Poland yields to US in Iraq zone (BBC Breaking)

[huckleberry]

Polish troops in Iraq have handed over military authority in two provinces to US marines because of worsening security in Najaf.
The Polish-led multinational force in the area is giving up control of Najaf and Qadisiya provinces, a Polish military statement said.

not much more at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3549842.stm

[daleo]

1. There is something big hitting the fan

Either the resistance is doing a Tet, or the BFEE has decided to use the big guns now that Al-Jazeera is out of the way. Consider:

- Basra oil fields shut down.
- Curfew in Najef.
- Chalabis thrown to the wolves.
- U.S. taking over from Poles.
- A-J kicked out.

[Jacobin]

10. They're taking their country back

Good thing its not on the news. Bush's polls would be even worse.

[Massacure]

12. Um, it is a bad thing it is not on the news

Because then Kerry's polls would be better. :P

[DoYouEverWonder]

14. One more - Sistani flown to England

That's a big one.

Sistani is considered the spiritual leaders of all Shite Muslims, not just the Iraqi ones. They had to get him out of the country, cause they couldn't risk killing him by mistake.

[Doosh]

2. Robert Fisk predicted the Shit was about to hit the fan

[0007]

3. The can't handle the situation? Please more news!

[cal04]

4. this will probably make things a lot worse

The governor of Najaf cleared the way Monday for military operations around the Imam Ali Shrine, the most holy place in Shiite Islam, where fighters loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are holed up, said a commander for the U.S.-led multinational forces.

Al-Sadr has promised a fight to the death against the American-led forces by his Mehdi Army militia.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/08/09/iraq.main/index.html

[catmandu57]

5. Something is happening

I get the feeeling that all hell is breaking loose and they've done all they can to put a curtain up so we don't see it.

[cthrumatrix]

7. bingo

[w4rma]

6. Sounds like they aren't helping us any more in those two provinces.

Or maybe they are washing their hands of anything that is about to go down in those two provinces.

[Barrett808]

8. Poles under Fire in Iraq (Zulu, Delta, Lima bases under attack)

Poles under Fire in Iraq
Politics: 9 August 2004, Monday.

Three Polish military bases in Iraq have come under fire on Sunday night, officials reported on Monday.

None of the soldiers were injured in the shooting. The Zulu, Delta and Lima bases, all of them hosting Polish troops, were the ones attacked.

The Bulgarian contingent in Iraq is also under Polish command. The Bulgarians are currently in occupation of the Kilo base in Karbala. They moved to the place after the India base was destroyed by a cistern bomb last December. Four Bulgarian soldiers were killed in the attack.

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=37914

[Dhalgren]

9. The whole Iraq debachle has gone completely to shit

and Caligula wants to up the death toll. Either the massive carnage will quell the current unrest enough to get Caligula elected or, if not, at least he will have punished these "subhumans" who have made him a failure worse than his daddy. Caligula never takes responsibility or blame for anything, so it must be someone else's fault. The Terrorists, dead-enders, Ba'athists, radical Shi'ites, and all those non-white bastards will die in a ball of fire because they stood up against Caligula. I think we are about to see some of the worst crimes against humanity that have ever been seen - and Americans are going to be the perpetrators. It makes me sick and sad and angry...

[Jacobin]

11. Going from godawful to horrid

Guess the "journalists" feel they shouldn't report these happenings here in the good ole' optimistic U.S of A.

[MaryH]

15. Watch PBS-Lehrer Report every nite

They do report on Iraq almost nitely. And I don't think they try to cover anything up.

Its bad.

[CaptainClark23]

13. Does this mean Bush's Pole #'s are dropping?

Couldn't resist.

I agree with assessments above - gonna be a week for dirty work over there, and curtains are being drawn.

[struggle4progress]

16. Poland wanted to leave in the early spring but * threw a hissy-fit. eom