Gates redefines military doctrine; Iran hosts AFPAK meeting; Use of human shields rising, U.S. says; Minority Iraqis underrepresented; Dirty games mire Kurdish questions; KRG inhibits democracy, groups claim

Maliki seeks coalition in Basra; UNHCR assists resettlement of 122 Iraqi refugees; January elections were no panacea for Iraq; Warlords prompt skepticism in Afghan strategy; Budget woes complicate Afghan troops; Afghan effort needs political will

BAGHDAD, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Negotiating the pact for a U.S. troop withdrawal cast Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as a power-hungry ruler or a charismatic leader, experts say.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- President-elect Barack Obama's transition team says it's gathering information about U.S. troop presence in Iraq.

ERBIL, Iraq, May 30 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government has moved, demoted or fired more than a dozen people within the southern Iraqi oil sector this month as domestic and international union officials decry their treatment.

WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- Oil flow will be affected by the Iraqi army's crackdown in the oil capital Basra after all, following a pipeline bombing and dangerous conditions for workers.

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, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Dividing Iraq along religious and ethnic lines would play into the hands of al-Qaida, which has sought to stoke sectarian hatred in the country, experts say.

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.