Iraq

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Extremists, Militias Target Gays in Iraq

Officials, human rights groups dispute extent of escalating violence

(Newser) - Gays in Iraq are the targets of increasing violence by militias, police, and religious extremists, a largely unreported consequence of the 2003 US invasion. A fatwa is in place, reports the Chicago Tribune, and gays are fighting to emigrate to Sweden, Germany, and other countries. Recent reports by the...

Soldier Draws 110 Years for Rape, Murder

Coconspirators handed tough sentences for young girl's death

(Newser) - A military court handed Jesse Spielman a dishonorable discharge and a 110-year prison sentence for raping and murdering an Iraqi girl last year. Spielman and four comrades planned the 2006 assault on a family near Baghdad over a drunken game of cards; they then gang-raped and murdered the girl, her...

Iraq's Power Grid Is Near Collapse
Iraq's Power Grid Is Near Collapse
Aug 4, 2007 7:01 PM CDT

Iraq's Power Grid Is Near Collapse

Insurgents target plants, and provinces are disconnecting from the system

(Newser) - Iraq’s power grid is teetering on the edge of collapse as insurgents destroy almost any attempt to restore power and the country’s fractured government is stalled, the AP reports. With enough power for only half of demand, there have been four nationwide blackouts in the last two days....

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq
Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq
Aug 4, 2007 4:43 PM CDT

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq

(Newser) - Heavily armed, remote-controlled robots are on the ground in Iraq—a first in military history. Only three of these robo-soldiers, armed with M249 machine guns, are currently deployed, but the Army has requested 80 more. Their location is classified, but officials report they're involved in reconnaissance and street patrol missions....

Bush, Brown Back UN Iraq Force
Bush, Brown Back UN Iraq Force
Aug 3, 2007 8:09 AM CDT

Bush, Brown Back UN Iraq Force

Security Council resolution could mark beginning of exit strategy

(Newser) - The US and UK have circulated a draft resolution to the UN Security Council that would greatly increase the UN's role in Iraq, writes the Times of London. The resolution follows Bush and Brown's meeting at Camp David and is seen as a step towards an exit strategy from Iraq...

Long Combat Tours Take Mental Toll
Long Combat Tours Take Mental Toll
Aug 3, 2007 5:48 AM CDT

Long Combat Tours Take Mental Toll

Brit Study: Alcoholism, post traumatic stress soar after 13 months

(Newser) - Soldiers who serve extended tours in combat zones have much higher rates of alcoholism, post traumatic stress syndrome and problems at home, a large British study has found. Of those in war zones for more than 13 months over three years, one in four had "severe" alcohol problems, compared...

Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki
Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki
Aug 1, 2007 3:01 PM CDT

Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki

Defection deepens political crisis as suicide bombs kill 70

(Newser) - The Sunni Accordance Front defected from Iraq's government today, accusing PM Nuri al-Maliki of being uncooperative, Reuters reports, on a day when suicide bombs killed more than 70 in Baghdad. "This is probably the most serious political crisis we have faced since the passage of the constitution,'' a...

Joint Chiefs Nominee Offers Straight Talk on Iraq

Admiral points to political solution

(Newser) - The White House nominee to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday the troop surge has helped security, but without political progress "no amount of troops and no amount of time will make a difference." Admiral Michael Mullen toed the administration line at his confirmation hearing, saying...

Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency'
Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency'
Aug 1, 2007 5:21 AM CDT

Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency'

VP doesn't back off other Iraq, Afghanistan decisions

(Newser) - Dick Cheney admitted yesterday that he was wrong when he said the Iraqi insurgency was "in its last throes" in 2005. "My estimate at the time was wrong, it turned out to be incorrect," the VP told CNN's Larry King. He said he had been optimistic that...

Iraqi Parliament Takes a Break
Iraqi Parliament Takes a Break
Jul 30, 2007 4:45 PM CDT

Iraqi Parliament Takes a Break

Little movement on key legislation as body adjourns through August

(Newser) - Saying PM Nouri al-Maliki's government had given it little to work with, Iraq's parliament began a 5-week recess today, Reuters reports. The chamber normally begins its summer break in July, but with crucial legislation pending, members delayed. Squabbling between political factions then stalled laws seen as vital to mending the...

