Sunni leaders

8 Stories

13 Assassinated Outside Baghdad

Al-Qaeda blamed for killing of Sunni politician and family

(Newser) - The killing of 13 men and boys west of Baghdad over the weekend has sparked fears of a fresh eruption in sectarian fighting. The victims, including a Sunni politician and several of his relatives, were snatched from their homes and shot by men in Iraqi army uniforms, according to authorities....

Sunnis Rejoin Iraqi Parliament
 Sunnis Rejoin Iraqi Parliament 

Sunnis Rejoin Iraqi Parliament

Bloc split off last year over power sharing; ministry appointments helped patch rift

(Newser) - The Sunni Arab bloc of Iraq's Parliament returned from a year-long absence today, Reuters reports, as the government approved several Sunni ministerial candidates. The move is a major breakthrough for national reconciliation; "It is a real step forward for political reform,"  a senior lawmaker in the bloc...

Syria Remains Key for Foreign Fighters in Iraq: US

90% of Iraq's foreign fighters come across neighbor's borders, new report contends

(Newser) - Syria is a key jumping-off point for foreign militants in Iraq, with 90% entering through the Syrian border, the Pentagon reported yesterday. “It is not clear that Syria has made a strategic decision to deal with foreign terrorists using Syria as a transit point,” the report notes. Meanwhile,...

Baghdad Blast Kills 5 US Troops
Baghdad Blast Kills 5 US Troops

Baghdad Blast Kills 5 US Troops

Leader of Sunni Awakening killed in separate suicide attack

(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...

Ahmadinejad to Visit Iraq
Ahmadinejad
to Visit Iraq

Ahmadinejad to Visit Iraq

First-ever trip by an Iranian prez upsets Sunnis, poses security risk to hosts

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will fly to Baghdad Sunday to meet with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, the first state visit ever by an Iranian president, the BBC reports. Sunni Iraqi leaders expressed outrage over the visit, which also comes a day after the US claimed further evidence of Iranian meddling in the...

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US
6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US

6,000 Iraqi Sunnis Vow to Aid US

Iraqi civilian forces help decrease violence as refugees return home

(Newser) - Almost 6,000 Sunni Arab civilians in Iraq turned against Al-Qaeda yesterday and signed a pact to help US forces police possible insurgent escape routes. As insurgents seek to gain a foothold in the semi-autonomous north, American officials hailed the alliance, which is the Iraq war’s largest single volunteer...

Sunni Chiefs Killed in Iraq Suicide Bomb

5 leaders in fight against al-Qaeda in Diyala province dead in blast

(Newser) - A suicide bomber detonated his vest in a meeting yesterday of anti-al-Qaeda Sunni chiefs, killing five leaders in the battle to drive al-Qaeda from Diyala province, in central Iraq. The bomb went off in the home of Sheikh Faez al-Obeidi, 30 miles north of Baghdad; killed were the sheikh and...

Shiite al-Sadr Reaches Out to Sunni Rivals

Switch in tactics aims at hastening US withdrawal

(Newser) - In a dramatic shift in tacttics, Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is reaching out to rival Sunni leaders in Iraq, and purging radical elements of his own militia, the Washington Post reports. With Sunni insurgents making moves to distance themselves from al-Qaeda, Sadr sees an opportunity for a cross-sectarian political alliance,...

8 Stories
Most Read on Newser