BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Edwin Salau knew coming back would be hard. But he had to do it. The retired U.S. Army first lieutenant needed to know that his sacrifice was worth it. Retired Army 1st Lt. Edwin Salau says he sees progress in Iraq since he left five years ago. "I wanted to make sure I didn't bleed in vain for the Iraqi people," Salau said. "And what I found is I did not. I see the progress over five years. I see free Iraqis doing what Iraqis want to do in their country, and I see the U.S. taking a back seat." Salau left the battlefield in November 2004, after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire during an ambush close to the town of Tuz. Those injuries cost him most of his left leg; it was amputated above the knee and he now wears a prosthesis. Recently, he and seven other wounded American veterans returned to Iraq so they could heal emotionally. It was part of a nonprofit pilot program called Operation Proper Exit, an initiative started a little over a year ago by the Troops First Foundation, based in Maryland. The USO supports the mission.  Watch Salau describe his feelings on returning » Rick Kell, head of Troops First, traveled to Iraq with the soldiers and said the idea came from American troops. "After spending much time at Walter Reed and Brooke Army medical centers, inevitably in any conversation, something reminds somebody that they want to go back. And the soldiers don't hesitate to tell you that," Kell said. "They are soldiers and they want to come back primarily for several reasons, but they want to come back and let the troops here on the ground know that they are still part of them, they support them, and they would very much like to be with them, although they can't." It's an emotional journey for the returning veterans, a chance to visit bases where they were stationed, and, in some cases, the sites where they were wounded. Though other programs have allowed wounded American soldiers to return to the scene of their service and sacrifice, this is the first to allow them to do so while a war is still being waged. All in all, 13 soldiers have participated in the program so far -- eight this trip and five on a previous trip, which took place in June. The earlier trip was kept quiet because of fears that the experience would be too overwhelming for the participants. According to Kell, he encounters many soldiers who would like to return, but those who are selected are chosen carefully. "Well, first of all, when we come in contact with someone who wants to come back -- and that's somebody who is thriving, that is mentally and physically moving forward in their life, they've demonstrated that they have a plan for what's next and they've begun to implement that plan," he said. "So we feel pretty good about this person being squared away. And there are concerns, but it's a very personal decision. We only ask for one of three answers: yes, no or not now." Salau, who now works with other wounded soldiers at Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina, thinks he's become an ambassador for them. When Salau departed Iraq the first time, he couldn't do it on his own. That's why this trip was so important to him. "My purpose for this trip was for my soldiers to have that last memory of me in Iraq walking out of here on my own power," he said. "And I achieved that and it was closure." Salau and Kell think the program has been a success so far. According to them, the main reason for that is the support they've gotten from the military command in Iraq, particularly Gen. Raymond Odierno, the top U.S. commander there. Odierno's experiences with his son, who lost his arm in Iraq, helped the general better understand these soldiers' plight,

On what date did the "Operation Proper Exit" program start?

What is the reason why the eight wounded U.S. veterans returned to Iraq, instead of being sent home?

Which program is run by the troops and backed by the USO?

What number of U.S. veterans return to Iraq through "Operation Proper Exit"?

Answer: over a year ago

Answer: Edwin Salau

Answer: so they could heal emotionally.

Answer: Operation Proper Exit,

Answer: 13 soldiers

Summary:
Eight wounded U.S. veterans return to Iraq through "Operation Proper Exit" program .
Veterans want troops on the ground to know they're still part of them, organizer says .
Retired lieutenant says progress in Iraq shows he didn't "bleed in vain"
Program is run by Troops First Foundation, backed by USO .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Five American security contractors were detained in connection with the killing of another American contractor last month inside Baghdad's Green Zone, sources with knowledge of the investigation told CNN Saturday. The body of James Kitterman was found in a car in Baghdad's heavily protected Green Zone. Iraqi and U.S. personnel took the five into custody in an operation inside the Green Zone before dawn on Friday, according to an Iraqi official involved in the investigation into the killing of James Kitterman. The five, who have not yet been charged, were being held by Iraqi security forces Saturday at a jail inside the heavily protected zone, he said. The troops also confiscated weapons during the raid on the suspects' firm at about 4 a.m. (11 a.m. ET), said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The names of the suspects and the company they work for were not released. The U.S. military declined comment and referred questions to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Embassy officials did not immediately respond to request for comments. Kitterman was found bound, blindfolded and fatally stabbed in a car in the district, formally known as the International Zone, on May 22. The 60-year-old Houston, Texas, resident owned a construction company that operated in Iraq. The five suspects knew the victim, a source inside the Green Zone familiar with the investigation said. Both the Iraqi and the Green Zone sources noted that the FBI has been involved in the investigation from the start. Once the suspects are charged and referred to trial, the case would be sent to Iraq's Central Criminal Court, the Iraqi official said. If that happens, it would be the first time U.S. citizens were tried in Iraq since the United States returned the country's government to the Iraqis. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Alan Duke contributed to this report.

What was confiscated in the raid of the firm?

What kind of company did the victim own?

How many were arrested in death of James Kitterman?

What confiscated in raid of suspects' firm?

How many people were arrested in connection with the death?

Where was James Kitterman's construction company located?

How many arrested in death of fellow contractor James Kitterman?

