At least 52 are dead following a March 17 bomb blast near the shrine of Imam Hussein, a pilgrimage center for Shi’ites in Karbala. Most reports identified a female suicide bomber as the perpetrator, but the Karbala police chief said… Read moreIraq: 52 dead in Imam Hussein shrine blast
Iraq’s government noted the 20th anniversary of the Halabja massacre March 16 by announcing plans to take legal action against the suppliers of chemicals used in the poison gas attack that killed 5,000 people. “The cabinet decided to take legal… Read moreIraq to sue chemical companies over Halabja massacre
As the Bush administration heads into months of negotiations with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on the future of US troops in Iraq, it aims to stretch the bounds of executive power to unprecedented lengths. The administration plans to bypass Congress… Read moreBush to sidestep Congress on Iraq military pact
We’ve noted that CentCom commander Adm. William Fallon is an exponent of the “pragmatist” view on Iran—a point also stressed by this March 11 AP account of his sudden resignation. Does this signal a silent coup by Cheney and the… Read moreFallon “resignation”: neocon coup?
Chaldean Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, kidnapped in Iraq last month, was found dead on March 13, his body half-buried in an empty lot in the northern city of Mosul. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed Rahho’s death on al-Qaeda and said… Read moreAbducted Chaldean archbishop found dead in Iraq
From the Iraq Freedom Congress (IFC), March 8: On the 8th of March This Year… “No to Women Killing… No to the Gangs Who Promote Sexual Cleansing… Yes to an Iraq that is Free of Women Haters” The 8th of… Read moreIraq: civil resistance protests “sexual cleansing”
Iraq’s President Jalal Talabani said March 8 he seeks a “strategic” partnership with Turkey as he wrapped up a visit to Ankara aimed at easing tension sparked by the Turkish military’s eight-day incursion into Iraq last month. Speaking to members… Read moreTalabani schmoozes Turks, sells out PKK
A double bombing in a crowded Baghdad shopping district killed at least 53 people and wounded 130 March 6. The blasts took place in the primarily Shi’ite, middle-class Baghdad neighborhood of Karradah. The tactic was to draw in the people… Read moreIraq: more bombs, more mass graves
At least 23 were killed and dozens were wounded March 3 when two car bombs, including one driven by a suicide attacker, blew up in Baghdad. In the suicide attack, a man drove a minibus into the headquarters of the… Read moreIraq: bombs in Baghdad; mass grave in Samarra
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received what the United Arab Emirates’ Gulf News called a “hero’s welcome” in Baghdad, where Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the Islamic Republic’s recent approach towards his country has been “extremely helpful.” He described his… Read moreAhmadinejad gets “hero’s welcome” in Baghdad
At last two are dead and 12 wounded in an ambush 130 kilometers south of Kirkuk on a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims returning from the Arbaeen celebrations in Karbala March 1. “Two people, including a woman, were killed and 12… Read moreIraq: more Shi’ite pilgrims killed
