Jan 1st, 2009 · Iraqi leaders celebrated Thursday as the new security agreement with the U.S. went into effect. Now, American forces are operating under Iraqi authority. Separately, three Iraqi policemen were killed in the city of Mosul, underlining the security challenges that remain. In Baghdad's Green Zone, the U.S. formally handed over control to Iraqi forces.
Jan 1st, 2009 · Army Capt. Nate Rawlings has been sharing his experiences in Iraq with NPR over the last year. Madeleine Brand speaks with Rawlings about how he celebrated the new year in Baghdad and what 2009 may bring for United States soldiers in Iraq.
Jan 1st, 2009 · The U.S. formally handed over control of the Green Zone in Baghdad. Since 2003, U.S. forces have operated under a United Nation's Security Council resolution. But that expired at midnight on New Year's Eve, and now American troops are operating under the authority of the Iraqi government. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro talks with Steve Inskeep about the handover.
Dec 25th, 2008 · For the first time, Christmas has been declared a national holiday in Iraq. Celebrations are tempered with the knowledge that violence can erupt at anytime. And as a reminder, a deadly car bomb exploded in Baghdad on Christmas Day.
Dec 24th, 2008 · A law passed in the U.S. earlier this year allows Iraqis working for American companies to apply for refugee status if they've been attacked or threatened. Many Iraqi staffers at NPR's Baghdad bureau are applying — and some are now very close to heading to the U.S. for the first time.
Dec 18th, 2008 · President Bush's quick reflexes spared him getting hit by a shoe hurled at him in Baghdad. But shoe throwers around the world can take their turn at the president's likeness. In a new online game called Sock and Awe, players aim a brown topsider at a ducking President Bush. It's much like a carnival game with a moving target, with the President's face popping up from behind a wide podium. Players earn a point for every shoe that makes a direct hit.
Dec 16th, 2008 · Comedians can't seem to get enough of that shoe-throwing incident in Iraq. President Bush was shown over-and-over ducking the shoes thrown by an Iraqi reporter during a Baghdad news conference. David Letterman joked that Bush "hasn't dodged anything like that since, well, the Vietnam War." Jay Leno wanted to know where was the Secret Service. He asked, shouldn't they have "at least jumped in front of the second shoe."
Dec 15th, 2008 · Several thousand people demonstrated in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities to demand the release of the Iraqi TV reporter who hurled his shoes at President Bush. Muntadhar al-Zeidi was arrested after Sunday's incident and charges may be filed against him.