Student Rape-Murder Gang Shuts Iraq U

First major violence after US troop pullout rattles Iraq

(NEWSER) - At least 63 people have been killed as powerful explosions ripped Baghdad early today in the first major violence in Iraq since US troops left. Nearly 200 people were wounded as bombers believed linked to Al-Qaeda in Iraq targeted schools, grocery stores and government buildings, reports the New York Times . The attacks come amid increasing upset in Iraq's fledgling government as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki threatens to abandon a government power-sharing arrangement. Observers fear that worsening relationships among the ethnic groups will inspire further terrorism that will plunge the country into chaos. More»

Concerns persist despite Nouri Maliki's promises of reform

(NEWSER) - Beatings, sexual violence, cells that stink of human waste, prisoners jammed six to a cell and suffering from skin rashes: These are the stories coming out of an Iraqi detention center where detainees are said to be held for months without a trial—despite Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s promises of reform. The Green Zone jail, known as Camp Honor, is run by a unit that Maliki’s office oversees, and sources say the unit restricts prisoners’ access to lawyers and family—and some have been held for as long as two years. More»

Human Rights Watch details abuses

(NEWSER) - They were hung by their feet and whipped, suffocated with plastic bags. If they passed out, they were revived with electrical shocks to the genitals. That's just a taste of the horrors prisoners describe in Human Rights Watch's report on the recently revealed Iraqi-run secret prison in Baghdad, where suspected Sunni militants were sent without due process, according to the New York Times . “Abu Ghraib was a picnic” compared to this place, said an influential Sunni leader. More»

US officials say spate of violence won't affect withdrawal plan

(NEWSER) - Robert Gates flew to Baghdad today for an unannounced visit, finding a city still reeling from the bombings that killed at least 127 people on Tuesday. The defense secretary is scheduled to meet with Nouri al-Maliki and other top officials, and to offer condolences to victims of the attacks. He’ll also praise Iraq’s leaders on their new election law and urge them to form a new government quickly to avoid instability. More»

(NEWSER) - High-level officials of Joe Biden's caliber usually stay in places like Iraq for a few hours, max. Biden, however, is now gearing up for the second day of his surprise visit. No wonder: In his new role as a sort of unofficial envoy to the nation, Biden has no small task as he tries to prod Iraqi officials to resolve internal fights over how to share power and oil revenues, the New York Times reports. More»