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Odierno Succeeds Petraeus in Iraq

Odierno Succeeds Petraeus in Iraq

09.16.08 posted by pondy 48 views no comments image
In an ornate palace built by Saddam Hussein, the United States military command in Iraq changed hands on Tuesday from Gen. David H. Petraeus, who created the strategy known as the surge, to Gen. Ray Odierno, who oversaw its day-to-day operations across a country in which violence has dropped significantly.
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US troop deaths hit 7-month high in Iraq

US troop deaths hit 7-month high in Iraq

04.30.08 posted by jason 151 views 3 comments image
The killings of three U.S. soldiers in separate attacks in Baghdad pushed the American death toll for April up to 47, making it the deadliest month since September. In all, at least 4,059 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003.
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Photographer's Journal: Iraq

04.11.08 posted by jason 160 views no comments video
Getty Images photographer Spencer Platt was in Baghdad February, 2008. Platt's vivid images and the voices in this dramatic video montage, drive home what is is like being a solider on the ground in Iraq.

US lawmaker Blames Recession on the Iraq War

US lawmaker Blames Recession on the Iraq War

04.13.08 posted by jason 140 views no comments image
Most in the US are linking the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the declining housing market as the key factors that has taken the US to the brink of a recession. However, John Yarmuth, Democrat from Kentucky, thinks otherwise, saying the cost of the Iraq war, "is not only linked to our economic skid, but is a leading cause of it." The US currently spends $12 billion a month on the war.
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Australia Out: Ends Combat Operations in Iraq

Australia Out: Ends Combat Operations in Iraq

06.02.08 posted by pondy 76 views 1 comment image
Australia has completed its combat operations in Iraq and is now pulling troops out. The Australian Army lowered its flag at Camp Terendak. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his Labor government were elected in a landslide victory last year on a campaign pledge to withdraw combat troops by mid-2008.
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Iraq Dismisses 1,300 Troops After Basra Offensive

Iraq Dismisses 1,300 Troops After Basra Offensive

04.14.08 posted by jason 125 views no comments image
In another sign that the Iraqis are not yet ready to run the store on their own, the Iraqi's fired 1,300 soldiers and police who dropped their weapons and left the fight in Basra. Apparently many were sympathetic to the cause of those they were supposed to be fighting. Clearly, we still have a long way to go in Iraq - on many fronts.
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US Troop Deaths in Iraq and Troop Levels: A Look at the Numbers

US Troop Deaths in Iraq and Troop Levels: A Look at the Numbers

04.09.08 posted by jason 126 views no comments image
As the debate continues in Congress as to the success (or lack of success) of the 'surge,' it is helpful to view the historical data on troop deaths and troop levels since the start of the war. The chart shows troop deaths declined after the surge, but recently have increased. Even the US commanders on the ground now call the progress 'fragile' and 'reversible.'

British Journalist Rescued in Basra

British Journalist Rescued in Basra

04.14.08 posted by chab13 115 views no comments image
Iraqi troops freed a kidnapped British journalist for CBS News on Monday after finding him hooded and bound in a house during a raid in a Shiite militia stronghold in Basra.
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A Deployment Debate that Can't Be Won

A Deployment Debate that Can't Be Won

04.11.08 posted by jason 117 views no comments image
Joseph Shuman of the WSJ asks, "Debate on whether the U.S. needs an exit strategy for Iraq -- a dispute at the heart of this week's focus on troop numbers -- boils down to the same clash of convictions that has dogged the war since the invasion: Does the combat in Iraq serve to protect Americans from the terrorism that staggered the country on 9/11, or not?"
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Petraeus Signals Iraq Army Isn't Ready as Battle Rages in Sadr City

Petraeus Signals Iraq Army Isn't Ready as Battle Rages in Sadr City

04.10.08 posted by jason 109 views no comments image
Fighting in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City killed 23 Iraqis on Wednesday,and the U.S. military reported five troop deaths, as April showed signs of becoming the worst month for U.S. forces in Iraq since September. During congressional testimony Gen. David H. Petraeus made clear there was still much work to be done and that tense times remained ahead.
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