Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Iraq is pressing the United States for a combat unmanned aerial vehicle which it considers more urgent than its request for AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. Officials said the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has expressed the need for a U.S.-origin combat UAV. The officials said Al Maliki urged […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — For the first time in decades, Iraq has attacked neighboring Syria. The government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki said the Iraq Army attacked a convoy in eastern Syria. Officials said Iraqi helicopters fired missiles toward vehicles sent by Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. “The army […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — Al Qaida has moved military operations to Iraq’s capital ahead of parliamentary elections. Officials said Al Qaida in Iraq was targeting military bases and critical facilities in an attempt to torpedo elections on April 30. They said Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was recruiting fighters from […]
Special to WorldTribune.com BAGHDAD — Iraq has been attracting foreign fighters for the Sunni revolt. Officials said Western and other nationals were flowing into Iraq to join the Al Qaida-led Sunni revolt in Iraq. The officials cited recruitment by Al Qaida’s Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has seized large areas of Iraq’s […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Despite billions of dollars worth of U.S. equipment, Iraq has been unable to secure much of the country. Officials said the Iraqi military and security forces failed to properly use U.S. combat platforms and munitions to quell Al Qaida. They said the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Iran and Iraq have signed their first weapons deal since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Western diplomatic sources said Iran would supply a range of mortars and artillery for Iraq’s security forces. They said the deal would violate the United Nations embargo on Iranian weapons sales. “Nothing prevents […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Iraq, a leading ally of neighboring Iran, plans to challenge Saudi Arabia’s dominance of the global energy market. Officials and analysts said the Shi’ite government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki was working to triple crude oil capacity by 2020 in an effort to end Riyad’s role in the […]
Special to WorldTribune.com By Fariborz Saremi In these strange and unstable times in the Middle East one surprising and superficially positive event is ironically also a new major cause for concern. Iran and the United States of America, longstanding enemies, would appear to be close to lasting rapprochement. Rather than producing greater feelings of security […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The Iraqi military and security forces remain ill-equipped to battle the Sunni revolt, a report said. The Center for Strategic and International Studies asserted that Iraq lacked the army and police manpower to quell the Al Qaida-directed Sunni revolt in the Anbar province. In a report, the center said forces […]
Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — The administration of President Barack Obama, overcoming concerns in Congress, has approved the export of an advanced attack helicopter to Iraq. The administration has notified Congress that Washington would oversee the delivery of 24 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to the Iraqi military. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the Apache […]