Word: iraqi
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...which could last up to several months, would be designed to ensure that the smaller U.S. footprint in Iraq doesn't embolden insurgents to reignite the civil war that ripped the country apart in 2006 and the first half of 2007. The U.S. military is counting on the growing Iraqi security forces to fill the gap left by the U.S. withdrawal, but wants to test that hypothesis by removing its own forces in increments...
Satterfield argued, the limits of al-Sadr's political power were exposed. That's when Maliki no longer felt the need to protect his biggest constituent in Parliament and gave U.S. forces the green light to enter Sadr City, the cleric's popular stronghold in north Baghdad. Ever since, Iraqi and U.S. units have been arresting commanders of the militia who have not gone underground...
...issue fatwas, and garner more respect from the Shi'ite establishment. Such a rank usually requires two decades of study, but Sadr, say aides, wants to complete it within two years. In that time, he'll receive the religious equivalent of a mail-order diploma. "No Shi'ite Iraqi really believes he is going to study or that he could complete his studies to become a respectable cleric in a year," says Nasr, "but he can do enough to get the political cover he needs...
After a two-day trial, a U.S. Army court-martial jury of three officers and five enlisted soldiers found Sgt. Evan Vela guilty of murdering an unarmed Iraqi man and guilty of helping to plant an AK-47 on him to make the killing look justified. It is a sentence that demonstrates the Army's willingness to hand down serious punishment to soldiers who kill noncombatant civilians. The jury ordered Vela to 10 years in prison, a reduction to the rank private, forfeiture of all pay and benefits and a dishonorable discharge. But the penalty was also seen...
Vela's family, however, believes the sergeant has become a political sacrifice to U.S.-Iraqi relations. According to Vela's father Curtis Carnahan, who, along with Vela's wife, flew to Baghdad to attend the trial, "My son's commanding generals want somebody to be guilty of something so they can appease their Iraqi counterparts. They have tried this killing two times already and have no murder convictions to show for it. I don't think my son did anything wrong and I am optimistic the jury will agree...