Summary: Iraqis took to the streets in parts of Iraq to demand open elections and improved public services, revealing a growing discontent among Iraqis that is overshadowing concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to take over from withdrawing American troops. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 32nd day after losing his 2008 primary challenge against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman, in line with his focus on national security, reported that the Bush administration had removed North Korea from its “state sponsors of terrorism” blacklist. He also posted a daily summary of security incidents in Iraq.

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Summary: Suicide attackers struck near a Shiite mosque north of Baghdad and a checkpoint west of the Iraqi capital as bombings killed at least 17 people nationwide. Recent bombings, especially an Aug. 19, 2009 attack on government ministries in Baghdad that killed about 100 people, have shaken people’s confidence at a crucial time, just months before the election. … On the 55th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman featured information from the Star Tribune Voter’s Guide, commentary by Eric Zaetsch of the “Developers are Crabgrass” blog, gave an update on get-out-the-vote campaign efforts, and reported some lighter moments on the campaign trail.

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Summary: Bombs struck Baghdad and remote communities in northern Iraq on August 29, 2009 as the visiting Iranian foreign minister warned that Iraq’s instability affected the whole region. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 47th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman, in line with his campaign focus on national security issues, issued his statement opposing the war in Iraq.

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Summary: In the deadliest coordinated attack in Iraq since U.S. troops withdrew from urban centers at the end of June 2009 — and one of the deadliest of the war — a wave of bombings and mortar attacks in Baghdad have killed nearly 100 and wounded approximately 1,000. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on then the 36th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman issued instructions regarding voter registration to citizens not already registered to vote in the Minnesota state primary election. He also issued an explanation to all prospective voters regarding Minnesota’s open primary system, which allows citizens to vote in the partisan primary of their choice — irrespective of whether they consider themselves Republican, Democrat, or independent.

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Summary: Bombs hidden in plastic bags exploded at a market in a mainly Shiite area of Baghdad on Sunday, August 16, 2009, killing at least eight civilians and wounding 19. It was the latest in a series of bombings targeting Shiites and minorities in the capital and northern Iraq that have killed more than 160 people since August 7. Meanwhile, the first national census since 1987 has been postponed indefinitely amid fears it could stoke sectarian tensions. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 33rd day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman completed the final leg of his 100-mile Sixth District walking tour, setting out from Centerville and walking to Hugo and Stillwater. He concluded the day’s activities meeting with supporters and local residents at Little Rock Lake in Benton County to discuss constituent and campaign issues.

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Summary: Dozens of Iraqis have been killed and hundreds wounded in a spate of bombings this week, raising fears of a sustained insurgent campaign aimed at provoking new sectarian tensions. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 29th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman took a one-day break from his 100-mile Sixth District Walking Tour and highlighted an emerging threat in Iraq, the mujahidaat: female suicide bombers motivated by revenge for family members killed by U.S. and Iraqi forces.

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Summary: A suicide car bomb devastated a Shiite mosque in northern Iraq, one of a series of attacks that killed at least 40 and wounded about 100 Iraqis. … Three British paratroopers and an American service member were killed in attacks in Afghanistan’s south and east, raising the number of international troops slain in the first week of August 2009 to 19. … Pakistan’s Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud has reportedly been killed in a CIA missile strike, but the claim is disputed by senior Taliban commanders. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 24th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman announced the August 9 kick-off of his walking tour from Freeport in the northwestern corner of the Sixth District to Stillwater in the southeast on the Wisconsin border. … As a public service announcement to help draw attention to the sacrifice of National Guard citizen soldiers serving in Iraq and the families they leave behind, Immelman featured Part 5 of the Associated Press series, “The Longest Deployment” (the story of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Minnesota National Guard and its tour of duty in Iraq).

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Summary: The U.S. Department of Defense has announced in a press release that the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) has positively identified remains recovered in Iraq as those of Captain Michael Scott Speicher. Captain Speicher was shot down flying a combat mission in an F/A-18 Hornet over west-central Iraq on January 17, 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 19th day of his 2008 campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman walked in the Albany Heritage Day Parade with his daughter Elizabeth and youngest son Patrick while his two older sons, Tim and Matt, attended a youth baseball clinic and a Minnesota Twins game at the Metrodome.

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Summary: Bombs exploded near five Shiite mosques in Baghdad on July 31, 2009, killing at least 29 people, in an apparent coordinated attack that targeted worshippers leaving Friday prayers. … August 2009 update of key facts, figures, and statistics on Iraq since the war began in March 2003. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 17th day of his 2008 campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman took Rep. Bachmann to task for talking almost exclusively about energy issues such as the price of gasoline in her reelection campaign, while ignoring important national security concerns.

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Summary: The New York Times reports that a senior American military adviser in Baghdad has concluded in an unusually blunt memo that Iraqi forces suffer from entrenched deficiencies but are now able to protect the Iraqi government, and that it is time “for the U.S. to declare victory and go home.” The author, Col. Timothy R. Reese, details Iraqi military weaknesses in scathing language, including corruption, poor management, and the inability to resist Shiite political pressure. … One-year retrospective: One year ago today, on the 16th day of his campaign against U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann for the Republican nomination as House of Representatives candidate in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District, Aubrey Immelman attended the St. Cloud area joint town hall meeting with the mayors of St. Cloud, St. Augusta, St. Joseph, Sartell, Sauk Rapids, and Waite Park to learn about the concerns of area civic leaders; and attended the Little Rock Lake TMDL Public Meeting to learn about water quality issues on Little Rock Lake and efforts to mitigate phosphorus, the water quality limiting nutrient responsible for the toxic blue-green algae blooms in the lake.

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