Who found bound, blindfolded and fatally stabbed?

Answer: weapons

Answer: construction

Answer: Five

Answer: weapons

Answer: Five

Answer: Iraq.

Answer: weapons

Answer: Five

Answer: James Kitterman

Summary:
NEW: Weapons confiscated in raid of suspects' firm, official says .
Five arrested in death of fellow contractor James Kitterman .
Kitterman found bound, blindfolded and fatally stabbed .
Victim owned a construction company that operated in Iraq .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Five U.S. soldiers were killed Friday in a suicide bombing in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul -- the single deadliest attack on U.S. troops in more than a year, the U.S. military said.

A suicide truck bomber breached the outer security barrier of Iraqi National Police headquarters in southern Mosul, and detonated his explosives, killing eight people and wounding 60 others, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. A U.S. soldier was also among the wounded, the U.S. military said.

The ministry said those killed include five Americans, two Iraqi policemen and an Iraqi soldier. At least two individuals suspected of being involved in the attack were detained, the U.S. military said.

It is the deadliest attack on U.S. forces since March 10, 2008, when five U.S. soldiers were killed in a suicide attack in Baghdad.

Despite a number of military operations in this volatile city during the past year, Mosul remains one of the most violent places in Iraq. Last year the U.S. military said Mosul was the last urban stronghold of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Mosul is the provincial capital of Nineveh and is about 260 miles, or 420 kilometers, north of Baghdad.  Watch a suicide bomb attack kills 5 U.S. soldiers »

U.S. and Iraqi military forces plan to pull out of Mosul  to allow Iraqi police to control security in the city. But police are not quite ready yet, according to an Iraqi general.

"We need to bring the police to the required level. The deadline is the end of July, and it's not enough time to prepare the police," said Gen. Hassan Karim, commander of Nineveh operations for the Iraqi army. "(That) means we'll need U.S. forces to stay in Mosul."

CNN's Nic Robertson contributed to this report

how many were killed?
Where did the truck explode?
what does this mean for the soliders?
What is significant about the attack?
Where is Mosul?
what is deadliest to US forces?

Answer: eight people

Answer: Mosul

Answer: we'll need U.S. forces to stay in Mosul."

Answer: It is the deadliest attack on U.S. forces since March 10, 2008,

Answer: northern Iraqi

Answer: suicide bombing

Summary:
NEW: Attack is deadliest on U.S. forces in more than a year .
Suicide bomber explodes truck at national police headquarters in Mosul .
Five Americans among eight dead; 60 others wounded .
Mosul, 260 miles north of Baghdad, called last urban stronghold of al Qaeda in Iraq .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Four Americans -- two soldiers and two civilians from the Defense and State departments -- were killed Tuesday in a blast that rocked a municipal building in Baghdad's Sadr City, the U.S. Embassy said. The attack also killed six Iraqis and wounded 10 others, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. A second employee from the U.S. Defense Department also died, but that person wasn't an American. The employee was a dual Italian-Iraqi national, the Italian Foreign Ministry said. The U.S. military said the blast struck a meeting of a district advisory council, a neighborhood group that looks at local needs and passes on its assessments to the provincial government. The deputy head of the council was seriously injured, the Interior Ministry official said. The U.S. military blamed Iranian-backed militants it calls Special Groups for the blast and detained three people in connection with the attack, including a suspect "fleeing the scene [who] tested positive for explosive residue." "We believe the target of the attack was a high-ranking [district advisory council] member as well as the U.S. soldiers," said Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a U.S. military spokesman. "We believe the Special Groups criminals were upset that the DAC member was working with coalition forces to improve the quality of life for the southern Sadr City residents." A statement from Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, identified the slain State Department employee as Steve Farley. "Mr. Farley was a member of our embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team for the Sadr City and Adhamiya districts of Baghdad City," the statement said. "We extend our deepest condolences to their families and friends, and our profound appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice that they made in service to their country and for the people of Iraq. This is a tragic loss and one we all mourn." The U.S. Embassy statement didn't identify the other victims. The blast dramatizes the perils the war still poses for Americans despite a Pentagon report Monday that touted a sharp decrease in violence in Iraq in recent months. The explosion also marked the third strike in two days involving local politicians and political institutions in Baghdad. A city councilman on Monday fired on U.S. forces at a municipal building southeast of the capital in the Salman Pak area and killed two soldiers. Separately, the head of Abu Dsheer City Council in Baghdad's southern Dora area was gunned down at his home later Monday. Last week, a bomb ripped through Baghdad's Hurriya district near a neighborhood advisory council meeting where U.S. troops were stationed, killing 63 people and wounding 71 others. The U.S. military also blamed that attack on a Special Groups cell, but Stover couldn't say whether it was connected to Tuesday's blast. "Last week's event was an attempt to incite sectarian violence and hatred against the Iraqi Sunni population in an effort to keep them from returning to Hurriya," Stover said. Sadr City, the scene of Tuesday's deadly blast, is a stronghold of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and where some of the capital's most intense fighting in recent months has occurred between Shiite militia members and Iraqi security forces. A truce deal was reached last month between the Iraqi government and al-Sadr's followers, ending weeks of fighting and allowing the Iraqi army to enter Sadr City, but violence persists. Al-Sadr recently announced his intention to develop a new fighting force that would battle U.S.-led forces in Iraq. Many followers in al-Sadr's Mehdi Army militia have heeded a long-standing cease-fire, but some rogue forces are thought to be involved in violence. "This was the fourth meeting of this district council, led by hard-working Iraqis determined to make a difference and set Sadr City off on the right path. Special Groups are afraid of progress and afraid of empowering the people," Lt. Col. John Digiambatista of the 4th Infantry Division said in a news release, referring to Tuesday's attack. Twenty-five U.S. troops have died in Iraq to date this month. There

Who was killed in the Mosul suicide bomb?

