IRAQ: RESISTANCE

AP: Gunmen seek U.S. collaborators in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Brazen gunmen firing automatic weapons roamed Baghdad's streets today within blocks of the country's most fortified facilities, including the U.S. Embassy and the headquarters of Iraq's interim government. Five more American troops were killed in volatile Anbar province.
A dawn attack on a domestic oil pipeline supplying fuel from northern Iraq to Baghdad and clashes that killed three militants in the country's turbulent west underlined the security difficulties ahead of Jan. 30 national elections.
The heavily armed insurgents have been emboldened by a spate of attacks across Iraq that have claimed more than 80 lives in recent days, mostly Iraqis working for the coalition or Iraqi national security forces.


NY Times: 2 C.I.A. Reports Offer Warnings on Iraq's Path

A classified cable sent by the Central Intelligence Agency's station chief in Baghdad has warned that the situation in Iraq is deteriorating and may not rebound any time soon, according to government officials


The Australian: Shiites plan autonomous region

ABOUT 600 leaders from central Iraq's Shiite Muslim provinces announced plans to begin setting up their own autonomous region, following a meeting today in the holy city of Najaf.Representatives agreed to set up a security committee for their five provinces and a regional council to stimulate the economy of their neglected region.
Iraq's provisional constitution recognises the federal nature of Iraq, most of whose Kurdish population lives in three northern provinces with a large degree of autonomy.