Troop Surge in Iraq

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July 2008
- Best Iraq Policy Would Mix Mac, Obama Plans
  
  newser | New York Times | 10 hours, 52 minutes ago
  
  John McCain was right about the surge, so it’s natural he’s eager to talk about it. But thanks to that very success, Barack Obama finds himself, by luck or cunning, positioned perfectly, Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times . As security improves, Iraqis want Americans to leave. If they don’t, Iraq will coalesce into a unified nation—unified against the US. More »
- US Surge Brigades Leave Iraq
  
  newser | Reuters | Jul 22, 08 10:47 AM CDT
  
  The American troop surge in Iraq has ended, Reuters reports, with the departure of the last of five brigades deployed last year in an effort to curb sectarian violence. There are now just under 147,000 US troops left in the country, according to a military spokesman, down from a peak of 160,000-170,000 in 2007. More »
- Obama Beefs Up Foreign Policy Cred in Iraq
  
  newser | New York Times | Jul 22, 08 8:30 AM CDT
  
  Presidential candidate Barack Obama's weeklong tour of seven countries has so far been fruitful, politically agile, and especially lucky, reports the New York Times . The Illinois senator's withdrawal plan received a timely endorsement from Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki, coinciding with President Bush's embrace of a "time horizon" for pulling troops out of the war-torn country. More »
- Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position
  
  newser | Politico | Jul 21, 08 1:40 PM CDT
  
  Republican presidential candidate John McCain is stuck in an awkward position after both President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved closer to a withdrawal timetable favored by Barack Obama, Politico notes. McCain has opposed such a measure, but in 2004 asserted that if a sovereign Iraqi government asked US troops to leave, the American government should comply. More »
- Senate Confirms Iraq Generals in New Jobs
  
  newser | Associated Press | Jul 10, 08 2:43 PM CDT
  
  The Senate today confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the top commander in the Middle East and Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno to replace Petraeus as the chief military officer in Iraq. Last year, Petraeus helped to tame growing opposition to the Iraq war in Congress by providing measured assessments of progress and warning that an exodus of US troops would result in chaos. More »
- Emboldened Iraq Stands Up to Washington
  
  newser | New York Times | Jul 10, 08 7:41 AM CDT
  
  Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi government are now openly demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces, reports the New York Times . While nobody expects Baghdad to boot American troops, several military victories and greater political stability have emboldened Maliki, and the increasingly loud demands reflect a new confidence on the part of the Iraqi PM. More »
June 2008
- How to Transition Out of Iraq
  
  newser | Washington Post | Jun 19, 08 1:37 PM CDT
  
  It's time for the US to carve out a practical strategy in Iraq, David Ignatius argues in the Washington Post . At a cost of $400 million a day, the war is draining America's economy—precisely what Osama bin Laden hoped for. The solution will not be quick, simple, or easy, but rather "ambiguous, messy, occasionally in the shadows." More »
- Foreign Investment in Iraq Up
  
  newser | USA Today | Jun 17, 08 4:09 PM CDT
  
  European and Asian investors are taking advantage of the recently stabilized Iraqi business climate, USA Today reports. US firms still regard Iraq as too dangerous to invest in, but that attitude may cost them the best opportunities. The firms “who are getting in on the ground floor are not American," says a Pentagon official. "It's ironic." More »
- Vets Used to Test Drugs Linked to Suicide
  
  newser | ABC News | Jun 17, 08 2:33 PM CDT
  
  Combat veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder were recruited for clinical trials of drugs linked to suicide and mental disorders, ABC reports. In a trial involving the smoking-cessation drug Chantix, the VA did not warn patients of the drug's serious potential side effects until 3 months after the FDA and the drug's maker had issued warnings. More »
- Long Journey Home From Iraq
  
  newser | Esquire | Jun 8, 08 5:13 AM CDT
  
  One soldier's death reveals more of America's pain more starkly than Iraqi war statistics ever could. So one reporter discovered as he followed the remains of Indiana native son Sgt. Robert Joe Montgomery from a pass near the Tigris to a funeral in Scottsburg, meeting all who suffered along the way. At the riveting center of Chris Jones' haunting journey in Esquire is "Joey" himself. More »
- May Iraq Death Toll Lowest in 4 Years
  
