insurgents

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Blackwater Blamed for Fallujah Bloodshed

Murder of unprepared patrol sparked battle

(Newser) - Blackwater, the private security firm under investigation for a dozen civilian deaths in Iraq last week, is now being faulted for actions that led to a 2004 battle in which 36 US soldiers and 600 civilians were killed.  Blackwater is charged with sending a disorganized, unprepared four-man team into...

Iranian Official Hits US for Scapegoating

Ambassador to Iraq says US is trying 'to cover up failed plans'

(Newser) - The US is hyping an Iranian threat to Iraq to deflect attention away from its mistakes, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq told CNN, again denying allegations Tehran is attacking American troops trying to stabilize the country. “US security plans for Iraq have not succeeded,” Hassan Kazemi-Qomi said. The...

Iraqi al-Qaeda Group to Track Down 'Traitors'

Islamic State of Iraq vows to kill those who align with US

(Newser) - Thursday's assassination of a Sunni tribal leader was the first in what an al-Qaeda front group warns will be the fate of all who cooperate with the US, reports the AP. The Islamic State of Iraq announced on Islamist websites that "special security committees" will track down "traitors"...

45 Taliban Die in Battle on Ramadan Eve

Month-long surge in fighting in Afghanistan expected to continue

(Newser) - Forty-five Taliban insurgents were killed in a clash with coalition and Afghan troops in Afghanistan today. The Taliban attacked a joint patrol; the Afghan forces responded, with help from coalition airstrikes. The skirmish comes at the beginning of Islam's holy month of Ramadan

Taliban Told Hostages to Convert or Die

Freed Koreans describe harrowing 6-week Afghanistan ordeal

(Newser) - South Korean aid workers held captive by Taliban militants in Afghanistan recounted being urged at gunpoint to convert to Islam during at a news conference in Seoul today, the BBC reports. They were often beaten and forced to work "like slaves" during a six-week ordeal, which ended last month...

Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months
Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months
Sep 10, 2007 4:36 AM CDT

Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months

Wants Congress to postpone decision on bringing troops home

(Newser) - The commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, wants to postpone a decision to significantly reduce troop levels there for another six months, reports the New York Times. The general, who is scheduled to begin testimony before Congress today, has told the president he is willing to withdraw...

Bush Visits Iraq, Says Some Troops Might Come Home

Surprise war council in Iraq points to improving security

(Newser) - Fewer US troops will be needed in Iraq if security conditions continue to improve, said President Bush today during a surprise visit to Iraq. The pronouncement came after meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, and US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker–both of whom will be...

Iraqi Insurgents Enlist Kids for Dirty Work

US detention center adds school for captured child fighters

(Newser) - Iraqi children are playing an amplified role in insurgent attacks, and the US is struggling to cope with the consequences. The ranks of minors detained by American forces have grown from 100 to 800 since March, the LA Times reports. Boys as young as 11 set off roadside bombs for...

Iraq Detainees Swell by 50%
Iraq Detainees Swell by 50%
Aug 25, 2007 7:00 AM CDT

Iraq Detainees Swell by 50%

Most are Sunni, and many say they're motivated by lack of jobs, not jihadism

(Newser) - Since the January troop surge the number of detainees held by the American military in Iraq has increased by 50%, reports the New York Times. The overwhelming majority of those in custody, nearly 85%, are Sunni. And while Jihadism drives some Iraqi insurgents to plant roadside bombs, for many there...

Intelligence Community Doubts Iraqi Leadership

Big insurgent offensive may be in the works

(Newser) - A National Intelligence Estimate released today reveals that the US intelligence community doubts Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki has the ability to lead the country effectively, CNN reports. Coming one day after President Bush defended Maliki in a speech, the report by US intelligence agencies also expresses worry over a possible...

Iraq Electric Grid Seized by Militias
Iraq Electric Grid Seized
by Militias
Aug 23, 2007 11:31 AM CDT

Iraq Electric Grid Seized by Militias

Baghdad increasingly in darkness as armed bands horde power

(Newser) - Large swaths of Iraq's power grid have fallen under the control of armed militias, the New York Times reports. The balkanization of power stations worsens an already fragile situation in which insurgents blow up power lines and leave Baghdad without power at the height of a 110-degree summer.

