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Fuzzy Moral Math Editor's Note: The fiction of 100,000 Iraqi civilian casualties has survived to this day in part because of the tantalizing propaganda value of such a large number. How many lightly informed people have tossed this number at you in debate without even realizing that the Lancet study doesn’t measure casualties at all? Now the number of 100,000 Iraqi civilians has new relevance, as the Iraqi Survival Count has surpassed the Lancet tally of "excess deaths." While I am not hopeful that the Iraqi Survival Count will enjoy the same exposure in the media as the Lancet death...

In Baghdad, Iraqi civilians took unusual action to protect coalition forces after a car-bomb attack Aug. 6. After U.S. medics treated the wounded at the scene in the Sumer al Ghadier District, local residents constructed a hasty barricade with trees, bricks and anything else available to protect the soldiers from additional danger. "This is the first time that I can remember where Iraqi civilians actually built a barrier to protect my soldiers," U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steven Merkel, commander of 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said. "The soldiers are still talking about...

Troops Continue Forward Steps in Iraq War American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2004 – The hands-on work of patrols, raids and picking up targeted individuals continues in Iraq. Coalition forces are taking the fight to the enemy and responding to enemy challenges, according to news releases on recent coalition activity. Coalition troops are also benefiting from increased intelligence from local people. During the last 24 hours, the coalition reported that soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division conducted 261 patrols – including 18 joint patrols – cleared two small caches and carried out three offensive operations in the Anbar...

Explosion hits Iraqi security patrol north of Baghdad, witnesses say fear many casualties (Reuters)

 Who Are the Iraqi People? The CJTF7 (Combined Joint Task Force 7 - Operation Iraqi Freedom) is a site, it says, "is to provide information and multimedia for the press." It disseminates stories about how wonderfully everything is going in Iraq, and how good we are doing for the Iraqi people, the American people, and the people of the whole world, with stories like: "'Tremendous strides' made in Iraq, Afghanistan", and "Iraqis' spirit liberated with capture of Saddam"There is even a whole page dedicated to the, "Coalition Humanitarian Efforts in Iraq," with heartwarming pictures like these: Students from the Hala...

FALLUJAH, Iraq - (KRT) - The explosion Friday rocked the dusty blue bus, sending tattooed tribeswomen to the floor in a swirl of fringed scarves and screams. They were leaving town for a shopping trip to Baghdad, about 35 miles east, when insurgents apparently bombed a nearby American military checkpoint. None of the women was injured, but the blast destroyed the last vestige of their support for the guerrillas who make Fallujah the most consistently troublesome city for the U.S.-led coalition. "Now you see how it feels, how we have to jump and duck when we hear explosions," Samia Abdullah,...

Iraqis Stage Sweeping Pro-Coalition Demonstrations By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 11, 2003 - Pro-coalition demonstrators gathered throughout Iraq Dec. 10 to protest terrorist actions and urge their fellow Iraqis to take action against anti-coalition forces. Coalition Provisional Authority officials reported major demonstrations in as many as eight cities by a sweeping representation of the Iraqi people: Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis and Christians among them. Although the CPA estimated participation at 15,000 to 20,000 people, Iraqi police and media sources cited numbers ranging from 100,000 to 1 million. The demonstrations, organized by the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council,...

Yesterday's demonstrations in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities were a benchmark: Iraq's resistance to terrorism has begun. Ironically, the first TV station to report such a revolutionary development was none other than al-Jazeera, the jihad channel across the Arab world. But the exclusive airing of such footages was not so innocent. The Qatar-based media understood much faster than Western networks the real dimensions of these marches. Therefore it decided to report it first, and, through condescending coverage, demean it in the eyes of Iraqi and Arab viewers, a traditional-yet-efficient subversive tactic. But whatever were the desperate attempts to pre-empt the...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 December 11, 2003Release Number: 03-12-25 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PRO-COALITION DEMONSTRATION HELD IN AR RAMADI AR RAMADI, Iraq – Iraqis of the Al Anbar province gathered December 10th for an anti-terrorist demonstration at the provincial council headquarters in Ar Ramadi. Approximately 200 men, women and children gathered with banners to chant slogans condemning terrorism. Ar Ramadi, a former Ba’athist stronghold located approximately 60 miles west of Baghdad, has been a site of persistent anti-Coalition activities since post-war reconstruction efforts began. Speakers...

