Global Media Post » Iraq

“US enters final phase of Iraq war”

Editor — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:09:49 +0000

“The US marks on Wednesday the transition to the final phase of the Iraq war, shifting the focus of the remaining 50,000 American troops from combat operations to preparing Iraqi security forces to protect the country on their own. President Barack Obama set the tone for changing the role without fanfare, making clear in a major speech on Iraq that this was no victory celebration. A six-month stalemate over forming a new Iraqi government has raised concerns about the country’s stability and questions over whether the leadership can cope with a diminished but still dangerous insurgency. Vice President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen will preside over a military change-of-command ceremony in Baghdad later Wednesday that will signal the formal end of American combat operations in Iraq, 7 1/2 years after the March 2003 invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Gates, visiting American troops in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, said history will judge whether the fight was worth it for the United States. ‘The problem with this war, I think, for many Americans, is that the premise on which we justified going to war turned out not to be valid’, he said. ‘Even if the outcome is a good one from the standpoint of the United States, it’ll always be clouded by how it began’. Claiming that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, then-President George W. Bush ordered the invasion with approval of a Congress that was still reeling from the 9/11 attacks. But Bush’s claims were based on faulty intelligence, and the weapons were never found. Obama declared an end to combat in an Oval Office speech and praised American forces for their work. He acknowledged the ambiguous nature of the war in which American forces quickly ousted Saddam but were never able to fully control the Sunni Muslim insurgency against the Shiite-dominated establishment that even now threatens to re-ignite. Still, he said the time had come to close this divisive chapter in US history. ’We have met our responsibility’, Obama said. ‘Now it is time to turn the page’ “

“Operation Iraqi Freedom ends as last combat soldiers leave Baghdad”

Editor — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:11:22 +0000

“The 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, which left Iraq this week, was the final US combat brigade to be pulled out of the country, fulfilling the Obama administration’s pledge to end the US combat mission by the end of August. About 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in Iraq, mainly as a training force. ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom ends on your watch’ exclaimed Col John Norris the the head of the brigade. ’Hooah’! the soldiers roared, using an Army battle cry. Shortly before midnight, a group of infantrymen boarded Stryker fighting vehicles, left an increasingly sparse base behind and began scanning the sides of a desolate highway for bombs. For many veterans, including some who made the same trip in the opposite direction years ago under fire, it was a fitting way to exit. ‘They’re leaving as heroes’,” Norris said of his soldiers. ‘I want them to walk home with pride in their hearts’. Besides pride, the soldiers will carry with them the hidden costs of war: hardened glares; tales of comrades’ deaths relayed in monotone sentences devoid of emotion; young faces rendered incongruously old. There might never be an acknowledged end to the Iraq war — a moment where it ceases being America’s conflict. US commanders acknowledge that the months-long political impasse over the disputed March 7 elections and a flurry of other unresolved disputes in Iraq have the potential to erode hard-won security gains. But US commanders also seem to be stressing that this is no longer America’s war to lose. ‘I will let history judge whether we reached irreversible momentum’, Norris said. ‘That’s not my call’. By the end of this month, the United States will have six brigades in Iraq, by far its smallest footprint since the 2003 invasion. Those that remain are conventional combat brigades reconfigured slightly and rebranded ‘advise and assist brigades’. The primary mission of those units and the roughly 4,500 US special operations forces that will stay behind will be to train Iraqi troops. Under a bilateral agreement, all US troops must be out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. Leaving Iraq one last time is particularly emotional for veterans who have served multiple tours, several soldiers said in the two-day journey through the southern desert to Kuwait in cramped, windowless vehicles”

“US ‘fails to account’ for Iraq reconstruction billions”

Editor — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:31:05 +0000

“Billions have gone to rebuild Iraq but much of the money is impossible to trace, says a US audit… A US federal watchdog has criticised the US military for failing to account properly for billions of dollars it received to help rebuild Iraq. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says the US Department of Defence is unable to account properly for 96% of the money. Out of just over $9bn (£5.8bn), $8.7bn is unaccounted for, the inspector says. The US military said the funds were not necessarily missing, but that spending records might have been archived. In a response attached to the report, it said attempting to account for the money might require ‘significant archival retrieval efforts’. Much of the money came from the sale of Iraqi oil and gas. Some frozen Saddam Hussein-era assets were also sold off. The funds in question were administered by the US Department of Defence between 2004 and 2007, and were earmarked for reconstruction projects. But, the report says, a lack of proper accounting makes it impossible to say exactly what happened to most of the money. This is not the first time that allegations of missing billions have surfaced in relation to the US-led invasion of Iraq and its aftermath. No-one from the Iraqi government was immediately available for comment”

