Iraq pullout was "signature failure" for Obama: Romney

2011-12-22T13:00:07Z

LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Thursday attacked President Barack Obama for a "signature failure" to keep some troops in

U.S. general returns from Iraq with Baghdad flag

2011-12-20T15:00:13Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The last commander of U.S. forces in Iraq returns to the United States on Tuesday carrying the command flag that flew over Baghdad.

General Lloyd Austin...

US forces quit Iraq nine years on

2011-12-18T17:30:37Z

The last US forces left Iraq and entered Kuwait on Sunday, nearly nine years after launching a divisive war to oust Saddam Hussein, and just as the oil-rich country grapples with renewed political deadlock.

The last of roughly 110 vehicles carrying 500-odd troops mostly from the 3rd ...

Romney says US withdrawal from Iraq 'precipitous'

2011-12-18T14:30:16Z

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said in an interview aired Sunday that US withdrawal from Iraq is "precipitous" and blamed President Barack Obama for failing to leave some US forces behind.

"I think we're going to find that this president, by not putting in place a ...

For U.S. soldiers, bittersweet end to Iraq war

2011-12-18T07:02:00Z

K-CROSSING, Kuwait (Reuters) - American soldiers marked Sunday's U.S. troop withdrawal after nearly nine years in Iraq with mixed emotions, remembering lost colleagues, but hoping the country can stand on its own feet.

The war, launched in 2003 to topp...

Obama urges unity as he thanks troops after Iraq

2011-12-17T15:30:21Z

US President Barack Obama urged national unity Saturday as he expressed his gratitude to troops who fought the war in Iraq and welcomed them home at the end of the war.

"Now it is up to us to serve these brave men and women as well as they serve us," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

"Every day, they meet their responsibilities to their families and their countr...

Abu Ghraib remains scar on US war efforts

2011-12-16T20:30:43Z

He is now a schoolteacher, but Abu Mustafa admits he still sometimes has flashbacks to his 10 months in American custody at Iraq's most infamous prison -- Abu Ghraib.

"I cannot forget, and I cannot describe, the hell that I lived," said the 33-year-old father-of-two, who remains profoundly traumatised by his time there and, according to h...

US military hands over control of last Iraq base

2011-12-16T10:30:30Z

Iraq took control of the last American military base in the country on Friday, a day after US forces marked the end of their mission, bringing a divisive war to a low-key conclusion.

The transfer of the sprawling installation on the outskirts of the southern city of Nas...

Camp Ashraf exiles file US complaint against Iran, Iraq

2011-12-15T20:30:31Z

Four Iranian exiles have filed a complaint in US court against senior Iranian and Iraqi officials for their alleged role in an April attack on Camp Ashraf, a site for Iranian dissidents in Iraq.

The Iranians, three of whom received political asylum in the United States and another resided in the United States, claim the...

Iraq to take over last US base ahead of pullout

2011-12-15T19:31:02Z

Iraq will assume command Friday of the last US military base in the country, a day after US forces formally marked the end of their mission by bringing a divisive war to a low-key conclusion.

Baghdad's security forces will take over a sprawling installation on th...

US forces mark end of Iraq mission

2011-12-15T16:30:41Z

US forces formally marked the end of their mission in Iraq with a low-key ceremony near Baghdad on Thursday, after nearly nine years of divisive war that began with the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.

The "casing of the colours" near the airport, the first site the US occupied in Baghdad in 2003, comes with around 4,000 US soldiers stil...

US forces to lower flag in Iraq ahead of pullout

2011-12-15T06:30:33Z

US forces will lower the flag in Iraq on Thursday, in a formal ceremony ahead of their withdrawal from the country nearly nine years after the controversial invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

The ceremony marking the closure of the US military's headquarters in Iraq comes after US withdrawal from Iraq will leave a power vacuum in the Gulf, analysts say, paving the way for Iran to increase its influence in this economic and politically strategic region, a concern echoed by America's Gulf allies.

