Updated at 7:59 p.m. EDT, Oct. 1, 2009
Iraq was mostly quiet today other than the news that Prime Minister Maliki has created a new political bloc ahead of January elections. At least five Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded. One U.S. soldier also died in a non-combat situation Tuesday in Kut.
Updated at 7:35 p.m. EDT, July 31, 2009
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that improving conditions might allow for a slightly accelerated withdrawal of U.S. troops, but a coordinated series of prayer day bombings at Baghdad mosques could undermine that position. Overall, at least 37 Iraqis were killed and 156 more were wounded across the country.
Updated at 8:37 p.m. EDT, July 20, 2009
Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr met with Syrian leader President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, where Assad urged the cleric to press forward with reconciliation efforts. Back home, at least 15 Iraqis were killed and 19 more were wounded in violent attacks. Meanwhile, a brigade commander in Baghdad spoke on the current relationship between U.S. troops and security forces in the capital.
