy accommodation. That's what senior Bush State Department officials like Philip Zelikow, Christopher Hill and Condoleezza Rice asserted to win over Mr. Bush. But a concerted effort to squeeze North Korea economically was making a difference before Mr. Bush pulled the plug in 2007. In 2005, the U.S. Treasury took action against a bank in Macau that did business with North Korea, and Japan cracked down on illegal businesses sending cash to the North. Those financial sanctions could be resumed, and if backed by energy sanctions from China would get the North's attention in a way that U.N. resolutions never will. The U.S. also has a reliable South Korean ally in President Lee Myung-bak, who has cut off aid to the North amid its recent provocations. The stakes here go beyond the ambitions of one nasty regime. North Korea has shown in the past it is willing to sell its missile and other technology around the world, not least to Iran and Syria. The mullahs in Tehran and other rogues are carefully watching the response of the new American President as they contemplate the costs of their own WMD ambitions. Mr. Obama won the White House while promising that his brand of kinder, gentler diplomacy would better rally the world against bad actors. Now would be a good time, and North Korea the right place, to prove it.

'Iran missile program may be more advanced than thought'

Shocker! Who could have seen this one coming?!! By The Associated Press The missile test-fired by Iran is the longest-range solid-propellent missile it has launched yet, raising concerns about the sophistication of Tehran's missile program, a U.S. government official said Wednesday. The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss technical details of Iran's missile program, said Tehran has demonstrated shorter-range solid-propellent missiles in the past. Solid-propellent rockets are a concern because they can be fueled in advance and moved or hidden in silos, the official said. Liquid-propellent rockets have to be fueled and fired quickly, which makes preparations for launches easier to monitor and would allow a pre-emptive strike if necessary. But according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who Wednesday provided the first official U.S. confirmation of the Iranian launch, the Iranian missile had a range of 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers. "That translates to 1,200 to 1,500 miles, putting Israel, U.S. bases in the Mideast, and parts of Eastern Europe within striking distance. The information that I have read indicates that it was a successful flight test," Gates told the House Appropriations Committee nearly eight hours after it was announced by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Gates added that, "Because of some of the problems they've had with their engines we think at least at this stage of the testing we think it's probably closer to the lower end of that range. Whether it hit the target that it was intended for, I have not seen any information on that." U.S. officials said that government analysts and other specialists were still assessing information from the launch. "Obviously that's concerning," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said of the launch. Iran's launch comes less than a month before Iran's presidential election and just two days after President Barack Obama declared a readiness to seek deeper international sanctions against Tehran if it did not respond positively to U.S. attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear program. Obama said earlier this week that Tehran had until the end of the year to show it wanted to engage with Washington. But both U.S. government officials and independent American missile experts said Wednesday that the Iranian missile itself did not appear to be a new model. Charles Vick, a senior technical analyst for GlobalSecurity.org, analyzed photos and videotape of the launch released by Iran. "I'm not all that impressed," Vick said. "It's just another test that confirms they've got the system that was operational last summer. "Obviously, we've seen reports," Gibbs said. "You all know the concerns that the president has about Iran's missile development programs. and the strong belief that the pursuit of those programs does not strengthen the security of Iran but instead make them less safe. Obviously, the president has been long concerned about it." Gibbs noted that Obama and visiting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had both agreed on Monday that engaging the people and the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, something that hasn't been tried for the past many years, is something that makes sense. Some dozen hours after the test was reportedly conducted, numerous U.S. defense and intelligence officials declined to even acknowledge the Iranian launch had occurred. Some referred calls to the White House and State Department, a sign of how politically sensitive the development is to the Obama administration and its continuing efforts to deal with Iran's reported efforts to build nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, appearing Wednesday morning before the Senate Appropriations Committee, said nothing directly about the Iranian launch when Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, raised the issue during questioning. But Clinton did discuss the subject generally, saying that a nuclear-armed Iran would spark an arms race in the Middle East. She referred to a host of threats to the United States that she said are daunting. And Clinton reiterated that the administration opposes Iran getting a nuclear weapons capability and that it is relying for now on diplomatic pressure to stop it. She described a nuclear capability as an extraordinary threat. And Clinton said that the U.S. goal is to persuade the Iranian regime that they will actually be less secure if they proceed with their nuclear weapons program.