Yesterday's demonstrations in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities were a benchmark: Iraq's resistance to terrorism has begun. Ironically, the first TV station to report such a revolutionary development was none other than al-Jazeera, the jihad channel across the Arab world. But the exclusive airing of such footages was not so innocent. The Qatar-based media understood much faster than Western networks the real dimensions of these marches. Therefore it decided to report it first, and, through condescending coverage, demean it in the eyes of Iraqi and Arab viewers, a traditional-yet-efficient subversive tactic. But whatever were the desperate attempts to pre-empt the...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Thousands of Iraqis, some watched over by US Apache helicopters, demonstrated in Baghdad and other cities to condemn "terrorism" in their country. More than 200 protesters from the Iraqi National Congress and other political parties, women's groups and sheikhs in traditional dress gathered near the National Theatre in Baghdad and marched to a central Baghdad hotel. "This is the national campaign against terrorism and sabotage," said Abo Thaer, 55, a member of the Iraqi Communist Party. His party members turned out with giant red flags bearing the hammer and sickle. Participants Wednesday said the rallies marked International...

According to what is described as the first truly representative survey of Iraqi opinion, people in Iraq believe that the best thing that happened in the past 12 months was the demise of Saddam Hussein's regime. The thing they want most over the next year is peace and stability, and the preferred form of government is an Iraqi democracy. The national survey was carried out by Oxford Research International through more than 3,000 interviews in October and November; it was commissioned by Oxford University and done at the same time as audience research for the BBC World Service. This scientific...

November 28, 2003 - 10:30PM The protest occurred in al-Firdos Square, where a large bronze statue of Saddam was toppled by Iraqis and US Marines after the fall of Baghdad in the US-led invasion. "Yes to Iraq," protesters shouted. "No to terrorism." Three empty coffins wrapped with Iraqi flags were brought to the rally to commemorate civilian victims of attacks carried out by Iraqi insurgents fighting American troops. The demonstration was organised by a handful of Iraqi political parties, none of which are members of the US-appointed governing council. Protesters held banners that read: "Killing the innocent is terrorism that...

<p>It’s been one month since the Red Cross headquarters in Baghdad (search) were reduced to a shattered shell, the result of a brutal homicide bombing which also left 12 people dead and many injured, most of them Iraqis.</p> <p>Fadhel Mohammed Ali was one of them. He lives across the street from the Red Cross and suffered a leg injury. He told me, "I saw the ambulance packed with explosives drive up to the building, and then my body was thrown to the side!"</p>

<p>BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Some Iraqis were happy President Bush came to their country Thursday, others wished he had gone to hell instead.</p> <p>"As far as I'm concerned he's welcome to come and he's more than welcome to leave," said Abu Mohammed, 57, a cigarette and chewing gum vendor on the streets of the capital.</p>

Baghdadis hail Bush surprise visit From correspondents in Baghdad 28nov03 ORDINARY Iraqis joined American soldiers today in hailing US President George W. Bush's surprise visit to Baghdad in which he fed 600 soldiers the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner at the city's airport. "Why wouldn't he come here? He got rid of Saddam for us, we owe him," said Raad Turk Azab, a baker. Sara Hassan who was peddling fruits in downtown Baghdad said she appreciated the US president's visit but echoed feelings shared by most Iraqis seven months after the US-led troops invaded Iraq. He "should bring back security to...

