Search

Reports that former fund manager Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein and his rival Sharif Mamoul Abdul Rahman Nissan have jumped into the Iraqi elections not just to win a seat in the national assembly but to reclaim the throne. Political campaign of Hussein's Iraqi Constitutional Monarchy Party; Symbol of Nissa's Hashemi Iraqi Monarchy Party; Role of the monarchy in solving the Iraqi situations; Brief family background of Hussein and Nissan.

Focuses on the popularity of defense lawyer Fuaad Ahmed al-Jawary during the chaotic situation in Iraq. Criminal defense practice; Background on the criminal justice system in the country; Challlenges faced in defending a client in a murder case; Benefits of the increase in the number of cases related to terrorism and insurgency.

Reports that American marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, who was threatened by his kidnappers with beheading, has deserted the military because he was emotionally traumatized. Claim that Hassoun was betrayed by Iraqis be befriended on his base and ended up in the hands of Islamic extremists; Remarks of a Marine officer regarding the incident.

Reports that a foreign terrorist group has issued a statement in which it threatened to assassinate Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. Concerns leading up to the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis; Tightening of American military; Fighting between the marines and insurgents.

Reports on the number of foreign terrorists killed in the American airstrike in Falluja, Iraq. Justification of the incident by American officials; Possible whereabouts of the agents of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the area; Reaction of residents on the incident.

The article discusses the plans of Iraqi leaders and United Nations officials to restore Babylon, Iraq in order to attract tourists and protect artifacts. Much of the recent damage to Babylon is being blamed on American troops and contractors. Mayor of Hilla, Iraq, Emad Lafta al-Bayati, talks about his plans to develop Babylon in an effort to boost cultural tourism in the country. Problems with this plan, such as current security concerns, are examined.

The author reports that the American soldier has a new role in Iraq. According to the author, sectarian violence is killing more people and destabilizing Iraq more than the antigovernment insurgency ever did. The author suggests that American troops are now using their resources to try and keep Iraq from violently partitioning the way Bosnia did. The article looks at how American commanders are faced with the challenge of waging war and pushing peace simultaneously.

This article looks at an increase in weapons sales to Iraqi citizens following the bombing of a sacred shrine in Samarra, Iraq. Since the bombing, sectarian tensions have exploded and the prices of weapons have increased. The citizens are buying illegal but easy obtained hand grenades as well as legal automatic assault rifles. Young, religious men have formed militia and have begun to patrol the streets with automatic weapons.

The article reports on violence in Iraq after a confrontation between Shiite militiamen and forces of the American and Iraqi governments. According to Iraqi security officials, 17 people were killed in a Baghdad mosque on Sunday night. There are differing versions of what took place, including American denial that their forces entered the mosque. There is concern that the people killed were working for Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, who is blamed for much of the sectarian bloodshed. There is also concern about the potential for civil war.

The article discusses the author's return to Baghdad, Iraq to resume his work as a journalist following a year's absence. The author reviews the various changes he noticed in the city upon his return. It is the author's view that violence in the city has become less focused on American troops and more sectarian. The recent wave of gangland style executions is discussed.

The article looks at how, since the beginning of March 2006, hundreds of men have been kidnapped, tortured and executed in Baghdad, Iraq. According to the author, the bodies keep piling up as Iraqi and American officials and military forces struggle to avert a civil war. It is suggested that many of the gangland-style killings occur after bold daylight kidnappings. The author reviews how most of the victims have been Sunnis and discusses the rumor that Shiites death squads are operating in the city with assistance from government forces. INSET: The Body Count.

The article focuses on sectarian violence in Iraq, reporting that the bodies of more than 85 executed men have surfaced across Baghdad in the past two days, in Sunni and Shiite neighborhoods. Many bore marks of torture, though it is unclear who is responsible. The wave of killings comes at a time as the U.S. looks to Iraq forces to stem the violence. Less than a month after an assault on a Shiite shrine nearly plunged the country into civil war, the violence continues. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld hinted at a temporary increase in troop levels.

Looks at how the homecoming transition of U.S. National Guard troops can be more complicated than a return home for active duty members of the United States Army. Focus on the case of Carlo Giordano of New York City, who worked as plumber before serving time in Iraq; Discussion of how coming home means saying good-bye for service members who often find it difficult to resurrect or retrofit their old lives.

Reports on the power exercised by the Iraqi interim government prior to the transfer of power from the U.S. back to Iraq. Shift in the roles of Iraqi leaders and U.S. advisers; Running of day-to-day affairs by Iraqis; Construction of a U.S. embassy in Baghdad to serve as a shadow government.

