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By Sarah Stillman
$19.90
By Amy Goodman, David Goodman
$9.58
$21
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AP / Alaa al-Marjani
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Only a few hours after U.S. soldiers transferred combat duties to Iraqi security forces, a series of explosions in Basra on Saturday and in Ramadi and Fallujah on Sunday lit up Iraq, killing at least 55 and wounding many others.
Posted on Aug 8, 2010
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DefenseImagery.mil / Sgt. Edwin Bridges
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An American soldier was taken into custody after shooting five fellow military personnel to death and wounding three others in Baghdad on Monday. The incident, which occurred at a combat stress center, marks the highest single-incident death toll for the U.S. military since April.
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AP pool photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth
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By Robert Fisk — “We acknowledge,” the letter says, “that violence has claimed the lives of many thousands of Iraqi civilians over the last five years, either through terrorism or sectarian violence. Any loss of innocent lives is tragic and the Government is committed to ensuring that civilian casualties are avoided. Insurgents and terrorists are not, I regret to say, so scrupulous.”
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AP photo / Mahmoud Badri
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The UK’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a surprise trip to Iraq on Wednesday, followed by the announcement that British troops will begin pulling out of Iraq at the end of this coming May.
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AP photo / Karim Kadim
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April was the cruelest month in seven months in terms of the numbers of both civilians and U.S. troops who lost their lives in Iraq. A spate of deadly bombings on Wednesday killed four U.S. soldiers, bringing the monthlong total of American dead to 50, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s crackdown on Shiite followers of Moqtada al-Sadr made for more intense violence, particularly in Basra and Sadr City, which contributed to a reported 969 Iraqi civilian deaths.
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The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction has found a disturbing trend among Iraq rebuilding projects. Far too often, when work is incomplete, U.S. officials will revise or “descope” the terms of the contract to list the project as completed. One example: A $35-million children’s hospital in Basra that is marked completed despite the fact that it’s only 35 percent up and running.
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abcnews.go.com
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By Patrick Cockburn — The militia leader’s threat of an “open war” between his supporters and the U.S.-backed Iraqi government has ratcheted up tensions in Basra and Baghdad. [In this analysis, columnist Patrick Cockburn of The Independent looks into the current situation in light of Sadr’s history with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.]
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AP photo/ Karim Kadim
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Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr issued a strong warning to the Iraqi government Saturday, claiming that he and his supporters will “declare a war until liberation” if a crackdown against his Mahdi Army continues.
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By Eugene Robinson — No, it’s not your imagination: The “debate” about Iraq, and I use the word loosely, becomes ever more surreal as the occupation drags on.
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AP photo / Charles Dharapak
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By Robert Scheer — General Betray Us? Of course he has. MoveOn.org can hardly be expected to recycle its slogan from last September, when Gen. David Petraeus testified in support of escalating the U.S. war in Iraq, given the hysterical denunciations that worthy group received at the time. But it was right then—as it would be to repeat the charge now.
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AP photo / Susan Walsh
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Gen. David Petraeus dug in his heels during a Senate hearing Tuesday, refusing to give specifics about additional U.S. troop withdrawal plans after July, recommending a “pause” instead and taking heat from congressional opponents like Carl Levin and Hillary Clinton in the process. Meanwhile, John McCain spoke of “real hope and optimism” for Iraq’s future.
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commons.wikimedia.org
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Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, just a day after some tough talk, has caved on his promise to disarm militant Iraqis. The news that the Iraqi government would no longer pursue “people who carry weapons” comes on the heels of an Iran-backed truce with rival Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr.
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Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faced a crisis last week when 1,000 to 1,500 of his troops, including from several dozen to more than 100 officers, refused to fight in the battle against Shiite militia members in Basra, raising questions about Iraqi security force readiness.
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By Eugene Robinson — Quite a “defining moment” in Iraq, wasn’t it? At this rate, John McCain is going to be proved right: The war will last a century.
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Moqtada al-Sadr, after reaching an agreement with several Iraqi officials, has ordered his followers to stop fighting. Basra has reportedly quieted, but fighting continued in Baghdad despite the announcement. Underscoring Iran’s influence over the affairs of its neighbor, the deal was apparently brokered by the head of Iran’s Quds force, which the U.S. Congress has branded a terrorist organization.
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American and British troops joined forces with Iraqi government troops battling the Mahdi Army in Basra and Sadr City on Saturday as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s offensive, launched Tuesday, passed the fifth day with little sign of reprieve and a great deal riding on its outcome.
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AP photo / Nabil al-Jurani
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OK, John McCain, still “fine” with the U.S. staying in Iraq for another 100 years? And as for the Democratic presidential hopefuls, how does the whole troop withdrawal scenario change in light of the outbreak of heavy fighting in Basra this week? These are just a couple of the questions that couldn’t be more timely—or pressing—on the campaign trail this weekend.
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AP photo / Karim Kadim
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By Patrick Cockburn — A new civil war may be looming in Iraq as American-backed Iraqi government forces battle Shiite militiamen for control of Basra and parts of Baghdad.
