Iraq violence surges
A half year after the U.S. military left Iraq, dire predictions seem to be coming true: The country is mired in violence and the government is on the verge of collapsing. With no relief in sight, there’s growing talk of Iraq as a failed state as al-Qaida’s local wing staged near daily attacks that killed at least 234 people in June. Iraq no longer s…
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Iraq Militias Target Youths
The groups say militant Shia have been encouraged in the wave of attacks by the interior ministry, following a long-standing campaign of gay-bashing. A statement on its website claimed emos were "devil-worshippers". Gangs of youths have devised a particularly brutal method of killing those they regard as "emos", in the West a term for yo…
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Iraq gives preferential treatment
Mahdi Army militants who fought against US troops say they are putting down their weapons and returning to their normal lives as American forces leave Iraq. But some Iraqis say the Shiite militia will remain intact in some form and continue to wield considerable influence in the country. Also, many of the militiamen are joining the government's security…
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Sadr tells followers to remain calm
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, back in Iraq after four years of Iran-based exile, urged his followers on Thursday to remain calm after they gave him a rowdy welcome in his home city of Najaf. Hundreds of people turned out to greet the radical cleric when he arrived on Wednesday in the central Iraq city, but they apparently became too exuberant when Sadr lat…
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