Even by Iraq's recent standards, the first days of the new year were particularly bloody. On January 4th, Baghdad's governor, All al-Haidari (above), was gunned down, along with six of his bodyguards, as his motorcade negotiated a busy roundabout in the capital; he was the highest-ranking victim in eight months. Since the year began, at least 90 other people have been killed across the country, including at least five Americans. Nearly 70 of the dead were Iraqi police officers, national guardsmen and security forces: together, they have become the insurgents' prime targets. In the past four months, 1,300 of them are reported to have died.
展开▼