To meet June deadline, US and Iraqis redraw city borders

'What is a city' is one question the US and Iraq must answer as they try to balance a requirement that US combat forces withdraw from cities next month and the need for US help to maintain security. By Jane Arraf | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor On a map of Baghdad, the US Army's Forward Operating Base Falcon is clearly within city limits. Except that Iraqi and American military officials have decided it's not. As the June 30 deadline for US soldiers to be out of Iraqi cities approaches, there are no plans to relocate the roughly 3,000 American troops who help maintain security in south Baghdad along what were the fault lines in the sectarian war. "We and the Iraqis decided it wasn't in the city," says a US military official. The base on the southern outskirts of Baghdad's Rasheed district is an example of the fluidity of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) agreed to late last year, which orders all US combat forces out of Iraqi cities, towns, and villages by June 30. "We consider the security agreement a living document," says a senior US commander. With six weeks to go, US and Iraqi commanders are sitting down in joint security committees to determine how they can comply with the decree that all US combat forces withdraw from populated areas by the end of June and still maintain the requirement to assist Iraq in fighting the insurgency and maintaining security and stability. "[The Iraqis are] clear in their intention, less clear in their implementation," says the senior military official, who asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the subject. Complexity of operating under SOFA The security agreement, which took effect five months ago and charts the US-Iraqi relationship for years to come, is also being tested in murkier waters, such as the US right to self-defense. A US-led raid in the southern Iraqi city of Kut last month, in which an Iraqi woman was killed in the crossfire, prompted protests in the streets. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the operation a crime and demanded that the American soldiers involved be turned over to Iraqi courts, saying the raid violated the terms of the security agreement. US officials say they had valid warrants for the operation targeting suspected members of Iranian-funded Shiite militias involved in weapons smuggling. One suspect was killed in the raid and six others detained before Iraqi authorities ordered their release. One US military official said that although Iraqi authorities had been notified of the raid in advance, those authorities maintained they had not approved it. He said the US side believed it was exercising its right to self-defense under the agreement when the raid turned violent. The US military offered condolences and was believed to have paid compensation to the family of the woman killed. "Kut shone a brighter light on the complexity of what we are facing," says the senior US commander. US extension in volatile areas? A major question ahead of the June 30 deadline – whether US troops will be asked to stay in the volatile cities of Mosul and those in Diyala Province – is still unanswered. Senior Iraqi military officials are expected to recommend to Mr. Maliki that US combat forces remain in those areas to help fight an ongoing insurgency. Maliki publicly has said he will not extend the deadline but privately is believed to be willing to consider it. As commander in chief of the Iraqi Security Forces, Maliki has the final decision on whether to ask US forces to stay. Some US and Iraqi officials suspect that his hard-line rhetoric is almost purely for political purposes in a country where people are widely opposed to the continued presence of US forces. The Iraqi parliament voted to approve the SOFA late last year only after linking it to a referendum this summer which would allow Iraqis to vote on whether US troops should leave sooner than the end of 2011. With Maliki's public insistence that there will be no extension for US forces, plans for the promised referendum appear to have quietly disappeared. "We promise a lot of things we don't deliver," says one Iraqi member of parliament when asked about the poll. 'We've never known how to be guests' Apart from the issue of designating US bases as inside or outside cities, Iraqi authorities are also approving the existence of combat troops within select joint security stations in and around Baghdad to be able to maintain security in places that have been key to the reduction in violence, a US military official says. Although the mission for most brigades and battalions is not expected to substantially change after June 30, US military officials have stopped using the term forward operating base in favor of the more benign-sounding contingency operating site. The SOFA and a wider strategic framework agreement set out a relationship between the US and Iraq very different from that of the military occupation of the past six years. "We have acknowledged that the government of Iraq leads the nation. We are their guests," says the senior US commander. "We've never known how to be guests," says a US military official in the field. US-Iraqi partnership: 'A delicate choreography' One of the challenges of that new relationship is how the US can continue to wield influence on key decisions without being seen to do so. "For so long we have been one of the driving forces here ... it is such a hard habit to break," says a senior US State Department official. "I think we need to do everything we can not to make ourselves an issue." As well as security, he says, the United States still has a role to play in promoting Sunni-Shiite reconciliation, tamping down Arab-Kurdish tensions, and fostering effective governance and economic growth – all of which have an impact on security. "It has to be seen here as doing it quietly ... so that you are not doing things for the Iraqis, the Iraqis are doing things for themselves but with your help and we remain in the shadows.... It's a very delicate choreography," adds the State Department official. US concern: Political turmoil after 2010 elections All of that is being worked out against the backdrop of two crucial deadlines: August 2010 for all combat troops to be out of Iraq and the end of 2011 for US forces to withdraw completely. In between, there are key Iraqi events that will likely lead to increased tensions, including national elections planned for January. "We are planning against a finite end and a finite timeline from a US perspective," says the senior commander, saying that a potential security vacuum amid the political turmoil of a new Iraqi government next year is one of the coalition's biggest concerns. Despite Maliki's hard-line statements rejecting a continued US troop presence here, many US and Iraqi officials say they continue to believe the two sides will come up with a new arrangement after the current agreement expires. "If our long-term goal is strategic partnership in Iraq, I would suspect beyond 2011 we would have some kind of long-term presence here," says the senior US commander. http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0519/p06s05-wome.html

What is the truth about waterboarding terrorists?