"The US withdrawal from Iraq will no doubt create a power vacuum," said Abdulaziz Sager, chairman of the

Iraqis burn US flags to celebrate troop pullout

2011-12-14T15:31:00Z

Hundreds of Iraqis set alight US and Israeli flags on Wednesday as they celebrated the impending pullout of American forces from the country in the former insurgent bastion of Fallujah.

Shouting slogans in support of the "resistance," the demonstrators held up banners and placards inscribed with phrases like, "Now we are free" and "Fallujah is the flame of the resistance."

Surrounded by the Iraqi army, demonstrators carried post...

Obama: Troops leaving Iraq with heads held high

2011-12-14T13:00:32Z

FORT BRAGG, North Carolina (Reuters) - President Barack Obama welcomed home some of the last U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, marking a symbolic end to the nearly nine-year war that strained America's armed forces and damaged it...

Obama: U.S. troops leaving Iraq with heads held high

2011-12-14T11:00:22Z

Obama welcomes home troops, marks end of Iraq war

2011-12-14T11:00:11Z

Obama to honor troops to mark end of Iraq war

2011-12-14T04:30:20Z

President Barack Obama will Wednesday embrace returning troops and seek to turn the page on the divisive, bloody and costly period of modern US history stained by the Iraq war.

He will pay homage to military sacrifices and seek to move Americans towards a future unclouded by major foreign land wars and urge them to join an effort ...

Iraq has 'enduring partner' in US, Obama vows

2011-12-12T18:30:48Z

US President Barack Obama vowed an "enduring" partnership with a "self-reliant" and sovereign Iraq, touting his promise kept to end a wrenching war as he met Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Obama said the last US soldiers would leave Iraq this month "with heads held high" but left history to judge the decision to wage a conflic...

US invasion unleashed Iraqi 'creative anarchy'

2011-12-12T18:30:45Z

While the past eight-plus years of US forces in Iraq were dominated by headlines of brutal violence and fitful reconstruction efforts, Iraqis note the 2003 war has also unleashed a "creative anarchy."

From widely-circulated clips of young rappers to street races where drivers perform doughnuts with their cars, the Iraq of 2011 is in many ways a markedly different place culturally from ...

Obama, Maliki have 'failed' on security: McCain

2011-12-12T15:31:03Z

US Senator John McCain Monday accused President Barack Obama and visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki of having "failed" by not agreeing on a US military presence past year's end.

"Both men have failed in their responsibilities with regard ...

Obama meets Iraq's Maliki at White House

2011-12-12T09:00:18Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to the White House on Monday, showcasing the end of the American war in President Barack Obama meets Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Monday, marking America's exit from a war launched in a aerial "shock and awe" assault that went on to deeply wound both nations.

Obama will hold talks with Maliki at the White House, have a press conference and join his visito...

NATO to halt Iraq mission at year-end: official

2011-12-11T16:30:32Z

NATO will withdraw its Iraq training mission at year-end after Baghdad refused to grant it legal immunity, Iraq's top security adviser said on Sunday, mirroring the nearly-complete pullout of US forces.

But a NATO official in Brussels denied...

Iraq PM sets off for US ahead of pullout

2011-12-11T06:30:15Z

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki headed to Washington on Sunday, for the first time as leader of a country virtually empty of foreign troops as the US withdrawal from Iraq nears its final days.

Maliki is to hold wide-ranging talks with US President Barack Obama

Seven killed in Iraq attacks

2011-12-10T11:30:26Z

A spate of gun and bomb attacks across northern and central Iraq on Saturday killed seven people and left four others wounded, security officials said.

In the disputed northern city of Kirkuk, a Shiite Turkman chemicals specialist for the state-owned North Oil Company was killed by a magnetic "sticky bomb" at...

Iraq says US hands over key air base

2011-12-07T14:30:47Z

The US army on Wednesday transferred to Iraqi forces a key military base in the western province of Anbar near the border with Jordan and Saudi Arabia, a government official said.

