Iraq

07 April 2008 -- The top coalition commander in Iraq and the U.S. ambassador will testify to four congressional committees in Washington Tuesday and Wednesday to give an update on the security and political situations, and offer their expectations for the next six months.

General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker will likely report significant progress by Iraq's security forces and government since their last testimony in September.

General David Petraeus

But they are also expected to say the progress is fragile, and that more time is needed with a substantial number of U.S. troops in place to continue trying to move Iraq toward stability.    » read more »

07 April 2008 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says the movement of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will be barred from taking part in the political process unless it disbands its Mahdi Army.

Mr. Maliki said in an interview broadcast on CNN Monday that participation in upcoming elections is also dependent on the disbanding of the Shi'ite militia.

U.S. Army Soldiers outside Sadr City, Iraq: U.S. Army Soldiers at Joint Security Station Oubaidy located just outside Sadr City, Iraq, after a series of rocket and mortar attacks. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason T. Bailey (CC)    » read more »

03 April 2008 -- Congressional Democrats are warning U.S. Iraq commander General David Petraeus, and the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, not to attempt to minimize the seriousness of the situation in Iraq when they testify to Congress next week.

A few days before General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker appear before House and Senate committees to deliver their latest update on Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi makes clear what she hopes they will not say.

In a news conference together with the chairmen of the House committees on Armed Services and Foreign Affairs, she refers to the recent fighting in Iraq's southern port city of Basra, saying Petraeus and Crocker should not attempt to put a positive spin on events.    » read more »

April 2, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Bob Corker (R-TN), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bipartisan resolution to urge other nations, especially Iraq’s neighbors, to carry through on earlier pledges to fund Iraq’s reconstruction activities. The United States has already spent approximately $29 billion on reconstruction activities and has authorized another $16.5 billion more for reconstruction assistance.    » read more »

Underscores Need for Comprehensive Investigation; Senators Call for Expedited Completion of Current GAO Investigation

April 2, 2008 -- Washington, DC – Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Jim Webb (D-VA) today faulted U.S. Army leadership for its failure to comply with federal standards relating to contracts awarded for body armor. According to a report released today, the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General “has no assurance” that 13 of the 28 Army body armor contracts—valued at $5.2 billion—“met the required standards.”

Soldiers examine a hole in Iraqi body armor: Photo by John Rohan (CC)    » read more »

02 April 2008 -- A roadside bomb has exploded near a convoy carrying Iraqi generals in a Shi'ite militia stronghold in the southern city of Basra.

No casualties were reported in Wednesday's blast, which was reported hours later by Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesman Mohammed al-Askari, who was traveling in the convoy.

He said an Iraqi cameraman also was shot and wounded in the leg as he was filming events in the Hayaniya neighborhood.

The area was the scene of major clashes last week between Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militias loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

A tense calm is reported holding for a third day in Basra today.    » read more »

01 April 2008 -- Britain's defense secretary has announced plans to reduce troop levels in southern Iraq have been postponed after a recent flare-up of violence around the city of Basra.

Defense Secretary Des Browne told members of parliament that the expected spring homecoming for thousands of British troops based in Basra has been delayed.

"In October we announced our plan from drawing down UK troops from southern Iraq," he said. "In the light of last week's events, however, it is prudent that we pause any further reductions while the current situation has unfolding. It is absolutely right that military commanders review plans when conditions on the ground change."    » read more »

April 1, 2008 -- Recent fighting between Iraqi security forces and Shi'ite militias loyal to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has raised the monthly death toll in Iraq to its highest level since last August.

Combined figures released Tuesday from Iraq's interior, defense and health ministries show that more than 1,000 Iraqi civilians and security personnel were killed in March.

A burning mosque in Karbala, Iraq: Photo CC Antonio Edward

That figure is nearly double the number of Iraqi deaths in February and marks the highest monthly death toll since last August, when nearly 2,000 people died.    » read more »

March 27, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi today released the following statement in reaction to the President’s speech on Iraq at the U.S. Air Force museum:

“President Bush’s speech today on Iraq failed to offer any plan for the safe return of our brave men and women. In fact, the Administration reportedly is preparing to tell the American people that we must maintain 140,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely.

“The war will cost Americans more than $3 trillion and continues to jeopardize our military’s ability to respond to threats anywhere else on the globe. Money spent in Iraq is desperately needed at home to educate our children, rebuild our infrastructure and provide health care for millions of Americans.    » read more »

31 March 2008 -- Witnesses in Iraq say a barrage of rockets or mortar bombs has struck Baghdad's heavily-fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government headquarters.

There were no immediate reports of any fatalities following the attack Monday. But recent intense militant attacks on the Green Zone have killed at least two Americans in the past week.

Today's attack comes a day after Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his militant supporters to withdraw from deadly street battles against Iraqi government and coalition forces. Hazem al-Aaraji, A spokesman for the cleric, says Sadr issued the cease-fire order Sunday to stop the shedding of Iraqi blood.    » read more »

30 March 2008 -- In Iraq, Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered his militia off the streets in an effort to press the government for an end to the military offensive that has rocked Basra and other Sadr strongholds since Tuesday. The government has welcomed the move.

Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said he was ordering his militia, the Mahdi Army, to stop fighting and cooperate with government security efforts. In exchange, he asked the government to release Mahdi Army prisoners and declare an amnesty.    » read more »

29 March 2008 -- Iraqi authorities say the death toll from five days of intense fighting between Iraqi forces and Shi'ite militias has surged to more than 200.

Many of the casualties have occurred in Baghdad's Sadr City, a stronghold of militias loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. A spokesman for the Iraqi Health Ministry says at least 75 people have been killed there and nearly 500 wounded in clashes and U.S.-led airstrikes.

Reports say dozens of policemen in Sadr City surrendered their weapons to Sadr's forces, saying they could not fight their own people.

To the south, a British military spokesman, Major Tom Holloway, says U.S. warplanes bombed militia strongholds in a neighborhood just north of the city of Basra. There was no immediate word on casualties.    » read more »

CAMP BUCCA, Iraq (03/18/2008) - Sewers, water, electricity, trash and fuel are services vital to any city in the United States, and urban populations simply cannot function effectively without proper city management.

Members of the Oklahoma National Guard face the challenge of bringing these same services to the middle of a desert in southern Iraq.

Army Servicemembers with Iraqi construction supervisor, Camp Bucca, Iraq, March 2008: Army Staff Sgt. Russell Hale, left, Ali Jihad, an Iraqi construction supervisor, and Army Sgt. 1st Class Rafe Cummings stand in front of a construction site at Camp Bucca, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Lt. Col. Rhonda McGuire    » read more »

March 19, 2008 -- John McCain has tried to make his campaign all about national security and foreign affairs, claiming that "of course I know more about national security than any other issue. That's been my entire life." But just yesterday the so-called foreign policy expert made a major mistake showing he doesn't understand the most basic of facts on the ground in Iraq. [NBC's Meet the Press, 1/27/08]    » read more »

March 19, 2008 -- ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – On the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, Congressman Ron Paul, member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement:

“The occupation of Iraq began five years ago today, but few realize that the march to war began ten years ago under Bill Clinton, when regime change became official U.S. policy. In 1998, I took to the House floor in protest of the Iraqi Liberation Act to warn that, ‘I see this legislation as essentially being a declaration of virtual war. It is giving the President tremendous powers to pursue war efforts against a sovereign Nation.’ My warnings were largely dismissed at the time, but five years later, we were bombing Iraq.    » read more »