Iraq – News Stories About Iraq - Page 73

Nov 29, 2007 7:44 AM CST

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US

Iraqi civilian forces help decrease violence as refugees return home

(Newser) - Almost 6,000 Sunni Arab civilians in Iraq turned against Al-Qaeda yesterday and signed a pact to help US forces police possible insurgent escape routes. As insurgents seek to gain a foothold in the semi-autonomous north, American officials hailed the alliance, which is the Iraq war’s largest single volunteer...

Blackwater Guards on Steroids: Suit

Nov 28, 2007 4:29 AM CST

Blackwater Guards on Steroids: Suit

Shooting victim's kin accuse security firm of fostering lawless culture

(Newser) - Private security contractor Blackwater fosters a "culture of lawlessness" among its guards, who are revved up on steroids and other "judgment-altering substances," claims a lawsuit filed by families of Iraqis killed by the guards. Plaintiffs include two survivors of a September shooting when the guards opened fire...

Oilman Gets Year in Prison for Iraq Deal

Nov 27, 2007 5:51 PM CST

Oilman Gets Year in Prison for Iraq Deal

Houston's Wyatt paid off Saddam to secure contract

(Newser) - A prominent Texas oilman will spend about a year in prison for paying off Saddam's regime to secure a big oil contract. Oscar Wyatt, 83, admitting violating the UN's oil-for-food program by paying a secret Iraqi surcharge of $200,000—essentially a bribe. A judge sentenced Wyatt to a year...

Army Uniforms Aren't Making the Grade

Nov 27, 2007 12:15 PM CST

Army Uniforms Aren't Making the Grade

Soldiers report 'crotch durability problems'; 1 million repairs on order

(Newser) - Army uniforms have an embarrassing problem—they’re tearing open at the crotch. New uniforms rolled out in 2005 use single stitching at the inseam, and soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan report "crotch durability problems" in combat. The troops are “literally sliding down steep hills and mountains,"...

Troops Kill 5
on Bus Taking Workers to Baghdad Bank

Nov 27, 2007 4:50 AM CST

Troops Kill 5 on Bus Taking Workers to Baghdad Bank

Driver ignores warning shot

(Newser) - Five people were killed today when US soldiers in Baghdad opened fire on a minibus carrying employees to their bank jobs, Iraqi officials reported. The shootings occurred after the bus driver drove into an area restricted to cars and known to be a Shiite militia stronghold. He drove through a...

Bush Agrees to Long-Term US Presence in Iraq

Nov 26, 2007 2:58 PM CST

Bush Agrees to Long-Term US Presence in Iraq

Details of 'enduring' relationship will be worked out in 2008

(Newser) - President Bush today agreed to an "enduring" economic, political, and military relationship with Iraq, laying the foundation for a long-term US presence. The deal replaces the UN mandate currently governing US troops, restoring some measure of Iraqi sovereignty. Iraqis envision 50,000 US troops providing security in exchange for...

All Eyes on OPEC for Oil Price Relief

Nov 26, 2007 4:18 AM CST

All Eyes on OPEC for Oil Price Relief

Saudis expected to boost output as prices close in on $100

(Newser) - With oil prices poised to pass the $100 mark any day now, a pair of reports speculates that OPEC will cool the overheated market by boosting oil production, the Wall Street Journal reports. One consulting firm said OPEC, spurred by Saudi Arabia’s increased deliveries to the US, could up...

Shiites Shout Down Iraqi Law

Nov 25, 2007 8:39 PM CST

Shiites Shout Down Iraqi Law

Bill to let Baathists in government gets shelved after uproar; Bush calls law vital

(Newser) - Iraqi lawmakers shouted down a bill today that would let members of Saddam's Baath party return to public posts, AFP reports. Shiite lawmakers heckled the first reading of the measure, which Bush has touted as a benchmark of Iraqi progress. Now the bill goes to a legal body for changes,...

Injury Tally Misses Brain Trauma

Nov 23, 2007 4:37 PM CST

Injury Tally Misses Brain Trauma

20K troops omitted from casualty list

(Newser) - More than 20,000 service members not classified as wounded in combat have signs of brain injury, according to an examination of records by USA Today. The actual number of troops with brain trauma suffered in Iraq or Afghanistan was more than five times the official tally, meaning that the...

13 Dead in Baghdad Pet Market Blast

Nov 23, 2007 9:49 AM CST

13 Dead in Baghdad Pet Market Blast

Dozens wounded; bomber hid device in box of birds

(Newser) - Thirteen people were killed and 57 wounded when a bomb hidden in a box of birds exploded today at a pet market in Baghdad. Four policeman were among the dead, reports Reuters. The bombing was the deadliest in Iraq since car bombs killed 32 people in the capital on September...

