With anti-occupation sentiments on the rise, some Iraqi groups have stepped up acts of armed resistance. While it is difficult to judge the motivations behind many of these acts, even the mainstream media is beginning to realize that the resistance is not simply a group of “Saddam loyalists” and is instead a collection of different groups all opposed to the United States’ occupation.

Over the past few days the mainstream has reported extensively on the issue, but as usual, there has been little effort to actually understand what is motivating the resistance. However, it is worth noting that an AP wire story has a subheading that uses the words “revolutionary violence” to explain what is happening in Iraq—an unprecedented description of the insurgency, and one first used in the corporate media. As is generally the case, the independent press is doing a much better job covering the issue and some indepdendent journalists are actually on the ground in Iraq. Author Raul Mahajan recently wrote an article titled “Opening the Gates of Hell” on the situation in Iraq and is providing frequent updates on the situation as he observes it in his blog. Author Naomi Klein is also in Iraq and recently completed an article examining the Shia Uprising.

Civilian casualties have been reported and the most accurate numbers are being posted on www.iraqbodycount.org