Iraq

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Iraqi Troops: 'We're Not Ready to Go It Alone'

Officers decry lack of equipment; US pushes independence

(Newser) - Iraq’s army has taken strides toward independence—but it still needs the help of American forces, say Iraqi troops and officers interviewed by the New York Times. “We are too many years behind other countries. We need the coalition forces until 2015,” said one officer. But American...

Iraq Has $79B Budget Surplus
 Iraq Has $79B Budget Surplus 
Aug 5, 2008 7:45 PM CDT

Iraq Has $79B Budget Surplus

GAO says Bagdad sitting on a lot of money, raising complaints from US senators

(Newser) - The Iraqi government could end this year with as much as a $79 billion cumulative budget surplus, based largely on ever-increasing oil revenues, US congressional auditors say. A report by the Government Accountability Office made public today prompted renewed calls from senators that Baghdad pay more of the bill for...

Army May Pay $150K Bonus to Arabic Speakers

It considers hefty retention incentive to keep translators

(Newser) - The Army may pay $150,000 to US soldiers who speak Arabic if they agree to stay in the service, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The Army also is ramping up its program to recruit and train Arabic speakers, both in the US and abroad. If the retention bonus is...

US Sending Foreign Inmates Home From Iraq

Repatriation 'in the works' for some of 200 fighters still in detention

(Newser) - Seeking to cut the number of detainees it holds, the US military has begun releasing foreign fighters captured in Iraq to their home countries, USA Today reports. The past two months have seen the first such releases, with some 15 detainees heading to Saudi Arabia and five to Egypt. The...

Bush Forged Evidence for War: Book

Bribed Saddam official $5M to write letter

(Newser) - The Bush administration forged a letter linking Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks, author Ron Suskind alleges in his new book. In December 2003, a letter surfaced from Saddam’s intelligence chief, describing a meeting between Saddam and one 9/11 hijacker. The letter was actually drafted by the White House,...

Sadr to Forge Peaceful Corps from Shiite Army

Mahdi militants said to shift focus to civil service, stabilizing Iraq

(Newser) - Anti-American Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is shifting his political clout away from militancy, and will disarm his Shiite Mahdi Army in favor of non-violent civic and social endeavors, the Wall Street Journal reports. Hoping to increase stability in Iraq, the organization will take on projects involving education, religion, and social...

Saddam's Palace Is Tourist Hotspot for US Troops

Ruins are all the sightseeing most get to do

(Newser) - It’s impractical—not to mention dangerous—for US troops to do much sightseeing in Baghdad, but Saddam Hussein’s ruined presidential complex is one exception. As one of the few places off-duty service members can go, the palace has become a magnet for military tourists, the Wall Street Journal...

Despite Progress, Iraqi Politics Remain Stalled

Parliement must use calm to implement necessary reforms

(Newser) - Violence in Iraq is hitting unprecedented lows, and Iraqi forces are gradually assuming command over parts of the country previously controlled by American troops. But with the summer break and Ramadan looming, politicians aren’t taking advantage of the lull in violence to pass much-needed legislation, and PM Nouri al-Maliki...

US Death Toll in Iraq Plummets
 US Death Toll in Iraq Plummets  
Jul 31, 2008 5:36 PM CDT

US Death Toll in Iraq Plummets

Iraqi deaths down 75% from this time last year

(Newser) - The monthly US toll in Iraq fell to its lowest point since the war began, with 10 American deaths recorded as July drew to a close today. Iraqis also are dying at dramatically lower numbers in the sixth year of the war. July saw the lowest civilian toll since December...

Kissinger Outlines Endgame for Iraq—Without Deadlines

Foes may lie low to re-emerge, he says

(Newser) - Henry Kissinger outlines his vision for the endgame in Iraq in a piece in the Washington Post, arguing that recent progress makes redeployment of US troops feasible, but "establishing a deadline is the surest way to undermine the hopeful prospects." A fixed deadline would encourage both al-Qaeda and...

Army 'Warned on Wiring' Before Soldier's Electrocution

Sergeant filed work order after being shocked in the shower

(Newser) - A sergeant warned Army administrators about faulty wiring months before a soldier was electrocuted in a shower at the same quarters, CNN reports. "Pipes have voltage, get shocked in the shower," he wrote in a work order. A House committee probing the electrocution deaths in Iraq had previously...