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AP photo / Nabil al-Jurani
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Iraqi forces on Tuesday launched an offensive targeting Shiite militia groups in the southern city of Basra, where at least 30 deaths are reported to have occurred in the operation, as well as in other regions of the country.
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Three car bombs ripped through the southern Iraqi province of Amarah on Wednesday, killing at least 46 and wounding 149, according to The Washington Post, which reported Thursday that the death toll was likely to climb.
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mcclatchydc.com
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BBC: “The UK will hand over control of Basra to Iraqi forces despite failing in its goal to establish security there, an MPs’ [members of Parliament] report says. The city is dominated by militias and the police contains ‘murderous’ and ‘corrupt’ elements, the report added.”
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AP photo / Nabil al-Jurani
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Perhaps Basra can be seen as a test case for the rest of Iraq with regard to withdrawal and its effects: According to Maj. Gen. Graham Binns, the commander of British forces in Basra, there has been a “remarkable and dramatic drop in attacks” since the majority of his troops withdrew from the city.
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AP Photo / Charles Dharapak
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By Robert Scheer — It’s enough to make one a libertarian, Robert Scheer argues, as the federal budget is hijacked by a bloated military-industrial complex wallowing in post-9/11 greed. As the president smiles, the failures of this American experiment in imperialism become all the more costly and apparent.
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British forces have relocated to the Basra airport, leaving Iraq’s No. 2 city in the hands of Iraqis for the first time since the invasion. For many locals, it was a welcome withdrawal: “We are pleased that the Iraqi army are now taking over the situation. We as an Iraqi people reject occupation. We reject colonialism. We want our freedom,” one resident told the AP.
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About 60 Britons withdrew from an Iraqi police base in Basra this weekend, marking the first step in British troops’ exodus from the city. The BBC reports that the troops’ overnight departure caused some confusion as to who assumed control of the base, and British and Iraqi officials are denying reports that militant members of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army took over the outpost following the British pullout.
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Patrick Cockburn —
British forces face a major dip in morale as they prepare to leave Basra—an exit viewed by some as a retreat from a situation that’s become more chaotic and dangerous than it was before. The Independent’s Patrick Cockburn apparently agrees, arguing that the British troops “wholly failed” in their “least successful military campaign since Suez in 1956.”
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bbc.co.uk
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In an account typical of some circulating in Basra, a resident told the BBC that she was attacked by a dog-sized creature with the head of a monkey. Many locals believe that such creatures (recently identified as honey badgers) have been released by the British to sow panic. The rumors have now been officially denied by UK military spokesman Maj. Mike Shearer: “We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area.”
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Dr. Dahlia Wasfi joins Robert Scheer and James Harris to discuss the past, present and future of the Iraq war. Wasfi (pictured), who has twice visited Iraq during the occupation, says it is only a matter of time and casualties before the U.S. leaves: “It’s really simple: You bring the troops home, they stop dying there.” Update: Full transcript now available.
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Dr. Dahlia Wasfi joins Robert Scheer and James Harris to discuss the past, present and future of the Iraq war. Wasfi, who has twice visited Iraq during the occupation, says it is only a matter of time and casualties before the U.S. leaves: “It’s really simple: You bring the troops home, they stop dying there.”
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theyoungturks.com
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British and Iraqi forces raided a National Iraqi Intelligence Agency detention center on Sunday and discovered 30 prisoners, including two children, “many of whom showed signs of torture and abuse.” Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the raid as an “illegal and irresponsible act” and has ordered an investigation.
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telegraph.co.uk
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The Iraqi president and prime minister have welcomed Tony Blair’s decision to withdraw some troops, and Iraq’s national security adviser said he only wished the force reduction would happen sooner. The British prime minister announced Wednesday that he intends to withdraw 1,600 soldiers from southern Iraq.
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defenselink.mil
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Tony Blair is expected to announce a major withdrawal of British troops from Iraq by Christmas—possibly up to half of the current deployment. Although Britons largely oppose the war, the news may come as something of a disappointment as there were rumors Blair was going to withdraw troops more rapidly.
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The southern Iraqi city of Basra, once a pro-American oasis, has now changed its tune as mafia-style warlords terrorize the population. It’s a reality check for the world in the wake of the euphoria that greeted Zarqawi’s death.
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The crash of a British helicopter in the southern Iraqi city of Basra led to a crackdown by British soldiers and five Iraqi deaths. A melee ensued—stone-throwing, Molotov cocktails…. A BBC correspondent called the worsening situation a “dramatic change in attitude” toward the British presence.
Posted on May 6, 2006
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At least two people died in the rampage. Also, the Iraqi city of Basra demands the withdrawal of Denmark’s military contingent from southern Iraq until an apology for the cartoons is proffered.
Will this madness ever end?
Posted on Feb 15, 2006
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Real American Boy: How Our Byzantine Immigration System and Failed Economy May Have Made a Terrorist
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