BAGHDAD - The sectarian bloodshed which has ravaged Iraq since 2006 is now running at a “much lower” level, offering a chance for leaders to push national reconciliation, a top UN official said on Saturday. Staffan de Mistura, special representative in Iraq of the UN secretary general, said the country was no longer experiencing the high levels of communal bloodletting that followed an attack on a revered Shiite shrine in February 2006, despite “some horrific acts in the past few weeks.”| One more leg kicked out from under the Dhimmicrats, but the Dhimmis are like centipedes in that regard. |
“See what happened after Samarra and see what is happening today,” he said, referring to the attack on Al-Askari shrine in Samarra in February 2006 that sparked brutal Shiite-Sunni conflict across Iraq.
The top UN official in Iraq also said that one of the key reasons for the overall drop in violence has been a general fatigue factor among the people. “We are seeing among Iraqis a feeling of tiredness,” De Mistura said, adding that the controversial US military “surge” and the ceasefire announced by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had also helped reduce violence.
| Oh gee, you think US troops helped? |
The UNAMI report, meanwhile, acknowledged a marked decrease in violent attacks during the period under review and particularly from October to December 2007. But it cautioned that Sunni and Shiite armed groups continue to target civilians through suicide bombings, car bombs and other attacks.
Violent attacks are prompting Iraqis to continue flee from their homes, the report said, adding that as of December the number of internally displaced Iraqis had reached 2.5 million, while the number of those who have fled the country has reached 1.9 million.
| Jim Dunnigan (of Strategy Page) noted on the Glenn and Helen Show podcast that most of the displaced Iraqis living abroad are Sunnis, and the Shi'a don't want them back. Even if sectarian violence falls, these refugees are likely to stay in Jordan and Syria. |
| Or you could ask the U.S. military which does maintain records. |
The report also expressed concern about civilian deaths that continued to be caused by US air strikes. It said during the period under review, 123 civilian deaths were reported due to air strikes.
| Any word on the number of civilian casualties caused by the terrorists? |
He said US-run prisons were seeing “reduction of detainee overcrowding”, but added that the number of juvenile detainees had increased. The UNAMI report, on the other hand, said the number of detainees had risen in Iraqi prisons, peaking at 21,112 in November 2007.
The report said the ongoing violence continued to hamper efforts to research and assess the situation of women. It said “honour killings” of women continued to be a regular occurrence in the country’s Kurdish north, otherwise the most peaceful area in Iraq.