BAGHDAD - US occupation authorities and successive US-backed Iraqi governments have done little to stem the flow of Iraqis fleeing their war-torn country since the beginning of the occupation. Syria, Jordan and Egypt have accepted millions of Iraqis to stay under...
Fighting Among Shi’ites Adds to Violence
BAGHDAD - Clashes between rival Shia militias in Karbala have spread across southern Iraq and Baghdad, adding a new dimension to sectarian violence. Clashes between the Mehdi Army militia of Shia anti-occupation cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and the Badr Organization militia...
Clerics Begin to Take Over Iraq
BAGHDAD - Religious clerics are beginning to play an increasingly powerful role in Iraq. Many Iraqis now fear that they are endangering human rights and religious freedom in the once largely secular country. Clerics began to play a major role since the U.S.-led...
Samarra Under US Attack
BAGHDAD - Residents are fleeing Samarra city in the face of fierce fighting between US forces and resistance groups. New defiance is rising against US forces following military "crimes," fleeing residents say. "On Sunday the 26th of August, there was fierce...
With Donkeys for Transport, All Is Well
FALLUJAH - A brave new attempt is under way to project that all is well now with Fallujah. Residents know better – or worse. Former Iraqi minister of state for foreign affairs Rafi al-Issawi visited Fallujah, 60 km west of Baghdad, Aug. 22. Issawi, who resigned...
Families of Iraqi Detainees Losing Hope
BAGHDAD - Hopes are fading for early release of the large number of Iraqis detained under the so-called surge. The "surge" is the new effort by US-led coalition forces to crack down on terror suspects. The number of detainees held by the US military has...
Fallujah Finds a False Peace
FALLUJAH - Fallujah is quiet these days. After all the fighting and destruction of 2004, U.S. and Iraqi forces call this success. Many residents are not so sure. Fallujah, 35 mi. west of Baghdad, produced some of the strongest resistance yet to U.S. forces and their...
Another US Military Operation, More Unrest
BAGHDAD - New US military operations across Iraq appear to be worsening the situation. On Aug. 13 about 16,000 US and Iraqi troops began a massive new military operation north of Baghdad. According to the US military, the goal of the operation, named Lightning Hammer,...
Between the Two Rivers, Lack of Water Kills
BAGHDAD - The collapse of Iraq's infrastructure has created a worsening water crisis that is killing untold numbers of Iraqis. Iraq, with its famous Tigris and Euphrates rivers that run the length of the country, is now unable to provide drinking water to most of its...
Iran Ties Weaken Iraqi Government Further
BAGHDAD - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's increasing ties with Iran have triggered a splintering of his government. Several groups, both Sunni and Shia, have followed the Sunni al-Tawafuq bloc (Iraqi Accord Front) in quitting the U.S.-backed government. But...


