Bombings Kill 31 in Baghdad, Mosul

(NEWSER) - A series of bomb attacks in Baghdad and Mosul killed at least 41 people today and raised fears of a new upsurge in sectarian violence, the BBC reports. In Mosul, where an attack on a Shia mosque killed 40 people Friday, a double truck bomb killed 25 people in a Shia community. In Baghdad, construction workers were targeted with a pair of bombs that killed at least seven. Iraqis are reportedly losing faith in the government's ability to protect them under the new security deal. 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»

Despite deadline, US may keep forces in some Iraqi cities

(NEWSER) - The US and Iraq are negotiating exceptions to the June 30 deadline for withdrawing combat troops from Iraqi cities, reports the New York Times. While the US military will leave most cities and towns by the deadlines, troops may remain in Mosul, the northern city critical to al-Qaeda in Iraq, as well as in some parts of Baghdad. More»

Explosion comes day after US says attacks have plummeted

(AP) - A car bomb exploded near a crowded market in a mainly Shiite area of Baghdad today, killing as many as 20 people, Iraqi officials said, in the sixth major attack in Iraq this month. The blast occurred a day after the US military said overall attacks nationwide have fallen to levels equal to the early months of the war. More»

Joint Chiefs chairman still wants US withdrawal tied to security situation

(NEWSER) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is "comfortable" with the new US-Iraq security pact scheduling the start of an American troop pullout next year, but believes some major hurdles still exist, the Washington Post reports. Admiral Michael Mullen cautioned that the US has huge amounts of equipment and thousands of troops within the country, and it will likely take up to three years to get everything out of the nation safely. More»