Month: March 2008

Though some fighting remains, hostilities have largely abated as Sadr orders his forces to cease fire and issues a nine-point statement that demands amnesty for his men: Sadr Tells His Militia To Cease Hostilities (Washington Post) Despite the Bush administration’s grandiose promises and billions in military aid spent, proper training of Iraqi soldiers remains marred…

After continuing to put up stiff resistance to the Iraqi government… British and US forces Drawn Into Battle for Basra (The Independent) …Muqtada Al-Sadr unilaterally draws down many of his forces and offers a truce, but with certain conditions, including refusal to disarm… Shiite Militias Cling to Swaths of Basra and Stage Raids (New York…

Dutch extremist politician Geert Wilders finally releases his anti-Islam film online, but his project of incitement might be undermined by another Islamophobe as Muhammad (PBUH) cartoonist Kurt Westergaard says he’ll sue over the film’s unlawful use of his drawing… Online, a Violent View of Islam (Washington Post) Cartoonist to Sue Over Islam Film (BBC News)…

The Bush administration makes aggressive and counterproductive moves against militants, claiming credit for a stalled offensive that has set off an intra-shi’a civil war in Iraq… Bush Administration Takes Credit for Iraqi Offensive In Basra (McClatchy) Iraqi Army’s Assault on Militias in Basra Stalls (New York Times) Iraq Implodes as Shia Fights Shia (Independent) …and…

As the Egyptian state postpones the verdicts of 40 Muslim Brotherhood members for a second time, analysts point to a trend of arrests deliberately targeting the group’s moderates: MB Military Tribunal Postponed for the Second Time (Daily Star Egypt) Egypt Targets Muslim Brotherhood Moderates (Christian Science Monitor) Islamabad’s democratically elected government tells Washington it seeks…

After being sworn in, Pakistan’s new PM bolsters his reputation for taking principled stances by making good on a promise to lift house arrest orders for the 65 judges deposed by Musharraf: New Pakistani Prime Minister Sworn In (Associated Press/Washington Post) Pakistani PM a Loyalist Known for Principles (Reuters/Wiredispatch) After realizing the failure of political…

A few days after reaching the fifth anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the US reaches another gloomy milestone—4,000 US soldiers killed… US Death Toll In Iraq War Hits 4,000 (Associated Press/Wiredispatch) …meanwhile Der Spiegel conducts an in-depth investigation of Germany’s role in providing false intelligence to hawkish elements within the US: How…

Once again Americans detained by America must fight for habeus corpus … Iraq Detention Case Heads to High Court (Washington Post) … while an Iraqi collaborator with the Iraq mission gets spurned: Stalwart Service for U.S. in Iraq Is Not Enough to Gain Green Card (Washington Post) Iranian analysts point to recent elections as evidence…

Lack of security leaves Afghans vulnerable not only to the Taliban, but to what local residents see as the greater threat—criminal gangs: Afghan Doctors Protest New Security Threat: Gangs (Christian Science Monitor) Fed up with the coercion and bloody tactics, tribal groups begin turning on extremist militants, but disdain for the Pakistani government and America…

In a major political breakthrough for Iraq, legislation addressing Sunni concerns is passed: Iraqi Council Clears Key Legislation on Provincial Elections (Washington Post) Reuters correspondent Cynthia Johnston describes how she was harassed by Egyptian security forces while covering the beat on the Muslim Brotherhood: WITNESS: Chased Through The Nile Delta By A Blue Peugeot (Reuters/New…