Iraq pullout

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

What's the US to Do After Exiting Iraq? Stay in Kuwait

13.5K soldiers will help secure the region: report

(Newser) - The US has no combat force in Iraq and a wary eye on Iran: What's a nervous country to do? Maintain a force in neighboring Kuwait, apparently. The AP obtained an advance copy of a congressional report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, set to be released today, that...

US Will Halve Vast Iraq Embassy

Officials cite Iraqi obstructionism, mutual suspicion for thwarting mission

(Newser) - The United States' hulking $750 million Baghdad embassy is home to 16,000 staff and carries a $6 billion price tag annually—and it's about to get slashed in half in the wake of US troops' departure, reports the New York Times . It's quite the about-face for the...

With US Gone, Iraq Explodes
 With US Gone, Iraq Explodes 

With US Gone, Iraq Explodes

Violence rampant thanks to political crisis

(Newser) - Iraq has experienced a surge in violence since US troops left the country last month, with 327 people dying in explosions or assassinations by the Iraqi Ministry's official count. Bombings have hit Baghdad neighborhoods , Shiite pilgrims , and Sunni police, among other targets. "They are not arbitrary attacks. They...

Iraq Detaining US Contractors
 Iraq Detaining US Contractors 

Iraq Detaining US Contractors

Country is flexing muscles after troop withdrawal: NYT

(Newser) - Many foreign contractors—possibly hundreds, and including Americans who work for the US Embassy—have been detained in Iraq in recent weeks, for periods ranging from a few hours to almost three weeks. Iraqi authorities are cracking down on these contractors in the wake of last month's American troop...

In Memoriam: David Hickman, Last American Killed in Iraq War
 The Last American Killed in Iraq 
in memoriam

The Last American Killed in Iraq

David Hickman, 23, was last of some 4,500 to die

(Newser) - On Nov. 14, just a month before the final US troops left Iraq, a 23-year-old soldier lost his life to an improvised explosive device. David Emanuel Hickman was the last American to be killed in a war that cost some 4,500 Americans their lives, the AP reports. With the...

Last Troops Have Left Iraq
 Last Troops Have Left Iraq 

Last Troops Have Left Iraq

110 armored vehicles carry 500 troops out of the combat zone

(Newser) - Early this morning, 110 armored trucks and vehicles carrying 500 soldiers set off on the five-hour drive from Iraq to Kuwait, down the highway once called Main Supply Route Tampa, pulling the last US troops out of Iraq, reports CNN . They hailed from Camp Adder, which just one month ago...

Obama: 'Our War in Iraq Ends This Month'

President promises US will still have 'strong presence'

(Newser) - As the last 6,000 American troops prepare to leave Iraq by Dec. 31, President Obama today heralded the end of the divisive war—but issued a warning to the country's neighbors: The US will continue to have a "strong presence in the Middle East." He added,...

As US Leaves Iraq, It Eyes a Beefier Gulf Presence

US military looking to increase defense ties with states around region

(Newser) - The United States may be pulling out of Iraq by the end of 2011 , but that doesn't mean it's getting out of the Persian Gulf—in fact, the US military is looking to boost its combat presence in Kuwait and increase its military ties to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,...

US Bars Audit of Vast Mercenary Army in Iraq

State Department will have 5,000 private contractors

(Newser) - The US is laying the groundwork for what amounts to a mercenary army in Iraq of unprecedented size—but the State Department is withholding information about it from a top watchdog, Wired reports. “Our audit of the program is making no progress,” says Stuart Bowen, the special inspector...

US Left 30K Iraqi Detainees to Be Tortured
 US Left 30K 
 Iraqi Detainees 
 to Be Tortured 
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

US Left 30K Iraqi Detainees to Be Tortured

Troop pullout leaves a slew of untried inmates

(Newser) - The US is turning a blind eye to the systematic abuse of detainees in Iraq's prisons, a report by Amnesty International claims. The transfer of prisoners from US-run detention centers to Iraqi facilities is a less-discussed aspect of the American pullout, but has flooded a system that remains rife with...

