Iraq government

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Iraq To Buy Arms From China
Iraq To Buy Arms From China

Iraq To Buy Arms From China

Deal disturbs US officials

(Newser) - The Iraqi government has ordered $100 million worth of weaponry from China, saying that US shipments have been too slow to supply Iraqi army and police forces, the Washington Post reports. Given that Iraq has already “lost” over 190,000 weapons, US officials aren’t happy about the deal,...

Sadr Group Leaves Iraq's Ruling Alliance

Popular anti-American cleric says government ignores his demands

(Newser) - A key faction pulled out of Iraq’s ruling Shia alliance today, leaving Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with only half of parliament’s seats. Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says he withdrew because his bloc’s demands were being ignored. He wants a timetable for US troop withdrawal and opposes former...

Agreement on Key Iraq Oil Law Hits the Skids

Sectarian schism again undermines top political objective

(Newser) - Agreements forged in February over a law regulating the distribution of revenue from Iraq's oil fields are dissolving, the New York Times reports. Hussain al-Shahristani, oil minister for the Shiite-controlled federal government, held meetings yesterday to try to save the compromise, but the northern Kurdish areas have already made deals...

Hunt Oil Signs Kurdish Deal, Slights Baghdad

Company will explore in northern Iraq without central approval

(Newser) - Dallas-based Hunt Oil  has signed a deal to prospect for oil in in the northern Iraqi region of Kurdistan. Hunt is the latest of several small oil companies bypassing Baghdad to deal directly with regional authorities, underscoring Kurdistan's increasing independence from the Iraqi central government, which has been unable to...

Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months
Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months

Petraeus: Give Me Six More Months

Wants Congress to postpone decision on bringing troops home

(Newser) - The commander of US forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, wants to postpone a decision to significantly reduce troop levels there for another six months, reports the New York Times. The general, who is scheduled to begin testimony before Congress today, has told the president he is willing to withdraw...

Iraqi Insurgents Enlist Kids for Dirty Work

US detention center adds school for captured child fighters

(Newser) - Iraqi children are playing an amplified role in insurgent attacks, and the US is struggling to cope with the consequences. The ranks of minors detained by American forces have grown from 100 to 800 since March, the LA Times reports. Boys as young as 11 set off roadside bombs for...

US Hails Iraq Breakthrough
US Hails Iraq Breakthrough

US Hails Iraq Breakthrough

Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders announce deal on key issues

(Newser) - In what is being hailed as a breakthrough in Iraq, Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders yesterday  announced that they have reached a consensus on key political issues, Reuters reports. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the other leaders claimed to have forged an agreement on releasing some detainees, easing curbs on...

Intelligence Community Doubts Iraqi Leadership

Big insurgent offensive may be in the works

(Newser) - A National Intelligence Estimate released today reveals that the US intelligence community doubts Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki has the ability to lead the country effectively, CNN reports. Coming one day after President Bush defended Maliki in a speech, the report by US intelligence agencies also expresses worry over a possible...

Maliki Must Go: Senator
Maliki Must
Go: Senator

Maliki Must Go: Senator

Iraq needs 'more unifying' leader, says head of Armed Services Committee

(Newser) - Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki must go, says Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin, who yesterday called on the nation's parliament to replace him with a "more unifying" leader if Maliki can't quickly forge political peace among rival factions. Maliki's current talks with Iraqi leaders is the "...

Italian Cops Bust Secret Iraqi Arms Deal

US kept in the dark as ministry ordered guns that might have outfitted militias

(Newser) - A secret transaction providing the Iraqi government with over $40 million worth of weapons was uncovered by Italian police investigating local Mafiosi, the Guardian reports. Without the knowledge of American military commanders, the Iraqi interior ministry had ordered 105,000 rifles from arms traffickers, ostensibly to supply police. Italian police...

Maliki Calls Summit to Heal Iraqi Cabinet

PM threatens to replace Sunnis with "alternative" ministers

(Newser) - Iraq’s PM says he will try to salvage his disintegrating government by holding an emergency summit of cabinet members over the next couple of days. The BBC reports that Nouri al-Maliki is even warning Sunnis that he could refill his government with “alternative” ministers if they refuse to...

More Cabinet Defections Imperil Iraqi Regime

Political chaos rises as more cabinet-members

(Newser) - Four more Iraqi cabinet ministers said today they're boycotting meetings, bringing the total to a whopping 17 and leaving PM Nouri al-Maliki with a tenuous majority in the 37-member body. In the latest round of infighting, the newest defectors, all allies of the country's first postwar PM, charge that Maliki...

Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki
Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki

Key Sunni Bloc Deserts Maliki

Defection deepens political crisis as suicide bombs kill 70

(Newser) - The Sunni Accordance Front defected from Iraq's government today, accusing PM Nuri al-Maliki of being uncooperative, Reuters reports, on a day when suicide bombs killed more than 70 in Baghdad. "This is probably the most serious political crisis we have faced since the passage of the constitution,'' a...

Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding
Corruption Shadows
Iraq Rebuilding

Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding

US investigates dozens of fraud cases as pricey projects disintegrate

(Newser) - US auditors monitoring the rebuilding process in Iraq are battling forces they compare to "a second insurgency"—corruption and economic mismanagement. The Iraqi government is refusing to handle reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars, and US officials are now investigating more than 50 fraud cases, the BBC reports.

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid
Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid

Third of Iraqis Need Critical Aid

Government of violence-riddled nation can't provide basics

(Newser) - A third of Iraq's population—some 8 million people—are in critical need of emergency aid because they have no food, water or shelter, according to an OXFAM report detailed in the BBC. Trapped in a maelstrom of sectarian violence, the Iraqi government is unable to provide basic needs. Some...

Bush Gets Personal with Iraqi PM
Bush Gets Personal
with Iraqi PM

Bush Gets Personal with Iraqi PM

Leaders' virtual meetings produce few concrete results

(Newser) - Across thousands of miles, President Bush remains a close adviser to Iraqi PM Nuri al-Maliki. At least every 2 weeks, the politicians confer over a satellite uplink, usually for more than an hour of discussion about the civil war, Iraq's future, and even their shared religious devotion. "They talk...

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