Green Zone

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Protesters Try to Storm Baghdad's Green Zone

Security forces stopped them from reaching Danish embassy

(Newser) - Hundreds of protesters attempted to storm Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and the seat of Iraq's government, early Saturday following reports an ultranationalist group burned a copy of the Koran in front of Iraq's embassy in Copenhagen. Security forces pushed back protesters, who...

Iraq Protesters Storm Green Zone

Al-Sadr followers pulled down walls, entered parliament

(Newser) - Hundreds of protesters climbed over the blast walls surrounding Baghdad's highly-fortified Green Zone for the first time on Saturday and stormed into parliament, carrying Iraqi flags and chanting against the government. The breach marked a major escalation in the country's political crisis following months of anti-government protests, sit-ins,...

Suicide Bombers Penetrate Kabul's Green Zone

2 dead in suicide attack; Taliban claims responsibility

(Newser) - A suicide attack hit Kabul's Green Zone today, the fortified area housing government officials, diplomats, and US military, killing two Afghan security guards. The Wall Street Journal says a single bomber attempted to occupy an unfinished building, from which he could have fired into the CIA compound and nearby...

West Worried About Heavy-Handed Iraq PM

Maliki crackdown may herald return to authoritarian rule

(Newser) - As the US prepares to depart Iraq, some in the West see worrying signs that the country may be sliding back toward authoritarian rule. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who met with President Obama in Washington yesterday, has been moving swiftly to consolidate power as the Americans head for the door....

Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 9
 Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 9 

Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 9

Second blast, violent jewelry store robbery follow

(Newser) - Suicide bombers detonated two explosives-packed cars outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone today, killing at least nine and wounding 23, officials said. The blasts marked the start of a violent day in the Iraqi capital, where another bombing and a jewelry heist left three more dead and 13 wounded....

Abuse, Awful Conditions Reported at Green Zone Jail

Concerns persist despite Nouri Maliki's promises of reform

(Newser) - Beatings, sexual violence, cells that stink of human waste, prisoners jammed six to a cell and suffering from skin rashes: These are the stories coming out of an Iraqi detention center where detainees are said to be held for months without a trial—despite Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s promises...

New in Iraq's Green Zone: Iranian Ice Cream

Fast-expanding chain symbolizes changing balance of power

(Newser) - An Iranian ice cream parlor being built yards from the US Embassy in Baghdad's "Green Zone" symbolizes the shifting balance of power in Iraq, the Washington Post finds. Ice Pack—an Iranian chain that says it wants to challenge American fast food's worldwide dominance—already has other branches in...

Bourne Team Hunts WMD, Gets Political in Green Zone

WMD thriller may be most box-office friendly Iraq movie yet

(Newser) - Matt Damon reunites with director Paul Greengrass in Green Zone, and critics say the thriller, set in the early days of the Iraq war, packs all the punch of the Bourne films, though some felt its politics were a little heavy-handed.
  • Green Zone "is somewhere between a blockbuster and
...

31 Dead in 3 Blasts Near Baghdad Hotels
 31 Dead in 3 Blasts 
 Near Baghdad Hotels 
UPDATED

31 Dead in 3 Blasts Near Baghdad Hotels

Explosions hit popular district bordering Green Zone

(Newser) - Three large blasts have struck a hotel and restaurant district popular with Western journalists and businessmen along the Tigris River in Baghdad. At least 31 people have been killed and scores more wounded. The first blast struck at about 3:40pm, near the Sheraton Hotel, just across the Tigris River...

Mortars Rock Baghdad During Biden's Visit

Vice president unharmed; will meet with Iraqi political leaders

(Newser) - Mortar rounds exploded near the US Embassy in downtown Baghdad today during a surprise visit by Joe Biden, the New York Times reports. The vice president was inside the embassy compound when two mortars struck apartment buildings across the street. Two more rounds landed near the compound but didn’t...