Is Pelosi a liar or a hypocrite? By: James Kirchick Politico May 19, 2009 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accomplished two unusual feats last week: She got the head of the CIA to call her a liar, and she implicated herself in what her left-wing base must, by dint of its own contrived logic, consider a war crime. Last week, Pelosi denied that the CIA informed her in September 2002 that it had used enhanced interrogation techniques, or EITs, on archterrorist Abu Zubaydah, and she went so far as to accuse the agency of “misleading the Congress” by withholding this information from representatives. To that weighty charge, CIA Director Leon Panetta effectively called Pelosi a liar in a statement contradicting her claims and reaffirmed that a declassified agency document indicating that Pelosi had been informed about the use of EITs was indeed accurate. That Pelosi was told about the use of waterboarding in fall 2002 isn’t news; it’s her furious objections to the contrary that are novel. In 2007, The Washington Post broke the story of the meeting, describing it as a “virtual tour of the CIA’s overseas detention sites and the harsh techniques interrogators had devised to try to make their prisoners talk.” Pelosi’s latter-day obfuscations have left former intelligence committee Chairman Porter Goss, who also attended the 2002 briefing, “slack-jawed.” He recently told The New York Times that “not only was there no objection” from those in the room about the use of harsh techniques such as waterboarding but “there was actually concern about whether the agency was doing enough.” But let’s assume that the speaker is telling the truth (a risky proposition, but bear with me). Pelosi said the CIA told her only about methods it was “considering using in the future.” According to the kangaroo court standards of those braying for Bush administration officials to be prosecuted, the mere drafting of memoranda that deemed the stringently circumscribed use of waterboarding to be lawful itself constitutes a “war crime.” Pelosi’s knowledge of this legal justification therefore makes her complicit in the commissioning of said war crime, just as a person told of a murder plot who does nothing to stop it could be held liable as an accessory to the act. More likely is that Pelosi was told about waterboarding in 2002 and didn’t view it as the great moral problem that currently vexes so many liberal commentators, who are trying to outdo one another in expressing just how outraged and ashamed they are of their country. That Pelosi would be nonchalant about the use of waterboarding seven years ago is hardly surprising. Despite the sanctimony now sweeping the nation’s capital and editorial pages, few Americans in 2002 would have batted an eye at the simulated drowning of Al Qaeda terrorists for the purpose of saving American lives (and, according to recent polls, the vast majority still wouldn’t lose sleep over it). Far easier now, on “a bright, sunny, safe day in April 2009,” as Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said in his self-contradictory contextualization of the recently released “torture memos,” to insist upon the criminalization of political differences. Contrast Pelosi’s insouciance toward EITs with the behavior of Jane Harman, her fellow female California legislator and longtime rival. In February 2003, Harman attended a CIA briefing alongside Pelosi’s intelligence aide Michael Sheehy in which the group was told explicitly about the use of waterboarding and other techniques. Days later, Harman wrote a letter to the CIA asking whether “these practices are consistent with the principles and policies of the United States.” Sheehy, meanwhile, told his boss about the proceedings. And she did nothing. So all along it was Harman, the hawkish Democrat reviled by the left (and most recently slandered by them as an Israeli spy) who bothered to raise objections about the CIA program, while the progressive, anti-war and (supposedly) anti-torture Pelosi remained silent. This would not be the first time Pelosi has put politics ahead of national security. After Democrats retook the House in 2006, she passed over Harman for the chairmanship of the House intelligence committee — a job for which Harman was eminently qualified — in favor of Silvestre Reyes, a Pelosi loyalist. Weeks before he took the committee gavel, Reyes gave an interview in which he attested to Al Qaeda’s Shiite constitution and confessed his ignorance as to the religious denomination of Hezbollah (it’s the latter that’s Shiite; the former, Sunni). To listen to Hill Democrats on the issue of torture is to realize the muddiness of their record. “You have to remember, in the 2002 period, the whole atmospherics, it was all about scaring people every day,” Steve Elmendorf, former chief of staff to then-Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, told POLITICO. “People were legitimately concerned that we were going to be attacked again, and there was a constant drumbeat coming from the Bush administration of, ‘Bad things could happen, bad things could happen.’” If people were legitimately concerned that we were going to be attacked again in 2002, how does Pelosi become absolved of responsibility but Bush lawyers are guilty of war crimes? We’ve long known that Pelosi, now calling for a truth commission to investigate the use of interrogation methods she once condoned, is a hypocrite. The more pertinent question now is whether she’s a liar.

75% of Iraq main streets reopened

Al Sumeriya News Baghdad Operations Command reopened more than 75% of Iraq main streets which were closed due to the security deterioration. In the same context, committees formed by armed forces general commander office as well as ministries and security forces in the capital were handed over more than 14 camps that were operated by multinational forces within a gradual withdrawal plan according to the signed agreement. Imposing Law Operation spokesman Brigadier Qassem Ata clarified to Al Sabah Newspaper that reopening closed streets in Baghdad is carried out as planned by Baghdad Operations Command under the recommendation of armed forces general commander Nuri Al Maliki. All bridges in the capital have been reopened in exception for Dijla Bridge which is expected to reopen soon. Ata affirmed that handing and taking over processes are carried out gradually to avoid any security void while this mechanism is running as planned by armed forces general commander, Baghdad Operation command as well as Interior and Defense Ministries.

U.K. Sailors to Remain in Iraq to Train the Navy

By GINA CHON BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi government said Wednesday it was studying a formal agreement to have a few hundred British sailors stay past the end of a mandate that expires in July to train their Iraqi counterparts. Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said bilateral negotiations would focus on ways to train and support the Iraqi navy to help protect ports and oil facilities in Basra, in southern Iraq. Protection of the oil terminals is crucial because cash from oil sales accounts for more than 90% of Iraqi government revenue. Iraq also faces oil smuggling, border disputes with Iran and other issues in that area. Since December, when a July pullout date for U.K. troops was agreed, the Iraqi and British governments have both expected that a small number of British personnel would stay behind. In April, the U.K. military said it expected to keep 400 personnel in Iraq to help train the navy and conduct general officer training. The port of Um Qasr in Basra province is Iraq's only link to the Persian Gulf. The port is the second-largest source of revenue for the Iraqi government, after oil receipts. During the British military's six years in Iraq, it has focused on helping its Iraqi counterparts develop security for the ports and oil facilities in Basra. The Iraqi and U.K. governments had agreed the British would complete their mission by June, and a complete withdrawal would take place by the end of July. Most of the 4,100 British troops in Iraq have already left the country. The British troops are being replaced by more than 5,000 American forces. Mr. Dabbagh said the possible pact would be presented to the Iraqi parliament for approval. A British military spokesman couldn't be reached to comment.

