What on earth is going on with the media reporting from Iraq the past few days? It's been almost impossible to get any sort of news about exactly what's going on over there, and I just now read these pieces all in a row over at
Lunaville:
Reuters: Eleven Russians kidnapped in Baghdad
AP: Czech Reporters Thought Kidnapped in Iraq
AP: 7 Kellogg, Brown & Root Employees Missing
And then, from Billmon:
The military announced that three Marines were killed Sunday in fighting west of Baghdad and at least 12 other troops died in previously unreported incidents Friday and Saturday, including ferocious battles in the city of Baqubah, northeast of Baghdad.
Sickening. Apologies if any of this is old news, I couldn't find any mention of it in the last 45 diaries, but given how the focus is on Sadr's police retreat, that wasn't surprising.