Sunnis news stories on Newser

Biden Tells Iraqis to Mend Fences —Like, Now

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:32:22 CST

Joe Biden called Iraqi officials today, urging them to calm rising sectarian tensions after a bombing killed at least 63 people there earlier this week, the AP reports. Biden and other US officials have been phoning Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as well as Sunni and Kurdish leaders all week, asking...

VP: Maliki Pushing Iraq Toward Sectarian War

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:48:43 CST

Sunni VP Tariq al-Hashemi today openly accused Nouri al-Maliki of trying to eliminate his political rivals and run Iraq like a "one-man-show," a move that Hashemi says is pushing the country toward sectarian war. The comments came during an interview with the AP, which notes that the escalating tension between...

Political Crisis Flares in Iraq

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:09:00 CST

Iraq's political structure already seems to be unraveling. Before the last US troops have left , Sunni politicians are walking out of parliament and threatening to quit altogether, the Washington Post reports. Ministers in the Sunni Iraqiya bloc are demanding more political power and greater control of Iraq's Shiite-dominated militia—especially...

Iraq Tortured Sunnis in Secret Prison

Rob Quinn — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:06:54 CDT

An elite military force answering directly to the Iraqi prime minister held hundreds of Sunni men in a secret Baghdad prison for months, Iraqi officials say. The detainees—arrested without warrants in military sweeps in October—were routinely tortured, officials tells the Los Angeles Times . Human rights officials overcame resistance...

Al-Qaeda to Iraqis: Vote and Die

M. Morris — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:29:00 CST

Al-Qaeda is threatening to kill Iraqis who vote in Sunday's elections, and has proclaimed a 6am-to-6pm curfew "throughout Iraq and especially in Sunni areas." Sunnis boycotted the 2005 elections but are expected to turn out in force for this year's vote, which has already begun for Iraqis living overseas. Anyone...

Sunni Group Boycotts Vote, Raises Iraqi Tension

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:00:00 CST

A top Sunni Arab lawmaker banned from running in Iraq's March 7 election withdrew his entire party from the campaign today and called on other groups to join the boycott, a move that threatened to undermine the credibility of the vote and raise sectarian tensions. In announcing his decision, Saleh...

Iraq Halts Preparations for Jan. Election

Jane Yager — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:00:48 CST

In a move that could derail both Iraq's fragile democracy and US plans to withdraw troops by next summer, all preparations for elections in January have ground to a halt. The Iraqi election committee stopped "all our activities and work" today after the country's vice president vetoed part of a...

Smaller, Fiercer Insurgency Has Iraq Worried

Jason Farago — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:52:13 CDT

As the US military prepares to withdraw from Iraq's cities, security officials in both countries have observed that a smaller but more lethal insurgency seems to be gaining ground. Several recent bombings, believed to be orchestrated by al-Qaeda in Iraq, have killed 123 people in Baghdad and elsewhere, while members...

Sunni Fighters Say Iraq Will Never Hire Them

Neal Colgrass — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 19:45:01 CDT

The US turned over tens of thousands of Sunni fighters to Baghdad this weekend to take government jobs and mend fences with ruling Shiites, but many Sunnis are skeptical, the New York Times reports. After helping tame al-Qaeda in Iraq, the militiamen say few jobs are being offered in return....