Iraq – News Stories About Iraq - Page 89

Jun 24, 2007 10:31 AM CDT

Chemical Ali Is Sentenced to Hang

Hussein cousin and 2 others get death for wiping out Kurds

(Newser) - The Iraqi commander known as Chemical Ali was sentenced to hang today for ordering the use of chemical weapons to wipe out whole Kurdish villages, killing some 180,000 people, two decades ago. Ali Hassan al-Majid, a cousin of Saddam Hussein, and two others found guilty of war crimes by...

Bush Preps for Exit Strategy on Surge

Jun 23, 2007 9:00 PM CDT

Bush Preps for Exit Strategy on Surge

White House orders reports that could counter pro-surge Petraeus come Sept.

(Newser) - The Bush administration has commissioned a slew of reports that could help it justify an end to the troop surge later this fall, the New York Times reports. Three months before Gen. Petraeus's planned report on the efficacy of the troop increase—expected to recommend a continuation of the surge—...

Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It

Jun 22, 2007 1:06 PM CDT

Bombs Force Troops to Hoof It

Fearsome devices call vehicle defenses into question

(Newser) - Roadside bombs are now so powerful and plentiful in Baghdad that US soldiers are leaving their vehicles behind and patrolling on foot. Militant-planted explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, can blow through the strongest Humvees and tanks, and the decision to "dismount" from the vehicles is coming from both commanders...

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days

Jun 21, 2007 12:49 PM CDT

14 Troops Killed in 2 Days

5 soldiers dead after roadside bomb explosion; death toll hits 3,545

(Newser) - Fourteen American troops have been killed in Iraq over the past 2 days, bringing the US death toll to 3,545, with 68 fatalities in June. In the deadliest recent attack, five troops died today after a roadside bomb detonated under their vehicle in northeastern Iraq. Commanders attribute the worsening...

Iraqi PM in Trouble With Fellow Shiites

Jun 21, 2007 10:45 AM CDT

Iraqi PM in Trouble With Fellow Shiites

Top officials threaten to jump ship over continuing violence

(Newser) - Disillusionment with PM Nouri al-Maliki is growing within the Iraqi government. Vice President Abdul Mahdi resigned last week--he was persuaded to stay, at least temporarily--and others may follow, the Washington Post reports. Discontent stems from Mailiki's apparent inability to curb violence, boost the economy and build power-sharing with the...

US Launches Major Attack on Sunni Insurgents

Jun 19, 2007 7:16 AM CDT

US Launches Major Attack on Sunni Insurgents

Americans take the fight outside of Baghdad to al Qaeda HQ

(Newser) - Two thousand U.S. and Iraqi troops launched a large-scale assault on Sunni insurgents in Diyala province last night, pursuing militants who have moved their strongholds outside of Baghdad. The offensive in the province's capital, Baquba, is part of a much larger operation attacking centers of insurgency all over Iraq....

US Goes on Move Against Qaeda

Jun 16, 2007 5:42 PM CDT

US Goes on Move Against Qaeda

New strategy will refocus troops away from Baghdad

(Newser) - In a major tactical shift, the US is set to launch a large-scale offensive against Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia, General David Petraeus said today. The new campaign moves attention away from Baghdad's sectarian violence to the outskirts of the capital, where the military will target Al-Qaeda strongholds and aim to destroy...

Surge Fizzles in Iraq

Jun 14, 2007 11:45 AM CDT

Surge Fizzles in Iraq

Troop buildup fails to curb violence

(Newser) - A new report shows no overall drop in bloodshed in Iraq despite the three-month-old troop surge. Violence has fallen slightly in Baghdad and Anbar province, where troops are concentrated, but a corresponding rise everywhere else more than compensates. And while sectarian killings have dropped slightly, civilian casualties are up, and...

Iraq Misses Mark on US Demands

Jun 13, 2007 8:13 AM CDT

Iraq Misses Mark on US Demands

Sectarian political deadlock stymies progress on mandated milestones

(Newser) - The Iraqi government has flubbed virtually all of the legal benchmarks proscribed by the US occupation. Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish blocs in Iraq's legislature have so far failed to agree on watershed issues like distributing oil wealth, debaathification, and curbing sectarian violence; now scorekeepers are saying no major legislation will...

Minarets Hit at Sacred Shrine

Jun 13, 2007 7:49 AM CDT

Minarets Hit at Sacred Shrine

Suspected al-Qaeda strike at Askariya shrine whose bombing last year touched off sectarian violence

(Newser) - The Askariya mosque, a Shiite shrine whose bombing ignited sectarian violence last year, was attacked again this morning, destroying the minarets left standing after its Golden Dome was shattered earlier. Iraq now braces for a bloody response; US troops rushed to Samarra, and a curfew was called on group...

CIA Uses Spies From Sudan to Infiltrate Iraq

Jun 11, 2007 12:32 PM CDT

CIA Uses Spies From Sudan to Infiltrate Iraq

Secret cooperation said to undercut Bush actions against genocide

(Newser) - The CIA is secretly working with the Sudanese government to send spies into Iraq, even as the US condemns the regime's role in the Darfur genocide, the LA Times reports. Sudan's position as a gateway for Islamic militants heading for Iraq and Pakistan makes it ideal for sending spies into...

Military Preps for Iraq Pullout

Jun 10, 2007 12:17 PM CDT

Military Preps for Iraq Pullout

Envisions 40K force to stay for years; big withdrawal by early 2009

(Newser) - Top military officials are quietly setting their post-pullout strategy, reports Thomas Ricks in today's Post, and they're readying to keep in place a long-term, mid-size force. The new plan requires upwards of 40,000 American troops to stay in the country, with half dedicated to security, a quarter to training,...

US Joins Sunni Militants to Smash Qaeda

Jun 9, 2007 3:30 PM CDT

US Joins Sunni Militants to Smash Qaeda

Officer on alliance: 'We have made a deal with the devil'

(Newser) - American soldiers in Baghdad's violent Amiriyah district of have formed an unlikely alliance in an effort to root out al-Qaeda In Iraq. US troops are giving guns, and even the power of arrest, to a Sunni paramilitary group—and a week into the partnership, they’ve helped kill or capture...

Protesting Vet Faces General Discharge

Jun 5, 2007 7:43 AM CDT

Protesting Vet Faces General Discharge

Marine board acts after antiwar rally; corporal vows to appeal

(Newser) - In a decision that may hold implications for veterans' free-speech rights, a disciplinary panel has recommended that a decorated Marine who appeared at an antiwar protest in desert fatigues receive a general discharge. Adam Kokesh, who had been honorably discharged from active duty, says the military is using "tactics...

Surge Fails to Quell Baghdad

Jun 4, 2007 11:18 AM CDT

Surge Fails to Quell Baghdad

US forces control only a third of Iraqi capital, new report says

(Newser) - U.S. and Iraqi forces control only a fraction of Baghdad, despite the three-month-old troop surge. An internal assessment leaked to the Times found two thirds of the city's neighborhoods are still in open rebellion, although surge architects planned to have Baghdad under control by July. “We were way...

Attacks on
US Troops
Get Deadlier

Jun 4, 2007 5:07 AM CDT

Attacks on US Troops Get Deadlier

Bigger IEDs and more complex ambushes lead to more US deaths in Iraq

(Newser) - Iraqi insurgents are using bigger bombs and more sophisticated tactics to kill US troops, reports the Washington Post. While Iraq civilian deaths have dropped 50 percent since the new counterinsurgency strategy was launched in Baghdad, American fatalities compared to the number of wounded have nearly doubled.

Blair Looks Back on Tenure as PM

Jun 1, 2007 12:23 PM CDT

Blair Looks Back on Tenure as PM

"We will not succeed simply by military or security means. It is a political challenge."

(Newser) - In a wide-ranging essay that offers few apologies, Tony Blair reflects on his decade as prime minister and argues that Britain must stand in the world as “a player not a spectator.” Writing in the Economist, Blair discusses the shifting landscape of his time in office, the challenges...

Times and Post Split on Iraqi Infighting

Jun 1, 2007 10:05 AM CDT

Times and Post Split on Iraqi Infighting

The tale of two papers and the Sunni insurgency

(Newser) - It definitely is the worst of times in Iraq, the New York Times and the Washington Post seem to agree, but today, the nation's most prestigious dailies differed on the details. One fact is indisputable: Sunni insurgents clashed in Baghdad's Amiriya district this week, but the papers disagree on the...

UK May Seek Iran's Help on Iraqi Captives

Jun 1, 2007 8:37 AM CDT

UK May Seek Iran's Help on Iraqi Captives

Brits suspect kidnappers connected to Iran; search in Sadr City continues

(Newser) - Britain may ask Iran for help in finding the five British hostages kidnapped in Iraq. Senior Iraqi officials think a rogue faction of the Mahdi Army—possibly under the influence of Iranian intelligence —is responsible for the kidnappings. British sources tell the Guardian they believe the kidnapping was not...

Turkey Menaces Kurds

Jun 1, 2007 6:00 AM CDT

Turkey Menaces Kurds

Buildup along border makes U.S., Iraq nervous

(Newser) - Turkish troops and tanks amassing along the border with Iraq are ready to go after Kurdish separatist guerrillas as soon as they get the order, the country's top general said yesterday. The US, Iraq and the EU are all urging Turkey not to launch the offensive, which could destabilize Northern...