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A hard week in a long Iraq mission

In a week that saw the deadliest single attack on Americans in Iraq – and the first major US contractor to pull out – more and more military experts are warning that drastic changes are needed to both US strategy and American public expectations if there’s to be success there. Tuesday’s suicide bombing at a US mess tent in Mosul is only one of the most visible symbols of the deepening challenge. The “ground has fundamentally shifted” in recent months, according to a new report by the International Crisis Group (ICG). Based on field interviews with Iraqis, it says wide-spread disaffection with the US presence is threatening the emergence of stable democracy friendly to the US.Full Story