Iraq

Stories 1021 - 1040 | << Prev   Next >>

Fewer Marines Needed in Iraq's Anbar: General

Not many 'bad guys left' in province with Iraqi forces set to take over

(Newser) - The Marines’ top general says his two combat units in Iraq’s Anbar province could stand to be deployed elsewhere after the US hands over control there to Iraqi forces next week, the AP reports. “There aren't a whole heck of a lot of bad guys there left to...

US Officers: We Executed Handcuffed Iraqi Captives

Prisoners were killed to avenge platoon's losses, investigators told

(Newser) - Three US officers shot four blindfolded and handcuffed Iraqi detainees early last year and dumped their bodies in a canal, according to statements made to military investigators and obtained by the New York Times. The men are likely to face murder charges. Four others from the same platoon have been...

Blasts Kill at Least 34 in Iraq
 Blasts Kill at Least 34 in Iraq

Blasts Kill at Least 34 in Iraq

Day's death toll is one of highest in recent months

(Newser) - Three blasts killed at least 34 Iraqis today, most of them in a suicide car bombing that struck a group of police recruits, the AP reports. It was one of the highest daily casualty tolls in recent months. Two of the bombs went off in Diyala province, which has been...

US Will Be Out of Iraq by 2011, PM Says

Maliki firm on 'fixed date,' though US says deal isn't finalized

(Newser) - The US has agreed to a timeline that forces all foreign troops out of Iraq by 2011 as part of a proposed pact, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said today. "There is an agreement actually reached, reached between the two parties on a fixed date, which is the end...

Suicide Bomber Kills 25 at Iraqi Banquet

Victims were celebrating release of sheikh's son from US detention

(Newser) - At least 25 people were killed in Abu Ghraib yesterday when a suicide bomber attacked a banquet where relatives were celebrating the release of a sheikh's son from US detention. Women, children and men from a US-supported neighborhood patrol were believed to be among the victims."The smoke was...

Sunni-Shiite Tensions Rattle Baghdad Nabes

Displaced Shiites fearful of returning to homes surrounded by Sunnis

(Newser) - Sectarian violence in Iraq may be on the wane, but bitter tension between Sunnis and Shiites continue to tear apart neighborhoods, the New York Times reports. Only 7,112 of the 151,000 families who left Baghdad to escape the bloodshed have returned, and poor rural Sunnis have moved into...

Maturing Iraqi Army Enabled US Troop Deal
Maturing Iraqi Army Enabled US Troop Deal
ANALYSIS

Maturing Iraqi Army Enabled US Troop Deal

2011 withdrawal probable thanks to tougher local forces

(Newser) - The US's preliminary agreement with Iraq to withdraw most combat troops by 2011 would have been unthinkable even a few months ago. Declining levels of violence, a ceasefire with the Mahdi Army, and the about-face of Sunni leaders have all helped, the Wall Street Journal reports, but for the administration,...

Iraq Cracks Down on US-Allied Sunni Fighters

US commanders fear reversal of hard-fought peace

(Newser) - Iraq's Shiite-dominated government has begun a crackdown on groups of US-backed Sunni fighters, the New York Times reports. The government fears the fighters, part of what is called the Awakening movement, could be waiting to turn their guns on Shiites. In several parts of the country senior members have been...

Biden's Son Headed for Iraq
Biden's Son Headed for Iraq

Biden's Son Headed for Iraq

. . . And maybe dad's Senate seat if he's named Obama's running mate

(Newser) - Joe Biden’s son will be deployed to Iraq on October 3, the Washington Post reports, and while that may be a difficult personal event for Biden, it might boost his already promising case to become Barack Obama’s running mate. “I don’t want him going,” Biden...

Rice Arrives in Baghdad for Troop Deal Talks

In surprise visit, secretary seeks new mandate for US military

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Iraq on an unannounced trip, where she will meet with PM Nouri al-Maliki and other top officials to continue talks to keep American troops in the country after their UN mandate expires. While sources in both the US and Iraq have said that an agreement...

Leaving Iraq, Petraeus Sees Gains as Fragile

Violence is down, but 'it's not durable yet,' says general

(Newser) - David Petraeus is leaving Iraq after 18 months, and by all measures the country is far safer than when he arrived. The "surge" of 30,000 extra American soldiers was bolstered by major domestic developments, from the Muqtada al-Sadr ceasefire to the rise of Sunni awakening councils. But in...

Iraq Security Deal Has US Troops Out of Cities By July

Legal immunity remains sticking point in pact yet to be approved by either side

(Newser) - Negotiators for the US and Iraq have completed a draft security agreement that plans to have US forces out of Iraqi cities by June 30, and out of the country completely by the end of 2011, the AP reports. Negotiators also reached accord on the contentious issue of legal immunity...

Blackwater Guards May Be Charged in Iraq Shooting

Prosecutors target 6 in Sept. incident

(Newser) - Federal prosecutors are close to seeing indictments against some of the Blackwater security guards linked to the shooting in Baghdad last September that left 17 civilians dead, the Washington Post reports. Target letters have gone out to six Blackwater contractors, sources tell the Post, indicating a high likelihood that the...

Navy Accuses Sailors of Abusing Detainees

Six guards in Iraq face charges

(Newser) - The US Navy will court-martial six sailors who are charged with abusing detainees at a US prison camp in Iraq, Reuters reports. The sailors are accused of beating prisoners and confining them in an unventilated room with pepper spray, a Navy statement says.

Jordan's King Pledges Iraq Support

First visit by Arab head of state big boost for Iraqi government

(Newser) - In a key sign of returning stability in Iraq, King Abdullah of Jordan paid a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday, becoming the first Arab head of state to travel to the nation since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein by the US military. The trip, postponed from last month after a...

Iraq Private Sector Stalls, Public Hiring Fills Gap

Economy driven by single employer sparks financial concerns

(Newser) - With private business slow to take root in post-invasion Iraq, the government is picking up the slack by hiring a vast army of employees, the New York Times reports, creating an economy far different from what the US had foreseen. Government jobs will account for about 35% of employment this...

As Popularity Plummeted, Bush Began to Get It Right

Candidates shouldn't ignore what 43 got right

(Newser) - Today's Bush administration isn't pursuing all the disastrous policies it was 5 years ago, writes Fareed Zakaria in Newsweek, and unlike Dubya himself, his successor would do well to pay attention to what he's gotten right. Though both John McCain and Barack Obama keep their distance from the deeply unpopular...

Deal Would Set Oct. 2010 for US Pullout: Iraqi Official

Legal immunity for troops remains stumbling block in talks

(Newser) - Significant progress has been made on the security agreement being negotiated between Iraq and the US, the AP reports, with two Iraqi officials saying that the deal sets October 2010 as the deadline for a near-complete withdrawal. Legal immunity for troops remains an issue, and contributed to a “very...

Regional Voting in Doubt in Iraqi Impasse

Parliament adjourns before compromise on provincial law reached

(Newser) - Iraq’s parliament failed to pass a law on provincial elections before its summer recess, jeopardizing the possibility of elections later this year, the New York Times reports. A consensus was seen as necessary for political unity among Iraq’s fractious political blocs, with President Bush even contacting legislators to...

Clinton: Nothing Immune From Bush's 'Waste, Fraud, Abuse'

Cronyism flourishes under Iraq, Katrina

(Newser) - The Bush White House has wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on corrupt deals and unaccountable contractors, Hillary Clinton writes in the Wall Street Journal. If America is going to regain fiscal stability, it must "increase transparency" and put an end to practices like "rewarding companies that exploit tax...

Stories 1021 - 1040 | << Prev   Next >>