U.S. and Iraqi officials chased reports Tuesday that the leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was killed by rivals north of Baghdad. But U.S. authorities urged caution and warned that even if the claim were true, the death of the shadowy Abu Ayyub al-Masri would likely not spell the end of the terror movement in Iraq.
The president called the bill a ?prescription for chaos,? setting up a further battle with Congressional Democrats who are trying to force the White House to shift course in Iraq.
President Bush and the Democratic-led Congress begin work Wednesday on a new plan to fund the Iraq war, following Bush's veto of an emergency bill that included a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops.
U.S. diplomats are returning from Iraq with the same debilitating, stress-related symptoms that have afflicted many U.S. troops, prompting the State Department to order a mental health survey of 1,400 employees who have completed assignments there.
President George W. Bush on Tuesday vetoed a bill setting an Iraq withdrawal timeline, setting the stage for a new battle with anti-war forces over ending US involvement in the four-year-old conflict.
Iran has extended $1 billion in credits for reconstruction projects in Iraq, a senior official said Tuesday ahead of an international conference on stabilizing Iraq.
Democratic presidential candidates made a point of reminding voters that Tuesday was the fourth anniversary of President Bush's speech declaring an end to major combat in Iraq.
Iraqi officials have received reports that the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq was killed by Sunni tribesmen, but the chief government spokesman said Tuesday the information has not been confirmed. An umbrella group denied the claim.
Geoff Hoon, the British defence secretary during the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, admitted in an interview published Wednesday that Britain and the United States had not properly planned what would happen after the invasion.
The military police unit in the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team is among units from four states that will be the first to come under a new policy of shorter stints in Iraq and a shorter training period beforehand. Some in the Guard, from new enlistees to former active-duty soldiers and commanders, are concerned that the schedule will make it harder to prepare properly.