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Letter to the editor

Last week in Iraq

By Times Wires
Published January 6, 2008

Attacks

-A suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint manned by a group fighting against al-Qaida in Iraq, killing 12 people in one of a series of strikes Monday against the largely Sunni movement singled out by Osama bin Laden as a "disgrace and shame."

-At least 35 people were killed and 37 wounded Tuesday when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest at a crowded Shiite Muslim funeral in Baghdad for a former colonel in Saddam Hussein's army, police said.

-Four people were killed and 23 injured when a suicide bomber blew herself up Wednesday at a police checkpoint in Baqubah, authorities said.

Rebuilding

-U.S. admissions of Iraqi refugees are nose-diving amid bureaucratic infighting despite the Bush administration's pledge to boost them to roughly 1,000 per month, according to State Department statistics made public Wednesday. The United States said it would improve processing and resettle 12,000 Iraqis by Sept. 30, but the number admitted has slid from 450 in October to 362 in November and 245 in December.

-Iraq's oil output climbed in November and the ministry in charge of production forecast on Wednesday that it could surpass 3-million barrels per day by the end of 2008. The prewar production was 2.58-million barrels per day.

-The U.S. military announced Wednesday that it is operating a pilot program to help residents of the Shiite village of Huda by providing jobs that also could dim the allure of militancy. Modeled on a program under which the United States pays armed groups who turned against al-Qaida in Iraq, the military has begun recruiting villagers to improve sanitation, do repairs and pick up trash.

-Clerics loyal to radical Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr called on followers Friday to respect a cease-fire and to try to make peace with rivals.

Military

-Marine Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich, 27, will be court-martialed on reduced charges in the killings of 24 Iraqi men, women and children in the town of Haditha in 2005, the Marine Corps announced Monday.

-Security gains that have led to a significant fall in violence over the last six months are tenuous and could be lost if Iraqis become disillusioned or extremists mount a major attack, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the commander of U.S. forces south of Baghdad, said Thursday.

Deaths

As of Saturday, 3,909 U.S. troops have died in Iraq. Identifications as reported by the U.S. military and not previously published:

-Army Pfc. Joshua R. Anderson, 24, Jordan, Minn.; explosion Wednesday; Kamasia.

-Army Pfc. Joseph R. Berlin Jr., 21, Chelsea, Ala.; noncombat Dec. 30; Baghdad.

-Army Cpt. Thomas J. Casey, 32, Albuquerque, N.M.; small-arms fire Thursday; Sadiyah.

-Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Victor W. Jeffries, 52, Honolulu; Monday of injuries from Dec. 24 vehicle accident; Kuwait.

-Army Sgt. Reno S. Lacerna, 44, Waipahu, Hawaii; noncombat Monday; al-Qayyarah.

-Army Staff Sgt. Ryan D. Maseth, 24, Pittsburgh; noncombat Wednesday; Baghdad.

-Army Maj. Andrew J. Olmsted, 37, Colorado Springs, Colo.; small-arms fire Thursday; Sadiyah.

[Last modified January 6, 2008, 00:31:45]