Officials say that the Obama Administration intends to have most troops out of Iraq by August 2010, replacing the president's 16 month timetable from the campaign with a 19 month one that would end with a considerable "residual force" beyond that date. President Obama...
Mosul Police Attack US Soldiers, Killing One
The details of a 2 PM incident at a police station in the Iraqi city of Mosul remained elusive for several hours, with quotes from media outlets putting the number of soldiers killed at four (citing an unnamed official from the Iraqi Interior Ministry), while the US...
Obama Decision on Iraq ‘Soon’
Military spokesman Major General David Perkins told reporters today that there was "no doubt" that the US would have all troops out of Iraq's cities by June, as required by the Status of Forces Agreement signed last year. The announcement came as something of a...
Iraqi ‘Shoe-Throwing’ Journalist’s Trial Delayed Yet Again
Muntadar al-Zeidi, the Iraqi journalist who made headlines worldwide for throwing his shoes at then-President George W. Bush, has had an interesting two months: he went from obscure journalist to international folk-hero, spent time in the hospital for injuries...
Maliki Challenged in Speaker Vote Runoff
It has been over two months since Iraqi parliamentary speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani angrily resigned his post, and it looks like after considerable infighting and several failed attempts the parliament is finally poised to select his replacement... a replacement that...
Female Suicide Bomber Kills 40 Shi’ite Pilgrims in Iraq
A female suicide bomber attacked a tent in Iskandiriyah, just south of Baghdad today, killing at least 40 and wounding scores of others. The tent was set up to offer food and drink to women and children who were making a pilgrimage to Karbala. Iraqi officials say that...
Iraq: String of Bombings Threatens Relative Calm
The relative quiet which Iraq has enjoyed in the past few months came to a screeching halt today when a pair of back-to-back car bombings at a bus station in southern Baghdad caused scores of casualties. The attacks came as two parked cars loaded with explosives were...
Gates: Obama to Decide Within Days on Afghan Surge
Since his election in November, President Obama's promised escalation of the war in Afghanistan has been presumed to be one of the first things his administration would do. Yet the president has ordered reviews of the strategy to be completed before moving ahead with...
Iraqi Parliament Fails Again to Elect New Speaker
The Iraqi Parliament failed once again today to elect a new speaker, sounding a somewhat sour note as the government attempts to tout the relative success of its provincial elections on the international scene. The parliament has been practically without a speaker...
Iraqi PM Is Big Winner in Vote
Results are beginning to pour in from last weekend's Iraqi provincial elections, and the Dawlat al-Qanoon coalition of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is gaining enormously across the country, though its victory is somewhat obscured by growing accusations of electoral...


