Instahoglets December 27 2007

By Cernig

Let's play catch-up on some stories that might have given us indigestion over the past few days.

The Turkish military claims to have killed hundreds of PKK terrorists in several air raids into Northern Iraq, using American intelligence and in U.S.-controlled airspace. Iraqi Kurdish leaders are pissed.

The Iraqi government has passed a draft law that enables the release of thousands of mostly Sunni suspected insurgents held captive by US and Iraqi forces. A sign of reconcilliation? Well, the law still has to get past the parliament before we can say that.

Talking of reconcilliation, Juan Cole has a list of the "Top 10 Myths" about Iraq in which the lack of said figures prominently. Andrew Sullivan had the best reaction to Cole's post: "Much of the evidence suggests a deepening of the sectarian divide, not a lessening, despite some local cooperation".

A case in point is the so-called Awakening. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the commander of U.S. forces south of Baghdad, says "We are in a tenuous situation. We need to give jobs to the citizens (groups) or they will go back to fighting." Shiite leaders are balking at integrating 70,000 or so Sunni fighters, about half of whom the Shiites claim are dangerous, criminal insurgents.

Woodshedding of the holidays: The Malevolent Ignorance of Robert Novak as administered by Larry Johnson.

An unholy dust-up: 80 rival Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic priests have fought with broomsticks while cleaning up the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem after Christmas celebrations.