9 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

NEWS BRIEFS
BAGHDAD
* Iraqi PM drops
protection for
Sadr's militia
Iraq's prime minister has
dropped his protection of an anti-
American cleric's Shiite militia
after U.S. intelligence convinced
him the group was infiltrated by
death squads, two officials said yes-
terday.
In a desperate bid to fend off an
all-out American offensive, the
radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr last
Friday ordered the 30 lawmakers
and six Cabinet ministers under
his control to end their nearly two-
month boycott of the government.
They were back at their jobs yes-
terday.
Al-Sadr had already ordered his
militia fighters not to display their
weapons. They have not, how-
ever, ceded control of the formerly
mixed neighborhoods they have
captured, killing Sunnis or forcing
them to abandon their homes and
businesses.
WASHINGTON
N.M. governor
to explore White
House run

IRAQ
From page IA
of scenery. And then the truck
behind them was hit with an
(improvised explosive device) and
blew up. Everyone in Christian's
car was silent, because they didn't
know if the other guys were dead."
Hollandsworth seems optimis-
tic about life after Bakken returns
from Iraq. The couple plans to buy a
housewhenhis tour ends inOctober
and marry early next year. He wants
to get a job as a police officer after
earning his undergraduate degree.
"You have to be honest with
yourself that he might not come
home," Hollandsworth said. The
only thing to do, she said, is try not
to think about it.
LETTERS FROM THE
FRONT LINE
LSA junior Kate Eshman-Wis-
san and her boyfriend David Mor-
land, a student at Central Michigan
University, share a similar story.
After meeting in high school, when
she was a freshman and he was a
senior, the two remained friendly
but weren't very close.
In 2004, Morland joined the
reserves and was sent to Iraq.
"He had a going away party
before he left," Eshman-Wissman
said. "After that, we communicated
through letters and the Internet.
I'm a history major so I made a big
deal about writing him letters."
Soon they were talking online
every night. When Morland came
home from leave, the two began
dating.

life for his country, bat it cemented
our relationship and we've made it
through the toogh times.
'EVERY TIME THE PHONE
RINGS, I HAVE TO BE
PREPARED'
For Nursing sophomore Danielle
Hiltz, meeting 22-year-old Scott
McKee was pure chance.
"He just showed up at my door
one day," Hiltz said. "I had some
friends over who knew him and
thought we should meet."
McKee, a Marine, left to train
in California shortly after meeting
Hiltz. For the few months he was in
training, he and Hiltz spoke every
day. During that time, there were
many false alarms and premature
goodbyes as McKee came home on
leave. The couple didn't know when
he would be deployed.
In November, he called to tell
her he was leaving for Iraq the next
month.
"I broke down. It was so unex-
pected," Hiltz said. "We treated
every goodbye as the real thing,
but after a while I started to think
maybe he wouldn't have to go. I vid-
eotaped every time he left and now I
have about six tapes of myself shak-
ing and crying. But when I miss him
too much they're nice to have."
Now they talk every three or four
days unless he is away on a mission.
Both Hiltz and McKee are looking
forward to his homecoming in mid-
April.
"He is always talking about the
future, about wanting a family," she
said. "We have plans."
But she said she is also prepared
for the worst.
"I'm a logical person," Hiltz said.
"I know the reality of the situation.
Every time the phone rings I have
to be prepared. For now, it's always
him, but someday it may be bad
news calling."
Although Hiltz never pictured
herself in this situation a year ago,
she said she has embraced it.
"I keep my head held high," she
said. "You don't have to support the
war, but you do have to support the
troops. They need your support."
She is quick tomention thatwhile
she struggles, it is much harder on
the family members left at home.
"I chose to be dating a Marine,
to be in this situation," Hiltz said.
"But he walked into that office
and signed himself up - his family
didn't choose that for him."

M , Monday, January 22, 2007 - 3A
Saturday deadliest day in
two years in Iraq for U.S.

Nineteen troops
killed in attack,
helicopter crash
BAGHDAD (AP) - At least 19
American service members were
killed in military operations Sat-
urday in the deadliest day for U.S.
forces in two years, including 12
who died in a helicopter crash and
five slain in an attack by militia
fighters in the holy city of Karbala,
military officials said.
Saturday's toll was the third-
highest of any single day since the
war began in March 2003, eclipsed
only by 37 U.S. deaths on Jan. 26,
2005, and 28on the third day of the
U.S. invasion. U.S. authorities also
announced two American combat
deaths from Friday.
The heavy toll comes at a critical
time of rising congressional opposi-
tion to President Bush's decision to
dispatch 21,500 additional soldiers
to the conflict to try to curb sectar-
ian slaughter.
The military gave little infor-
mation on the crash of the Army

