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Stories related to: Iraq Civil War

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15 Stories

October 2008
- Iraqi Christians Flee Murder Campaign
  
  AFP | Oct 11, 08 5:05 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Escalating anti-Christian violence has forced almost 1,000 families to flee the Iraqi city of Mosul, AFP reports. They are hiding in surrounding schools and churches after three homes were bombed in the city, a known al-Qaeda stronghold. The violence "is the fiercest campaign against the Christians since 2003," a provincial governor said. "Among those killed over the past 11 days were a doctor, an engineer and a handicapped person." More »
  
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  Mosul • Iraq Civil War • Christians in Iraq
August 2008
- Leaving Iraq, Petraeus Sees Gains as Fragile
  
  New York Times | Aug 21, 08 5:37 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - David Petraeus is leaving Iraq after 18 months, and by all measures the country is far safer than when he arrived. The "surge" of 30,000 extra American soldiers was bolstered by major domestic developments, from the Muqtada al-Sadr ceasefire to the rise of Sunni awakening councils. But in an interview with the New York Times , the departing general warned that "It’s not durable yet. It’s not self-sustaining." More »
  
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  Iraq • David Petraeus • Muqtada al-Sadr • surge • Iraq Civil War • Iraqi government • Sadrists • Petraeus Crocker plan
April 2008
- Sadr Threatens to End Truce
  
  CNN | Apr 8, 08 3:02 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr today threatened to end the cease-fire he imposed last year on his Mahdi militia, CNN reports, and called off a massive protest set for tomorrow, the fifth anniversary of the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule. Hundreds had converged on Baghdad—despite orders to keep young men out—before Sadr called off the event. More »
  
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  Iraq • US military • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Sunni • Mahdi Army • Saddam Hussein • Sadr City • Shia • Iraq Civil War • Sadrists
March 2008
- Iraqi Lawmakers to Meet as Violence Escalates
  
  Reuters | Mar 27, 08 9:45 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Iraqi lawmakers will hold an emergency session in Baghdad tomorrow to try to find a way to resolve the escalating violence in Basra and the capital, Reuters reports. Baghdad, its Green Zone rocked by steady rocket and mortar fire, is now under a three-day curfew, and the State Department ordered US personnel to stay indoors. Militias in Basra, meanwhile, stood their ground for a third straight day against Iraq's security forces. More »
  
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  Iraq • Baghdad • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Basra • Iraq Civil War • Sadrists
- Bush Praises Iraqi Offensive
  
  Associated Press | Mar 27, 08 4:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush praised the government of Iraq today for the offensive launched three days ago against militias in Basra, painting it as a sign of progress toward the goals of the US war, the AP reports. Bush also criticized Congress for calling for troop withdrawals so the military’s attention could be turned to anti-terrorism efforts elsewhere, such as Afghanistan. More »
  
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  Iraq • George W. Bush • Iraq war • Bush administration • Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Iraq exit strategy • Iraq pullout • Mahdi Army • Basra • Iraq government • Iraq Civil War • Iraq reconstruction • Iraq mess
- Sadrists Resist Crackdown, Demand Maliki's Ouster
  
  Reuters | Mar 27, 08 6:25 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Followers of Muqtada al-Sadr marched in Baghdad today, denouncing Nouri al-Maliki's US-backed government as non-representative, while the onslaught in Basra continued for a third day. Explosions were heard in the city every 10 to 15 minutes and more than 100 are already dead, Reuters reports. Residents of Iraq's second-largest city, the capital of oil production, have described the fighting as the worst since the 2003 US invasion. More »
  
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  Nouri al-Maliki • Muqtada al-Sadr • Basra • Iraq Civil War • Sadrists
- Ahmadinejad Calls on US to Quit Iraq
  
  CNN | Mar 3, 08 5:10 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - As he headed home after his historic visit to Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized the American occupation, CNN reports. “No one likes them," the provocative Iranian president said of the US-led coalition. "We believe that the forces which crossed oceans and thousands of kilometers to come to this region should leave this region and hand over the affairs to the peoples and government of this region." More »
  
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  Iraq war • Iran • Nouri al-Maliki • Mahmoud Ahmadinejad • State Department • Iraq government • Iraq Civil War • Iran war
December 2007
- Al-Qaeda In Iraq Down 75%, Baghdad Says
  
