Baghdad – News Stories About Baghdad - Page 12

Mar 1, 2008 7:48 PM CST

Ahmadinejad to Visit Iraq

First-ever trip by an Iranian prez upsets Sunnis, poses security risk to hosts

(Newser) - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will fly to Baghdad Sunday to meet with Iraqi president Jalal Talabani, the first state visit ever by an Iranian president, the BBC reports. Sunni Iraqi leaders expressed outrage over the visit, which also comes a day after the US claimed further evidence of Iranian meddling in the...

Militias Shell Green Zone
in Baghdad

Feb 23, 2008 1:57 PM CST

Militias Shell Green Zone in Baghdad

Assault on US-protected compound could hurt al-Sadr's credibility

(Newser) - A volley of rockets or mortar rounds hit Iraq’s Green Zone today, causing no injuries except perhaps to the credibility of a Shiite militia cease-fire extended just one day ago. The AP reports that nearly 10 explosions were heard inside the zone, which houses the American embassy, Iraqi government...

Blackwater Probers Return to Baghdad

Feb 21, 2008 5:13 AM CST

Blackwater Probers Return to Baghdad

Feds investigate massacre that killed 17, seek trial in US

(Newser) - Federal authorities investigating the Blackwater shootings that left 17 Iraqi civilians dead will revisit the scene of the massacre this week. Prosecutors from the Justice Department have already arrived in Baghdad, to be joined by inspectors from the FBI. But the inquiry has been hamstrung by the American government's promise...

98 Dead in Baghdad Bombings

UPDATED

Feb 1, 2008 1:00 PM CST

98 Dead in Baghdad Bombings

'Suicide bombers' revealed as mentally disabled women wearing remote-controlled explosive belts

(Newser) - Twin bombs ripped apart two busy pet markets in Baghdad this morning, killing at least 98 people and injuring more than 200. Two women initially identified as suicide bombers were actually mentally disabled women wearing explosive belts that were blown up by remote control, CNN reports. "By targeting innocent...

A Taste of China
Opens in Baghdad

Jan 18, 2008 6:00 PM CST

A Taste of China Opens in Baghdad

War-torn city gets its first taste of dumplings in Karrada restaurant

(Newser) - The central Baghdad neighborhood of Karrada has seen its share of brutal changes over the past few years, but saw a sign of life in January, when a Chinese restaurant opened its doors, reports Middle East Online. "Like security in Baghdad, it will get better," said one of...

US Sees Huge Gains
in Baghdad Security

Jan 18, 2008 8:37 AM CST

US Sees Huge Gains in Baghdad Security

City sees dramatic improvement in security from a year ago

(Newser) - US and Iraqi forces have secured 75% of Baghdad's neighborhoods, a sharp increase from pre-surge days, USA Today reports. The combined forces "basically own the streets," said a US colonel. Military figures say that 356 of 474 of the city's neighborhoods have returned to some semblance of normalcy,...

Rare Snowfall Hits Baghdad

Jan 11, 2008 1:05 PM CST

Rare Snowfall Hits Baghdad

It's the first time in 100 years—some blame global warming

(Newser) - Light snow flurries fell on Baghdad today for the first time in about 100 years, AFP reports. Residents were by and large delighted: "Snow falling in Baghdad in such a magnificent scene was beyond my imagination," said one retiree. A local baker agreed: "This snow will bring...

US Bombs al-Qaeda Sites in Iraq

Jan 10, 2008 7:35 AM CST

US Bombs al-Qaeda Sites in Iraq

Strike was aimed at al-Qaeda safe havens north of Baghdad

(Newser) - US bombers and fighters dropped 40,000 pounds of explosives on al-Qaeda stronghold Arab Jabour, an agricultural area just north of Baghdad. The 10-minute strike flattened 40 targets ahead of ground troops as part of Operation Phantom Phoenix, a new offensive against al-Qaeda, the AP reports. Nine US troops have...

Iraqi Soldier
Kills Two
US Troops

Jan 5, 2008 8:22 AM CST

Iraqi Soldier Kills Two US Troops

He turned on them during joint patrol; 3 others wounded

(Newser) - An Iraqi insurgent who joined the country’s military force shot and killed two American troops, the BBC reports. Three other US soldiers were injured in the Dec. 26 shooting, which happened during a joint patrol in northern Iraq. After the patrol was besieged by gunmen, the Iraqi soldier “...

Bomber Hits Baghdad Funeral

Jan 1, 2008 8:09 PM CST

Bomber Hits Baghdad Funeral

Suicide attack kills 30, wounds 38 on day many celebrated New Year's

(Newser) - A suicide bomber killed 30 and wounded 38 at a Baghdad funeral today, shattering a mostly peaceful New Year's day with the worst bomb attack in months, Reuters reports. The attacker was likely a friend or relative of the mourners who brazenly passed the neighborhood's high military and police presence,...

