Iraqi Government

After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the George W. Bush administration flooded the conquered country with so much cash to pay for reconstruction and other projects in the first year that a new unit of measurement was born. Pentagon officials determined that one giant C-130 Hercules cargo plane could carry $2.4 billion in shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills. They sent an initial full planeload of cash, followed by 20 other flights to Iraq by May 2004 in a $12-billion haul that U.S. officials believe to be the biggest international cash airlift of all time.

The husband of an Iraqi immigrant who was savagely beaten in the couple's El Cajon home issued an emotional plea Tuesday for help in finding the killer "of this innocent woman. " Kassim Al-Himidi told reporters after an Islamic memorial service for his wife, Shaima Alawadi, that he wants to confront the person who bludgeoned her to death and left a threatening note telling her to return to their native country and calling her a terrorist. "The main question we want to ask," Al-Himidi said in Arabic, with English translation provided by his 15-year-old son Mohammed, "is 'what are you getting out of this?

Mitt Romney condemned President Obama's decision to recall all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year, essentially accusing the administration Friday of increasing the risk that the country will tumble into political chaos or fall under increased Iranian influence. “President Obama's astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women,” the Republican presidential candidate said in a statement.

With the last U.S. troops set to depart Iraq, President Obama on Monday welcomed a new phase of "equal partnership" with the Iraqi government, even as both sides admit uncertainty about how that will work. "We're here to mark the end of this war," Obama said, appearing alongside Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki at the White House, and to "begin a new chapter in the history between our countries — a normal relationship between sovereign nations. " The Obama administration faces a host of challenges in postwar Iraq, where the role of the U.S. military in providing future training and assistance for security forces has yet to be defined, beyond both leaders saying it was vital to Iraq's long-term stability.

As President Bush proceeds with his plan to let a United Nations envoy create a caretaker government for Iraq, he is facing backlash from conservatives who mistrust the U.N. and from those who worry that Washington means to dump its longtime Iraqi allies. The U.N. envoy, former Algerian Foreign Minister Lakhdar Brahimi, made it clear recently that he wanted to name honest, competent technocrats instead of politicians to the caretaker government -- which means many members of the U.S.

King Hassan II of Morocco offered Sunday to hold an emergency "last chance" meeting of Arab leaders on the Persian Gulf crisis. In Baghdad, Iraq said it would attend a proposed Arab summit if the agenda included the Palestinian question and if it was consulted on the time and place. Iraq's ruling Revolutionary Command Council, led by Saddam Hussein, went into emergency session to discuss the matter, an official statement read on state television said.

Iraq's battling communities came together Saturday to approve their first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein, placing a nation fractured from three years of war into the hands of a diverse but potentially weak Cabinet. In a stuffy chamber tucked deep inside rings of blast walls, barbed wire and bomb-sniffing dogs, parliament voted in favor of a 36-member Cabinet cobbled together by new Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.

An old man blared on a trumpet, policemen danced in the back of their pickup trucks and a singer from the days of Saddam Hussein trilled in a city park, all to celebrate the new era. Monday night was a time for Iraqis to bask in their sovereignty as they counted down to today, the formal departure date of U.S. forces from their cities. In the days ahead, Iraqis may still worry about the possibility of increased sectarian violence, the lackluster economy and a dearth of basic services.

The husband of an Iraqi immigrant who was savagely beaten in the couple's El Cajon home issued an emotional plea Tuesday for help in finding the killer "of this innocent woman. " Kassim Al-Himidi told reporters after an Islamic memorial service for his wife, Shaima Alawadi, that he wants to confront the person who bludgeoned her to death and left a threatening note telling her to return to their native country and calling her a terrorist. "The main question we want to ask," Al-Himidi said in Arabic, with English translation provided by his 15-year-old son Mohammed, "is 'what are you getting out of this?

Stephen Everhart was brought to Iraq by the U.S. Agency for International Development to assist the University of Baghdad's business college in qualifying for international accreditation. He was killed Thursday outside the gates of the university when a powerful bomb commonly used by Shiite Muslim militias detonated. The attack highlighted the precarious position of contractors for the U.S. government and Embassy as the American military prepares to leave the country. Militia groups, some with ties to the Iraqi government, are intent on hitting U.S. diplomats, soldiers and contractors employed by the embassy.

