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Stories related to: Iraq violence

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15 Stories

August 2008
- Sunni-Shiite Tensions Rattle Baghdad Nabes
  
  New York Times | Aug 24, 08 7:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Sectarian violence in Iraq may be on the wane, but bitter tension between Sunnis and Shiites continue to tear apart neighborhoods, the New York Times reports. Only 7,112 of the 151,000 families who left Baghdad to escape the bloodshed have returned, and poor rural Sunnis have moved into houses and neighborhoods abandoned by Shiites. Conflicts often erupt when original owners attempt to move back to their homes. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Baghdad • sectarian violence • Iraq violence
July 2008
- Obama's 'Modest But Real Step' Makes Good Iraq Sense
  
  Washington Post | Jul 8, 08 1:28 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Charging that the Democrat's position had become “outdated,” the Washington Post editorial board applauds Barack Obama’s recent promise to “refine” his Iraq policy after consulting with commanders. His previous “strident and rigid posture”—that all combat forces be withdrawn during his first 16 months in office—ignores the successes of the surge, they say, including drops in violence and expanding governmental control.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 »
  
  Tags
  
  Barack Obama • Iraq • troop withdrawal • surge • Iraq violence
June 2008
- Car Bomb Kills 51 at Baghdad Market
  
  Associated Press | Jun 17, 08 5:18 PM CDT
  
  (AP) - A car bomb tore through a market area in a mainly Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad today, killing more than 50 people and wounding dozens, officials said. It was the deadliest such attack in more than three months. Nobody claimed responsibility, but it bore the hallmarks of al-Qaeda in Iraq, which is known to use car bombs and suicide attacks. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • al-Qaeda • Baghdad • al-Qaeda in Iraq • Iraq violence • Iraq mess
- May Iraq Death Toll Lowest in 4 Years
  
  Associated Press | Jun 1, 08 8:05 AM CDT
  
  (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 »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • military • troop surge • Iraq exit strategy • al-Qaeda in Iraq • death toll • Iraq death toll • Iraq violence • military presence
March 2008
- Baghdad Blast Kills 5 US Troops
  
  BBC | Mar 10, 08 1:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Five American troops are dead after a suicide bomber struck today in the Mansour district of Baghdad, the BBC reports. The soldiers were patrolling a busy shopping center when a young man wearing an explosive vest engaged them in conversation shortly before detonating, said a military spokesman. Three other service members and an Iraqi interpreter were wounded in the blast. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Baghdad • suicide bombing • al-Qaeda in Iraq • surge • Iraq violence • Awakening Councils • al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia • female suicide bomber • Sunni leaders
February 2008
- Iraq Will Make or Break My Campaign: McCain
  
  New York Times | Feb 26, 08 5:40 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - John McCain flatly told reporters yesterday that if US policy in Iraq doesn't work, "I'll lose." But then he quickly asked to "retract" his "stark" pronouncement, adding that he hoped voters would also back him for his ability to run the economy as well as his positions on national security, reports the New York Times . More »
  
  Tags
  
  Barack Obama • John McCain • Hillary Clinton • Iraq • Iraq war • military • troop surge • Iraq violence
December 2007
- '07 a Deadly Year for Journalists
  
  Associated Press | Dec 18, 07 5:20 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - This year has been the deadliest for journalists in more than a decade, reports AP. A media watchdog group said yesterday that 64 journalists in 17 countries have died while covering the news. Most of the deaths—31—occurred in Iraq, which leads the list for the fifth year. "Working as a journalist in Iraq remains one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet," said a spokesman for the Committee to Protect Journalists. More »
  
  Tags
  
  reporter • Iraq violence • journalists killed • correspondent
- After 5 Years, Brits Hand Over Basra to Iraqis
  
