Operation Iraqi Freedom/External links: Year Three - Quagmire (September-March 18, 2006)

Year Three of Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced on March 19, 2005. The United States and the coalition of the willing long ago passed the point of what could be called the "Beginnings" of what is now more and more obviously a Quagmire.

This section covers September 2005 through January 2006.

For more Year Three links see:


 * Year Three (March-June 2005)
 * Year Three (June-August 2005)

Also see:
 * Operation Iraqi Freedom: Year Four
 * Task Bar for more links.

Articles & Commentary
The following are articles & commentary for the months September 2005 through March 18, 2006. For the months March through May 2005, see Operation Iraqi Freedom: Year Three: Quagmire and June through August, see Operation Iraqi Freedom: Year Three: Quagmire June-August 2005.

September 2005

 * Jim VandeHei, "Talabani Says Iraqis Could Replace Many U.S. Troops. President's Claim About Major American Withdrawal by Year's End Conflicts With White House Position," Washington Post, September 13, 2005.
 * Juan Cole, "Security Situation in Baghdad Sinking like the Titanic," Informed Comment, September 18, 2005: "Five neighborhoods (hay) in Baghdad are controlled by insurgents, and they are Amiraya, Ghazilya, Shurta, Yarmouk and Doura. It is very bad."
 * Dominic Evans, "Iraq invasion radicalized Saudi fighters: report," Reuters (ABC News), September 18, 2005.
 * "Billion dollars plundered from Iraq's defence ministry," Agence France Presse (Yahoo! News), September 19, 2005: "...seriously affecting the government's ability to combat the insurgency, [according to Ali Allawi ] the Iraqi finance minister. ... The rip-offs were so huge, ... that Baghdad officials estimate that the Iraqis involved 'were only front men and 'rogue elements' within the US military and intelligence services may have played a decisive role behind the scenes'. ... 'It is nearly 100 percent of the ministry's (procurement) budget that has gone AWOL (absent without leave),' ... a further 500-600 million dollars has allegedly disappeared from the electricity, transport, interior and other ministries."
 * Mark Crispin Miller, "The fuzzy numbers of the dead," News from Underground, September 21, 2005.

November 2005

 * Chris, "US increasing troops in Iraq again," AMERICAblog, November 1, 2005.
 * Dan Balz, "Bush Faces Dual Challenges on Iraq," Washington Post, November 25, 2005.

December 2005

 * Alexander Cockburn, "The Revolt of the Generals. 'Broken, Worn Out' and 'Living Hand to Mouth'," CounterPunch, December 3/4, 2005.
 * Mary Lou Brown Byrd, "Counting the Cost," Common Dreams, December 5, 2005.
 * Wesley Kanne Clark, Op-Ed: "The Next Iraq Offensive," New York Times, December 6, 2005.
 * Mark Benjamin, "Incalculable pain," Salon (TruthOut), December 10, 2005: "The Pentagon is underreporting the number of American soldier casualties in Iraq."
 * Nico, "Pentagon Covering Up Tens of Thousands of U.S. Casualties In Official Reports," Think Progress, December 10, 2005.
 * "The war in numbers: From WMD to the victims," Independent (UK), December 13, 2005.

