Free the Captives: Witness Against Illegal Detention and Torture

There was no news on Saturday February 11 of Tom Fox and the other CPT peaceworkers held captive in Iraq. Other reports from the area suggest a lull in violence, but it is not clear whether that reflects actual "facts on the ground," or a weekend cutback in news coverage.

One trend that did not show any lull was the escalating cost of the war. The total as of Saturday night was US$240 billion, 304 million, and counting. The US casualty total is now at 2267. Iraqi casualties, including civilians, are plausibly estimated as in excess of 100,000.

Our hearts go out to friends and family of captive reporter Jill Carroll, kidnaped on January 7, whose captors have set a deadline of February 26, threatening execution if their demands are not met. We call on her captors to abandon this plan, and release her unharmed.

from Reuters: Security incidents in Iraq, Feb 11

U.S. and Iraqi forces are battling a Sunni Arab insurgency against the Shi'ite- and Kurdish-led government in Baghdad.

BASRA - A spokesman for the Iraqi Army was assassinated in central Basra by gunmen, an Iraqi army official said. Captain Makram al-Abbasi was shot in his car on his way to work.

BAQUBA - Gunmen killed two policemen in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles north of Baghdad, police said. The attackers approached their car and shot them in the head.

BALAD - Six civilians were kidnapped by gunmen near Balad, north of Baghdad, police said.

BALAD - A roadside bomb killed a civilian in Balad, police said.

DUJAIL - An army officer was killed by a roadside bomb in Dujail, north of Baghdad, police said.