Answer: a municipal building in Baghdad's Sadr City,

Answer: two soldiers and two civilians from the Defense and State departments

Answer: Four

Answer: Four

Answer: two soldiers and two civilians from the Defense and State departments

Answer: U.S. Defense Department

Summary:
NEW: Another victim identified as Italian-Iraqi working for U.S. Defense Department .
NEW: Child and policeman killed, dozens wounded in Mosul suicide car bomb .
Four Americans and six Iraqis among 11 dead in blast in Baghdad's Sadr City .
U.S. military will transfer security responsibilities in Anbar province to Iraqi military .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- From a distance, it looks like an apparition: a huge multi-colored hot-air balloon floating in the Baghdad sky, bearing a large poster of Jesus Christ. Below it, an Iraqi flag. Santa and his helpers stand under palm trees at Baghdad's first public Christmas festival. Welcome to the first-ever public Christmas celebration in Baghdad, held Saturday and sponsored by the Iraqi Interior Ministry. Once thought to be infiltrated by death squads, the Ministry now is trying to root out sectarian violence -- as well as improve its P.R. image. The event takes place in a public park in eastern Baghdad, ringed with security checkpoints. Interior Ministry forces deployed on surrounding rooftops peer down at the scene: a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and tinsel; a red-costumed Santa Claus waving to the crowd, an Iraqi flag draped over his shoulders; a red-and-black-uniformed military band playing stirring martial music, not Christmas carols. On a large stage, children dressed in costumes representing Iraq's many ethnic and religious groups -- Kurds, Turkmen, Yazidis, Christians, Arab Muslims not defined as Sunni or Shiite -- hold their hands aloft and sing "We are building Iraq!" Two young boys, a mini-policeman and a mini-soldier sporting painted-on mustaches, march stiffly and salute.  Watch the celebration in Baghdad » Even before I can ask Interior Ministry spokesman Major-General Abdul Karim Khalaf a question, he greets me with a big smile. "All Iraqis are Christian today!" he says. Khalaf says sectarian and ethnic violence killed thousands of Iraqis. "Now that we have crossed that hurdle and destroyed the incubators of terrorism," he says, "and the security situation is good, we have to go back and strengthen community ties." In spite of his claim, the spokesman is surrounded by heavy security. Yet this celebration shows that the security situation in Baghdad is improving. Many of the people attending the Christmas celebration appear to be Muslims, with women wearing head scarves. Suad Mahmoud, holding her 16-month-old daughter, Sara, tells me she is indeed Muslim, but she's very happy to be here. "My mother's birthday also is this month, so we celebrate all occasions," she says, "especially in this lovely month of Christmas and New Year." Father Saad Sirop Hanna, a Chaldean Christian priest, is here too. He was kidnapped by militants in 2006 and held for 28 days. He knows firsthand how difficult the lot of Christians in Iraq is but, he tells me, "We are just attesting that things are changing in Baghdad, slowly, but we hope that this change actually is real. We will wait for the future to tell us the truth about this." He just returned from Rome. "I came back to Iraq because I believe that we can live here," he says. "I have so many [Muslim] friends and we are so happy they started to think about things from another point of view and we want to help them." The Christmas celebration has tables loaded with cookies and cakes. Families fill plates and chat in the warm winter sun. Santa balloons hang from trees. An artist uses oil paint to create a portrait of Jesus. In the middle of the park there's an art exhibit, the creation of 11- and 12-year-olds: six displays, each about three feet wide, constructed of cardboard and Styrofoam, filled with tiny dolls dressed like ordinary people, along with model soldiers and police. They look like model movie sets depicting everyday life in Baghdad. Afnan, 12 years old, shows me her model called "Arresting the Terrorists." "These are the terrorists," she tells me. "They were trying to blow up the school." In the middle of the street a dead "terrorist" sprawls on the asphalt, his bloody arm torn from his body by an explosion. Afnan tells me she used red nail polish to paint the blood.

For what purpose was the celebration put on by the Interior Ministry?

What did the priest say at the celebration?

Answer: portrait of Jesus.

Answer: ornaments and tinsel;

Answer: trying to root out sectarian violence

Answer: "We are just attesting that things are changing in Baghdad, slowly, but we hope that this change actually is real. We will wait for the future to tell us the truth about this."