Black Hawk helicopter during good
weather in Diyala province, north-
east of Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi
forces have been battling Sunni
insurgents and Shiite militias for
months in the province, around the
city of Baqouba.
Lt. Col. Josslyn Aberle, a U.S.
spokeswoman, said the cause of
the crash had not been determined.
Navy Capt.FrankPascual, amember
of a U.S. media relations team in the
United Arab Emirates, told Al-Ara-
biya television that the helicopter
was believed to have suffered tech-
nical troubles before going down.
The military initially said 13
people were on board the aircraft
but corrected the number on Sun-
day, saying 12 soldiers died, includ-
ing eight passengers and four crew
members.
Five U.S. soldiers were killed Sat-
urday night when militia fighters
attacked a provincial headquarters
in the Shiite Muslim holy city of
Karbala, the military said in a state-
ment.
The statement said "an illegally
armed militia group" attacked the
building with grenades, small arms
and "indirect fire," which usu-

ally means mortars or rockets. The
statement said three other soldiers
were wounded repelling the attack.
"A meeting was taking place at
the time of the attack to ensure the
security of Shiite pilgrims partici-
pating in the Ashoura commemora-
tions," said a statement from Brig.
Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, deputy
commander of the Multi-National
Division-Baghdad.
Karbala is 50 miles south of
Baghdad and thousands of Shiite
pilgrims are flocking to the city to
mark the 10-day Ashoura festival
commemorating the death of one
of Shiite Islam's most sacred saints,
Imam Hussein, grandson of the
Prophet Muhammad.
Brooks said Iraqi officials and
security forces as well as U.S. troops
were present at the meeting, but his
statement did not mention other
casualties from the attack. It said
the headquarters had "been secured
by coalition and Iraqi.security forc-
es."
Earlier, Karbala Gov. Akeel al-
Khazaali had reported that U.S.
troops raided the provincial head-
quarters looking for wanted men
but left with no prisoners.

Democrat Bill Richardson took "On his last night home, before
the first step yesterday toward a bid he had to go back, we went for a
to become the first Hispanic presi- drive," Eshman-Wissman said. "I
dent, saying the country needs his felt so privileged to be the one in
extensive experience as a governor, that car with him, listening to him
cabinet secretary and ambassador. talk. He never said it, but I know he
The 59-year-old New Mexico was afraid."
governor announced in a video After Morland returned to Iraq,
posted on his Web site that he the war became more personal for
would set up an exploratory com- his girlfriend. She turned to reli-
mittee that will allow him to begin gion to help her deal with the sepa-
raising money and assembling his ration.
campaign organization. "I'm glad I have a strong belief in
His candidacy would make his- my faith," she said. "I channel most
tory as the field of Democratic can- of my anxiety through prayer."
didates would be the most diverse Morland recently returned from
ever. On Saturday, New York Sen. his tour in Iraq, but he will remain
Hillary Rodham Clinton said she in the reserves until 2011. Eshman-
wanted to be the first female presi- Wissan said she is confident that
dent. Lastweek, Sen.BarackObama they can survive anything.
of Illinois jumped in, a formidable "We value our time together all
contender who would be the first the more," she said. "He risked his
black commander in chief.

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CARACAS, Venezuela
Chavez to U. S.: -'Go
to hell, gringos!'
President Hugo Chavez told
U.S. officials to "Go to hell!" on his
weekly radio and TV show yester-
day for what he called unacceptable
meddling after Washington raised
concerns about a measure to grant
Venezuela's fiery leftist leader broad
lawmaking powers.
The National Assembly, which is
controlled by the president's politi-
cal allies, is expected to give final
approval this week to what it calls
the "enabling law," which would
give Chavez the authority to pass a
series of laws by decree during an
18-month period.
On Friday, U.S. State Department
deputy spokesman Tom Casey said
Chavez's plans under the law "have
caused us some concern."
Chavez rejected Casey's state-
ment in his broadcast, saying: "Go
to hell, gringos! Go home!"
DAMASCUS, Syria
Abbas, Hamas chief
fail to agree on
unity government
Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas and the exiled chief of the
rival Hamas faction failed yesterday
night to resolve their differences
over forming a unity government,
dashing hopes for a quick end to
deadly clashes between their sup-
porters.
But Abbas and Hamas leader
Khaled Mashaal said in a statement
that they "achieved major progress"
duringthemeeting their firstsince
July 2005 - and hoped to resume
talks within two weeks.
- Compiled from
Daily wire reports
18

Agents search Chicago
for mom, 4 children

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - Police
and federal agents extended their
search to Chicago yesterday for
four children and their mother,
whose ex-boyfriend authorities say
shot a man and kidnapped them in
Indiana the day before.
Authorities have issued an
Amber Alert and said the chil-
dren and their mother, 31-year-
old Kimberly N. Walker, were in
extreme danger. Walker and Jerry
D. White, 30, the father of the four
children, once lived in Chicago,

and White has family there, police
said.
Police said they recovered two
cars, a Dodge Intrepid that White
used to flee and Walker's two-door
Saturn, which White is suspected
of stealing Friday. The cars were
found Saturday night in Elkhart,
about 90 miles east of Chicago.
The cars have not provided addi-
tionalcluestoinvestigators,Elkhart
police Lt. Peggy Snider said Sunday.
Police reported no new develop-
ments late yesterday afternoon.

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Degrees, in Fahrenheit, that
temperatures are projected to rise
duringthis century, accordingto an
Oxford University study. This tem-
perature change would result in an
Alaskan climate roughly equivalent gt
to the current British climate.

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