Updated at 4:55 p.m. EDT, Oct. 7, 2009
At least 13 Iraqis were killed an 32 more were wounded in the latest attacks. Meanwhile, 36 Iranian-opposition detainees were freed. Also, a U.S. soldier was killed in a non-combat incident.
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 8:58 p.m. EDT, Sept. 20, 2009
One American soldier was killed and 12 more where injured when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed at the Balad Air Base during bad weather. At least two Iraqis were killed and 17 more were wounded in other violence.
Updated at 7:36 p.m. EDT, Aug. 28, 2009
Baghdad is under tight security as a funeral and procession for Shi’ite leader Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim takes place At least five Iraqis were killed and six were wounded in light, prayer day violence. Meanwhile, U.S. Army chief of staff Gen. George Casey said it was too early to determine if a recent spike in violence will change U.S. withdrawal plans.
Updated at 8:42 p.m. EDT, Aug. 24, 2009
A major political development is shaking Iraq almost as much as today’s multiple blasts in Wassit province. Shi’ite political parties are realigning themselves against the Prime Minister’s party ahead of January elections. Meanwhile, at least 15 Iraqis were killed and 25 were wounded. Most were injured in a pair of bus bombings in Wassit province, where security measures were immediately tightened. Also, a U.S. family has learned that their soldier son’s death in Iraq may have been triggered by abuse from fellow soldiers.
Updated at 12:14 p.m. EDT, Aug. 21, 2009
A series of explosions rocked Baghdad, killing at least 101 people and wounding 1,203 more just a day after the Baghdad Operations Command announced a new security plan. Elsewhere in Iraq, at least six Iraqis were killed and 20 more were wounded in other attacks. U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill expressed his disgust while on a visit to Kirkuk. He called the attackers “psychopathic.” Meanwhile, a U.S. soldier was killed in combat near Diwaniya.
Six months into Barack Obama’s presidency, the U.S. public’s display of antiwar sentiment has faded to barely a whisper. Despite Obama’s vow to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq before September 2011, he plans to leave up to 50,000 troops in "training and advisory" roles. Meanwhile, nearly 130,000 troops remain in that country and more …
Continue reading “Soldiers Who Just Say No”
At least 18 Iraqis were killed and 31 more were wounded in the latest attacks. No Coalition deaths were reported, but Iraqi health officials said that 67 U.S. soldiers have the swine flu. U.S. sources have only confirmed 51 cases.
Updated at 8:55 p.m. EDT, Aug. 11, 2009
At least nine Iraqis were killed and 50 more were wounded just a day after the bloodiest spasm of violence since the pullback of U.S. troops. A U.S. soldier died in Kuwait of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident as well. Meanwhile, Kuwaiti authorities arrested six people suspected of plotting an attack against the U.S. base there. Many U.S. soldiers there are either supporting the Iraq operation or are using the base as a transit point between Iraq and other locations. Also, the Pentagon admitted fears over Arab-Kurd tensions.
[Note for TomDispatch readers: In Chalmers Johnson’s recent piece, “Three Good Reasons to Liquidate Our Empire,” the mission of the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) was mischaracterized. It has now been corrected at the piece.] It’s not exactly a secret that the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps, fighting two wars seemingly without end, …
Continue reading “Lost in Military Limbo” 
