US troops clashed yesterday with Sunni insurgents west of the capital and gunmen assassinated Baghdad's deputy governor as fresh US soldiers arrived in the capital -- a move that will push US military strength in Iraq to its highest level since last summer.
An Iraqi freelance television cameraman was killed yesterday while filming skirmishes between US Marines and Iraqi insurgents in Ramadi, 110km west of Baghdad.
US artillery yesterday pounded suspected insurgent positions in Fallujah, witnesses said. US forces are gearing up for an offensive in Fallujah and other Sunni strongholds if Iraqi mediation fails to win agreement to hand over foreign Arab fighters and other militants.
US and Iraqi officials hope to curb the insurgency in time for national elections by the end of January. Voter registration for the January balloting began yesterday.
In order to provide enough security for the voting, Army units slated to depart are being held back until after the election. The delays in departures and the arrival of new units will push the total US military presence in Iraq to around 142,000.
At Camp Victory North, the sprawling headquarters of the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, the mess hall and housing trailers were brimming to capacity with the arrival of the 3,700-member Louisiana-based 256th Enhanced Separate Brigade, a National Guard unit that has been rolling into Baghdad the past few days.
The arrival of the 256th was supposed to have been timed with the departure of the 1st Cavalry's 2nd Brigade, which was scheduled to prepare to return to Fort Hood, Texas, this month. But the Pentagon delayed the 2nd Brigade's departure by two months, military officials said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi warned on Sunday that efforts to resolve the standoff in Fallujah peacefully have entered their "final phase" and that his patience was running short before launching "a military solution" to the Sunni insurgents' hold over the city.
In a speech that seemed aimed at preparing the Iraqi public for an onslaught, Allawi warned of civilian casualties, saying that if he ordered an assault, it would be with a "heavy heart," because "there will be some loss of innocent lives."
"But I owe, owe it to the Iraqi people to defend them from the violence and the terrorists and insurgents," he said.
US officials say the final order for an all-out attack on Fallujah will come from Allawi. Commanders have estimated that up to 5,000 Islamic militants, loyalists of former president Saddam Hussein and common criminals are holed up there.
The rumble of strong but distant explosions echoed through central Baghdad throughout the day yesterday and the roar of US jets could be heard in the overcast skies.
Baghdad Province Deputy Gov-ernor Hatim Kamil was killed when gunmen opened fire on his car in the southern Doura neighborhood, Iraqi authorities said. Two bodyguards were also wounded in the attack, officials said.
One US Marine was killed and four others wounded on Sunday when a bomb exploded in Ramadi, one of the leading insurgent strongholds.
Heavy clashes between US forces and insurgents continued yesterday in Ramadi. One woman was killed and her two children injured during the fighting, hospital officials said.
In the city of Tikrit in Iraq's Sunni Triangle, a rocket slammed into the Sunubar Hotel late on Sunday, killing 15 Iraqis and wounding eight others, hospital officials said.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS