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WASHINGTON, July 9, 2008 – Iraqi soldiers and police are demonstrating increased capability, yet more work needs to be done in view of the continued terrorist threat in Iraq, a senior U.S. military officer said at a Capitol Hill hearing today. Iraq’s security forces acquitted themselves well during recent Iraqi-initiated anti-terrorist operations in Baghdad’s Sadr City section, Basra, Mosul and Amarah, Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, the former commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq and the NATO training mission in Iraq, said in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick took over command...

BAGHDAD, July 9, 2008 – If you asked Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin in April which cities in Iraq were the hot spots and would be the focus of his forces’ efforts, he would have replied quickly: Basra, Mosul, Diyala and Baghdad’s Sadr City district. But when reporters asked the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq about those same cities today during a media roundtable at Al Faw Palace here, his reply was quite different. Today, the Iraqi government is “firmly in control of Baghdad, Basra and Mosul,” Austin said. “We’ve made some significant gains here in terms of security,...

Iraqi security forces continue to target the Sadrist movement and the Mahdi Army in the southern provinces of Maysan, Dhi Qhar, and Wasit over the weekend. More than 113 Mahdi Army fighters and Sadrists were detained since Friday, including a senior Sadrist leader in the city of Al Kut. The arrests come as a major operation was launched in the former Mahdi Army stronghold in Maysan province. On Saturday, Iraqi forces detained Sayyid Tahseen, a senior member of Muqtada al Sadr's political movement, in Al Kut in Wasit province. Iraqi police described Tahseen as "one of the most important individual...

This Edition features Iraqi Security Forces who are committed to protecting Citizens, Army Nurses in Baghdad and Soldiers in search of Weapons.

The Iraqi security forces have detained five senior Sadrist leaders and a department director in Maysan province during Operation Promise of Peace. The Mahdi Army, the armed wing of the Sadrist movement, has not put up any opposition to the government’s efforts to secure Maysan, a Sadrist stronghold on the Iranian border. Iraqi forces are conducting a series of raids in Amarah and throughout the southern province, "capturing key targets including government officials wanted by the authorities in a number of cases," said Brigadier General Abdul Karim Khalaf, a spokesman for Iraq's Ministry of the Interior. "Five officials from the...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON — Upon arriving in Baghdad, the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, began its 15-month deployment in central Baghdad detached from its organic brigade, the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division from Fort Hood, Texas. Now attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, the “Straight Arrows” Battalion conducts the same mission of providing a safe and secure environment for the Iraqi citizens but in a different operating environment. “Every Soldier in the Battalion has embraced their mission here in Baghdad with a lot of courage, dedication and motivation,”...

KIRKUK, Iraq – Kirkuk Provincial Rule of Law judges and lawyers met with their key provincial and city police leadership during the inaugural Criminal Justice Conference at Forward Operating Base Warrior in Kirkuk May 29.“The security gains of the region are evident -- over a 70 percent decrease in violent attacks against ISF, Kirkuk citizens and the Coalition forces. As a result, we can now begin our transition from a form of martial law to rule of law,” said Lt. Col. Kevin Brown, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division deputy commander.The agenda of the meeting included recent case studies that focused...

MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi security forces shot dead at least 11 suspected Al-Qaeda operatives who were hiding in a sheep truck near the northern city of Tikrit on Friday, the defence ministry said. The men were killed in fighting at a checkpoint between ousted dictator Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and Baiji, ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari said. "Members of the Iraqi special forces intercepted a truck transporting animals, but there were 11 Al-Qaeda fighters hiding in it," Askari told AFP, adding that one of the men was a foreigner from an unidentified Arab nation. Askari said the...

BALAD, Iraq, May 27, 2008 – Iraqi security forces are taking “shooting” to a new level as they learn to use cameras in their quest to bring security and stability to their country. Iraqi special operations forces practice clearing a building during their combat camera course in March. Seven members of the ISOF graduated the first Iraqi instructed combat camera course May 6, 2008. The 10-day course teaches the soldiers the basics of the camera and how to successfully document activities and missions within their brigades. The first week of the instruction led the soldiers through the inner working...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers seized multiple munitions caches in southern Baghdad May 23. Soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, discovered a munitions cache at approximately 3:30 a.m. May 23 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. The Soldiers seized 107 mm rockets, plastic explosives and fuses inside an abandoned house in the Bayaa community. Iraqi National Policemen from the 1st Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd NP Division, located a weapons cache May 23 at approximately 2 p.m. while conducting a patrol in the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers discovered multiple weapons caches and killed five criminals May 23 in Baghdad. Iraqi Security Forces from 43rd Brigade, 11th IA Division, discovered a weapons cache in the Bayaa area of Rashid consisting of four explosively formed projectiles, four claymore mines, 10 rocket-propelled-grenade rockets, an AK-47 and 600 AK-47 rounds, 50 pounds of homemade explosives, a 152 mm Yugoslavian projectile, a detonation cord, and firing wire and caps for improvised explosive devices. Northwest of Baghdad, MND-B Soldiers acted on a tip from a local citizen and found a weapons cache,...

WASHINGTON, May 23, 2008 – Iraq’s security forces should be manned to near capacity by the end of the year, a senior coalition official said yesterday. “Force generation has been the focus of our efforts and still really remains the focus of our efforts up to now,” British army Brigadier Johnny Torrens-Spence, deputy commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said in a teleconference with online journalists and bloggers. Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq’s job is to generate and sustain Iraqi security forces, not to be directly involved in combat operations, Torrens-Spence said. “Our job is to help the Iraqis...

Iraqi security forces, back by US forces, are pressing the offensive against al Qaeda in Iraq and allied insurgent groups in Mosul and Ninewa province. The operation, which initially was called Lion’s Roar but has morphed into Operation Mother of Two Springs, has netted more than 1,100 al Qaeda and insurgent operatives. Today, the Iraqi Army reported it captured the “Prince of Ninewa” during a raid. The Iraqi is planning an amnesty and may be forming an Awakening in Mosul proper, a source toldThe Long War Journal. The “Prince of Ninewa” captured? The Iraqi Ministry of the Interior reported on...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers rescued a kidnapped Iraqi citizen May 8 near Ibrahim Bin Ali, northwest of Baghdad. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment “Gimlets,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,” 25th Infantry Division, acted on tips from Iraqi Army soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, in addition to tips provided by Iraqi Police and Sons of Iraq (Abna al-Iraq) members. The suspected kidnappers were detained and are being held for further questioning. “U.S. soldiers, in full partnership with Iraqi Security Forces, are aggressively pursuing criminals and terrorists,...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — Two years ago, al-Qaeda destroyed the Chalabi village in the Sayafiyah region. A Shia tribe in a predominately Sunni area, the Chalabis fled to Mahmudiyah, Baghdad and other surrounding areas. About four months ago, Coalition forces entered the area and set up Sons of Iraq security and Iraqi Army checkpoints. Soon after, Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), discovered residents had returned to the area. “These families had heard from word of mouth that the area was now secure so now they are...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces detained three insurgents wanted by the Government of Iraq in Baghdad May 7. An Iraqi Emergency Response Unit served warrants and detained the three suspects in the Adhamiyah area of Baghdad. The group is suspected of murdering and displacing Iraqi citizens. One of the suspects also provides support to terrorist elements conducting attacks against Iraqi Security Forces.

The new schedule for provincial control has been announced; the Iraqi military is forming quick reaction forces; the Iraqi Army is incoporating new equipment; and Kurdish Peshmerga forces will be integrated into the Army.

CAMP VICTORY — The citizens of Tarmiyah have seen a substantial reduction in violence over the past four months, which can readily be seen throughout the vibrant market places midday as consumers packed the markets to purchase needed goods from vendors. “Things have been very quiet in Tarmiyah over the past four months,� said Staff Sgt. Mikey Fernandez, who is attached to Troop A, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warrior,� 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.“You would not see the markets the way they are now four months ago. The people of Tarmiyah...

WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi forces killed or captured dozens of terrorists and criminal militia members during multiple engagements in Iraq yesterday, military officials said. In Suq Ash Shuyukh, southeast of Nasiriyah, Iraq, a combined force of more than 300 Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police and Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics personnel, advised by U.S. Special Operations Forces, killed 40 criminal militia members and arrested an additional 40 after the Iraqi forces were attacked by the militia members. Using assault rifles and automatic weapons, the criminal militia attacked Iraqi Security Forces in the morning. Regional police and Army...

BALAD, Iraq – A combined force of more than 300 Iraqi Army, Iraqi Police and Iraqi Special Weapons and Tactics personnel, advised by U.S. Special Operations Forces, arrested 40 criminal militia members after coming under attack in Suq Ash Shuyukh, southeast of Nasiriyah, Iraq, April 19. Forty criminal militia members were killed during the armed confrontation with ISF, including the group’s top two leaders. Twelve ISF members were reported wounded. Using assault rifles and automatic weapons, the criminal militia attacked Iraqi Security Forces on the morning of April 19. Regional police and Army forces on alert in the area responded...

BAGHDAD (AFP) - US and Iraqi forces are building a concrete wall through the Baghdad Shiite militia bastion of Sadr City in a bid to stop militiamen firing rockets as fresh clashes in the district killed 13 people on Saturday. The wall of varying height is being constructed along the main road dividing the southern side of Sadr City from the north of the sprawling district of some two million people. The barrier of cement blocks, some up to three metres (12 feet) high, "will enclose the neighbourhood (the southern section) in order to control access in and out of...

WITH Gen. David Petraeus returning to Capitol Hill tomorrow, I asked a senior Coalition officer in Baghdad late last week what key trends he sees in Iraq. I suspect my friend's views resemble those of the general, so I'll let him speak for himself: "Overall, civilian deaths remain substantially below those at the height of the sectarian violence. Security incidents were [down to] levels not seen since early 2005. Thanks to help from local civilians [in] former al-Qaeda-in-Iraq safe havens, we've found more arms caches so far this year than were found in all of 2006." My old comrade went...

BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained two suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq improvised explosive device cell members and one insurgent cell leader in separate operations April 8 and 9.In Ramadi, the Anbar Counterterrorism Directorate conducted an operation to capture members of an AQI IED cell operating out of the Albu Faraj area of Ramadi.The cell is accused of multiple attacks against Iraqi and Coalition forces including an IED attack March 25.The group also owned an IED cache found by the Albu Faraj Iraqi Police March 30. Two cell members were detained during the operation.In Mosul,...

IRAN'S BUSTED IRAQ BID By AMIR TAHERI April 10, 2008 -- A GAMBLE that proved too costly. That's how analysts in Tehran describe events last month in Basra. Iran's state-run media have de facto confirmed that this was no spontaneous "uprising." Rather, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to seize control of Iraq's second-largest city using local Shiite militias as a Trojan horse. Tehran's decision to make the gamble was based on three assumptions: * Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wouldn't have the courage to defend Basra at the risk of burning his bridges with the Islamic Republic in...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – A local tip led Iraqi Security Forces to the largest explosively-formed penetrator cache found to date in Multi-National Division – Center’s area of operation, April 2. The munitions were discovered in a 6-ton truck in a garage in al Qasim, Iraq. The cache contained more than 1000 EFP components, more than 3000 pounds of explosives and multiple 107 mm rockets and stands. The cache also included more than 200 C-4 demolition charges, more than 10,000 feet of detonation cord, more than 2,000 projectile boosters, 10 devices used to detonate improvised explosive devices, 250 PKC...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Thursday offered to help purge Iraqi security forces of militia members. But he also criticized the Iraqi government for denying it sent envoys to him to discuss last week's government offensive in Basra. The Basra offensive sparked fighting between security forces in other Shiite cities and in Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad. The clashes subsided after al-Sadr called for his followers to stand down, a pronouncement made Sunday after meetings with Iranian officials and Iraqi Shiite lawmakers in Iran. "I advise everyone to end the sedition, to stop the bloodshed and arrests immediately,"...