Wary World Welcomes 2008

Jan 1, 2008 5:05 AM CST

Wary World Welcomes 2008

In New York, Times Square ball makes 100th fall

(Newser) - From Baghdad to Berlin to Beijing and Boston, the world said farewell to 2007 and cheered the arrival of 2008. The famous Times Square ball descended for the 100th time, and a million revelers gathered to watch. New technology meant the crystal-studded sphere was twice as bright this year.

Iraq Invites Refugees Home, but Home Is Gone

Dec 16, 2007 5:35 PM CST

Iraq Invites Refugees Home, but Home Is Gone

350K displaced in Iraq; US military begs Baghdad to build new housing

(Newser) - Baghdad shocked Washington and the UN last month by inviting home 1.4 million refugees from Syria, the Washington Post reports. The UN warned against it, saying exiles would face poverty, but Iraq started a bus line to transport them back. Many found their homes looted and neighborhoods redrawn along...

Iraqis United in Mass Wedding

Dec 13, 2007 12:53 PM CST

Iraqis United in Mass Wedding

Dozens of couples marry across sectarian divides

(Newser) - A Baghdad media magnate, determined to overcome the sectarian conflict tearing apart Iraq, organized a mass wedding for dozens of mixed Baghdad couples, reports the Christian Science Monitor. The newspaper owner scoured the city for 70 couples from different ethnicities or sects, and treated them to a wedding and party...

Iraq Splinters
as Surge
Quells Violence

Dec 10, 2007 2:21 PM CST

Iraq Splinters as Surge Quells Violence

Government holds no sway over 'highly decentralized situation'

(Newser) - The US troop surge has stemmed the bloodshed of Iraq's civil war but has failed in its other key objective of rebuilding the fragmented country into a cohesive nation. Ten months into the surge, Iraq has further splintered into sectarian strongholds run by warlords and militias, while the government's bickering...

Lion Sculpture Fetches Record Price at Auction

Dec 6, 2007 1:23 PM CST

Lion Sculpture Fetches Record Price at Auction

3¼-inch Guennol Lioness goes for $57M, nearly double last mark

(Newser) - A limestone sculpture of a lioness standing at only 3¼ inches sold at auction in New York yesterday for $57 million, smashing the record price for a sculpture, the BBC reports. The Guennol Lioness, believed to have been carved 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq and Iran), topped...

Bombings Mark Gates' Iraq Visit

Dec 5, 2007 3:47 PM CST

Bombings Mark Gates' Iraq Visit

Blasts kill 23 as Gates says secure Iraq is 'within reach'

(Newser) - In an unannounced visit to Iraq today, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he believed stability there is a reachable goal, even as car bombs claimed 23 lives in Baghdad and elsewhere, Reuters reports. "More than ever, I believe that the goal of a secure, stable, and democratic Iraq...

Cholera Outbreak Grips Baghdad

Dec 2, 2007 7:40 PM CST

Cholera Outbreak Grips Baghdad

Officials fear an epidemic when rains hit war-ravaged sewers

(Newser) - Cholera cases have spiked in Baghdad since mid-November and will likely soar when rainy season comes, the Guardian reports. Officials fear that the downpours will spread dirty water from war-ravaged sewers and infect more Iraqis, particularly children; about 4,500 cases have already been tallied this year. “We have...

Bombs Linked to Iraq Sunni Leader

Dec 1, 2007 2:57 PM CST

Bombs Linked to Iraq Sunni Leader

Car bombs found, 40 arrested in raid on compound

(Newser) - A raid on the compound of the leader of Iraq's biggest Sunni political bloc saw his son and dozens of guards arrested, reports the Washington Post. American and Iraqi soldiers found cars wired with explosives outside the compound; one of the guards had the keys. Adnan al-Dulaimi said the...

13 Dead in Baghdad Pet Market Blast

Nov 23, 2007 9:49 AM CST

13 Dead in Baghdad Pet Market Blast

Dozens wounded; bomber hid device in box of birds

(Newser) - Thirteen people were killed and 57 wounded when a bomb hidden in a box of birds exploded today at a pet market in Baghdad. Four policeman were among the dead, reports Reuters. The bombing was the deadliest in Iraq since car bombs killed 32 people in the capital on September...

Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq

Nov 20, 2007 7:24 AM CST

Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq

Fall in violence trigger optimism from Iraqi government

(Newser) - A sharp drop in violence in Baghdad led Iraqi government officials to express confidence yesterday that the worst is over, reports the Los Angeles Times. While violence remains high, bombings, street fighting, and abductions are down, as are fears of a civil war. US officials urged Iraq's government to take...