1.
Study: More than half of pets overweight
BAGHDAD, June 11 (UPI) -- U.S. forces in Iraq are reportedly expanding a strategy tried in Anbar Province of arming Sunni Arab groups to fight against militants linked to al-Qaida.
The top American commander in Iraq, Gen. David H. Petraeus, and the second-ranking American officer, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno are said to have given cautious approval to the plan, The New York Times reports Monday.
According to the newspaper, U.S. commanders held talks with Sunni groups in at least four areas of central and north-central Iraq where the insurgency has been particularly strong.
Many of the groups have had past links to al-Qaida but grew disillusioned with its tactics, particularly suicide bombings that have killed thousands of Iraqi civilians, the newspaper says.
In exchange for U.S. backing, the Sunni groups have agreed to fight al-Qaida and halt attacks against American units.
Critics of the strategy say it could amount to arming both sides in a future civil war or providing weapons that would later be used against American forces.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Additional Top News Stories | |
TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (UPI) --
The bomb attacks on Israeli embassy staff in India and Georgia were the work of Israel itself, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
|
NEW YORK, Feb. 13 (UPI) --
Kate Upton was revealed as the cover model of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue during Monday's taping of "Late Show" in New York.
|
BAGHDAD, Feb. 14 (UPI) --
U.S. supermajor Exxon Mobil won't be able to take part in an oil and natural gas licensing auction scheduled for May in Iraq, a spokesman said.
|
Women, Liberal Democrats favor Valentine's … $55,000 cupcake comes with diamond ring … 400-year-old witchcraft trial reopened … Survey: Many Swedes believe in ghosts … Watercooler stories from UPI.
|
| Stories | Photos | People | Comments |
View Caption