Cpl. Eric S. Lewis, a team leader with the 511th Military Police Company, loads a box of Halal meals on an Iraqi Police vehicle at Forward Operating Base Delta March 28. The IPs received a total of 2,400 meals and 1,440 bottles of water from the 214th Fires Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Carlos J. Lazo. AL KUT — Coalition forces provided more than 2,000 meals and 1,000 bottles of water to al Kut Iraqi policemen March 28-29.Because of the security situation and an imposed curfew, grocery stores and other food outlets were closed, said Sgt. 1st Class...

Six days after the Iraqi government launched Operation Knights’ Charge in Basrah against the Mahdi Army and other Iranian-backed Shia terror groups, Muqtada al Sadr, the Leader of the Mahdi Army, has called for his fighters to lay down their weapons and cooperate with Iraqi security forces. Sadr’s call for an end to the fighting comes as his Mahdi Army has taken serious losses since the operation began. "Sadr has sent a message to his loyalists urging them to end all armed activities," the Al Iraqiya television channel reported. Sadr "disowned anyone attacking the state institutions or parties' offices and...

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers killed 26 terrorists during operations March 27 in Baghdad.  While patrolling in Adhamiyah, soldiers from 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment were attacked by small arms fire. The soldiers returned fire in self-defense, killing five terrorists and wounding an additional five terrorists. The wounded were treated and detained by Iraqi National Police. Later, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, reported receiving indirect fire at a combat outpost in New Baghdad, and immediately following the initial attack, soldiers were attacked with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Coalition forces returned fire and killed...

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers killed 24 terrorists March 26 in Baghdad.Soldiers combined with their Iraqi counterparts to conduct precision, intelligence-based operations in the capital. These terrorists and militant elements were increasing their attacks against civilians, the Government of Iraq, and Iraqi and U.S. security forces.Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, killed a terrorist during rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire attacks on a checkpoint in eastern Baghdad at approximately noon.Abna al-Iraq, or Sons of Iraq, killed a terrorist approximately 4:30 p.m.The SOI apprehended the man northwest of Baghdad. The terrorist had...

BAGHDAD — The Coalition Command Sgts. Maj. and senior enlisted advisors along with the Command Sgt. Maj. of the Iraqi Army and Iraqi National Police met together during the first Noncommissioned Officer Education System conference to discuss the way ahead for the standardization of training and doctrine for the Iraqi Security Forces' noncommissioned officers Mar. 20. "The focus of this conference was to give those senior enlisted leaders within theater a good lay down of what it is that we provide here at Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq, in the way of training, especially noncommissioned officers," said Multi-National Security...

FOB HAMMER — Coalition leaders from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team (HBCT) met with leaders of the Iraqi security forces (ISF) in the Mada’in Qada, March 5, at Forward Operating Base Hammer. Col. Wayne W. Grigsby, Jr., commander of the 3rd HBCT, hosted the meeting to discuss security in the qada, the brigade’s area of operation, and to welcome Maj. Gen. Kassim, commander of the 9th Iraqi Army (IA) Division. “From this day on, you are part of this family,” said Grigsby, from Prince George’s County, Md. “We are all working together to support the mayor and the good...

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2008 – Iraq’s security forces have taken advantage of security gains to grow their force both in size and quality, the senior U.S. commander in charge of helping the Iraqis develop their forces said today. Video “They have made significant progress in size, quantity and in quality, and some of the things that were on the table, in terms of difficulties, are now off the table,” said Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq. The command is responsible for helping the Iraqi government in developing, organizing, training, equipping and sustaining the...