  Reuters | Dec 16, 07 6:16 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Ending five years of British control in southern Iraq, the UK today handed over authority for the wealthy, populous Basra region to the Iraqi government. Residents greeted the handover with jubilation, but the responsibility for Basra—strategically located, an oil export hub and home of Iraq's only port—will prove a tough test for the Baghdad government, Reuters reports. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Iraq pullout • Basra • British troops • British military • Iraq violence
November 2007
- Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq
  
  Los Angeles Times | Nov 20, 07 7:24 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - A sharp drop in violence in Baghdad led Iraqi government officials to express confidence yesterday that the worst is over, reports the Los Angeles Times . While violence remains high, bombings, street fighting, and abductions are down, as are fears of a civil war. US officials urged Iraq's government to take advantage of the lull to get reforms and services in place. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq • Iraq war • Baghdad • insurgents • troop surge • Iraq violence • US embassy in Baghdad
October 2007
- US Forces Kill 49 in Sadr City
  
  Reuters | Oct 21, 07 1:13 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The US military said it killed 49 gunmen today in a Sadr City raid aimed at capturing an Iranian-linked rebel leader suspected of kidnapping coalition members and foreigners. But Iraqi witnesses pin the death toll at 13, including two toddlers, Reuters reports. Military officials were mum on whether the rogue Mehdi Army foreman was apprehended. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Iraq war • Mahdi Army • Iraq death toll • Sadr City • Iraq violence
- Iraqis Bring US Lawsuit Against Blackwater
  
  Reuters | Oct 11, 07 5:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Saying the security firm committed "extrajudicial killings and war crimes" in a Baghdad firefight, one injured man and the relatives of three other Iraqis killed last month are suing Blackwater in US federal court. An advocacy group filed the suit today, Reuters reports, seeking compensatory and punitive damages while saying the firm embraced a lawless corporate culture for the sake of profit. More »
  
  Tags
  
  lawsuit • shooting • Blackwater • contractors • Iraq violence • security firms
- Blackwater Owes $136M: Iraq
  
  Associated Press | Oct 8, 07 8:32 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Today Iraq told Bush to cut ties with Blackwater and then demanded that the firm pay $8 million for each victim in a recent shooting, the AP reports. Al-Maliki’s government also wants Bush to deliver Blackwater mercs to face possible justice in Iraq. Today’s demands stem from an Iraqi probe into a Sept. 17 Blackwater shooting, which Iraq says left 17 dead. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Blackwater • Iraq contractors • Iraq violence • private security firm
September 2007
- Blackwater Guard Kept Blasting 'After Call to Stop'
  
  New York Times | Sep 28, 07 11:16 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - At least one Blackwater security guard continued firing at Iraqis, despite colleagues' call to stop during the incendiary incident earlier this month that killed at least eight civilians, witnesses have told investigators. Another guard for the private security firm is said to have pointed his gun at a fellow employee who didn't stop firing, reports the New York Times. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Baghdad • investigation • Blackwater • Green Zone • Iraq violence • private security firm
- After Attack, Iraq Bans US Security Firm
  
  Associated Press | Sep 17, 07 11:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Iraqi government has revoked an American security contractor's license to do business in the country and is weighing criminal charges against employees who allegedly opened fire on civilians yesterday, the AP reports. Blackwater USA personnel were escorting a State Department convoy through Baghdad when they opened fire, killing eight civilians and wounding 13, an interior ministry spokesman said. More »
  
  Tags
  
  Baghdad • State Department • Blackwater • Iraq violence • security firms
- Gun Battle, Airstrikes in Baghdad Kill 14
  
  Los Angeles Times | Sep 6, 07 9:20 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - US and Iraqi forces backed by airstrikes clashed with suspected members of Shiite militias today in a gun battle that killed 14 Iraqis and wounded nine, reports the LA Times. US officials said soldiers were ambushed by more than a dozen rooftop gunmen, but a spokesman for anti-US cleric Muqtada Sadr called the airstrikes a ploy “to terrify innocent people.” More »
  
  Tags
  
  al-Qaeda • US military • Muqtada al-Sadr • Mahdi Army • airstrike • Iraq violence • Shiite insurgents