While the United States seems determined as a matter of policy to see to its Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Iraq passed by the Iraqi Parliament, even to the point of making direct threats of severe consequences if they refuse, privately some high ranking...
Iraq Pact Spells End to Contractors’ Immunity
The US Departments of State and Defense have informed companies that provide the over 160,000 contractors employed in Iraq that the new Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), once it goes into effect, will strip them of the broad legal immunity for crimes that they now...
Iraqi Parliament Debate on Pact Erupts in Chaos
The Iraqi Parliament's debate on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) was expected to be contentious, but it would have been difficult to envision just how contentious things ended up today. Influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's parliamentary bloc had firmly...
US Official: GIs to Leave if Iraq Won’t Sign Pact
The Iraqi parliament continues to debate the contentious Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States which would govern the operation of US forces in Iraq when the current UN mandate expires at the end of the year. Both the Iraqi and US governments had...
Still Aspirational? US Doesn’t See 2011 Pact “Deadline” as Firm
As the Iraqi parliament debates the final draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States one of the key revisions which has quelled some (though not all) discontent with the deal was to remove a clause which explicitly left open the possibility...
Iranian Official Praises Pact as Parliament Debates
The Iraqi parliament began debating today on whether or not to approve the controversial Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States. The SOFA, which was approved yesterday by the Iraqi cabinet, outlines the terms of the continued US military presence in...
Iraqi Cabinet Okays US Pact
The Iraqi cabinet has approved the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States, in a vote that was surprisingly one-sided. 27 of 28 cabinet members voted in favor of the agreement, and the deal will now be sent to parliament for consideration. The vote...
Key Shi’ite Clerics Resist Security Pact Draft
While Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's support for the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States is likely to secure support from key Shi'ite political leaders for the latest draft, they face continued dissent from key Shi'ite religious leaders,...
Report: Maliki Will Endorse US Security Pact
Updated 11/15 11:30 AM EST With Iraq's cabinet preparing to discuss the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States, and a vote expected sometime this weekend, the latest and seemingly final draft of the controversial deal is expected to receive a shot in...
US Troops To Shift Out of Iraqi Cities by June
In early 2007 the United States began a military surge into Iraq, adding some 38,000 troops to the force and increasing their focus on major Iraqi cities. Nearly two years later, with the troop level still not back to pre-surge levels they are preparing a reverse in...