Korean Hostage Talks Fail
Korean Hostage Talks Fail
Aug 18, 2007 11:46 AM CDT

Korean Hostage Talks Fail

Taliban says demands not met; group is considering the fate of 19 captives

(Newser) - As the 19 remaining Korean hostages await news of their fate, negotiations to secure their release have failed, according to a Taliban spokesman. The terror group says its principal demand—the liberation of insurgents being held by coalition forces—was not met; South Korean officials have insisted Seoul has no...

Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500
Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500
Aug 16, 2007 12:35 AM CDT

Iraq Blasts Toll Rises to 500

Deadliest terror attack since fall of Hussein

(Newser) - The death toll from Tuesday's series of suicide truck bombings in northern Iraq may exceed 500, with scores more lying injured in hospitals, CNN reports. The attacks were reportedly launched by al-Qaeda against the Yazidi, a pre-Islamic sect, spotlighting the religious warfare that US troop surge sought to quell.

Bombers Butcher 120+ in Iraq
Bombers Butcher 120+ in Iraq
Aug 14, 2007 6:03 PM CDT

Bombers Butcher 120+ in Iraq

Attack comes after bold kidnapping of oil ministers

(Newser) - US helicopters are swooping down to rescue survivors of bomb attacks that butchered at least 120 villagers in northern Iraq today. CNN reports that at least three trucks detonated in residential areas and injured upwards of 150 people, mostly Kurds. TV stations are beseeching townspeople to donate blood as US...

Bomb Derails Russian Train
Bomb Derails Russian Train
Aug 14, 2007 7:54 AM CDT

Bomb Derails Russian Train

Authorities claim link to Chechen insurgency

(Newser) - Russia suspects terrorism in a bomb that derailed a train on the busy Moscow-to-St. Petersburg line yesterday, reports Reuters. Thirty-eight people were hospitalized and more  treated at the scene, about 170 km from St. Petersburg. The bomb was planted on a bridge; the locomotive and most carriages derailed after crossing.

Iraq Security Costs Soar
Iraq Security Costs Soar
Aug 12, 2007 1:22 PM CDT

Iraq Security Costs Soar

(Newser) - The US Military has paid $548M to two British firms over the past three years to protect engineers working on projects in Iraq—nearly doubling its original budget, according to the Washington Post. A swelling insurgency and shortage of troops are driving up the cost of private security for the...

US Kills 30 in Baghdad
US Kills 30 in Baghdad
Aug 8, 2007 5:21 PM CDT

US Kills 30 in Baghdad

Women and children may counted among the dead

(Newser) - The US killed 30 militants and detained another dozen in an overnight air strike on a military stronghold in a Shiite district of Baghdad. Witnesses counted women and children among the slain, though the US claims all 30 were insurgents linked to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons
US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons
Aug 6, 2007 11:47 AM CDT

US Loses 30% of Iraq Weapons

That's 110,000 AK-47s, 80,000 pistols

(Newser) - Nearly a third of US weapons doled out to Iraqi security forces over the past three years are unaccounted for, a GAO report says, and insiders are worried they've fallen into the hands of insurgents. The weapons that the Pentagon can no longer track include 110,000 AK-47 assault rifles...

Iraq's Power Grid Is Near Collapse
Iraq's Power Grid Is Near Collapse
Aug 4, 2007 7:01 PM CDT

Iraq's Power Grid Is Near Collapse

Insurgents target plants, and provinces are disconnecting from the system

(Newser) - Iraq’s power grid is teetering on the edge of collapse as insurgents destroy almost any attempt to restore power and the country’s fractured government is stalled, the AP reports. With enough power for only half of demand, there have been four nationwide blackouts in the last two days....

Marine Gets 15 Years for Killing Iraqi

Sergeant was instigator of kidnap, killing to intimidate insurgents

(Newser) - A jury of Iraq veterans sentenced a Marine sergeant to 15 years in prison and dishonorable discharge today for conspiracy to commit murder and unpremeditated murder, the Los Angeles Times reports. Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins offered no apology for leading a mission of Marines to kidnap and murder an Iraqi man...

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