this is what passes for "success" in Iraq

Car bomb in Iraq kills 18, including children

BAGHDAD - A car bomb killed at least seven children and 11 other people in a northern city, providing a reminder that militants still can cause casualties despite security improvements that led U.S. troops to return a southern province to Iraqi control Wednesday.

Ninety people also were injured in the blast at a popular outdoor market in Tal Afar, said a police official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The city, a one-time stronghold of Sunni insurgents 260 miles northwest of Baghdad, was targeted in offensives by U.S. and Iraqi troops that prompted American leaders to describe it as a success story in the effort to stabilize Iraq. But sporadic attacks continue.

---

"A reminder that militants can still cause casualties"?! Have these people not been watching their own news lately? There has been a large number of attacks lately. Maybe there's a minor improvement, but things are hardly even close to stable.