Turkish Planes Pound Iraqi North; Condi: Iraq is Hard

Turkish Planes Pound Iraqi North;
Condi: Iraq is Hard

Turkish war planes pounded northern Iraq on Monday, seeking to punish members of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) who are implicated in bombings and other attacks inside Turkey.

Secretary of State Condi Rice said Monday that the Iraq War has been "harder, longer, and more difficult than I personally imagined" and she warned that victory is not assured.

Condi waited until political and financial stories were sure to drawn out her comments, which stand as a stark indictment of her boss and his policies in Iraq. They also point to the dangers in having ignorant but cocky leaders like herself.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has decided to seek a strong "united" government, offending Kurds who are committed to the soft partition of Iraq or even eventual Kurdish statehood. Al-Maliki's stance puts him at odds with Joe Biden, who argues for a weak federal Iraq.

US oil majors hoping to develop Iraq's petroleum should take a lesson from Nigeria, argues AP. Factional violence in the latter country has made the offshore operations the most practical ones.

posted by Juan Cole @ 10/07/2008 01:24:00 AM