By ANTHONY SHADID
NYT
BAGHDAD
— Insurgents unleashed a wave of coordinated attacks across Iraq on
Wednesday in a demonstration of their ability to strike at will,
offering their counterpoint to American aspirations of bringing the war
in Iraq “to a responsible end.”
In attacks in 13 towns and
cities, from southernmost Basra to restive Mosul in the north,
insurgents deployed their full arsenal: hit-and-run shootings, roadside
mines and more than a dozen car bombs. The toll was in the dozens, but
the symbolism underscored a theme of America’s experience here: its
deadlines, including the Aug. 31 date to end combat operations, have
rarely reflected the tumultuous reality on the ground and have often
been accompanied by a wave of insurgent attacks.
“The message
the insurgents want to deliver to the Iraqi people and the politicians
is that we exist, and we choose the time and place,” said Wael
Abdel-Latif, a judge and former lawmaker. “They are carrying out such
attacks when the Americans are still here, so just imagine what they
can do after the Americans leave.”
In coming days, the Obama
administration will seek to portray the reduction in troops here to
fewer than 50,000, reached Tuesday, as a turning point in seven years
of invasion, occupation and war. President Obama will deliver a speech
on Tuesday marking the deadline. The next day, the mission will be
renamed “New Dawn” at a ceremony expected to draw much of the military
brass to a sprawling base near the Baghdad airport.
(More here.)
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