Answer: Baghdad,

Summary:
Iraq's first public Christmas party decorated with Jesus, Santa, Christmas tree .
Celebration put on by Interior Ministry to "strengthen community ties"
Kids' art projects show Baghdad scenes, including one with toy as dead "terrorist"
Christian priest at celebration says Baghdad changes give him hope .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Hundreds of gay men have been tortured and killed in Iraq in recent months, some by the nation's security forces, Human Rights Watch said Monday. Iraqi clerics say homosexuality must be eradicated but warn against anti-gay violence. Interviews with doctors indicate hundreds of men had been killed, but the exact number was unclear because of the stigma associated with homosexuality in Iraq, the New York-based watchdog group said in its report. "Iraq's leaders are supposed to defend all Iraqis, not abandon them to armed agents of hate," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch. "Turning a blind eye to torture and murder threatens the rights and life of every Iraqi." Four victims who spoke to CNN gave accounts of the attacks, which they say have intensified in the past few months. "In 2004, militias and unknown groups started to go after the gays ... but the peak was six months ago," said Qaisar, who uses a pseudonym for fear of reprisal. "It has become wide scale war against gays in Iraq." Iraqi officials acknowledged that the nation's culture stigmatizes homosexuality, but said the government does not condone such attacks. Authorities are unable to provide homosexuals with special protection, said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. According to Human Rights Watch, which is urging a government crackdown, attackers target people on the streets or storm homes, where they conduct interrogations and demand names of suspected gay men. Many end up in hospitals and morgues, the organization said, basing its conclusion on reports from doctors. Men have been threatened with "honor killings" by relatives worried that their "unmanly behavior" will ruin the family's reputation, Human Rights Watch said.  Watch Iraqi men discuss attacks » Killings, kidnappings and torture of those suspected of homosexual conduct have intensified in areas such as the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City, the watchdog said. "The Shiite people started this war and especially what happened in Sadr City," Qaisar said, adding that his sister-in-law had warned him against going to the area. Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia, which is active in Sadr City, has joined in the attacks and defends its actions as a way to stop the "feminization" of Iraqi men, the report said. "We have testimony that indicates that the nation's security forces are taking part in the attacks," Long said. The group interviewed more than 50 people who gave accounts of abuses, beatings and stops at security checkpoints, he said. "When the gay killings started and when they started go(ing) after them at checkpoints ... we started to change our look," said Basim, who also used a pseudonym. "These killings point to the continuing and lethal failure of Iraq's post-occupation authorities to establish the rule of law and protect their citizens," said Rasha Moumneh, Middle East researcher for Human Rights Watch. A provision from the Saddam Hussein era endorses crimes committed "with honorable motives," according to the organization. The government spokesman said the provision was popular during the Saddam era, but is not used today. He added that there is a push to educate police about human rights. Attacks against civilians, including homosexuals, are not allowed, al-Dabbagh said.

What are escalating?
Where is the attacks located?
Human Rights Watch says what?
What did the Iraq spokesman say?
What is escalating?

Answer: Killings, kidnappings and torture of those suspected of homosexual conduct have intensified

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Hundreds of gay men have been tortured and killed in Iraq

Answer: Authorities are unable to provide homosexuals with special protection,

Answer: Killings, kidnappings

Summary:
Human Rights Watch says people are targeted on the streets and interrogated .
Group: Killings, kidnappings and torture of suspected homosexuals are escalating .
Attacks against civilians, including homosexuals, not allowed, Iraq spokesman says .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Imams delivering their Friday sermons in Iraq are denouncing the shooting of a Quran, the holy book of Islam, by a U.S. soldier. Col. Ted Martin kisses a copy of the Quran before presenting it to tribal leaders Saturday. "If we were strongly united from the beginning, that silly-minded American soldier wouldn't have used the Quran as a target," said Sheikh Ahmed Abdul-Ghafour al-Samarie, delivering a sermon at Um al-Qura Sunni Mosque in Baghdad. The U.S. military and President Bush have apologized, but it did not stem the violent protests in Afghanistan and calls from both Sunni and Shiite Iraqis for the soldier to be severely punished. Muslims around the world were angered when it came to light last week that an American staff sergeant -- a sniper section leader -- had used a Quran for target practice in Iraq. Imams at mosques in the largely Sunni cities of Falluja and Mosul, and in Baghdad, condemned the act. The Baghdad mosque prayer was broadcast live on state TV. "This soldier put the head of his state in embarrassment that he had to apologize to the prime minister. We call upon this soldier to be punished. This act, we reject and we stand against it," al-Samarie said. He said if a similar incident happened again, "the world will turn upside down and things will not go back to how they were."  Watch residents of Baghdad protest » Sayyed Muhanned al-Mossawi, a Shiite imam at al-Hakma mosque, said: "We condemn and denounce the criminal act by the American soldier in Radhwaniya in tearing the Holy Quran and using it as a shooting target." Friday's prayer service is the most important Muslim event of the week. The U.S. commander in Baghdad issued a formal apology Saturday and read a letter of apology from the shooter.  Watch the U.S. military formally apologize » The sergeant has been relieved of duty as a section leader, officially reprimanded by his commanding general, dismissed from his regiment and reassigned to the United States, the U.S. military said. Iraq's most powerful Sunni Arab party, the Iraqi Islamic Party, has demanded the "severest of punishments" for the American soldier. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and Saad Abedine contributed to this report.

What did American staff sergeant use for target practice?

What did the Shiite imam say on Fridays sermon?

Which is the most significant prayer of the week?

Answer: the holy book of Islam,

Answer: "We condemn and denounce the criminal act by the American soldier in Radhwaniya in tearing the Holy Quran and using it as a shooting target."

