No progress

Baghdad is where the surge is most heavily concentrated, and where the surge was supposed to show the biggest results. While violence continues there, it spreads to new areas as well.

However, these stories are pointed to as proof that the "enemy" is "on the run". The "enemy" seems to have quite a few suicide bombers, and unless these guys are coming back from the dead, they seem to be finding new ones to take their places. Eventually, everyone on the planet willing to blow themselves up will be dead, and we will "win". I guess that is our strategy.

story from Xinhua

4 Iraqi soldiers killed, 11 U.S. soldiers wounded in two suicide bombings in north of Baghdad

Two suicide car bombers struck a joint U.S. and Iraqi military outpost in northern Baghdad, killing four Iraqi soldiers and wounding 11 U.S. troops, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

The attacks took place on Wednesday when the two suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices hit the outpost, a military statement said.

Four other Iraqi soldiers were also wounded in the attacks, it added.

The statement did not say where exactly the incident occurred, but said that eight of the U.S. wounded were transported to Camp Taji, some 20 km north of the capital. The remaining three U.S. and the four Iraqi wounded soldiers were evacuated to a medical facility.

It said that eight local Iraqis were detained for suspect of having information about the attacks.

Earlier on Wednesday, 14 U.S. soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.


The military said in a statement that the 14 soldiers, assigned to Task Force Lightning, died when the Black Hawk helicopter they were riding went down in northern Iraq.

Source: Xinhua

...and from Reuters:

* BAGHDAD - At least 13 people were killed in clashes between U.S. forces and gunmen in the Shula district of northwestern Baghdad overnight, a police source at a hospital said. U.S. force said they killed eight militants in the clash.

* DIWANIYA - Gunmen killed two construction workers in a drive-by shooting in Diwaniya, 180 km (112 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

* DIWANIYA - Police said they found a body riddled with the bullets in central Diwaniya.

*HAWIJA - Gunmen killed a barber in a drive-by shooting in central Hawija 70 km (43 miles) southwest of the northern city of Kirkuk, police said.

* HAWIJA - Police said they found a body with gunshot wounds and signs of torture in central Hawija.

SALAHUDDIN PROVINCE - One U.S. soldier was killed and four wounded as a result of an explosion that struck them while on patrol in Salahuddin Province north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.

MOSUL - A booby-trapped parked car containing two dead bodies exploded in central Mosul on Thursday, police said. Two people including a policeman were killed in the blast and 12 were wounded.

RIYADH - Police found one body with gunshot wounds and signs of torture in the town of Riyadh 60 km (40 miles) southwest of Kirkuk on Thursday, police said.

NUMANIYA - Gunmen killed a policeman in Numaniya 120 km (72 miles) south of Baghdad, police said.

Does this sound like an improving situation? Violence is spreading to areas that were previously peaceful, and continuing in areas that were previously violent.