David Petraeus

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Al-Qaeda In Iraq Down 75%, Baghdad Says

But Petraeus calls the group country's 'biggest threat'

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda in Iraq is down 75%, one Baghdad official said today—but US Gen. David Petraeus maintained that al-Qaeda is still “the most significant challenge" facing the country. Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf attributed the alleged al-Qaeda cut to beefed Iraq security, armed Sunni fighters, and the recent US...

Gates Predicts Steady Iraq Withdrawals

If security gains hold, defense chief predicts 100K troops by Jan '09

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today the US is on track to have 100,000 troops, or 10 brigades, in Iraq by the end of the Bush administration, the Chicago Tribune reports. Recent security gains in Iraq have allowed Gen. David Petraeus to begin to enact his plan of removing...

Iran Still Sliding Iraq Arms: US
Iran Still Sliding Iraq Arms: US
Dec 17, 2007 6:41 PM CST

Iran Still Sliding Iraq Arms: US

Pentagon report says weapons, training still flowing across border

(Newser) - Stability in Iraq may be increasing, but the flow of arms and insurgents across its border with Iran has slowed little, reports the Wall Street Journal. A Pentagon report, to be presented to Congress tomorrow, will frame Iraq's overall security in a positive light, but again call into question how...

Iraq Invites Refugees Home, but Home Is Gone

350K displaced in Iraq; US military begs Baghdad to build new housing

(Newser) - Baghdad shocked Washington and the UN last month by inviting home 1.4 million refugees from Syria, the Washington Post reports. The UN warned against it, saying exiles would face poverty, but Iraq started a bus line to transport them back. Many found their homes looted and neighborhoods redrawn along...

Drop in Iraq Violence Gives Petraeus Breathing Room

But general won't yet talk of a turning point

(Newser) - US Gen. David Petraeus said today that declining violence in Iraq has given him greater flexibility with troop deployment, the AP reports. But while Petraeus remains quietly optimistic about American prospects in Iraq, he played down any talk of a turning point. "There's nobody in uniform who is doing...

New Role for US Troops in Iraq
New Role for US Troops in Iraq
Nov 23, 2007 3:55 AM CST

New Role for US Troops in Iraq

Plan would boost soldiers' role training Iraqis as some troops withdraw

(Newser) - US combat brigades in Iraq may soon be given an expanded role in training and supporting Iraqis, reports the New York Times. Under the plan, not yet finalized, a quarter of US troops would be withdrawn next July but others would stay behind to help transfer more of the security...

Petraeus Sees Gains Against Qaeda in Iraq

Commander credits Syrians for slowing flow of foreign fighters

(Newser) - Al Qaeda in Iraq is a diminished threat, and credit goes not only to the latest US military push but to unexpected and "robust" efforts by Syria to keep foreign militants out, Gen. David Petraeus said in an extended interview in the Wall Street Journal. The top commander in...

Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US
Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US
Nov 21, 2007 9:09 AM CST

Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US

Rebel group leader vows 'no surrender' against Turkey or US

(Newser) - The leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the rebel group based in northern Iraq that the United States considers a terrorist organization, has spoken out to warn of resistance to any Turkish cross-border incursion. In a report by a pro-Kurdish news agency, a leading PKK commander warned that his group...

Petraeus Comes Home to Pick New Generals

Army needs his help finding innovative leaders—like him

(Newser) - David Petraeus is returning to Washington this week to help select the next generation of generals, an unusual move highlighting the Army’s desperation to inject Petraeus-style unconventional thinkers into its leadership, the Washington Post reports. “It's unprecedented for the commander of an active theater to be brought back...

US Begins Surge Reversal
US Begins Surge Reversal
Nov 13, 2007 9:45 AM CST

US Begins Surge Reversal

One brigade is heading home; others will follow in coming months

(Newser) - The US is slowly beginning to reduce the number of troops deployed in Iraq, the first real test of whether the surge has been effective, the AP says. One of 20 combat brigades is heading home now, and another four will leave by July, dropping the number of troops in...

