Iraq

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Iraq Firing Corruption Watchdogs

Up to 17 officials dismissed as cost of fraud hits $13B

(Newser) - After the invasion of Iraq, the American transitional administration installed dozens of anticorruption officials to bring order to the nation's bureaucracy. But in recent months the Iraqi government has systematically fired these inspectors without making any public announcement, reports the New York Times. Only recently a senior Iraqi official testified...

Mullen Warns Iraq Exit Will Take More Than 2 Years

Joint Chiefs chairman still wants US withdrawal tied to security situation

(Newser) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is "comfortable" with the new US-Iraq security pact scheduling the start of an American troop pullout next year, but believes some major hurdles still exist, the Washington Post reports. Admiral Michael Mullen cautioned that the US has huge amounts of equipment...

Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study
 Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study 
Nov 17, 2008 3:55 PM CST

Gulf War Illness Is Real: Study

Research contradicts previous government denials

(Newser) - Gulf War syndrome is real, and "few veterans have recovered or substantially improved with time," according to a scientific study commissioned by Congress. Nearly a quarter of the 700,000 troops who served in the first Gulf War suffer from neurological problems related to exposure to chemicals during...

Iraq's Unmasked Interpreters Fear for Their Lives

New US rule makes it easier for insurgents to target translators

(Newser) - A change in US military policy in Iraq has endangered some of its more useful local allies: Iraqi interpreters. Since September, translators have no longer been allowed to wear masks while on the job, something they say is necessary to protect their identities from extremists who target them as traitors,...

'Sticky Bombs' Spread Fear in Baghdad

Insurgents shift to smaller devices as security tightens

(Newser) - Small explosives dubbed "sticky IEDs" are contributing to a growing feeling of unease in Baghdad, the New York Times reports. The fist-sized bombs attached to magnets or adhesives are hard to detect, easy for a furtive bomber to put in place and have become the weapon of choice for...

Biden's Son Will Deploy to Iraq by Month's End

Beau Biden, 39, is captain in Delaware National Guard

(Newser) - Joe Biden’s son Beau, 39, will be sent to Iraq by Thanksgiving, Politico reports. Beau Biden, a captain in the Delaware National Guard and also the state’s attorney general, will leave Fort Bliss, Texas, for the Middle East in the next two weeks with the rest of Delaware’...

World Policy Can Wait a While, Obama
 World Policy Can Wait
a While, Obama
opinion
Nov 9, 2008 7:30 PM CST

World Policy Can Wait a While, Obama

For a while, inaction may be the best course

(Newser) - From Iran to Venezuela, President-elect Obama's best foreign policy option is to lie low for now, John Barry writes in Newsweek. Sudden forays into tricky hotspots—think Bay of Pigs, or President Bush's North Korea missteps—can prove costly, and most of the world's problems need a breather anyway. In...

Saudis Fight Extremism With... Rehab?

Saudis rehabilitate terrorists using ideological approach

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia has a particular brand of counter-terrorism: a cozy detention center where captured militants share their feelings, practice art therapy, snack on Twix, rumble on PlayStation, and leave with the prospect of a wife. The retreat, Katherine Zoepf writes in the New York Times magazine, is part of the...

Obama Victory Triggers Positive Shift in Iraq Politics

New optimism signals future cooperation

(Newser) - A wave of optimism in the wake of Barack Obama's victory is causing a shift in Iraqi politics, the New York Times reports. Shiite politicians are signaling that they're more prepared now to sign a new security agreement with the US. They believe Obama will speed the pace of withdrawal,...

6 Dead in 4th Day of Baghdad Bombings

Four days of escalating violence leaves dozens dead and wounded

(Newser) - A series of bomb blasts across Baghdad killed six people and injured more than 20 others today, the fourth consecutive day of heightened violence in the Iraqi capital. The deadliest attack came near a checkpoint in central Baghdad, while another targeting a government convoy killed six city workers. A string...

