The security situation in Iraq appears
no better:
In all, at least 31 people were killed in attacks Friday, including a U.S. soldier who died when a bomb detonated west of the capital. Two other service members -- a Marine and a soldier assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force -- were reported killed in what the military said were "non-hostile" vehicle accidents west and south of Baghdad. In a separate incident north of the capital, three U.S. soldiers were injured when a suicide bomber rammed his car into a Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the military said.
The targets were primarily Shiite and the U.S. military. Meanwhile, the low participation of Sunnis in the election was becoming indisputable:
The results Friday from 12 of 18 provinces were the first solid indication of voter turnout in Iraq's first free election since Saddam Hussein was overthrown. It showed high turnout of 80 and 89 percent in two Kurdish areas in the north, and 73 percent in Shiite strongholds around the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. But the turnout was significantly lower -- 48 percent -- in Baghdad, and dropped to 34 percent in the mixed province of Diyala, east of Baghdad.
Finally, remember Muqtada al Sadr? He seems to have gamed the election in a shrewd way:
A surprisingly strong showing was also posted by a faction loyal to the father of Moqtada Sadr, a young cleric whose militia fought U.S. forces twice last year. But while Islamic parties fared well as a group, their votes were scattered among various factions, and only one -- a party of independents said to be backed by Sadr in Wasit province -- scored an absolute majority. Seats will be allocated on each local council in proportion to each party's votes.
Remember Sadr OPPOSED the election. Maybe this guy has been underestimated no?