Much has been made of the turmoil in Iraq 'cause of course its bad and has to be dealt with...
...but the frenzied focus of the media on the state of play over there seems soooooooooooo one-sided and that it is ALL bad and doom and gloom - smacks of a political agenda...
But is it ALL bad?? And if not when was the last time you herard ANTHING about the good that is going on
And then ask yourself why?
U.S. military sees good news in Iraq Declassified report finds progress in government, utilities, health care, schools, economy, security
Posted: October 11, 2004 1:00 a.m. Eastern
Editor's note: Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin is an online, subscription intelligence news service from the creator of WorldNetDaily.com – a journalist who has been developing sources around the world for the last 25 years.
While continuing terrorist attacks in Iraq have pushed the military campaign into the middle of the presidential debate in the United States, a declassified military report shows the progress that has been made on the political, economic and societal fronts.
On the transition to Iraqi sovereignty, the declassified report obtained by Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online intelligence newsletter published by WND, points out significant progress is being made across the board – in the new government, with utilities, in health care, in schools, the economy and in national security.
Elections for the National Assembly are scheduled for Jan. 31 with the transitional government taking power early in 2005, the report boasts. The draft of the permanent constitution is set for Aug. 15, 2005, with a referendum on the document scheduled for Oct. 15. Elections for the new government will be complete by Dec. 15 next year and it takes office Dec. 31.
While those dates have been fixed for some time, what is getting less attention more generally from the U.S. news media are the accomplishments on the economic side.
As of July 21, estimated crude oil export revenue had reached $9.2 billion for 2004. While the unemployment rate in the country is high by U.S. standards at 28 percent, far more people are working than just six months ago. According to a recent survey, average household income had risen from $124 a month to $214. Nearly 3,000 loans totaling more than $6 million have been disbursed to micro-enterprises and small businesses throughout the country. And the New Iraq Dinar has been relatively stable for more than six months at around 1,425-1,460 to the U.S. dollar.
The report says there have been major breakthroughs in water supply and sanitation. Some 12 million people are being served by new projects across Iraq. A poor area of Baghdad with nearly 1 million people is now getting water from a rehabilitated water treatment plant. Some 30-40 percent of the marshlands deliberately drained by Saddam Hussein in his genocidal campaign against the marsh Arabs have been reflooded. A program last year cleared more than 17,000 kilometers of Iraqi waterways to improve water flow and irrigation. Another program is set to clear some 20,000 kilometers and employ around 100,000 Iraqis.
Health care for Iraqis has been greatly improved as well, according to the report. It is estimated that 85 percent of children have been immunized and rates are increasing with ongoing programs. More than 240 hospitals are operating along with 1,200 preventive health clinics.
There are now nearly 2,500 schools in operation across the country with 4,500 new ones planned. Another 1,200 will be rehabilitated. Some 32,000 secondary school teachers and administrators have been trained. More than 8.7 million textbooks have been printed and distributed, along with large amounts of equipment including student desks, chairs, cabinets, chalkboards and teacher kits.
Power supplies to civilians at 120,000 megawatt hours are now higher than pre-war levels of 95,600 MHP.
The security front is also greatly improved, according to the declassified report. There are now 88,500 police on the job with a goal of 94,400. There are 18,200 border enforcement officers with a goal of 20,400. The Iraqi national guard is up to 37,400 strong reaching toward a goal of 41,100 and there are some 11,200 Iraqi army regulars with a goal of 35,200.
U.S.-led coalition forces have also been buoyed by last week's news that the rebel Shiite Muslim militia led by Moqtada al-Sadr has pledged to disarm in what could be a major advance for efforts to calm violence in Iraq ahead of elections due in January.
The proposal, which meets a key demand of the interim government, was announced by Ali Smeism, a top al-Sadr adviser, on Arabic Al-Arabiya television. It followed the release of a pro-Sadr cleric from U.S. detention in Abu Ghraib jail. Smeism said that in return for any weapons surrender, the government must guarantee that al-Sadr’s followers are not "persecuted" and the U.S. military must free more of his aides.
Talks are also under way to defuse a standoff with insurgents controlling the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Falluja.
There was no immediate word from the government or the U.S. military on the ceasefire deal proposed by Sadr’s aide. Foreign Minister Franco Frattini of Italy, which has troops in Iraq, said it was a good start.
