BAGHDAD, April 1 (UPI) -- The fighting between Shiite militias and Iraqi security forces may be a sign of the beginnings of political infighting ahead of parliamentary elections.

WASHINGTON, March 14 (UPI) -- Iraqi women say they are increasingly targeted for anything from their clothes to driving to attending school, as society shifts from Saddam Hussein's brutality to one facing violence in the streets and religious fundamentalism.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- Iraq's crude capital, Basra, and perhaps its most controversial city, Kirkuk, also flush with oil, face a formidable 2008.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Political parties, and their militias, are fighting for power over the Basra government, the oil sector it controls, and the oil and fuels smuggling that bring in extra funds.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- The authenticity of a 13-page letter outlining al-Qaida strategy purportedly written by Osama bin Laden's second-in-command is being challenged.

BAGHDAD, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- Results of Iraq's election are expected to bring to power Shiite clerics who make no secret of their desire to turn the nation into an Islamic republic.