Word: sunni
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...miles across town, the outlook is far gloomier. In the mainly Sunni, middle-class neighborhood of Saidiyah, residents question not only what the election means but also whether it should take place...
Building contractor Omar Nasreddin, 47, says he intends to sit out the vote. Sunni clerics have called for a boycott, while extremists have threatened violence against those who take part. Nasreddin's reluctance stems from a suspicion that the U.S. will rig the vote. "Whoever is elected will immediately sign over Iraqi sovereignty to the U.S.," Nasreddin says, "and keep American troops in Iraq forever." He is so concerned about his fate under a new government that he asks not to be identified by his real name...
...time of profound uncertainty. The U.S. and the interim Iraqi government are hopeful that at least half the country's 15 million eligible voters will take part in the election, but no one can predict with any certainty what the turnout will be, especially among the disaffected Sunni population, who make up about 20% of the electorate. "We have no idea," says Carlos Valenzuela, head of the U.N. team overseeing the elections. "It would be up to the Iraqi public to determine." For many, just getting to the polls will be a challenge. The government plans to close all roads...
...Although we commonly hear Iraq compared to other modern insurgencies such as Vietnam, the situation we face today is unique in military history. While it seems as if the almost-daily attacks in Iraq are scattered throughout the country, in reality the insurgent are largely confined to a single Sunni dominated area. Additionally, while the attacks on United States military personnel receive the most coverage, they are not the target of the majority of violence. Rather, the attacks are carried out on an assortment of totally innocent civilians: Iraqis working with the Coalition forces, or foreign aid workers with...
With time running short and many Iraqis afraid to vote, the U.S. is scrambling to shore up security in critical areas. In the so-called Sunni triangle, Pentagon officials say, U.S. and Iraqi forces conduct about 1,000 foot patrols every day. "We are definitely on the offensive," says a Pentagon official. In Baghdad the 1st Cavalry Division has brought in two battalions from the ??lite 82nd Airborne and extended the rotation of its own 2nd Brigade, adding about 5,000 troops. On election day, the job of providing security at 5,900 polling stations nationwide will fall mainly...