Iraqi security forces

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Iraqi Military: Forces Are 'Coming to Liberate You'

Country prepares for a 'final offensive' against ISIS

(Newser) - The Iraqi military says it's preparing a final offensive to push ISIS out of the last scrap of territory it still holds in the country. Joint Operations Command in Baghdad says the air force dropped flyers reading "Your security forces are now coming to liberate you" over ISIS-held...

A First: No US Deaths in Iraq in August

Iraqi crackdown, US strikes helped

(Newser) - As the US approaches its end-of-year deadline for withdrawing all troops from Iraq, August saw a milestone: It was the first month since the US-led invasion began in March 2003 that saw no American military deaths. The previous record was one soldier death in December 2010, and a military spokesperson...

Iraqis Attempt to Arrest US Soldiers After Shooting

(Newser) - The rift between American and Iraqi forces got a lot wider after a shooting incident in Baghdad this week, the Washington Post reports. When insurgents attacked their convoy Tuesday, US forces pursued them through alleys, and raided several houses, killing two men and a boy. An Iraqi commander ordered the...

Iraqis Celebrate 'Sovereignty Day' as US Pulls Back

Maliki declares June 30 'National Sovereignty Day'

(Newser) - Iraqi forces have assumed formal control of security in Baghdad and other cities after US combat troops withdrew from urban areas. A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for combat troops to pull back. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has declared a public...

Man in Iraqi Uniform Kills 2 US Soldiers

3 others wounded in Mosul attack

(Newser) - A man in an Iraqi army uniform shot and killed two US soldiers and injured three others just outside Mosul today, Reuters reports. The attacker was killed in the firefight as well, initial reports say. An Iraqi police lieutenant-colonel said the man was an Iraqi soldier who also served as...

Iraqis Wrap Up Voting Amid Relative Calm

That this is worth reporting is deeply sad and also deeply funny

(Newser) - Iraq’s first provincial election went off more or less smoothly today. Though three mortar shells landed near one polling place, no one was injured or killed, Reuters reports, and polls closed without any other major incidents. Turnout appeared strong, even in places like Anbar province, a Sunni-dominated area that...

Forces Key to Iraq Security Lose Steam as US Hands Off

Shiite government isn't incorporating Sunni Sons of Iraq, or, worse, hunting them down

(Newser) - As Iraq's Shia-led government assumes greater control of security, US soldiers fear the sudden disintegration of the 54,000-strong Sunni force that had been key to improving conditions there, the Washington Post reports. The government has pledged to hire 20% of the so-called Sons of Iraq, but that still leaves...

Iraq Backs Barack, Despite Pullout Fears

Many alarmed by Obama's troop withdrawal timetable

(Newser) - Barack Obama is widely popular in Iraq, despite deep concerns about his plans to withdraw American troops, reports the New York Times. Iraqis around the country expressed admiration for Obama and believe he would be a major improvement over President Bush—but also worry that his proposed 16-month withdrawal timetable...

Dead Soldiers Beef Up Iraqis' Troop Count

US audit says many in special forces aren't actually serving

(Newser) - The number of men in Iraq's security forces is estimated to be a healthy 530,000. Trouble is, a "substantial number" of them are injured, dead, or AWOL, a new government audit says. The review casts doubt on Pentagon reports about Iraqi capabilities and questions Baghdad's ability to train...

1,000 Iraqis Deserted Basra Battle

Officers and men fled or balked as government battled militias

(Newser) - Desertions from Iraqi forces during last week's Basra battles have raised fresh doubts about the effectiveness of the country's US-trained security forces, the New York Times reports. Over 1,000 soldiers and policemen—including dozens of officers—either deserted or refused to fight. The US has linked American troop withdrawals...

Iraqis Vow to Take Charge Despite Bombings

Authorities lock down Amara with vehicle ban

(Newser) - Iraqi officials confirmed yesterday that they will take over security from exiting British troops in Basra, despite the triple car bomb explosions that claimed as many as 41 lives yesterday in nearby Amara. Local authorities had only recently taken over control of the city from the British military, and multiple...

Guards Kill Baghdad Taxi Driver
Guards Kill Baghdad
Taxi Driver
Nov 12, 2007 10:05 AM CST

Guards Kill Baghdad Taxi Driver

Workers for security contractor accused of unprovoked slaying

(Newser) - A convoy run by American security contractor DynCorp International shot and killed an Iraqi taxi driver on a Baghdad roadside Saturday, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said yesterday. “They just killed a man and drove away,” said a spokesman. Witnesses said the driver posed no apparent threat; an Iraqi...

Iraqi Police Force Should Be 'Scrapped'

Infighting, corruption force recommendation that US 'start over'

(Newser) - Corruption and sectarian biases are so deeply entrenched in the Iraqi police ranks that the force's structure must be “scrapped,” an independent panel will report to Congress next week. The recommendation stems from an examination of the 26,000-member police force that concludes “we should start over,...

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