Now to Iraq. The confirmed death toll from yesterday’s large-scale resistance attacks across the country has now risen to 79 people with more than 120 wounded. In the past two weeks, more than 415 people have been killed in such attacks, including 250 Iraqi soldiers, police and recruits. Meanwhile, 14 U.S. soldiers have died in a Marine offensive near the Syrian border. And US officials have now been forced to admit that that operation was not as successful as previously claimed and that the Marines are wrapping up “Operation Matador” with no clear objective achieved. The New York Times said the eruption of violence “has carried the insurgency to levels rarely seen in the 25 months since American troops seized Baghdad.” The paper goes on to say it has left the new government of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari looking vulnerable only nine days after it was sworn into office.