BAQUBAH, Iraq – Iraqi Army Soldiers killed one enemy combatant and detained 53 suspects during a joint operation with Iraqi Police, Concerned Local Citizens and Coalition Forces in the villages of Buhritz Al-Abarra and Imam Ways, just south of Baqubah Jan. 14-16. The operation, dubbed Viking Harvest II by CF, which is part of Operation Phantom Phoenix - a country-wide effort to eliminate al-Qaeda and other extremists in Iraq - also resulted in the clearing of more than 30 improvised explosive devices, the reduction of five booby-trapped houses and the discovery of two weapon caches. Three CLCs were killed and...

A status update on the state of the Iraqi Security Forces. The Iraqi Army expands its logistical units and adds more armored vehicles, while the police have added nine battalions.

The Real Surge in Iraq – the rapid expansion of the Iraqi Security Forces – continues. The Iraqi Security Forces is expanding with the Iraqi Army now growing to 61 planned brigades in 15 divisions while the Iraqi Special Operations Forces becomes the defacto 16th division. The latest "Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq" quarterly report was publicly released on December 18, 2007. What follows is some of the key developments of Iraqi Security Force.

The daily Iraqi violence report is compiled by McClatchy Newspapers Special Correspondents in Baghdad from police, military and medical reports. This is not a comprehensive list of all violence in Iraq, much of which goes unreported. It’s posted without editing as transmitted to McClatchy’s Washington Bureau. (snip) Mosul Clashes happened between Iraqi police and gunmen in Al Karama neighborhood in the west bank of Mosul city north of Baghdad yesterday night, police killed Abo Salih Al Saudi, the prince of Qaida in Mosul city.

Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani said his ministry recruited 3,000 undercover policemen to track down the former Baath Party cells belonging to Izzat Ibrahim al-Dori and Muhammad Younes al-Ahmad. "The operatives of the so-called al-Awda (Return) Organization, which stemmed from the Baath Party and belong to Dori and Ahmad, will be hunted down by 3,000 policemen working undercover," Bulani said in a joint press conference with Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Ubaidi on Sunday. Bulani said "one of the strong factors that contributed to enhancing security was the decision taken by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr to freeze his Mahdi Army militias,...

The December 2007 updates to the Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle are now available at the ISF OOB Page. The significant changes to the Order of Battle are summarized below.

Iraq's army has recaptured a mainly Shia village north of Baghdad, two days after rebels had taken control, a senior commander has told the BBC. The rebels launched an attack on Saturday, killing at least 14 people and taking control of Duailiyah the next day, local sources said. Tribal chiefs said 650 villagers had left over the past two days. Meanwhile, a Sunni Arab bloc has ended its boycott of parliament over the house arrest of its leader. Maj Gen Saleem Karim, commander of the army's 5th Division, told the BBC his soldiers were now in control of Duailiyah. Gen...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2007 – Iraqi security forces have taken “huge steps forward” in growing and moving toward independent operations, a senior commander in Iraq said today. And they’ve made this progress despite fighting a war on their own soil and working through an immature bureaucracy, said British Army Brigadier S. M. Gledhill, deputy commanding general for the Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq. The command is charged with helping the Iraqis to organize, man and equip their force and to develop the ministries of Defense and Interior. “Fundamentally, Iraqis are now taking ownership of the battle space themselves. I think...

BALAD, Iraq – Iraqi Forces, advised by U.S. Special Forces, detained seven suspected gang members, four suspected al-Qaeda in Iraq terrorists and two additional suspects in three separate operations Nov. 26 targeting criminal groups within Iraq.An Iraqi Emergency Response Unit, advised by U.S. Special Forces, conducted a raid in the Doura neighborhood of Baghdad targeting a criminal element believed to be responsible for a wide range of criminal activities including kidnapping and murder.Seven suspects were detained during the operation.In a separate operation, the Habbaniyah Special Weapons and Tactics team along with U.S. Special Operations Forces conducted a raid west of...

