Update from Michael Yon in Iraq

This is copied from his emailed dispatch. Please visit his web page HERE.

Greetings:

In Baqubah Update 05-July-2007, I included an anecdotal report from an Iraqi official here in Baqubah about al Qaeda baking boys and serving them to their families. I made no further comment as to the veracity of the report, which readers will see had very few specifics.

However, in the context of al Qaeda savagery, the evidence of which is seen daily as our soldiers clear Baqubah and other areas of Al Qaeda, the report is not surprising.

I write these words only about 3.5 miles from a mass gravesite I recently visited where the remains of decapitated children were buried along with the bodies of women and men. That grim discovery was the focus of "Bless the Beasts and Children."

Since that time, the news and debate has spread around the world. For instance, the radio mega-heavyweight Rush Limbaugh read part of the Baqubah Update dispatch to American listeners yesterday.

Each retelling of the story adds flourish and personal commentary to the simple words I wrote from here in Baqubah. Please refer back to my source document for the truth of the original reporting.

Whether the story of al Qaeda baking children is true or not, I do not know. However, I do know that since the attack on al Qaeda in Baqubah on 19 June, the citizens of Baqubah are very happy, markets are opening, and there has been practically zero fighting in the last couple of weeks. For the latest, please read "Second Chances".

Sincerely,

Michael Yon

AirborneVet says, "I'll be on vacation for the next week and a half. We have several contributers here, so hopefully, they will post. Until next time."