This Week in Iraq

I'd like to take a moment to reflect on what was, and was not, reported on the US Military's actions in Iraq this week. First let's see what did hit the AP wire:

• U.S. Soldier Killed in Vehicle Rollover (9/25) "The death raises to 1,914 the number of U.S. service members who have died since the Iraq war began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count." By my count, that raises to 426 deaths caused by accidents and illnesses unrelated to combat.
• Gunmen Kill Five Shiite Teachers in Iraq (9/26) (Buried deep in the article, the author admits "The shooting was a rare attack on a school...")
• Iraq's First Female Suicide Bomber Kills 6 (9/28) "This could be a sign that the insurgency is getting greater support among a larger segment of the population, that women are getting more militant and willing to take on a greater role." A closer reading of the article will tell alert readers that this is actually the third female suicide bombing in Iraq.
  
• Bombs Kills 60 in 10 Minutes (9/29) "A string of car bombs exploded Thursday in the Iraqi city of Balad, killing at least 62 people and wounding more than 70 others."
• Bomb kills 8 at market in Hilla (9/30) "The motive behind the blast was unclear, but police said it appeared to target civilians."
  

Now let's take a look at a very small sampling of what wasn't in your local newspaper:

• Al Faradazdk school renovated (9/25) We've added electricity and plumbing to a school. Yes, electricity and plumbing.
  
• Coalition forces donate school supplies to Saliyah School in Baghdad (9/25) US troops are helping underprivledged children get an education, amidst terrorists who would like nothing more than children raised in ignorance and religious indoctrination.
• Water project completed in Kirkurk (9/26)
  
• Water treatment facilities costing $230,000 built in Kufa and Shamtonia (9/28) These headlines show the financial committment the US has made to the health of our Iraqi breathen. Despite attempts by terrorists to starve the population into a Somalia-like lawlessness, we are fighting to maintain health and order.
• Two new schools completed in Al Tamim and Diyala (9/29) More funding to improve education.
• Ground broke on new electrical distribution network in Baghdad province. (9/30)

The soldiers deployed to Iraq are chasing down terrorists. But they are doing so much more. We are helping a people rise above violence, decay, and oppression! We are doing good!

If you're interested in news like this, leave a comment. If there is enough interest I may make this a regular weekly feature of the blog. In any case, feel free to join USCENTCOM's newsletter which carries some of these stories widely ignored by the press.

Labels: iraq, media

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