Reports on the attacks of Sunni Muslim insurgents on American military convoy in Baghdad, Iraq. Cause of the guerrilla war; Death of U.S. armed forces; Change in the national security of the country.

Focuses on the effects of the U.S. military occupation in Iraq. Increase in the fighting and killing by Iraqis to drive American out; Assessment of the Shitte-Sunni partnership; Purpose of the partnership.

Reports on the battle between the Shiite militiamen and the U.S. Marines in Baghdad, Iraq. Assault of the Iraqis to the American forces; Number of marines killed; Resistance of Shiite groups to the Americans.

Reports on the increasing number of missing men detained by American jails in Iraq. Escalation of armed clashes with American troops; Conduction of daily raids; Accusation of detainees of serious offenses, including shooting down helicopters and planting roadside bombs.

Reports on the death of 56 people after suicide bombers attacked a Muslim holiday celebrations in Erbil, Iraq. Death of several top Kurdish leaders; Efforts of the Kurdish political parties to unite the divided administrations; Strengthening of demands to retain autonomy.

The article focuses on the attack in an electrical supply shop of Baghdad, Iraq, by gunmen in Iraqi commando uniforms.

The article focuses on the impact of the U.S. invasion of Iraq on the business of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq.

The article focuses on the social conflict between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq.

The article reports that Shiite pilgrims who are going to a shrine in Karbala in southern Iraq face the risk of being attacked by Sunni insurgents.

The article reports that American soldiers have demolished a farmhouse near the Sunni Arab town of Balad, Iraq, after encountering unexpectedly heated resistance from insurgents.

The article focuses on increasing violence and lawlessness in Iraq.

Reports on the refusal of Ayad al-Sirowiy, the 13-year-old war victim Iraqi boy who came to the U.S. for the treatment of his disfigured face, to go home to Iraq.

Examines the strikingly different views of Iraqis regarding the country's upcoming election on January 30, 2005. Comments of Iraqis; Divisions between the Shiites and Sunnis, the most powerful groups in Iraq; Intent of some Sunnis to boycott the elections; Suggestion that the biggest obstacle to unity and peace is the Sunni vote; Voter attitudes; How the election is sharpening sectarian and ethnic differences.

Reports on the release of a captured Syrian Catholic archbishop in Iraq. Abduction of Chinese construction workers; Crimes and insurgency; Impact of election in solving political and social problems. INSET: Names of Dead..

Reports on the abduction of Catholic Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa of Mosul, Iraq by masked gunmen. Reaction of the Vatican to the incident; Description of attacks against Christians in Iraq; Security concerns of the Christians.

Reports on the security measures for the January 2005 elections in Iraq. Travel ban between cities; Establishment of pedestrian-only areas within blocks of the polling places; Plan to park bulldozers and ambulances in front of the polls.

Describes art works and paintings by artists in Baghdad, Iraq depicting life, war, chaos and misery. Paintings by Adnan Abbas; Implications of the war on life and culture and its effects on young Iraqi artists; Personal experiences of pain by Iraqi artists and how they express themselves through art; Indications of history, culture and social conflicts.

Reports sporadic violence across Iraq. Number of people killed; Lists of violence occurred; Death of insurgents.

Reports that a suicide car bombing killed at least 10 people in Baghdad, Iraq at the gates of the Green Zone. Assassination of the governor of Nineveh, one of the largest provinces in Iraq; Claims from Iraqi officials that the attack was most probably retaliation for their punishment of insurgents; Announcement of a strict emergency law by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi; Speculation that the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was responsible for planning the attack; Attack on the governor of Nineveh Osama Kashmoula; Link between Zarqawi and the beheading of two Bulgarian hostages.

Reports that Arab-language satellite channel Al Jazeera broadcast a video that it said showed the execution of a captured U.S. solder, but U.S. military spokesmen in Iraq and at the Pentagon said they could not confirm that the soldier had been killed. Announcement from a group in Iraq that it had killed Specialist Keith Matthew Maupin, who disappeared in an ambush of his convoy in April; Disappearance of another U.S. serviceman, Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun, whose captors have threatened him with beheading; Warnings that supporters of Saddam Hussein and foreign terrorists in Iraq would try to stage attacks during the transfer of sovereignty; Capture of four other men, three Turks and a Pakistani.

