Iraq war

(Newser) - The friendly black mutt credited with helping a soldier survive her tour of duty in Iraq stepped out of a crate, tail wagging, as he arrived in the US yesterday following an international battle over his refugee status. Ratchet was rescued from burning trash in Iraq by soldier Gwen Beberg. Military regulations prevented her from sending Ratchet home—until the SPCA intervened and some 70,000 people signed an online petition, reports the North Country Gazette. More »

(Newser) - A dog rescued from almost certain death by soldiers in Baghdad will be reunited with the US Army  sergeant who adopted him. Military regulations had prevented Sgt. Gwen Beberg, 28, from sending the dog, Ratchet, to the US, but yesterday the SPCA was allowed to fly Ratchet to Kuwait on the first leg of the pooch's journey to Beberg's home in Minnesota.  More »

(Newser) - Parties in Iraq’s ruling Shiite coalition are seeking to alter what was supposed to be a final agreement with the US concerning when American troops would leave, Reuters reports. The draft says US forces must leave Iraq by the end of 2011 unless the Iraqi government wants them to stay. Iraq’s foreign minister had said both nations considered the deal final, and that parliament would only be allowed to approve or reject it. More »

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus is assembling a panel of experts to carefully reconsider US strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Pakistan, Iran and the surrounding region, reports the Washington Post . He's recruiting a handpicked brain trust of advisers from the private sector, State Department and Pentagon. The group will study the situation for 100 days, with a primary focus on Afghanistan, which Petraeus admits has been "spiralling downward." More »

(Newser) - Iraq's government could soon be in charge of US troops for the first time, a prelude to their full withdrawal by 2011 under a deal now awaiting approval by Iraqi politicians, Reuters reports. The deal sets a firm timeline, and lets the Arab nation prosecute American soldiers for some serious crimes committed off of US bases—previously a major stumbling block. More »

(AP) - American troops acting on a tip killed the No. 2 leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq—a Moroccan known for his ability to recruit and motivate foreign fighters—in a raid in the northern city of Mosul, the US military said today. The man, known as Abu Qaswarah, was a charismatic leader who had trained in Afghanistan and managed to rally al-Qaeda followers in Iraq despite US and Iraqi security gains. More »

(Newser) - Every member of the US military should undergo screening for post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning from combat in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has recommended. As many as 1 of every 5 returning combat vets suffers from mental health problems, USA  Today reports. "I think it's a bigger problem than we know," said Michael Mullen, an admiral whose post gives him authority over all four service branches. More »

(Newser) - The US and Iraq are close to clinching a new security agreement which would include a targeted 2011 date for troop withdrawal—and a provision to allow US troops to be prosecuted in Iraqi courts. The US military has enjoyed blanket immunity from criminal prosecution, but under the new agreement soldiers who commit serious crimes such as murder and rape off duty would lose that immunity, reports the Wall Street Journal. More »

(Newser) - Escalating anti-Christian violence has forced almost 1,000 families to flee the Iraqi city of Mosul, AFP reports. They are hiding in surrounding schools and churches after three homes were bombed in the city, a known al-Qaeda stronghold. The violence "is the fiercest campaign against the Christians since 2003," a provincial governor said. "Among those killed over the past 11 days were a doctor, an engineer and a handicapped person." More »

(Newser) - As Iraq becomes safer, the Marines have focused on the next challenge: weaning the country’s security forces off US financial and logistical support, USA Today reports. To spur the independence of the nascent Iraqi police, the Marines now refuse to refuel their vehicles, and it's gotten the Iraqis' attention. "Things get real hard and they go, 'OK, we've got to fix this ourselves,'" says a Marine major general. More »

(Newser) - For US troops in Iraq’s still-volatile Diyala province, abandoned houses can be a refuge—or a serious threat, the Wall Street Journal reports. Soldiers depend on abandoned houses to provide shelter as combat bases, but insurgents have taken to wiring the buildings with “house-borne improvised explosive devices,” killing a dozen soldiers since 2007. More »

(Newser) - A pair of Black Hawk helicopters crash-landed in northern Baghdad today and killed an Iraqi soldier, AFP reports. Two American soldiers and two Iraqi soldiers were also injured. The US military did not suspect enemy fire and called the situation "under control. Emergency services are on the scene." More »

(AP) - The US has killed a senior leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq suspected of masterminding one of the deadliest bombings in Baghdad, the AP reports. Mahir Ahmad Mahmud al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Assad or Abu Rami, allegedly directed the cell responsible for a  series of blasts that killed more than 200 people in 2006, as well as car bomb and suicide attacks this week targeting two Shiite mosques that killed 2 dozen. More »

(Newser) - Joe Biden bid farewell today to the Iraq-bound soldiers of the 261st Signal Brigade Mission of the Delaware National Guard, including his eldest son, 39-year-old Beau, a captain. Biden said his son gave him some sage advice for the occasion: “Dad, keep it short, we’re in formation.” The Democratic vice-presidential candidate obeyed, and avoided politics entirely for the non-campaign event, CBS reports. More »

(Newser) - The Defense Department is launching a major propaganda campaign to “engage and inspire” the Iraqi people. US contractors will be paid up to $300 million over the next 3 years to produce pro-American news and entertainment for the Iraqi media, the Washington Post reports. Such “information/psychological operations” are considered a crucial part of counterinsurgency strategy, but al-Qaeda has long out-flanked the US in propaganda. More »

(Newser) - CBS chief correspondent and tabloid catnip Lara Logan has two portraits of Saddam Hussein in her office, and US Customs wants to know why. The art was recovered from the wreckage of a Baghdad palace, and it's illegal to take such items out of Iraq. Customs prosecuted a Fox News employee for similar actions, reports the New York Post . More »