Iraq Cracks Down on US-Allied Sunni Fighters

Death of insurgents leaves female relatives feeling suicide is their only option

(NEWSER) - Female suicide bombings are on the rise in Iraq's restive Diyala province, the New York Times reports, and success in combating al-Qaeda may be the cause. Many local insurgents have been killed or detained, leaving their surviving female relatives with little hope for the future. They often come under great pressure to give their own lives for the cause. More»

Violence rampant thanks to political crisis

(NEWSER) - Iraq has experienced a surge in violence since US troops left the country last month, with 327 people dying in explosions or assassinations by the Iraqi Ministry's official count. Bombings have hit Baghdad neighborhoods , Shiite pilgrims , and Sunni police, among other targets. "They are not arbitrary attacks. They are sending messages that security is not under control," one Baghdad analyst tells the Washington Post . In part, they reflect the sectarian political crisis that erupted as soon as the US left. More»

Sunnis are quitting 'Awakening Councils' for al-Qaeda

(NEWSER) - A wave of Sunni fighters whose alliance with the United States has been critical in turning the insurgent tide in Iraq have rejoined al-Qaeda, or are acting as double agents, finds the New York Times . Though the number of defections is unclear, several hundred members of the Awakening Councils have either quit or been dismissed in recent months. Many have fallen prey to an intense recruitment campaign aimed at getting members to switch sides. More»

(NEWSER) - The Iraq government has tightly restricted the movements and activities of American troops remaining in cities, and some commanders blame the restrictions for a rise in attacks, the Washington Post. The day after Iraqis celebrated the pullback of US troops to outside cities, Iraq ordered the US military to cease all joint patrols in Baghdad, and move resupply convoys only at night. Military officials say they have been prevented from fully responding to attacks on US forces still engaged in training Iraqis. More»

(NEWSER) - As the US military prepares to withdraw from Iraq's cities, security officials in both countries have observed that a smaller but more lethal insurgency seems to be gaining ground. Several recent bombings, believed to be orchestrated by al-Qaeda in Iraq, have killed 123 people in Baghdad and elsewhere, while members of the Sunni Awakening Movement have faced assassination attempts. As the New York Times reports, the attacks are a reminder of instability in a country that has been relatively peaceful of late. More»