Iraq – News Stories About Iraq - Page 91

Shiite al-Sadr
Reaches Out
to Sunni Rivals

May 20, 2007 3:14 PM CDT

Shiite al-Sadr Reaches Out to Sunni Rivals

Switch in tactics aims at hastening US withdrawal

(Newser) - In a dramatic shift in tacttics, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is reaching out to rival Sunni leaders in Iraq, and purging radical elements of his own militia, the Washington Post reports. With Sunni insurgents making moves to distance themselves from al-Qaeda, Sadr sees an opportunity for a cross-sectarian political alliance,...

Bush, Dems Test Compromise Skills on Iraq

May 19, 2007 8:58 PM CDT

Bush, Dems Test Compromise Skills on Iraq

(Newser) - Congress' Democratic bosses and the White House are attempting diplomacy after six years of Republican neglect that has left the new majority uneasy, the Times reports. But this week's agreements on less thorny issues, trade and immigration, contrast significantly with a divided Washington's repeated, fumbled attempts at a compromise war...

Iran Extends Hand Into Southern Iraq

May 19, 2007 7:13 PM CDT

Iran Extends Hand Into Southern Iraq

Foreign militias threaten tenuous stability in Basra area

(Newser) - The southern Iraqi city of Basra is under the control of an array of private militias, some of which have strong ties to Iran, the Guardian reports. Factions like "God's Revenge" mete out patronage and enforce a fragile order in Iraq's second-largest city at the behest of competing warlords...

Blair Makes Last Visit to Iraq

May 19, 2007 9:13 AM CDT

Blair Makes Last Visit to Iraq

PM pays goodbye call amid mortar attack, radio assault from Jimmy Carter

(Newser) - Tony Blair dropped in on Iraq's prime minister today, to assure him the Britain would continue to support the struggling Iraqi government even after he leaves office next month. Blair used the surpise visit to reiterate his confidence that there are "real signs of change and progress" in Iraq,...

Contractor Fatalities Soar in Iraq

May 19, 2007 9:13 AM CDT

Contractor Fatalities Soar in Iraq

New numbers show soaring increases in civilian casualties, even as the troop presence rises

(Newser) - Private contractors have been killed in Iraq in record numbers this year, the New York Times reports, as the deployment of U.S. forces in outside the Green Zone amps up the danger for both soldiers and civilians. Through March, there were at least 146 killed, compared to 224 troops...

Report: Iraq Nears Collapse

May 17, 2007 7:12 AM CDT

Report: Iraq Nears Collapse

(Newser) - The Iraqi government is becoming impotent and irrelevant as the country stumbles toward fragmentation and collapse, a new report by a British think tank concludes. The matter-of-fact name, "Accepting Realities in Iraq," belies the grim verdict that large areas are under the control of local factions rather than...

Senate Votes Down Iraq Withdrawal

May 17, 2007 6:03 AM CDT

Senate Votes Down Iraq Withdrawal

Proposal would have ended funding by March

(Newser) - The Senate yesterday shot down a plan to cut all funding for the war in Iraq by next March. Russ Feingold's proposal, largely a test of anti-war support, was defeated in a 67-29 procedural vote, as Congress moves towards compromise with the White House on a spending measure.

US Posts Reward for Missing Troops

May 16, 2007 4:40 PM CDT

US Posts Reward for Missing Troops

Search for kidnapped soldiers generates $200K offer, thousands of leaflets

(Newser) - The US military is offering a $200,000 reward for information regarding the whereabouts of three soldiers who were kidnapped following an ambush Saturday. Helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets over the southern region of Iraq where the attacks took place, beseeching Iraqis to call a hotline with information. Search operations...

British Army Grounds Harry

May 16, 2007 2:49 PM CDT

British Army Grounds Harry

In official about-face, young royal won't deploy to Iraq for fear of assassination

(Newser) - British brass have dashed 22-year-old Prince Harry's dreams of fighting in Iraq, citing fears of a targeted assassination. The head of Britain’s army made today’s announcement—a reversal from earlier promises that Harry would fight—after a visit to Iraq last week revealed direct threats against the prince.

Bush Names Surge Skeptic
War Czar

May 16, 2007 5:52 AM CDT

Bush Names Surge Skeptic War Czar

White House taps active-duty officer to coordinate war effort

(Newser) - After public rejection by at least five prominent former generals, the Bush administration named its war czar, three-star general Douglas Lute. The Washington Post describes Lute as a low-key soldier who expressed skepticism about sending more troops to Iraq. Durning internal discussions, Lute is said to have argued that a...

US Engages Iran on Iraqi Security

May 14, 2007 7:33 AM CDT

US Engages Iran on Iraqi Security

Ambassadors to meet in Baghdad; nuclear program won't be on the table

(Newser) - The US will sit down with Iran to enlist its aid in quelling violence in Iraq as early as next week, reports the Washington Post. US ambassador Ryan Crocker will meet with his Iranian counterparts in Baghdad to encourage the country, frequently accused of sponsoring sectarian violence in neighboring Iraq,...

Al-Qaeda Claims It Captured Soldiers

May 14, 2007 6:40 AM CDT

Al-Qaeda Claims It Captured Soldiers

US troops comb area south of Baghdad for three missing since Saturday

(Newser) - An al-Qaeda umbrella group claims it kidnapped the three US soldiers missing since Saturday. Thousands of troops continue to sweep the area south of Baghdad dubbed the Triangle of Death for their comrades, who disappeared in an ambush that killed four other solders. The so-called Islamic State of Iraq offered...

3 Soldiers Missing, 5 Dead

May 12, 2007 7:00 AM CDT

3 Soldiers Missing, 5 Dead

U.S. and Iraqi troops scour area for missing soldiers

(Newser) - A pre-dawn attack on a patrol of seven U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi translator has left five dead and three missing, CNN reports. U.S. and Iraqi troops have joined together to search the violent and explosive region just south of Baghdad for the missing soldiers.

For Blair,
Iraq Was No Anomaly

May 11, 2007 2:59 PM CDT

For Blair, Iraq Was No Anomaly

Brooks: War he co-authored was a disaster, but consistent with his values

(Newser) - As Tony Blair prepares his exit from No. 10, the British left is already eulogizing the PM as a good man consigned by circumstance to a bad war. Not so, says David Brooks: The crux of Blair's political philosophy was a radical, religious communitarianism, which sired both his leftist leanings...

House Passes Short-Term
War Funding

May 11, 2007 6:36 AM CDT

House Passes Short-Term War Funding

Votes for another showdown with President Bush

(Newser) - Congress voted 221-205 last night to pump $40 billion into the war in Iraq—only enough to fund combat operations until July. An additional $56 billion would be released contingent on the Iraqi government's progress. The bill omits any timetable for withdrawal, but sets the scene for another showdown...

Dems: Admit Iraqi Refugees

May 10, 2007 1:00 PM CDT

Dems: Admit Iraqi Refugees

House Dems back bill easing resettlement

(Newser) - With Iraq war refugees numbering in the millions and as many as 70,000 joining their ranks each month, House Democrats will introduce a bill boosting the number of displaced Iraqis eligible for resettlement in the U.S. A total of 18 Iraqi refugees entered the U.S. in February...

GOP Moderates Huddle With Bush on Iraq

May 10, 2007 6:41 AM CDT

GOP Moderates Huddle With Bush on Iraq

Blunt conversation reveals deepening fissure between Bush and party over war

(Newser) - Moderate Republicans met with Bush and his closest aides yesterday in a private meeting one participant called "a remarkable, candid conversation" the Washington Post reports. The representatives made clear their frustration with the war in Iraq, and its unpopularity with their constituents, as both parties attempt to hammer out...

Bush Will Veto New Iraq Bill

May 9, 2007 3:03 PM CDT

Bush Will Veto New Iraq Bill

(Newser) - President Bush will veto a second proposed Iraq appropriations blll, the White House said today, dashing hopes for an agreement on the controversial measure. The new bill, which House Dems unveiled yesterday, requires the President to report to Congress on Iraq's progress in order to receive full funding for the...

Pelosi Threatens Bush Lawsuit

May 9, 2007 8:54 AM CDT

Pelosi Threatens Bush Lawsuit

Speaker says House could take president to court over Iraq evasion

(Newser) - Nancy Pelosi says the House could sue President Bush if he tries to circumvent provisions in its new Iraq appropriations bill. Bush has suggested he'll append a signing statement to the bill, a controversial practice that could let him treat parts of the law—like timetables on progress in Iraq—...

Cheney Drops In On Baghdad

May 9, 2007 6:27 AM CDT

Cheney Drops In On Baghdad

VP meets with brass, government, as attacks spread to Kurdistan

(Newser) - Vice President Dick Cheney made a surprise visit to Baghdad this morning, hours after the White House alerted 35,000 more troops of impending deployment to the fractious capital. Cheney met with top general David Petraeus and top envoy Ryan Crocker, and is expected to consult with PM Maliki and...