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The death of a Texan soldier in Baghdad brings the total number of US troops killed in Iraq to 3,000, independent groups tracking casualties have said.

The US Defence Department confirmed that the soldier was killed by small arms fire in the capital last week.

The announcement came on the final day of 2006 and as the US military reached the end of the deadliest month for its troops in Iraq for two years.

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I fervently hope that 2007 ushers in victory for the Iraqi and Afghan people over the invaders and their puppet regimes.

[ 31 December 2006: Message edited by: unionist ]

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Despite the execution of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on Saturday, Bush said violence in Iraq would not end and warned more U.S. sacrifices lay ahead. The United States would be "fighting violent jihadists" for years to come, the White House said.

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Reuters

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I fervently hope that 2007 ushers in victory for the Iraqi and Afghan people over the invaders and their puppet regimes.

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I'd like to see the US lose in both countries. The problem is that there is no one in either Iraq or Afghanistan that I would like to see WIN. Its easy to take the view that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". But I have a very hard time yelling hip-hip-hooray at the thought of a Taliban restoration to power in Afghanistan or of some horrific, murderous band of fundamentalists taking power in Iraq.

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Originally posted by 500_Apples:
Time will tell how Pelosi's first 100 hour plan works out.

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Stockholm:
The only way that the will of the Iraqi or the Afghan people can ever be expressed is by having free multi-party elections with guarantees that women can participate equally in the political process.

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And the only way that can be accomplished over the long run is to undermine and change the prevalent social, cultural and religious values in those societies, replacing them with more secular and progressive ones.

Wasting lives and resources on a military solution to the problems faced in these countries is just that, a waste. It probably even makes the situation worse.

We may have to face the fact that because of the invasion and occupation of these countries that destroyed what security and civil order that was in existance we may be faced with even worse situations in Iraq and Afghanistan after withdrawal before things can eventually get better.