As temperature climbs, electric generators roar in Iraq

By Kadhem al-Attabi May 13, 2009, Baghdad - The incessant roar of hundreds of petrol-powered generators scarcely bothers Baghdad residents any more. In the hot summer months, when temperatures can climb above 50 degrees Celsius, the generators' roar is reassuring because it is thanks to them that residents can stay cool. Hardly any place in Iraq does not rely at least partially on generators. Homes, shopping malls, government facilities, and five- star hotels all depend on them to some extent to keep the lamps lit and the air-conditioners humming. The streets of Baghdad and many other cities across Iraq are festooned with a haphazard tangle of electrical wires linking neighbourhood homes with the large generators that entrepreneurs have set up to supply entire districts with power, in lieu of a fully functional central grid. In Baghdad, the going rate is 10,000 Iraqi dinars (about 8.5 US dollars) for one ampere of electricity, supplied over the course of eight hours. But prices are subject to change if customers, particularly shop owners or restaurant-owners, want more than eight- hours' supply. 'The lack of electricity persists despite the wealth of the country,' 29-year-old Ghadir Mohammed, who owns a pharmacy in Baghdad, told the German Press Agency dpa. The consecutive governments that have administered Iraq since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003 have not dealt with the problem effectively, Mohammed said. Instead of signing major contracts to establish large electrical power plants, especially in cities least affected by the sectarian violence that gripped much of the country in the years after the invasion, the government resorted to 'failed policies, and competed with the private sector in importing generators,' Mohammed said. 'But this did not help solve the roots of the problem,' he added. Corruption has also contributed to the problem. US-born former electricity minister Ayham al-Sammarai fled the country in 2006 after facing charges that 2 billion US dollars marked for the reconstruction of Iraq's power grid disappeared under his watch. Though the problem worsened after the 2003 invasion, there have been shortages in Iraq's electrical power production for 20 years. Big, privately owned, generators first appeared in the public streets of some Iraqi cities in the 1990s, following the destruction of Iraqi power plants in the 1991 Gulf War. After the destruction of more power plants in 2003, Iraq's power grid collapsed almost completely. Despite efforts to rebuild, Iraq today produces 4,000 megawatts of electricity, down from 10,000 megawatts in 1991. Meanwhile, government facilities, banks, hotels and restaurants use their own generators to ensure a stable power supply during business hours. Those Iraqis who can afford them have their own generators at home. 'The power supply has improved this year, but it still hasn't reached the point where I can give up the small generators in my house, or give up my share in the private generator that supplies the neighbourhood,' Abdel-Qadir al-Samarai, a 65-year-old retired general told dpa. 'I should guarantee the flow of electricity so my grandchildren can study for their final exams at night,' he said. The constant blackouts have spurred a new market for the generators, however. Iraqis now import thousands of generators from Japan, Malaysia, Korea and China, which can be found in most markets around the country. To meet the demand, Iraqi traders are also importing devices 'that suit Iraq's poor electrical supply,' said 58-year-old Asaad al-Rawi, who owns a mall in Baghdad. Iraqis now hope that the current Iraqi government can deliver on its promises to solve the power crisis, especially after the unfulfilled promises made by consecutive governments over the years. The Iraqi Ministry of Power has promised that it will supply 12 hours of stable electricity per day, instead of the less than four hours a day Iraqis now tolerate. To achieve this target, the Iraqi government allocated billion of dollars and signed contracts with US, German, British, Italian and Iranian companies to build several large power plants. It has also signed contracts with neighbouring countries to supply Iraq with electricity until it can power itself.

Deficits soar even with rosy Obama budget assumptions

David Lightman | McClatchy Newspapers last updated: May 12, 2009 07:15:08 AM WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday projected 2009 and 2010 federal budget deficits far higher than it forecast just two and a half months ago, even as it continued to defy most experts and predict that the economy is headed for a strong comeback starting late this year. Economists scoffed at the latest administration predictions. "If they keep playing this game, they're going to have real credibility problems," predicted Brian Bethune, the chief U.S. financial economist at IHS Global Insight, an economic research firm. The new administration budget said that the fiscal 2009 deficit would reach $1.84 trillion, or $89 billion more than forecast in February, while the 2010 figure now is estimated at $1.26 trillion, or $87 billion above the previous number. The fiscal 2008 deficit was $459 billion. The new figures dwarf the $17 billion in budget reductions and program terminations that President Barack Obama proposed with a flourish last week, reductions that Congress is unlikely to approve in full. Budget Director Peter Orszag, writing on his blog, explained that the latest changes, which are the final pieces of Obama's rollout of his $3.6 trillion fiscal 2010 budget, reflect "upward technical revisions" caused largely by lower-than-expected revenues and higher-than-anticipated costs for rescuing financial institutions. As it has done since it took office in January, however, the administration tried to stay upbeat. Monday it offered new plans for cutting health care costs and in the new budget still maintained its February economic assumptions, which are rosier than nearly any other economists foresee. The White House still is projecting that the nation's economy will shrink by 1.2 percent this year and increase by 3.2 percent next year. In addition, it projects that "by the end of this year," the economy will be growing at a 3.5 percent annual rate. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicts a gross domestic product decline of 3 percent this year, but 2.9 percent growth next year, while the April consensus of 50 blue-chip private economists sees a 2.6 percent decline in 2009 and only 1.8 percent growth next year. The administration's assumptions, Orszag said, will be revisited this summer, "the traditional point" when an administration makes such revisions. The biggest discrepancy involves unemployment, which reached 8.9 percent last month. The White House sees the number declining to an average of 7.9 percent next year, well below the CBO's 9 percent estimate and the blue chip 9.5 percent. "The (Obama) unemployment number is crazy," said Roberton Williams, senior fellow at the Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center. The Office of Management and Budget explains the discrepancy by saying that its assumptions are based on data available as of late January. The jobless rate that month was 7.6 percent. It reached 8.9 percent in April, the government reported Friday. The CBO issued its forecast in March and the blue-chip predictions came out last month; in a revision Monday, the blue-chip forecast turned slightly more pessimistic. The differences can be significant in assessing the federal deficit's future path, because recovering economies mean more jobs and more revenue and less government spending. Even with its more optimistic economic scenario, the administration projects record deficits for years to come. The annual deficit would drop to $512 billion by 2013, but then would begin to go up again, reaching $779 billion by 2019, as the costs of Social Security and government health care programs soar, the administration projects. It's a grim picture, analysts said. "Even using their . . . economic assumptions — which now appear to be out of date and overly optimistic — the administration never puts us on a stable path," said Marc Goldwein, the policy director of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Global Insight's Bethune said that Obama could face a growing political problem. His public relations initiatives stress his devotion to slashing spending. In recent months, the president has vowed to cut at least $100 million in wasteful spending, trim $17 billion in unnecessary programs and overhaul Congress' system of using earmarks, or special funding for local projects. Monday, the Council of Economic Advisers reported that the economy was on track to create or save the 3.5 million jobs promised in this winter's $787 billion economic stimulus. However, Republicans are pouncing eagerly on what they view as budget hypocrisy. "The president's recent proposal for some modest reductions in government spending was a start, but the administration acknowledged today that since the president took office, their projections for the deficit grew five times faster than the proposed cuts would save," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Obama, analysts suggested, should be more circumspect, because taming this budget is proving unusually difficult. "So many things are in motion," Bethune said, including weak banks, weaker American auto companies, fragile consumer confidence and so on. "Their economic assumptions could become an issue; it's not a good way to go." To Goldwein, the latest budget news was more confirmation that Obama needs to make hard choices to cut popular programs. "The president made clear that he understands the critical importance of fiscal discipline," he said. "Now we need to see some action."

