Sunni insurgents

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Confirmed: ISIS Seized Saddam's Sarin Facility

Militants took over chemical weapons stash, which is likely degraded, on June 11

(Newser) - Saddam Hussein’s former chemical-weapons stronghold outside Baghdad is in the hands of ISIS militants, Iraq said in a letter to the UN yesterday, confirming previous reports. The letter stated that on June 11, "armed terrorist groups" commandeered Saddam's Muthanna facility, which includes two bunkers believed to hold...

ISIS Kills Shiite Volunteers Outside Holy City

Meanwhile, the White House says it may cooperate military with Iran

(Newser) - Militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria killed over two dozen volunteer Shiite fighters today outside the holy city of Samarra—the first such attack since Shiites began signing up against ISIS, the New York Times reports. The volunteers, aiming to reinforce Iraqi defenses in Samarra, were traveling...

Iraq Loses Control of Its 2nd-Largest City

Police abandon Mosul to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria

(Newser) - Fighters believed to be with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria took control of the city of Mosul today, as police and military forces fled their bases, leaving weapons, vehicles, and even their uniforms behind for the taking, the New York Times reports. The militants have seized the provincial...

Villagers 'Massacred' by Syrian Rebels: Report

Shiite clerics hung from gates of town, activist claims

(Newser) - Rebels attacked a village in eastern Syria yesterday, leaving at least 60 people dead—most of them pro-government Shiite fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which says the rebels numbered into the thousands. A government official describes the attack on Hatla as "a massacre against villagers...

Pentagon Accused of Organizing Shiite Torture Squads

Witnesses put key US military personnel at torture sites

(Newser) - The Pentagon directly oversaw the creation of a Shiite militia force that set up secret detention sites and tortured opponents during the US occupation of Iraq, as part of American attempts to put down the budding Sunni insurgency, according to a new report by the Guardian that is being called...

Iraq's 'King of Clubs' Appears Online

Former deputy to Saddam Hussein rails against Shiites, Iran

(Newser) - He was the king of clubs. Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the highest-ranking member of Saddam Hussein's government still at large, appears to have turned up in an online video posted yesterday, railing against Iraq's government, reports the AP . In the hour-long video, which appears on a website linked to...

Another Iraqi Blast Kills Dozens

Suicide bomber hits Shiite funeral

(Newser) - A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car near a funeral procession in southeastern Baghdad today, killing at least 28 people in the latest brazen attack since the US troop withdrawal. Police officials said the blast occurred at 11am in the predominantly Shiite neighborhood of Zafaraniyah, where mourners had gathered for...

With US Gone, Iraq Explodes
 With US Gone, Iraq Explodes 
Jan 18, 2012 7:15 AM CST

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...

Wave of Bombings Targets Iraq's Shiites, Killing 72

Heightens fears that attacks will increase now that US has withdrawn

(Newser) - A wave of bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq killed 72 people today, deepening sectarian tensions that exploded just after the last American troops left the country in mid-December. The bombings began early in the morning when explosions struck two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad, killing at least 27 people. A few...

Iraq Fighters Ditch US, Rejoin al-Qaeda

Sunnis are quitting 'Awakening Councils' for al-Qaeda

(Newser) - A wave of Sunni fighters whose alliance with the United States has been critical in turning the insurgent tide in Iraq have rejoined al-Qaeda, or are acting as double agents, finds the New York Times . Though the number of defections is unclear, several hundred members of the Awakening Councils have...

Coordinated Iraq Attacks Kill 84 in Year's Deadliest Day

Sunni insurgents show off deadly power

(Newser) - The death toll is climbing in Iraq following this morning's coordinated gun-and-bomb attacks, with the AP putting the number at 84, making it the deadliest day this year. A police spokesman said a suicide bomber detonated himself outside a textile factory south of Baghdad where a crowd was trying to...

Al-Qaeda Claims Baghdad Bombing

Blast at Iraqi ministries left 155 dead

(Newser) - Al-Qaeda's umbrella group in Iraq claimed responsibility for this weekend's twin suicide bombings in the heart of Baghdad that killed at least 155 people, including 24 children trapped in a bus leaving a day care center. The group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, said in a statement posted...

60 Killed in Baghdad Double Bombing

125 wounded in attack near top Shiite shrine

(Newser) - Back-to-back suicide bombings killed 60 and injured at least 125 today outside the most important Shiite shrine in Baghdad, the AP reports. The bombers detonated explosive belts within minutes of each other near the tomb of a prominent Shiite saint, shortly before the start of Friday prayers, as worshipers streamed...

US Gives Iraq Control of Sunni Guards

Former insurgents will be given jobs in government

(Newser) - Baghdad took control today of 90% of the former insurgents employed by the US military to combat al-Qaeda, Reuters reports. Turnover of the roughly 84,000 “Awakening Council" Sunnis, who were paid about $300 a month to patrol neighborhoods, will test Iraqi reconciliation as the US prepares to...

US Can Turn 70% of Afghan Taliban: Biden

Largest group of insurgents just hired mercenaries, VP says

(Newser) - A majority of the Taliban fighters in Afghanistan are just hired guns whose loyalties could be bought by the US, Joe Biden said today. “Five percent of the Taliban is incorrigible, not susceptible to anything other than being defeated,” the vice president said. “Another 25% or so...

Iraq Cracks Down on US-Allied Sunni Fighters

US commanders fear reversal of hard-fought peace

(Newser) - Iraq's Shiite-dominated government has begun a crackdown on groups of US-backed Sunni fighters, the New York Times reports. The government fears the fighters, part of what is called the Awakening movement, could be waiting to turn their guns on Shiites. In several parts of the country senior members have been...

Desperation Drives Iraq's Female Bombers

Death of insurgents leaves female relatives feeling suicide is their only option

(Newser) - Female suicide bombings are on the rise in Iraq's restive Diyala province, the New York Times reports, and success in combating al-Qaeda may be the cause. Many local insurgents have been killed or detained, leaving their surviving female relatives with little hope for the future. They often come under great...

New Role for US Troops in Iraq
New Role for US Troops in Iraq
Nov 23, 2007 3:55 AM CST

New Role for US Troops in Iraq

Plan would boost soldiers' role training Iraqis as some troops withdraw

(Newser) - US combat brigades in Iraq may soon be given an expanded role in training and supporting Iraqis, reports the New York Times. Under the plan, not yet finalized, a quarter of US troops would be withdrawn next July but others would stay behind to help transfer more of the security...

Bin Laden to Insurgents: Become 'One' With Al Qaeda

Taped plea emerges amid US military gains

(Newser) - Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden has issued a taped plea calling on his "brother fighters" in Iraq to unite with Al Qaeda—on the heels of US military reports of major gains against the network in Iraq, the Telegraph writes. Some Sunnis have even formed coalitions against  Al Qaeda....

Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive
Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive
Sep 26, 2007 4:11 AM CDT

Sunnis Launch Ramadan Murder Drive

Insurgents target police, Interior Ministry officials, tribal leaders for assassination

(Newser) - Sunni insurgents have launched an assassination campaign aimed at  Iraqi police and officials of the Interior Ministry to mark the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, reports the New York Times. Eight police officers, including a police chief, have been killed and 30 injured. A provincial governor  survived a suicide bombing...

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