Sumedha Senanayake

Also by Sumedha Senanayake

• April 04, 2008

  Future Of Awakening Councils In Limbo

  The councils have proven to be particularly effective in fighting the insurgency. But some members have voiced displeasure over how they are treated by the U.S. military and the Iraqi government.

• April 02, 2008

  Iraq: In Al-Basrah Aftermath, Iran's And Al-Sadr's Gain Is Al-Maliki's Loss

  Al-Sadr remains a force in Iraq (epa) The Iraqi government's operation in Al-Basrah was billed as a decisive battle to regain control of the southern city from what it called armed gangs and criminals. But the real focus of the operation seems to have been radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia, the Imam Al-Mahdi Army.

• March 26, 2008

  Al-Basrah Gambit

  Fighting in southern Iraq could doom a major cease-fire. Moreover, anything short of a relatively quick and decisive victory might suggest that Iraqi forces remain unprepared to assume security responsibilities.

• February 19, 2008

  Iraq: Will Al-Sadr Extend Militia Cease-Fire?

  Will Muqtada al-Sadr bide his time, or unleash his forces? (epa) In August 2007, the militia loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr clashed with Iraqi police in the Shi'ite holy city of Karbala during a religious festival, leaving over 50 people dead. The incident, which was widely blamed on the Imam Al-Mahdi Army, prompted al-Sadr to order his militia to freeze its activities for six months.

• January 26, 2008

  Iraq: Kurdish Ambitions Generate Backlash

  On January 13, a coalition of 10 Shi'ite and Sunni political blocs announced the formation of a new broad-based alliance called the National Understanding Project that intends to do away with the sectarian quota system and support national reconciliation.

• January 15, 2008

  Iraq: Will Passage Of New Law Appease Sunnis?

  Is Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government showing signs of progress? (epa) In what is being trumpeted as a major political accomplishment for the Iraqi government, the Council of Representatives on January 12 unanimously passed the Accountability and Justice Law, which revises the de-Ba'athification order passed under the Coalition Provisional Authority in 2003.

• November 30, 2007

  Iraq: Baghdad, Kurds At Odds Over Oil Deals

  (RFE/RL) November 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The last few weeks have witnessed bitter exchanges between the Baghdad government and the Kurdistan regional government (KRG) over oil deals signed between the Kurdish administration and several foreign firms. Since the Iraqi Kurds passed their own oil law in August, they have signed 15 exploration contracts with 20 foreign firms.

• November 30, 2007

  Iraq: Tensions Increase Over Kirkuk Referendum Delay

  Both Kurds and non-Kurds have threatened to take violent action in Kirkuk (file photo) (epa) November 30, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- November 15 was supposed to be an important date in Iraqi history. It was the initial date planned for a referendum to decide whether the oil-rich region of Kirkuk will be incorporated into the semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

• November 08, 2007

  Iraq: Threat Of Turkish Invasion Diminished, For Now

  A Turkish soldier on patrol along the Iraqi border (file photo) (epa) November 8, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- As representatives from Iraq's neighbors and other international organizations gathered in Istanbul on November 3 to discuss ways to improve the security situation in Iraq, Turkey's threats to send troops into Iraq to attack militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) dominated the two-day conference.

• November 02, 2007

  Al-Anbar Initiative Makes Progress, But Baghdad Wary

  While U.S. officials credit the Salvation Council with bringing about a remarkable turnaround in an area once thought to have been lost to Al-Qaeda, many in the Shi'ite-led Baghdad government see the initiative as essentially arming Sunni militias that could at some point turn on it.

• October 25, 2007

  Iraq: Attacks On Turkish Forces Increase Pressure To Act Against PKK

  Turkish troops may go into Iraq after the PKK yet again (AFP) October 25, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- On October 21, a group of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters entered Turkey from Iraq and killed 12 Turkish soldiers in the Turkish border town of Daglica. The incident enraged Ankara and Turks across the country took to the streets demanding action.

• September 27, 2007

  Iraq: UN Meetings Fail To Make Clear Breakthrough

  Al-Maliki told Iraq's neighbors on September 26 at the UN that their security is tied to Iraq's (AFP) September 27, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- A series of meetings at UN headquarters in New York to bolster international support for Iraq began with considerable fanfare on September 22 with a high-level meeting of Iraq's neighbors, the permanent members of the Security Council, the Group of Eight industrialized countries, Egypt, Bahrain, the League of Arab States, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, and the European Union.

• September 26, 2007

  Iraq: Blackwater Incident Could Further Undermine Premier

  Prime Minister al-Maliki may be powerless to deal with the Blackwater incident (AFP) September 26, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The killing of 11 Iraqis in Al-Nusur Square in western Baghdad on September 16, allegedly by Blackwater USA security contractors, has enraged Iraqis for more than a week.

• September 13, 2007

  Kirkuk Referendum Likely To Be Delayed

  For the Kurds, the reversal of Saddam Hussein's "Arabization" program and a referendum to determine the political future of the oil-rich area is a "red line" issue.

• September 07, 2007

  Plight Of Displaced Worsens

  Four years after the U.S.-led invasion, the Iraqi refugee crisis has become one of the world's most severe humanitarian issues.

• September 05, 2007

  Iraq: Is Al-Sadr Saving Face, Or Biding His Time?

  (RFE/RL) September 5, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- The violent clashes in the holy city of Karbala on August 28 between radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Imam Al-Mahdi Army and Iraqi security forces -- many of whom were members of the Badr Organization, the military wing of the rival Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC) -- shocked many Iraqis.

• July 26, 2007

  Latest Boycott May Be End Of Moderates' Bloc

  The largest Sunni bloc's decision to again boycott parliament is not only a blow to Nuri al-Maliki's government, but may end hopes of ending Iraq's political paralysis.

• July 19, 2007

  Iraq: Refugee Crisis Could Become Regional Security Threat

  Iraqi refugees registering in Damsacus in April (epa) July 19, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- In a mid-year report issued on July 17, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) warned that the rate at which Iraqis are being driven from their homes since the bombing of the Al-Askari Mosque in February 2006 has not subsided.

• July 12, 2007

  Al-Maliki Faces His Sternest Test Yet

  It is appearing increasingly likely that Iraq's legislature will soon hold a no-confidence vote on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

• July 11, 2007

  Analysis | Turkish incursion could backfire

  July 11, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Last week, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Ankara had a plan in place for military incursions into northern Iraq to destroy Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases there.

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