Iraq

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Shoe Thrower Says Bush's 'Icy Smile' Set Off Attack

(Newser) - No wonder he came so close: The Iraqi journalist who chucked his shoes at George Bush practiced two years in advance and even videotaped taped himself doing so, USA Today reports. However, Muntadhar al-Zeidi said he didn't know he'd go through with it until he saw Bush "smiling icily"...

Trial Postponed for Iraqi Shoe Hurler

Unrepentant journalist says chucking shoes at Bush was protest against US occupation

(Newser) - The trial of an Iraqi journalist who chucked his shoes at President Bush has been delayed until next month, reports the BBC. The court first needs to consult with the Iraqi government on whether Bush's visit to Iraq was formal or informal, according to the judge. Munthadar al-Zaidi is charged...

Inquiry Into Iraqi Graft Expands to Top US Officers

(Newser) - The United States' poor track record on rebuilding Iraq has long been chalked up to lousy planning by Pentagon brass. But an expanding investigation by federal authorities adds another element to the mix: possible corruption by the military commanders who oversaw reconstruction in the Wild West days after the invasion,...

Western Tourists Return to Iraq (With Armed Guards)

(Newser) - A group of tourists is heading to Iraq next month for a whirlwind tour of a dozen sites including Baghdad, Babylon, and Basra, the Daily Telegraph reports. It’s the first time Westerners have dared vacation in the country since 2003, and the Surrey-based Hinterland Travel organizing the tour isn’...

Blackwater Ditches Name, Attempts to Change Image

Firm renames itself Xe; will focus on training and logistics support

(Newser) - Private security firm Blackwater Worldwide is hoping to shed some of the controversy that has dogged it since its bloody tenure in Iraq by renaming itself Xe (pronounced “Zee”), the AP reports. Besides the name change, the firm has altered the focus of its business from contracting out...

Suicide Bomber Kills 35 in Iraq
 Suicide Bomber Kills 35 in Iraq 
Feb 13, 2009 9:15 AM CST

Suicide Bomber Kills 35 in Iraq

Women, children targeted en route Shia to holy city

(Newser) - A female suicide bomber killed at least 35 Iraqi pilgrims on the way to a religious festival today, reports CNN. Another 45 were wounded. The victims, mainly women and children, were in the town of Mussayib, about 40 miles south of Baghdad. Hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims are currently...

DC Shrugs Off 'Miracle' in Iraq
 DC Shrugs Off 'Miracle' in Iraq 
OPINION
Feb 13, 2009 8:41 AM CST

DC Shrugs Off 'Miracle' in Iraq

Obama must support healthy Iraq, even if he opposed war

(Newser) - The US barely noticed the recent "small miracle" in the Middle East, writes Charles Krauthammer in the Washington Post: Iraq's peaceful elections. The nation "moved away from religious sectarianism toward more secular nationalism”—good news for the US, bad for Iran. Even though our policies made it...

Congress Joins Tweet-Mania
 Congress Joins Tweet-Mania 
Feb 11, 2009 5:59 PM CST

Congress Joins Tweet-Mania

Reps send updates from Iraq, meetings with prez

(Newser) - Since a ban on social networking was lifted, lawmakers have been using Twitter to give the public unprecedented access to congressional meetings—and perhaps fight boredom during them. At least four Republican reps, among the 65 who Twitter regularly, sent one-liners during a meeting with President Obama on the stimulus...

Iraq PM Shrugs Off US as Sarko Cozies Up

In his first visit to Baghdad, French prez seeks oil, influence

(Newser) - French prez Nicolas Sarkozy, whose predecessor led international opposition to the Iraq war, paid a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday in an attempt to raise his country's profile in the region. Sarkozy met with PM Nouri al-Maliki, who used a joint news conference to slap at recent US pressure to...

Iraqi Insurgent: We Won't Stop Til US Leaves
Iraqi Insurgent: We Won't Stop Til US Leaves
Interview
Feb 10, 2009 2:15 PM CST

Iraqi Insurgent: We Won't Stop Til US Leaves

Numbers dwindle, but 'I feel happy' when killing Americans

(Newser) - These are tough times for the Iraqi resistance. Violence is down, fighters are scarce, and the public has turned against them. Abu Abdul Aziz is one of just 35 fighters in the Front of Jihad and Change—a far cry from the 750 he fought alongside in 2005—but the...

