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ISW News Roundup - November 18, 2008
Nov 18, 2008 - Anonymous
Iraqi National Policemen from 2nd Battalion, National Police Command, give food to a man and his son during a humanitarian aid mission in the Zinjali neighborhood of Mosul, Iraq, Nov. 16, 2008.
Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)
Over the weekend, Iraq's Cabinet approved the most recent version of the SOFA agreement; paving the way for a finalized agreement between the U.S. military and the Government of Iraq over the status of U.S. combat forces in the country. Under the agreed upon plan, U.S. Forces will be permitted to remain in Iraq until 2011, must abstain from attacking Iraq's neighbors, request Iraqi approval before searching homes, and drop demands for total immunity of U.S. Forces who have committed crimes in Iraq. While the Iraqi Cabinet's approval is a huge success for negotiations, the deal faces much criticism in the Iraqi Parliament.
New York Times - Iraqi and American Critics of Security Pact Speak Up, by Campbell Robertson and Steven Lee Meyers
Wall Street Journal - Pentagon Wary of Fast Iraq Withdrawal, by Yochi J. Dreazen
LA Times -A guide to the U.S. security agreement with Iraq, by Tina Susman
BBC - Iraqis comment on US troop deal
Associated Press - Main provisions of US-Iraq security pact
Associated Press - Iran judiciary chief lauds US-Iraqi security pact, by Ali Akbar Dareini
Associated Press - Top US officer comfortable with Iraq security deal, by Lolita C. Baldor
Reuters - Iraq, U.S. sign pact to pull troops out in 3 years, by Peter Graff
Reuters - Iraq's Sistani signals U.S. pact up to parliament
Reuters - Iran speaker urges Iraq to resist U.S. pact: report
reuters - U.S. military chief says Iraq conditions may change, by David Morgan
Washington Post - Mullen: U.S. Would Need More Than 2 Years for Iraq Withdrawal, by Ann Scott Tyson
Politics and Security
Washington Post - US-Iraq pact poses test for Iraq's security forces, by Hamza Hendawi
Stars and Stripes - Iraq's Diayala province known for female suicide bombers, by Heath Druzin
Washington Post - Iraq: provincial elections to be held Jan. 31, from AP
New York Times - Premier of Iraq Is Quietly Firing Fraud Monitors, by James Glanz and Riyadh Mohammed
Associated Press - Iraq earmarks $3 billion for Baghdad subway
LA Times - All aboard the Baghdad Metro, by Tina Susman and Caesar Ahmed
Afghanistan
CNN - NATO forces fire on militants in Pakistan
New York Times - Afghanistan: Taliban Reject Peace Talks
Reuters - Afghans Expect More Talks Soon With Ex-Taliban
Wall Street Journal - Bomb in Afghanistan Kills Four Civilians, from AP
Voice of America News - Afghanistan's Taliban Reject Offer for Peace Talks
Long War Journal - Pakistan reopens Khyber crossing to NATO convoys, by Bill Roggio
Region
Syria
New York Times - Syria: Uranium Traces Inconclusive, Head of U.N. Atomic Agency Says
BBC - UK urges 'positive' Syrian role
Israel
New York Times - Israel: 250 Palestinians to Be Released, by Isabel Kershner
BBC - Israeli incursion into south Gaza
Pakistan
Associated Press - Taliban siege of Pakistan elders leaves 7 dead, by Habib Khan
Iran
Associated Press - Vigil over Iran shifts from UN to the White House, by John Heilprin
Washington Post - U.N. chief raises concerns about Iranians in Iraq, by Louis Charbonneau
Hezbollah
Middle East Times - Hezbollah, an Imminent Danger, by Olivier Guitta