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U.S. Military Plans Polls and Focus Groups in Iraq

Walter Pincus — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The U.S. military is planning a large polling and focus-group operation in Iraq over the next three years to help "build robust and positive relations with the people of Iraq and to assist the Iraqi people in forming a new government," according to a proposal seeking private contractors for the program.

Western Journalists in Iraq Stage Pullback of Their Own

Ernesto Londoño and Amit R. Paley — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD -- The number of foreign journalists in Baghdad is declining sharply, a media withdrawal that reflects Iraq's growing stability and the financial strains faced by some news organizations.

24 Killed, 45 Injured in Bombings and Shootings Across Iraq

Mary Beth Sheridan and Qais Mizher — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD, Oct. 10 -- A car bomb exploded in a market in southern Baghdad late Friday afternoon, killing at least 14 people and prompting an outburst of sectarian rioting, according to police and witnesses.

U.S. Urgently Reviews Policy On Afghanistan

Karen DeYoung — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The White House has launched an urgent review of Afghanistan policy, fast-tracked for completion in the next several weeks, amid growing concern that the administration lacks a comprehensive strategy for the foundering war there and as intelligence officials warn of a rapidly worsening situation on the ground.

Use of 'Sticky IEDs' Rising in Iraq

Ernesto Londoño — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD, Oct. 8 -- Iraqi insurgents are increasingly using magnetically attached bombs known as "sticky IEDs" to assassinate mid- and low-level Iraqi officials, Iraqi and U.S. officials said.

Military Justifies Attack That Killed at Least 33 Afghan Civilians

Karen DeYoung — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A military investigation has concluded that U.S. forces acted in legitimate self-defense in launching an August air assault against Taliban militants in Afghanistan that it said left 33 civilians dead, including at least 12 children.

Bomber Strikes During Raid in Iraq

Mary Beth Sheridan — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD, Oct. 5 -- A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vest inside a home in northern Iraq as U.S. forces were trading gunfire with its occupants, according to the American military. Eleven Iraqis were killed in the operation early Sunday.

In Ordeal as Captive, Character Was Shaped

Michael Dobbs — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

HANOI The lake into which John McCain parachuted after his Navy plane was shot down is now surrounded by chic restaurants, cellphone stores and motorcycle dealerships. The prison camp where he confessed to being a "black criminal" has been turned into a multiplex cinema showing garish American movies. A five-star hotel occupies the site of the "Hanoi Hilton" jail, where he spent more than three years. The surface-to-air missile sites that once circled Hanoi have been replaced by sprawling industrial parks churning out sneakers and television sets for the U.S. market.

Uighur Detainees May Be Released to U.S.

Del Quentin Wilber — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A federal judge is considering whether to order a group of detainees held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay released into the United States, in what would instantly become a landmark legal decision in the years-long battle over the rights of terrorism suspects there.

Standard Warfare May Be Eclipsed By Nation-Building

Ann Scott Tyson — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Army on Monday will unveil an unprecedented doctrine that declares nation-building missions will probably become more important than conventional warfare and defines "fragile states" that breed crime, terrorism and religious and ethnic strife as the greatest threat to U.S. national security.

2 U.S. Copters Crash in Iraq; 1 Iraqi Is Killed

Ernesto Londoño — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD, Oct. 4 -- Two U.S. military helicopters crashed in Baghdad on Saturday night while trying to land, the military said.

Around The World

Post — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Senior Leader of Insurgents Killed in Baghdad, U.S. Says

Ernesto Londoño — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD, Oct. 3 -- U.S. soldiers killed a man in Baghdad on Friday whom the military described as a senior leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

U.S. to Fund Pro-American Publicity in Iraqi Media

Karen DeYoung and Walter Pincus — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Defense Department will pay private U.S. contractors in Iraq up to $300 million over the next three years to produce news stories, entertainment programs and public service advertisements for the Iraqi media in an effort to "engage and inspire" the local population to support U.S. objectives and the Iraqi government.

Obama Aide Lauds Defense Secretary

Karen DeYoung — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

A senior adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama praised Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday and said Gates could do "even better" as Pentagon chief in an Obama administration.

Attacks Belie Steps on Reconciliation

Mary Beth Sheridan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD, Oct. 2 -- A pair of suicide bombers struck around 8 a.m. Thursday, as Shiite worshipers streamed out of morning prayers at two mosques in Baghdad, killing at least 16 people and injuring more than 50. North of the capital, gunmen opened fire on a minibus outside the city of Baqubah, killing six members of a Sunni family, including children ages 5 and 6, authorities said.

A Delicate Changing of the Guard

Mary Beth Sheridan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD, Oct. 1 -- The Iraqi government on Wednesday began assuming control of the U.S.-backed armed groups that have helped curtail violence here, in a high-stakes test for the American strategy to stabilize Iraq.

Somalia Embraces Foreign Assistance Against Pirates

Ellen Knickmeyer — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Oct. 1 -- With U.S. warships offshore and a Russian missile frigate on the way, Somalia's president, Abdullahi Yusuf, said Wednesday that he welcomed international intervention against Somali pirates roaming a main East-West shipping route.

Commander in Afghanistan Wants More Troops

Ann Scott Tyson — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The new top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said yesterday that more American troops are urgently required to combat a worsening insurgency, but he stated emphatically that no Iraq-style "surge" of forces will end the conflict there.

Violence Declines Further in Iraq

Ann Scott Tyson — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Violence in Iraq dropped further during the summer although security gains remain "reversible and uneven," with the main threats coming from Iranian-backed militias and the Shiite-led Iraqi government's slow integration of volunteer Sunni fighters, according to a Pentagon report released yesterday.

Gates Criticizes Conventional Focus At Start of Iraq War

Ann Scott Tyson — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday criticized the shock-and-awe strategy of the 2003 Iraq invasion and said the Pentagon's narrow focus on conventional combat operations proved costly when U.S. ground troops had to switch gears to try to stabilize that country.

For U.S. and Sunni Allies, a Turning Point

Ernesto Londoño — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

BAGHDAD -- First Lt. Justin John, 6-foot-4 and built like a linebacker, plopped down on a sofa in front of Ibrahim Suleiman al-Zoubaidi, one of the leaders of the mainly Sunni armed groups that have helped the U.S. military quell violence in Iraq since last year.

U.S. Navy Bolsters Watch Over Ship Seized by Somali Pirates

Ellen Knickmeyer — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CAIRO, Sept. 29 -- The U.S. Navy on Monday strengthened its force of warships standing watch over a hijacked Ukrainian-operated vessel off Somalia, intent on ensuring that the pirates holding the vessel do not unload its cargo of 33 Soviet-designed T-72 tanks and other arms, a U.S. Navy spokesman said.

U.S. Policy Is Fuzzy on Arms Purchases From Former Warsaw Pact Nations

Walter Pincus — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

What is the U.S. policy about supplying weapons to Afghanistan that come from Russia and former Warsaw Pact countries? Can the U.S. military deal directly with foreign countries that have these weapons and the ammunition that goes with them? Or must they go through private contractors, who act as middlemen and profit from such transactions?