Political Turf War Threatens Stability at Iraqi Oil Giant

Government wants to oust director of South Oil, but he's resisting

(Newser) - The central government in Iraq is trying reassert its control over a huge state-owned oil company by forcing out its maverick—but highly effective—chief, the Wall Street Journal reports. He's refusing to go, however, and the resulting turf war could have huge implications not only for Iraq but the...

US, Iraq Inch Closer to Pact
 US, Iraq Inch Closer to Pact
Jul 30, 2008 11:00 AM CDT

US, Iraq Inch Closer to Pact

'Time horizon' greases wheels in negotiation

(Newser) - The Bush administration has made serious strides in its efforts to forge a security pact with Iraq, the Wall Street Journal reports. Just a month ago Nouri al-Maliki said talks had hit a “dead end,” but now that Bush has agreed to set up a flexible withdrawal timetable,...

Iraq Athletes Back in Beijing Games
Iraq Athletes Back
in Beijing Games
Jul 29, 2008 9:11 PM CDT

Iraq Athletes Back in Beijing Games

Only 2 will make the trip after IOC reverses its decision

(Newser) - Iraq can send athletes to the Olympics after all, but only two will be able to make the trip. The International Olympic Committee reversed its decision today to ban Iraq from the Games after Baghdad vowed to ensure the independence of its Olympics panel. Iraq will send a discus thrower...

US, Iraqi Forces Launch Major Offensive

Diyala target of big push

(Newser) - US and Iraqi forces have launched a major operation in Diyala province, which they consider the last major refuge for insurgents near Baghdad, the AP reports. Authorities have set up new checkpoints and banned all but official traffic as troops zero in on the capital city of Baquba, hoping to...

Babs: Obama's Like Buttah
Babs: Obama's Like Buttah
Jul 28, 2008 1:34 PM CDT

Babs: Obama's Like Buttah

Longtime Clintonite says when Barack clinched nomination, switch was 'immediate'

(Newser) - Hillary Clinton may have been her first choice, but Barbra Streisand’s switch to Barack Obama after he wrapped up the nomination was “immediate”—and she's not too keen on Clinton-backers considering crossing the aisle. In an interview with Politico, she lays into John McCain on women’s...

US Army Admits Civilian Shootings in Iraq

3 who died in hail of gunfire were unarmed, innocent victims

(Newser) - American soldiers rained gunfire on a carload of innocent civilians in Baghdad, killing three, and the military falsely told news media that the victims were aggressors, the US military admitted last night. Top Iraqi officials had previously denounced the June 25 incident as murder, and used it to call for...

Iraqi Suicide Blasts Kill 50
 Iraqi Suicide Blasts Kill 50
Jul 28, 2008 6:26 AM CDT

Iraqi Suicide Blasts Kill 50

Bombers strike in Baghdad and Kirkuk

(Newser) - Suicide attacks in Iraq today killed at least 50 people and injured about 250, making it one of deadliest days in the country in months, Reuters reports. In Baghdad, three female suicide bombers blew themselves up during a religious pilgrimage, killing 28 and injuring 92. In the northern city of...

Militia Power Wanes as Iraqi Government Gains

Shiite Mahdi Army's extortion and violence alienate residents

(Newser) - The sway of a key Iraqi militia has declined significantly and it's losing control of its Baghdad strongholds to the government, the New York Times reports. Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army once controlled politics and police in areas throughout the city, but supporters became disenchanted by its violence...

Iraq Needs Its No-Bid Oil Contracts
Iraq Needs Its No-Bid
Oil Contracts
Opinion
Jul 26, 2008 3:15 PM CDT

Iraq Needs Its No-Bid Oil Contracts

Deals aren't exploitative, argues energy adviser

(Newser) - US lawmakers have been raging against no-bid deals struck by foreign oil companies in Iraq—but impeding them would be pure folly, energy consultant Raad Alkadiri argues in the Washington Post. Most of these companies have already advised Iraq on its oil fields for free; Baghdad only sought to formalize...

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