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Army Shooter Was to Serve in Iraq

Posted: 11/06/09 8:23AM
Filed Under: WorldAfghanistanGun ViolenceIraqNews That Stunned UsOutbursts of Violence

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - Soldiers who witnessed the shooting rampage at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — an Arabic phrase for "God is great!" — before opening fire, the base commander said Friday.

Baghdad Bombs Kill More Than 100

Posted: 10/25/09 8:57AM
Filed Under: Top NewsWorldIraqTerrorism

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Two powerful suicide car bombs blew up outside the Justice Ministry and city government offices in downtown Baghdad Sunday, killing at least 136 people in the worst attack in more than two years. Iraqi leaders said the attacks aimed to disrupt political progress in the months leading up to January's crucial elections.

Iraqi Shoe Thrower Says He Was Tortured

Posted: 09/15/09 9:35AM
Filed Under: Top NewsWorldIraqNews That Stunned UsScandals

BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at former President George W. Bush was released Tuesday after nine months in prison, and he said Iraqi security forces tortured him with beatings, whippings and electric shocks after his arrest.

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A Famous Outburst
Bush ducks the first incoming shoe with al-Maliki at his side. His protest made Al-Zeidi a hero across the Middle East.
AP
AP

A Famous Outburst

    Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, who hurled his shoes at President George W. Bush during a Baghdad news conference on Dec. 14, 2008, was released Tuesday after serving nine months in an Iraqi prison. He said he was tortured with beatings and electric shocks in his first few days in custody.

    Evan Vucci, AP

    Bush ducks the first incoming shoe with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki at his side. His protest made him a hero across the Middle East.

    AP

    Al-Maliki uses his hand to shield Bush from the second shoe. Neither man was hit. During the attack, al-Zeidi shouted, "This is your farewell kiss, you dog," at Bush. Security guards immediately wrestled al-Zeidi to the ground and took him into custody.

    Saul Loeb, AFP / Getty Images

    Al-Zeidi, a journalist with the al-Bagdhadia television channel, was initially sentenced to three years in prison for assaulting a foreign leader. In April an Iraqi court shortened his sentence to a year, and last month it was further reduced for good behavior to nine months.

    AP

    Al-Zeidi's outburst turned him into a national hero in Iraq. Here, an Iraqi displays a sign calling for the reporter's release from police custody during a Dec. 15 protest in Baghdad.

    Ahmad Al-Rubaye, AFP / Getty Images

    This sculpture in Tikrit, Iraq -- the hometown of former dictator Saddam Hussein -- was inspired by al-Zeidi's action. The sofa-sized artwork was unveiled Jan. 29, but later central government officials ordered it removed.

    AP

    The journalist's protest also was hailed elsewhere in the Arab world. Here, a Palestinian takes part Dec. 16 in a Gaza City demonstration calling for al-Zeidi's release. (Sources: AP, CNN)

    Khalil Hamra, AP

Wave of Baghdad Blasts Kills at Least 75

Posted: 08/19/09 10:04AM
Filed Under: Top NewsWorldIraqMideastNews That Stunned UsOutbursts of ViolenceTerrorism

BAGHDAD (AP) - A series of explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing at least 75 people and wounding more than 300, Iraqi police and medical officials said.

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Latest Photos From Iraq
A general view shows the damaged Mohammad al-Qassem bridge following a massive explosion near the Iraqi finance ministry in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Waziriyah on August 19, 2009. A series of devastating attacks across Baghdad killed at least 75 people, in the worst day of carnage to hit the Iraqi capital since US troops pulled out of the conflict-hit nation's cities. A truck bomb struck outside the finance ministry, destroying part of the bridge near the ministry compound, and leaving 28 people dead and more than 200 injured, nearby hospitals said. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images
AFP

Latest Photos From Iraq

    A truck laden with explosives blew up next to Iraq's Foreign Ministry, killing at least 47, Wednesday, August 19, 2009. (Adam Ashton/Modesto Bee/MCT)

    MCT

    Damage to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry is seen after a massive bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing scores of people and wounding many more Iraqi police and medical officials said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

    AP

    The brother of Um Khatab (second from right) was killed when a truck bomb exploded next to Iraq's Foreign Ministry, Wednesday, August 19, 2009, crushing the floor where he worked. (Adam Ashton/Modesto Bee/MCT)

    MCT

    Thair Khayoun's street-level shop was destroyed Wednesday, August 19, 2009, when a truck bomb exploded at the nearby Iraqi Foreign Ministry. She was buried under her shelves until a taxi driver pulled her free. (Mohammed al Dulaimy/MCT)

    MCT

    Iraqi security forces inspect a creator caused by a massive bomb attack on the Foreign Ministry, in Baghdad, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009. A series of deadly explosions targeting government and commercial buildings struck Baghdad Wednesday, killing scores and wounding more than 300, Iraqi police and medical officials said. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