Iraqi Leaders and Kurds Reach Oil Deal; Pelosi Makes Surprise Visit

New York Times By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and TIMOTHY WILLIAMS BAGHDAD — Ending months of political stalemate, the Iraqi Oil Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq reached an accord Sunday that would allow the Kurds to export oil for the first time. The deal, announced on the Kurdistan government’s Web site, could be a significant political breakthrough because control over Iraqi oil production has been a major irritant between the Iraqi central government and the Kurds, who enjoy a large degree of autonomy and sit atop some of the country’s richest oil reserves. Under the terms, the Kurds can begin exporting about 60,000 barrels of oil a day from the Tawke field starting on June 1, and an additional 40,000 barrels a day from a second field, Taq-Taq, later in the month. The oil will be marketed by the central government and all revenue will go to Baghdad, said Asim Jihad, chief spokesman of the Oil Ministry. Iraq’s central government had long insisted that it alone had control over Iraqi oil, and had refused to recognize any oil contract signed by the Kurdistan Regional Government. It remained unclear on Sunday why Baghdad had softened its position or how the Kurds might benefit. The oil news came as Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, made a surprise here. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said in a statement that he had emphasized cooperation in economic and scientific fields in his meeting with Ms. Pelosi, Democrat of California and a staunch critic of the war. Ms. Pelosi said the United States would work on sharing intelligence with Iraqi authorities to maintain security as American combat troops withdraw. Also on Sunday, the police in Amara arrested Sabah al-Sudani, a brother of Trade Minister Falah al-Sudani, said Sabah al-Saedi, the head of Parliament’s integrity committee. Sabah al-Sudani was wanted along with seven others, including another of the trade minister’s brothers, in an investigation into kickbacks and fraud, Mr. Saedi said.

Iraq's wall-builders mourn drop in violence

by Ammar Karim Ammar Karim Fri May 8, 2:03 am ET BAGHDAD (AFP) – Ahmed Obeid Ibrahim longs for the good old days in Iraq, when car bombs thundered across the city, sectarian militias ruled the streets and his concrete barrier business was booming. "I used to install thousands of barriers for the American army. I set them up in the most dangerous streets and neighbourhoods," he says, reminiscing about the height of Iraq's sectarian violence in 2006. That was before US and Iraqi forces allied with local tribes and militias to bring a fragile calm to most of the country, and before Baghdad authorities decided the towering walls and barbed wire snaking through the city had to go. "The demand for barriers has vanished lately with the improvement in the security situation," Ibrahim said. "The work has been halted at some factories, and others have shut down completely." He says that the price of a single T-wall, a five-tonne three-metre (12 foot)-high wall in the shape of an inverted T, has plummeted from 1,200 to 300 dollars. The walls were never popular among Baghdadis, who complained that they scarred the landscape, worsened traffic and isolated entire neighbourhoods. Last month the Baghdad security spokesman said they would be lifted from all streets by the end of the year. "We have received instructions from the prime minister (Nuri al-Maliki) that all concrete barriers should be removed from the streets of Baghdad by the end of 2009," Major General Qassim Atta told AFP. "Measures will be taken to protect the streets after they have been opened," he said, without making mention of the heavily-fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad that is home to the Iraqi government and US embassy. Atta said in early April that 88 streets had been closed at the height of the fighting. "By now we have succeeded in opening 75 percent of them." The Baghdad municipality has expressed support for the plan, and is mulling the idea of gathering the discarded barriers -- many of which have been painted as murals by residents -- to make a kind of war memorial. "The purpose of these walls was protection, but now there is no need for them," city spokesman Hakim Abdel Zahra said, adding that they may still be necessary to guard military compounds and other government buildings. The barrier builders have long shared a certain gallows humour about their grim trade, which thrived off the devastating car bombs and kidnappings that killed tens of thousands of people since the 2003 US-led invasion. Yasser al-Musawi, another contractor, recalled how one time he and a barrier factory owner were outside talking when a loud explosion shook the area. "The factory owner said, with complete joy: 'We will go to back to work again!... I hope there are more explosions so we can produce more,'" Musawi said. "I was shocked." Musawi would be grateful for more business, but thinks the government should keep the walls on the outskirts of the city instead of blocking off its main streets and central neighbourhoods. "There are times when you have to use these barriers, but sometimes we find that we are using them so much that they start to strangle us," he said. Many of the companies that used to manufacture the barriers are hoping they can now help rebuild Iraq's infrastructure, which is crumbling from decades of war, international sanctions, and neglect. The head of one of the biggest barrier manufacturers in the country, who asked not to be named, said he hopes the improved security situation will allow him to get back to his core business of transport construction. "Our company specialises in building bridges, tunnels and embankments," he said. "We only started making concrete walls because of the increase in demand. Now we are concentrating on our main line of work." It may be premature to declare that the era of the T-walls has passed. US and Iraqi commanders have repeatedly warned that the present calm is a fragile one and attacks in the capital are still common. Last week alone more than 150 people were killed in a devastating spate of suicide attacks, including a twin bombing near a revered Shiite shrine in central Baghdad that slaughtered 65, including women and children. Ibrahim still casts a wary eye on his country's neighbours, whom many Iraqis have long blamed for stoking the violence. "The barriers that have been produced can be used to plug holes along the borders," he said, his eyes lighting up. "That's a long way, more than 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles)."

