Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen issued an unusually harsh warning to Iraq regarding the growing resistance to the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). Though he acknowledged that Iraq should engage in "a healthy debate" on the pact, he said he was...
The Associated Press has obtained a copy of the latest draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) being negotiated between the United States and Iraq and has made available a collection of excerpts translated from Arabic into English. The excerpts provide specific...
In a speech in Baghdad, US Ambassador Ryan Crocker defended the latest draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) as "an important agreement that fully restores Iraq's sovereignty." But massive public opposition to the agreement has scared away political support...
Ever the optimists, Iraq's Human Rights Ministry announced today that the displacement of Christians in Mosul has been over since Wednesday, when security forces took control of the city. A ministry official placed the overall displacement at 2270, far fewer than...
Yesterday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that reopening the terms of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the United States would be difficult and that it was time for parliament to either ratify or reject the deal as it presently stands. This is...
Updated 10/19 6:50 PM EST At least 50,000 Iraqis joined a protest in the streets of Baghdad today, organized by followers of Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, chanting anti-US and anti-occupation slogans and waving banners opposing the controversial Status of Forces...
There aren't many things that a confidant of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a council of Iraqi Sunni religious leaders and the followers of firebrand Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr can all agree on, but they seem to have found common ground on one thing: they all oppose...
The Bush Administration and Iraqi negotiators may have completed a final draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), but its prospects for approval in the Iraqi parliament seem to grow more questionable by the minute. Aides of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki...
US and Iraqi officials say that the final draft of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) has been completed, and has been submitted to Iraq's political leadership for a long, arduous approval process. While the overall terms of the agreement were not publicly...
Last week, Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte described the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Iraq as "close" and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said he was confident that the deal would be reached, citing 'good concessions' made by the US on certain key...