US pays up for fatal Iraq blunders Over 10,000 claims but families must waive rights Rory McCarthy in Baghdad Wednesday November 26, 2003 The Guardian The US military has paid out $1.5m (£907,000) to Iraqi civilians in response to a wave of negligence and wrongful death claims filed against American soldiers, the Guardian has learned. Families have come forward with accounts of how American soldiers shot dead or seriously wounded unarmed Iraqi civilians with no apparent cause. In many cases their stories are confirmed by Iraqi police investigations. Yesterday the US military in Baghdad admitted a total of $1,540,050 has...

A Republican Senate Judiciary Committee staff member has been suspended with pay after he admitted that he improperly gained access to "secure committee computers," Fox News Channel reports. Whether the staffer is the person who leaked numerous memos in which Democrats on the committee plotted to turn toe current filibuster of judicial nominees for political advantage was not stated. An angry Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch denounced the staffer's action, saying that senators expect their computers to be secure and calling the staffer's action "entirely unacceptable."

<p>BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- With U.S. troops heavily armed and bunkered behind concrete and razor wire, guerrillas are pointing their guns at softer targets like Iraqi police and civilians, top U.S. military and civilian officials said Tuesday.</p> <p>American officials expect attacks on Iraqis working with the coalition to surge as the U.S.-led administration begins handing power to local leaders.</p>

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 November 23, 2003Release Number: 03-11-38 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IRAQIS PREVENT IED ATTACK IN 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION’S AREA OF OPERATION ISKANDARIYAH, Iraq – Iraqi civilians warned personnel from the Iraqi Railroad of an improvised explosive device placed on the tracks near Iskandariyah early this morning. The Iraqis flagged down the train to show them exactly where it was located. The IED was made from three 155mm artillery rounds, all linked together. An explosive ordnance disposal team, attached to the 82nd Airborne...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov 22, 2003 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- Guerrillas battling the U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq are committing war crimes by attacking civilians collaborating with the occupation authorities, a human rights group said Saturday. International law, including the laws of war expressly forbid the targeting of civilians, said a statement released by New York-based Human Rights Watch. "All Iraqi civilians are protected by the Geneva Conventions," said Joe Stork, acting executive director of the Middle East and North Africa division. "It doesn't matter whether they sympathize with the U.S. occupation, or with the insurgents." The statement received in...

U.S. Soldiers Help Iraqis Build Playgrounds for Baghdad Kids By U.S. Army Spc. Chad D. Wilkerson 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment BAGHDAD, Iraq – The children came out in droves as the U.S. Army vehicles pulled up along the sidewalk in the Hayy Karkh district of central Baghdad.They were always excited to see Coalition soldiers, and this day was no different. The kids swarmed the soldiers as they walked across what was formerly a rotten community dump, where trash was piled in five-meter-high mounds. Some children were hanging and swinging on the arms and legs of the uniformed Americans,...

[...snip...] Thousands of slogans in the Arabic script snake across acres of gray walls that line city squares, apartments and office buildings, a perfect canvas for the outpourings of a population intoxicated by new freedoms. Hussein loyalists shout their yearning for the deposed dictator - "Saddam will come again" - followed by the coda on the same line from a detractor: "Through my behind!" [...snip...] "I walk around reading these writings, and some of them move me so much I don't know whether to laugh or to cry," said Amir Nayef Toma, 52, a retired radar operator in the Iraqi...

Wednesday, November 12, 2003 FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) - U.S. troops opened fire on a truck carrying live chickens near the tense town of Fallujah, killing five civilians aboard the vehicle, including a father and his two sons, relatives said Wednesday. The shooting took place at a roadblock Tuesday night, they said. Fallujah is the site of numerous anti-American attacks and U.S. soldiers in the area have been on high alert. "They went to bring chickens . . . and they came back at 9 or 10 at night," said Khalid Khalifa al-Jumaily, whose two nephews were killed on the truck....