Answer: Quran

Answer: Quran

Answer: "If we were strongly united from the beginning, that silly-minded American soldier wouldn't have used the Quran as a target,"

Answer: silly-minded

Answer: "We condemn and denounce the criminal act by the American soldier in Radhwaniya in tearing the Holy Quran and using it as a shooting target."

Answer: Friday's

Summary:
"We condemn and denounce the criminal act," Shiite imam says in Friday sermon .
Sunni imam calls soldier "silly-minded American" who embarrassed leader .
American staff sergeant had used a Quran for target practice in Iraq .
Friday prayers most significant event of the week for Muslims .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq awarded a lucrative oil contract to BP and China National Petroleum Corp., government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Wednesday, while rejecting other companies' offers for other oil fields. BP and China National Petroleum Corporation have won a lucrative oil contract in Iraq. The joint BP-CNPC bid was for the al-Rumeila oil field, one of the largest in the world. The energy companies are expected to increase production at the oil field by 50 percent, to 285,000 barrels a day, for a service charge of $2 for each additional barrel produced, al-Dabbagh said in a statement. The Iraqi government rejected bids for five other oil fields and a natural gas field because the bidders did not agree to the service charge set by the Ministry of Oil, he said. The Ministry of Oil rejected the idea that the failure to award more than one contract made the much-anticipated auction a flop. Iraq did not say how much the BP-CNPC bid was worth. It runs for 20 years. Oil Minister Hussein Shahrastani chaired the government-sponsored auction for the oil and natural gas field contracts Tuesday, after a day's delay due to a sandstorm. Much of the auction was broadcast live on state television, which Ministry of Oil spokesman Assem Jihad told CNN was a sign of the transparency of the process. He said the government was satisfied with the auction, even though only one contract was awarded, because the contract was for Iraq's largest oil field. Iraq plans to open bidding this year on 10 more oil fields and one natural gas field, all of which are undeveloped, Jihad said. The companies whose bids were rejected Tuesday have been given time to review their offers, he said. Iraq has some of the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 115 billion barrels -- tying Iran for second place, behind Saudi Arabia's 264 billion barrels, according to estimates from the Energy Information Administration in the United States. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Baghdad contributed to this report.

who made a joint bid for the giant oil field al-Rumeila?

What country awarded the lucrative oil contract?

who awards lucrative oil contracts Iraq?

Energy companies expect to increase production at the field by what percent?

As energy companies expected to increase production in the field?

Who has Iraq awarded the oil contract to?

Are energy companies expected to increase production?

Who did Iraq award lucrative oil contracts to?

How much do energy companies expect production to increase by?

Who did Iraq award the lucrative oil contract to?

Answer: BP-CNPC

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Iraq

Answer: The Iraqi government

Answer: 50

Answer: oil

Answer: al-Rumeila

Answer: to increase production at the oil field by 50 percent, to 285,000 barrels a day,

Answer: for the al-Rumeila oil field,

Answer: the al-Rumeila oil field, one of the largest in the world.

Answer: the al-Rumeila

Answer: BP and China National Petroleum Corp.,

Answer: al-Rumeila

Answer: are

Answer: BP and China National Petroleum Corp.,

Answer: increase production at the oil field by 50 percent,

Answer: 50 percent,

Answer: BP and China National Petroleum Corporation

Summary:
Iraq awards lucrative oil contract to BP, China National Petroleum Corporation .
The joint BP-CNPC bid was for the giant al-Rumeila oil field .
Energy companies expected to increase production at the field by 50 percent .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq will not grant an operating license to security firm Blackwater Worldwide, an Interior Ministry official said Thursday. Heavily armed Blackwater guards scan downtown Baghdad, Iraq, from a helicopter in 2003. Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf said the ministry denied the request mainly because of a September 2007 shooting incident in which security guards employed by Blackwater fired on a crowd and killed 17 Iraqis, according to the government. A U.S. Embassy official in Baghdad, who asked not to be named, confirmed the report. "We have been informed that Blackwater's ... operating license will not be granted," the official said. "We don't have specifics about dates. We are working with the government of Iraq and our contractors to address the implications of this decision." Blackwater has one of the biggest security contracts in Iraq. The U.S. State Department, which contracted the company to protect American diplomats and other employees, is also "looking at the implications" of the decision, said Robert Wood, the department's acting spokesman. Wood didn't say what specific plans the State Department has to protect its employees, but he told reporters that State will encourage contractors to abide by Iraqi law, as required under the recently approved U.S.-Iraqi security agreement, and will make sure its personnel are protected. "We're formulating how to go forward," he said.  Watch report on Iraq's refusal to grant license to Blackwater » Wood refused to say whether two other security companies working in Iraq, Triple Canopy and Dyncorp, would take over security operations, but did say those options were being considered. Earlier this month, five former Blackwater security guards pleaded not guilty to charges of voluntary manslaughter and other serious crimes stemming from their involvement in the September 16, 2007, shootings in a Baghdad square. A sixth former security guard has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter. Blackwater says its employees were returning fire after they were attacked by armed insurgents, but an Iraqi investigation concluded that the guards randomly fired at civilians without provocation. The company does not face any charges. But the Baghdad incident exacerbated the feelings of many Iraqis that private American security contractors have operated since 2003 with little regard for Iraqi law or life. The indictment of the five men represents the first prosecution of non-Defense Department contractors under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA). The act was amended in 2004 to allow the Justice Department to prosecute such personnel providing services "in support of the mission of the Department of Defense overseas." A security agreement approved in December 2008 specifies U.S. civilian contractors will no longer be immune from Iraqi prosecution for crimes committed in Iraq. Iraq has required the licensing of private security companies since 2004, but the provision was not strictly enforced. Last year, the State Department renewed Blackwater's contract over strong objections from the Iraqi government. Starting January 1, the Iraqi government has mandated that all contractors obtain licenses to operate. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.