    AP

    An Iraqi policeman looks at the debris on the damaged Mohammad al-Qassem bridge following a massive explosion near the Iraqi finance ministry in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Waziriyah on August 19, 2009. A series of devastating attacks across Baghdad killed at least 75 people, in the worst day of carnage to hit the Iraqi capital since US troops pulled out of the conflict-hit nation's cities. A truck bomb struck outside the finance ministry, destroying part of the bridge near the ministry compound, and leaving 28 people dead and more than 200 injured, nearby hospitals said. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

    A general view shows the damaged Mohammad al-Qassem bridge following a massive explosion near the Iraqi finance ministry in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Waziriyah on August 19, 2009. A series of devastating attacks across Baghdad killed at least 75 people, in the worst day of carnage to hit the Iraqi capital since US troops pulled out of the conflict-hit nation's cities. A truck bomb struck outside the finance ministry, destroying part of the bridge near the ministry compound, and leaving 28 people dead and more than 200 injured, nearby hospitals said. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

    A general view shows the damaged Mohammad al-Qassem bridge following a massive explosion near the Iraqi finance ministry (C) in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Waziriyah on August 19, 2009. A series of devastating attacks across Baghdad killed at least 75 people, in the worst day of carnage to hit the Iraqi capital since US troops pulled out of the conflict-hit nation's cities. A truck bomb struck outside the finance ministry, destroying part of the bridge near the ministry compound, and leaving 28 people dead and more than 200 injured, nearby hospitals said. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

    US troops patrol the area around the finance ministry building (R) following a massive explosion in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Waziriyah on August 19, 2009. A series of devastating attacks across Baghdad killed at least 75 people, in the worst day of carnage to hit the Iraqi capital since US troops pulled out of the conflict-hit nation's cities. A truck bomb struck outside the finance ministry, destroying part of the bridge near the ministry compound, and leaving 28 people dead and more than 200 injured, nearby hospitals said. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

    Iraqi policemen inspect the damage at the Mohammad al-Qassem bridge following a massive explosion near the Iraqi finance ministry in the northern Baghdad neighbourhood of Waziriyah on August 19, 2009. A series of devastating attacks across Baghdad killed at least 75 people, in the worst day of carnage to hit the Iraqi capital since US troops pulled out of the conflict-hit nation's cities. A truck bomb struck outside the finance ministry, destroying part of the bridge near the ministry compound, and leaving 28 people dead and more than 200 injured, nearby hospitals said. AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

    AFP/Getty Images

Three American Hikers Missing in Iran

Posted: 08/03/09 2:14PM
Filed Under: WorldIranIraq

A family member of one of the missing Americans enters his home
A family member of one of the missing Americans enters his home. (AP)

Hillary Rodham Clinton appealed to Iran for information about three missing Americans believed to have been arrested by Iranian authorities last week.

Saddam Interview Tapes Released

Posted: 07/02/09 6:52PM
Filed Under: WorldIraq

BAGHDAD (AP) — After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Saddam Hussein stayed in Baghdad until he saw "the city was about to fall." Months later, he was caught hiding at the same farm where he had fled in 1959 after taking part in an attempt to kill the country's prime minister.

The Life of a Dictator

    New York's Daily News reported Tuesday that Saddam Hussein complained of being tortured by his U.S. captors in two letters he wrote shortly after being caught in 2003. The former Iraqi dictator, here in a Baghdad courtroom, was executed in 2006.

    David Furst, AFP / Getty Images

    In the missives, which were part of his declassified FBI file, Saddam wrote of "beatings that I have received following my capture," in which "not a single part of my body was spared of the severe harm that was inflicted by the detention gang." He also said it was nearly impossible to sleep during his confinement.

    Erik de Castro, Pool / Getty Images

    U.S. experts, according to the Daily News, said Saddam's allegations of torture are not considered credible. On Dec. 30, 2006, Iraqi authorities hanged Saddam, 69, for his role in a 1982 massacre in the Shiite town of Dujail. A failed attempt on the then-dictator's life prompted the slaughter, which left 148 people dead.

    Iraqi TV / AP

    In December 2003, Saddam was found hiding in a spider hole in Tikrit, Iraq, by American forces -- about nine months after the United States invaded the country.

    AFP / Getty Images

    Many Iraqis celebrated Saddam's fall from power after the invasion. Here, they topple a statue of him in April 2003.

    Jerome Delay, AP

    Saddam first came to power in 1979 and ran an authoritarian government for more than two decades.

    Peter Jordan, Time Life Pictures / Getty Images

    Saddam, shown in 1997 holding a rifle offered as a gift by an Iraqi tribe, suppressed efforts by ethnic and religious groups for independence.

    AFP / Getty Images

    Saddam, here meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in 1988, was popular among many Arabs for defying the United States and Israel. (Sources: AP, worldbook.com, Daily News, CNN)

    Palestinian Authorities / Getty Images

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