Iraq

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Biden's Boy Will Head to Iraq
Biden's Boy Will Head to Iraq
Aug 17, 2007 9:05 AM CDT

Biden's Boy Will Head to Iraq

Candidate and war critic's son will deploy next year with his National Guard unit

(Newser) - Joe Biden's son will deploy to Iraq with his National Guard brigade in 2008. Capt. Beau Biden, who is the attorney general of Delaware, will not get any special treatment because of his senator (and presidential hopeful) dad, said a spokesman for the Guard. "He's a deployable asset just...

Army Suicides Climb; Rate Highest in 26 Years

99 active-duty soldiers took their own lives in 2006

(Newser) - American soldiers are killing themselves at the highest rate since the Persian Gulf War, the AP reports. Statistics out today show 99 active-duty soldiers committed suicide in 2006, both the highest single number and the highest rate per deployed since 1991. The problem was worst in Iraq, the most common...

Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500
Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500
Aug 16, 2007 12:35 AM CDT

Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500

Deadliest terror attack since fall of Hussein

(Newser) - The death toll from Tuesday's series of suicide truck bombings in northern Iraq may exceed 500, with scores more lying injured in hospitals, CNN reports. The attacks were reportedly launched by al-Qaeda against the Yazidi, a pre-Islamic sect, spotlighting the religious warfare that US troop surge sought to quell.

US to Label Iran's Elite Force Terrorists

Move allows action to block Revolutionary Guard's assets

(Newser) - Iran's elite military branch, the Revolutionary Guard, will be officially designated a terrorist organization by the US, the Washington Post reports. The declaration will allow Washington to block assets and disrupt the operations of businesses linked to the unit worldwide. The 125,000-member Guard, a  powerful political force, is increasingly...

General to Call for Pullbacks —But Troops Will Stick in Iraq

Iraqis could prove their mettle in safer areas

(Newser) - Iraq's US military commander Gen. David Petraeus is expected next month to recommend a pullback of US troops from safer areas—but likely won't bring any troops home, the Los Angeles Times reports. The move is intended to demonstrate Iraqi capabilities to secure less volatile areas without US combat support.

Bombers Butcher 120+ in Iraq
Bombers Butcher 120+ in Iraq
Aug 14, 2007 6:03 PM CDT

Bombers Butcher 120+ in Iraq

Attack comes after bold kidnapping of oil ministers

(Newser) - US helicopters are swooping down to rescue survivors of bomb attacks that butchered at least 120 villagers in northern Iraq today. CNN reports that at least three trucks detonated in residential areas and injured upwards of 150 people, mostly Kurds. TV stations are beseeching townspeople to donate blood as US...

Maliki Calls Summit to Heal Iraqi Cabinet

PM threatens to replace Sunnis with "alternative" ministers

(Newser) - Iraq’s PM says he will try to salvage his disintegrating government by holding an emergency summit of cabinet members over the next couple of days. The BBC reports that Nouri al-Maliki is even warning Sunnis that he could refill his government with “alternative” ministers if they refuse to...

Iraq Security Costs Soar
Iraq Security Costs Soar
Aug 12, 2007 1:22 PM CDT

Iraq Security Costs Soar

(Newser) - The US Military has paid $548M to two British firms over the past three years to protect engineers working on projects in Iraq—nearly doubling its original budget, according to the Washington Post. A swelling insurgency and shortage of troops are driving up the cost of private security for the...

'War Czar' Concerned Over Troop Stress, Mulls Draft

Sees progress made on Iraq security front

(Newser) - Washington’s “War Czar” admits that it makes sense to a consider a military draft to relieve soldiers of repeated deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute tells NPR that the pressure point will come in spring, when Bush will have to juggle the nation's military needs...

A Prison Aims to Deprogram Young Jihadists

Shia and Sunni students agree on nothing but Harry Potter

(Newser) - The high-security Iraqi prison that once held Saddam Hussein now hosts a pilot program to reeducate jihadist youth. Newsweek visited Camp Cropper, which for the past two months has offered classes and psychological guidance aimed at deprogramming would-be suicide bombers. But the teachers have struggled because the hatred in the...