"Today we took control of the Al-Assad air base in Anbar province,...

US hands key base over to Iraqi control

2011-12-02T16:30:31Z

The United States on Friday handed over to Iraqi control the sprawling Victory Base Complex near Baghdad, the main base from which the US-led war in Iraq was commanded, a US military spokesman said.

"The Victory Base Com...

Shared sacrifices allow Iraq war to end: Biden

2011-12-01T16:31:12Z

US Vice President Joe Biden, in Iraq as the last American soldiers prepare to depart, thanked troops from both sides for their shared sacrifices, saying they helped to end the war.

But even as Biden spoke of the conflict drawing to a close, 18 people were killed in attacks in Diyala province, north of Vice President Joe Biden said on Wednesday the United States and Iraq are embarking on a new phase in their ties as Washington keeps its promise to pull all of its troops out of the country.

Biden, President Barack ...

Packing and patrolling, U.S. troops roll out of Iraq

2011-11-30T09:30:51Z

CAMP ECHO, Iraq (Reuters) - Camp Echo's dusty motorpools are empty, its private contract caterers have long gone home and murals depicting the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York's twin towers have been painted over.

One of the last seven BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday in a visit to mark the end of the U.S. war in Iraq as troops complete withdrawal by year-end.

Biden's trip spotlights the fulfillment of a key pledge by Iraq's disputed oil-rich Kirkuk province may turn into fertile ground for militant groups including Al-Qaeda after the US withdrawal, officials from the province warn.

Ethnically divided Kirkuk lies at the centre of a tract of territory which Kurdish leaders want to incorporate in their autonomo...

Up to 763 contractors to train Iraqi forces: US

2011-11-23T16:30:31Z

A maximum of 763 civilian contractors and 157 US military personnel will train Iraqi security forces post-2011, if the Iraqi government gives its approval, a US officer said on Wednesday.

US President Barack Obama announced on October 21 that US troops would depart

US forces kill Iraqis after bombing: officials

2011-11-19T16:30:23Z

US forces shot dead two Iraqi civilians south of Baghdad on Saturday following a bomb attack on their convoy, Iraq security officials said, while the US military denied its soldiers opened fire.

"A roadside bomb hit a US convoy in Yusifiyah on the road to Hilla," an interior ministry official said. "American forces opened fire rando...

Iraq's Kirkuk faces uncertainty without U.S. troops

2011-11-16T07:00:39Z

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - In Iraq's northern oil city Kirkuk, home to a volatile mix of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, politicians and residents fear a possible explosion of ethnic conflict when American troops leave.

With prospects that U.S. forces will leave Iraq by December 31, the city turns uncertainly to Iraqi and Kurdish...

Defense chief clashes with senators over Iraq

2011-11-15T14:00:37Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta rejected accusations at a heated Senate hearing on Tuesday that U.S. politics helped drive the decision to completely withdraw from Iraq this year without leaving any troops behind as trainers.

The October...

Huge U.S. air base returned to Iraqi control

2011-11-09T02:30:11Z

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military has handed over to the Iraqi government its 2nd largest Iraq base, a joint army and air force complex that housed some 36,000 American troops and contractors at the peak of the war, U....

Most US troops out of Iraq by mid-December: general

2011-11-07T10:32:16Z

The "vast majority" of remaining US troops in Iraq will be out by mid-December as the American military's withdrawal picks up pace, a US general said Thursday.

Less than 34,000 troops remain in Iraq after reaching a peak of 170,000 in 2007 during a buildup ordered by former president George W. Bush, said <...

Analysis: Obama plows on with plans to end Iraq, Afghan wars

2011-11-03T12:00:35Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - American soldiers in Iraq are packing up military gear and shutting down bases as the United States races to remove all but a couple hundred troops by year's end.

In Afghanistan, U.S. generals ...

Iraq casualty toll rises in October

2011-11-02T03:00:23Z

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The number of civilians killed in violence in Iraq climbed sharply in October, according to government figures, amid concerns about security after U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to pull out U.S. troops.

