Friday: 2 Iraqis Killed, 4 Wounded; Mass Grave Found

Updated at 10:15 p.m. EST, Dec. 18, 2009 Iranian troops briefly entered a disputed border area of Iraq and seized an oil well. No fighting was reported there, but two Iraqis were killed and four others were wounded elsewhere in Iraq. Iraqi investigators have finished excavating a mass grave containing 185 Kurds that dates to the Saddam era. Meanwhile, Admiral Michael Mullen visited troops near Nasariya, and Iraq war vets are finding organic farming to be great therapy in California. In the United Kingdom, the families of two men who were kidnapped in Iraq two years ago asked for their safe return; the bodies of three colleagues were returned earlier this year.
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Civilian Surge Expected in New Pakistan Aid Plans

U.S. plans to substantially increase non-military aid to Pakistan to help curb Islamist extremism there will initially require a marked rise in the number of U.S.-based experts working in the country, according to a State Department "Strategy Report"...

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Thursday: 6 Iraqis Killed, 14 Wounded

Updated at 7:19 p.m. EST, Dec. 17, 2009 At least six Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile, Iraq politicians are asking candidates in next year’s national elections to avoid politicizing recent security lapses. Also, Iraqi militants have apparently used an inexpensive computer program to hack into U.S. military drone feeds.
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Iran’s Domestic Conflict Shifts Into Higher Gear

Although the tumult that has gripped Iran since the contested Jun. 12 election has never abated, two recent occurrences have highlighted the further sharpening of internal conflict and the government's inability to restore stability in the face of creative ways the...

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The Guantánamo Shell Game?

Human and rights advocates and members of the Republican Party found unusual common ground Monday. Both registered strong objections to the announcement that the Barack Obama administration would be transferring detainees from Guantánamo to a maximum security prison...

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