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Did You Know?? Of course I didn't know. How could I? Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq? Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people? Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been built in Iraq? Did you know that Iraq's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating? Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United States...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Four Iraqi children with life-threatening heart defects left a Bronx hospital Tuesday after successfully undergoing open heart surgery. Through its Operation Iraqi Hearts, Montefiore Medical Center has performed such operations on more than 500 children around the world in the past 15 years. When you look into a heart, it's not a Muslim heart, it's not a Jewish heart. We are all the same," Dr. Samuel Weinstein, a pediatric heart surgeon, said earlier this month after the Muslim children -- three boys and a girl, ages 6 to 14 -- arrived. The children's families had first...

U.S.-Led Forces Launch Major Attack on al-Qaida Stronghold in Major Test for Iraqi Soldiers. About 3,500 U.S. and Iraqi troops backed by jets launched a major attack Saturday against an insurgent-held town near the Syrian border, seeking to dislodge al-Qaida and its allies and seal off a main route for foreign fighters entering the country. U.S. officials describe the town of Husaybah as the key to controlling the volatile Euphrates River valley of western Iraq and dislodging al-Qaida in Iraq, led by Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The U.S.-led operation includes about 1,000 Iraqi soldiers, and the offensive will...

BAGHDAD, D.C., Iraq, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The Baghdad Airport road -- "Route Irish" in U.S. military parlance -- looms large in Western consciousness as one of the most perilous in Iraq. But there hasn't been a car bomb in three months, and the number of smaller, roadside bombs is significantly down as well. Starting in July, Iraqi special police have set up checkpoints at all the feeders on the road, and American forces have been running aggressive patrols and fencing off areas that are habitually used as attack platforms. But rather than trying just to protect the road itself,...

WASHINGTON -- Three in four Iraqi business leaders are optimistic about the future though nearly half say they enjoyed better basic services under Saddam Hussein, according to a recent poll released by Zogby International and the Center for International Private Enterprise. "The respondents believe that their own firms will grow and succeed and that Iraq's economy and political system will continue to grow and develop," said the poll, which was released Wednesday. Seventy-seven percent of business leaders polled said they expected the economy as a whole to grow at least somewhat, with more than half of those predicting the growth...

In a nation plagued by bombings, kidnappings and political strife, a trading floor struggles to survive. Come spend a day in Baghdad’s financial trenches: the Iraq Stock Exchange. Ahmed Abdul Karim, 52, turns on the spin as quickly as any talking head on Power Lunch. “I want to say that Dar Es Salaam bank is a very good investment because of the HSBC joint venture. Please tell all the foreign companies to invest in Iraqi banks,” Karim says, impressively managing to plug both his stock and the Iraqi economy at the same time. “Before the war, we had a trading...

BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 17, 2005 – Thanks to the initiative of a hometown hero, Kissimmee, Fla., is close to formalizing a "Sister City" agreement with Zafaraniya, Iraq. Despite the 7,000-mile distance and significant cultural differences, citizens of both communities are working to establish a powerful bond to improve both cities, said Capt. Matthew Wheeler, commander of Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 9th Field Artillery, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division and a decorated veteran of two tours in Iraq. Wheeler set the wheels in motion with a hometown connection to Kissimmee and an innovative idea of bridging the cultural gap...

Here's a powerful boots on the ground look at the prep work done by 2d Battalion 24th Marines in Iraq leading up to last Sunday's election; remarkable insight not presented for the general public by mainstream media. The author is the Bn Cdr., LtCol Smith, the Indiana State Trooper who commands a RESERVE battalion in Iraq. It would appear that this guy is fighting the war the way it should have been fought by EVERY unit in Iraq -- down and dirty, out there amongst them. Subject: Weekly Update 03 Feb 05 As usual, I am sincere in hoping that...