U.S. to boost Gulf presence after Iraq pullout: report

2011-10-30T01:30:04Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is planning to bolster its military presence in the Gulf after it pulls out its remaining troops from Iraq, the New York Times reported in its online e...

Iraq rounds up Baathists ahead of U.S. pullout

2011-10-25T10:30:24Z

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has arrested at least 240 former members of Saddam Hussein's banned Baath Party and ex-military officers over what some senior officials described as a plot to ...

Clinton warns Iran on Iraq interference

2011-10-22T18:30:15Z

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday implicitly warned Iran not to interfere in Iraq after the decision to pull all American troops out of the war-wracked state by the end of the year.

Clinton, on a visit to Tajikistan, echoed President Barack Obama's declaration that US forces will leave by year-end, but some spoke of concern the pullout could further destabilise their country.

The decision to withdraw all remaining soldiers in the country after nearly nine years of war, and the deaths of more than 4,400 US troops and tens of thousands of Iraqis, came...

US to pull out troops from Iraq by end-2011

2011-10-22T06:30:12Z

US President Barack Obama said all American troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, ending a long war which cleaved deep political divides and estranged the United States from its allies.

The decision, announced Friday, came after Iraq failed to agree to legal immunity for a small residual force that Washington...

Obama announces Iraq troop pullout by end-2011

2011-10-21T17:30:23Z

President Barack Obama said Friday all US troops will leave Iraq by the end of the year, ending a long war which cleaved deep political divides and estranged the United States from its allies.

The decision came after Iraq failed to agree to legal immunity for a small residual force the United States had hoped to keep in the countr...

End in sight, U.S. veterans ponder pain of Iraq war

2011-10-21T17:00:33Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - They remembered friends who died and brave Iraqis they had met, but news on Friday that the Iraq war was ending couldn't erase questions among U.S. veterans about whether it has all been worth it.

Sentiment about whether the nearly nine-year war was right or wrong was as d...

Obama: U.S. will pull troops out of Iraq by year-end

2011-10-21T10:00:18Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama has decided to withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year, a White House official sa...

US shuts north Iraq division ahead of pullout

2011-10-20T15:30:34Z

The US military closed its north Iraq division on Thursday, leaving 18 bases in the country ahead of a year-end pullout, with Baghdad and Washington still at an impasse over a future troop deal.

The closure of US Division-North was the latest in an operation to reduce Was...

US legal immunity in Iraq 'requirement': military

2011-10-13T11:30:39Z

Legal immunity is a must for any American troops serving in Iraq as part of a training mission past year-end, the US military's spokesman in the country said on Thursday.

Major General Jeffrey Buchanan's remarks come amid an apparent impasse between Baghdad and Washington over the issue, with I...

US troops in Iraq after 2011 need 'immunity': Panetta

2011-10-06T11:30:28Z

Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Thursday any US forces that remain in Iraq beyond a year-end deadline would require legal "immunity," despite calls from Iraqi leaders to end the protection.

Asked about a statement from leaders of Iraq's main political parties, Panetta said that "any kind of US presence demands that we protect ...

Many U.S. veterans say Iraq, Afghan wars not worth it

2011-10-05T01:00:13Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A third of U.S. military veterans who have served in the armed forces since the September 11, 2001, attacks think the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not worth fighting, a poll released on ...

'No need' for US troop immunity post-2011: Iraq leaders

2011-10-04T17:30:46Z

Iraqi leaders said in a statement Tuesday there was "no need" for US forces that stay beyond year-end to receive immunity from prosecution, a key condition set by Washington for any post-2011 training deal.

The remarks raise questions over whether an oft-discussed American military trai...

Iraq's Maliki wins backing for U.S. trainers, but no immunity

2011-10-04T14:30:16Z

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Nuri al-Maliki on Tuesday won more backing from the political blocs in his power-sharing government to negotiate on plans to keep U.S. troops in Iraq as military trainers, but without granting them immunity if they commi...

