Iraq – News Stories About Iraq - Page 66

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...

Iraq Casualties Spike
After Massive Bombings

Mar 1, 2008 2:54 PM CST

Iraq Casualties Spike After Massive Bombings

Killings up sharply since January, but still down from previous year

(Newser) - Iraq’s civilian casualties rose 36% in February, with 633 suffering violent deaths and another 701 wounded, the Iraqi government reported today. That's up from 466 dead in January. The spike reflects three extraordinarily bloody bombings, including pet market bombings in early February that killed 99, and a suicide bombing...

What Obama Promises, McCain Delivers

OPINION

Feb 29, 2008 6:48 PM CST

What Obama Promises, McCain Delivers

Voters must guard against letting stars in their eyes blind them

(Newser) - The international press corps is so seduced by Barack Obama and so disgusted by John McCain that neither man can live up to his reputation, London Times US editor Gerard Baker writes. The “grown men wandering the corridors of London, Brussels and Berlin, crooning” about Obama are the same...

Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq

Feb 29, 2008 8:57 AM CST

Turkey Pulls Out of N. Iraq

Says it made its point to the PKK

(Newser) - Turkey pulled its troops out of northern Iraq today, ending a controversial offensive that had Washington and Baghdad on edge, Reuters reports. In a statement, Turkey said it had made its point. “There was no question of completely liquidating” the PKK, the military said, “but Turkey has shown...

Sunni Fighters Growing Tired
of US Neglect

Feb 28, 2008 12:06 PM CST

Sunni Fighters Growing Tired of US Neglect

Disputed killings, lack of support weakens plan to reduce violence

(Newser) - The mostly Sunni volunteer forces that have drastically improved Iraq’s security are losing patience with US handlers, the Washington Post reports. Desertions are under way in key provinces over lack of resources, political disagreements, and disputed accounts of US troops killing members of the so-called Sunni Awakening. “Now,...

Bush Urges Congress
to Pass Surveillance Bill

UPDATED

Feb 28, 2008 9:29 AM CST

Bush Urges Congress to Pass Surveillance Bill

Threat growing as House holds up bill over immunity for telecoms, prez charges

(Newser) - President Bush urged Congress this morning to pass an update to the terrorist surveillance bill that expired more than a week ago, CNN reports. Bush said the delay poses "a risk of opening a gap in our intelligence gathering." The bill stalled in the House over a provision...

Turkey Gives
No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

Feb 27, 2008 1:35 PM CST

Turkey Gives No Timetable on Iraq Withdrawal

US, Iraq want quick end to incursion aimed at Kurd rebels

(Newser) - Despite mounting casualties and outside pressure, Turkey said today it would not give a timetable on pulling back troops from an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq, Reuters reports. Turkish soldiers have killed 230 PKK guerillas since the conflict began, and lost 24 of their own. Iraqi and US officials...

British Hostage Appears on
Arab Television

Feb 27, 2008 10:27 AM CST

British Hostage Appears on Arab Television

One of 5 missing since May asks for prisoner exchange

(Newser) - One of the five British men kidnapped in Baghdad eight months ago appeared on Arab television last night, begging Prime Minister Gordon Brown to free nine Iraqi prisoners in exchange for the Britons. “Release their people so that we can go home. It’s as simple as that,"...

Army to Shorten Combat Tours

Feb 27, 2008 7:40 AM CST

Army to Shorten Combat Tours

Three years between deployments

(Newser) - The Pentagon aims to trim tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan from 15 months to a year with an eventual three years between deployments, the Army's top general told the Senate Committee on Armed Services yesterday. The change will be made after the military reduces troop levels this summer,...

Poll: McCain Would Beat Either Dem

Feb 27, 2008 5:11 AM CST

Poll: McCain Would Beat Either Dem

Voters put GOP frontrunner way ahead on experience, war

(Newser) - Likely GOP nominee John McCain would give either Democratic rival a tough fight, according to the latest Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll . The poll puts McCain ahead of Hillary Clinton 46% to 40%, and leading Barack Obama 44% to 42%. Voters give the Vietnam vet far higher marks in experience and...

US Didn't Protest Turkish Incursion Into Iraq

Feb 26, 2008 10:26 AM CST

US Didn't Protest Turkish Incursion Into Iraq

White House told far in advance of ground assault

(Newser) - As fierce fighting continues in northern Iraq, American officials have confirmed they were aware that Turkey planned to strike at Kurdish guerrillas inside the border—and didn't raise objections, the Wall Street Journal reports. The US did, however, urge Turkey to limit the length and scope of the incursion. "...

8,000 Surge Troops to Stay Put

Feb 26, 2008 6:38 AM CST

8,000 Surge Troops to Stay Put

More than a quarter of surge troops ordered to stick it out

(Newser) - More than a quarter of the extra troops sent to Iraq during the surge will stay in the war zone and not return to the US this summer as previously planned, the Pentagon has revealed. Some 8,000 of the 30,000 surge troops—including helicopter crews, supply units, headquarters...

Iraq Will Make or Break My Campaign: McCain

Feb 26, 2008 5:40 AM CST

Iraq Will Make or Break My Campaign: McCain

Says he'll lose if surge fails—then back pedals

(Newser) - John McCain flatly told reporters yesterday that if US policy in Iraq doesn't work, "I'll lose." But then he quickly asked to "retract" his "stark" pronouncement, adding that he hoped voters would also back him for his ability to run the economy as well as...

Marines Demand Probe
Into Armor Delay

Feb 26, 2008 4:48 AM CST

Marines Demand Probe Into Armor Delay

Blast resistant vehicles 'could have cut deaths in half'

(Newser) - The US Marine Corps has asked the Department of Defense to investigate delays obtaining vehicles with blast-resistant armor for combat units in Iraq. An internal USMC memo claims the money needed for the vehicles, which could have cut deaths from roadside bombings by 50%, was diverted to other projects, reports...

Attacks on Shiite Pilgrims Jeopardize Sadr Ceasefire

Feb 25, 2008 10:58 AM CST

Attacks on Shiite Pilgrims Jeopardize Sadr Ceasefire

Bombings continue with wheelchair attack

(Newser) - A wave of violence against Shiite pilgrims continued today, with at least seven dying in a pair of roadside bombings, and nerves fraying over an unpopular ceasefire. Shiites are observing one of their most sacred holidays despite a spate of attacks—today's plus at least three yesterday—that are straining...

Woodruff Fights for Words

Feb 25, 2008 10:40 AM CST

Woodruff Fights for Words

Wounded ABC newsman describes continuing struggle

(Newser) - When ABC's Bob Woodruff reported recently from North Korea, he appeared fully recovered from horrific head injuries he suffered in Iraq. In fact, he has a lingering disorder that could have ended his career as a journalist. He discusses working with expressive aphasia, a struggle to remember words, with Christine...