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.
Unknown attackers on Wednesday broke into a house and slit the throats of two women in a brutal Iraqi killing in which four other people including a teenage girl were gunned down, police said. The incident occurred in Mashada, 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of Baghdad, and, although the motive was unclear, a police officer based in nearby Tarmiyah said the victims may have been the targets of an "honour killing." "Some of the men killed were members of the Sahwa (Awakening)," a militia... Read Full Story
Top civil servants were grilled Wednesday over fears Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction -- used to support the 2003 invasion but never borne out -- at a British inquiry into the conflict. On day two of public hearings in London, senior officials revealed they had found some evidence of contact between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, but that this had scaled down after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. They also addressed an infamous claim by Britain's government in 2002... Read Full Story
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and U.N. officials have proposed solutions to Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president to stop him vetoing for a second time a law needed for an election to take place next year, an official said on Wednesday. Seen as a milestone for Iraq's fledgling democracy as it emerges from sectarian war set off by the 2003 U.S. invasion, the vote is likely to be delayed past its due date in January, possibly affecting U.S. plans for a partial pullout next year. The proposals to resolve... Read Full Story
Top civil servants were grilled on Wednesday over fears Iraq was developing weapons of mass destruction -- used to support the 2003 invasion but never borne out -- at an inquiry into the conflict. On day two of public hearings in London, senior officials revealed they had found some evidence of contact between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, but that this had scaled down after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. They also addressed an infamous claim by Britain's government in 2002 that... Read Full Story
SANAA (Reuters) - Around 200 protesters gathered outside the Iranian embassy in the Yemeni capital on Wednesday, shouting slogans against what Yemen says is Iranian backing for northern rebels. The group of 200 chanted slogans such as "No to the plot of Persian expansion" and "Yemen will remain free and independent" and called for the expulsion of Iran's ambassador. Though the protest was organized by a non-governmental group, such events are unlikely to take place without official sanction... Read Full Story
Keeping up With IED Tactics
From Popular Science:
Roadside bombings are, unfortunately, a part of daily life for troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, and almost every day the military captures surveillance footage of improvised explosive devices being set and detonated. Rather than letting the footage languish, a joint team of counter-IED experts is quickly flipping the footage into video game-like simulations that make training drills as versatile and flexible as the troops themselves... Read Full Story
In May 2009 the Iraqi government took full responsibility for the payment of 95,000 Sons of Iraq (SOI). The SOI were put together by the United States when Sunni tribesmen and insurgents felt squeezed by the Shiite militias, Al Qaeda in Iraq, and U.S. forces. The Sunnis were willing to switch sides to forestall their annihilation, and hold on to what they had left. In 2008 Baghdad agreed to take control of the program from the United States, integrating 20% into the security forces, and... Read Full Story
KHAR, Pakistan News : Authorities on Tuesday imposed a curfew in Bajaur Agency after deadly clashes with the Taliban amid rising violence away from the battlefield of a major army assault, officials said.
Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in Khar, the main town of the Bajaur Agency.
“The crossfire continued for three hours. Six militants were killed in retaliatory fire,” Adalat Khan, a local government official said.
“Two civilians were also killed and four, including two... Read Full Story
Two Sunni religious leaders were killed in and around the Iraqi capital on Tuesday by magnetic bombs attached to their cars, security officials said. In one attack, the imam of the Arkam ibn Arkam mosque in the southern Baghdad neighbourhood of Dora was killed by a so-called "sticky bomb" as he was driving to the mosque, police and army officers said on condition of anonymity. The other attack killed Sheikh Ahmad Mihemdi, imam of Saqlawiyah mosque, around 50 kilometres (35 miles) west of... Read Full Story
The United States upped pressure on Iraqi politicians on Tuesday to reach a deal on holding elections as Washington seeks to avoid delays on the pullout of thousands of troops from the country. With President Barack Obama already grappling with whether to send more soldiers to Afghanistan, the US ambassador to Iraq warned against "slippage" in staging the country's election, which has been threatened with delays by a stalled electoral law. Meanwhile, Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi... Read Full Story