Dempsey: new US military chief led troops in Iraq

2011-09-30T14:30:21Z

General Martin Dempsey, who Friday took over as the US military's top officer, has led soldiers in combat in Iraq and is keenly aware of the growing strain on the force after years of war.

An Irish-American who taught English literature to cadets at West Point

US troops no longer needed in northern Iraq: general

2011-09-29T16:31:36Z

Large numbers of US troops are no longer needed on the ground in northern Iraq to defuse Arab-Kurdish tensions and have begun handing over control to local forces, a US commander said Thursday.

Army Major General David Perkins, who leads 5,000 US troops deployed in northern Iraq, said the American contingent has gra...

Five Iraqis, US soldier killed in violence

2011-09-29T16:30:47Z

Attacks killed five Iraqis, including three who died when a suicide bomber blew up an explosives-packed truck in the northern city of Kirkuk, and an American soldier on Thursday, officials said.

In the deadliest attack, blamed on Al-Qaeda, two women and a man were killed and 76 others were wounded by a truck bomb in front of a bank in Kirkuk as policemen collected their monthly ...

Suicide bomber kills three in Iraq's Kirkuk

2011-09-29T07:30:13Z

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed three people and wounded dozens in Iraq's Kirkuk city on Thursday after he blew up his car outside a bank where police were collecting their salaries.

The bomber drove his car into the bank premises, damaging nearby buildings and setting parked vehicles on fire...

Bomb in Iraq's Kirkuk kills at least two: police

2011-09-29T03:00:08Z

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and another 36 wounded when a large bomb exploded in Iraq's Kirkuk city outside a bank where police were collecting their salaries, police and hospital officials said on Thursday.

Local television showed black smoke coming from the site in Kirkuk city center where e...

Iraq signs deal to buy 18 F-16s

2011-09-27T16:30:30Z

Iraq has signed an agreement with the United States to buy 18 F-16s and has already made an initial payment as part of the deal, Iraqi and American officials said on Tuesday.

"Iraq has signed with Washington to buy the F-16s," Ali Mussawi, media advisor to

Bomb at Iraq restaurant kills 3, wounds 15: sources

2011-09-22T10:00:13Z

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in front of a restaurant used by Shi'ite pilgrims in the Iraqi town of Haswa on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 15 others, two security sources said.

The blast took place in Haswa, 50 km (30 miles) south of Baghdad, the sources said.

(Reporting by Suadad al-Salhy and

Qaeda claims coordinated Iraq attacks

2011-09-21T16:30:42Z

Al-Qaeda's front group in Iraq on Wednesday claimed much of a spate of nationwide violence a month ago that left 74 people dead in the country's bloodiest day in more than a year.

The statement from the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) was posted on the Honein jihadist forum, claiming a series of attacks on August ...

Bomb kills 15 Iraqi soldiers, wounds 20: army sources

2011-09-14T00:30:09Z

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - A bomb attached to a military bus killed 15 Iraqi soldiers and wounded 20 others when it went off at an army base in western Iraq on Wednesday, army sources said.

They said the explosion occurred inside an Iraqi military base in Habaniya, near the town of Falluja aro...

Analysis: Obama's risky calculus on Iraq troop levels

2011-09-09T23:00:04Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When it comes to the tricky political calculus of deciding how many U.S. troops to keep in Iraq, President Barack Obama may truly have no good options.

Obama was an Iraq war opponent who repeatedly promised no U.S. troops will remain in the country beyond 2011, ...

Iraq: Victim or beneficiary of September 11 attacks?

2011-09-09T08:30:15Z

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Ten years after the hijacked airliner attacks on the United States, Iraqis are swamped in the violent wake of a war launched on a tenuous premise and uncertain if they are headed to democracy or dictatorship.

While the sectarian slaughter that pushed

Avoid US 'occupation' of Iraq, warns army chief

2011-09-09T01:30:20Z

US Army chief, General Ray Odierno, warned against creating the impression of an American "occupation" of Iraq by leaving too many troops in the country after a year-end deadline to withdraw.