What were they operating in Iraq
What did they plead?
What did the State Department do?
What was the incident

Answer: security companies

Answer: pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter.

Answer: which contracted the company to protect American diplomats

Answer: September 2007 shooting

Summary:
NEW: State Department looking at options for protection of diplomats .
American security contractor loses right to operate in Iraq .
2007 shooting of 17 civilians led to decision, Interior Ministry spokesman says .
Five ex-Blackwater guards have pleaded not guilty to charges related to incident .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's deputy minister of transport has been arrested after investigators taped him taking a $100,000 bribe, the Iraqi Integrity Commission said Monday. It's the latest sting aimed at what many Iraqis say is rampant corruption in the country. The anti-corruption body said Monday this was the first time such a high-level Iraqi official was caught in the act of taking a bribe. The announcement, made on the commission's Web site, said investigators detained Deputy Minister Adnan al-Obaidi last Wednesday. A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport, Aqeel Kawthar, told CNN on Monday that the deputy minister took office August 10, and his arrest came as a surprise to the ministry. He said there were no indications that al-Obaidi might be corrupt before this incident, but he said the Ministry of Transport "supports and congratulates" the Integrity Commission's work. A foreign security firm had approached the Integrity Commission alleging that al-Obaidi had asked for a bribe of $500,000 to renew the firm's contract, the commission said. "The deputy minister was supposed to receive the full amount first, but the scenario was changed into him receiving $100,000 [in U.S. dollars] as a down payment, and the rest of the money would be delivered after the renewal of the contract," according to the commission's account. "Orders were issued to security forces to deploy undercover in Karrada district" in central Baghdad.  Watch more about Iraq's war against corruption » The statement said the security forces did not know who the target was and their orders were in coordination with the Integrity Commission's operations room. The commission said that five minutes before the arrest, the head of the commission, Judge Rahim al-Agili, informed Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that a high-ranking government official had taken a bribe. The commission said al-Maliki responded by saying: "I do not want to know his name, carry out the operation even if the wanted individual is Nuri al-Maliki. ... Whether he is from the Dawa party, a Sadrist, or a member of ISCI [all Shiite political parties, including that of the prime minister], he is only known to me as a bribe taker ... " The Integrity Commission said the sting was caught on videotape, which it said would be posted soon on its Web site. "The arrest of of the deputy minister of transport was a professional operation with no political dimensions to it, and we have not heard any political or parliamentary bloc objecting to it ... " the commission's account said. "The operation was carried out within 56 hours of continuous, nonstop, work. The head of the secret informant department and the men of the special operations branch [of the Integrity Commission] played a major role ... and the commission dedicated all its advanced capabilities to document and follow this." According to the monitoring group Transparency International, Iraq is one of the top three most corrupt countries in the world, along with Somalia and Myanmar. A recent report from the group said almost half the people it surveyed in Iraq had paid a bribe in the previous year. When CNN talked to people coming and going from Iraq's Interior Ministry, complaints were frequent. "The employee inside said he will only finish my ID for an extra $40," one man said. Another said, "You can't even talk to the janitor in a government office unless you're paying a bribe." Judge al-Agili told CNN his office is kept busiest by the Interior Ministry, but it is investigating 8,000 allegations of corruption against people through all departments and all levels of government. Al-Agili said he believes corruption is part of Iraq's culture, stretching back long before Saddam Hussein's regime. But he said he believes it can be beaten slowly, and that's why he set up the undercover special operations unit to carry out sting operations. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh and Phil Black contributed to this report.

What say Iraqis about corruption in the country?

How much money did the transport official take?

Is there rampant corruption in the country?

Answer: The head of the secret informant department and the men of the special operations branch [of the Integrity Commission] played a major role

Answer: Iraq's deputy minister of transport

Answer: is rampant corruption in the country.

