VIOLENCE ERUPTS IN IRAQ; EVEN GREEN ZONE TARGET OF MORTARS AND ROCKETS

This was an especially violent day in Iraq. The Washington Post reports at least 57 dead in various attacks. There were even mortar and rocket attacks on the Green Zone, the safe haven for American diplomats.

Robert H. Reid of the AP writes in The WashPo:

"Rockets and mortars pounded Baghdad's U.S.-protected Green Zone Sunday and a suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army post in the northern city of Mosul in a surge of attacks that killed at least 57 people nationwide.

"The latest violence underscored the fragile security situation and the resilience of both Sunni and Shiite extremist groups as the war enters its sixth year and the U.S. death toll in the conflict approaches 4,000."

The violence undercuts the argument of George Bush and John McCain's and others that the surge is working. The surge was supposed to eliminate the daily rockets, mortars and car bombs, and make Iraq a livable country where people could go out to the markets and parks unafraid of being caught up in meaningless violence. Even the bastion of safety, the Green Zone, is a target for the attacks.

Reports Reid:

"In Baghdad, rockets and mortars began slamming into the Green Zone about sunrise, and scattered attacks persisted throughout the day, sending plumes of smoke rising over the heavily guarded district in the heart of the capital.

"A U.S. public address system in the Green Zone warned people to "duck and cover" and to stay away from windows.

"At least five people were injured in the Green Zone, a U.S. Embassy statement said without specifying nationalities. The zone includes the U.S. and British embassies as well as major Iraqi government offices.

"A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to release the information, said those injured included an American and four third-country nationals, meaning they were not American, British or Iraqi."