Al Qaeda exporting jihad with a hip-hop vibe

Al Qaeda's Somali arm has hip-hop jihad rap and message from "American" Intel expert says group is trying "to reach audience of potential recruits in America" Video comes on the heels of purported bin Laden message on Somalia LONDON (CNN) -- The latest video from Somalia's al Qaeda-backed Al-Shabaab wing is as slickly produced as a reality TV show but with a startling message -- complete with a hip-hop jihad vibe. Experts think Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, dubbed "The American" by al Qaeda, speaks in the Somali video. "Mortar by mortar, shell by shell, only going to stop when I send them to hell," the unidentified voice raps on the video, which runs at least 18 minutes. The video also shows a man reported to be Abu Mansoor al-Amriki, dubbed "The American" by al Qaeda. He apparently is now in Somalia training and counseling Somalis from North America and Europe. He speaks in American English. "Away from your family, away from our friends, away from ice, candy bars, all those things is because we're waiting to meet the enemy," says the man believed to be al-Amriki. Watch part of the video » Intelligence experts say the video was probably made in recent weeks and comes on the heels of an audio message in March purportedly from Osama bin Laden. In that recording, the al Qaeda leader calls on his "Muslim brothers in Mujahid Somalia" to overthrow President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed for cooperating with the West. Al-Shabaab is the militant Islamic wing in Somalia. It means "Youth" in Arabic. "We're seeing perhaps their most sophisticated attempt so far to really reach an audience of potential recruits in America, and that's one of the things that made that video very significant," said Ben Venzke of the IntelCenter, a Washington-based research group that tracks al Qaeda's development and messages. "They're casting it in a way that's going to speak to the youth of today," Venzke said. "Most of the time, what we're seeing in their videos directly parallels what the groups are doing operationally, what they are targeting, where they're recruiting." Sheik Ahmed Matan knows that firsthand. A respected member of Britain's Somali community, Matan said he knows of hundreds of young Somali men who have returned to Somalia for terrorist training. "A lot of young people from here, from America, from Canada, from everywhere from Europe -- they went there," he said. He added that these men are capable of being sent back home to conduct terrorist operations, even suicide bombings. "It can be, they can train anytime and send them here, anytime," Matan said. Somalis from North America and Europe are beginning to come to terms with the problem of recruitment, he said. The United States and British governments say Somalia is an emerging terror hot spot, which could pose a threat beyond its borders. Matan said he often challenges "recruiters" at mosques and elsewhere in Britain, demanding that they stop brainwashing younger Somalis about Islam. He said the government should play a greater role in monitoring what is said and done at these mosques -- but, he concedes, doing so has proved highly controversial in Britain and throughout Europe. There is some evidence that al Qaeda is successfully preying on some of those with Western backgrounds. One of them was a business student from London who suddenly left for Somalia. He surfaced about 18 months ago on a martyrdom video, just before blowing himself up in southern Somalia, killing at least 20 people, officials say. U.S. Defense officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said months ago that one of their worst nightmares would be al Qaeda operating freely in Somalia. Now that nightmare continues, with Somalis in North America and Europe admitting that al Qaeda's reach is spreading. Venzke said Al-Shabaab has put out more videos than ever before in the past year. "If that's what they're doing publicly, we can only assume how their operations have developed," he said.

