Car Bomb Kills 15 in Iraq

Dozens wounded; explosions end weeks of relative peace

(NEWSER) - Bombs struck more than a dozen Iraqi cities this morning, killing 56 and wounding dozens more. The coordinated explosions mark the first major violence in a comparatively peaceful month of Ramadan, the AP notes; the violence comes as as officials debate whether to maintain a US presence in the country beyond the end of the year. More»

Roadside bomb follows car bomb in city north of Baghdad

(AP) - Double blasts from a car bomb and a roadside bombing at a parking lot outside a city council building north of Baghdad killed at least 35 people today, Iraqi police and hospital officials said. The attack started when insurgents first detonated a car bomb around noon in the parking lot of the local council building in Taji, a Sunni-dominated town about 12 miles from Baghdad. That blast was followed by a roadside bomb that went off as civilians and security forces gathered to help the victims from the first explosion. More»

Iraqi deaths down 75% from this time last year

(AP) - The monthly US toll in Iraq fell to its lowest point since the war began, with 10 American deaths recorded as July drew to a close today. Iraqis also are dying at dramatically lower numbers in the sixth year of the war. July saw the lowest civilian toll since December 2005, the AP reports. More»

Sticking to withdrawal policy ignores facts on the ground

(NEWSER) - Charging that the Democrat's position had become “outdated,” the Washington Post editorial board applauds Barack Obama’s recent promise to “refine” his Iraq policy after consulting with commanders. His previous “strident and rigid posture”—that all combat forces be withdrawn during his first 16 months in office—ignores the successes of the surge, they say, including drops in violence and expanding governmental control. More»

(NEWSER) - The death toll in Iraq plunged in May, with 21 US military dead the lowest monthly figure in more than 4 years. Iraqi civilians and troopers also saw a decline, with 532 deaths in May, compared with 1,080 the month before. But in the absence of lasting political agreements, many fear this signals a breathing spell in violence rather than the start of a longer trend. More»