Iraq // Current

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4 hours ago

US criticised over Babylon damage

American troops and contractors caused substantial damage to the archaelogical site at Babylon in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, a... more

ras_menelik
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9 hours ago

US takes 1,350 Palestinian refugees

The State Department confirmed today that as many as 1,350 Iraqi Palestinians – once the well-treated guests of Saddam Hussein and now at outs with much of Iraqi society – will be resettled in the US, mostly in southern California, starting this fall.

It will be the largest-ever resettlement of Palestinian refugees into the US – and welcome news to the Palestinians who fled to Iraq after 1948 but who have had a tough time since Mr. Hussein was deposed in 2003. Targeted by Iraqi Shiites, the mostly-Sunni Palestinians have spent recent years in one of the region's roughest refugee camps, Al Waleed, near Iraq's border with Syria.

"Really for the first time, the United States is recognizing a Palestinian refugee population that could be admitted to the US as part of a resettlement program," says Bill Frelick, refugee policy director at Human Rights Watch in Washington.

Given the US's past reluctance to resettle Palestinians – it accepted just seven Palestinians in 2007 and nine in 2008 – the effort could ruffle some diplomatic feathers.

For many in the State Department and international community, the resettlement is part of a moral imperative the US has to clean up the refugee crisis created by invading Iraq. The US has already stepped up resettlement of Iraqis, some who have struggled to adjust to life in America.

The resettlement of Iraqi Palestinians is "an important gesture for the United States to demonstrate that we're not heartless," says Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations and Middle Eastern studies at New York University.

But some critics say the State Department is sloughing off its problems onto American cities, especially since in this case the Palestinians were sympathizers of Hussein, who was deposed by the US.

"This is politically a real hot potato," says Mark Krikorian, director of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, adding, "[A]merica has become a dumping ground for the State Department's problems – they're tossing their problems over their head into Harrisburg, Pa., or Omaha, Neb."The State Department confirmed today that as many as 1,350 Iraqi Palestinians – once the well-treated guests of Saddam... more

zoloftkid
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1 day ago

More Troops' Kids Seeking Mental Help

Children of U.S. military troops sought outpatient mental health care 2 million times last year, double the number at the start of... more

EmperorThan
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2 days ago

Biden Says His Trip Proves Iraq Remains Priority

ABOARD AIR FORCE TWO – Wrapping up a diplomatic mission to Baghdad, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Iraqi leaders... more

Ihatethemall
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2 days ago

Iraq Bans Group Visits To Saddam Hussein's Grave

However, the move reflects the concern of Iraq's government over the presence of the Baath Party in Iraq, Saddam... more

islek
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2 days ago

Is the Occupation Over?

The US media have reported on the withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi cities. But 130,000 troops remain in Iraq and many... more

GRITtv
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7 days ago

Sarah Haskins in Target Women: Hair

Hair care used to be just about brushing it a hundred times before bed. Now, beautiful hair is something to die for. In a deserted... more

Sarah_Haskins
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9 responses

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7 days ago

infoMania: Goodbye Michael Jackson

This week on infoMania we take a look at the wall-to-wall Michael Jackson media madness. Conor tries to figure out what the heck... more

infoMania
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3 days ago

Most Iraqis want US troops out now

Mike Tharp: Most Iraqis regard the US troops as occupiers, some Americans talk about staying longer

therealnewsnetwork
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4 days ago

Foreign policy: have a question about Obama's intent? Ask Joe Biden

Vice President Joe Biden doesn't mince his words, and oftentimes, he has been teased about not sticking to the script.... more

Ishtar56
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5 days ago

Most Iraqis want US troops out now

Mike Tharp: Most Iraqis regard the U.S. troops as occupiers, some Americans talk about staying longer. Paul Jay speaks to Mike... more

Vierotchka
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6 days ago

Documents Show Oil Industry Execs Recommended Iraq Invasion

Two years before the invasion of Iraq, oil executives and foreign policy advisers told the Bush administration that the United... more

korourke
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8 days ago

Jeremy Renner & Brian Geraghty Take Over Current

The stars of critically acclaimed war film, "The Hurt Locker," Jeremy Renner and Brian Geraghty, take over Current and... more

chapinyoung
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9 days ago

OIL ........Iraq's Oil ......now what ?