Fears of Yemen turning into another Afghanistan

By DONNA ABU-NASR, Associated Press Writer Donna Abu-nasr, Associated Press Writer Sun May 3, 12:39 pm ET SAN'A, Yemen – The cave tucked in the remote Saudi mountains near the Yemeni border was clearly a way station for Islamic militants, Saudi police say, pointing to the stock of guns and ammunition, nooks for holding hostages and cameras for filming them. It even had buckets of sugar, rice and flour, as well as boxes of charcoal, candles, pasta and beans — supplies for a long stay by al-Qaida fighters moving across the border to prepare attacks in the kingdom. The discovery in early April reinforced a growing fear in Saudi Arabia: that Yemen could become another Afghanistan right on its doorstep, an out-of-control state where al-Qaida runs free and exports violence into its neighbor. The United States shares the Saudis' fear. Gen. David Petraeus, head of the U.S. Central Command, told Congress in April that the weakness of Yemen's government provides al-Qaida a safe haven and that terror groups could "threaten Yemen's neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states." Yemen is the Arab world's poorest nation — and one of its most unstable — making it fertile territory for al-Qaida to set up camp. The country is also in a strategic location, next door to some of the world's most important oil producing nations. It also lies just across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia, an even more tumultuous nation where the U.S. has said militants from the terror network have been increasing their activity. Al-Qaida militants, including fighters returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, have established sanctuaries among a number of Yemeni tribes, particularly ones in three provinces bordering Saudi Arabia known as the "triangle of evil" because of the heavy militant presence, Yemeni authorities say. In January, militants announced the creation of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, a merger between the terror network's Yemeni and Saudi branches, led by Naser Abdel-Karim al-Wahishi, a Yemeni who was once a close aide to Osama bin Laden. Over the past year, al-Qaida has been blamed for a string of attacks, including an armed assault in September on the U.S. Embassy in San'a, as well as two suicide bombings targeting South Korean visitors in March. Al-Qaida fighters in the country are believed to number in the low hundreds. But the presence is strong enough that Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh in February pleaded with tribesmen in the "triangle of evil" to turn in militants. "You are the triangle of good, giving and loyal men. Fight terrorism and don't ignore it," Saleh told tribal members in Mareb province. "Does anyone here want to take us back to square one? To the days of ignorance, poverty and isolation?" Yemen, the ancestral home of bin Laden's family, has long been an al-Qaida stomping ground. The country was the scene to one of al-Qaida's most dramatic pre-9/11 attacks, the 2000 suicide bombing of the destroyer USS Cole off the Aden coast that killed 17 American sailors. But the difference now is that rather than just carrying out attacks in Yemen, a new generation of al-Qaida militants appears to be trying to establish a longterm presence here, uniting Yemenis returning from fighting in Iraq and Saudis fleeing the kingdom's crackdown. They have openly declared their aim to overthrow Saleh for his joining Washington's war on terror. Unlike Afghanistan under the Taliban, al-Qaida doesn't have a government supporting it in Yemen. But it doesn't necessarily need it. Government control is weak over much of the mountainous, desert nation. Many areas are lawless, weapons are plentiful, and rampant poverty — which is worsening with falling oil prices — makes recruiting militants easy. Many tribes are disgruntled with the government, and can be paid to provide havens for militants. Abdul-Karim al-Eryani, a political adviser to Saleh, says that the miltiants seem to be well-funded and that security forces are reluctant to move strongly against them because then "it becomes a war between the state and the tribes, which is not advisable." Even tribesmen who are not sympathethic to al-Qaida are reluctant to hand over militants because of the traditional custom of generosity toward guests. Ji'bil al-Deeman, a tribal leader in Mareb — which along with Shabwa and Jof provinces make up the "triangle of evil" — says he opposes al-Qaida because its attacks impede badly needed development projects. But if a militant showed up in his territory, al-Deeman said he would just order him out, not alert the police. "I won't hand him over to authorities. It's shameful to do so to someone who asks for my protection," said al-Deeman. "Anyone who did so would be considered a deficient tribesman and would bring shame to his tribe." Other tribesmen also deny harboring al-Qaida, and blame the government's failure to address poverty for a rise in militancy behind recent attacks. Yemen, a country of 22 million people more than twice the size of California, has a 35 percent unemployment rate and a 50 percent literacy rate. "We have a corruption problem in this country, we have a lawlessness problem," said Mufarreh Buhaih, a tribal chief in Mareb. "We worry that this country will turn into another Somalia and become a real sanctuary for terrorism." At the same time, the government is caught up in other problems — the possibility of a new flare-up in a Shiite uprising in the north and tensions in the south, where separatist sentiment is mounting. Even in the capital San'a, where government control is tight, tensions are palpable. Random checkpoints crop up across the city, with troops searching cars and sometimes frisking passengers. Hotels are putting up fences and installing high-tech security devices. New security measures have been imposed at the international airport, even barring friends and family from entering the arrivals terminal to greet imcoming passengers. The San'a government's weakness has made Washington hesitant to return dozens of Yemenis currently being held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison, which President Barack Obama has promised to shut down. The U.S. apparently fears the freed detainees could come under the sway of al-Qaida. Earlier this month, Obama counterterrorism adviser John Brennan met with Yemen's president and underlined the U.S. concerns, the State Department said. In January, Saudi Arabia issued a list of its top 85 most wanted militants living abroad, most of them in Yemen, including al-Wahishi, the 33-year-old leader of the merged Yemeni-Saudi al-Qaida. In the years immediately following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida militants tried a direct assault on Saudi Arabia, carrying out a string of shootings and bombings against Saudi police, foreigners and infrastructure. A heavy crackdown largely crushed al-Qaida cells in the kingdom. Now Saudi Arabia fears al-Qaida is trying again, this time through the backdoor via its southern neighbor. The cave hideout illustrates the dangers. The border, running 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) through rough desert and mountain terrain, is highly porous. That makes it easy for militants to enter Saudi Arabia or for Saudis to cross into Yemen for a few days militant training, then return home. In their April raid on the cave, Saudi police seized 11 suspected Saudi militants planning armed robberies, possibly on banks and shops in Saudi Arabia to finance their operations, Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said. The cave included nooks set up apparently to hold hostages and film them for Web videos. "The cave was a foothold for al-Qaida," said al-Turki. "It could've been used for logistical support, as a shelter or a holding area for infiltrators." Those arrested at the cave are the most serious cell of militants caught so far in southern Saudi Arabia because of its "ready-to-execute plots, targets and capabilities," al-Turki said. Al-Qaida, he said, is trying to lure young Saudis to get militant training in Yemen, instead of having to go all the way to Afghanistan. "The youths can slip over to Yemen for a few days training and return home without raising their parents' suspicion because their absence won't be long," he said.

