Iraq

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Senate Confirms Iraq Generals in New Jobs

Petraeus now Middle East chief; Odierno takes over in Baghdad

(Newser) - The Senate today confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the top commander in the Middle East and Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno to replace Petraeus as the chief military officer in Iraq. Last year, Petraeus helped to tame growing opposition to the Iraq war in Congress by providing measured assessments of progress...

Iraq Insurgents Gain Deadly New Weapon

Rocket-bomb attacks can kill dozens at a time

(Newser) - Shiite insurgents in Iraq have been attacking US forces with a new weapon the military fears could kill dozens of troops at a time, reports the Washington Post. Rocket-propelled bombs, made of propane tanks packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives, have killed at least 21 people this year, including...

Emboldened Iraq Stands Up to Washington
Emboldened
Iraq Stands Up to Washington
ANALYSIS
Jul 10, 2008 7:41 AM CDT

Emboldened Iraq Stands Up to Washington

Maliki's demand for US withdrawal the latest sign of new confidence

(Newser) - Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi government are now openly demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces, reports the New York Times. While nobody expects Baghdad to boot American troops, several military victories and greater political stability have emboldened Maliki, and the increasingly loud demands reflect a new confidence...

Would-Be Oil Barons Venture Into Kurdistan

Northern Iraqi region awash in untapped black gold—and risk

(Newser) - Kurdistan, Iraq’s mostly autonomous northern region, is brimming with oil, but the big oil companies won’t touch it. The Kurdish government gladly hands out exploration contracts, but taking one invites the wrath of the central government in Baghdad. That’s left the forbidden fruit to “wildcatters,”...

Lefties Deliver 'Joe Must Go' Petition to Dems

Activists say backer of McCain, war shouldn't hold key Senate spots

(Newser) - Online activists are bringing a petition with 43,000 signatures to Democratic senators today, demanding Joe Lieberman be stripped of key committee roles. The group states, “We CANNOT tolerate a leader of the Senate Democratic Caucus who supports George Bush and McCain's War in Iraq … and endorses and...

Call the Tabs: CBS Reporter Is Pregnant, Too

Lara Logan's romantic dramas came home from Iraq with her

(Newser) - Lara Logan is sick of being tabloid fodder, CBS’ star reporter tells the Washington Post. But in the same interview, she acknowledged a nugget sure to keep gossip hounds at her heels: She’s pregnant. Having generated a slew of press over a romantic triangle in Iraq—said to have...

Obama's 'Modest But Real Step' Makes Good Iraq Sense

Sticking to withdrawal policy ignores facts on the ground

(Newser) - Charging that the Democrat's position had become “outdated,” the Washington Post editorial board applauds Barack Obama’s recent promise to “refine” his Iraq policy after consulting with commanders. His previous “strident and rigid posture”—that all combat forces be withdrawn during his first 16 months...

Iraq Minister Demands Exit Timetable

Foreign minister Rubaie won't accept a US security deal without one

(Newser) - Iraq won’t accept any security deal that doesn’t include strict guidelines for a US withdrawal, National Security Adviser Mouwaffak al-Rubaie said today. The US waved off similar statements from Nouri al-Maliki yesterday, saying they didn’t believe the Iraqi PM really wanted a timetable, but Rubaie’s comments...

Iraq Films Get Army's Attention

Film liaisons offer help; some directors see spin

(Newser) - War films can help shape public perception, and the Army is trying to guide moviemakers away from negative portrayals of the Iraq conflict like the ones that dominated films about Vietnam. Army liaisons to Hollywood offer equipment, expertise—and script alterations that some filmmakers see as spin. The LA Times...

Timetable Needed to End 'Foreign Presence' in Iraq: PM

'Specific time' for withdrawal must be part of new security deal, Maliki says

(Newser) - Iraq is ready to be rid of US troops, its prime minister said today, and he wants a timetable. “We are looking at the necessity of terminating the foreign presence on Iraqi lands and restoring full sovereignty,” Nouri al-Maliki told Arab diplomats, saying the “memorandum of understanding”...

