Iraq

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Turkish Sorties Into Iraq Kill 34 Kurdish Fighters

But army holds off, for now, on any large-scale invasion

(Newser) - Turkish incursions into northern Iraq have killed 34 Kurdish fighters over the past few days, and the Turks today targeted positions along the border with airstrikes, Reuters reports. Some 300 troops have crossed into Iraq by 6 miles, and planes have struck as far as 13 miles. So far, though,...

California Rep Sorry for White House War Jibe

Stark apologizes for saying Bush 'amused' by 'heads blown off'

(Newser) - Democratic Rep. Pete Stark apologized on the floor of the House yesterday for accusing Republicans of sending soldiers to Iraq "to get their heads blown off for the president's amusement." The 75-year-old lawmaker issued his regrets in a somber statement "to my colleagues, the president, his family,...

Rice Sets New Rules for Guards
Rice Sets New Rules for Guards
Oct 24, 2007 3:11 AM CDT

Rice Sets New Rules for Guards

But Blackwater may still get the ax

(Newser) - Private security contractors in Iraq will operate under tougher controls and tighter supervision, according to new State Department rules approved by Condoleezza Rice today, but they won't be supervised by the military, as Defense's Robert Gates had proposed. Measures include investigative "go teams"' that will respond quickly to...

Iraq Promises to Help Turkey Quell Kurd Militants

Foreign minister vows to limit PKK movements, cut funding

(Newser) - Urging diplomacy, Iraq today pledged to help Turkey resolve border violence by Kurdish militants based in northern Iraq. Turkey kept the diplomatic wheels turning but wouldn't rule out military action to quell the PKK and rejected its offer of a ceasefire. Iraq’s foreign minister vowed to “actively help...

Audits Rip Fed Oversight of Security Firms, Costs

Lax controls, slopping accounting

(Newser) - A State Department internal review of its own security practices in Iraq is sharply critical of the lack of oversight of private contractors Blackwater, DynCorp International and Triple Canopy. A second report due today says officials can't say what the government got for $1.2B paid to DynCorp since 2004,...

Bin Laden to Insurgents: Become 'One' With Al Qaeda

Taped plea emerges amid US military gains

(Newser) - Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden has issued a taped plea calling on his "brother fighters" in Iraq to unite with Al Qaeda—on the heels of US military reports of major gains against the network in Iraq, the Telegraph writes. Some Sunnis have even formed coalitions against  Al Qaeda....

'Antiquated' VA Ill Equipped to Care for Vets

Bush pledges massive overhaul, which requires major funding

(Newser) - Some 700,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are eligible for VA benefits, and overhauling the overburdened system is firmly in the sights of  President Bush and a bipartisan commission. Citing "fundamental system weaknesses," a GAO report last week outlined a huge bureaucracy rife with staffing and training shortfalls,...

Wary Iraqis Probe US Raid on Sadr City

Civilian casualties in firefight stir charges of excessive force

(Newser) - Iraqi officials are sorting through conflicting reports of an American raid in the Baghdad Shiite enclave of Sadr City yesterday that the US military said killed 49 "criminals" and Iraqis said left 17 people dead, including an elderly woman and several babies, and many wounded. The civilian casualties provoked...

Turkish Troops Said Missing
Turkish Troops Said Missing
Oct 22, 2007 7:28 AM CDT

Turkish Troops Said Missing

Troops and trucks mass on northern Iraqi border after Kurdish ambush; incursion looms

(Newser) - A Turkish convoy with dozens of military vehicles joined tens of thousands of troops massed on the Iraqi border today, as the military announced that eight soldiers were missing, in addition to 12 killed, in an ambush by Kurdish militants early yesterday morning. The Turks shelled Kurdish camps over the...

Congressman Draws Fire for Sniping at Bush

Calif. lawmaker refuses to back off jab about 'president's amusement'

(Newser) - Rep. Pete Stark introduced President Bush's foreign policy into yesterday's SCHIP debate, setting off a raging controversy. The California Democrat’s reference to "kids" going to war to "get their heads blown off for the president's amusement" enraged some and inspired others. House Republicans called the speech “...