US Hands Over Last Iraq Prison

A milestone for sovereignty, challenge for the government

(Newser) - The last American-run prison in Iraq will be handed over to the Iraqis today, marking the end of a massive US prison system that has processed more than 100,000 Iraqis since the fall of Baghdad. Tariq Aziz and other former high-ranking members of Saddam Hussein's regime were handed over...

Obama's First Year in Numbers

 Obama's 
 First Year 
 in Numbers 
DOW'S UP, AT LEAST

Obama's First Year in Numbers

The Dow is up more than 2,600 points, at least

(Newser) - President Obama is about to celebrate—maybe that's not the right term—one year in office, and the AP takes a look at some numbers that have defined his inaugural turn around the sun.
  • The Dow: Perhaps the only clear victory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen from 7,
...

US Gives Iraqis Gear It Needs in Afghanistan

Hard-up commanders irked by millions in equipment left behind

(Newser) - Struggling US commanders in Afghanistan urgently need passenger vehicles and generators—the very same items their counterparts in Iraq are leaving behind as hand-me-downs for the Iraqis. As the military scales back its presence in Iraq, the Pentagon has raised the cap on equipment they're allowed to leave behind from...

Iraq Halts Preparations for Jan. Election

Fate of vote, US withdrawal in question as VP vetoes law

(Newser) - In a move that could derail both Iraq's fragile democracy and US plans to withdraw troops by next summer, all preparations for elections in January have ground to a halt. The Iraqi election committee stopped "all our activities and work" today after the country's vice president vetoed part of...

29 Killed in Baghdad Mosque Bombings

(Newser) - Bombs exploded near five Shiite mosques in Baghdad today, killing at least 29 people, according to Iraqi police and hospital officials. The bombings, apparently part of a coordinated attack that targeted worshipers leaving Friday prayers, shattered a period of relative calm in the Iraqi capital. The deaths raised to at...

Iraqis Applaud US Exit, but Fears Linger

US troops quit Iraqi cities June 30; some see economic boon

(Newser) - Many Iraqis are looking forward to the departure of US troops from the country’s cities June 30—but what that means for security remains to be seen, Reuters reports. “Anyone who wants to fight them can go there and attack their bases without harming civilians,” says one...

Fix Iraq to Fix the Region
 Fix Iraq to Fix the Region 
OPINION

Fix Iraq to Fix the Region

A 'decent and stable' country could set an example

(Newser) - Many in the Middle East demanded action after President Obama’s Cairo speech, but the action that’s crucial right now is the Iraq peace process, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Hillary Clinton must lead us in an effort to establish a “decent and stable political...

Iraq Vote Marks Fading US Power
 Iraq Vote Marks 
 Fading US Power 
analysis

Iraq Vote Marks Fading US Power

Iraqis taking over

(Newser) - As Iraqis headed to the polls yesterday, it was clear that American sway over the country is fading fast, the New York Times reports. Some 140,000 US troops remain in the country, but their presence is far less visible, and Iraqis have made bold strides in setting a firm...

Green Zone Turned Over to Iraqis

US transfers control of Baghdad's fortified enclave

(Newser) - The heart of the US occupation in Iraq was returned to Iraqi control at midnight last night, the Washington Post reports. Iraqi soldiers now control checkpoints leading to the heavily fortified Green Zone enclave in Baghdad. American troops and workers have moved out of many buildings, including the former palace...

Mullen Warns Iraq Exit Will Take More Than 2 Years

Joint Chiefs chairman still wants US withdrawal tied to security situation

(Newser) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is "comfortable" with the new US-Iraq security pact scheduling the start of an American troop pullout next year, but believes some major hurdles still exist, the Washington Post reports. Admiral Michael Mullen cautioned that the US has huge amounts of equipment...

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>