US embassy in Baghdad news stories on Newser

US Will Halve Vast Iraq Embassy

Polly Davis Doig — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:03:24 CST

The United States' hulking $750 million Baghdad embassy is home to 16,000 staff and carries a $6 billion price tag annually—and it's about to get slashed in half in the wake of US troops' departure, reports the New York Times . It's quite the about-face for the State Department,...

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,...

Bloated Baghdad Embassy Needs 'Rightsizing': State

Harry Kimball — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:45:01 CDT

An internal State Department assessment has deemed the recently completed US embassy in Baghdad grievously overstaffed, McClatchy Newspapers report. “There is a clear consensus from the top to the bottom of the embassy,” State’s inspector general writes. “The time has come for a significant rightsizing.” The embassy’s 1,200 employees...

US Inaugurates $700M Embassy in Baghdad

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:05:02 CST

The United States inaugurated its largest embassy yet in the heart of the Green Zone today, officially opening the fortress-like compound that was intended to stand as a testament to America's commitment to Iraq. Addressing an inauguration ceremony under tight security, Ambassador Ryan Crocker said the $700 million embassy was...

US Expands Visa Program for Iraqis Tenfold

Jason Farago — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:57:16 CDT

The US embassy in Baghdad announced a major expansion of its visa program for Iraqi employees of the American government, raising tenforld the number of work permits it currently offers. The move is the latest step by the Bush administration to answer criticism that it has neglected the Iraqis, particularly...

Iraqi Visits: Much Ado but Few Epiphanies

Clay Dillow — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:45:40 CDT

Lawmakers have been flocking to Iraq to assess the situation on the ground, as Barack Obama is about to do, but the visits rarely result in any revelations for them, writes Karen DeYoung in the Washington Post . The itineraries are fairly routine by now—meet the generals, the troops, and...

Easter Bombings in Iraq Kill at Least 57

Kate Rockwood — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:49:24 CDT

Despite a yearlong decline in violence in Iraq, a series of attacks on Easter Sunday killed at least 57, reports the AP. In the most severe, a suicide car bomber killed at least 13 Iraqi soldiers and wounded 42 people at a military base in Mosul, an al-Qaeda holdout. A...

State Dept.'s Inspector General Quits

Nick McMaster — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:40:12 CST

The State Department’s inspector general will step down next month, ending a tenure marked by controversy and allegations of conflicts of interest, the Washington Post reports. Critics accused Howard Krongard of impeding the Blackwater investigation, a charge he vigorously denied. He recused himself from the probe when it became public...

Baghdad Safe Again, Says Iraq

Rob Quinn — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 07:24:59 CST

A sharp drop in violence in Baghdad led Iraqi government officials to express confidence yesterday that the worst is over, reports the Los Angeles Times . While violence remains high, bombings, street fighting, and abductions are down, as are fears of a civil war. US officials urged Iraq's government to take...