  newser | Associated Press | Jun 1, 08 8:05 AM CDT
  
  The death toll in Iraq plunged in May, with 21 US military dead the lowest monthly figure in more than 4 years. Iraqi civilians and troopers also saw a decline, with 532 deaths in May, compared with 1,080 the month before. But in the absence of lasting political agreements, many fear this signals a breathing spell in violence rather than the start of a longer trend. More »
May 2008
- US Sent 43,000 'Unfit' Troops to War
  
  newser | USA Today | May 8, 08 12:03 PM CDT
  
  The US has sent more than 43,000 troops deemed medically unfit for combat to war in Iraq and Afghanistan, USA Today reports. Since 2003 soldiers deemed non-deployable by medical officers have shipped anyway, according to Pentagon documents, with unit commanders overruling doctors. “It is a consequence of the consistent churning of our troops,” says one veterans advocate. Among National Guard and reserve troops, 5%-7% were deemed unfit. More »
April 2008
- Dead Soldiers Beef Up Iraqis' Troop Count
  
  newser | Military Times | Apr 25, 08 2:08 PM CDT
  
  The number of men in Iraq's security forces is estimated to be a healthy 530,000. Trouble is, a "substantial number" of them are injured, dead, or AWOL, a new government audit says. The review casts doubt on Pentagon reports about Iraqi capabilities and questions Baghdad's ability to train its own forces, the Military Times reports. More »
- Armed Forces Enlist More Criminals
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 21, 08 8:29 PM CDT
  
  The US Army and Marines are signing up more felons in an effort to overcome flagging enlistment, the AP reports. The Army doubled its recruitment of felons last year and the Marines upped theirs from 208 to 350—including conscripts with sex crime and manslaughter convictions. The rise in felon recruits "may be undermining military readiness," said Rep. Henry Waxman, who revealed the data. More »
- Bush Backs Petraeus' Pause
  
  newser | CNN | Apr 10, 08 12:22 PM CDT
  
  Vowing that Gen. David Petraeus will have “all the time he needs” in Iraq, President Bush today announced a pause, from August until at least mid-September, in withdrawal of troops from Iraq, CNN reports. Citing the post-surge security gains, Bush said, “we have renewed and revived the prospect of success” in a war he characterized as “difficult, not endless.” More »
- Petraeus Sees No New Troop Buildup in Iraq
  
  newser | Washington Post | Apr 9, 08 8:44 PM CDT
  
  Gen. David H. Petraeus told the House Armed Forces Committee today that he does not foresee another buildup of US armed forces in Iraq, calling the possibility of a new surge "a pretty remote thought in my mind." If violences escalates again, the Army will make do with American and Iraqi troops already there, the Washington Post reports. His testimony comes a day before President Bush will lay out his troop strategy. More »
- Petraeus Foils Senators Seeking Exit
  
  newser | Washington Post | Apr 9, 08 7:09 AM CDT
  
  David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker head back to Capitol Hill this morning after a grueling day of testimony that was short on substance and clear goals, writes the Washington Post . Pressed repeatedly yesterday to describe what "conditions" they would like to see before recommending a troop withdrawal, the general and ambassador parried for 8 straight hours, offering bromides like "battlefield geometry" and "political-military calculus." More »
- Sadr Threatens to End Truce
  
  newser | CNN | Apr 8, 08 3:02 PM CDT
  
  Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr today threatened to end the cease-fire he imposed last year on his Mahdi militia, CNN reports, and called off a massive protest set for tomorrow, the fifth anniversary of the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule. Hundreds had converged on Baghdad—despite orders to keep young men out—before Sadr called off the event. More »
- Senate Grills Petraeus on Basra
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 8, 08 11:42 AM CDT
  
  The campaign trail ran through a scheduled Senate Armed Service Committee appearance by David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker today, as John McCain and Hillary Clinton helped grill the general and ambassador on Iraq. McCain zeroed in on the the widespread Iraqi defections in Basra last week, saying, “It was a disappointment.” "It was, although it is not over yet, Senator," Petraeus countered. More »
- Petraeus: Iraq Has Stepped Up; Gains Still Fragile
  
  newser | Associated Press | Apr 8, 08 9:21 AM CDT
  
  Iraq's security has greatly improved since September, Gen. David Petraeus told the Senate Armed Services Committee today, thanks largely to Iraqis themselves. “Iraq has also conducted a surge,” Petraeus said, pointing to the improved Iraqi army and the contribution of Sunni Awakening groups. But he warned that those gains were “fragile and reversible,” and urged a pause in troop reductions after the surge drawdown ends in July. More »