Odierno told reporters the United States had to carefully balance how...

US army chief warns against large force in Iraq

2011-09-08T20:30:36Z

The new US Army chief warned Thursday against leaving too large a force in Iraq after a year-end deadline, saying it could feed the perception of an American "occupation."

General Ray Odierno, former commander of US forces in Iraq until last year, told reporters the The Pentagon insisted no decision has been made on future US troop levels in Iraq as lawmakers voiced alarm over reports the White House is looking at retaining as few as 3,000 troops on the ground.

Iraqi leaders have announced plans to open talks with Washington on keeping a

U.S. say no Iraq troop decision yet as rumors swirl

2011-09-06T21:00:10Z

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta denied on Tuesday any decision was made on keeping some U.S. troops in Iraq beyond an end-year deadline for their withdrawal as speculation mounted that the Obama administration

Iraqi Kurdistan chief calls for US troops to stay

2011-09-06T12:30:34Z

The president of north Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region called Tuesday for US forces to stay in Iraq past 2011 to avoid a civil war, accusing Iraqi leaders of hypocrisy on the divisive issue.

"We think that the presence of US forces in Iraq is still needed, and all the political blocs say this during bilateral meetings, but when they ...

Gunmen kill eight Iraqi soldiers

2011-09-06T07:30:25Z

Gunmen killed eight soldiers at a checkpoint in western Iraq before burning their corpses on Tuesday, a police officer said.

"Unknown gunmen attacked a checkpoint located between Haditha and Baiji, killing eight" soldiers, a police major said on condition of anonymity.

They then "collected their weapons and put the corpses in a vehicle and set it on fire" following the attack ea...

First fatality-free month for US military in Iraq

2011-09-01T04:30:22Z

For the first time since the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, a month passed without a single American military fatality here, a US military spokeswoman said on Thursday.

"August was the first month with no hostile deaths and no non-combat deaths, which includes accidents or illness," Major Angela Funaro told AFP in an emailed response to questions.

"However, there ...

Six killed in attacks across Iraq

2011-08-28T12:30:30Z

Bomb and gun attacks across Iraq on Sunday killed six people, among them three policemen, and wounded another nine, security officials said.

In the deadliest attack, militants in military uniforms killed three people in a car at a fake checkpoint they set up west of the restive ethnically mixed city of Baquba, an Iraqi army colonel in the provincial security command centre said.

Iraq violence leaves 12 dead

2011-08-25T18:30:20Z

A series of bomb attacks and shootings across Iraq on Thursday killed 12 people, including six security force members, and wounded 87 others, medical and security officials said.

In the deadliest attack, a vehicle packed with explosives detonated near a police station in the town of Al-Gharma, just west of Baghdad in predominantly Sunni Iraq leaves their Iraqi interpreters facing unemployment, afraid for their lives and with a difficult decision: whether to stay or go.

Interpreters interviewed at military and police facilities near Mosul in north Iraq all said they fear for their safety.

But accepting special visas to the US still means leaving their country and...

US pushes Iraqis toward taking over training

2011-08-20T12:30:23Z

American forces have been pushing their Iraqi counterparts to play a larger role in leading training so they will be able to take over after the US's year-end exit, soldiers say.

Iraqi leaders have approved negotiations with the United States on a post-2011 training mission, but no deal has yet been made. Unless Baghdad and Washington reach ...

Pentagon plays down comments on US role in Iraq

2011-08-20T08:30:14Z

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta suggested that Iraq had agreed to keep American troops in the country beyond a 2011 deadline, but Baghdad insisted the issue was still under negotiation.

In an interview with two US newspapers published Friday, Panetta said the Iraqis appeared to have made up their mind to extend the presence of American troo...

No deal yet on US troops staying in Iraq: PM's aide

2011-08-19T16:30:27Z

The United States and Iraq have not yet agreed to a post-2011 American military training mission, an aide to the Iraqi premier said Friday, after the US defence chief said Baghdad had given the okay.

