Over 400K Iraqis have fled country since 'surge'

The Iraqi Red Crescent Organization reports that despite Dear Leader's military surge to increase security in the country, the number of Iraqis fleeing their homes because of the violence has increased dramatically, with over 400,000 leaving since the beginning of the year.

The number of displaced Iraqis shot upward from 447,337 on Jan. 1 to 1.14 million on July 31, the Iraqi Red Crescent Organization said Saturday.

..."Does this surge have anything to do with it? We don't know," said Saeed Haqi, head of the Iraqi Red Crescent -- the local partner organization of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "But they're leaving because of the security situation in general."

In addition to those who have fled their homes but have stayed within the country, some 2 million Iraqis have fled, with many now living as refugees in neighboring Syria and Jordan.

In its midyear assessment last month, the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration also reported a spike in internally displaced people, saying the trend started with the February 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra, which sparked fierce sectarian fighting.

It said 63 percent of those assessed reported that they fled direct threats to life, and that more than a quarter had been forcibly displaced from their property. Ninety percent said they were targeted because of their religious identity.

Meanwhile, the White House is a bit peeved at John Warner, who's not backing down from his remarks about the need for a pullout of troops.

Sen. John Warner's suggestion that some troops leave Iraq by the end of the year has roiled the White House, with administration officials saying they've asked the influential Republican to clarify that he has not broken politically with President Bush.

But Warner said Friday he stands by his remarks and that he took no issue with how his views have been characterized.

"I'm not going to issue any clarification," Warner, R-Va., said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I don't think any clarification is needed."