Oil And The Iraq “Withdrawal” By James Cogan http://www.countercurrents.org/cogan300609.htm It is fitting that... more

Highr0ller
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9 days ago

US warns Iraq of 'difficult days'

US President Barack Obama says US troops have withdrawn from Iraq's towns and cities on schedule, but he warned of... more

ashcatash
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9 days ago

Iraq, the retreat begins today

US soldiers start to go away from Iraq four days before Indipendence day. So, after six years of occupation, Iraqi people can... more

bibabiba
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11 days ago

US withdraws from Iraqi cities despite violence | Comcast.net

Now that we have totally screwed up this country can we get the hell out of the whole country and let them kill each other for the... more

kennymotown
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9 days ago

10 killed in Iraq market bombing

As the US withdrawals it's forces from Iraqi cities a bomb exploded in the city of Kirkuk, elsewhere 4 G.I.s were killed.

current89
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9 days ago

Iraq Begins Major Oil and Gas Auction

BAGHDAD — After a year in preparation, a much-heralded auction of licenses to develop Iraq’s huge oil reserves began... more

current89
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9 days ago

U.S. Troop Withdrawal: Iraq Takes Charge of War

The decision to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq's cities on Tuesday was made by Iraqis, not Americans. That's why the Iraqi government is holding a massive celebration to mark the redeployment as National Sovereignty Day. At the insistence of the Iraqis, the Status of Forces Agreement concluded late last year between the Iraqi government and the Bush Administration required that U.S. troops be out of Iraq's urban areas by June 30, 2009, and withdrawn from the country altogether by the end of 2011. Now, Iraqi citizens and the American forces hovering in the Iraq's countryside are holding their breath for the first stage of testing Iraq's ability to protect itself. It didn't get off to an auspicious start with the news that four U.S. soldiers were killed in combat on the eve of the withdrawal.
Residents of Baghdad will no longer see U.S. troops rumbling along their capital's broad boulevards in their heavy armored vehicles, a persistent and painful reminder of Iraq's dependency on foreigners for its security. "The number of Americans that they're seeing in the cities will be drastically reduced," top Pentagon official Joseph McMillan said Monday. "The procedure for [U.S. troops] re-entering the cities is essentially a call by the Iraqi government." Most U.S. forces have, in fact, been out of Iraq's urban areas for weeks, corralled into large rural bases. But they had continued until recently to patrol the two largest cities plagued by continuing violence, Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul. And in a signal of the challenge that will face Iraqi forces when their American partners are redeployed, more than 250 people have been killed in terror attacks over the past 10 days.
"There will be challenges," said General David Petraeus, commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East and champion of 2007's troop "surge" that helped tamp down violence in Iraq. "There are many difficult political issues, social issues, governmental development issues," Petraeus said Monday in Cairo. "We feel confident in the Iraqi security forces continuing the process of taking over the security tasks in their own country." He noted that the current level of 10 to 15 attacks per day is less than 10% of the 160 daily that were occurring in June 2007. The Iraqis didn't even wait for the withdrawal to take effect before beginning their celebrations on Monday, with patriotic songs blaring from police and military outposts as Iraqi operated military vehicles cruised city streets. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has hailed the U.S. pullout from urban areas as a "great victory" that frees the nation from foreign occupiers, adopting the tones of a nationalist strongman in order to better position himself for elections later this year. Maliki went on to say in a nationally televised address Tuesday that "those who think that Iraqis are not able to protect their country and that the withdrawal of foreign forces will create a security vacuum are committing a big mistake." But Army General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military officer in Iraq, prefers to see Iraq's reaction to the move as jubilation over the country's improving security. "They're talking about this as a celebration of Iraqis, and Iraqi security forces, being able to take over responsibility inside of their cities," he told Fox News on Sunday.

Odierno insisted that the time has come for Iraq to assume more responsibility. "From a military and security standpoint, it's time for us to move out of the cities," he told CNN on Sunday. But he acknowledged that some unspecified number of U.S. troops — probably numbering well into the thousands — will remain within city limits. "We'll still be there providing training, advising, enablers for the Iraqi security forces," he added. "We'll still be conducting significant operations outside of the cities and the belts around the major cities."The decision to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq's cities on Tuesday was made by Iraqis, not Americans. That's why the Iraqi... more