Iraq - July 2005 vs July 2006

Here are just a few headlines from Iraq circa July 2005. Compare these headlines to what is occurring in Iraq now.

Egypt ambassador seized in Iraq
Egypt's new ambassador to Iraq has been kidnapped, within five weeks of arriving in the country.
July 3, 2005 from the BBC

2 dozen Iraqi Shiites abducted, killed
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Gunmen seized two dozen Shiites from a bus station after separating them from the crowd in a predominantly Sunni area Wednesday, killing them and dumping their bodies in a nearby village — the latest in a series of brazen attacks.
July 12, 2005 source Yahoo News

Many killed in Iraq suicide bomb
At least 58 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the town of Musayyib, some 60 km (40 miles) south of Baghdad.
July 16, 2005 from the BBC

BBC defends Iraq blast footage
The BBC has defended a documentary which showed footage of an ambush on British troops in Iraq in which three of them were killed.
July 26, 2005 from the BBC

Iraq PM urges 'speedy' US pullout
Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has called for US troops to leave the country soon, but added no timetable had been set for withdrawal.
July 27, 2005 from the BBC

Funeral of (a British) soldier killed in Iraq
The funeral of one of three soldiers killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq has taken place with full military honours.
The service for 21-year-old Private Phillip Hewett was held on Thursday at St Editha's Church, in his home town of Tamworth in Staffordshire.
July 28, 2005 from the BBC

U.S. Signals Spring Start for Pullout
BAGHDAD, July 27 -- The top U.S. military leader in Iraq said Wednesday there could be substantial withdrawals of some of the 135,000 U.S. troops in the country as early as next spring.
Gen. George W. Casey said that despite continued lethal attacks by insurgents, the security situation in Iraq had improved. He reiterated a position he had taken earlier this year on the possible decrease in the U.S. military presence during a one-day visit by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld for meetings with Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari.
July 28, 2005 source The Washington Post

Blast kills two Britons in Iraq
Two British security guards have been killed in an attack on a convoy in Basra, southern Iraq.
July 30, 2005 from the BBC

There were 54 US military fatalities in Iraq in the month of July 2005, source Iraq Coalition Casualties

As I write this on July 13, 2006, there have been 2545 US soldier fatalities in Iraq, source Iraq Coalition Casualties