Iraq
Ten years on, Iraq haunts US response to Syria, Iran
Mar 14, 2013 11:44 EDT
Ten years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the searing memory of what became a deeply unpopular war has made Washington policy makers reluctant to use even limited force in Syria or Iran.
Syrian power balance to tilt towards rebels: think tank
Mar 14, 2013 10:27 EDT
The balance of power in Syria will eventually shift to rebel forces but a protracted civil war risks destabilising the whole region, a leading think-tank warned Thursday in its annual report on world military strengths.
18 dead in bombings, Baghdad ministry assault
Mar 14, 2013 08:49 EDT
A coordinated string of bombings and brazen assault on a ministry near the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad killed 18 people on Thursday, Iraqi officials said.
Nine dead in blasts, assault on Iraq ministry
Mar 14, 2013 08:06 EDT
Coordinated attacks involving a string of bombings and a brazen attempted assault on a ministry near the heavily-fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad killed nine people Thursday, officials said.
Blasts strike near ministries in Baghdad: sources
Mar 14, 2013 07:14 EDT
A string of apparently coordinated blasts struck near Iraqi government offices close to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Thursday, a security official and witnesses said.
Key duo to miss Japan World Cup qualifier
Mar 14, 2013 04:12 EDT
Injured duo Keisuke Honda and Yuto Nagatomo will miss Japan's World Cup qualifier against Jordan but coach Alberto Zaccheroni said his squad have the strength in depth to replace them.
Violent decade shatters dreams of Iraqi youth
Mar 14, 2013 01:54 EDT
Yasmine wants a future free of violence and fear, but like many young Iraqis, 10 years of bloodshed have made her doubt she can find such a future in her home country and she now wants to leave.
Kurd rebels free Turkish prisoners amid peace push
Mar 13, 2013 15:28 EDT
Kurdish rebels on Wednesday freed eight Turkish prisoners in response to a new peace push by Ankara to end a 29-year-old insurgency in southeast Turkey.
Iraqi Christians fear fate of departed Jews
Mar 13, 2013 12:05 EDT
After 10 years of attacks on Iraqi Christians, Monsignor Pios Cacha wonders if the ancient community's days are numbered.
Ecuadorian minister visits Assange in London embassy
Mar 13, 2013 11:20 EDT
An Ecuadorian minister said on Wednesday that Julian Assange was in "good spirits" after visiting the WikiLeaks founder inside Ecuador's embassy in London.
Kurd rebels free Turkish prisoners in northern Iraq
Mar 13, 2013 07:03 EDT
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) released on Wednesday eight Turkish prisoners they had been holding for two years in northern Iraq, a Kurdish official told AFP.
Kurd rebels free Turkish prisoners in north Iraq
Mar 13, 2013 05:51 EDT
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on Tuesday freed eight Turkish prisoners held for two years in northern Iraq, as part of a new peace push by Ankara to end a 29-year-old insurgency.
Secret tape of US private in WikiLeaks case released
Mar 12, 2013 17:09 EDT
A group pressing for more open government Tuesday flouted a military ban and released a secret recording of testimony by US Army private Bradley Manning, accused of leaking a mass of classified files.
Generation of Syrian children could be lost: UN
Mar 12, 2013 07:44 EDT
A whole generation of Syrian children risks being lost amid the country's spiralling civil war, the UN children's agency cautioned Tuesday, saying it was in urgent need of funds to address the crisis.
Saddam nostalgia lives on
Mar 12, 2013 05:10 EDT
A decade after the US-led invasion of Iraq, years of violence and disdain for the country's current political class fuel nostalgia for Saddam Hussein -- the man the foreign troops fought to oust.
Syria jets bomb Homs as mortar strikes rock Damascus
Mar 11, 2013 20:52 EDT
Syrian jets bombed rebel forces in an attempt to recapture a keenly contested district of Homs, as mortar shells slammed into a Damascus neighbourhood killing at least three people.
Syrians break free from security services' reign of fear
Mar 11, 2013 18:04 EDT
For half a century, Syrians lived in terror of the secret services, who held a vice-like grip over every aspect of daily life, but in March 2011 they finally threw off the shackles.
Iraq attacks kill 12, wound 165
Mar 11, 2013 17:07 EDT
Attacks across Iraq on Monday killed 12 people, including three people who died in a suicide bombing at a police station near a school that also wounded 165 others, security officials and medics said.
US condemns 'terrorist' attack on Assad's troops
Mar 11, 2013 16:55 EDT
The United States Monday condemned what it called a "terrorist" assault on Syrian regime forces who came under fire after crossing into Iraq last week in an attack claimed by an Al-Qaeda group.
Kuwait urges Iraq action on markers after border riot
Mar 11, 2013 14:04 EDT
Kuwait on Monday urged Iraq to allow work to continue to repair markers on their common border after a number of Iraqis rioted near the site and disrupted the UN-supervised repairs.
