Iraq – News Stories About Iraq - Page 65

Mar 13, 2008 5:30 AM CDT

US Warning Shot Kills Iraqi Girl

Troops fired toward woman who seemed to be signaling to confederate

(Newser) - A warning shot fired by US soldiers killed a young Iraqi girl yesterday, AP reports. Troops in an area of Diyala province where several roadside bombs have recently been found fired a shot "near a suspicious woman who appeared to be signaling to someone while the soldiers were in...

Syria Remains Key for
Foreign Fighters in Iraq: US

Mar 12, 2008 3:08 PM CDT

Syria Remains Key for Foreign Fighters in Iraq: US

90% of Iraq's foreign fighters come across neighbor's borders, new report contends

(Newser) - Syria is a key jumping-off point for foreign militants in Iraq, with 90% entering through the Syrian border, the Pentagon reported yesterday. “It is not clear that Syria has made a strategic decision to deal with foreign terrorists using Syria as a transit point,” the report notes. Meanwhile,...

US Blocks UN From Prison Inspections in Iraq

Mar 12, 2008 6:06 AM CDT

US Blocks UN From Prison Inspections in Iraq

Official is 'astonished'

(Newser) - The US has denied a top UN official access to American prisons in Iraq, drawing condemnation from the torture expert, reports AFP. "I'm astonished that the US government is not willing to grant me access," said the official. Iraqi and British forces have permitted access to their prisons....

Violence Up in Iraq: Pentagon

Mar 12, 2008 5:44 AM CDT

Violence Up in Iraq: Pentagon

More recent attacks, but deaths still down 90% since June

(Newser) - Violent incidents in Iraq are up since January, according to a new Pentagon report. The rise is said to be a response in part to US-led operations against militants launched at the beginning of the year, and it includes more "high-profile" suicide bombings aimed at maximizing the number of...

Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals

Mar 11, 2008 9:05 AM CDT

Gulf Illness Blamed on Chemicals

Pesticides and nerve agents cause syndrome, says researcher

(Newser) - Exposure to chemicals and pesticides during the first Gulf War is the likely cause of widespread illnesses suffered by its veterans, a new study concludes. Some 250,000 veterans of the conflict—a third of the troops who served— suffer fatigue, muscle and joint pain, memory lapses, intestinal problems, and...

Saddam Had No Links to Al-Qaeda: Pentagon Study

Mar 11, 2008 5:48 AM CDT

Saddam Had No Links to Al-Qaeda: Pentagon Study

Iraq invasion justification again called into question

(Newser) - A Pentagon-sponsored study of captured Iraqi intelligence archives has been unable to find a single operational link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden or his al-Qaeda network, reports the McClatchy newspapers. The study will be released this week and is expected to refuel debate over the US justification for...

Baghdad Blast Kills 5 US Troops

Mar 10, 2008 1:55 PM CDT

Baghdad Blast Kills 5 US Troops

Leader of Sunni Awakening killed in separate suicide attack

(Newser) - Five American troops are dead after a suicide bomber struck today in the Mansour district of Baghdad, the BBC reports. The soldiers were patrolling a busy shopping center when a young man wearing an explosive vest engaged them in conversation shortly before detonating, said a military spokesman. Three other service...

Female Bomber Kills
Anti-Qaeda Sunni Sheik

Mar 10, 2008 7:17 AM CDT

Female Bomber Kills Anti-Qaeda Sunni Sheik

Diyala-area Awakening leader hit in attack

(Newser) - A female suicide bomber assassinated a Sunni Awakening leader in his Diyala province home today, the AP reports, killing the sheik’s bodyguard, cousin, and 5-year-old niece along with him. The woman had come to see the sheik yesterday, saying her husband had been kidnapped and was begging for help....

New Iraq NIE Likely
to Remain Secret

Mar 7, 2008 1:46 PM CST

New Iraq NIE Likely to Remain Secret

Officials keen to keep report classified after Iran estimate flap

(Newser) - Intelligence officials may keep the results of a new assessment on Iraq confidential when it's completed next month, the Washington Post reports. The new National Intelligence Estimate will be given to Congress, but intelligence officials are gunshy about making it public because of the brouhaha that erupted when they released...

Repeat Combat Tours Zap Troops' Mental Health

Mar 7, 2008 3:30 AM CST

Repeat Combat Tours Zap Troops' Mental Health

Survey finds steep rise in mental problems among soldiers on third, fourth tours

(Newser) - Cutting the time soldiers have between tours of duty helped the Pentagon boost troop numbers in Iraq—but has taken a heavy toll on soldiers' mental health, Reuters reports. An Army survey found a steep rise in mental health problems among soldiers returning for their third or fourth combat tour,...

