Iraq – News Stories About Iraq - Page 82

Key US Ally in Iraq Killed in Bomb Attack

Sep 13, 2007 11:25 AM CDT

Key US Ally in Iraq Killed in Bomb Attack

Sheik opposed Al-Qaeda, helped stabilize Anbar province

(Newser) - A key US ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda was killed in a bomb attack today in Ramadi. Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, the most influential of the Sunni leaders helping American and Iraqi forces fight the terror network, met with President Bush 2 weeks ago during his visit to Anbar...

Public Softens Slightly on Bush

Sep 13, 2007 9:35 AM CDT

Public Softens Slightly on Bush

New poll shows approval rating climbing; war strategy remains divisive issue

(Newser) - President Bush inched up from record lows in one poll this week, thanks in part to buzz around David Petraeus’ report on Iraq. His overall approval rating was 33% in the latest Journal/NBC News poll, up from 31% in July. The results reveal the complexity of Americans' feelings toward the...

2 Soldiers Who Questioned War in Times Killed

Sep 13, 2007 3:19 AM CDT

2 Soldiers Who Questioned War in Times Killed

GIs were skeptical of progress, but vowed to keep fighting

(Newser) - Two of the seven soldiers who wrote last month's influential New York Times op-ed criticizing the Iraq war died Monday when their truck veered off an elevated highway and flipped over. Seven GIs and two detainees were killed when the 5-ton cargo truck crashed. The military made no mention of...

US Forces
Talking With
Sadr's Army

Sep 12, 2007 9:14 AM CDT

US Forces Talking With Sadr's Army

Dialogue with radical group represents a reverse face

(Newser) - US officials are holding their noses and negotiating with the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, the LA Times reports. The US has held a hard line against the radical cleric, but analysts say that the military has grudgingly accepted that the Mahdi Army is currently holding...

Petraeus on Iraq: No Exit

Sep 12, 2007 7:05 AM CDT

Petraeus on Iraq: No Exit

Question haunts congressional hearings

(Newser) - When David Petraeus led the 101st Airborne into Iraq in 2003, he made a rhetorical request: "Tell me how this ends." That question hung in the air during 2 days of testimony before Congress. McClatchy's Newspapers' Warren Strobel summarizes press sentiment when he concludes that the general failed...

Couric in Iraq: Lousy Ratings, Good Journalism

Sep 12, 2007 6:04 AM CDT

Couric in Iraq: Lousy Ratings, Good Journalism

Despite anchor's road trip, 'Evening News' ties record ratings low

(Newser) - Katie Couric's trip to Iraq and Syria was a failure as a ratings gimmick but pretty good journalism, say critics. The "CBS Evening News" tied a record low of 5.5 million viewers last week, which the network blames on US Open coverage. And Harvard journalism prof Marvin Kalb...

Bush to Back Troop Cuts

Sep 11, 2007 5:34 PM CDT

Bush to Back Troop Cuts

His speech will add caveats to top general's plan, caution against quick pullout

(Newser) - Bush will back his top general by pulling 30,000 troops out of Iraq by next summer, the AP reports. But he will condition all cuts on future progress when he gives his speech to the nation this week. He will also echo cautions by Petraeus and Crocker against a...

General Walks the Party Line

Sep 11, 2007 4:17 AM CDT

General Walks the Party Line

Petraeus as concerned with selling the war as winning it, say analysts

(Newser) - General Petraeus appeared to be a mouthpiece for the White House in testimony that had no surprises and left many questions unanswered when he recommended no significant troop draw down from Iraq at least until summer, several analysts agree. Though he presented himself as just a soldier presenting facts, Petraeus...

Rumsfeld Says He Has
No Regrets

Sep 10, 2007 7:50 PM CDT

Rumsfeld Says He Has No Regrets

Ex-defense secretary sleeps just fine, thank you; still backs Bush

(Newser) - Ever unflappable, Donald Rumsfeld praises progress in Afghanistan, backs his old boss, and tells GQ he has nothing to apologize for in his first interview since his ouster in December. Rummy still exudes the confidence he was known for in office, dismissing questions of guilt in Iraq, saying, "I...

Hunt Oil Signs Kurdish Deal, Slights Baghdad

Sep 10, 2007 2:20 PM CDT

Hunt Oil Signs Kurdish Deal, Slights Baghdad

Company will explore in northern Iraq without central approval

(Newser) - Dallas-based Hunt Oil has signed a deal to prospect for oil in in the northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan. Hunt is the latest of several small oil companies bypassing Baghdad to deal directly with regional authorities, underscoring Kurdistan's increasing independence from the Iraqi central government, which has been unable to...

