Iraq

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Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki
Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki

Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki

Defection deepens political crisis as suicide bombs kill 70

(Newser) - The Sunni Accordance Front defected from Iraq's government today, accusing PM Nuri al-Maliki of being uncooperative, Reuters reports, on a day when suicide bombs killed more than 70 in Baghdad. "This is probably the most serious political crisis we have faced since the passage of the constitution,'' a...

Joint Chiefs Nominee Offers Straight Talk on Iraq

Admiral points to political solution

(Newser) - The White House nominee to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday the troop surge has helped security, but without political progress "no amount of troops and no amount of time will make a difference." Admiral Michael Mullen toed the administration line at his confirmation hearing, saying...

Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency'
Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency'

Cheney: 'I Erred on Insurgency'

VP doesn't back off other Iraq, Afghanistan decisions

(Newser) - Dick Cheney admitted yesterday that he was wrong when he said the Iraqi insurgency was "in its last throes" in 2005. "My estimate at the time was wrong, it turned out to be incorrect," the VP told CNN's Larry King. He said he had been optimistic that...

Iraqi Parliament Takes a Break
Iraqi Parliament Takes a Break

Iraqi Parliament Takes a Break

Little movement on key legislation as body adjourns through August

(Newser) - Saying PM Nouri al-Maliki's government had given it little to work with, Iraq's parliament began a 5-week recess today, Reuters reports. The chamber normally begins its summer break in July, but with crucial legislation pending, members delayed. Squabbling between political factions then stalled laws seen as vital to mending the...

White House Proposes $43B in Mideast Military Aid

Rice pitches strategy to help contain Iran

(Newser) - More than $43 billion in US military aid is earmarked for the Middle East, Reuters reports, part of a strategy to fight terrorism and counterbalance Iran. The outlays, which require congressional approval, include $13 billion to Egypt, $30 billion to Israel, and an unspecified amount to Saudi Arabia and other...

Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding
Corruption Shadows
Iraq Rebuilding

Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding

US investigates dozens of fraud cases as pricey projects disintegrate

(Newser) - US auditors monitoring the rebuilding process in Iraq are battling forces they compare to "a second insurgency"—corruption and economic mismanagement. The Iraqi government is refusing to handle reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars, and US officials are now investigating more than 50 fraud cases, the BBC reports.

‘Collateral Damage’ Is an Exact Science

Military projects civilian body count before operations

(Newser) - Technology allows US forces to know with precision how many civilians will die in targeted bombings—and at the beginning of the Iraq war, only those attacks expected to kill more than 30 civilians required approval from Rumsfeld or Bush, Salon reports. “‘Accident’ is not the right word,...

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid
Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid

Government of violence-riddled nation can't provide basics

(Newser) - A third of Iraq's population—some 8 million people—are in critical need of emergency aid because they have no food, water or shelter, according to an OXFAM report detailed in the BBC. Trapped in a maelstrom of sectarian violence, the Iraqi government is unable to provide basic needs. Some...

Brown Visits US Amid Talk of Cooling Ties

New PM walks political tightrope over relations with White House

(Newser) - Gordon Brown embarked today for his first call on President Bush, while the press at home speculated on whether the green PM's relationship with his counterpart was cooling or too warm. Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, had a close relationship with Bush—too close for some UK observers. Iraq, a potential...

Triumphant Iraqis Celebrate Soccer Win

After Asian Cup victory, revelry and gunfire erupt in Baghdad

(Newser) - Iraqis celebrated their national soccer team's triumph in the Asian Cup today in an emotional bout of revelry marked by joyful gunfire in the streets of Baghdad. "We achieved the dream. Allahu Akbar!" a crying fan told Iraqiya state television after Iraq defeated Saudi Arabia 1 to 0...