US Troops Get Look at Film on Insurgency

Documentary 'Meeting Resistance' explores motives of Iraqi fighters

(Newser) - A new documentary features interviews with Iraqi insurgents, all of whom stress the humiliation of US occupation. “Meeting Resistance” will be released this week, but CNN sat in on a preview in Baghdad, where US troops heard tales of citizens turning to violence. "It tells us a lot...

Turkey OKs Strikes in Iraq
Turkey OKs Strikes in Iraq
Oct 17, 2007 10:40 AM CDT

Turkey OKs Strikes in Iraq

526-19 vote gives year-long permission to respond to Kurdish attacks

(Newser) - The Turkish Parliament today authorized its prime minister to send the country's military into Iraq to combat Kurdish separatists who have been accused of raids on Turkish soil. The 526-19 vote gives year-long permission for military strikes across the border, CNN reports. With 60,000 Turkish troops amassed in the...

Armenian Genocide Vote Withering in Turkish Heat

Pols backing off to avoid angering key ally

(Newser) - Members of Congress are backing off a resolution that would classify Turkish purges of Armenians as genocide. The bill's approval by a committee last week infuriated the Turks, who called home their ambassador and have threatened to forbid US military use of Turkish airspace and bases to support Iraqi operations...

Iraqi Doc: Blackwater Murdered my Wife and Son

Mercs 'sprayed bullets' as she cried for help

(Newser) - An Iraqi doctor whose wife and 20-year-old son were the first of 17 civilians killed by Blackwater guards on Sept. 16 talks to CNN about his loss, saying a storm of bullets blew apart his loved ones—his wife, a doctor, and his son, a medical student. They were going...

Iraq to Blackwater: Get Out
Iraq to Blackwater: Get Out
Oct 16, 2007 3:43 PM CDT

Iraq to Blackwater: Get Out

Official probe finds civilian shootings unprovoked; US investigations ongoing

(Newser) - The Iraqi government has determined that last month's shooting of civilians by Blackwater guards was unprovoked and random, and the government is "insisting" the company leave the country, CNN reports. An adviser to Nouri al-Maliki said today the PM asked the US to withdraw the contractors. The FBI and...

Turkey's Threats Send Oil to Record High Near $88

Many fear disruption of Kurdish pipelines

(Newser) - Crude oil hit yet another record today, trading near $88 a barrel over fears that a looming Turkish attack on Northern Iraq would disrupt pipelines in the world’s third-largest oil producer. Turkey’s PM said he expected parliament to approve an incursion to root out PKK militants in the...

Turkey Weighs Iraq Strikes
Turkey Weighs Iraq Strikes
Oct 16, 2007 4:07 AM CDT

Turkey Weighs Iraq Strikes

Military should begin sorties into northern Iraq this month

(Newser) - Despite intense diplomatic opposition from the US, the Turkish prime minister has set in motion the parliamentary process to deploy troops to Northern Iraq. PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a motion yesterday authorizing military action in response to attacks across the border by  Kurdish rebels, the Times of London reports....

Gore Inspires ‘Deranged’ Righty Hatred

Krugman speculates about why he drives conservatives so batty

(Newser) - Conservatives are incensed over Al Gore’s Nobel prize, and the Times' Paul Krugman says he knows why: The former veep “keeps being right.” The reactions range from the Journal's refusal to mention his name while rattling off more worthwhile contenders to a National Review suggestion that climate-sensitive...

Washington Post Reporter Killed in Iraq

Shot taking photos in embattled neighborhood

(Newser) - A Washington Post correspondent in Iraq was killed yesterday reporting from one of the  most volatile neighborhoods in Baghdad. Iraqi Salih Saif Aldin, 32, was shot in the head while taking photographs of burned-out homes. US news organizations rely heavily on Iraqi correspondents willing to  brave the hazards outside the...

Embattled Blackwater Maneuvering to Expand Role

Seeks new contracts despite massacre

(Newser) - Blackwater, the private security firm under fire for controversial shootings in Iraq, is preparing expansion plans to develop a bigger role as an arm of the US military. Company founder Erik Prince wants to make Blackwater a one-stop shop for all kinds of operations to which Washington won't commit US...

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