UN to Increase Iraq Presence
UN to Increase Iraq Presence
Aug 10, 2007 1:20 PM CDT

UN to Increase Iraq Presence

US praises decision, but adds it too will continue to be involved

(Newser) - The UN will expand its role in Iraq and try to help quell the sectarian violence that has hobbled the country, after a Security Council vote today. Iraq's government says it'll help peacekeepers mediate disputes between the feuding sectarian groups and among Iraq’s neighbors in the region; the blue...

Born-Again Actor Leads Charge into Iraq

Commentators cry foul over evangelical care packages

(Newser) - A ventriloquist and a born-again movie star are among those headed for Iraq to entertain US soldiers and fold them into the arms of the Lord, writes Max Blumenthal in the Nation. All well and good, but this version of the Almighty, delivered by the likes of Stephen Baldwin, is...

US Blames Iran for Bomb Toll
US Blames Iran for Bomb Toll
Aug 8, 2007 12:31 PM CDT

US Blames Iran for Bomb Toll

Record number of fatalitles linked to EFP attacks

(Newser) - A sophisticated bomb that the US military has tracked to Iran was used in a record number of attacks on American-led troops last month, the New York Times reports. The  bombs—called explosively formed penetrators—fire  a semi-molten copper slug that can break through the armor of a Humvee. They...

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied
Army: New Republic
Scribe Lied
Aug 8, 2007 10:26 AM CDT

Army: New Republic Scribe Lied

But magazine stands by private's diary from Iraq

(Newser) - The military and the New Republic are at a standoff over the accuracy of a series of damaging diaries by an Army private in Iraq. Army investigators say they're fabricated, that no one in the unit corroborated his stories about petty cruelty among soldiers. But TNR Editor Franklin Foer told...

UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence
UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence
Aug 8, 2007 8:56 AM CDT

UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence

New Baghdad compound and mediation aid also on the table

(Newser) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has offered to increase personnel in Iraq for the first time in more than 3 years and is seeking $130 million to build a reinforced compound in Baghdad for the growing UN mission. Ban faces a backlash from member states afraid of inheriting a...

After Uproar, Britain Reviews Asylum Policy

Iraqi interpreters left for dead may win refugee status

(Newser) - A row over the fate of 91 Iraqi interpreters working for the British military took a new turn today, with the government promising to reexamine its refusal to grant them asylum. The Times of London, which broke the story on Tuesday, now reports that Gordon Brown has ordered a review...

US Rattled by Brit Pullout Plans
US Rattled by Brit Pullout Plans
Aug 8, 2007 4:51 AM CDT

US Rattled by Brit Pullout Plans

Withdrawal schedule expected this fall

(Newser) - The White House is increasingly concerned about the timing of the British troop pullout from Iraq, expected to be announced by PM Gordon Brown in October, the Guardian reports. About 5,000 British troops remain in the Basra area, where they' have already withdrawn to  an area around the city's...

As Brits Leave, Basra Crumbles
As Brits Leave, Basra Crumbles
Aug 7, 2007 9:31 AM CDT

As Brits Leave, Basra Crumbles

Former success story turns sour

(Newser) - The southern Iraqi port of Basra was once hailed as a success for coalition troops, but as British forces pull out, the city is devolving into violent conflict typical of Baghdad. Loose political parties and criminal gangs, which the remaining Brits are powerless to control, are fighting to dominate the...

US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons
US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons
Aug 6, 2007 11:47 AM CDT

US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons

That's 110,000 AK-47s, 80,000 pistols

(Newser) - Nearly a third of US weapons doled out to Iraqi security forces over the past three years are unaccounted for, a GAO report says, and insiders are worried they've fallen into the hands of insurgents. The weapons that the Pentagon can no longer track include 110,000 AK-47 assault rifles...

Gates Warns of 'Protracted' Iraq Stay

Troops will remain to support government, Defense chief says

(Newser) - US troops will likely remain in Iraq for a "protracted period of time," Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned yesterday. Soldiers would remain as a "stabilizing and supporting force" for the government long after combat troop numbers are reduced, he said in a CNN interview. Gates couldn't say...

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