The first official boycott of March 7 elections was called when MP Mutlaq took himself and his party out of the running. The prayer day was otherwise fairly quiet with only two Iraqis having been reported killed while a third Iraqi was wounded. Also, Iraq has rejected international calls to end its death penalty.
Reiterating accusations of Iranian interference in Iraq’s internal affairs, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said Wednesday that he was in "100 percent agreement" with remarks by the top U.S. commander in Iraq regarding Iran’s involvement in a highly controversial decision that eventually barred over 140 candidates from running in Iraq’s parliamentary elections next month. Among …
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Memories of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib have resurfaced as a military appeals court reviews whether the judge in one case conducted the trial properly. Meanwhile, Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani encouraged voters to participate in next month’s national elections. At least eight Iraqis were killed and five more were wounded in light violence. Also, there are rumors that the Mahdi Army may be resurfacing as sectarian violence appears to be re-igniting.
The U.S. military reports that troop levels are now the lowest since the 2003 invasion and will remain at 98,000 until after March elections, even as Iraqi soldiers prepare to handle poll-related violence themselves. At least 10 Iraqis were killed and 26 were wounded in new attacks, some election-related. Also, the families of Iraqi detainees are paying blood money to protect their sons upon release.
The tallest Arab ever wanted dead or alive by a president of the United States is still at large. Either that or he’s dead. Again. We’ve been hearing from intelligence sources and the media that bin Laden is dead for a long time. How dead can one evildoer get? In July 2002 the New York …
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While there were few reports of attacks out of the country today, a string of blasts struck political targets in Baghdad, where the main talk of the day centered on the legitimacy of the upcoming election. Should Iraqis bow out of participating, it could re-ignite sectarian fighting if it has not already. At least two Iraqis were killed and 22 were wounded in the latest violence.
At least 19 Iraqis were killed and 53 more were wounded in new attacks. Many casualties resulted from a bombing near Najaf. An incident involving U.S. and Iraqi forces left as many 10 dead near the Iranian border as well. Also, campaign season opened today across Iraq.
Updated at 7:07 p.m. EST, Feb. 11, 2010
Hundreds of former Blackwater security guards have until Sunday to leave Iraq in a clear act of retribution for the dismissal of a U.S. court case against the company. The Iraqi government, meanwhile, also complained about former PM Allawi’s “dangerous” statements about civil war. At least three Iraqis were killed and eight were wounded in light violence, while a U.S. soldier died of injuries received in a non-combat incident.
The Iraqi government has ordered hundreds of private security contractors who previously worked for Blackwater Worldwide or its subsidiaries to leave the country within seven days or risk arrest for visa violations, Iraq’s interior minister said Wednesday. The order applies to roughly 250 security contractors who worked for Blackwater, now known as Xe Services, in …
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Numerous small attacks left at least five Iraqis killed and 28 more wounded. Meanwhile, an Iraqi journalist detained for 17 months on “classified” information has been released.
