In other Iraq news, the Pentagon is claiming violence there has fallen to its lowest level since before the pivotal 2006 attack on the al-Askari Mosque in Sammara.

Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno: “Attacks in Baghdad have reached the lowest levels this year and continue to trend downward from pre-Fardh al-Qanoon levels. Civilian casualties have also dropped dramatically, from a high of about 32 per day to 12 per day.”