NEWS ABOUT: Iraq
Iraq stories: 1161 news briefs
Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr mock veep's reconciliation tour
Reuters Jul 3, 09 2:15 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to promote reconciliation among Iraqis was met today with protests by supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Reuters reports. Demonstrators burned American flags and shouted anti-US slogans. Biden plans to meet with PM Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani to assess plans to heal the fractious divides, but first had breakfast with his son Beau, serving with the US military there.
More »
New York Times Jul 2, 09 6:33 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
High-level officials of Joe Biden's caliber usually stay in places like Iraq for a few hours, max. Biden, however, is now gearing up for the second day of his surprise visit. No wonder: In his new role as a sort of unofficial envoy to the nation, Biden has no small task as he tries to prod Iraqi officials to resolve internal fights over how to share power and oil revenues, the New York Times reports.
More »
Says WMD fiction was aimed at Iran; he wanted pact with US
National Security Archive Jul 2, 09 12:22 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Transcripts of Saddam Hussein's two dozen interviews with the FBI before his execution were released yesterday, after details were published last week by the New York Daily News , which obtained them through the Freedom of Information Act. Some details are still redacted, but the FBI says no "enhanced" techniques were used in interrogations. In the interviews, Saddam said he pretended to have WMDs because he was worried about looking weak to the “fanatic” leaders of Iran, and admits that refusing UN verification of the destruction of his WMDs was a mistake.
More »
Oil ministry plays hardball on prices
Wall Street Journal Jun 30, 09 7:34 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
The Iraqi oil industry has been nationalized since 1972, but today the country is awarding the first contracts in decades to private petroleum companies—live on television. So far a joint bid by British Petroleum and a Chinese firm has won the first contract, for a 17 billion-barrel field in Iraq's southeast. As the Wall Street Journal reports, oil companies were taken aback by the government's tough pricing: the BP consortium won by halving the fee it wanted to assess the oil ministry.
More »
OPINION
Maliki warns media not to question his forces' abilities
Guardian (UK) Jun 30, 09 7:17 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Iraq held its first full military parade since the fall of Saddam today—now known as Sovereignty Day—to celebrate the official withdrawal of US troops from cities and towns. The proceedings took place inside the Green Zone and were screened on television, but several media outlets, including the New York Times , were barred from attending because they had the "wrong permit." PM Nouri al-Maliki praised Iraqi politicians for "putting down the sectarian war," but made no mention of the US effort over six years.
More »
Associated Press Jun 30, 09 6:50 AM CDT
(AP Summary) -
Four US soldiers were killed in combat shortly before the American military completed a withdrawal from Iraq's cities last night. But prime minister Nouri al-Maliki assured Iraqis in a televised address today that government forces are in control: "Those who think that Iraqis are not able to protect their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will create a security vacuum are committing a big mistake."
More »
Maliki declares June 30 'National Sovereignty Day'
Associated Press Jun 29, 09 4:31 PM CDT
(AP Summary) -
Iraqi forces have assumed formal control of security in Baghdad and other cities after US combat troops withdrew from urban areas. A countdown clock broadcast on Iraqi TV ticked to zero as the midnight deadline passed for combat troops to pull back. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has declared a public holiday and proclaimed June 30 as "National Sovereignty Day."
More »
Guardian (UK) Jun 28, 09 7:40 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Baghdad's festive mood this weekend has left some Washington officials and military leaders simmering, the Guardian reports. While Iraqis prepare to celebrate US troops' withdrawal from city streets tomorrow, American officials say that local forces have gone untrained, forcing US troops to sustain casualties. Worse, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said Iraq is preparing to "repulse" US invaders.
More »
Washington Post Jun 25, 09 10:55 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
PM Nouri al-Maliki looks a lot like a strongman these days, using every lever at his disposal to influence Iraq’s January elections, the Washington Post reports. His men have arrested or threatened political rivals in Diyala province and Basra; last month they even arrested a councilman from the Iraqi Islamic Party. “This is a message,” said one of his colleagues: Cooperate, or else.
More »
Also said he never met 'zealot' bin Laden
New York Daily News Jun 24, 09 7:01 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Saddam Hussein feared Iran more than the US and once considered cutting a deal with George W. Bush, the Daily News reports. In newly declassified interrogations from 2004, Saddam said that if Iran threatened to attack, he "would have sought a security agreement with the US," says the FBI report. He also adamantly denied working with al-Qaeda and said he never even saw the "zealot" Osama bin Laden.
