A man holds up a poster of Sunni Muslim MP Dhafer al-Aanie with a red 'X' painted across it during an anti-Baathist protest in central Baghdad. The row over a ban on election candidates with alleged links to Saddam Hussein has escalated after Iraq's president questioned the ruling's legality and thousands of Shiites held street protests. (AFP/Ali al-Saadi)
Iraq president challenges ban on 511 candidates
President Jalal Talabani asks Iraq's Supreme Court to rule on the legality of the exclusion of mostly secular candidates, possibly offering a way out of a dispute that threatens to derail the vote.
Biden going to Iraq due to concerns about candidates barred from elections
Alarmed that the disqualification of hundreds of candidates from upcoming parliamentary elections threatens to derail Iraq's fledgling democracy, the Obama administration is dispatching Vice President Biden in hopes of defusing the looming political crisis.
Sunnis and Iraq’s Election
We had hoped that the March 7 parliamentary elections would prove the growing maturity of Iraq’s fragile democracy and set the country on a stable path as American combat troops get ready for this summer’s planned withdrawal. Instead, the process unfolding is disgracefully unfair and roiling dangerous sectarian tensions.
Turkey Detains 120 Al Qaeda Suspects In Raids
Police detained 120 suspected members of al Qaeda in Turkey possibly including senior members, the state Anatolian news agency reported Friday.
U.S. to couple military, civilian aid for Yemen
The Obama administration plans to couple expanded military support for Yemen to fight al Qaeda with an economic assistance program aimed at curbing the appeal of Islamists, officials said.
Yemen's battle with al-Qaeda
Gates strives to build trust with Pakistan military
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates sought to build bridges with the next generation of Pakistan's military leaders on Friday and end a "trust deficit" that he said has hampered cooperation against Islamist militancy.
U.S. Supports Afghanistan Outreach to Taliban
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday the Taliban were part of Afghanistan's "political fabric," one of the clearest indications to date of the Obama administration's willingness to accept the Islamist group playing a potentially central role in Afghanistan's future.
U.S. ambassador puts brakes on plan to utilize Afghan militias against Taliban
The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and senior Afghan officials have resisted moving forward with a bold and potentially risky initiative to support local militias in Afghanistan that are willing to defend their villages against insurgents, according to U.S. officials.
Taliban Won’t Give Up Until Karzai Gets Upper Hand, Gates Says
Senior Afghan Taliban leaders aren’t likely to agree to give up their insurgency until they see the momentum shift in favor of the government and international forces, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.
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