U.S. releases 5 Iran officials held in Iraq (USA Today)
Five Iranian officials held in Iraq for more than two years by U.S. forces returned home Sunday after the U.S. released them under pressure from the Iraqi government.
Iraqi Airways to lease 20 planes (AME Info)
Iraq’s Transport Ministry has said that Iraqi Airways has signed a four-year agreement with Ross Aviation to lease 20 aircraft and jointly operate them with the US-based firm.
4 Marines killed by bombs in Afghanistan – Navy News, news from Iraq – Navy Times (Navy Times)
KABUL Bomb blasts killed four U.S. Marines in southern Afghanistan, where thousands of American troops have deployed in recent weeks as part of an offensive in the country s dangerous drug-producing region, an official said Sunday.
Iraq military: attacks decline, but could continue (AP via Yahoo! News)
The Iraqi military says insurgent attacks are on the decline, but predicts they could continue for a few more years.
Soon: Iraqi-foreign gas firm to see light of day (Zawya)
11 July 2009 The Iraqi Oil Ministry will soon reach an agreement with the giant companies of Shell and Mitsubishi to form an Iraqi-foreign firm to invest in the natural gas that comes along with the excavated crude oil in southern Iraq, the Ministry’s spokesperson said on Saturday.
Khaleej Times Online – Iraqi lawmaker blames Kurds for bomb attacks (Khaleej Times)
BAGHDAD – An Iraqi lawmaker on Sunday blamed Kurdish militias for a recent series of lethal attacks near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which have raised political tensions in the area.
4 Baghdad churches bombed in 24 hours (CNN)
Four Baghdad churches were bombed in less than 24 hours and eight civilians were wounded, officials said Sunday.
Iraqi lawmaker blames Kurds for spate of bomb attacks (EARTHtimes.org)
Baghdad – An Iraqi lawmaker on Sunday blamed Kurdish militias for a recent series of lethal attacks near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which have raised political tensions in the area. At least four people were killed and 35 others were wounded o…
Iraq military chief predicts years of attacks (AP via Yahoo! Philippines News)
The Iraqi military on Sunday predicted that insurgent attacks, though declining, could continue for a few years, raising the prospect of militant violence after the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011. The comments by Gen. Babaker B. Shawkat Zebari, the army chief of staff, came several hours after gunmen fatally shot a government financial officer in northern Iraq and one …
U.K. Troop Deaths in Afghanistan Exceed Iraq Total (Update2) (Bloomberg)
July 11 (Bloomberg) — Eight more British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, taking the total number of U.K. troops to have died in the country since 2001 above that for Iraq.
Iraqi crews ready to go on mission (Air Force Times)
Airmen deployed to Iraq are teaching their Iraqi counterparts to fly airstrike missions.Today, after fewer than a dozen training flights, two Iraqi aircrews a pilot and a mission-sensor operator make up an aircrew are qualified to fire Hellfire missiles from AC-208B Caravans, a military version of the single-engine turboprop Cessna Grand Caravan utility airplane. A third aircrew is in …
Locals write from Iraq to moon (The Burlington Free Press)
Book Notes: News, events from Vermont’s writing scene
Iraq military chief predicts years of attacks (AP via Yahoo! News)
The Iraqi military on Sunday predicted that insurgent attacks, though declining, could continue for a few years, raising the prospect of militant violence after the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. troops by the end of 2011.
Bloody weekend includes 2 Iraqi deaths involving U.S. forces (CNN)
Two civilian drivers in northern Iraq were killed in incidents involving U.S. troops, one in an “escalation of force” shooting and the other in a head-on collision, the military said Saturday.
