Four days of escalating violence leaves dozens dead and wounded
Associated Press Nov 6, 08 6:53 AM CST
(AP)
-
A series of bomb blasts across Baghdad killed six people and injured more than 20 others today, the fourth consecutive day of heightened violence in the Iraqi capital. The deadliest attack came near a checkpoint in central Baghdad, while another targeting a government convoy killed six city workers. A string of daily bombings since Monday has now killed more than 30 people, reports the AP.
More »
Insurgency strategy, successful for US in Iraq, boosts American confidence in ally
Washington Post Oct 23, 08 10:32 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Pakistan plans to give weapons to thousands of tribal fighters along its border with Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports—a strategy that has helped the US in Iraq. The move to link the militias—called lashkars—to anti-Taliban efforts is a boost to US confidence in Pakistan’s military efforts, and commanders say they’re seeing results across the border in Afghanistan.
More »
Shiite government isn't incorporating Sunni Sons of Iraq, or, worse, hunting them down
Washington Post Sep 30, 08 1:18 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
As Iraq's Shia-led government assumes greater control of security, US soldiers fear the sudden disintegration of the 54,000-strong Sunni force that had been key to improving conditions there, the Washington Post reports. The government has pledged to hire 20% of the so-called Sons of Iraq, but that still leaves the haunting prospect of thousands of young men “unemployed, with weapons,” says a US captain.
More »
Sunnis fear al-Qaeda resurgence as Shiite authorities detain Council leaders
USA Today Sep 23, 08 1:21 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Sunnis of the Awakening Council, which helped the US fight al-Qaeda in Iraq, are in hiding to avoid arrest by the Shia-led government, USA Today reports. Such political harassment could allow al-Qaeda to regain footing in volatile Diyala province and elsewhere, US officials say. Iraqi government members insist their actions are motivated by security, not sectarian politics.
More »
OPINION
Troop surge, Awakening Councils have brought fragile peace
New York Times Sep 21, 08 9:04 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
When Dexter Filkins left Baghdad in 2006, it was a city of shuttered buildings and fearful citizens, in a land that looked as though it would never recover from war. But, writes the war correspondent in the New York Times, “to return now is to be jarred in the oddest way possible: by the normal, by the pleasant, even by hope” —reopened, packed shops, people outside at night, women walking alone.
More »
Iraqi drifts away from US—and toward Iran
Los Angeles Times Sep 16, 08 1:20 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
With just four months left on America’s UN mandate to police Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki is playing hardball. Once seen as an embattled US puppet, the Iraqi PM has consolidated his power, and is turning visibly away from his former backers in Washington, the Los Angeles Times reports. He’s demanding a tight leash on US troops, including a withdrawal from all cities by June.
More »
US commanders fear reversal of hard-fought peace
New York Times Aug 22, 08 6:30 AM CDT
(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 arrested in recent weeks, and hundreds of others, many of them on the US payroll, have been targeted.
More »
'Sahwa' stabilize areas but rule with medieval customs
Newsweek Apr 6, 08 1:43 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Women's rights in Iraq are devolving under the rule of US-backed militias, Newsweek reports. These Sahwa or "Awakening" groups have stabilized regions, but rule with medieval laws and customs: In some areas, women are commonly kept at home, forced to wear headscarves, or are married into polygamous relationships, Newsweek reports.
More »
Tensions already high with Awakening
CNN Mar 22, 08 2:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
US helicopters opened fire on two checkpoints manned by a pro-American group today, killing six members of the Sons of Iraq and injuring two civilians. The attack could exacerbate already strained tensions between the US and the Awakening Councils it employs, CNN reports. The US said that its helicopter opened fire after it spotted five people “conducting suspicious terrorist activity.”
More »
Unrest among key
US allies could affect joint security efforts
Guardian (UK) Mar 21, 08 9:53 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
US-allied Sunni militias are threatening to go on strike over late pay. At least two of the 49 Awakening councils that have been enlisted in the fight against al-Qaeda in Iraq have already done so, reports the Guardian , and the dispute over their $10-a-day payments threatens the partnership that has been key to the reduction in violence in the last 6 months, say analysts.
More »
Leader of Sunni Awakening killed in separate suicide attack
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 »
Diyala-area Awakening leader hit in attack
Associated Press Mar 10, 08 7:17 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
A female suicide bomber assassinated a Sunni Awakening leader in his Diyala province home today, the AP reports, killing the sheik’s bodyguard, cousin, and 5-year-old niece along with him. The woman had come to see the sheik yesterday, saying her husband had been kidnapped and was begging for help. “She came back this morning and nobody checked her,” the sheik’s brother said.
More »
Disputed killings, lack of support weakens plan to reduce violence
Washington Post Feb 28, 08 12:06 PM CST
(Newser)
-
The mostly Sunni volunteer forces that have drastically improved Iraq’s security are losing patience with US handlers, the Washington Post reports. Desertions are under way in key provinces over lack of resources, political disagreements, and disputed accounts of US troops killing members of the so-called Sunni Awakening. “Now, there is no cooperation with Americans,” one commander said. “We have stopped fighting al-Qaeda.”
More »
Insurgent slams Sunnis who've deserted group to join American forces
Washington Post Feb 10, 08 12:49 PM CST
(Newser)
-
Al-Qaeda’s once indomitable force in Iraq is suffering from diminished ranks and low resources: That’s the word not from US generals but from one of the insurgent group’s leaders. In a bitter 16-page diary, Abu Tariq blasts former members who deserted al-Qaeda to join American forces. “We were mistreated, cheated, and betrayed by some of our brothers,” the emir wrote.
More »
Shiite-led gov't fears US-backed militias
will become rival force
Associated Press Dec 23, 07 11:20 AM CST
(Newser)
-
Iraq's Shiite-dominated government is demanding that Sunni militias who are helping fight Islamic extremists eventually disband, fearing they will otherwise turn into their own military force. The militias, called Awakening Councils, or Concerned Local Citizens, comprise more than 70,000 Iraqis, including former insurgents, and are funded by the United States.
More »