Whether it is a civil war, insurgent violence, an unjust war, or a war on terror - no one argues that there is a "war" in Iraq. Track the latest news and share opinions about what should be done to curb violence.
Iranian troops remained within Iraq's borders on Monday despite having withdrawn from an oil well along the two countries' disputed frontier, a local politician told AFP. Oil ministry spokesman Assem Jihad, meanwhile, said the oil well had not yet been developed, and no Iraqis had worked to extract crude from it before Iran took it over last week. "The Iranians withdrew from the well and took down the Iranian flag," Mayssam Lafta, the Maysan provincial council member charged with security... Read Full Story
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed a local leader in northern Iraq on Monday, police said, the latest attack in an area where al Qaeda remains a threat. The bomber detonated an explosive vest as leaders from the town of Tal Afar, about 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad in Nineveh province, were leaving a funeral, police said. Hussein Akris, an independent politician who heads the Tal Afar governing council, was killed in the attack, according to Abdul Rahim al-Shimmari... Read Full Story
A British soldier has been shot and killed in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said Monday, in what officials said could have been the result of friendly fire. The soldier from The Royal Military Police "was killed as a result of small arms fire that happened in the Sangin area, in central Helmand province, during the evening of December 20, 2009", the ministry said. A later statement added that "there is a possibility that the latest death in Afghanistan was caused as a result... Read Full Story
Iraq's prime minister opened a landmark visit to Egypt on Sunday in what aides described as an ambitious attempt to improve relations with one of the Arab world's most powerful players. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's last visit to Egypt was in 2007 as part of an international conference to discuss his war-ravaged country's future. But this visit was designed specifically for meetings with Egyptian officials. A statement posted on the prime minister's Web site following his arrival in Egypt... Read Full Story
SANAA (Reuters) - Yemeni Shi'ite Muslim rebels said Saudi air attacks on northern Yemen killed 54 people on Sunday, many of them women and children. The rebels, who often report attacks by Yemeni and Saudi fighter planes, said on their website that the strikes destroyed five houses in the town of Razeh, in mountainous Saada province where they are based. The report could not be verified as aid workers and media have limited access to the conflict zones, and there was no immediate Saudi... Read Full Story
Police and health officials in the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar say a suicide bomber killed a local council member and three of his guards. A police officer in the city says the leader of the local council was driving in a nine-vehicle convoy when a suicide bomber walked up to the convoy and blew himself up Monday. A doctor at a local hospital confirmed the account. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Tal Afar is about 90 miles (150... Read Full Story
Iranian troops who for three days controversially occupied a disputed border oil well left the facility during the night but remain on Iraqi soil, Iraq's government spokesman said Sunday. "The Iranian forces have pulled back 50 metres (yards) from the well and have taken their flag but we now demand they return to where they have come from and that negotiations begin on the demarcation of the border," said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. A senior Iraqi security official, who declined to... Read Full Story
The district council chief of the northern Iraqi town of Tal Afar and one of his guards were killed in a suicide bombing on Monday, police said. "Hussein Ekraysh was killed today when a suicide bomber targeted his car by detonating his explosives belt," police Major Akram Khalil said. "He was returning to his home after offering his condolences to the family of a policeman killed in Mosul two days earlier." In addition to the deaths of Ekraysh, a Turkman, and his bodyguard, three other... Read Full Story
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called for stronger economic ties with Egypt during a visit to Cairo on Sunday, the official MENA news agency reported. Maliki met with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Nazif, with whom he discussed "means to promote economic, trade and investment ties," MENA said. The two premiers also discussed Egypt's efforts in helping rebuild Iraqi infrastructure. Ahead of the visit, Maliki told Egyptian television he wanted to "invite Egypt to participate in Iraq's... Read Full Story
Islamic militants fired mortars into Mogadishu's police compound as the force was celebrating its 66th anniversary Sunday, sparking a battle that killed at least 12 civilians and a police officer, officials said. One police officer was killed and three others were wounded in the fighting, which began after the mortar landed near the compound during the ceremony, police offical Aden Ahmed said. He said that government soldiers and the African Union forces returned fire, shelling Mogadishu's... Read Full Story
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