U.S. already planning Iraq pullout, lawmakers say :

The lawmakers' remarks are among the first indications that concrete steps are being taken to redeploy some of the 160,000 troops currently in Iraq.

http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=IRAQ-TROOPS-11-25-05



Poland to withdraw troops from Iraq next year:

Poland will pull its troops out of Iraq in 2006 but it may move the deadline for withdrawal from January to mid-year, Polish Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Friday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051125/ts_nm/iraq_poland_dc_1



Lithuania to Withdraw Part of Troops from Iraq

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?catid=135&newsid=77320&ch=0&datte=2005-11-25



Ray McGovern: Will the US Seize the Opportunity for Troop Withdrawal?:

The common demand, by Shia and Kurds as well as Sunnis, for a timetable for withdrawal of occupation forces demolishes the administration's argument that setting such a timetable would be a huge mistake. Who would know better-the Iraqis or the ideologues advising Bush?

http://www.counterpunch.org/mcgovern11252005.html



Chris Floyd: First Light :

We should take heart from events like Murtha's declaration and Bush's freefall in the polls. There has been a shift in the political landscape, which provides cautious but credible grounds for hope of some measure of change. Not a false triumphalism, for there is never any final "triumph" in human affairs; there is only the continual, never-ending task of trying to rise above our worst instincts.

http://tinyurl.com/8o99j



Dahr Jamail : Life Goes On in Fallujah's Rubble:

This month, U.S. Marine Col. David Berger, who is commander of the 8th Regimental Combat Team and responsible for Fallujah, told reporters, "[Fallujah's residents] don't see any progress, they don't see any action. They hear a lot of words, a lot of promises, but not a lot of product."

http://tinyurl.com/akb2q



Dutch foreign minister warns US on human rights abuses:

Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot today warned the US government that if it continued to 'hide' over reports of secret prisons in eastern Europe, Dutch contributions to US-led military missions could be affected, the ANP news agency reported.

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/11/24/afx2353398.html


From Information Clearing House

Catherine Green, whose pilot brother, Philip, was a British casualty, explains why she backs today's High Court action pressing for an independent investigation into the conflict.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article328960.ece


From Information Clearing House

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=2285782005

The consequences of "staying the course".

SR


From ufpj-news

Richard Falk writes that the American debate on the Iraq war has entered a dramatic new phase. For the first time, a prominent Democrat, Congressman John Murtha, has called for a withdrawal of American forces from the country. Murtha's words have had a major impact because he was a former supporter of the war, and has had a career distinguished by his consistently pro-military profile. His argument is based on the inability to complete the American military mission in Iraq, making inexcusable the continued killing and loss of life.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112305C.shtml

The Russian parliament condemned today as 'absolutely unacceptable' the use last year by US forces in Iraq of toxic white phosphorus bombs, which it said was prohibited under international law.

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/11/23/afx2351931.html


From Information Clearing House

Women and children came out carrying white flags. It was eerie seeing columns of people appearing through the smoke and explosions, with no one knowing which direction the shooting was coming from. I am sure we will hear of more casualties.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1648676,00.html


From Information Clearing House

By Ted Rall

As inexperienced weekend warriors shot up carloads of civilians from rooftops above invisible checkpoints, it soon became apparent that our forces were undereducated, poorly trained and excessively preoccupied with their own safety. The Americans' cultural insensitivity, often beyond the point of brutality, transformed people grateful to be liberated into insurgents in a matter of months.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11128.htm

The Oxford Research Group non-governmental organisation, which assesses constructive approaches to dealing with international terrorism and the "war on terror", says the war in Iraq is only in its early stages.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11125.htm

In conversations with troops in the tense cities of Baghdad, Mosul and Tikrit during the last four weeks, morale seemed a fragile thing, especially among those in the line of fire, shot through with a sense of dread. "Morale is a roller coaster," said Lt. Rusten Currie, who has spent 10 months in Iraq. "We were all idealistic to begin with, wanting to find Osama bin Laden and [Abu Musab] Zarqawi, and bring them to justice — whatever that means. Now we just want to go home."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112205G.shtml

There were around 20 pick ups full of them.

http://snipurl.com/k5a7


From Information Clearing House