Green Zone news stories on Newser

West Worried About Heavy-Handed Iraq PM

Rob Quinn — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:10:23 CST

As the US prepares to depart Iraq, some in the West see worrying signs that the country may be sliding back toward authoritarian rule. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who met with President Obama in Washington yesterday, has been moving swiftly to consolidate power as the Americans head for the door....

Baghdad Car Bombs Kill 9

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 06:27:27 CDT

Suicide bombers detonated two explosives-packed cars outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone today, killing at least nine and wounding 23, officials said. The blasts marked the start of a violent day in the Iraqi capital, where another bombing and a jewelry heist left three more dead and 13 wounded. The...

Abuse, Awful Conditions Reported at Green Zone Jail

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 12:54:05 CST

Beatings, sexual violence, cells that stink of human waste, prisoners jammed six to a cell and suffering from skin rashes: These are the stories coming out of an Iraqi detention center where detainees are said to be held for months without a trial—despite Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s promises of...

New in Iraq's Green Zone: Iranian Ice Cream

Rob Quinn — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:34:06 CST

An Iranian ice cream parlor being built yards from the US Embassy in Baghdad's "Green Zone" symbolizes the shifting balance of power in Iraq, the Washington Post finds. Ice Pack—an Iranian chain that says it wants to challenge American fast food's worldwide dominance—already has other branches in Baghdad...

Bourne Team Hunts WMD, Gets Political in Green Zone

Rob Quinn — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:59:41 CST

Matt Damon reunites with director Paul Greengrass in Green Zone , and critics say the thriller, set in the early days of the Iraq war, packs all the punch of the Bourne films, though some felt its politics were a little heavy-handed. Green Zone "is somewhere between a blockbuster and a...

31 Dead in 3 Blasts Near Baghdad Hotels

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:29:10 CST

Three large blasts have struck a hotel and restaurant district popular with Western journalists and businessmen along the Tigris River in Baghdad. At least 31 people have been killed and scores more wounded. The first blast struck at about 3:40pm, near the Sheraton Hotel, just across the Tigris River...

Mortars Rock Baghdad During Biden's Visit

Nick McMaster — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:57:27 CDT

Mortar rounds exploded near the US Embassy in downtown Baghdad today during a surprise visit by Joe Biden, the New York Times reports. The vice president was inside the embassy compound when two mortars struck apartment buildings across the street. Two more rounds landed near the compound but didn’t explode,...

7 Bombs Batter Baghdad; 95 Dead, 500 Wounded

Jason Farago — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:54:46 CDT

Scores of people are dead after seven coordinated bombings rocked Baghdad this morning, targeting both government ministries and poor Shia neighborhoods, the New York Times reports. Two huge bombs and three smaller blasts, probably from mortars, went off at the entrance to the fortified Green Zone, while other explosions hit...

UK Contractor Held in Green Zone Killing of 2 Co-Workers

Nick McMaster — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 10:33:37 CDT

A security contractor working in Iraq has been charged with fatally shooting two of his co-workers in Baghdad’s Green Zone, the Washington Post reports. Danny Fitzsimmons, an employee of British firm ArmorGroup Iraq, has been arrested in the killing of fellow Briton Paul McGuigan and Australian Darren Hoare in an...