New gear puts snipers in check in Iraq

By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY WASHINGTON — Sniper attacks by insurgents on U.S. troops in Iraq have been eliminated so far this year, the result of better equipment and training and taming the insurgency, according to military officials and records. In 2007, there were 291 sniper attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq, according to Multi-National Force-Iraq, the U.S.-led military coalition there. There were 92 such attacks last year and none so far this year, records show. Because improved tactics and technology have helped slash the number of attacks, commanders in Afghanistan — where ambushes and sniper attacks have increased — are asking for technology that can pinpoint the source of gunfire, said Maj. Shawn Lucas, who helps coordinate countersniper efforts at the Pentagon. Insurgents rarely engage U.S. forces in conventional attacks because of the overwhelming advantage American troops have in firepower, equipment and training. They opt instead for longer-range attacks, such as ambushes, sniper fire and improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Sniper attacks increased from 10 in 2007 to 19 in 2008, according to the U.S. military in Afghanistan. There have been five sniper attacks so far this year. Capt. Elizabeth Mathias, a military spokeswoman, cautioned that the figures for Afghanistan are estimates. Since late 2008, the Army has been issuing devices to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq that can pinpoint the location of snipers, Lucas said. One or two soldiers per unit now wear the iPod-size devices to help them spot snipers' locations, take cover and return fire. "At longer engagement ranges, like what you see in Afghanistan, it can be particularly difficult to pinpoint where exactly the shooter is," Lucas said. Without the new technology, he said, a sniper can shoot before anyone can find him by ear or by "seeing the muzzle flash and the smoke from the rifle." The device, called the Soldier Wearable Acoustic Targeting System, is part of a $450 million effort the Army mounted after sniper attacks reached their peak in Iraq. The money has been used to buy similar devices for vehicles. If a bullet passes close enough to the device's sensors it can point out the location of the shooter, Lucas said. More than 1,000 of the devices have been issued to soldiers. Soldiers had complained about the inaccuracy of earlier versions of Boomerang, the device that can be mounted on Humvees. Some of those soldiers lacked the training to understand its limitations, Lucas said. The Army is now issuing third-generation Boomerangs with improved accuracy, he said. There are about 700 on Humvees, and thousands more are scheduled to be installed on Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, Lucas said. Commanders also have made urgent requests for better binoculars and infrared sights to locate snipers at night. President Obama's decision to send 21,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan this year to help root out insurgents and train Afghan security forces could mean more potential targets for snipers. Soldiers now are better trained on how to spot snipers and how to conceal themselves, Lucas said, leading to a dramatic decrease in attacks in Iraq. Andrew Krepinevich, president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, credited some of the decline to the counterinsurgency strategy that was adopted in 2007 in Iraq. It focused on providing security for population by controlling neighborhoods. In turn, Iraqis provided security forces tips on insurgents, including snipers. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a series of speeches to war colleges to build support for his $534 billion budget proposal, declared that providing troops in combat with what they need to fight and survive is his "overriding priority." Sniper attacks were once feared by the Pentagon as a threat second only to roadside bombs. In 2007, Defense officials sought $1.4 billion for anti-sniper programs. Budget documents then stated that snipers, if unchecked, could have surpassed roadside bombs as the top killer of U.S. troops.

Iraqis display photo of alleged al-Qaida leader

By KIM GAMEL BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi government presented the first image of the alleged leader of an al-Qaida front group Tuesday in a bid to prove the right suspect was in custody despite skepticism that he even exists. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called Abu Omar al-Baghdadi "the head of evil" and accused him of trying to incite a sectarian civil war and working with other insurgents who remained loyal to Saddam Hussein. "This criminal had close relations with the former regime and maintained a sinister alliance with Saddam's followers," he said in a statement released by his office. Authorities described al-Baghdadi's capture, which was announced last week, as a major setback for Sunni insurgents trying to intensify attacks after a relative lull. But the capture or death of other high-ranking insurgent figures in the past — including former al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2006 — has done little to slow the bombings. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said he could not confirm al-Baghdadi's capture and described as "fairly accurate" a statement that every day that goes by without a confirmation increases the suspicion that it's not him. A prominent writer identified as Muhub Ruyat al-Rahman, whose comments are widely read on Islamic Web sites, meanwhile, signaled that insurgent groups also were not certain the man captured was al-Baghdadi. He warned his comrades the claim could be a propaganda ploy and said even if it did prove true, the death or arrest of leaders would not stop the march of jihad, or holy war. The identity of al-Baghdadi — shown in the photo unveiled at a news conference with a close-cropped beard and black T-shirt — has frequently been questioned. The U.S. military has even said al-Baghdadi could be a fictitious character used to give an Iraqi face to an organization dominated by foreign al-Qaida fighters. Even if he does exist, it was unclear what his role is in the terror group — whether he really runs it or whether he's a figurehead. Iraqi officials also have reported al-Baghdadi's arrest or killing before, only to later say they were wrong. In 2007, Iraq's government reported that al-Baghdadi had been killed and released photos of what it said was his body. Later, security officials said they had arrested al-Baghdadi. In both cases, the U.S. military said at the time it could not be confirmed. The reports turned out to be untrue. But Iraqi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi said the government was certain the man arrested Thursday was al-Baghdadi. He displayed the picture but offered no other proof, saying the investigation was ongoing and that security forces were still trying to glean information from the detainee. A senior Iraqi security official said authorities did not want to release too much information because it could tip off members of his insurgent network. Information from al-Baghdadi already had led Iraqi authorities to arrest four people, including a woman, and seize three explosive belts in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, the official said on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information. He said the group had planned attacks to mark the birthday of Saddam, who was hanged in 2006. Saddam, who is buried in the Tigris River hamlet of Ouja, would have turned 72 on Tuesday. Authorities hailed the purported arrest as a major victory for Iraqi forces reeling from accusations that they are not prepared to take over their own security in the wake of a series of high-profile attacks. The deadliest bombings in more than a year occurred last week after al-Baghdadi was purportedly caught, with more than 150 people killed over a period of two days. Associated Press Writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report.