"We have not yet agreed on the issue of keeping training forces," Ali ...

US exit leaves gap at Arab-Kurd mediation centres

2011-08-17T20:30:33Z

New neutral arbitrators will be needed at centres set up to prevent disputes between Kurdish and Arab forces after the year-end departure of US troops from Iraq.

All US troops must leave by December 31 unless Baghdad and Washington reach an accord to allow a training mission to stay on.

Without an extension, ...

Iraq VP says US pullout will improve security

2011-08-14T12:30:13Z

The year-end pullout of US forces will improve security in Iraq, Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi claimed Sunday, days after Iraqi leaders agreed to talk with Washington over a post-2011 training mission.

Hashemi, a Sunni Muslim and one of two vice presidents whose positions are largely ceremonial, said a continued

Kuwait ups security at port before Iraq talks

2011-08-14T09:30:42Z

Kuwait has beefed up security around a controversial port project ahead of a visit by an Iraqi delegation for talks, a security official was quoted as saying Sunday.

The increased security around the Mubarak al-Kabir port on Bubiyan Island follows remarks by an Iraqi MP in the Kuwaiti press, which cited him as saying Iraqi militant groups could "easily invade Kuwait". The MP told AFP, however, that his comments were misinterp...

Iranian exiles demonstrate for UN, US protection

2011-08-08T14:00:24Z

Some 200 people demonstrated at the European headquarters of the United Nations Monday, demanding US and UN protection for Iranian exiles at the Ashraf refugee camp in Iraq.

"If something happens in Ashraf, the (United Nations) will be held responsible," Maryam Rajavi, head of the Kirkuk but key issues remain over its funding and expansion.

American troops, who were key to the force's formation in early 2010, have taken a back seat in the combined unit's operations ahead of the planned year-end US pullout.

Senior American officers have voiced concern that the force's mandate has become ...

Eight killed in Iraq violence

2011-08-07T10:30:14Z

Insurgents killed at least six people in a bomb attack on the home of a Shiite family in a mainly Sunni town south of Baghdad on Sunday, part of nationwide violence that left a total of eight dead.

The blast, which occurred in the early morning, also badly damaged a neighbouring home in Iskandiriyah, which lies within a confessionally mixed area known as the Triangle o...

Iraqis angry over Abu Ghraib ringleader's release

2011-08-07T09:30:27Z

Iraqis on Sunday expressed anger at the release of the ringleader of US guards who abused detainees at Abu Ghraib prison, and said US troops should not be granted further immunity from Iraqi prosecution.

Charles Graner, 42, was on Saturday freed on parole from the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fo...

Iraq's Sadr warns against post-2011 US presence

2011-08-07T06:30:18Z

Radical anti-US cleric Moqtada al-Sadr warned that any US training mission in Iraq after 2011 would amount to an occupation force and need to be opposed by "military means," in a letter seen on Sunday.

The letter, released on Saturday in the Shiite cleric's base in the shrine city of Najaf, came after

Abu Ghraib abuse ringleader freed from jail

2011-08-06T19:30:26Z

The convicted ringleader of the US military guards who abused detainees at Abu Ghraib and took scandalous pictures of their acts was released on parole from military prison, the US Army said.

Charles Graner, 42, was freed from the US

Seven killed in twin west Iraq blasts: police

2011-08-03T15:30:36Z

Twin bomb attacks in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi killed seven people and wounded 13 others on Wednesday evening, part of nationwide violence that left 10 dead, security officials said.

A roadside bomb exploded at around 5:30 pm (1430 GMT) in the south of Ramadi, 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Baghdad, wounding five people, a police officer said, speaking on condition of an...

Three police killed in Baghdad liquor store blasts

2011-08-03T08:30:26Z

Successive bombings targeting an alcohol shop on Baghdad's western outskirts killed three policemen at the beginning of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, a security official said on Wednesday.