Bush Plans Huge Arms Deal With Saudis

Saudi role in Iraq complicates $20B deal

(Newser) - The White House is proposing a $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia and five Gulf neighbors, despite increasing dismay over the Saudis' undermining the US-backed Iraqi government, the New York Times reports. The deal, likely to generate resistance in Congress, makes no demands for Saudi cooperation on Iraq; its...

Brown Downplays US Fissure
Brown Downplays
US Fissure

Brown Downplays US Fissure

New PM will visit Camp David, insists he isn't 'America's poodle'

(Newser) - Britain's new Prime Minister is set to meet with President Bush at Camp David next week amid rumors that relations between the two nations have cooled since Tony Blair's departure. Brown is walking a tightrope between rebuffing this speculation and being seen as "America's poodle," an epithet Blair...

Iraqis Play With Heavy Hearts
Iraqis Play With Heavy Hearts

Iraqis Play With Heavy Hearts

Asia Cup final berth bittersweet in wake of suicide bombings that killed 50

(Newser) - An undertrained, cobbled-together Iraq squad upset favored South Korea in Wednesday's Asian Cup semifinals, and the Iraqis now head into Sunday's final bearing a heavy burden: Car bombs exploded in crowds of fans celebrating in Baghdad, killing at least 50. Iraq's coach, who is Brazilian, dedicated the win to "...

Saudi King Backs Iraq's Sunni Rebels

Ally undermining Bush strategy and fledgling government

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia is working at cross purposes with the Bush administration in Iraq by backing Sunni tribes engaged in sectarian violence there, the New York Times reports. King Abdullah has funded the Sunnis and is allowing insurgents to enter the country, US officials charge. Of up to 80 foreign fighters...

Iraq Refugees Spark Crisis for Neighbors

(Newser) - Over 2 million Iraqis have fled their war-torn homeland, with 50,000 more leaving each month for neighboring countries—primarily Jordan and Syria. A UN official is terming the exodus a "humanitarian crisis," and the organization is calling for extra funding to cover medical supplies and shelter for...

Bombers Target Baghdad Soccer Celebration

Moment of national triumph thwarted by twin attacks; 50 dead

(Newser) - Car bombings killed at least 50 and injured 135, as Iraqis celebrated their soccer victory over South Korea today. The two separate blasts, one in Baghdad's Mansour district, the other at an army checkpoint, came as cheering throngs crossed sectarian lines in a rare moment of national pride and unity,...

Army Plans Group Services for Troops Killed in Iraq

Families, vets blast Wash. base's new policy

(Newser) - Overwhelmed by numbers, military bases are beginning to hold collective memorial services for service members killed in Iraq instead of individual services after each death. The Times visits Fort Lewis, which has floated the idea and met with resistance from families and veterans. The country's third-largest army base, outside Tacoma,...

Dems Remain Unsure of Censure
Dems Remain Unsure of Censure

Dems Remain Unsure of Censure

Feingold's effort gathers little support; Congress fears backlash

(Newser) - A proposed Senate resolution to censure President Bush for the Iraq war could have galvanized Democrats—but  instead they're sharply divided over what some see as grandstanding, Politico reports. Only a handful back Russ Feingold's plan, or another tied to the US attorneys firings, nervous that nonbinding censures will only...

Bush Gets Personal with Iraqi PM
Bush Gets Personal
with Iraqi PM

Bush Gets Personal with Iraqi PM

Leaders' virtual meetings produce few concrete results

(Newser) - Across thousands of miles, President Bush remains a close adviser to Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki. At least every 2 weeks, the politicians confer over a satellite uplink, usually for more than an hour of discussion about the civil war, Iraq's future, and even their shared religious devotion. "They talk...

Iran Talks Raise Tension, But Not Consensus

On first day of sitdown, parties still tangled over allegations of interference

(Newser) - The United States and Iran began their first day of diplomatic talks on Iraq today, but the Times reports that the summit is still tangled over US allegation that Iran is funding armed militias inside Iraq. Iran vehemently denied the charge today; an American official who attending the meeting said...

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