Obama, Not McCain, Would Be Third Bush Term
Obama, Not McCain, Would Be Third Bush Term
OPINION
Nov 1, 2008 6:25 PM CDT

Obama, Not McCain, Would Be Third Bush Term

Dem doesn't offer much hope of change from current president

(Newser) - Barack Obama has freely used the Bush card, reminding voters that John McCain has agreed with the president 90% of the time—but “the irony here is that Obama actually has much more in common with Bush than McCain does,” Bill Siegel writes in the National Review. He...

Saddam Stabbed After Death: Guard

(Newser) - Saddam Hussein’s body was mutilated after his execution, says a guard present at his internment. “There were six stab wounds on his body,” two of them to his back, the Iraqi told the London Times. The guard said 300 people witnessed the desecrated body, but Iraqi officials...

Petraeus Gets New Title, Plans Pakistan Visit

Chief of US Central Command headed to region he oversees

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus’ first official trip as head of the US military’s Central Command will be to Pakistan, the Tampa Tribune reports. Petraeus was sworn in today at MacDill Air Force base, in Tampa, taking over from Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey. Petraeus’ new responsibilities at Centralcom include planning in...

US: Attack Was 'Warning' to Jihadist-Friendly Syria

Damascus closes American school, cultural center

(Newser) - The US says its attack Sunday on a Syrian village was a warning to Damascus to take more action against Iraq-bound militants. “We are left with no choice but to take matters into our own hands,” an official tells the Times of London. Washington recently praised Syria for...

US Says Raid in Syria Killed Iraqi Militant

Administration defends cross-border operation as self-defense

(Newser) - Special forces carried out a secret raid in Syrian territory Sunday to kill an Iraqi militant, the US acknowledged yesterday. About two dozen American commandos swooped into a village on the Iraq-Syria border and fought a brief gun battle. While Syria condemned the raid as "terrorist aggression," top...

US Strike 'Serious Aggression': Syria
 US Strike 'Serious 
 Aggression': Syria 
updated
Oct 26, 2008 4:36 PM CDT

US Strike 'Serious Aggression': Syria

US yet to respond to claim

(Newser) - US military helicopters launched an extremely rare attack today on Syrian territory close to the border with Iraq, killing eight people in a strike the government in Damascus condemned as "serious aggression." A US military official said the raid by special forces targeted the foreign fighter network that...

US: Do We Dare Turn Detainees Over to Iraqis?

Security deal could see Iraqi authorities handed thousands of prisoners they can't handle

(Newser) - The new security agreement negotiated with Iraq could leave the US military with 5,000 tough problems, the New York Times reports. US forces currently hold 17,000 Iraqi prisoners—including 5,000 considered dangerous radicals. Under the latest draft of the deal, the US would lose the right to...

Al-Qaeda Crows About US Credit Crisis

Some supporters hope for McCain victory

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda websites are celebrating the crippling crisis sweeping the US economy and financial markets, with some internet postings crediting al-Qaeda for luring the nation into a war that has exhausted its resources, reports the Washington Post. Some writers are penning messages expressing hope for renewed terror attacks and a John...

Wrong on Iraq, Wrong on Barack
 Wrong on Iraq, 
 Wrong on Barack 
OPINION
Oct 21, 2008 2:07 PM CDT

Wrong on Iraq, Wrong on Barack

Obama endorsement brings Powell's judgment into question — again

(Newser) - Just as Colin Powell overlooked UN corruption before the Iraq war, he's overlooking Barack Obama's flaws as a candidate, Claudia Rosett writes in the National Review. His endorsement lacked any specifics about the transformations Obama will bring about, leading her to revisit Powell's previous "blind spots." Rosett doesn't...

Iraq Calls for Changes in US Pullout Pact

Minister had called deal final

(Newser) - Parties in Iraq’s ruling Shiite coalition are seeking to alter what was supposed to be a final agreement with the US concerning when American troops would leave, Reuters reports. The draft says US forces must leave Iraq by the end of 2011 unless the Iraqi government wants them to...

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