Iraq

As of Friday, Dec. 11, 2009, at least 4,369 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. Full Story »

KIRKUK, Iraq - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday that plans are on track to reduce American forces in Iraq next year and warned that neighboring Iran risks sanctions soon if it fails to cooperate on its controversial nuclear program. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said Friday it expects the Baghdad government to act legally and humanely when it relocates Iranian dissidents from a border camp to southern Iraq before deporting them. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters) - Former British prime minister Tony Blair believes it was right to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power even though no weapons of mass destruction were ever found. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Six people, including two policemen and two soldiers, were killed in a car bombing south of Baghdad on Friday, an Iraqi interior ministry official said. Full Story »

BAGHDAD - Amnesty International on Friday warned that Iraq's plans to move an Iranian opposition group to a former desert detention camp in the country's remote south would put them at risk of arbitrary arrest and torture. Full Story »

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday that Arab and Kurdish leaders in Iraq were moving toward settling their differences and he urged them to form an inclusive government quickly after a March vote. Full Story »

KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) - Iraq's minority Kurds, who have their own autonomous region in the north, will eventually iron out their differences with the country's Arabs, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said on Friday. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Employees of the Blackwater private security company took part in secret CIA raids in Iraq and Afghanistan, the New York Times reported Friday, citing former employees and intelligence officials. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Six people were killed and 21 wounded when two bombs exploded south of Baghdad on Friday, Iraqi police said. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Iraq struck deals with consortiums led by energy giants Shell and CNPC on massive southern oil fields on Friday, part of a two-day auction that seeks to dramatically boost the country's crude output. Full Story »

BAGHDAD - It was early April 2003. The city of Mosul in northern Iraq was in free fall. Full Story »

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military says an American soldier in Iraq has died of injuries unrelated to combat. Full Story »

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, challenged by parliament Thursday to explain the lapses that led to a recent series of devastating car bombings, distanced himself from his interior minister and blamed the security gaps on "political infighting." Full Story »

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Awash with oil, Iraq is poised to ink several mega oil deals that will vault it into the top ranks of world oil producers, but the war-shattered country is back to grappling massive power shortages after a brief respite. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (AFP) - US Defence Secretary Robert Gates assured Iraq of continued support during a surprise visit to Baghdad on Thursday, as the Pentagon insisted its troop pullout was on track despite a surge in violence. Full Story »

BAGHDAD - Iraq announced plans Thursday to move members of an Iranian opposition group to a former desert detention camp in a sharp escalation of pressure on a faction that poses complications for both Baghdad and Washington. Full Story »

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Delayed elections in Iraq and a bloody attack this week will not derail U.S. troop withdrawal plans, U.S. officials said as Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew into Baghdad to meet Iraqi leaders. Full Story »