CAMP ECHO, Iraq – Iraqi Security Forces, assisted by Coalition Forces, detained 81 suspected extremists and confiscated several weapons caches in Diwaniyah, Iraq, during Operation Lion Pounce Nov. 17 to 19.Maj. Gen. Othman Ali Farhood, 8th Iraqi Army Div. Commander, outlined the successes of Lion Pounce in a press conference at Camp Echo, Iraq, Nov. 19.“The northeast quarters of Diwaniyah, where the operation was conducted, were under control of criminal and militant groups,” General Farrod said.He further highlighted the IA’s success by stating there have been no casualties or equipment damage associated with the operation to date.Maj. Gen. Tadeusz Buk,...

Four Iraqis across Baghdad describe a welcome drop in violence in their city in recent weeks. SAADI, DOCTOR, AL-YARMOUK HOSPITAL, BAGHDAD I have been working in this hospital for about eight months and the security situation has definitely improved during that time. We used to receive about 10-15 injuries and five to 10 bodies overnight - caused by bombs or bullets. The numbers have dropped to about two or three injuries a night and maybe just one body - or none. This improvement started six to eight weeks ago. I think it's because the American and Iraqi troops have started...

Iranian-made weapons were among a large cache of arms and ammunition found during operations in a Shiite militia stronghold south of Baghdad, the Iraqi Army said Monday. Major General Jamil Kamel al-Shimari, a senior officer in the 8th Iraqi Army Division, said the cache was the biggest store of weapons found since the launch of Operation Lion Pounce on Saturday. Iraqi security officials said that 3,000 Iraqi soldiers and policemen supported by military tanks and hundreds of US and Polish troops launched the assault Saturday to flush out Shiite militants from the city. The stockpile, which included roadside bombs, rocket-propelled...

DIWANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - US and Iraqi troops have arrested dozens of militants loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in a massive crackdown in the central city of Diwaniyah, officials said Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Hussain al-Buderi, a member of the Qadisiyah provincial council, said that 49 militants, including four leaders, from the Sadr group were arrested since Saturday when Operation Lion's Leap was launched targeting Shiite militants. Witnesses said the city of more than one million people was under curfew and US aircraft were dropping leaflets urging locals to cooperate in locating militant hideouts. Sadr's office in the town of...

A leader of the Sadrist movement, or Iraqis loyal to Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, died of wounds sustained during his arrest by police forces in Diwaniya last month, a media source from al-Sadr's office in the province said on Saturday. "On Saturday morning, Sadrist leader Abbas al-Gharabawi died in Diwaniya's General Hospital of wounds sustained during his arrest by emergency police forces in Afak city last month," Abu Zeinab al-Karaawi told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).

The U.S. is providing “logistic and intelligence assistance” to a rival Shiite faction to weaken the Sadr Movement, a movement’s senior official said. Bahaa al-Araji said the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, a leading ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, was working to undermine the movement and to provoke its military wing. The Mahdi Army, the movement’s military arm, has vowed to suspend military operations targeting U.S. and Iraqi troops as well as other militia factions. But Araji said the movement, led by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr may not be able to keep its promise with the U.S. siding with one...

The British commander in southern Iraq confirmed yesterday that UK officials have been holding talks with supporters of the Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi army in the hope they would be drawn into the political process. Major General Graham Binns said the security situation in Basra province - to be handed over to Iraqi forces next month - was improving and attacks against British and Iraqi forces had fallen by 90% since British troops withdrew from their last base in the centre of the city in September. Confirming the talks with the Mahdi army, first reported in the Guardian, Binns...

BAGHDAD – Soldiers with the 9th Iraqi Army Division, led by Maj. Gen. Riyahd, conducted a mission to rescue abducted sheiks Oct. 29. The mission was conducted to free sheiks from Diyala that were kidnapped in the Shaab area of northern Baghdad the day prior. The mission was supported by U.S. military advisors to the Iraqi Army and Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division and the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. The mission resulted in the rescue of seven sheiks, the capture of four abductors and the killing of at least three extremists at the...