“Construction begins on ‘great wall of Baghdad’ “

Editor — Wed, 19 May 2010 12:38:51 +0000

“Baghdad is to resort to one of the oldest forms of defence by building a massive wall around the capital to keep out insurgents. A series of recent suicide bombings has driven the governor of the Iraqi capital
to propose the concrete barrier, which will be 4.5m high and 112km long. Every
man, beast and vehicle entering will be searched at one of only eight gates
along the main highways. Baghdad, roughly the same size as London and with approximately five million inhabitants, will face severe disruption as a result. Freedom of movement will be limited and workers and visitors alike will probably have to wait for at least an hour to enter. Once inside, though, it is hoped they will be much safer”

“Shatha al-Obeidi, an aide to Salah Abdul Razzaq, the governor, said: “We want to stop the terrorist from sneaking in. With the wall it will be mucheasier.”

Building work is expected to take about a year. Once completed, officials plan
to remove most of the 1,500 checkpoints and many miles of cement blast barriers
that have sprung up inside Baghdad over the past few years. “We have become a
city filled with concrete,” said Ms al-Obeidi. “That will change.”

To keep costs down, many of the blast walls may simply be moved from central
Baghdad to the outskirts and become part of the exterior wall.

The eight city gates will be set up as service stations for travellers, with
restaurants and stores on the inner side. Cars will be searched across ten-lane
highways from 6am until midnight. The city remains under a night-time curfew.

Construction is to be supervised by the Baghdad Operations Command, the
anti-terrorism cell that reports directly to the Prime Minister. It will also
run the checkpoints, aided by an American-designed computer system holding the fingerprints of known insurgents. Qasim Atta, a member of the command, said that the wall was “a great way to improve security”.

Where the city borders agricultural areas, a moat may be substituted.
Surveillance cameras and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft will also be in use,
officials said.

Construction has apparently already begun. “The Baghdad governorate has started building the security wall which will surround the capital and separate it from the surrounding provinces,” Mr Atta said.

Baghdad has been the target of repeated suicide car bombings over the past year,
some of them killing more than a hundred people in a single day. American
officials believe that many of the explosives-laden cars were prepared and
brought in from farming communities outside the city.

Baghdad is not a stranger to the concept of a city wall. Founded in AD762 as a
large circular compound, it was initially surrounded by ramparts 30m high, with
four gates, numerous guard towers and a moat. That, however, did not stop the
Mongols from sacking the city in 1258.

Baghdad residents have mixed feelings about living in a giant gated community.
Many doubt the effectiveness of the wall, having seen so many other security
measures fail.

Fallah al-Azawi, a former army officer, said: “I don’t think a wall will bring
any good. Baghdad can only be protected by its men.”

Oday Ghafori, a vegetable market worker, said: “Even animals are not treated
like this. And what about the sky? Why don’t they cover Baghdad from above?”

Others, however, were very much in favour of the idea. For years, they have
lived in what the American military call the red zone, while diplomats and
officials have been cloistered in the green zone: a few square miles of central
Baghdad protected by its own walls and barbed wire.

“This will make all of Baghdad into a green zone,” said Said Modhar Yahya, an
accountant.

