Free the Captives: Witness Against Illegal Detention and Torture

There was no news on Thursday February 9 of the fate of Tom Fox and the other CPT peaceworkers held captive in Iraq. As reported below, a new video of captive reporter Jill Carroll was released. Also, US forces are said to be planning release of several hundred prisoners; problems with Iraq's new "free" press abound; and experts acknowledge that US involvement in Iraq is likely to be long-term.

We call on her captors, and those holding our CPT friends, to release them at once! No religion, no good cause is served by holding or harming them.

from Reuters: U.S. hostage Carroll appeals for help in new video

"I'm here with the mujahideen. I sent you a letter written by hand. I'm here, I'm fine. Please just do whatever they want," she said. "Give them whatever they want as quickly as possible. There is very short time. Please move fast." [ more ]

from the Associated Press: Official: U.S. to Free Iraqi Detainees

U.S. forces are expected to release about 450 male Iraqi detainees next week, Iraq's deputy justice minister said Thursday. [...]

The kidnappers of American journalist Jill Carroll, who was abducted Jan. 7, have demanded the release of all female detainees or else they would kill their captive.

from Reuters: Iraqi journalists caught in political crossfire

Under Saddam Hussein, Iraqi journalists were threatened, detained, tortured and killed -- victims of a system that tightly controlled what was written about the country's Baathist leader.

The destruction of the Information Ministry -- one of the main instruments of Saddam-era censorship -- during the U.S.-led invasion to oust the Iraqi leader in March 2003 symbolically ended decades of zero press freedom.

But journalists' initial optimism that they would finally be able to report freely has been eroded. In today's democratic Iraq, they face many of the same dangers, as well as new threats. [ more ]

from the Associated Press: Experts Say U.S. in Iraq for Long Haul

All signs point to a major drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq in 2006 - perhaps to fewer than 100,000 by year's end. But it is far from certain when there will be further reductions, or a total pullout, after that.

In fact, it now looks as if the United States may have a long-term and substantial military presence in Iraq, military experts say. [...]

Some analysts believe the process is only just beginning. Despite gains against the insurgents in areas such as Mosul and Saleheddin province, U.S. deaths have been running steady for the past two years at about 50 to 75 a month with 500 wounded each month.

"I hardly know of any counterinsurgency that lasted less than a decade," said Bruce Hoffman, a counterinsurgency expert with the Rand Corp. "I don't see any sign over the past year that this will end anytime soon. ... I don't see any development that would indicate `light at the end of the tunnel.'"

Ahmed S. Hashim, a counterinsurgency expert at the U.S. Naval War College, predicted the U.S. is in for a "protracted stay" in Iraq, guiding the Iraqis in their struggle against the insurgents for years. [ more ]