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BAGHDAD - As Iraqi forces celebrate what their leaders are calling a resounding victory for a safe and free Iraq, U.S. Division-Center leaders are praising their Soldiers for their strategic role in assisting them. Despite an early morning attempt by terrorists to disrupt the elections, the Iraqi people resolved themselves to get out and vote. Iraqi Army Soldiers direct civilians to the voting site in Mansour, Iraq, March 7, 2010, during Iraq's national elections. Iraqi Forces were in charge of election security, searching each person before allowing passage to a polling site. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Kimberly Hackbarth. American...

NUMANIYAH, Iraq - A smoke grenade is tossed and Iraq's most elite paramilitary commandos storm an apartment building. The raid goes off without a hitch The problem is that it's just an exercise — part of the Pentagon's four-week drills for the Iraqi National Police. In reality, Iraqi commanders say it could be years before the force is competent enough to control Baghdad on its own. Or like "trying to build an airplane while you're flying it," said Col. Chip Lewis, the chief U.S. training officer for the National Police. The slow pace of police training highlights just one of...

BAGHDAD - A car bomb exploded Saturday in the Shiite holy city of Karbala as the streets were packed with people heading for evening prayers, killing at least 58 and wounding scores near some of the country's most sacred shrines. Separately, the U.S. military announced the deaths of nine American troops, including three killed Saturday in a single roadside bombing outside Baghdad. With black smoke clogging the skies above Karbala, angry crowds hurled stones at police and later stormed the provincial governor's house, accusing authorities of failing to protect them from the unrelenting bombings usually blamed on Sunni insurgents. It...

Excerpt - BAGHDAD, April 29 (Reuters) - About two dozen loud explosions shook southern Baghdad on Sunday, Reuters reporters heard. The blasts, several seconds apart, sounded like artillery. The U.S. military could not immediately confirm the cause of the blasts. U.S. military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver said the military sometimes fired artillery in support of operations. ~ snip ~

BAGHDAD (AP) - Suspected Sunni insurgents penetrated the Baghdad security net Wednesday, hitting Shiite targets with four bomb attacks that killed 183 people—the bloodiest day since the U.S. troop surge began nine weeks ago. Late Wednesday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the arrest of the Iraqi army colonel who was in charge of security in the area around the Sadriyah market where at least 127 people died and 148 were wounded in the deadliest bombing of the day. It was the second massive blast at the market since Feb. 3. Nationwide, the number of people killed or found dead on...

BAGHDAD - Suspected Sunni insurgents penetrated the Baghdad security net Wednesday, hitting Shiite targets with four bomb attacks that killed 183 people — the bloodiest day since the U.S. troop increase began nine weeks ago. The most devastating blast struck the Sadriyah market as workers were leaving for the day, charring a lineup of minibuses that came to pick them up. At least 127 people were killed and 148 wounded, including men who were rebuilding the market after a Feb. 3 bombing left 137 dead. Wednesday's car bombing appeared meticulously planned. It took place at a pedestrian entrance where tall...

Four large bombs exploded in mostly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Wednesday, killing at least 157 people and wounding scores as violence climbed toward levels seen before the U.S.-Iraqi campaign to pacify the capital began two months ago. In the deadliest of the attacks, a parked car bomb detonated in a crowd of workers at the Sadriyah market in central Baghdad, killing at least 112 people and wounding 115, said Raad Muhsin, an official at Al-Kindi Hospital where the victims were taken. A police official confirmed the toll, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release...

More than 80 dead in Iraq blast There has been a recent upsurge in violence At least 82 people have been killed in a car bomb blast in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, security officials say. The attack, on a food market in the Sadriya area of the city, left scores of people injured. The blast was one of a series of bomb attacks which struck mainly Shia areas of the city, leaving at least 120 dead. The blasts came as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said Iraqi security forces would assume control of the country by the end of...

(AP) A car bomb exploded Saturday in a bus station in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, killing at least 56 people, police and hospital officials said. More than 70 people were also wounded in the attack, according to an official at Al-Hussein Hospital. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. "The explosion was a huge one. It took place in a crowded area," said Khalid al-Daami, head of the city's security committee. Among the dead were several women and children, he said. State television aired footage from the scene, in which...

BAGHDAD, D.C., Iraq, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- The Baghdad Airport road -- "Route Irish" in U.S. military parlance -- looms large in Western consciousness as one of the most perilous in Iraq. But there hasn't been a car bomb in three months, and the number of smaller, roadside bombs is significantly down as well. Starting in July, Iraqi special police have set up checkpoints at all the feeders on the road, and American forces have been running aggressive patrols and fencing off areas that are habitually used as attack platforms. But rather than trying just to protect the road itself,...

KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Donations of freezer pops from family and friends throughout the Midwest recently helped a noncommissioned officers’ organization here give security forces Airmen a refreshing break during their duty day. The organization, comprising E-5s and E-6s, wanted to do something special for security forces specialists guarding Kirkuk. Originally they considered handing out slushies or popsicles as a gesture of thanks to Kirkuk’s “frontline” troops. They eventually decided freezer pops would best survive the desert heat, but that presented a problem. The frozen treat seemed ideal because it is purchased in a liquid form packaged at...