An Iraqi policeman was also killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) on Wednesday, while an army officer and two members of an anti-Qaeda militia were killed in attacks the day before.

Top US officer pushes for troop decision in Iraq

2011-08-02T12:00:48Z

Iraq must decide on the future of the US troop presence in the country as soon as possible and include provisions on immunity for American soldiers, the top US military officer said in Baghdad on Tuesday.

The remarks by Admiral Mike Mullen, outgoing chair...

Top US officer in Iraq to push for troop decision

2011-08-01T19:30:27Z

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki voiced hope that a deal on the future of US troop presence in Iraq could be reached Tuesday as the top American military officer arrived to push for a quick decision.

The visit by Admiral Mike Mullen, outgoin...

Top US officer presses Iraq for troop decision

2011-08-01T17:30:22Z

Iraq must decide soon if it wants US troops to stay on beyond a year-end deadline for their withdrawal, the top American military officer said during a surprise visit on Monday.

Admiral Mike Mullen, outgoing chairman of the MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq by Iran-backed militia have fallen sharply thanks to U.S. and Iraqi military operations and diplomatic engagement with Tehran by

Top US officer arrives in Iraq: military

2011-08-01T10:30:39Z

The top American military officer arrived in north Iraq on Monday shortly before he is due to step down and with just months to go before the US must withdraw its forces from Iraq, a US officer said.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the

Analysis: Kurds serve warning as U.S. withdrawal nears

2011-07-31T08:00:08Z

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - When Iraq's northern Kurdish region sent a division of troops to surround Kirkuk in February, it may have been a signal of the delicate balancing act to come when U.S. forces leave the disputed oil city.

Officially, the 10,000 or so peshmerga fighters were there to protec...

Iraq less safe than a year ago: US watchdog

2011-07-30T13:30:18Z

Iraq is a less safe place than it was one year ago as security deteriorates, an American watchdog warned on Saturday, just months ahead of a US withdrawal from the country.

The assessment by Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, contrasts markedly from the more optimistic view often voic...

Tribal sheikh among three killed in US-Iraq raid

2011-07-30T10:00:07Z

A US-Iraqi raid north of Baghdad on Saturday killed a tribal sheikh and two of his family members, police said, as local leaders condemned what they branded a "massacre" of civilians.

US forces said the operation aimed to nab a wanted insurgent but officials in the village of Rufayat, 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the capital, said the raid targeted a family with no ties to insurgent groups.

"A joint raid using helico...

Iraq Violence

2010-12-27T06:31:31Z

Iraqi security forces inspect the scene of two suicide bombers attacks in Ramadi, 70 miles (115 kilometers) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 27, 2010. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up on Monday, killing and wounding scores of people at the government compound in the provincial capital of Ramadi, officials said. (AP Photo)

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Iraq Sons of Iraq

2010-12-16T10:33:23Z

In this Monday, Oct. 6, 2010 photo, an armed Sunni militiaman wearing an Iraqi Army patch, left, and a U.S. Army soldier patrol in Samarra, 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq. The man is part of Samarra's Sahwa _ Arabic for Awakening, or...

Iraq Traffic Accident

2010-12-03T11:37:24Z

Victims of a traffic accident lie injured at a Hospital in Hillah, about 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. Dozens of people including Iranian pilgrims visiting Shiite holy sites in Iraq, died Friday when two buses collided head-on south of Baghdad, official and eyewitnesses said. (AP Photo/Alaa al-Marjani)

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Iraq Politics

2010-11-13T05:01:15Z

Iraqi Army soldiers dance and chant slogans to celebrate the end of an eight month political impasse in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

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Iraq Security

2010-11-10T04:31:42Z

An Iraqi policeman adjusts the blindfold on a suspected terrorist during a joint operation in al-Shaheed village in Kirkuk province, north of Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010. The man was detained during a sweep by Iraqi police and

The latest in Iraq War

Attacks kill 67 as Iraq mired in political crisis