War in Iraq

Two British soldiers and two police officers were killed in southern Afghanistan as thousands of troops have moved into Taliban strongholds ahead of August polls, officials said on Sunday. Afghan, US, British and Danish security forces are pushing into parts of Helmand, an opium-producing province where the militants have established a firm grip, in some of the largest operations since the Taliban's 2001 ouster. The forces have met with little resistance, although some 200 Marines have seen days of heavy fighting, commanders said, adding that many areas have been seeded with mines, a commonly used Taliban guerilla tactic. "The main aims of the operations ... Read Full Story

Armed men abducted 14 Afghan employees of a private mine clearing company contracted to the United Nations in Afghanistan, while two health workers were abducted separately, officials said Sunday. The mine clearers, employed by the Mine Detection and Dog Centre (MDC), were seized on Saturday as they were clearing mines in the eastern province Paktya, interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told a press conference. "Fourteen workers of MDC demining organisation who were busy serving the Afghan nation were kidnapped by unknown gunmen in Tandan area of Gardez pass," he said. No one claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Taliban militants as well as criminals have ... Read Full Story

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is to visit the United States from July 21, one of his advisers told AFP on Sunday, in a trip aimed at bolstering non-military cooperation. "He will meet UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in New York as well as President Barack Obama in Washington," said Yassin Majid, announcing the start of the visit of several days. US Vice President Joe Biden, whom Obama has appointed as his administration's pointman on Iraq, visited Baghdad at the start of July and urged Iraqi leaders to speed progress on its national reconciliation process. Biden has repeatedly voiced concern about lingering feuds between ... Read Full Story

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki called on Sunday for long-delayed local elections to be held in the ethnically divided northern oil hub of Kirkuk, a statement from his office said. "The government is trying to organise the election of the Kirkuk provincial council before the next parliamentary vote" which is due next January 31, Maliki said. "The Kirkuk problem cannot be resolved by force," the premier said in reply to questions emailed to his office by journalists, adding that he expected to visit the troubled province soon. Inter-communal tensions prevented the staging of provincial elections in Kirkuk last January 31, when the rest of ... Read Full Story

Iraqis are skeptical that much will change after last week's pullback of U.S. combat troops from Baghdad and other cities, a sentiment not shared by their government. The government declared the June 30 pullback National Sovereignty Day and celebrated it with a military parade and noisy street celebrations by Iraqi soldiers and police. But there was no spontaneous outpouring of joy by Iraqis since many of them did not see the move as significant, with some 130,000 U.S. troops remaining in the country. "The celebrations were contrived, almost like a farce," said Salman Hassan, who runs an electrical supplies store in eastern Baghdad. "The ... Read Full Story