White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid

Rice pitches strategy to help contain Iran

(Newser) - More than $43 billion in US military aid is earmarked for the Middle East, Reuters reports, part of a strategy to fight terrorism and counterbalance Iran. The outlays, which require congressional approval, include $13 billion to Egypt, $30 billion to Israel, and an unspecified amount to Saudi Arabia and other...

Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding
Corruption Shadows
Iraq Rebuilding
Jul 30, 2007 2:48 PM CDT

Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding

US investigates dozens of fraud cases as pricey projects disintegrate

(Newser) - US auditors monitoring the rebuilding process in Iraq are battling forces they compare to "a second insurgency"—corruption and economic mismanagement. The Iraqi government is refusing to handle reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars, and US officials are now investigating more than 50 fraud cases, the BBC reports.

‘Collateral Damage’ Is an Exact Science

Military projects civilian body count before operations

(Newser) - Technology allows US forces to know with precision how many civilians will die in targeted bombings—and at the beginning of the Iraq war, only those attacks expected to kill more than 30 civilians required approval from Rumsfeld or Bush, Salon reports. “‘Accident’ is not the right word,...

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid
Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid
Jul 30, 2007 7:36 AM CDT

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid

Government of violence-riddled nation can't provide basics

(Newser) - A third of Iraq's population—some 8 million people—are in critical need of emergency aid because they have no food, water or shelter, according to an OXFAM report detailed in the BBC. Trapped in a maelstrom of sectarian violence, the Iraqi government is unable to provide basic needs. Some...

Brown Visits US Amid Talk of Cooling Ties

New PM walks political tightrope over relations with White House

(Newser) - Gordon Brown embarked today for his first call on President Bush, while the press at home speculated on whether the green PM's relationship with his counterpart was cooling or too warm. Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, had a close relationship with Bush—too close for some UK observers. Iraq, a potential...

Triumphant Iraqis Celebrate Soccer Win

After Asian Cup victory, revelry and gunfire erupt in Baghdad

(Newser) - Iraqis celebrated their national soccer team's triumph in the Asian Cup today in an emotional bout of revelry marked by joyful gunfire in the streets of Baghdad. "We achieved the dream. Allahu Akbar!" a crying fan told Iraqiya state television after Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 1 to 0...

Bush Plans Huge Arms Deal With Saudis

Saudi role in Iraq complicates $20B deal

(Newser) - The White House is proposing a $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and five Gulf neighbors, despite increasing dismay over the Saudis' undermining the US-backed Iraqi government, the New York Times reports. The deal, likely to generate resistance in Congress, makes no demands for Saudi cooperation on Iraq; its...

Brown Downplays US Fissure
Brown Downplays
US Fissure
Jul 27, 2007 1:13 PM CDT

Brown Downplays US Fissure

New PM will visit Camp David, insists he isn't 'America's poodle'

(Newser) - Britain's new Prime Minister is set to meet with President Bush at Camp David next week amid rumors that relations between the two nations have cooled since Tony Blair's departure. Brown is walking a tightrope between rebuffing this speculation and being seen as "America's poodle," an epithet Blair...

Iraqis Play With Heavy Hearts
Iraqis Play With Heavy Hearts
Jul 27, 2007 9:44 AM CDT

Iraqis Play With Heavy Hearts

Asia Cup final berth bittersweet in wake of suicide bombings that killed 50

(Newser) - An undertrained, cobbled-together Iraq squad upset favored South Korea in Wednesday's Asian Cup semifinals, and the Iraqis now head into Sunday's final bearing a heavy burden: Car bombs exploded in crowds of fans celebrating in Baghdad, killing at least 50. Iraq's coach, who is Brazilian, dedicated the win to "...

Saudi King Backs Iraq's Sunni Rebels

Ally undermining Bush strategy and fledgling government

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is working at cross purposes with the Bush administration in Iraq by backing Sunni tribes engaged in sectarian violence there, the New York Times reports. King Abdullah has funded the Sunnis and is allowing insurgents to enter the country, US officials charge. Of up to 80 foreign fighters...

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