United Arab Emirates Cancels Iraq's $7B Debt

Baghdad wins boost from key Arab states

(Newser) - Iraq's diplomatic isolation among its Arab neighbors is easing, reports the BBC. The United Arab Emirates canceled Iraq's entire debt of close to $7 billion and appointed a new ambassador, while Jordan's King Abdullah will become  the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq since 2003, boosting the Baghdad...

Iraqis Losing Love for al-Qaeda
 Iraqis Losing Love for al-Qaeda 
ANALYSIS
Jul 6, 2008 6:56 PM CDT

Iraqis Losing Love for al-Qaeda

Insurgents reeling from citizen backlash, troop surge

(Newser) - Outsmarted and overwhelmed by allied forces in Iraq, al-Qaeda is getting desperate, Marie Colvin writes for the London Times. The insurgents, masters of organized resistance, are now resorting to small-scale hit-and-run attacks amidst waning support from Iraqis. “Al-Qaeda in Mosul is pretty much not able to do the attacks...

US Removes Last of Saddam's Uranium From Iraq

US completes months-long mission to secure material

(Newser) - A secret US mission to remove 550 metric tons of concentrated uranium known as “yellowcake” from Iraq came to a close yesterday as the material arrived in Canada, AP reports. In an operation that quelled concerns over the yellowcake falling into insurgency hands, 37 flights took the remainder of...

Desperation Drives Iraq's Female Bombers

Death of insurgents leaves female relatives feeling suicide is their only option

(Newser) - Female suicide bombings are on the rise in Iraq's restive Diyala province, the New York Times reports, and success in combating al-Qaeda may be the cause. Many local insurgents have been killed or detained, leaving their surviving female relatives with little hope for the future. They often come under great...

Obama Might 'Refine' 16-Month Iraq Timeline

He'll reevaluate policy after meeting with commanders in Iraq

(Newser) - Barack Obama today appeared to soften his oft-stated pledge that he would pull troops out of Iraq in 16 months, the New York Times reports. Obama, while inisting that his policies had not changed, said he would consider the opinions of military commanders as he continues to “refine his...

Hitchens Agrees: Waterboarding Is Torture

Controversial writer puts his money where his mouth is, takes plunge for Vanity Fair

(Newser) - "You may have read by now the official lie about this treatment, which is that it simulates the feeling of drowning," Christopher Hitchens writes of waterboarding in Vanity Fair. "You feel that you are drowning because you are drowning," concludes the author, who experienced the controversial...

Afghan War Hamstrung by Troop Shortage

But Joint Chiefs chair says that Iraq's needs limit US options

(Newser) - The US needs more troops in Afghanistan but lacks the available forces because of the Iraq war, the nation’s top military officer said yesterday. In his most pointed remarks to date, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen said that countering the country's resurgent Taliban and booming...

Confidence Surges in Baghdad
Confidence Surges in Baghdad
Jul 3, 2008 6:00 AM CDT

Confidence Surges in Baghdad

Residents see 'astonishing,' if fragile, return to normal

(Newser) - Economic activity and confidence in the government are booming in Baghdad, Der Spiegel reports, in a look at the "astonishing" resurgence of normal life there—despite fear that progress could vanish as quickly as it appeared. For the first time in 4 years, a popular Baghdad supermarket is stocking...

White House in Loop on Troubling Iraq Oil Deal

Bush crony's Kurdistan deal undermined Baghdad government

(Newser) - The State Department was fully aware that a Texas firm linked to President Bush planned to sign a controversial Kurdistan oil deal that undermined the Iraqi government, reports the New York Times. Documents released by a congressional committee yesterday reveal that Hunt Oil—run by a close associate of the...

Sadr City Rebounds After Ceasefire
Sadr City Rebounds After Ceasefire
Jul 2, 2008 1:19 PM CDT

Sadr City Rebounds After Ceasefire

Trade blooms, rebuilding begins, but suspicions remain

(Newser) - The turnaround in Sadr City in the last two months has been dramatic—abandoned dusty lots are now markets stocked with piles of produce and teeming with shoppers; storefronts display suits, purses, shoes, and cosmetics, Time reports. The ceasefire between Iraqi PM al-Maliki and radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has been...

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