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Freed last year from the grip of militias, Basra has emerged as the main battleground for rival Shiites in elections for control of the oil-rich south — a race that will test the power of religious parties and the influence of neighboring Iran.
A secret deal with an Iran-backed militia kept British forces out of a battle in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, leaving U.S. and Iraqi forces to fight alone, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The Ministry of Defense denied any deal was struck and said it held back to ensure that the operation was seen as Iraqi-led.
Men and women can openly study and party together for the first time in years at Basra University, free from the threat of Shiite gunmen enforcing extreme Islamic views.
A clothing store owner defiantly waves a cigarette in the air, saying he was not allowed to smoke when Shiite militias were in control. Then he quietly adds: "Don't let them know I said they were bad. They can still kill me."
CD shops sell love songs again. Some women emerge from their homes without veils, and alcohol sellers are coming out of hiding in the southern city of Basra — where religious vigilantes have long enforced strict Islamic codes.
The Iraqi commander of an offensive against Shiite militias has led a convoy into a Mahdi Army stronghold that has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the southern city of Basra.
Iraq's prime minister says the military operation to clear the southern city of Basra of Shiite militia violence has been a "success."
A U.S. warplane strafed snipers in the southern city of Basra, killing at least 16 suspected militants after Iraqi troops came under heavy fire, the American military said.
An Iraqi military spokesman says 40 people have been killed and 200 wounded in two days of fighting between Shiite militias and government forces in the southern city of Basra.
British forces formally handed over responsibility for Basra province Sunday, the last region in Iraq under their control.
British forces gave Iraq responsibility for security in Basra province Sunday, the last remaining region under Britain's control.
The police chief of Iraq's southern Basra province acknowledged Thursday that his forces lack the means to maintain security in the region after a British troop withdrawal later this month.
Iraqi and British forces in southern Iraq closed border crossings with Iran on Thursday in an attempt to choke off smuggling networks that Washington says are used to supply militant groups.
The U.S. needs to teach Hamid Karzai a thing or twoHamid Karzai begins another term as Afghanistan's president with a long to-do list. The Obama administration has made clear to him that he must crack down on corruption, install a team of technocrats to run the country and weed out warlords and narco-traffickers.
Iraq – The Women's StoryThe invasion of Iraq heralded promises of freedom from tyranny and equal rights for the women of Iraq. But three years on, the reality of everyday life for women inside Iraq is a different story.
Why We're Getting it Wrong in AfghanistanThe British army's determination to "crack on" in Helmand may be brave, but foolish...
Shia groups form new alliance excluding Iraqi PMThe Iranian-backed Shia parties that helped propel Iraq's PM into power three years ago dumped him as their candidate for re-election, forming a new alliance to contest the January vote.
Cruel truths from BasraAbuse of Iraqi prisoners reveals a lack of discipline among UK troops and arrogance at the MoD...
Robert Fisk: The story of Baha MousaI first heard about Baha Mousa from his family. He was working as a hotel receptionist in Basra when British troops surrounded the building and arrested seven men. They were taken to a British barracks, hooded and beaten.
Great Brit shame: Iraqi's torture death puts UK on the matAn Iraqi detainee Baha Mousa, who died in custody, faced torture that the UK forbade more than three decades ago. The torture included hooding, white sound and sleep deprivation that are termed "morally unjustifiable" under English law.
A Guantanamo prisoner is quietly released: the low-profile finale to an ignominious taleYou surely don't know the name nor should you, really. But Jawad Jabbar Sadkhan Al-Sahlani was quietly given his freedom Thursday by the U.S.
Iraq's Basra Police Receive Human Rights Training Basra is the country's second-largest city and is the first to launch a human rights program for security forces.
Iraq's Basra ready for 'best year in decades': aid bossBASRA, Mar 01, 2009 (AFP) - This year should be oil-rich Basra's best in decades, with foreign companies queuing up to invest there as long as Iraq's government lets them, the province's reconstruction boss told AFP.
You British should be proud for giving our children a futureThe Sun's Oliver Hardy visits war-ravaged Basra in Iraq, which until last year was one of the most violent places on Earth, and discovers a city reborn with laughing families enjoying fairground rides and ice creams in scenes familiar to millions of us.
Suits follow soldiers in Iraq's south So far, British forces have helped show 19 companies around southern Iraq, where $9bn-worth of investment possibilities have been identified.
Countdown To UK Troops' Exit From Iraq Geoff Meade, Sky News defence correspondent visits Basra as the countdown gets under way for the final withdrawal of British forces from Iraq.
'My lads must have thought I was leading them into hell'Audrey Gillan meets troops who relive the harrowing drama of a desperate rescue mission in Basra
The guns are quiet in Basra now, but behind the veil fear lingersMartin Chulov shows that while some security has finally arrived for the women of Basra, deep-rooted extremism remains an obstacle as they attempt to rebuild their lives
UK troops begin Iraqi withdrawal British troops have already begun to withdraw from the south of Iraq and all British soldiers are due to leave the country by the end of May, ending six years of operations and leaving behind a small group of advisors.
We were liberatorsBrig Tom Beckett on what British forces achieved in Iraq - "There is no talk of victory but my men and I fought to make a better place of Basra - and succeeded."
Has the UK' s military presence in Iraq helped the Iraqi people?Gen Wesley Clark, John Soltz and Dr Mustafa Alani comment on the success, or otherwise, of the UK's military role in the liberations and rebuilding of Iraq.
Energy Opportunities: Major Oil Companies Are Circling Iraq With stability returning, Oil Minister al-Shahristani has big plans to make his country the fourth-largest oil producer.
Iraq: Basra is less dangerous than Manchester, British general says Basra is now less dangerous than Manchester, the general commanding British troops in Iraq has said.
Britain has lost the stomach for a fight, failed to protect Iraqis, and unlike the US, withdraws in defeatLast week Gordon Brown announced a date for Britain's withdrawal from Iraq. Most troops will be back in time for a spring general election. The prime minister posed with soldiers and expressed his sorrow over yet more fatal casualties in Afghanistan.
Britain could begin Iraq pullout in MarchLONDON (Reuters) - Britain could start withdrawing most of its remaining 4,100 troops from Iraq in March because "significant progress" has been made in improving security, the government said on Wednesday.
Shell Secures 25-year Access to Iraq's Oil, GasEXCLUSIVE: A joint venture between Royal Dutch Shell and Iraq's state-owned South Gas Co. could give Shell a 25-year monopoly on production and exports of natural gas in much of southern Iraq - the biggest foreign role in Iraq's oil and gas sector in four decades.
Veteran: U.S. Dropped Nuke on Iraq In the investigative report an American veteran who participated in "Desert Storm" accuses the Us Administration of having used a small nuclear penetration bomb with an energy of 5 kilotons between the Iraqi town of Basra and the border with Iran.
Saddams luxury train returns to service.The luxury train belonging to former ruler of Iraq, Saddam Hussein is to return to service. Since the 1970s, the French-built train has been kept in a secret place in Baghdad.
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