Moqtada al-Sadr

In Conservative Iraq There is No Place for Gypsies

Medindia Health News (Free subscription) | yesterday

Iraq has become so conservative that members of the society who were an integral part of it are now being seen as outcas

Approval of Obama on Afghan war dives

War in Context (Free subscription) | 27/11/2009

Approval of Obama on Afghan war dives By Susan Page, USA Today, November 24, 2009 Public approval of President Obama’s handling of the war in Afghanistan has plummeted, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, amid rising pessimism about the course of the conflict. The nation is divided over what to do next: Nearly half of those surveyed endorse deploying [...]

Inquiry Finds Major British Failures in Iraq War Preparation

Muslims Against Sharia (Free subscription) | 27/11/2009

New documents have come to light as a result of the investigation in the United Kingdom into the war in Iraq. Not surprisingly, the papers show some level of deceit by the British government regarding the preparations to attack Iraq and make the planning and execution of the war look frighteningly bad. They show there was significant tension between the civilian administrators and the military commanders...

British military leader called Bush team ‘arrogant’ ‘group of Martians’ over Iraq

Raw Story (Free subscription) | 23/11/2009

What do the Bush Administration and the Red Planet have in common? Hostility between US and British military leaders in Iraq ran deep, with one describing his US counterparts as "group of Martians," the Daily Telegraph reported Monday, citing leaked government documents. The top British commander in the country, Major General Andrew Stewart, said "our ability [...]

Shia politician gunned down outside northern Iraqi home

Ahlul Bayt News Agency (Free subscription) | 09/11/2009

Kirkuk, Iraq - Gunmen fatally shot a confidant of Shia cleric and political leader Moqtada al-Sadr outside the man's house in northern Iraq.2009/11/9

• Shiite politician gunned down outside northern Iraqi home - The Earth Times Online Newspaper

Stronger yen, selective buying create mixed trading in Tokyo

The Earth Times Online Newspaper (Free subscription) | 09/11/2009

Tokyo - Stock were mixed in Monday morning trading in Tokyo as exporters lost ground on a stronger yen and investors engaged in selective buying. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average gained 8.4 points, or 0.09 per cent, to trade at 9,797.75. ...

What are our policymakers thinking?

FresnoZionism.org -- ציונות פרסנו (Free subscription) | 03/11/2009

Yesterday I had the honor of meeting Barry Rubin, one of the most knowledgeable people around about the Mideast. One of the questions I asked him was this: FZ: We know that Syria is closely allied with Iran, receiving a large amount of weapons and other aid. We also know that Syria is helping Sunni insurgents [...]

For Marines, Uncommon Valor Still a Common Virtue

Villainous Company (Free subscription) | 31/10/2009

Jules Crittenden offers an inspiring glimpse into a battle waged far from Afghanistan and Iraq: What does it mean to be a Marine when you are one of the maimed at Walter Reed on Veterans Day? “Everything,” Cpl. Peter Bagarella, 21, of Falmouth said simply. Theirs is the story of service and sacrifice behind the statistics. “This place is awesome. They gave me my eyes back,”...

Yemen convicts rebels, Iran denies ship seizure

Reuters (Free subscription) | 27/10/2009

SANAA (Reuters) - A Yemeni court sentenced to death four men involved in a Shi'ite rebellion in its northern provinces bordering Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, while Iran denied a Yemeni claim to have seized a ship with arms for the rebels.

Counterinsurgency Cookie Cutter Doesn't Fit Afghanistan

US News (Free subscription) | 27/10/2009

The Iraq surge's "success" is a myth, not a foundation for sound military strategy.

Iraq's Horrendous Car Bombings - Whodunnit'?

J O S H U A P U N D I T (Free subscription) | 26/10/2009

Twin car bombings devastated the heart of Baghdad Sunday. The first one devastated the Ministry of Justice, while the second one targeted the Baghdad Provincial Administration building. Hundreds were wounded and the death toll so far is at 155, including a number of children. There are hundreds of funerals going on today. SO, whodunnit, and why? President Maliki blamed the remnants of al-Qaeda and...

Senior Shia cleric calls for the ouster of U.S. troops and companies from Iraq

Ahlul Bayt News Agency (Free subscription) | 25/10/2009

A senior Iraqi Shia cleric has called for the ouster of U.S. occupation troops and U.S. firms working in Iraq.2009/10/25

Iraqi cleric's aide warns of chaos if vote delayed

Sify (Free subscription) | 23/10/2009

A delay in the January parliamentary election could lead to chaos, a top aide to Iraq's Shiite spiritual leader warned Friday, as lawmakers remained deadlocked over legislation that would regulate

• Iraqi cleric's aide warns of chaos if vote delayed - Miami Herald

Post-9/11 GI Bill

Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills) (Free subscription) | 17/10/2009

I think C.I. covered the Thursday hearing of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs' Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity and then some. (As you can see after I'm done weighing in.) But I want to cover a few things. Or at least emphasize them. As C.I. points out in the snapshot (citing a friend who's a veterans' advocate), they never asked the important question. Wednesday, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki...

Sadrists choose candidates for Iraq parliamentary poll

France24 (Free subscription) | 16/10/2009

An Iraqi woman casts her ballot in Sadr City. Large crowds of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr voted to select candidates to run in Iraq's election in January -- in the first such vote since the fall of Saddam Hussein.