January 2006

 * Gideon Long, "Multiple attacks on Iraq's bloodiest day in weeks," Reuters (UK), January 4, 2006.
 * Borzou Daragahi and Shamil Aziz, "Suicide Bomber Kills 32 at Iraqi Funeral," Los Angeles Times, January 4, 2006.
 * "'Several Thousand' U.S. Troops To Leave Iraq And Afghanistan," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, January 4, 2006.
 * Paul West, "Bush hints at troop cuts. Remaining forces to be moved in '06 to non-combat roles, president says," New York Newsday, January 5, 2006.
 * "Iraq's Bloodiest Day Yet; 45 Killed," Cihan News Agency (Zaman Online (Turkey)), January 5, 2006.
 * "Violence in Iraq should decrease this year, US general says," Political Gateway (Florida), January 5, 2006. ... according to Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Pete Pace, that is.
 * Donna, "Horrific, Bloody Days In Iraq Segment Ends With Chiding Murtha," News Hounds, January 5, 2006. re Fox News report and John Murtha.
 * Michael Moss, "Extra Armor Could Have Saved Many Lives, Study Shows," New York Times, January 6, 2006.
 * James Hider, "Bombers kill 130 in Iraq's bloodiest day since election," Times Online (UK), January 6, 2006.
 * "Death Toll Tops 120 In Day Of Iraq Violence," Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, January 6, 2006.
 * "120 killed in Iraq suicide bombings," Sydney Morning Herald, January 6, 2006.
 * Jason Starziuso, "125 Iraqis, five soldiers die in suicide-bomb onslaught," The Daily Telegraph and Associated Press (Canada) (Ottawa Citizen), January 6, 2006.
 * "Bloodiest day after invasion 11 US troops killed in Iraq," Agence France Presse (Bangladesh) (The New Nation), January 6, 2006.
 * David Sanger, "Bush calls on critics for help with Iraq policy," Sydney Morning Herald, January 7, 2006: "It coincided with the bloodiest day in Iraq for four months, when two suicide bombers killed at least 120 people and wounded more than 200 in attacks near a Shiite holy shrine in Karbala and a police recruiting centre in Ramadi, and seven US soldiers were killed in two roadside attacks."
 * Nelson Hernandez and Saad Sarhan, "Insurgents Kill 140 as Iraq Clashes Escalate. 5 U.S. Troops Among Dead," Washington Post, January 6, 2006.
 * Richard J. Oppel, Jr., "Iraq's Bloodiest Day in Months Includes 11 U.S. Deaths," New York Times, January 7, 2006.
 * Borzou Daragahi, "U.S. toll climbs after day of attacks in Iraq," Los Angeles Times (Seattle Times), January 7, 2006.
 * "Devastating attacks on Iraqi crowds claim 189," Associated Press (Baghdad) (Taipei Times), January 7, 2006: "Suicide Bombings: Attackers targeted a line of police recruits and a crowd of Shiite pilgrims in the latest effort to derail Iraq's political progress."
 * Patrick Quinn, "Update 9: 12 Thought Dead After Copter Crash in Iraq," Associated Press (Forbes), January 8, 2006.
 * Suzanne Goldberg, "Bombs, bullets and helicopter crash kill 17," Guardian (UK), January 9, 2006.
 * Chris Kraul and Borzou Daragahi, "U.S. Crash in Iraq Kills 12," Los Angeles Times, January 9, 2006: "All on the chopper are believed to be American. Five Marines are also slain, bringing the four-day military death toll to as high as 28."
 * "Report: Army could be near breaking point. Rapid troop rotations threaten institution, Pentagon-sponsored study says," Associated Press (MSNBC), January 24, 2006.
 * "Fewest U.S. Troops in Iraq Since Summer," Associated Press (Washington Post), January 24, 2006: "There are now about 136,000 troops in Iraq, ... Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said last month that he expects the troop levels to be brought down further, to about 130,000 by the beginning of March. He and other officials have said still more cuts could be made later in the year if conditions permit -- including the availability of increasing numbers of Iraqi troops."
 * Gerry J. Gilmore, News Release: "U.S. Troops in Iraq Decrease to Last Summer's Level," American Forces Press Service, January 25, 2006.
 * "Two Wars Overextending U.S. Armed Forces, Studies Say" (Update1), Bloomberg News, January 25, 2006.
 * Demetri Sevastopulo and Ben Bain, "Bush accused of stretching armed forces to the limit," Financial Times, January 25, 2006.
 * Will Dunham, "Former Pentagon chief sees damage to U.S. military," Reuters, January 25, 2006: "The report's contributors include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former national security adviser Samuel Berger, retired Army Gen. John Shalikashvili, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and others who served in the Clinton administration."
 * Megan Scully, "Ex-Clinton officials warn of declining military readiness," CongressDaily (GovExec.com), January 25, 2006.
 * Robert Burns, "Army's 'thin green line' seen fraying," Associated Press (Seattle Times), January 25, 2006.
 * "Rumsfeld disputes readiness study. Defense secretary says military nowhere near 'breaking'," CNN, January 25, 2006. See Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's January 25, 2006, press briefing.
 * "US military 'at breaking point'," BBC, January 26, 2006.
 * Tom Regan, "Report done for Pentagon says Army close to 'snapping'. But Rumsfeld says report's conclusions are 'inconsistent with the facts'," Christian Science Monitor, January 26, 2006.
 * Lolita C. Baldor, "Rumsfeld says Army isn't overextended. Disputes reports and calls troops 'battle-hardened'," Associated Press (Boston Globe), January 26, 2006.
 * Faiz Shakir, "Report Finds Future of Army In Danger; Rumsfeld Responds By Blaming Clinton," Think Progress, January 26, 2006.
 * Mark Thompson, "Army at the Breaking Point? Despite what the Pentagon says, there is growing evidence that the military is dangerously stretched in Iraq," TIME, January 26, 2006.
 * Nick Wadhams, "General says US forces 'stretched' but capable," Associated Press (Boston Globe), January 26, 2006.
 * Mark Sappenfield, "Is the US Army prepared to fight another Iraq-style war? Two studies this week raise concern that troop levels may be inadequate for long conflicts," Christian Science Monitor, January 27, 2006 (issue).
 * Editorial: "Secure Our Troops," Boston Globe, January 27, 2006.
 * Nick Wadhams, "Casey: Troops Will Accomplish Mission in Iraq," Associated Press (New York Sun), January 27, 2006.