Can anyone give us a clear picture of Iraq? by Corina Ciubotaru

You don't know what to believe about Iraq these days. Reports after reports show mixed results, attacks on civilians are still happening too often and there is no way of knowing when or how it is all going to end. One of the latest reports led to the idea that the troops should stay in Iraq because the country's army, police and Special Forces units aren't ready to keep the country peaceful by themselves just yet. Even though the police has a long way to go before becoming the force it needs to be, the army is well-prepared and becoming stronger according to the report by former Marine Corps Gen. James Jones. Later reports by troop leaders Raymond Odierno and David Petraeus are a lot more optimistic, pointing out that attacks have decreased in number and that the country is generally a safer place to live in than it was a few months ago. And since the population is now convinced the war's not good and militias have to go, it's up to the government there to write laws enforcing peace in the country. The war in Iraq has proven to be longer and harder than anyone ever expected and the results are barely becoming visible now, after four long years of promises and short-term goals. Both Gen. Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the American ambassador in Iraq are expected to appear this week before Congress to speak about the situation there and maybe help answer some of the remaining questions.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070909/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_sea_of_stats;_ylt=AjNsUszym4WaDTpwKPrwzCOs0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

PocketNews is a new real-time news broadcaster delivering the latest and hottest news right to your pocket ! With global clients who want to be kept up to date, PocketNews is everyone's way of keeping in touch with the World.