7 Bombs Batter Baghdad; 95 Dead, 500 Wounded

(Newser) - Scores of people are dead after seven coordinated bombings rocked Baghdad this morning, targeting both government ministries and poor Shia neighborhoods, the New York Times  reports. Two huge bombs and three smaller blasts, probably from mortars, went off at the entrance to the fortified Green Zone, while other explosions hit...

UK Contractor Held in Green Zone Killing of 2 Co-Workers

Incident is second this summer of violence within protected Baghdad area

(Newser) - A security contractor working in Iraq has been charged with fatally shooting two of his co-workers in Baghdad’s Green Zone, the Washington Post reports. Danny Fitzsimmons, an employee of British firm ArmorGroup Iraq, has been arrested in the killing of fellow Briton Paul McGuigan and Australian Darren Hoare in...

Parade, Jubilation Follow US Pullout of Iraqi Cities

Maliki warns media not to question his forces' abilities

(Newser) - Iraq held its first full military parade since the fall of Saddam today—now known as Sovereignty Day—to celebrate the official withdrawal of US troops from cities and towns. The proceedings took place inside the Green Zone and were screened on television, but several media outlets, including the New ...

Shells Hit Baghdad's Green Zone After 3-Month Lull

Baghdad violence is down sharply, but has been increasing recently

(Newser) - Suspected militants shelled Baghdad's protected Green Zone today in the first such bombardment in more than 3 months. The back-to-back strikes reverberated across the Tigris River to a popular promenade, sending families packing up from fish restaurants and abruptly halting a party at a club. No casualties or damage have...

Green Zone Turned Over to Iraqis

US transfers control of Baghdad's fortified enclave

(Newser) - The heart of the US occupation in Iraq was returned to Iraqi control at midnight last night, the Washington Post reports. Iraqi soldiers now control checkpoints leading to the heavily fortified Green Zone enclave in Baghdad. American troops and workers have moved out of many buildings, including the former palace...

Iraqi Visits: Much Ado but Few Epiphanies
Iraqi Visits: Much Ado
but Few Epiphanies
analysis

Iraqi Visits: Much Ado but Few Epiphanies

Obama's pledged trip to Baghdad likely won't change his mind

(Newser) - Lawmakers have been flocking to Iraq to assess the situation on the ground, as Barack Obama is about to do, but the visits rarely result in any revelations for them, writes Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post. The itineraries are fairly routine by now—meet the generals, the troops, and...

Green Zone Strike Kills 2 in Sandstorm

Violence comes after al-Sadr's plea to end fighting

(Newser) - Hidden in a sandstorm, militants struck the US-protected Green Zone in Baghdad today and killed at least two Iraqis, the Los Angeles Times reports. The mortar or rocket attack, which also wounded 25, came just 2 days after influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ordered members of his Mahdi Army to end...

Iraqi PM: No Elections for Militias

Mahdi Army must disband, Maliki says, or lose political power

(Newser) - Muqtada al-Sadr and his loyalists will be banned from upcoming elections if the Mahdi Army doesn't disband, Nouri al-Maliki said today, in his toughest rhetoric yet against the popular cleric. Sadrists say the Iraqi PM has no constitutional power to make that threat, but even if lawmakers succeed in banning...

Baghdad Curfew Lifted; Basra Violence Slows

Move comes a day after Sadr ordered militants to stand down

(Newser) - Baghdad authorities lifted a 3-day-old curfew today as violence ebbed and soldiers from Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army began to heed his call yesterday to stand down, reports the AFP. The southern city of Basra also eased its curfew as 6 days of violent clashes wound down, although the BBC reported...

Petraeus: Iran Behind Green Zone Attack

General: Tehran equipped and trained Iraqi insurgents

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus says Iran was behind yesterday's mortar attack on Baghdad's Green Zone, the BBC reports. Tehran trained, equipped, and funded the insurgents who carried out the attack, he said. "All of this in complete violation of promises made by President Ahmadinejad and the other most senior Iranian...

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