Answer: rampant

Answer: $100,000

Answer: many Iraqis say is

Summary:
Integrity Commission says videotape shows Transport official taking $100,000 bribe .
Sting is latest aimed at what many Iraqis say is rampant corruption in the country .
Transport spokesman calls arrest a surprise, congratulates integrity panel's work .
Integrity panel chief says Iraqi prime minister strongly backed operation .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's government has authorized Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to submit to Washington amendments to a draft security agreement with the United States, an Iraqi government spokesman said Tuesday. Students protest the status-of-forces agreement Tuesday at Baghdad's Mustansiriya University. Ali al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi government approved several amendments that were "necessary, essential and appropriate" to the draft status-of-forces agreement, which would set the terms for U.S. troops in Iraq after the United Nations mandate on their presence expires at the end of this year. "The Iraqi government authorizes the prime minister to bring up these amendments to the U.S. side in order to reach a draft agreement that will preserve the fundamental principles and the sovereignty of Iraq and its high interests," al-Dabbagh said. It is unclear when al-Maliki will submit the changes to the draft document. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently said that there was "great reluctance" to make any more changes to the agreement. However, senior U.S. officials -- speaking under the condition of anonymity -- are not ruling out possibly renegotiating parts of the deal with Iraq if the country's parliament does not approve it. The most vocal opponent of the draft security deal in Iraq has been the political party of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which opposes any U.S. military presence in Iraq. U.S. military helicopters Tuesday flew over Baghdad's Mustansiriya University, where hundreds of students took part in a demonstration organized by the Sadr movement against the status-of-forces deal. "We are against this agreement between the Iraqi government and between the American government because it is against Iraqi sovereignty," said law student Ahmed Fadhil Abbas, one of the demonstrators. Fellow demonstrator and law student Hisham Mohammed said the students plan to organize a sit-in and a strike across universities in Iraq to protest the agreement. The draft status-of-forces agreement, according to a copy obtained by CNN, calls for U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraqi cities and villages by July 30, 2009, and out of the country entirely by December 31, 2011. The agreement allows for an earlier withdrawal or an extension of the U.S. forces' stay in Iraq, by agreement of both parties. It also allows the Iraqi government to ask "the United States government to leave certain forces for training and for support purposes for the Iraqi forces." Legal jurisdiction over U.S. forces in Iraq has been a sticking point in the negotiation, with the U.S. side preferring that its troops and contractors remain immune from Iraqi law. Baghdad had sought the power to arrest and try Americans accused of crimes not related to official military operations, plus jurisdiction over troops and contractors who commit major crimes in the course of their duties. Under the draft agreement, U.S. forces or contractors who commit "major and premeditated murders" while off duty and outside U.S. facilities would fall under Iraqi jurisdiction, according to the copy obtained by CNN. All other crimes -- and murders committed inside U.S. facilities or by on-duty forces -- would fall under American jurisdiction, the agreement says.

Which pact would set terms for U.S. troops in Iraq after U.N. mandate ends?

What did the official call the changed to the draft agreement?

Despite "great reluctance" to change pact, what hasn't the U.S ruled out?

Answer: draft status-of-forces agreement,

Answer: calls for U.S. combat troops to be out of Iraqi cities and villages by July 30, 2009, and out of the country entirely by December 31, 2011.

Answer: "necessary, essential and appropriate"

Answer: U.S. troops in Iraq

Answer: possibly renegotiating parts of the deal with Iraq if the country's parliament does not approve it.

Answer: at Baghdad's Mustansiriya University.

Summary:
Official calls changes "necessary, essential and appropriate" to the draft agreement .
Status-of-forces pact would set terms for U.S. troops in Iraq after U.N. mandate ends .
U.S. has shown "great reluctance" to change pact but hasn't ruled out renegotiations .
Hundreds of students protest status-of-forces deal Tuesday at university in Baghdad .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's main political parties Sunday reached a deal designed to allow non-U.S. foreign troops to stay in the country past the end of the year, when a United Nations resolution authorizing their presence expires. Iraqi and British soldiers during an Iraqi army training session in Basra last week. The deal would set a deadline of July 31, 2009, for all non-U.S. foreign troops to withdraw, according to Abdul Hadi al-Hassani, a lawmaker with the main Shiite parliamentary bloc, who spoke to Iraqi state television on Sunday. The agreement awaits approval by Iraq's Parliament, which is expected to vote on the measure on Monday, several Iraqi lawmakers said. The emergency negotiations came after lawmakers Saturday rejected a similar proposal that would have been law. Sunday's proposal, by contrast, was drafted as a resolution that would empower the Cabinet to authorize international troop presence without requiring Parliament to pass a law. Washington and Baghdad have already worked out a separate agreement that will keep U.S. troops in Iraq but tighten restrictions on them. Countries other than the United States that have troops in Iraq could be left with no legal cover for their presence there if Baghdad does not act swiftly. Iraq's Cabinet had approved a draft law authorizing non-U.S. foreign troops Tuesday, the first step in passing legislation, but it fell at the next hurdle -- Parliament. That left lawmakers scrambling Sunday for a way to give foreign troops legal cover quickly. Lawmakers expect Sunday's agreement to cut through the problem, because a resolution can be passed in a single day, while it takes at least a week to pass a law. British government lawyers, meanwhile, are studying "all possible options" to legally extend the presence of British troops in Iraq beyond New Year's Day in case Iraq's Parliament rejects the new compromise. Britain has the second-largest contingent of foreign troops in Iraq -- about 4,100 -- after the United States, which has about 142,500. All other countries combined have only several hundred troops in the country. Britain and Iraq announced last week that British troops would begin leaving Iraq in May 2009, while a "handful" of British military personnel would remain after that date to continue naval training for Iraqi sailors, primarily to protect oil platforms. The United States reached a security agreement with Iraq in November. That deal, which was ratified by the Iraqi Parliament, calls for American troops to leave Iraqi cities by June 2009, and to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Beginning New Year's Day, U.S. commanders will have to get prior Iraqi government approval for any operations. American military personnel who commit crimes while not on duty or who commit grave crimes while on duty would be subject to Iraqi legal jurisdiction under the new agreement. The U.S. security agreement does not govern the presence of troops from other coalition countries. The Parliament's rejection of the Cabinet's proposed law allowing foreign forces to remain in Iraq after January 1 came after heated arguments that lasted for days. The session became so contentious that Parliament's speaker threatened to resign, lawmakers said. Some political blocs, notably the Sadrists, oppose any extension of the presence of foreign troops in Iraq. That group, headed by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr -- an anti-Western cleric -- is demanding an immediate withdrawal of foreign forces. CNN's Jill Dougherty and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.

