Iraq war

25 August 2008 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says the United States has agreed in negotiations to withdraw all its troops from Iraq by 2011. But U.S. officials insist no deal has been reached.

Mr. Maliki Monday said his government has reached an agreement with Washington that any foreign presence on Iraqi soil will end by 2011. He did not offer any further details.

Iraqi Army soldiers, Mahmudiyah, Iraq: Photo by James Gordon (CC)

Meanwhile, a spokesman for U.S. President George Bush said there has not been any final security deal with Iraq.    » read more »

24 August 2008 -- Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber has struck a dinner feast west of Baghdad, killing at least 25 people and wounding 32 others.

Officials say the attacker blew himself up at the home of a local sheikh who was celebrating his son's release from U.S. detention. The guests at the dinner included members of a Sunni Awakening council -- a U.S.-allied militia group that has turned against al-Qaida.

In other violence Sunday, a double bomb attack in Baghdad against Iraqi security forces killed four people. In the eastern province of Diyala, a roadside bomb killed four Iraqi soldiers in the town of Balad Ruz, while gunmen also killed two policemen in Baquba, the provincial capital.    » read more »

23 August 2008 -- A suicide bomber blew himself up in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk Saturday, killing at least five people and wounding at least eight others.

Local police say among those killed at a car dealership in the southern part of the city was a senior member of a U.S.-allied Sunni group from Diyala province.

Earlier Saturday, unknown gunmen killed an adviser to Iraq's culture minister in a drive-by shooting in Baghdad. Authorities say Kamel Shiya was driving on a highway when the gunmen opened fire, killing him and wounding his bodyguard.    » read more »

August 22, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. 1st Class George Stanciel, 40, of Greenwood, Mississippi, died Aug. 19 at Forward Operating Base Gary Owen, Iraq, of wounds suffered when the base came under mortar attack.

He was assigned to the 370th Engineer Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade, Bamberg, Germany.

Source: DoD

August 22, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Nickolas Lee Hopper, 27, of Montrose, Illinois, died Sept. 8, 2007 from wounds received while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on June 20, 2005. Hopper’s final autopsy concluded his death was a result of wounds received in Iraq; however, Hopper was not previously identified as an OIF casualty.

He was assigned to the 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion, Marine Air Control Group-28, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Cherry Point, N.C.

Source: DoD

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2008 – Washington and Baghdad are close to reaching a status of forces agreement, but negotiations on the deal to determine the future U.S. military role in Iraq are ongoing, a Defense Department official said today.

“We’ve made good progress on it; we are close,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. “There are still some issues to work out, but … it’s very premature at this point to say that we have an agreement.”

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in a surprise one-day visit to Baghdad today, said the discussion about the status of forces is possible only because of recent security progress leading up to negotiations.    » read more »

August 20, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Lance Cpl. Travis M. Stottlemyer, 20, of Hatfield, Pennsylvania, died Aug. 17 as a result of a non-hostile incident in Manama, Bahrain.

He was assigned to the 3rd Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team Company, Marine Corps Security Forces, Norfolk, Va.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Source: DoD

August 19, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pvt. Janelle F. King, 23, of Merced, California, died Aug. 14 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident.

She was assigned to the 115th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Polk, La.

The incident is under investigation.

Source: DoD

August 15, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pfc. Daniel A. C. McGuire, 19, of Mashpee, Massachusetts, died Aug. 14 while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq.

He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Source: DoD

August 14, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Cpl. James M. Hale, 23, of Naperville, Illinois, died Aug. 13 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

He was assigned to the 978th Military Police Company, Fort Bliss, Texas

Source: DoD

August 14, 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Sgt. Michael H. Ferschke Jr., 22, of Maryville, Tennessee, died Aug. 10 while supporting combat operations in Salah ad Din province, Iraq.

He was assigned to 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan.

Source: DOD

Troubling Alcohol Use Found Among Young Veterans; New Study Finds Disturbing Risk of Binge Drinking Among Servicemembers

August 13, 2008 -- NEW YORK - Yesterday, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) released a study on alcohol abuse among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. According to the study, combat exposure significantly increases servicemembers' risk of heavy drinking, binge drinking and other alcohol-related problems. Young servicemembers are at the highest risk of developing these problems following their deployments. JAMA also found, "Those born after 1980 were at 6.72 increased odds of new-onset binge drinking."    » read more »

8/13/2008 -- UMM QASR, Iraq (NNS) -- As part of Iraq Navy Day celebrations, USS Firebolt (PC 10) made a port visit to Umm Qasr, Iraq Aug. 13, marking the first visit by a U.S. ship to Iraq in more than 15 months.

"Our port visit to Umm Qasr demonstrates the great confidence we have in our Iraqi partners, and reflects the marked improvements in security that they have achieved within the past several months," said Lt. Cmdr. Trent Thompson, Firebolt's commanding officer.

The coastal patrol craft USS Firebolt (PC 10) underway in the Persian Gulf.: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Randall Damm    » read more »

13 August 2008 -- U.S. and Iraqi officials say car bomb attacks have killed at least four people and wounded at least 28 in northern Iraq.

Police say a bomb exploded in a parked car in the town of Qayara, south of Mosul Wednesday, killing two civilians. At least nine people were wounded in the blast.

Elsewhere, police say a suicide car bomber detonated his explosives near a convoy carrying Abdul-Karim Ali Nsaif, the mayor of the town of al-Multaqa, near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. Officials say the bomb wounded the mayor and at least three of his bodyguards.

Police say another suicide car bomber struck an Iraqi army patrol in Mosul, killing an Iraqi soldier and a civilian and wounding at least 15 people.    » read more »

12 August 2008 -- Iraqi officials have imposed a curfew in the capital of eastern Diyala province after a suicide bomber killed at least two people and wounded at least seven others Tuesday.

U.S. and Iraqi officials say the blast occurred near a convoy carrying the Diyala governor Raad Rasheed and an Iraqi army commander in the provincial capital, Baquba. The two were unharmed in the attack.

The U.S. military says the bomber, dressed as a woman, was attempting to approach the convoy when soldiers identified him as a threat and opened fire, causing the explosives to detonate.

Iraqi and U.S. forces recently launched an offensive in Diyala to crack down on insurgents. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is offering amnesty to militants who surrender.    » read more »