A car bomb detonated Sept. 30 near a crowded restaurant at lunchtime in central Baghdad’s Karrada district, killing at least four civilians and wounding nine others. Most of the victims were eating lunch on the first day of the five-day… Read moreEid al-Fitr terror in Baghdad
Royal Dutch Shell formally signed a joint venture with an Iraq’s state-owned South Oil Company to recapture gas that now goes to waste during oil extraction in the Basra fields. The deal is estimated to be worth $4 billion. Under… Read moreShell Oil back in Iraq
Iraqis protested the deaths of at least seven people during a US air strike in Ad Dawr, in northern Iraq’s Salahuddin province on Sept. 19—the same town where Saddam Hussein was captured in 2003. The US says the raid successfully… Read moreIraq: deadly US air-strike protested
Our suspicion that the putative “success” of the “surge” is an illusion—and that the (relative) decline of violence in Iraq is simply due to the fact that the sectarian cleansing has been largely effected—is now backed up by satellite data…. Read moreIraq: satellite data cast doubt on success of surge
The US military said Sept. 17 that three soldiers have been charged with premeditated murder committed in an unspecified incident in or near Baghdad in March or April 2007. Sgt. John E. Hatley, 40, Sgt. 1st Class Joseph P. Mayo,… Read moreUS troops face Iraq murder charges
The number of confirmed cases of cholera has risen to 107 in central and southern parts of Iraq since an outbreak of the disease in late August. Ihssan Jaafar, director of Iraq’s Public Health Directorate, said cases have been confirmed… Read moreCholera outbreak in Iraq
At least 31 were killed and 60 wounded in a car bomb attack Sept. 12 in the center of the Shi’ite town of Dujail, north of Baghdad. The bombing occurred at dusk as many residents rushed to make last-minute purchases… Read moreIraq: continued terror belies “success” of surge
Japan announced Sept. 12 that it plans to end its military airlift mission in Iraq by year’s end. Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said his government is discussing withdrawal Air Self-Defense Force troops deployed in Kuwait for the air support… Read moreJapan to end Iraq mission, increase Afghan commitment?
Iraqi state employees affiliated with the General Federation of Workers Councils and Unions in Iraq (GFWCUI), following a campaign of demonstrations in central Baghdad that began Aug. 24, won an agreement from the Ministry of Finance to meet demands for… Read moreIraq: Baghdad workers win —despite death threats
Just in time for the elections, Bush orchestrates some “good news” in Iraq—the announcement of a pull-out of 8,000 troops early in ’09 (NYT, Sept. 9), and the beginning of a turn-over of control of Anbar province and responsibility for… Read moreBogus “progress” in Iraq
Iraq has signed its first major oil deal with a foreign company since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime—a 20-year, $3 billion contract with the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to develop fields in southern Wasit province. The deal marks… Read more“Liberated” Iraq signs first foreign oil deal —with China!
Thousands of Iraqis loyal to the Sadr movement protested in Kufa Aug. 29 to denounce the pending Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which they called a plan for the long-term US occupation of the country. Militant cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called… Read moreIraqis rally against “Status of Forces” agreement