More »
Reuters Jun 24, 09 1:38 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
An explosion ripped through a market in Baghdad’s Sadr City today killing 52 and injuring 104, Reuters reports. Though Iraq has seen markedly less violence in the past year, today’s bombing is part of a wave of attacks ahead of the US military’s scheduled withdrawal from Iraqi cities next week. Sadr City is home to supporters of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, though it is patrolled by Iraqi government forces.
More »
Firms booted out in '72 eye nation's vast untapped reserves
Wall Street Journal Jun 24, 09 1:48 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Iraq is preparing to welcome back the foreign oil companies it ejected over 30 years ago, and the firms are giddy with anticipation, the Wall Street Journal reports. Contracts to revive production at neglected oil fields go up for auction next week, and competition is expected to be fierce. Oil firms believe Iraq's dozens of untapped fields represent the biggest opportunity in a decade, despite security and political risks.
More »
Associated Press Jun 22, 09 8:33 PM CDT
(AP Summary) -
Bombings and shootings killed more than 30 people across Iraq today, including high school students on their way to final exams, in a new round of violence ahead of next week's deadline for US troops to withdraw from urban areas. The attacks came two days after the year's deadliest strike, a truck bombing that killed at least 75 people near Kirkuk.
More »
US troops quit Iraqi cities June 30; some see economic boon
Reuters Jun 21, 09 1:01 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
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 taxi driver who's glad troops are headed to outside camps. Some believe the US exit could be a boon to Iraq’s economy.
More »
updated
Blast at Shia mosque occurs hours after PM's warning
Reuters Jun 20, 09 10:35 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
At least 50 people were killed in Iraq today when a truck bomb detonated near a crowd of worshipers leaving a Shiite mosque near Kirkuk, Reuters reports. The bombing occurred only hours after Nouri al-Maliki warned the country that terrorist violence may increase as the planned June 30 withdrawal of US troops approaches. The blast wounded about 175 civilians and destroyed many nearby homes.
More »
Company didn't provide enough workers
Wall Street Journal Jun 16, 09 9:46 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
The US overpaid Blackwater by $55 million for its security work in Iraq, a government audit has found. The company, since renamed Xe, didn't employ enough guards, medics, and other personnel to protect high-level officials but still collected full payment from the State Department, the Wall Street Journal reports. "Insufficient manning exposed the department to unnecessary risk," the auditors said. Blackwater also overcharged for airfare to Iraq.
More »
Terrorist activities
must wait as fundraising falters
New York Post Jun 12, 09 2:29 PM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Al Qaeda operations are struggling due to a lack of capital brought on in part by the global economic downturn, the New York Post reports. “In Afghanistan, we have a severe supply deficit,” the group said in a plea for donations. “Mujahideen sit and wait and cannot fight for lack of supplies.” The cash crunch is so bad that terror leaders are saying donations are an acceptable alternative to actual fighting.
More »
TV review
Iraq stint brings back predecessor's 'easy-going' style
New York Times Jun 12, 09 7:36 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
Taping his show in Iraq this week, Stephen Colbert channeled Bob Hope in an "unexpectedly charming" series of shows, writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times . Colbert largely stayed in ultra-right character, though he let it slip in places. His interviews were “pleasant, not barbed,” and his standup was “as easygoing and good-natured as many a Bob Hope performance.”
More »
ABC News Jun 11, 09 3:59 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
A realistic video game featuring a historic Fallujah battle involving US forces in Iraq has incensed vets and their families, reports ABC News. Six Days in Fallujah is due out next year, and involves Marine consultants to ensure accuracy of the action. "It's upsetting," said a mom who lost a son in Iraq. "I have this image of guys sitting around laughing because they got killed or didn't, and starting over. My son didn't have that choice."
More »
Explosion in country's south ahead of US withdrawal
Associated Press Jun 10, 09 5:31 AM CDT
(Newser Summary) -
A car bomb exploded in the middle of a market district in a Shiite neighborhood of southern Iraq today, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens of others. The explosion occurred in the town of Bathaa, the scene of fierce battles between Shiite militia factions that had been relatively peaceful since a ceasefire. The explosion is the latest worrying sign about Iraqi security ahead of the US military's withdrawal from urban areas on June 30.
More »