Reports that a militant Iraqi group, known as the Islamic Reaction, has threatened to behead an American Marine unless the United States releases all Iraqi prisoners. Video of the man identified as Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, who has been missing since June 21; Impact on the approach of the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqis on June 30th; Examples of other recent violent incidents; Concern about a new wave of insurgency.

Reports on that five American soldiers were killed June 4, 2004 in an attack on their convoy in eastern Baghdad, Iraq. Account of witnesses; Agreement of rebel Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr to a truce for the second time in a month.

Reports on the comments of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite Muslims, about the interim Iraqi government chosen to lead the Iraq. Claim that Sistani was disappointed because the interim government was appointed without obtaining electoral legitimacy.

Reports that the U.S. military is forming the Iraqi National Task Force, an all-Iraqi counterinsurgency force. Aim to train the counterinsurgency force in guerilla tactics; Efforts of the U.S. military to beef up Iraqi security forces before it transfer authority to an interim Iraqi government; Refusal of some Iraqi soldiers to fight fellow Iraqis.

Reports on the capture of American soldier, Pfc. Keith Maupin of Batavia, Ohio by Iraqi insurgents. Videotape of the solider surrounded by six armed guards; Desire the barter Maupin for the release of Iraqi prisoners held by the United States; Seven civilian contractors who are also missing from the same attack where Maupin was taken; How the Iraqis have taken over 40 foreigners in a new strategy; Evacuation of workers from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet republics in response to the kidnappings; Public appearance of Miktoda al-Sadr; Meeting between an intermediary to negotiate with the Falluja delegates; Filming and release of a video where the Shiites killed one Italian security guard; Hostages who have been released; How attacks on the American supply lines are causing concern.

Reports on the death of insurgents from a combat with American forces in Iraq. Intensity of the resistance; Non-compliance to the declared ceasefire; Victims of the urban warfare.

Delves into the current situation in Falluja, Iraq. Description of the attacks that frequently happen in the area despite the ceasefire; Views of American troops regarding the attacks; Flight of families from the area.

Reports on the growth of Iraqi resistance to American forces in Baghdad, Iraq. Support to the religious leaders; Tribal connections and Sunni alliances of the insurgent force; Involvement of the young people in the fight for freedom.

Reports that a new and previously unheard of level of cooperation between the Shiite Muslims and the Sunni Muslims is growing in Iraq, with the common cause of killing Americans. Order among the Shiite militia to help the Sunnis; Desire to drive the Americans out of Iraq; Offers of food assistance for the Sunnis from the Shiites.

Reports from Baghdad that the news of the American counter-offensive caused an uproar in Baghdad and a rush to gather weapons. Raid by American soldiers which invaded the office of Moktada al-Sadr where the troops allegedly tore up a poster of al Sadr's father who is one of Iraq's most revered martyrs; How within minutes the entire Baghdad Shiite community had mobilized for war; America estimates of the troops dedicated to al-Sadr which are low; Power of the Mahdi army, a private militia; Concerns that the Sunnis and Shiites may join forced to defeat the Americans; Troop actions which may have contributed to the uprising.

Reports that U.S. officials have stepped up their confrontation with militant Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, whose followers started an uprising in Iraqi cities. Confirmation of an arrest warrant for Sadr; Movement of U.S. troops into the area around Kufa, where Sadr's followers have seized control, and into Falluja, where U.S. security guards were killed and mutilated; Surge in attacks against occupation forces in the last week; Deaths of U.S. soldiers in Baghdad; Overview of military developments; Comments of military officials and L. Paul Bremer III, the U.S. civilian administrator for Iraq. INSET: A Turn of Events.

Discusses how members of the Iraqi Shiite militia Mahdi Army marched on a Spanish garrison in support of the Anti-American sentiment of their leader, the radical cleric Moktada al-Sadr. How the militia occupied police stations, overtook government security stations, and fired rocket-propelled grenades at American troops; Consideration of how Sadr's father was assassinated in 1999 by hit men under former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein; Plans for the transfer of power from U.S. occupying troops to Iraqi civilians; Release of statements from Sadr to denounce Americans and those Iraqis who serve them.

Reports that townspeople in Falluja, Iraq are torn between pride and shame in the attack on four American civilians that resulted in their deaths and the mutilation of their bodies. Comments from residents; Transformation of Falluja into a symbol not only of resistance but of barbarity; Claim from the town's top clerics that a Fatwa or religious edict will be issued condemning the ambush and its aftermath; Impact on the actions of the American military in the area.