ERBIL, Iraq -- For the Kurds here in this ancient city, the rewards of war are numerous and obvious. Construction cranes rise from the cityscape. Highway medians are green with shrubbery. A glittering shopping mall with an indoor ice skating rink stands as a totem of American-style consumerism. The only blast walls in sight are those that protect...
BAGHDAD -- President Obama's announcement on Friday that all American troops would leave Iraq by the end of the year was an occasion for celebration for many, but some top American military officials were dismayed by the announcement, seeing it as the president's putting the best face on a breakdown in tortured negotiations with the Iraqis. And for...
The Iraqi president has been negotiating with Iranian officials in an attempt to gain the release of two American hikers held in Iran on espionage and trespassing convictions, according to Kurdish officials in Iraq. The president, Jalal Talabani, has been told by Iranian officials that the hikers will probably be released, the officials said....
Jalal Talabani (født 1933) er en kurdisk politiker, der blev udpeget til præsident i Irak 6. april 2005. Han er grundlægger af og generalsekretær for Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), det ene af de to vigtigste politiske partier i den kurdiske del af Irak, og her var han et prominent medlem af den overgangsregering, der blev skabt efter USA's og dets allieredes invasion af landet i 2003.