The Supreme Iraq Criminal Tribunal sentenced Ali Hassan al-Majid to death by hanging, finding him guilty of having ordered the Kurdish town of Halabja gassed in 1988.
Shell Oil and Malaysia’s state-run Petronas finalized a contract to develop Iraq’s giant Majnoon oil field, and pledge to massively boost output.
The Jerusalem Post cites claims that Iraq’s Antiquities and Heritage Authority is desecrating ancient Hebrew inscriptions at the Tomb of Ezekiel—but some caution skepticism.
A military judge ruled that the trials for two Navy SEALs accused in the assault of an Iraqi prisoner will be held on a US military base in Iraq in order for the victim to be questioned.
Blackwater reached a settlement in seven federal lawsuits filed by Iraqi citizens that claimed the security firm created a reckless culture that resulted in numerous deaths.
On New Years Eve, a federal judge dismissed all criminal charges against five Blackwater guards accused in the massacre of 17 innocent Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Nisur Square.
Bomb attacks targeted Shi’ite worshippers in Kirkuk and Christian churches in Mosul, leaving seven dead. Over the past six days, 32 Iraqis have been killed in Ashura violence.
Three bomb blasts in Iraq killed more than 30 people and injured 75 others as the Shi’ite Ashura ceremonies opened, while a Christmas Eve attack left one Christian dead in Mosul.
Iran’s apparent seizure of an oil well on Iraqi territory comes on the eve of an OPEC summit in which Iraq’s ambitious designs to boost output could upset plans for price hikes.
Former US soldier Steven Green challenged the law used to convict him in civilian court for his role in the rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the murder of her family in Mahmudiya.
The Iraqi parliament has failed to resolve an impasse threatening to delay the country’s election—which could affect the US military’s plans for a partial pullout next year.
Plaintiffs in the civil suit against Blackwater over the 2007 Nisur Square massacre are divided on whether to accept a settlement. The case now heads for an evidentiary hearing.