CJTF-7 Public Affairs BAGHDAD, Iraq Release #031109d  CMOC works hard to help Iraqi civilians AR RAMADI, Iraq – The 304th Civil Affairs Brigade out of Philadelphia, Penn. is working hard to restore normalcy to the people of Ar Ramadi, the capital city of the Al Anbar province.  The Civil Affairs specialists settle disputes, manage claims, locate resources and manage a host of other tasks designed to foster a lasting relationship between the Coalition Forces and the citizens of Iraq’s largest province.To facilitate this goal, the soldiers working under the 304th Civil Affairs Brigade have organized a permanent shop in the...

L. Paul BremerCoalition Provisional Authority AdministratorAddress to the Iraqi PeopleFor Broadcast 7 November 2003Ramadan MabrukI am Paul Bremer, Administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority.Ramadan is a time of reflection, a time to review the past year and consider the possibilities of the coming months.  It is a time to reflect on your future, a future of hope and dignity.Dignity is to be found in many things.·        There is dignity in following the faith of your ancestors.·        There is dignity in standing before any person proudly, with your head held high.·        There is dignity in providing for your family and...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Nov. 3 — Until justice is done and Saddam Hussein is dead, Sadri Adab Diwan will carry with him the handwritten accusation that condemned his little sister to death. The sister, Hanaa, a high school student, "is conducting backward religious activity inside the school," a security agent wrote in black ink in October 1980, a time of widespread persecution of Shiite Muslims. "Please open a secret investigation."Soon afterward, Hanaa, a devout girl of 17, was arrested. She never returned home.It was only six months ago, after locating her yellowing case file in a government office, that her family...

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq - Amid burst of gunfire and prayer, Iraqi rioters waving portraits of Saddam Hussein battled U.S. troops and tanks on Friday, when a dispute over a marketplace outside Baghdad exploded into anti-American fury. Two Iraqis were killed, and 17 others and two U.S. soldiers were reported wounded. Farther west in Fallujah, a center of the anti-U.S. resistance, an explosion and fire struck the office of the mayor, who has cooperated with the U.S. occupation. In a melee that followed, one Iraqi was killed, and later Friday U.S. troops came under attack at the same spot. An Islamic...

WASHINGTON - Violence may be surging in Iraq, but there's another thing Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz says Iraqis fear: President Bush getting booted from office. Wolfowitz, speaking at Georgetown University, said a worried resident of the southern city of Najaf asked him in July at a town hall meeting, "What's going to happen to us if George Bush loses the election?" Wolfowitz didn't mention the Democrats, but he suggested the question sums up Iraqi fears that a new team in the White House would abandon them. Wolfowitz said he tried to assure the Iraqis, but "when they hear...

Eighteen Iraqi children are on the road to recovery after receiving free medical care in Germany earlier this month. The German state of Rhineland-Pfalz, home of the Kaiserslautern military community, volunteered to provide the children with medical treatment not available in Iraq. The U.S. Air Force transported the 18 to Ramstein Air Base, Germany, on Oct. 6. Most of the children suffer from congenital, acquired or traumatic conditions; two were injured during the recent war. The German Red Cross took 17 of the children to 12 Rhineland-Pfalz hospitals, where an array of specialty doctors began treatment. The 18th patient was...

Iraq: Young Iraqis Eager To Work For Good Salaries From U.S. By Valentinas Mite Many Iraqis work with U.S.-led coalition forces, as translators or minor clerks. Some have been killed during attacks on U.S. forces. But many Iraqis say they will continue to cooperate with the Americans. Some say they do it for the money. But others say their reasons are more personal, and more patriotic. Baghdad, 23 October 2003 (RFE/RL) -- Many young Iraqis are cooperating with the coalition forces occupying their country -- working as interpreters or drivers or doing basic administrative work in U.S. military and...

A Fresh Start for Iraqi Children Bechtel joins with Iraqi contractors and workers to renovate damaged schools   Most of the schools in Iraq escaped damage during the conflict that toppled Saddam Hussein, but they’re damaged nonetheless. Years of neglect under a harsh regime left them dilapidated, and at many schools, whatever dignity remained was stripped away, along with plumbing, wiring, light fixtures, and desks, during the wave of looting and vandalism that followed the fighting. So when the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) took on the task of rebuilding key aspects of the country’s infrastructure, one of...

by Master Sgt. Scott Elliott Air Force Print News 10/19/2003 - FRENCH VILLAGE, Iraq -- Most airmen deployed to nearby Baghdad International Airport live and work there, but a few have managed to mingle among the local residents. Besides doing their jobs, they said they feel they are building a bridge in American-Iraqi relations. “The Iraqis I’ve met are great,” said Senior Airman Matt Read, a medical technician with the 447th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. “They’re very friendly and appreciate us being here.” Read and other medical professionals based with him helped open a medical clinic here Oct. 18, and plan...

WASHINGTON -- When Gallup set out recently to poll Baghdad residents, the biggest surprise may have been the public's reaction to the questioners: Almost everyone responded to the pollsters' questions, with some pleading for a chance to give their opinions. "The interviews took more than an hour to do, people were extremely cooperative with open-ended questions," said Richard Burkholder, director of international polling for Gallup. "People went on and on." But many of those Iraqis still have sharply mixed feelings about the U.S. military presence. The Gallup poll found that 71 percent of the capital city's residents felt U.S. troops...

BAGHDAD, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Ali Tawfeek feels safer taking his wife and one-year-old son Ahmad shopping in the evening now after months of fear for his family in the lawless days in Baghdad following the flight of Saddam Hussein. But as life slowly recovers some normality, deadly bombings that have brought the battle between Iraqi guerrillas and U.S. troops to the city's streets is a new source of anxiety. "It's safe here in this street," Tawfeek said this week. "But these attacks are making us worry. We see a U.S. checkpoint or vehicle and know it's a target....

<p>The war in Iraq has been worth the hardship, according to those who have lived through both.</p> <p>Despite continued violence and few basic amenities, 62 percent of Baghdad residents believe the ousting of Saddam Hussein justified "any hardships they might have personally suffered," according to a Gallup poll released yesterday.</p>

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most residents of Baghdad say that ousting Saddam Hussein was worth the hardships they've endured since then, says a Gallup poll that shows they are divided on whether the country is worse off or better off than before the U.S. invasion. Two-thirds, 67 percent, say they think that Iraq will be in better condition five years from now than it was before the U.S.-led invasion. Only 8 percent say they think it will be worse off. But they're not convinced that Iraq is better off now -- 47 percent said the country is worse off than...

A new Gallup poll of Baghdad residents released today shows 62 percent think ousting Saddam Hussein was worth any hardships they have personally endured since the invasion of Iraq by coalition forces. The poll was the first scientific survey "assessing the postwar social and political climate of Baghdad’s 6.4 million citizens," the Gallup Organization said in a statement. The group says it has committed to a multi-year task of reporting Iraqis' opinions. The poll was conducted in homes across Baghdad. Galllup says 1,178 hour-long interviews were conducted. Among the poll's findings: Nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of Baghdad’s citizens think ousting...

Okay! We are finally ready for this to start! First, some ground rules. These toys are for Iraqi children, so let's keep that in mind when shopping. Some no no toys: Any guns of any kind No violent action hereos No violent toys No barbie dolls or dolls skantily dressed No toys that shoot something, no projectiles No water guns Lets just keep it simple, simple toys, just the basics, these kids have nothing. Please put any suggestions for toys in the comment area. Some other items that are nice are pencils, pens, paper to draw and color on. Toothbrushes,...

Mon September 15, 2003 09:16 AM ET By Daniel Flynn MADRID (Reuters) - A member of Iraq's Governing Council Monday accused U.S. troops of regularly mistreating Iraqi civilians so that the population had come to regard American forces as an army of occupation. "There is widespread discontent with the coalition forces, the majority of whom treat the Iraqi people with violence and contempt," Rajaa Habib Khuzai told a joint news conference with Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio. "The opinion of the Iraqi people about the coalition forces is that they are forces of occupation," said Khuzai the head of a...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 September 13, 2003Release Number: 03-09-10 IRAQI CITIZENS' TIPS AID COALITION FORCES MOSUL, Iraq - the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division detained an Iraqi man and his brother on Sep. 11 for violating Coalition weapons laws. A walk-in source said he knew where an individual lived who was hiding a weapons cache. Second Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment immediately sent a quick reaction force to the location of the house. The soldiers confronted the man, asking whether he...

Jason Hash will never forget the first time he saw a dead body. It wasn't just one body but dozens of them, sprawled along the dirt road in lifeless heaps. Jason knew from the vapors rising from the bodies that they hadn't been dead for long. In the month leading up to that mid-March day, Jason and his fellow Marines had been living in foxholes in Kuwait. They'd stood guard in shifts, deprived of sleep, clutching rifles, staring into darkness, picturing the faces of loved ones back home. For weeks they'd stood inside those holes, waiting for something, anything to...

While Baghdad may be the most dangerous city in the world for U.S. soldiers, life for the average Iraqi "is slowly getting back to normal," Army reservist Capt. Michael Maguire said when I spoke with him by phone last week. "Ninety percent of the people here want a better Iraq. It's only a small percentage who want to sabotage what we're doing," Maguire said. A native Charles-tonian, Maguire is attached to the Army's 352nd Civil Affairs Command out of Washington, D.C. His job is to help rebuild the Iraqi nation that endured 24 years of hard times under Saddam Hussein...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- At night, gunfire still echoes down some neighborhood streets, and, by day, the haze from random fires hangs over the city. But in some ways the millions of Baghdad residents are closer to their American counterparts than they realize. They grouse endlessly about politicians, they believe crime is out of control, and the teachers all think they are underpaid. In fact, despite the image Baghdad has as a violent, anti-American hotbed, many residents seem opposed not to the presence of foreign troops, but to the job they are doing. The most common complaint in Baghdad is not...

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Iraqis are used to blaming coalition forces for their daily troubles but yesterday they lashed out at a host of new enemies after sabotage attacks on oil and water pipelines. As repairs continued even hardened adherents to conspiracy theories were forced to admit that US and British forces were not, this time, at fault. Instead resentful Iraqis lashed out at al-Qa'eda, Iranian militants and Saddam loyalists whom they suspect of the sabotage. "We're used to seeing Americans getting shot at but now we are being targeted," said Ahmed Abdehamid, 21, outside his house in Cairo Street, a plush neighbourhood where...

<p>August 18, 2003 -- WE'LL bag Saddam. We'll continue to break down the diehard support for the old regime. And we'll do our best to give the people of Iraq a chance at greater freedom than they've ever known. But even when the last Ba'athist bullies are rounded up and foreign terrorists tire of achieving martyrdom at our hands, one mighty enemy will remain in Iraq: Ignorance.</p>

NAHRAN OMAR, Aug. 11 -- We swerved off the highway, fleeing from a car full of gunmen who had chased and shot at us. We drove straight down a dirt bank into the nearest mud-walled farmyard, knowing that whatever awaited us was surely preferable to what we were escaping. It was nearly dusk on Sunday, and fiercely hot. We were driving toward Basra, the southern city where riots had broken out in the wake of severe fuel and electricity shortages. All along the route, people had peppered us with angry questions and warned of more violence to come, especially against...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) is alive and well in Baghdad and allowing his photograph to be taken with US troops. But unlike his namesake -- the former Iraqi president ousted by US-led troops in early April -- 31-year-old Saddam works as an ambulanceman out of the capital's Al-Iskan hospital, where the dead and wounded from Thursday's car bombing at the Jordanian embassy were taken. "Contrary to what one might think, to be called Saddam during Saddam's rule was not good," he said. "I was even put in prison for four months in 1993 because I...

<p>BAGHDAD -- The sparse front room of the al-Jumaili household is a males-only enclave on this scorchingly hot afternoon, a beehive of earnest conversation among three brothers who lean forward, gesturing, as they exchange the news of these dramatic days in Baghdad.</p>