Iraq

Iraqi official: leaders have framework to form new government

Under the agreement hammered out Wednesday evening, Iraq's new government would look a lot like the old government, a senior official told the Monitor. Parliament meets Thursday.

Iraqi Christians flee homes after fresh Baghdad attacks

Bombings in Baghdad late Tuesday and early Wednesday targeted Christians, killing at least four just 10 days after more than 50 Christians were killed by Al Qaeda-linked gunmen who stormed a church during Sunday mass.

Iraqi Christians targeted in another slew of attacks

Iraqi Christians were the target of another series of bombings in Baghdad Wednesday morning. The mounting death and injury tolls are prompting more Christians to consider leaving Iraq.

How an Iraqi Christian school became 82 percent Muslim

Sectarian violence and a Christian exodus has left Baghdad's St. Elia Catholic school largely surrounded by Muslims, who were drawn to the school's no-hitting rule.

In Iraq, Christians fear they could be wiped out – like Jews before them

The Oct. 31 attack on a Baghdad church – the worst in recent memory – has spurred a fresh exodus among Iraq's Christian community, already decimated by the war.

Iraq's divided leaders meet for the first time since March elections

Iraq's leaders met to try to break a political deadlock that has left Iraqis vulnerable to escalating violence, including two car bombings today.

After Baghdad bombings, Iraqis have harsh words for security forces

'The politicians are fighting each other instead of the terrorists,' says a Baghdad shopkeeper, reflecting widespread doubt the government will prevent further Baghdad bombings.

Baghdad grinds to halt as bomb attacks blanket a reeling city

Sixteen bombs struck Baghdad Tuesday, prompting a snap curfew and shocking a city still coming to grips with a deadly attack Sunday on a Catholic church.

More than 30 killed in new Baghdad bomb attacks

Blasts killed more than 30 people in Baghdad on Tuesday, two days after more than 50 Christians were killed by Al Qaeda militants who stormed a church.

After Baghdad church attack, Christians shocked but say 'we still have a mission here'

At least 58 people were left dead after Iraqi commandos stormed a Baghdad church attacked by Islamist militants.

Deadly Baghdad church siege highlights threat to Iraqi Christians

At least 37 people were killed when Iraqi forces stormed a Baghdad church that was seized Sunday afternoon by Al Qaeda-linked gunmen.

Iraq war artifact added to British war collection

The Imperial War Museum now includes a car destroyed in a Baghdad suicide bombing during the Iraq war alongside artifacts, symbolizing civilian death tolls and devastation of Iraqi history.

A new effort to preserve Iraq's rich biodiversity, from mountains to marshes

As an international conference noted this week, the world's biodiversity is threatened. Iraq is no exception – but before anything can be done, it needs Iraqis who understand the problems.

How the Pentagon aims to prevent more Wikileaks releases

After the Wikileaks release of 400,000 documents on Iraq, Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn explained some of the new monitoring tools being considered.

How Tariq Aziz's death sentence could drive a wedge into Iraqi politics

Tariq Aziz, Saddam Hussein's right-hand man, has been sentenced to hang in a move some see as politically motivated – and thus one that could further delay a new government.

The 8 worst countries on Transparency International's list

Nearly three quarters of the 178 countries in the annual Corruption Perceptions Index has a ranking below five, meaning that not just the following five countries have a corruption problem.

Tariq Aziz and Iraq's most-wanted deck of cards: where are the aces and kings now?

Top Saddam Hussein aide Tariq Aziz, sentenced to hang Tuesday, was one of 55 people featured in the notorious decks of playing cards handed out to American forces when they invaded Iraq. The cards featured the most-wanted members of Sadaam’s government. Aziz’s sentencing warrants a look at where those aces and kings are today.

Tariq Aziz, international face of Saddam's regime, sentenced to hang

Tariq Aziz, one of Saddam Hussein's top officials, was sentenced for 'crimes against humanity' by Iraq's high tribunal.

Wikileaks, new US report fuel controversy about Iraq's PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, under scrutiny for torture implications in the Wikileaks Iraq dump, raised US concerns after he moved to put Iraqi Special Forces under his control.

Iraq's Maliki says Wikileaks documents could be used in court

But ordinary Iraqis didn't seem to immediately grasp that the 400,000 Wikileaks documents could provide details on the deaths of thousands of people.

Five bombshells from WikiLeaks' Iraq war documents

In the largest document leak in US history, WikiLeaks has released more than 400,000 secret US documents about the Iraq war. As with the second-largest leak in US history – the 92,000 Afghan war documents released in July – much of the substance of the leaks has been reported already, but details are new.

Click through the following slides to learn what the documents reveal.

Top UN official survives bomb blast after meeting Iraq's Sistani

Ad Melkert, the top UN official in Iraq, was unhurt after a roadside bomb following a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. An Iraqi policeman was killed in the blast.

Iran's supreme leader meets Maliki, heralds a post-US era in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is struggling to form a new Iraqi government, visited Iran today as part of a tour that highlights regional influence in Iraq.

Iraqi police say they're not all the US claims them to be

While US troops have touted the progress made by Iraqi police in the past few years, the units themselves face daunting hurdles – including a 'trust gap' between them and residents.

Maliki: Iraq within days of ending political stalemate

In an interview with the Monitor, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says Iraq could announce a new coalition government next week.