Bush Hails 'Noble' Iraq War
 Bush Hails 'Noble' Iraq War
Nov 12, 2007 3:25 AM CST

Bush Hails 'Noble' Iraq War

President marks Veterans Day in Texas

(Newser) - President Bush marked the fifth Veterans Day since the beginning of the war in Iraq at an emotional ceremony at an American Legion Post in Texas where four fallen servicemen were honored. Bush was expected to use the opportunity to scold Congress for not sending him a veterans spending bill,...

2007 Becomes Bloodiest Year for US Troops in Iraq

As surge puts more personnel on the ground, death toll climbs to 852

(Newser) - More US troops have died in Iraq this year than in any other since the conflict began, the AP reports. The 2007 casualty total stands at 852, with the increase due largely to the surge and new counterinsurgency tactics, which took troops out of fortified bases and into communities. The...

Huge Iraqi Dam Could Fail
Huge Iraqi Dam Could Fail
Oct 30, 2007 5:51 PM CDT

Huge Iraqi Dam Could Fail

Biggest dam in Iraq could flood Mosul and kill up to 500K, US report says

(Newser) - Iraq’s biggest dam is vulnerable to breaking and flooding the city of Mosul, killing up to 500,000 and flooding the Tigris River, the BBC reports. A US report today warns that an ongoing $27 million reconstruction project has not fixed the dam's flaws. Poor construction, incorrect parts, and...

Petraeus Says al Qaeda Losing Baghdad Grip

But still dangerous enough to abduct 10 opposition sheiks today

(Newser) - Al Qaeda is losing ground in Baghdad, Gen. David Petraeus said today, even as the group showed its fangs by abducting 10 opposition tribal leaders. “Its presence has been significantly reduced,” Petraeus said, but cautioned that al Qaeda was still “dangerous and very lethal.” Gunmen, meanwhile,...

US Halts Hanging of Convicted Saddam Chief

Official says his work 'saved American lives'

(Newser) - The US stopped Saddam's defense chief from hanging last month, claiming Iraqi outrage inspired the pardon — but insiders say that Sultan Hashem earned his reprieve by thwarting Iraqi attacks during the 2003 US-led invasion. Officials tell Time that Hashem’s execution would be a “gross miscarriage of justice”...

Britain Coordinated Troop Cuts With the US

Defense heads say they agreed southern Iraq was secure enough

(Newser) - The British and American defense secretaries say the US was consulted before Britain halved its troops in Iraq, the Los Angeles Times reports, and they agreed southern Iraq was secure enough for the withdrawal. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the withdrawal was coordinated with US commander Gen. David Petraeus,...

US Marines Want Out of Iraq
US Marines Want Out of Iraq
Oct 11, 2007 3:15 AM CDT

US Marines Want Out of Iraq

Commander calls for lead Afghan role instead

(Newser) - The US Marine Corps is lobbying to be withdrawn from Iraq and instead be given the lead role in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times. The move would leave the Army with primary responsibility for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq. Supporters believe it would allow the branches to operate...

Gen. Petraeus Blasts Iran for Stoking Iraq War

Al-Qaeda is primary 'wolf,' but Iran poses long-term threat

(Newser) - Iran's continued activity helping to supply battling factions in Iraq could be the biggest long-term challenge to peace in the war-torn nation, General David Petraeus tells CNN. The head of allied forces in Iraq emphasized that al-Qaeda is the No. 1 enemy to beat. "Al-Qaeda remains the wolf closest...

Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive
Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive
Sep 26, 2007 4:11 AM CDT

Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive

Insurgents target police, Interior Ministry officials, tribal leaders for assassination

(Newser) - Sunni insurgents have launched an assassination campaign aimed at  Iraqi police and officials of the Interior Ministry to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, reports the New York Times. Eight police officers, including a police chief, have been killed and 30 injured. A provincial governor  survived a suicide bombing...

US Wrestles With Defining Iraq Deaths

Wartime statistics challenge military analysts, methods

(Newser) - For military analysts, a shooting victim in Iraq hasn’t necessarily fallen prey to sectarian violence. Instead, teams analyze each killing for signs it was ethnically motivated, compiling statistics the Bush administration has relied on to show progress in Iraq. Victims who were tortured, shot once in the head, or...

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