  Associated Press | Dec 29, 07 5:23 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Al-Qaeda in Iraq is down 75%, one Baghdad official said today—but US Gen. David Petraeus maintained that al-Qaeda is still “the most significant challenge" facing the country. Maj. Gen. Abdul Kareem Khalaf attributed the alleged al-Qaeda cut to beefed Iraq security, armed Sunni fighters, and the recent US troop surge. More »
  
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  Iraq • al-Qaeda • David Petraeus • insurgents • American troops • Sunnis • Iraq Civil War • Iraqi soldiers
- Gates Predicts Steady Iraq Withdrawals
  
  Chicago Tribune | Dec 21, 07 3:17 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today the US is on track to have 100,000 troops, or 10 brigades, in Iraq by the end of the Bush administration, the Chicago Tribune reports. Recent security gains in Iraq have allowed Gen. David Petraeus to begin to enact his plan of removing one brigade a month from the current level of 158,000. More »
  
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  Iraq • Iraq war • Bush administration • David Petraeus • Robert Gates • Iraq Civil War
- Rice Pops Up in Iraq to Plead for Peace
  
  Reuters | Dec 18, 07 4:49 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Iraq for a surprise visit today to plead for increased efforts at reconciliation, Reuters reports. She flew into the ethnically mixed northern city of Kirkuk—which some expect to be the next flashpoint for violence. The city's Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen are deeply divided, and fears of fighting have delayed a planned vote on the city's future status. More »
  
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  Iraq • Condoleezza Rice • State Department • Kurds • Iraq Civil War • Kirkuk
- Iraq Splinters as Surge Quells Violence
  
  Los Angeles Times | Dec 10, 07 2:21 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The US troop surge has stemmed the bloodshed of Iraq's civil war but has failed in its other key objective of rebuilding the fragmented country into a cohesive nation. Ten months into the surge, Iraq has further splintered into sectarian strongholds run by warlords and militias, while the government's bickering factions spin their wheels, the LA Times reports. More »
  
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  Iraq • Iraq war • Baghdad • Green Zone • Shiite militia • Iraq Civil War • Iraqi interim government
- Key Iraqi Police Chief Killed
  
  Christian Science Monitor | Dec 9, 07 2:17 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Qais al-Mamouri, a major US ally respected for his non-sectarian work as police chief in violent Babil province, was killed today by a roadside bomb, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Five successive explosions ripped through al-Mamouri’s US-issued SUV, killing him and two others. Less than an hour earlier a US general had held a press conference to sing al-Mamouri’s praises. More »
  
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  Iraq • al-Qaeda • roadside bomb • Shiite militia • Iraq Civil War
September 2007
- US Nabs Sunni Sheik's Assassin
  
  AFP | Sep 17, 07 2:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An al-Qaeda operative suspected of murdering a key American ally in Iraq was captured yesterday by the US military. The suspect organized car and suicide bombings targeting tribal leaders in Anbar province, including the blast last that killed Sheik Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, a Sunni leader and major enemy of al-Qaeda, according to officials. More »
  
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  Iraq • Sunni • al-Qaeda in Iraq • Iraq Civil War • Abdul Sattar Abu Risha
- Iraq Civilian Deaths Hit 1.2M
  
  Los Angeles Times | Sep 14, 07 5:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A UK polling firm has put the Iraqi civilian death toll at an alarming 1.2 million. Though the US claims sectarian violence casualties have halved since June, neither they nor the Iraqi government maintains a tally of civilian losses, the Los Angeles Times reports. But both call the study’s number exaggerated. More »
  
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  Iraq • death toll • sectarian violence • civilian casualties • Iraq Civil War
- Shiites Force Sunnis From Baghdad
  
  Newsweek | Sep 4, 07 3:09 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Shiites have been clearing Baghdad of Sunnis at an accelerating rate, and those who remain live under siege. Curbing sectarian cleansing was a key goal of the US troop surge, but the forced migration has only intensified throughout the country, Newsweek reports: The ranks of internally displaced persons have doubled to 1.1 million this year. More »
  
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  Baghdad • troop surge • Muqtada al-Sadr • Shiite • Sunni • sectarian violence • Iraq Civil War