The Australian, May 19, via The Times

“Gunmen in military garb kill at least 24 in Sunni area south of Baghdad”

Editor — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:33:56 +0000

“Gunmen pretending to be Iraqi security forces and US soldiers killed at least 24 people here, shooting some and slitting others’ throats as they moved from house to house, officials and residents said. The victims of the hour-long incident included women and children, but most were members of the Awakening, Sunni paramilitary forces also known as the Sons of Iraq that battled insurgents at the behest of the US military. The targeted killings were perhaps the most brutal since the horrific spiral of sectarian assassinations in 2006 and 2007 pulled Iraq into a state of civil war. With American forces no longer patrolling Iraqi cities, the killings also reinforced a sense of abandonment among Arab Sunnis, whose tribes defied insurgents to join forces with the United States despite their distrust of the Shiite-led government”

Iraq: “Premier endorses recount of the vote”

Editor — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:15:07 +0000

“Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki endorsed the mounting calls for a recount of Iraq’s parliamentary election, as the latest results showed his main competitor with a slight lead. President Jalal Talabani, using more direct language, also called for a recount. The appeals by Iraq’s two highest government officials added to a rash of complaints related to how the March 7 election was conducted and how the votes were tallied”

Iraq: “PM seeks to form govt with rivals”

Editor — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:48:16 +0000

“Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s State of Law Alliance has formed a committee to begin negotiating with rival blocs to form a government, a senior member of his coalition says. The confirmation that State of Law has begun talks on forming a government comes as initial results from Iraq’s March 7 parliamentary polls gave Maliki a slender lead over his main rival for the top job, ex-premier Iyad Allawi”

Iraq's PM has formed a committee following the election to negotiate with rival blocs to form a government.

Iraq to announce initial election results

Editor — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:50:26 +0000

“Iraqi electoral authorities say turnout among the country’s minority Sunnis was strong compared to the last parliamentary elections in 2005 when many Sunnis boycotted the process. The UN Security Council praised the elections as a key step toward strengthening Iraq’s national unity and independence. The 15-member body said Iraqis have shown a commitment to a ‘peaceful, inclusive and democratic political process’ “

“Iraq’s elections could be a turning point — backwards”

Editor — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:46:41 +0000

“Iraq’s elections next month are a major fork in the road of the country’s post-election development. One way leads towards increasing stability and political freedom; the other marks the route back to sectarianism and violence. With US troops due to start withdrawing this year, the March 7 polls are generating a sense of nervous anticipation in Baghdad, a city shaken in recent weeks by a serious of explosions that have killed scores and were seen as a clear attempt to undermine, or at least influence, the democratic process”

Iraq: “Missile discovered in Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib”

Editor — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:36:33 +0000

“They have been searching in Iraq for the past nine years, 10 months and 15 days… The hard work finally paid off as soldiers found one of those elusive ‘weapons of mass destruction’ that Saddam Hussein was supposed to have been hiding. Unfortunately the discovery came just a few days late for the former [UK] prime minister, who could have used the extraordinary find as proof he was right about Iraq all along during the Chilcot Inquiry”

: Explosive discovery: Iraqi army officials with the rocket they found

Female suicide bomber kills 54, mostly women and children

Editor — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:01:58 +0000

An Iraqi Shiite woman carries a child in Baghdad

“Iraqi officials say a female suicide bomber mingling among Shiite pilgrims in northern Baghdad has detonated an explosives belt, killing at least 54 people. mA police official says the bomber struck while she was lining up with other women to be searched by female security guards at a checkpoint on the outskirts of the Shiite neighborhood of Shaab”

Tony Blair: “No regrets over toppling Saddam Hussein”

Editor — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 06:10:50 +0000

“During six tense hours in front of the inquiry into the war, the former prime minister also used his testimony repeatedly to urge world leaders to take military action against Iran, which he described as more dangerous than Iraq had been under Saddam. His confident delivery was interrupted only once by the audience, which included the relatives of British troops killed in Iraq, when he was asked to reflect on the fate of those who had died during the conflict”

“Maliki vows punishment for Blackwater guards”

Editor — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 13:28:36 +0000

“The Iraqi prime minister vowed to seek punishment for the Blackwater guards accused of killing 17 people at a busy Baghdad intersection after US courts dropped the case in a decision that outraged many Iraqis. Nouri al-Maliki’s comments were his first public reaction since a US judge threw out the case against the five Blackwater guards last week. The guards were accused of an unprovoked attack that left 17 dead”

“Iraq, Iran play cat-and-mouse game over oil well”

Global Media Post — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:56:35 +0000

“Iraq demanded Iran immediately withdraw its forces from an Iraqi oil well, which it accused the Islamic republic of seizing after crossing the border with tanks” Related posts:“Gunmen in military garb kill at least 24 in Sunni area south of Baghdad” Iraq: “Premier endorses recount of the vote” Iraq to announce initial election results Related posts:

