Rep. Joe Walsh: Iraq War Vet Opponent Talks Too Much to Be ‘True’ Hero
US House of Representatives(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Joe Walsh’s Facebook page is flooded with negative comments after the Illinois Republican said Tuesday that his opponent, Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth, was not a “true” hero because …
Iraq Sentences Three to Death for Parliament Bomb Plot
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — As Iraq suffered through another day of violence, the country’s Supreme Judicial Council on Thursday gave the death penalty to three men who plotted to blow up the parliament building last November.One person died and…
Iraq Backs Off Shutting Down Dozens of News Organizations
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — A threat by Baghdad to shut down 44 news organizations in the country has passed, at least for the moment.There were reports that Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission had told the media outlets that they would b…
June’s Death Toll in Iraq Already Exceeds Last Month’s Fatalities
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — June stands to be the most violent month this year in Iraq as at least 13 more people were slain Monday, including nine young soccer players and fans near a field south of Baghdad.Local police in Hilla said that a pow…
Iraqi Lawmakers Hint at No Confidence Vote Against Prime Minister
Iraqi Prime Minister office via Getty Images(BAGHDAD) — Iraq’s tenuous political environment became shakier Thursday as some members of parliament said they would renew efforts to oust Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.Since U.S. forces were withdrawn la…
Iraq Wants Obama to Stop Kurd Oil Deal with ExxonMobil
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images(BAGHDAD) — Iraq is asking the U.S. for help again but it has nothing to do with providing military assistance.Instead, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants President Obama to step in and block a deal between ExxonMobil an…
UN Releases Latest Statistics on World’s Refugee Population
BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The number of people joining the ranks of the world’s refugee population grew by another 800,000 in 2011, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.Despite this figure, the actual number o…
McGurk Withdrawing Nomination to Be Ambassador to Iraq
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — President Obama’s nominee to be U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Brett McGurk, has withdrawn his nomination amid questions about his professionalism and experience.Some on Capitol Hill already had questions about McG…
Senate GOP Calls on Obama to Pull McGurk Nomination
ABC News(WASHINGTON) — Six Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today called on President Obama to withdraw his nominee for U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Brett McGurk, after a racy email exchange and affair with a reporter was leaked late …
Dozens Dead in Wave of Bombings in Iraq
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — A series of bombings targeting Shiites in Iraq on Wednesday have left dozens dead and hundreds more wounded, according to local officials.Most of the blasts occurred in Baghdad and in nearby cities, including Hilla, w…
WSJ Reporter Resigns Over Ambassador Nominee Affair
Scott Olson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Wall Street Journal reporter Gina Chon resigned today after emails surfaced revealing she had a secret affair with the man who is now President Obama’s nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Iraq.The pair beg…
State Department Sticks By McGurk, Despite Racy Emails
Stockbyte/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — When sexually explicit emails first surfaced between Brett McGurk, the Obama administration’s nominee to be the ambassador to Iraq, and a Wall Street Journal reporter who later became McGurk’s wife, the S…
Leaked Emails Dampen Support for Obama’s Iraqi Ambassador Pick
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — As a former national security staffer for President George W. Bush, President Obama’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Brett McGurk, was supposed to garner bipartisan support for his confirmation. But l…
Saddam Hussein’s Secretary Executed
AFP/Getty Images(BAGHDAD) — Another member of the late Saddam Hussein’s inner circle died by execution in Iraq Thursday.The Iraqi justice ministry said that Abed Hamid Hmoud, at one time the fourth most wanted member of Hussein’s regime, was hanged –…
John McCain Hesitant to Support Pick for New Ambassador to Iraq
Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Sen. John McCain could torpedo the Obama’s administration pick to replace outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James F. Jeffrey.The Arizona Republican has expressed reservations with Jeffrey’s possible successor, Bre…
New Fears of Sectarian Warfare in Iraq After Deadly Attack
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — There are fresh concerns in Baghdad about the renewal of sectarian warfare in the country after Monday’s explosion at a Shiite foundation’s office in central Baghdad that left 25 people dead and more than 70 wounded.J…
Bombings in Iraq Kill 18, Wound 53
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — At least 18 people were killed in Iraq Thursday by a series of bomb blasts that mostly targeted Shiite civilians in Baghdad.Government officials said it was the bloodiest day in over a month as more than four dozen ot…
After 20 Years, Families of Genocide Victims Bury Their Dead
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — The bodies of 730 victims of Saddam Hussein’s military campaign against Kurdistan, their coffins draped in the Kurdish flag, returned home to Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, on Monday and were finally laid to rest.Their rem…
Iran Nuclear Talks to Resume in Baghdad
IIPA via Getty Images(BAGHDAD) — Six world powers, including the U.S., will meet with Iranians officials in Baghdad on Wednesday in another attempt to minimize the danger of Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.The so-called “5+1 powers” — the five perm…
Iraq Vets Returning Medals at NATO Summit in Chicago
Khalid Mohammed-Pool/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — A protest of Iraq war veterans at the NATO summit being held in Chicago this weekend is intended to send a strong message to Washington and the European alliance.Some members of the Iraq Veterans Against t…