The News in Pictures

January 15, 2008 | | Comments (1)

It's gotten so that if you want any news from Iraq, you gotta look at the pictures. Here's what I found today:

Apparently victims of Saddam Hussein's 1996-1999 "Anfal" Campaign in which entire Kurdish villages were gassed and leveled, are finally being laid to rest.

Though I've Googled the name, I can find nothing more than captions about this story. No context, no sense of the depth of significance of this man's death.

The Shiite "high holy days" of Ashura are passing peacefully, a notable achievement. And on that subject, how does this picture strike you?

In fact, it has gotten so "quiet" that at least one reporter has had to dig into the past for a story.

And here are some photos about a story that has been widely publicized. Every recent photo I could find on Yahoo News involving a story about veterans has a caption that mentions the same article, and the particular photos chosen to illustrate the captions are downright chilling in that context, At least that's obviously the intention, though my reaction is quite different.

--FbL

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By Chuck Simmins on January 16, 2008 10:17 PM
The senior leader from the New Baqubah Concerned Local Citizen’s group was killed Jan. 13 near Khalis, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in collided with a dump truck. The body of Haji Uday was taken to Baqubah General Hospital along with his injured third in command, who was later released. Uday’s son, who was also in the vehicle, was air evacuated to a Coalition Force hospital for treatment and is currently in stable condition. Four other Iraqis were injured in the accident. The group had just completed a security meeting and was being escorted by the Iraqi Police when the accident occurred. “Haji Uday courageously fought al-Qaeda in Iraq, and his efforts played a large role in evicting AQI from Baqubah,” said Col. Jon Lehr, commander, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “This tragic accident is only a temporary setback. We will persevere in bringing peace and security for the people of Baqubah by working together.” The accident is currently under investigation. http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16447&Itemid=128