Gareth Porter, IPS News. July 14, 2009. The five Iranian detainees were grabbed in a 2007 raid on vague claims by the U.S. military that they were part of a "clandestine network."
Patrick Cockburn, Independent UK. September 3, 2008. With an eye on the presidential election, the White House is working to create the impression that the war is ripe for U.S. victory.
Middle East OnlineAugust 29, 2008. The powerful Shiite cleric, who first announced a ceasefire last summer, says the Mahdi Army will carry out cultural activities instead.
Patrick Cockburn, The Nation. July 22, 2008. With Iraqis more concerned with electricity that the U.S. election, a timetable for withdrawal is the best Obama could give them.
Gareth Porter, IPS News. July 11, 2008. New Iraqi resistance to U.S. demands reflects Iran's influence as well as Sadr's belief that he could succeed in driving U.S. forces out.
Kim Sengupta, Independent UK. June 19, 2008. The world community, especially the West, is erecting fresh obstacles to prevent Iraqi refugees from settling across its borders.
Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation. June 17, 2008. On a panel at the Center for a New American Security, two Obama advisors had clashing views on what the candidate's withdrawal plan might look like.
Patrick Cockburn, Independent UK. May 14, 2008. The ceasefire agreement is intended to end seven weeks of fighting in which more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed.
Ali Gharib, IPS News. May 6, 2008. Two new ICG reports show that, at best, the "surge" was a temporary solution and that, in Iraq, "underlying issues will again come to the fore."
Sami Moubayed, Asia Times. May 5, 2008. While U.S. casualties continue to mount -- and many Iraqi troops lay down their arms -- the Mahdi Army is waging a war of survival.
Patrick Cockburn, Independent UK. May 2, 2008. The killing of three U.S. soldiers in Baghdad raised the number killed in April to 47, reversing a trend towards lower American casualties.
Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation. April 1, 2008. As the smoke clears over new rubble in Iraq's second city, the big winners are the forces of rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
Juan Cole, MIT Center for International Studies. March 6, 2008. There are three major conflicts in Iraq -- and the U.S. is virtually powerless to stop them.
Ali Al-Fadhily, IPS News. November 30, 2007. Locals claim the U.S. military had been using members of the Mehdi Army to carry out attacks on Sunnis in Baghdad.
