Eid al-Adha: a time for Iraq to remember its war dead
Umm Issam, 51, believes that her husband, who was killed during the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and was buried in the Wadi al-Salaam cemetery in Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of Baghdad, “expects” her every Eid. He would be sad if she were late to visit. About two years ago, Umm Issam could not make it on time to weep and pray at his gr…
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Ailing vets turn to charities in larger numbers
Brandon Pelletier sits with his dog, Skylar, Feb. 19 at a park near his home in Chula Vista, Calif. Susan Rocco starts authorizing help on a litany of pleas from wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans at 7 a.m. in her home north of Quantico, Va. One is a young Marine veteran living in a shelter who needs clothing and electricity turned on so he can…
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Thousands demand fall of Iraq government
THOUSANDS of people in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq called on Friday for the government's fall amid a spike in violence that has accompanied a political stalemate two months before provincial polls. The demonstrations, which have been ongoing for nearly two months, have steadfastly urged for the ouster of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki while decr…
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Syrian conflict settles old scores
Iraqis with old vendettas have taken advantage of the chaos and instability in Syria to pursue Iraqi refugees there, with a string of kidnappings in recent months, according to an official with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). “We’ve seen a rise in serious protection incidents,” said Paul Stromberg, deputy representative of the UNCHR in Syria. “There …
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Tony Blair Re-invents Himself
Even by the standards of a seemingly increasingly partisan British media, the decision to invite Tony Blair to Guest Edit the London Evening Standard on 27th June, the fifth anniversary of his leaving office was, well, bizarre. The Standard (established1827) gained early eminence for its detailed foreign news. Within little over forty years of its f…
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Iraqis face future of fear
Whenever he leaves his home, Mohammed Jabar, a Sunni Muslim, carries his cellphone so his family can find out quickly whether he is safe if a deadly bomb attack hits. Shukria Mahmud, another Sunni, rarely ventures from her house because of the rash of violence that is gripping Iraq. Laith Hashim, a young Shiite Muslim, is considering moving away from…
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Iraq violence grinds on
Iraqi authorities say bombs have killed four people in two cities as violence continues to surge six months after the last American troops withdrew. A provincial official says three coordinated bombs exploded within minutes Sunday morning in the central city of Tikrit, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad. One civilian walking by died and two …
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11 killed in 2 Iraq bombings
Two bomb blasts nearly 150 kilometers apart killed 11 people Monday night, officials said, as Iraq's death toll continued to climb in the second bloodiest month since U.S. troops withdrew late last year. Officials and experts fear the surge in violence may signal Iraq's potential descent into a failed state, despite its oil wealth, billions …
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Robert Fisk: The Children of Fallujah
For little Sayef, there will be no Arab Spring. He lies, just 14 months old, on a small red blanket cushioned by a cheap mattress on the floor, occasionally crying, his head twice the size it should be, blind and paralysed. Sayeffedin Abdulaziz Mohamed – his full name – has a kind face in his outsized head and they say he smiles when other children visit…
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Sgt. dies before new home finished
An injured soldier who struggled daily to overcome the physical challenges left by an explosion in Iraq died early Sunday morning in his sleep, just two weeks before a home being built for him and his family was due to be finished. Sgt. Kevin White, 29, leaves behind his wife, Juliane, and a 15-month-old son, Liam, who now will move into their new home …
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'Military friendly' college concerns
In press releases and ads, colleges love boasting they're "military friendly" and "veterans friendly" — and that isn't just because veterans are usually good students and campus leaders. It's also because the newly expanded Post 9/11 G.I. Bill will pay colleges of all types around $9 billion this year to educate nearly 600…
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Paralympian Inspiration to Vets
As disabled veterans gathered at the base of Snowmass Mountain to tackle their first ski runs on adaptive skis during the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, they had an unexpected cheering squad: U.S. Paralympians, including two training for the 2012 Summer Games in London. Positioned slopeside yesterday to encourage their fellow veterans sat…
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