Iraqi Women's Minister Resigns in Protest

Budget cuts rob her of resources to help 'army of widows'

(Newser) - Iraq's state minister for women's affairs has quit to protest a lack of resources for a daunting task—improving the lives of "a full army of widows" and other women left poor or abandoned by war. Nawal al-Samarraie told the AP how her office's budget was so tight that...

Afghan War 'Tougher Than Iraq': Envoy

'I have never seen anything like the mess we have inherited'

(Newser) - The fight to combat terrorism in Afghanistan is “going to be much tougher than Iraq,” President Obama’s envoy to Afghanistan predicted today. “It is going to be a long, difficult struggle,” Richard Holbrooke added while speaking in Munich. The comments come as two US soldiers...

Critics Blast Obama's Zinni Flip-Flop

They call yanking of Iraq ambassador post sign of transition chaos

(Newser) - Remember those fat times, back in December, when competence and seamless coordination were back in town? Oh well. Joining the parade of minor appointment-related slip-ups is the apparent bait-and-switch pulled on retired Gen. Anthony Zinni, reports Politico. Zinni was told he had the job of Iraq ambassador—then the rug...

Maliki's Allies Win Big in Provincial Vote

Maliki's party wins 38% of Baghdad vote, 37% in Basra

(Newser) - Allies of Iraq's prime minister finished first in races for ruling councils in Baghdad and eight other provinces, official results from last weekend's election show. Nouri al-Maliki's party won 38% of the vote in Baghdad, the election commission said. His party was followed by allies of anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr...

Story-Pitching Octuplets Mom: 'Show Me the Money'

Mom seeking $2M for tale

(Newser) - The single mom who gave birth to octuplets to increase her brood to 14 is seeking $2 million to tell her story, reports the Times of London. Nadya Suleman, 33, plans to negotiate with Oprah and Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer. She is also seeking diaper sponsorship and other lucrative...

Iraqis Vote for Secular Parties

Iraq PM claiming victory in provincial poll

(Newser) - Iraq's Dawa Party and other secular political parties appear to have scored significant victories in Iraq's provincial elections, strengthening the hand of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Detailed election results are still several days off, but religious parties appear to have been defeated in the principal cities of Bahgdad and Basra,...

Many US Troops Home in a Year: Obama

President sees Iraqis ready to handle own security

(Newser) - President Obama promised today to bring a "substantial" number of troops home from Iraq before next year's Super Bowl, MSNBC reports. In an interview with Matt Lauer, Obama said Iraq's smooth provincial elections this weekend ensured the homecoming. He disclosed no details, but said he plans to “roll...

Iraq Vote Marks Fading US Power
 Iraq Vote Marks 
 Fading US Power 
analysis
Feb 1, 2009 7:26 AM CST

Iraq Vote Marks Fading US Power

Iraqis taking over

(Newser) - As Iraqis headed to the polls yesterday, it was clear that American sway over the country is fading fast, the New York Times reports. Some 140,000 US troops remain in the country, but their presence is far less visible, and Iraqis have made bold strides in setting a firm...

'War on Terror' Phrase Fading Under Obama

Phrase on the skids as prez hopes to rewrite US-Muslim relations

(Newser) - Barack Obama is rephrasing the "war on terror," the AP reports. As campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan continue—as do broader US efforts to hunt down extremists—Obama is apparently letting the Bush catchphrase go out of style. The new president instead invokes  “ongoing struggle” and “...

Sunni Iraqis: Shiites Barred Us From Voting

Thousands turned away in former insurgent enclave

(Newser) - At least 1,000 Sunni Iraqis were turned away from the polls in Baghdad today for being unregistered to vote, and many accused the Shiite government of deleting their names from the polls, the Los Angeles Times reports. “This is a disappointment,” complained one man. Agitation was high...

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