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Major Attacks in Baghdad Reveal Iraq’s Vulnerability
By SAM DAGHER
NY Times Online
Published: August 19, 2009
BAGHDAD — Insurgents struck at the heart of the Iraqi government on Wednesday in huge and coordinated bombings that exposed a new vulnerability after Americans ceded control for security here on June 30. Nearby American soldiers stood by helplessly — despite the needs of hundreds of wounded — waiting for a request for help from Iraqi officials that apparently never came... |
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Iraq's rebuff of US has element of posturing
ByHAMZA HENDAW
Associated Press
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's public rebuff of a U.S. offer of help with national reconciliation efforts may in part be political posturing. It also points to the dilemma facing the prime minister — he needs U.S. help and must garner support from Iraqis fed up with the American presence... |
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In Iraq, Jubilation as U.S. Combat Troops Withdraw From Cities
By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, June 30, 2009; 9:52 AM
BAGHDAD, June 30 -- This is no longer America's war. Six years and three months after the March 2003 invasion, the United States has withdrawn its remaining combat troops from Iraq's cities, the U.S. commander here said, and is turning over security to Iraqi police and soldiers.
While more than 130,000 U.S. troops remain in the country, patrols by heavily armed soldiers in hulking vehicles have largely disappeared from Baghdad, Mosul and Iraq's other urban centers. Iraqis danced in the streets and set off fireworks overnight in impromptu celebrations of a pivotal moment in their nation's troubled history. The government staged a military parade to mark the new national holiday of "National Sovereignty Day," and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki made a triumphant, nationally televised address... |
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US discounts Iraq withdrawal risk despite attacks
By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press
June 25, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has concluded the risk of a security collapse in Iraq is too slight to slow plans for withdrawing U.S. troops. In the run-up to June 30, the deadline for U.S. combat troops to leave Iraqi cities, the nation has been rocked by big attacks, including a bombing Wednesday evening in the Sadr City district of Baghdad that killed more than 50... |
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Iraq makes arrests after Sunni leader's murder
Reuters
By Waleed Ibrahim
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:04pm EDT
BAGHDAD, June 17 (Reuters) - Iraqi authorities have arrested several people who may be connected to the murder of a Sunni Muslim politician, officials said on Wednesday, a killing that rattled efforts to keep the peace between Sunnis and Shi'ites... |
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Iraq unveils results of prison abuse investigation
Washington Post
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
The Associated Press
Tuesday, June 16, 2009; 3:46 PM
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's interior minister said Tuesday more than 40 police officers face charges after an investigation into prison abuse found inmates incarcerated without warrants and others with their rights violated. Jawad al-Bolani's announcement came as the government tried to contain a scandal over charges of widespread torture in Iraqi prisons, which is threatening to become a major issue ahead of Jan. 30 national elections... |
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Funeral held for Iraq football legend Dawud
BBC News
Posted: 14:40 GMT, Friday, 29 May 2009
Iraq's legendary football player and coach Emmanuel Baba Dawud has been buried at the country's biggest stadium in the capital Baghdad. Dawud, better known as Ammo (uncle) Baba, died on Wednesday after suffering complications from diabetes. He was 74... |
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Iraq leader vows to end corruption amid scandal
By Aseel Kami
Reuters
Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 3:43pm EDT
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has launched a campaign to arrest almost 1,000 officials for corruption, the government said on Wednesday, after the trade minister resigned amid claims family members made millions in kickbacks from sugar purchases... |
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$97B war-funding bill passes House
By Molly K. Hooper
The Hill
Posted: 05/14/09 04:18 PM [ET]
he House approved a contentious war supplemental bill by 368-60 on Thursday afternoon. The nearly $97 billion measure was opposed by anti-war Democrats and conservatives wary of the bill’s price tag. For very different reasons, some members of those factions voted against the rule that brings the bill to the floor... |
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U.N. urges Iraq to rethink renewal of death penalty
By Tim Cocks
Reuters
May 6, 2009
BAGHDAD, May 6 (Reuters) - Three days after a dozen convicts were hanged in Baghdad, the United Nations urged Iraq on Wednesday to reconsider its resumption of the death penalty, saying 115 prisoners on death row may not have had fair trials. A U.N. official, who declined to be named, told Reuters Sunday's executions were thought to be the first for about 18 months, although he acknowledged their may have been a few carried out during that time that were not made public... |
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U.N. revises refugee guidelines to show Iraq safer
By Laura MacInnis
Reuters
Published in the Washington Post
Tuesday, May 5, 2009; 9:43 AM
GENEVA (Reuters) - Violence in Iraq has waned enough for the United Nations to stop recommending that most Iraqis get automatic refugee status abroad, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said on Tuesday. Some of the 1.5 million Iraqis living outside their country, which descended into sectarianism after U.S.-led forces invaded in 2003, should now be able to return safely, UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond said...