The Obama administration is finding some new political cover by invoking the Bush administration after Republican presidential hopefuls stepped up their attacks on the president's announcement that the United States would withdraw its troops from Iraq by year's end. Relations between any presidential administration and its predecessor are never easy, especially when they represent different parties and sharply dissimilar philosophies  as is...

Mitt Romney condemned President Obama's decision to recall all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of the year, essentially accusing the administration Friday of increasing the risk that the country will tumble into political chaos or fall under increased Iranian influence. “President Obama's astonishing failure to secure an orderly transition in Iraq has unnecessarily put at risk the victories that were won through the blood and sacrifice of thousands of American men and women,” the Republican presidential candidate said in a statement.

Under an agreement between Iraq and the George W. Bush administration, virtually all U.S. troops are to be out of that country by the end of the year. But the Obama administration, and apparently the Iraqi government, favor maintaining a residual force. To which our response is: "Yes … but. " After this country's long slog through a bloody and unnecessary war, one that has cost 4,474 American lives, the idea of prolonging any U.S. presence is extremely unappealing. But if the military deems this absolutely essential, then so long as the force were kept small — 5,000 or so — it might be acceptable as a way of shoring up Iraqi security forces and continuing training operations.

The White House is prepared to keep as many as 10,000 U.S. troops in Iraq after the end of the year, amid growing concern that the planned pullout of virtually all remaining American forces would lead to intensified militant attacks, according to U.S. officials. Keeping troops in Iraq after the deadline for their departure at the end of December would require agreement of Iraq's deeply divided government, which is far from certain. The Iraqis so far have not made a formal request for U.S. troops to remain, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Stephen Everhart was brought to Iraq by the U.S. Agency for International Development to assist the University of Baghdad's business college in qualifying for international accreditation. He was killed Thursday outside the gates of the university when a powerful bomb commonly used by Shiite Muslim militias detonated. The attack highlighted the precarious position of contractors for the U.S. government and Embassy as the American military prepares to leave the country. Militia groups, some with ties to the Iraqi government, are intent on hitting U.S. diplomats, soldiers and contractors employed by the embassy.

Gunmen stormed the local council offices in Diyala province Tuesday, killing at least eight people in the latest assault on government buildings in Sunni Muslim parts of Iraq. The morning attack in the eastern city of Baqubah lasted nearly two hours before army and police personnel took back control of the council building, according to local politicians and security officials. The gun battle, coupled with a U.S. military announcement that two American soldiers were killed Monday in the south, stoked a perception that the country was slipping back into violence.

The Obama administration is finding some new political cover by invoking the Bush administration after Republican presidential hopefuls stepped up their attacks on the president's announcement that the United States would withdraw its troops from Iraq by year's end. Relations between any presidential administration and its predecessor are never easy, especially when they represent different parties and sharply dissimilar philosophies  as is...

Under an agreement between Iraq and the George W. Bush administration, virtually all U.S. troops are to be out of that country by the end of the year. But the Obama administration, and apparently the Iraqi government, favor maintaining a residual force. To which our response is: "Yes … but. " After this country's long slog through a bloody and unnecessary war, one that has cost 4,474 American lives, the idea of prolonging any U.S. presence is extremely unappealing. But if the military deems this absolutely essential, then so long as the force were kept small — 5,000 or so — it might be acceptable as a way of shoring up Iraqi security forces and continuing training operations.

Armed men stormed the provincial council today in the eastern Diyala province's capital of Baquba, killing at least eight people in the latest assault on government buildings in Sunni parts of Iraq, police said. The Tuesday morning attack lasted nearly two hours before army and police personnel seized back control of the council building, according to reports from state television. Around 9 a.m., a suicide bomber blew himself up by the heavily guarded entrance of the provincial council, which is surrounded by giant cement blast walls.

After the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the George W. Bush administration flooded the conquered country with so much cash to pay for reconstruction and other projects in the first year that a new unit of measurement was born. Pentagon officials determined that one giant C-130 Hercules cargo plane could carry $2.4 billion in shrink-wrapped bricks of $100 bills. They sent an initial full planeload of cash, followed by 20 other flights to Iraq by May 2004 in a $12-billion haul that U.S. officials believe to be the biggest international cash airlift of all time.