Reporter Muntadhar al-Zeidi notoriously hurled his shoes at Bushâa vile insult in the Muslim worldâduring a press conference in Baghdad, yelling “this is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed… Read moreIraq: the politics of shoe-throwing
Samir Adil, president of the Iraq Freedom Congress (IFC), was among those wounded in a Dec. 11 suicide attack on a reconciliation meeting in the divided northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. His wounds are not life-threatening, the IFC reports via… Read moreIraq: civil resistance leader injured in Kirkuk terror blast
Here’s a case study in what Iraq’s besieged secular left calls the “two poles of terrorism.” From the Washington Post, Dec. 6: WASHINGTON â Five Blackwater Worldwide security guards have been charged in a September 2007 shooting that left 17… Read moreBlackwater mercs indicted in Baghdad atrocity
Protests against unemployment, poor government services and corruption that began in Iraq's southern oil hub of Basra have spread to several other cities, including Najaf, Amara, Nasiriya and even Baghdad. At least three have been killed since the protests erupted a week ago. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi arrived in Barsa to try to calm the situation July 13, flying straight into the city from the NATO summit in Brussels. But the next day he convened a meeting of Iraq's National Security Council, where the decision was taken to cut Internet access in Basra and mobilize army troops to the city. Units from the elite Counter-Terrorism Service and the Army’s Ninth Division have now arrived in Basra. (Photo: Kurdistan24)
Iraqi security guards opened fire when a riot broke out Dec. 3 among 1,000 Asian migrant workers protesting poor treatment in Baghdad. The men work for Najlaa International Catering Services, a subcontractor to Houston-based KBR. The top US Defense Department… Read moreIraq: migrant workers revolt against KBR
Suicide bombings in Baghdad and Mosul took the lives of at least 32 Iraqis Nov. 1. The following day, three separate attacks in Mosulâtwo car bombs, including one at a crowded market, and an armed assault on Sunni Arab political… Read moreMosul terror as struggle mounts for Iraq’s north
A suicide bomber struck during Friday prayers at a Shi’ite mosque in Musaib, south of Baghdad, killing nine worshippers and injuring 15 the day after Iraq’s parliament approved a pact allowing US troops to remain until 2011. The mosque was… Read moreIraq: suicide attack at Shi’ite mosque
President George Bush hailed the Iraqi parliament’s approval of a landmark accord for US troops to remain in the country in three yearsâbut a popular referendum on the deal was included in the legislation. As part of political bargaining before… Read moreIraq: SOFA will have to pass referendum
From the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), Nov. 3: To the Kurdish Parliament and the Kurdistan Regional Government: We demand the repeal of polygamous marriages and all other discriminatory laws against women in Kurdistan. On October 27, 2008,… Read moreCampaign to stop polygamy in Iraqi Kurdistan
Much has been made of the fact that the bomber was a woman, but note that the victims were overwhelmingly women as well. From The Guardian, Nov. 25: Woman in suicide attack as 19 die in Baghdad bombings A volley… Read moreIraq: insurgent femicide
Shi’te followers of Moqtada al-Sadr protested Nov. 21 in Baghdad, defacing and burning an effigy of President George Bush in a display of contempt for a deal struck between the departing US administration and the Iraqi government to keep US… Read moreIraq: SOFA sparks protests, oil struggle continues
Iraq’s cabinet Nov. 16 approved a security pact with the US that will allow American forces to stay for three years after their UN mandate expires at the end of the year. The decision follows months of negotiations and, pending… Read moreIraqi cabinet approves security pact with US