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Clinton, in Iraq, Blames ‘Rejectionists’ for Violence
NY Times Online
By MARK LANDLER
Published: April 25, 2009
BAGHDAD — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived here Saturday morning for a one-day visit, delivering an American show of support for Iraq as it battles a sudden eruption of violence, in the wake of suicide bombings that killed at least 140 people and wounded several hundred more on Thursday and Friday... |
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Obama Cautions Iraqis on Future
By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, April 8, 2009; Page A08
BAGHDAD, April 7 -- President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems... |
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March, 2009:
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Pentagon Reports Iraq Progress, But Effort Still 'Fragile, Uneven'
By Al Pessin
Washington
31 March 2009
A quarterly Pentagon report on the situation in Iraq cites significant progress in recent months on security issues, but also says the progress is still "fragile" and "uneven," and challenges remain in the effort to settle tough political issues and achieve national reconciliation. The document says the security situation in Iraq continued to improve during the reporting period, from December to February. But it says that has allowed some long-standing disputes among national and regional leaders to re-emerge and become a concern for the long term...
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Iraq's women's minister to withdraw resignation
AP
Published March 9, 2009
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's state minister for women's affairs said Monday she plans to withdraw her resignation after receiving pledges from aid organizations to help improve women's lives. Nawal al-Samarraie quit last month to protest the lack of resources for women, accusing the government of not making women's needs a priority...
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February, 2009:
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Iraq's National Museum re-opens 6 years after looting
CNN
Published February 23, 2009
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's National Museum re-opened to the public Monday, nearly six years after it was pillaged in the chaotic days following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Some 15,000 irreplaceable artifacts were looted in May 2003, of which only about 6,000 have been recovered...
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Iraq’s War Widows Face Dire Need With Little Aid
NY Times Online
By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS
Published: February 22, 2009
BAGHDAD — Her twin sisters were killed trying to flee Falluja in 2004. Then her husband was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad just after she had become pregnant. When her own twins were 5 months old, one was killed by an explosive planted in a Baghdad market... |
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UN hails Iraq election results
BBC News Online
Friday, 6 February 2009
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has made a surprise visit to Iraq to congratulate voters there on the outcome of nationwide local elections. After talks with political leaders in Baghdad, Mr Ban said the vote showed how far Iraq had come... |
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Maliki Supporters Post Election Gains
By Sudarsan Raghavan, Anthony Shadid and Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, February 3, 2009; Page A01
BAGHDAD, Feb. 2 -- Iraq appears headed toward a reapportionment of power that favors the emergence of a strong central government, with supporters of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki showing strong returns in Saturday's elections, according to early tallies seen by election and party officials...
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In Iraq's North, Vote Tallies To Define Loyalties, Disputes
By Ernesto Londoño
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, February 2, 2009; Page A06
MOSUL, Iraq, Feb. 1 -- For the northern provinces of Iraq, the outcome of elections held Saturday will provide the first snapshot in decades of demographics and loyalties in areas that have become the subject of a visceral dispute between Arabs and Kurds...
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January, 2009:
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Obama Seeks Accord With Military on Iraq
NY Times Online
By PETER BAKER and ALISSA J. RUBIN
Published: January 28, 2009
WASHINGTON — As President Obama moves to redefine the nation’s mission in Iraq, he faces a difficult choice: Is he willing to abandon a campaign promise or risk a rupture with the military? Or can he finesse the difference?...
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Sunnis Plan To Flex Political Muscle In Iraqi Elections
by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro
NPR News Online
Listen
Morning Edition, January 21, 2009, Crucial provincial elections will be taking place in Iraq at the end of January. Across the country, a dizzying 14,400 candidates are vying for 440 seats in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces...
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New Paths to Power Emerge in Iraq
By Anthony Shadid
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, January 13, 2009; Page A01
THULUYAH, Iraq -- Nadhim Khalil wears the clothes of the cleric he is. He bears the scars of the insurgent he was. And in a country where business these days is power, he talks the speech of the merchant he has become, plying his trade in a contest for authority...
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Iraq sends 30,000 troops to guard Karbala pilgrims
By SAMEER N. YACOUB
The Associated Press
Wednesday, January 7, 2009; 6:47 AM
BAGHDAD -- A female suicide bomber allegedly planning to blow herself up among Shiite pilgrims was arrested Wednesday in northern Iraq, as millions joined processions across the country to honor the martyrdom of one of their most revered saints, Iraqi police said...
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US opens new Iraq embassy, moves to normalise ties
By Missy Ryan and Peter Graff
Reuters
Mon Jan 5, 2009
BAGHDAD, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The United States opened its new embassy building in Baghdad on Monday, a step meant to symbolise its transition from occupying power to an ally of a sovereign Iraqi government...
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