News

News: "Iraq: Is the tide turning?
Yes
Attacks on allied forces have dropped to 30 to 40 a day, from a daily peak of 140 in January
After a spate of kidnappings followed by beheadings, only two westerners are still being held.
More than 152,000 Iraqis now trained and equipped for the military or the police commandos
Iraqi oil production for the past 9 months has reached 205 million barrels, and exports at 1.5 million barrels a day
Electricity is almost back up to pre-war levels when Iraq was under sanctions
Several top aides of rebel leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi captured or killed in recent weeks
Sovereign government was installed last week
No
Civilian Iraqi deaths close to 20,000, and death-rate still rising since the elections
Kidnappings of Iraqis is rife. Children in particular being abducted and their parents held to ransom
Large parts of Iraq still outside US or Iraqi control. Grave doubts about quality of trained Iraqi police
Only significant oil production is in Southern Iraq. The oil pipelines across northern Iraq are under regular attack and vulnerable to sabotage
Power shortages remain frequent, with electricity supplies turning on and off
Car bombers and suicide bombers continue to target the US military and the government
Some 48 per cent of Iraqis are still out of work "