US planning open-ended military commitment in Iraq: report

IRAQ WARS

US says Hellfire missiles kill 12 in Baghdad
Hellfire missiles fired from US planes killed 12 people armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades in two separate incidents in Baghdad on Tuesday, the American military said. A Predator drone fired a missile at "a group of armed criminals with rocket-propelled grenades and a mortar tube in northeast Baghdad" early afternoon, killing 10 people and wounding two, a statement said. Earlier in the day, another unmanned aerial vehicle killed two people and destroyed a mortar tube, also in northeast Baghdad, a separate statement said. "These criminals fired two mortar rounds at coalition forces in northeast Baghdad. Moments later, an unmanned aerial vehicle observed the two criminals covering the tubes with a tarp and then hiding behind an adjacent building." A Hellfire missile was fired at the men, killing them, the statement said. US and Iraqi forces have been engaged in fierce battles in eastern Baghdad against Shiite militiamen since Sunday in which at least 40 people have been killed.

by Staff Writers
London (AFP) April 8, 2008
A draft agreement between the United States and Iraq shows that the two countries are including a provision for an open-ended American military commitment to the war-torn country, The Guardian reported Tuesday.

Citing a copy of the draft strategic framework agreement dated March 7 that it obtained, the newspaper said that the document is designed to replace the current United Nations mandate, which expires at the end of the year.

According to The Guardian, the agreement allows the United States to "conduct military operations in Iraq and to detain individuals when necessary for imperative reasons of security" without including a time limit.

It also does not put any limits on the number of American forces allowed in Iraq, the weapons they can use, the legal status of US troops in Iraq or the powers they hold over Iraqi citizens.

The document states it is "in the mutual interest of the United States and Iraq that Iraq maintain its sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence and that external threats to Iraq be deterred."

"Accordingly, the US and Iraq are to consult immediately whenever the territorial integrity or political independence of Iraq is threatened."

It also includes the agreement that the "US does not seek to use Iraq territory as a platform for offensive operations against other states."

News of the document comes just hours before General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, and US ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker testify on the progress in the war before two Senate committees.

Rival Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have promised to start pulling American forces out of Iraq, plans that have drawn criticism from the Republican candidate John McCain.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

IRAQ WARS

Political progress in Iraq 'halting and superficial': US study

Washington (AFP) April 6, 2008
The United States faces the risk of a costly, open-ended quagmire in Iraq because of a lack of political progress in the divided country, said a report by US experts released on Sunday.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT Big Tokyo quake would cause human gridlock: study Disasters In Small Communities: Researchers Discuss How To Help Raytheon Develops Advanced Concrete Breaking Technology For Urban Search And Rescue Floods, cyclones, devastate southern Africa: UN	CLIMATE SCIENCE Revolutionary CO2 Maps Zoom In On Greenhouse Gas Sources Earth in crisis, warns NASA's top climate scientist New Formula For Combating The Greenhouse Gas Nitrous Oxide Tough road lies ahead for global climate deal
EARTH OBSERVATION India to launch remote sensing satellite this month Boeing Submits GOES R Proposal To NASA Satellites Can Help Arctic Grazers Survive Killer Winter Storms CrIS Atmospheric Sounder Completes Vibration Testing	ENERGY TECH Siemens To Supply 141 Wind Turbines For Oregon Wind Farm Most Powerful Laser In The World Fires Up China's Avant-Garde Agrarian Policies Provide Fresh Impetus To Its Biofuel Market Cleaning Up The Atmosphere With Cow Manure
EPIDEMICS Alligator Blood And Mud Help Fight Superbugs Bird flu breaks out at Tibet poultry farm: China Community-Acquired MRSA Spreads Climate And Cholera	FLORA AND FAUNA Evolution On The Table Top Meteorites Delivered The Seeds Of Earth's Left-Hand Life Russia considers ban on baby seal hunting: ministry Economic Boom And Olympic Games Pose Threat Of Biological Invasion Of China
FROTH AND BUBBLE Harmful Algae Taking Advantage Of Global Warming Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Health Remains Poor, But Slightly Improved In 2007 Russian mayor urges closure of own town: report Czech steel giant promises to improve air quality in polluted city	ABOUT US The Voyage To America Dyslexia in Chinese, English speakers is different: study Researchers Find Pre-Clovis Human DNA Scientists Reshape Y Chromosome Haplogroup Tree Gaining New Insights Into Human Ancestry

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement