From Harper's Weekly ..
Thirteen U.S. soldiers died in Iraq,
where the U.S. military was planning to deploy 5,000
more troops. At least 34 gunshot bodies were found in
Baghdad, all showing signs of torture. Shiite militia
groups in Baghdad were setting up checkpoints, demanding
that passersby provide identification, and shooting Sunnis
on the spot. "The gangs also raided houses and shouted at
the people there, 'You pimps, Sunnis, we will kill you,'"
explained an eyewitness. "And they did." Gunmen in Mosul
set fire to government-run food-ration shops. A marine
sniper who has killed as many as 60 insurgents in Iraq said
of his work, "It's like hearing classical music playing
in my head." It was reported that Private Steven D. Green,
who is charged with raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, then
killing her and members of her family, had said that, in
Iraq, "killing people is like squashing an ant, I mean,
you kill somebody and it's like, 'All right, let's go get
some pizza.'" The coach of the Iraqi national soccer team
resigned and fled to Kurdistan.
