Iraqi and U.S. generals speak to the press in Baghdad
General Kevin Bergner, the spokesman for the U.S. forces in Iraq, speaks to the press on June 4, 2008. Bergner said that the long term U.S. policy in Iraq is not to establish a permanent military base and not to use Iraq as a launching bad for other attacks in the region. (UPI Photo/Ali Jasim)
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Forces loyal to Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr laid down their weapons Thursday as reports emerged from Iraq of relative calm in the Baghdad district of Sadr City.
A spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad said emerging evidence suggests Iran is backing the so-called special groups targeting coalition and Iraqi forces.
Iraqi reconstruction projects progressed and displaced people returned home despite violence from criminal gangs in Sadr City, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The Association of Muslims Scholars' Al Basaer Newspaper highlighted in an editorial titled "A superpower or a gang?" the United States and its relationship with the chaotic situation in Iraq.
A letter intercepted by the U.S. military from the body of a slain al-Qaida operative has provided a detailed look into the inner workings of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, said the United States needs to consider the consequences before it develops an effective exit strategy from Iraq.
Iraq will take over security duties in Baghdad at the end of 2008, Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf, the interior operations chief, confirmed Thursday.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led forces in Iraq praised the work of Iraqi security forces and civilians with the recent lull in violence in much of the country.
Top military officials in Iraq credited Operation Phantom Phoenix with disrupting militant efforts and bringing other non-military improvements.
U.S. officials credit the work of local leaders in Iraq's Sunni-dominated areas as contributing to the recent calm.
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