Patriot Paradox

AFP – The Arabs and Turkmen of Kirkuk fear the Kurds will seize control of the northern oil hub after the US pullout from Iraqi urban areas unless their power in the security services is curbed. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – Sunni Arab militiamen, who are widely credited with turning the tide of the war against Al-Qaeda in Iraq, now fear for their future as US troops withdraw from country’s towns and cities. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – Tens of thousands of Iraqis partied amid massive security in Baghdad on Monday to mark the imminent pullout of US troops from urban areas and celebrate the restive nation’s reclaimed sovereignty. Read the rest of this entry »

AP – More than two years since leaving her prison cell, the woman who became the grinning face of the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal spends most of her days confined to the four walls of her home. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – Iraqis are preparing for a massive party in Baghdad to celebrate the imminent withdrawal of US troops from cities, towns and villages, as the conflict-torn nation takes sole charge of its security. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – Sipping tea and smoking from a water pipe at Shahbander, a favoured haunt for Baghdad’s intelligentsia, Jafaar Bairga neatly summed up the contradictions of Iraqi views of the United States. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – Dozens of US troops seen in Mosul after June 30 will not be military advisers or trainers but instead work to ensure that millions of American tax dollars are not frittered away. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – Iraqi forces are “ready” to take over security operations in the country’s cities after American troops pull back on June 30, the general in charge of US-led coalition forces there said Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – Baquba, the Iraqi city synonymous in recent years with murders, intercommunal killings and suicide bombings, is celebrating the imminent departure of US troops with balloons and bunting. Read the rest of this entry »

AFP – The 550.4-billion-dollar defense budget approved by US senators includes a plan to reform the controversial military tribunal process at Guantanamo Bay, the Armed Services Committee chairman said. Read the rest of this entry »