News Analysis: Iraqi PM approaches Sunnis for nationwide elections

by Subhy Haddad and Shaalan Ahmed Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki is striving to convince Sunni Arabs to join his list for the coming nationwide parliamentary elections in January next year, following his refusal to join the newly-established

Top US general in Iraq calls it a key partner

WASHINGTON — The top American commander in Iraq on Wednesday warned Congress against losing sight of that nation as a key Mideast ally, even as safer conditions have let him send home more U.S. troops faster than expected. Army Gen. Ray Odierno did not

US speeds up troop withdrawal from Iraq: general

WASHINGTON (AFP) The US military has accelerated the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and freed up resources for the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, the US commander in Iraq told Congress on Wednesday. Speeding the drawdown of forces in Iraq could help

Iraq Bans Sinopec From 2nd Bidding Round

Iraq has decided to ban China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SNP), or Sinopec, from its second oil and gas bidding round because the Chinese state firm has yet to abandon a contract in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region inherited from its purchase of Addax

Sandbag the dog befriended by troops in Iraq is flown to safety in UK

A stray dog who became a mascot for British soldiers in Iraq is being flown to safety in the UK. A charity appeal to save Sandbag and his friends raised more than £13,500 in the last two months alone after troops raised their concerns on Facebook, pet

Iraqi widows yearn for new lives

Some widows hope to remarry one day By Hugh Sykes BBC News, Baghdad Nearly three decades of war, brutal totalitarianism, invasion, occupation and insurgency in Iraq have left behind at least a million widows - and several million children without

US Gen: Don’t lose sight of Iraq

WASHINGTON — The top American commander in Iraq on Wednesday warned Congress against losing sight of that nation as a key Mideast ally, even as safer conditions have let him send home more U.S. troops faster than expected. Army Gen. Ray Odierno did not

Gazprom to bid for Iraqi fields in consortium with Turkish company

BAGHDAD: Russia’s energy giant Gazprom will bid for Iraqi oil and gas fields in a consortium with Turkey’s state-run oil company, a Russian business daily said, citing the Turkish Energy Minister. Iraq will sell 14 blocks with total reserves of 41

US speeds Iraq withdrawal; 4,000 more headed home

The United States is speeding up its military withdrawal from Iraq, sending 4,000 more troops home next month, the top American commander there said Wednesday. The reduced number of forces in Iraq ? from 124,000 to 120,000 by the end of October ? marks

Gunmen kill three soldiers south of Baghdad

BAGHDAD, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) — Gunmen shot dead three Iraqi soldiers and wounded another at a military checkpoint, south of Baghdad, on Wednesday, an Interior Ministry source said. The attack took place in the town of Mahmoudiyah, some 30 km south of

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