Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says al-Qaeda’s power base in Iraq has been squeezed by a lack of funds and a power vacuum at the top. Despite al-Qaeda weakening, attacks continue to vex Iraq. At least 21 Iraqis were killed and 72 more were wounded in new violence. Also, Iraq lodged complaints with Iran over reports that Iranian troops have crossed the border and started to erect a new fort as part of their operations against Kurdish rebels.
Updated at 9:09 p.m. EDT, June 6, 2010
A spate of attacks focused on Baghdad and surrounding communities. Overall, at least 12 Iraqis were killed and 46 more were wounded in those and other attacks across the country. Meanwhile, a lack of water could fuel Iraq’s next insurgency. Also, cross-border attacks between Turkish forces and the PKK continue in the north.
Updated at 7:55 p.m. EST, June 5, 2010
At least 10 Iraqis were killed and 14 more were wounded in attacks that included two political assassinations of Iraqiya candidates. In Diyala province, meanwhile, relations between Sunni fighters and the Shi’ite council deteriorated after a call to disarm them. Also, Kurdish officials reported another armed incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan by Iranian troops chasing Party For A Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK) rebels.
At least five Iraqis were killed and 12 more were wounded in prayer day violence. Also, a U.S. soldier died in Baghdad on Wednesday after an accident that is under investigation.
Updated at 6:02 p.m. EDT, June 3, 2010
At least 14 Iraqis were killed and 42 more were wounded in the latest attacks and in a mass grave discovered near the capital. Also, the PKK, which has sought to give Kurds an independent country have ended their unilateral truce with Turkey.
At least two Iraqis were killed and five others were wounded in light violence. Back in Texas, a U.S. soldier died of injuries received in a non-combat event that occurred in April. Also, U.S. Commander in Iraq General Ray Odierno presented U.S. President Barack Obama with a positive report on Iraqi security, and a new development in the hunt for a new prime minister has taken a turn that could end the impasse and help the security situation.
For Iraqi civilians, May has been the deadliest month so far this year. According to data released by various ministries, at least 275 died. Another 62 Iraqis who were security personnel were killed as well, along with five U.S. soldiers. On the first day of June, at least six Iraqis were killed and one more was wounded, including both civilians and servicemembers.
At least nine Iraqis were killed and 29 more were wounded in the latest violence. Meanwhile, U.S. troops held Memorial Day observations at a former Saddam palace located at Camp Victory. Also, thousands of Iraqis, at the behest of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, protested the Israeli attack on a Gaza-aid flotilla and used the demonstration to chant against the United States as well.
U.S. Admiral Mike Mullen said that the United States remains on track to withdraw 50,000 troops from Iraq in August; however, the political situation will be watched until then. At least two Iraqis were killed and 10 more were wounded in the latest violence, which included an attack on Kurdish rebels launched from Iranian soil.
Updated at 8:22 p.m. EDT, May 29, 2010
The drawn-out selection of the next prime minister continues to vex both citizens and the men who propose to run the country, as the current prime minister continues to fight for a second term. Meanwhile, a Kurdish rebel leader threatens to bow out of the peace process with Turkey over disinterest from Ankara. Also, light violence left at least eight Iraqis dead and six more wounded.