Baghdad Bombs Claim 54

Mar 6, 2008 2:31 PM CST

Baghdad Bombs Claim 54

Reversal in trend of increasing security, as US announce troop reduction

(Newser) - Twin bomb blasts claimed 54 lives and wounded 130 in a Baghdad shopping center today, BBC News reports. Two roadside bombs timed to detonate within minutes of each other exploded in a shopping center in Karada district, leaving survivors holding body parts and searching for loved ones. Violence in Iraq...

More US Troops Outfitting Themselves for Combat

Mar 6, 2008 1:39 PM CST

More US Troops Outfitting Themselves for Combat

With slow supply chain—and style—among concerns, market grows to $150M annually

(Newser) - US troops are increasingly augmenting their military-issue gear with higher-end commercial products to gain an extra edge—and look sharp, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The military has encouraged the trend, perhaps in response to the equipment shortages that have dogged the Iraq and Afghanistan war efforts, loosening procurement rules...

Poll: Obama or Clinton Would Beat McCain

Mar 6, 2008 9:23 AM CST

Poll: Obama or Clinton Would Beat McCain

Voters worry about age more than race or gender, survey finds

(Newser) - GOP contender John McCain would lose to either Democratic candidate if the match-up were held today, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Adults nationwide would choose Barack Obama over McCain by 12 percentage points; Hillary Clinton would beat the Republican by six points. Though McCain has eight months...

Iran Is Biggest Threat
to Iraq: General

Mar 4, 2008 10:58 PM CST

Iran Is Biggest Threat to Iraq: General

Points as proof to problem-free visit of Iranian prez

(Newser) - Iran is likely the single greatest threat to Iraq's longterm stability, according to a top US commander. The US has "pretty clear" evidence that Iran is training and supplying Shiite militias, said Lt. General Raymond Odierno, who just completed 15 months as second-in-command in Iraq. Odierno pointed to...

24 Killed
in Baghdad
Bombings

UPDATED

Mar 3, 2008 5:15 AM CST

24 Killed in Baghdad Bombings

Attacks wreak havoc despite security for Iranian prez visit

(Newser) - At least 24 people were killed and 60 injured in a series of bombs in Baghdad early today, reports the Los Angeles Times. In the worst attack, a car packed with explosives blew up as it slammed into a security checkpoint, killing 21 people. "I saw a fireball...

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader Killed in US Missile Attack

Mar 3, 2008 4:53 AM CST

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader Killed in US Missile Attack

He was responsible for bombing deaths of 5 Yank soldiers

(Newser) - A top al-Qaeda in Iraq leader, said to be responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, was killed last week when his car was struck by a missile fired by a US helicopter, officials revealed yesterday. Abu Yasir al-Saudi, from Saudi Arabia, was in charge of operations in...

Buckley Leaves Conservatism Up the Creek

OPINION

Mar 2, 2008 5:45 PM CST

Buckley Leaves Conservatism Up the Creek

No clear inheritor to his thoughtful movement, says Newsweek writer

(Newser) - William F. Buckley may have been the architect of the modern conservative movement, but what will it do without him? Evan Thomas even wonders, in Newsweek, if what he created still exists at all. Buckley was “a man who could spar intensely with the late liberal icons…and then...

Iranian Prez Arrives in Iraq

Mar 2, 2008 8:23 AM CST

Iranian Prez Arrives in Iraq

Ahmadinejad visit deepens ties with neighbor

(Newser) - In an historic visit, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Iraq today predicting “a new chapter” for relations between the two countries, despite a tense history and a feud with Baghdad’s American allies. Ahmadinejad, who won’t be protected by US forces during his two-day trip, met...

Ahmadinejad
to Visit Iraq

Mar 1, 2008 7:48 PM CST

Ahmadinejad to Visit Iraq

First-ever trip by an Iranian prez upsets Sunnis, poses security risk to hosts

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will fly to Baghdad Sunday to meet with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, the first state visit ever by an Iranian president, the BBC reports. Sunni Iraqi leaders expressed outrage over the visit, which also comes a day after the US claimed further evidence of Iranian meddling in the...

US to Stall Troop Cuts Over Iraqi Elections

Mar 1, 2008 3:16 PM CST

US to Stall Troop Cuts Over Iraqi Elections

But Baghdad vetoed plan for the ballots earlier this week

(Newser) - US troop cuts in Iraq will stall after July to ensure security for local elections, a Washington official said yesterday. "You can actually increase your own risk if you pull out too many simultaneously," the official said. "This is not a stall tactic." But Baghdad officials...