Shiite insurgents

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Hostage's Parents Slam US 'Terrorist Deal'

Dead man's dad opposes negotiating with kidnappers

(Newser) - The family of a British hostage who died after being kidnapped in Iraq have criticized the US for an alleged deal that reportedly released a terrorist prisoner in exchange for the freedom of one of their son's colleagues last week. Peter Moore was freed after militant cleric Qais al-Khazali was...

Iraqi Insurgents Hack Drones
 Iraqi Insurgents Hack Drones 

Iraqi Insurgents Hack Drones

$26 software gives access to predator's camera

(Newser) - Iranian-backed insurgents in Iraq have hacked the video feed from US Predator drones using software available online for $26. Though they haven’t been able to take control of the unmanned aircraft or disrupt their flights, intercepting the video may allow them to anticipate or evade US strikes, and know...

US Commanders Chafe at Iraq's Tight New Restrictions

(Newser) - The Iraq government has tightly restricted the movements and activities of American troops remaining in cities, and some commanders blame the restrictions for a rise in attacks, the Washington Post. The day after Iraqis celebrated the pullback of US troops to outside cities, Iraq ordered the US military to cease...

US Officers: We Executed Handcuffed Iraqi Captives

Prisoners were killed to avenge platoon's losses, investigators told

(Newser) - Three US officers shot four blindfolded and handcuffed Iraqi detainees early last year and dumped their bodies in a canal, according to statements made to military investigators and obtained by the New York Times. The men are likely to face murder charges. Four others from the same platoon have been...

Iraq Insurgents Gain Deadly New Weapon

Rocket-bomb attacks can kill dozens at a time

(Newser) - Shiite insurgents in Iraq have been attacking US forces with a new weapon the military fears could kill dozens of troops at a time, reports the Washington Post. Rocket-propelled bombs, made of propane tanks packed with hundreds of pounds of explosives, have killed at least 21 people this year, including...

Green Zone Strike Kills 2 in Sandstorm

Violence comes after al-Sadr's plea to end fighting

(Newser) - Hidden in a sandstorm, militants struck the US-protected Green Zone in Baghdad today and killed at least two Iraqis, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mortar or rocket attack, which also wounded 25, came just 2 days after influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered members of his Mahdi Army to end...

US Finds New Iran-Made Weapons In Iraq

Discovery suggests Tehran reneging on pledge to stop helping militants

(Newser) - The US military has discovered several caches of newly made Iranian weapons inside Iraq, reports the Wall Street Journal. The collection of mortars, rockets, and explosives had time stamps indicating that they were manufactured within the last 60 days, leading Washington officials to conclude that Tehran is still funneling armaments...

Brits Join the Fight in Basra
Brits Join the Fight in Basra

Brits Join the Fight in Basra

US widens its airstrikes, and Sadr tells followers to keep their weapons

(Newser) - As the Iraqi army struggles to combat militias in Basra, British troops for the first time directly joined the fight, and American forces expanded their bombing beyond the militia stronghold. The Brits, who had previously provided only logistical and air support to the Iraqis, fired on an insurgent mortar team...

Ahmadinejad to Visit Iraq
Ahmadinejad
to Visit Iraq

Ahmadinejad to Visit Iraq

First-ever trip by an Iranian prez upsets Sunnis, poses security risk to hosts

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will fly to Baghdad Sunday to meet with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, the first state visit ever by an Iranian president, the BBC reports. Sunni Iraqi leaders expressed outrage over the visit, which also comes a day after the US claimed further evidence of Iranian meddling in the...

Wary Iraqis Probe US Raid on Sadr City

Civilian casualties in firefight stir charges of excessive force

(Newser) - Iraqi officials are sorting through conflicting reports of an American raid in the Baghdad Shiite enclave of Sadr City yesterday that the US military said killed 49 "criminals" and Iraqis said left 17 people dead, including an elderly woman and several babies, and many wounded. The civilian casualties provoked...

Gun Battle, Airstrikes in Baghdad Kill 14

US cites ambush by Shiite militia; Sadr says victims were civilians

(Newser) - US and Iraqi forces backed by airstrikes clashed with suspected members of Shiite militias today in a gun battle that killed 14 Iraqis and wounded nine, reports the LA Times. US officials said soldiers were ambushed by more than a dozen rooftop gunmen, but a spokesman for anti-US cleric Muqtada...

11 Stories