Iraqis Say Surge Has Failed

Sep 10, 2007 9:10 AM CDT

Iraqis Say Surge Has Failed

Also, 60% say attacks against US forces are justified

(Newser) - Seventy percent of Iraqis say that the troop surge has made things worse, and 60% say attacks against US troops are justified, according to a new poll. The mood may be the most negative since the 2003 invasion. "I think that's a damning critique and an indication of the...

Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months

Sep 10, 2007 4:36 AM CDT

Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months

Wants Congress to postpone decision on bringing troops home

(Newser) - The commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, wants to postpone a decision to significantly reduce troop levels there for another six months, reports the New York Times. The general, who is scheduled to begin testimony before Congress today, has told the president he is willing to withdraw...

Billions in US Funds Missing
in Iraq

Sep 9, 2007 5:22 AM CDT

Billions in US Funds Missing in Iraq

$9B lost to fraud and mismanagement by coalition authority

(Newser) - Following the invasion of Iraq, the US shipped $12 billion in “walking-around” money to Iraq's transitional government, the American-led Coalition Provisional Authority. An astonishing $9 billion has gone missing. Funds "entered a free-for-all where anyone with fingers could take it" as the "Coalition of the Willing turned...

Bush to Address Nation on Iraq Strategy

Sep 8, 2007 2:01 PM CDT

Bush to Address Nation on Iraq Strategy

Promises to 'lay out a vision' after Petraeus releases his report

(Newser) - President Bush will take his case for the unpopular Iraq war directly to the American people in a televised address Thursday. Bush vowed to “lay out a vision” following Monday’s report from Gen. David Petraeus, and asked Congress for patience. That virtue is scarce, however, with Senate Majority...

Petraeus Bemoans Iraq's Political Progress

Sep 8, 2007 9:54 AM CDT

Petraeus Bemoans Iraq's Political Progress

Proposes second report in March

(Newser) - Writing to US troops in a preview of his report to Congress next week, Gen. David Petraeus said political progress in Iraq has not matched the aspirations the US had hoped to attain with the surge. But he was quick to stress decreasing violence on the ground, the Washington Post ...

Petraeus Wary on Troop Cuts

Sep 6, 2007 9:22 PM CDT

Petraeus Wary on Troop Cuts

Upcoming report to Congress will have details

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus will recommend holding troop levels in Iraq at the current level into next year, but will offer to pull back one brigade, in a bow to congressional impatience, beginning in January, sources tell the New York Times. In his report to Congress next week, Petraeus will also...

Rudy, Mitt Scorched in Debate

Sep 6, 2007 5:45 AM CDT

Rudy, Mitt Scorched in Debate

Giuliani challenged on fractured family, Romney on Iraq

(Newser) - GOP presidential frontrunners Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani came under a barrage of criticism from rivals and residents at the New Hampshire Republican debate last night. Attacks on Romney focused on his missteps on Iraq, and criticism of Giuliani centered on his personal life, reports Chris Cillizza of the Washington ...

Dems Willing
to Deal on
Troop Pullout

Sep 6, 2007 3:20 AM CDT

Dems Willing to Deal on Troop Pullout

They're easing off deadline after some surge progress

(Newser) - Senate Democrats are signaling they are willing to compromise with Republicans on a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. The Democrats, who pushed before the summer recess for a pullout deadline next spring, have been undercut by some progress in Iraq and the success of the White House in maintaining...

Aussie Boss Wins US Military Deal

Sep 5, 2007 4:45 AM CDT

Aussie Boss Wins US Military Deal

Technology pact revealed as prime minister vows to stay in Iraq

(Newser) - Shortly before announcing that Australia would not withdraw its 500 troops from Iraq, Prime Minister John Howard struck a defense deal with President Bush giving his nation the same preferential status as the UK when purchasing US military technology. The deal “will remove layers of bureaucracy for defense industries...

Dems Seize on Ugly Iraq Report

Sep 4, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

Dems Seize on Ugly Iraq Report

GAO says 11 of 18 benchmarks unmet; majority prepares to push Bush

(Newser) - Harry Reid and the majority Democrats burst out of the vacation gates today with a damning Iraq scorecard, beating the policy-change drum a day after President Bush cited improvement while visiting Iraq, and ahead of Gen. David Petraeus’ supposedly positive surge report. The GAO report concluded Iraq had failed to...