“UK’s Blair says Saddam ouster right”

Editor — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:01:05 +0000

“Former British prime minister Tony Blair believes it was right to oust [the executed] Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power even though no weapons of mass destruction were ever found. ‘I would still have thought it right to remove him,’ Blair told an interviewer for the BBC, when asked if he would have joined in the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 if he’d known Saddam had no such weapons”

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US, Iran: ‘Significant’ new sanctions on the cards

Editor — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 10:48:28 +0000

“Iran faces “significant” new sanctions over its nuclear programme, according to US Defense Secretary Robert Gates. And he reiterated that all options – including possible military action – should stay on the table. Mr Gates was speaking to US troops during a visit to northern Iraq” Related posts:“Iran’s Ahmadinejad says Israel is ‘doomed’ “ “Six [...] Related posts:

‘”Iraq inquiry hears about Blair shift on regime change”

Editor — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 10:43:36 +0000

“George W. Bush and Tony Blair appeared to have ‘converged’ on regime change in Iraq after talks at the US president’s Texas ranch in April 2002, a former British ambassador to Washington said” Related posts:Iraq to announce initial election results “France, Britain urge international Gaza inquiry” Iraq: “PM seeks to form govt with rivals” Related posts:

Analysis: “Both Iran and West Fear a Trap”

Global Media Post — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:23:49 +0000

“Before international inspectors were guided for the first time into an Iranian nuclear enrichment plant whose existence was a state secret until recently, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament warned his countrymen to beware of American efforts to ‘cheat’ Iran out of the nuclear fuel that has become the country’s currency in reasserting its power”

“Scores killed in powerful blasts in Baghdad”

Global Media Post — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:57:14 +0000

“Twin car bombs targeted two government buildings in downtown Baghdad, wrecking pillars of the state’s authority and cutting like a scythe through snarled traffic during the morning rush hour. The government said at least 132 people were killed and 520 wounded”

Iraqi asylum seekers returned to UK

Global Media Post — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:12:29 +0000

“Iraqi asylum seekers sent back to Baghdad by the UK government have been refused re-entry to their homeland, and flown back to Britain. The flight, carrying about 40 asylum seekers, landed in Baghdad. Ten were admitted but the rest were turned away and have now arrived back” Related posts:Iraq to announce initial election results “Construction begins on ‘great [...] Related posts:

Iran: “Death to potatoes”

Global Media Post — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:16:15 +0000

“Two weeks from now, Iran’s presidential election will determine whether Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Holocaust-denying, Israel-hating, America-bashing incumbent, remains in office, whether his country continues its drive to become a nuclear power, and whether a state with a key role in Iraq, Afghanistan and other international flashpoints remains hostile to the West. The stakes could scarcely be higher, but it is the lowly potato that has been grabbing attention. The Government is handing out 400,000 tonnes of free spuds in rural towns. It says that it is merely distributing the surplus from a bumper crop, but Mr Ahmadinejad’s opponents accuse it of bribing the poor. ‘Death to potatoes,’ they chant at rallies”

Saddam Hussein: ‘In letters from jail’

Global Media Post — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:27:07 +0000

“Immediately after American troops captured Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq’s brutal ex-dictator turned into a crybaby over ‘beatings’ by a ‘detention gang’ and sleepless nights amid screams of torture victims. Saddam poured out his complaints ‘to whom it may concern’ in two Christmas 2003 letters, handwritten in Arabic, which he gave to his military US jailers”

Iraq: “PM seeks to form govt with rivals”

US: How many war fronts loom?

Global Media Post — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:44:20 +0000

“The protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are forcing the administration of President Barack Obama to rethink what for more than two decades has been a central premise of American strategy: that the nation need only prepare to fight two major wars at a time”

“Iran and Iraq: a short look at a long history”

Global Media Post — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:30:34 +0000

“The relationship is at center of world affairs and America’s global interests”. It also is crucial that both countries are understood and handled with kid gloves or severe ramifications will emerge! Related posts:Iraq to announce initial election results Iraq: “Premier endorses recount of the vote” Iraq: “PM seeks to form govt with rivals” Related posts: