What the MNF publications said

MNF Iraq Operations from their publication


Summary October 22-28, 2005

Combined operations: 220
IEDs found and cleared: 144
Anti-Iraqi forces detained: 485
Foreign fighters captured or killed: 29
Weapons caches found and cleared: 53


From Iraq Coalition Casualties website, same dates.

US and Coalition Fatalities: 17 (Fatalities from IEDs: 8)
Iraqis civilians killed: 168
Iraqi police and military killed: 191


I feel this rather shows that they are losing a lot to IEDs, in spite of the number found. It shows that most of the forces fighting them are Iraqis, not foreigners. It also shows that the Iraqi police and military, and the Iraqi civilians, are taking a much, much higher toll than the US forces.

As always, the civilians and native populations pay a heavier price for war.

Department of Peace meeting

Here in western North Carolina, we had our first meeting to promote the Department of Peace in the USA on October 29, 2005. The department would be a cabinet level position, and have equal footing with other cabinet level positions in the President’s cabinet. It is now in the proposal stage, and I think it will take a long time to make it a reality. The purpose of such a department would be to provide the President with verified recommendations on how a specific policy either decreases or increases the prospect of domestic and international peace. Another purpose would be to provide the President with recommendations regarding the social and financial impacts of domestic and international policies. This department would work on both international and domestic causes of violence and how to address these. Our American society often feels it needs to control violent people with violence, when another more human and compassionate response would work better. Of course, this will take a long while to get this Department of Peace established, and it will have no impact on a man like Mr. Bush.

More information can be found at The Peace Alliance.

People came to our meeting from GA, VI, NC, SC, TN. There were military people present also. Lynn McMullen was our speaker for this meeting/workshop. A women shared the story of explaining war to a very young child, who said: "Why are they so mad they would kill people they don't know?"

A musician at this workshop wrote this song:

Give peace a voice; let our hearts be heard,
Sounding our choice to love and preserve,
Give peace a voice, uniting nations of the world.
by Shawn Galloway


I have neglected this blog for almost two months, and that is somewhat due to the blogging I have been doing on Today In Iraq. I generally post there on Friday and Saturdays, but I fill in on other days. I will try to up date this blog at least every weekend.

Today's toll.............

From Reuters AlertNet on 11-02-05

Car bomb in central Iraq killed at least 23 people.

Earlier, roadside bombs and shootings killed at least 12 people.

US forces did an air strike in Ramadi, killed 35 people.

Two roadside bombs in Baghdad killed 5 civilians and 5 Iraqi soldiers.

Iraqi policeman shot in Baghdad.

Iraqi soldier killed by a bomb in Falluja.

Two insurgents killed by US forces.

At least 6 insurgents killed in safe houses in Qusayba by US bombs.

Doctors in Qusayba say 15 Iraqi civilians were killed in these US air strikes.

So, what's the total?
90 Iraqi civilians.
7 Iraqi police and soldiers
8 insurgents

and 4 US troops.

So, Iraqis are dying at 26 times the rate of US troops.

What an evil tragedy the US government has started here.