January 23rd Morning Readbook

Biden in Iraq to Help Ease Election Tensions




US Marines End Role in Iraq; Biden in Baghdad
The U.S. Marine Corps wrapped up nearly seven years in Iraq on Saturday, handing over duties to the Army and signaling the beginning of an accelerated withdrawal of American troops as the U.S. turns its focus away from the waning Iraqi war to a growing one in Afghanistan.


Car bomb attack kills four in NW Pakistan
A suicide car bomb attack near a police station in troubled northwest Pakistan killed at least four people on Saturday, police said. The attack took place in Gomal, 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the city of Tank, neighbouring the Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan where Pakistani troops are battling Islamist militants.


Gates: Path open to Taliban legitimacy
The Taliban may be part of Afghanistan's "political fabric" but they must reform to attain legitimacy, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.


Pakistan says reaches out to Afghan Taliban
U.S. ally Pakistan is reaching out to "all levels" of the Afghan Taliban in a bid to encourage reconciliation in its war-torn neighbor, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.


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