New Role for US Troops in Iraq

Nov 23, 2007 3:55 AM CST

New Role for US Troops in Iraq

Plan would boost soldiers' role training Iraqis as some troops withdraw

(Newser) - US combat brigades in Iraq may soon be given an expanded role in training and supporting Iraqis, reports the New York Times. Under the plan, not yet finalized, a quarter of US troops would be withdrawn next July but others would stay behind to help transfer more of the security...

Saudis, Libyans Fighting in Iraq

Nov 22, 2007 7:47 AM CST

Saudis, Libyans Fighting in Iraq

Captured intelligence shows most foreign insurgents are Saudis or Libyans

(Newser) - Most of the foreign insurgents fighting American troops in Iraq come from two so-called US allies in the war on terrorism—Saudi Arabia and Libya. Evidence was discovered in a September raid on a desert terrorist base that produced a mother lode of intelligence on the identities and hometowns of...

Hpy Thxgvng: Text Your Troops

Nov 22, 2007 7:06 AM CST

Hpy Thxgvng: Text Your Troops

Project allows free messages of support for the holiday

(Newser) - A college freshman has helped the Department of Defense launch a project to send text messages of support to US troops, reports ABC. Cell companies are backing the "Giving Thanks" initiative, allowing participants to send free messages to the number 8-9-2-7-9 until midnight Thanksgiving Day.

Petraeus Sees Gains Against Qaeda in Iraq

Nov 21, 2007 6:28 PM CST

Petraeus Sees Gains Against Qaeda in Iraq

Commander credits Syrians for slowing flow of foreign fighters

(Newser) - Al Qaeda in Iraq is a diminished threat, and credit goes not only to the latest US military push but to unexpected and "robust" efforts by Syria to keep foreign militants out, Gen. David Petraeus said in an extended interview in the Wall Street Journal. The top commander in...

Thousands Returning to Safer Baghdad

Nov 21, 2007 12:34 PM CST

Thousands Returning to Safer Baghdad

Driven by better security and lack of funds to stay in Syria

(Newser) - Iraqi refugees are returning to Baghdad by the thousands, convinced that security has dramatically improved, reports the Times of London. The Iraqi embassy in Damascus has even organized a secure convoy to escort Iraqis home next Monday and has posted signs offering free bus and train rides home. “There...

Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US

Nov 21, 2007 9:09 AM CST

Rebel Kurds Defy Turks, US

Rebel group leader vows 'no surrender' against Turkey or US

(Newser) - The leadership of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the rebel group based in northern Iraq that the United States considers a terrorist organization, has spoken out to warn of resistance to any Turkish cross-border incursion. In a report by a pro-Kurdish news agency, a leading PKK commander warned that his group...

Pentagon, Congress Play Chicken Over Iraq Funds

Nov 21, 2007 9:00 AM CST

Pentagon, Congress Play Chicken Over Iraq Funds

Layoffs threatened; Dems unmoved

(Newser) - The Pentagon is threatening as many as 200,000 civilian layoffs by Christmas if war funding isn't approved by Congress, but Dems say there will be no funding until Bush sets withdrawal dates for Iraq. "Both sides are playing a big game of chicken here," a Congressional budget...

Showdown Looms on War Funds

Nov 21, 2007 3:45 AM CST

Showdown Looms on War Funds

Pentagon warns of 200,000 layoffs without bucks

(Newser) - A showdown is rapidly approaching between Congress and the White House over funding for the Iraq war. The Pentagon has warned that up to 200,000 contractors and civilian employees may be laid off by Christmas unless Congress acts on a $196 billion request for war funds, reports the Washington ...

Grand Jury Calls Guards —but Not Shooters

Nov 20, 2007 8:04 AM CST

Grand Jury Calls Guards —but Not Shooters

Blackwater guards give State Dept. conflicting accounts of shootings

(Newser) - A federal grand jury investigating the killing of 17 Iraqi civilians by Blackwater security guards has called guards who were present at the September incident to testify—but not the five who admit firing their weapons, sources told ABC News. Twelve other guards were said to be present at the...

Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq

Nov 20, 2007 7:24 AM CST

Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq

Fall in violence trigger optimism from Iraqi government

(Newser) - A sharp drop in violence in Baghdad led Iraqi government officials to express confidence yesterday that the worst is over, reports the Los Angeles Times. While violence remains high, bombings, street fighting, and abductions are down, as are fears of a civil war. US officials urged Iraq's government to take...