Updated at 7:37 p.m. EDT, May 21, 2009
Three U.S. soldiers were killed in a Baghdad attack that left several more wounded. At least 28 Iraqis were killed as well, and another 72 were wounded in other violence. Among them were several Awakening Council fighters who were killed in Kirkuk. Last night’s bombing in Baghdad’s Shula district may have set off this spate of violence. Meanwhile, a U.S. soldier was given a life sentence for the rape of an Iraqi girl and the murder of her and her family.
Kelley Vlahos explains why millions of Iraqis won’t go home
Updated at 4:31 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2009
A major car bombing in the capital interrupted an otherwise quiet day in Iraq. At least 43 Iraqis were reported killed and 79 more were wounded. The only political news came from Diyala where the police chief reiterated the central government’s claims that the leader of the Islamic State in Iraq is in custody and added that the man was also a provincial politician.
Updated at 7:17 p.m. EDT, May 18, 2009
At least five Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in the latest attacks. A man the Iraqi government claims is a top leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq gave a detailed interview to security officials on his alleged operations. Also, Iraq’s Federal Court selected January 30 as the date for the next general elections. These will be the first national elections since late 2005. Meanwhile, a leading politician in Diyala was arrested.
Updated at 7:28 p.m. EDT, May 17, 2009
At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 21 more were wounded in today’s reported attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported. Despite the shrinking number of attacks, Iraqis still worry if violence will explode after U.S. troops leave Iraqi cities. Meanwhile, security forces continue to arrests dozens of Iraqis in operations around the country. Although there is a need to control violent gunmen, some of those captured in these operations could simply be the victims of harassment.
Gordon Prather on the reason for all that waterboarding
Updated at 5:50 p.m. EDT, May 15, 2009
At least six Iraqis were killed and another nine were wounded in the latest attacks. No Coalition troops deaths were reported, but a British employee of a security firm was killed in Hilla. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called for a reduction in power-sharing pacts between Shi’ites and minority groups.
President Barack Obama’s decision Wednesday to object to the planned release of photos showing abuse of prisoners in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan has drawn quiet praise from the military and some in Congress – and outspoken scorn from human rights advocates, a number of legal scholars and religious leaders, and many on the …
Continue reading “Rights Groups Slam Bid to Suppress Abuse Pics”
Updated at 6:47 p.m. EDT, May 14, 2009
What appears to be a series of targeted assassinations continues in Baghdad with attacks on Sunni Endowment members and newspaper employees. Awakening Council (Sahwa) fighters also saw attacks on them elsewhere. Overall, at least eight Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded. One U.S. soldier was killed in combat today, and more background information on U.S. soldiers killed in a fragging incident on Monday was released.
The U.S. military said yesterday that it’s charged an American Army sergeant on his third tour in Iraq with murder in connection with Monday’s shooting spree that left five fellow soldiers dead in a mental health clinic at Camp Liberty in Baghdad. Officials said Sergeant John M. Russell, a communications specialist with the 54th Engineering …
Continue reading “‘This Is Mental Health, Military-Style’” 
