Daily News Channel
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ordered his government to take down concrete blast walls that line Baghdad’s streets and surround whole neighborhoods, the Iraqi military announced Thursday. “The concrete walls will be taken off from the main roads and side streets in all Baghdad areas, with no exceptions and within 40 days,” a statement from Iraqi military’s Baghdad Operations Command read.
As American soldiers now defer to Iraqi forces in their homeland, the six-year war has changed dramatically for the thousands of U.S. troops deployed to Iraq.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Tuesday arrived in Iraq, where he will meet with the country’s prime minister, Nuri al Maliki, and get a first-hand look at the American military’s new role of supporting Iraqi forces.
When the final whistle blew after Iraq’s 4-0 win over Palestine at the Al-Shaab Stadium it was abundantly clear this was not just any international friendly. Supporters spilled out on to the streets to celebrate not just the goals from Hawar Mullah Mohammed, Karrar Jasim, Ala Abdel Zahra and Emad Mohammed, but the fact Iraq had staged their first international match in Baghdad since 2002
President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki voiced cautious optimism regarding the situation in Iraq Wednesday, noting greater stability and decreased violence as U.S. troops continue to cede control to their Iraqi counterparts. “I have no doubt that there will be some tough days ahead,” Obama said during a joint appearance of the leaders at the White House.
Four Baghdad churches were bombed in less than 24 hours and eight civilians were wounded, officials said Sunday. Three bombs exploded outside churches Sunday afternoon, wounding the civilians, an Interior Ministry official said. The bombs detonated within a 15-minute span, between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m.
The U.S. military has released five Iranian diplomats detained in Iraq since early 2007, the Iraqi government and Iran’s embassy in Baghdad said Thursday.
Vice President Joe Biden celebrated American patriotism and mocked the ghost of Saddam Hussein during a Fourth of July visit to Iraq on Saturday.
The ongoing presence of U.S. troops in Iraq "shows that the (Iraqi) government and the occupation are not serious about the withdrawal," a key Shiite cleric in the country said Wednesday. Muqtada al-Sadr made the statement on his Web site a day after U.S.
Tuesday marked the deadline for American troops to pull out of Iraq’s towns and cities — a long-anticipated date that has been met by street festivals in Baghdad.