What would the deadline be for withdrawal?

who  would permit non-U.S. troops to stay?

who will oppose any extension of the presence of foreign troops in Iraq?

Answer: July 31, 2009,

Answer: British government lawyers,

Answer: foreign troops to stay in the country past the end of the year,

Answer: Sadrists,

Answer: Iraq's main political parties

Answer: Some political blocs, notably the Sadrists,

Answer: allow non-U.S.

Summary:
NEW: Deal would permit non-U.S. troops to stay into 2009 .
NEW: Agreement would set July 31 withdrawal deadline for those troops .
U.K. examining options in case Iraqi Parliament doesn't OK deal .
Sadrists oppose any extension of the presence of foreign troops in Iraq .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's most powerful Sunni Arab political party on Monday said a U.S. soldier's desecration of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, requires the "severest of punishments," not just an apology and a military reassignment. Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond apologizes after a U.S. soldier admitted using the Quran for target practice. The Iraqi Islamic Party, the movement of Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, condemned what it said was a "blatant assault on the sanctities of Muslims all over the world." An American staff sergeant who was a sniper section leader used a Quran for target practice on May 9. The U.S. commander in Baghdad on Saturday issued a formal apology and read a letter of apology from the shooter. The sergeant has been relieved of duty as a section leader "with prejudice," officially reprimanded by his commanding general, dismissed from his regiment and redeployed -- reassigned to the United States. But the Iraqi Islamic Party -- which said it reacted to the news "with deep resentment and indignation" -- wants the "severest of punishments" for the action. "What truly concerns us is the repetition of these crimes that have happened in the past when mosques were destroyed and pages of the Holy Quran were torn and used for disgraceful acts by U.S. soldiers," al-Hashimi said. "I have asked that first this apology be officially documented; second a guarantee from the U.S. military to inflict the maximum possible punishment on this soldier so it would be a deterrent for the rest of the soldiers in the future." A tribal leader said "the criminal act by U.S. forces" took place at a shooting range at the Radhwaniya police station on Baghdad's western outskirts. After the shooters left, an Iraqi policeman found a target marked in the middle of the bullet-riddled Quran.  Read how the soldier could have provoked a crisis Copies of the pictures of the Quran obtained by CNN show multiple bullet holes and an expletive scrawled on one of its pages. On Saturday, Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, appeared at an apology ceremony flanked by leaders from Radhwaniya.  Watch as the U.S. formally apologizes » "I come before you here seeking your forgiveness," Hammond said to tribal leaders and others gathered. "In the most humble manner, I look in your eyes today, and I say please forgive me and my soldiers." Another military official kissed a Quran and presented it as "a humble gift" to the tribal leaders. Hammond also read from the shooter's letter: "I sincerely hope that my actions have not diminished the partnership that our two nations have developed together. ... My actions were shortsighted, very reckless and irresponsible, but in my heart [the actions] were not malicious." Hammond said, "The actions of one soldier were nothing more than criminal behavior. I've come to this land to protect you, to support you -- not to harm you -- and the behavior of this soldier was nothing short of wrong and unacceptable." The soldier reportedly claimed he wasn't aware the book was the Quran, but U.S. officials rejected his assertion. Tribal leaders, dignitaries and local security officials attended the ceremony, while residents carried banners and chanted slogans, including, "Yes, yes to the Quran" and "America out, out."  Watch as villagers protest the Quran incident » Sheikh Hamadi al-Qirtani, in a speech on behalf of all tribal sheikhs of Radhwaniya, called the shooting "aggression against the entire Islamic world." The Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq also condemned the shooter's actions and the U.S. military's belated acknowledgment of what happened. "As the Association of Muslim Scholars condemns this heinous crime against God's holy book, the constitution of this nation, a source of pride and dignity," the group's statement said, "they condemned the silence by all those who are part of the occupation's agenda and holds the occupation and the current government fully responsible for this violation and reminds everyone

Soldier relieved of duty will be reassigned after what?

Where did U.S. commander issue a formal apology?

What did the Iraqi Islamic Party call the Quran incident?

Answer: An American staff sergeant

Answer: desecration of the Quran,

Answer: The sergeant

Answer: Baghdad

Answer: a U.S. soldier

Answer: formal apology and read a letter of apology from the shooter.

Answer: desecration of the Quran,

Answer: "blatant assault on the sanctities of Muslims all over the world."

Answer: target practice.

Summary:
Iraqi Islamic Party calls Quran incident "blatant assault" on Muslim holy book .
U.S. soldier used Quran for target practice, military investigation found .
U.S. commander in Baghdad has issued formal apology .
Soldier relieved of duty, will be reassigned after sending letter of apology .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's oil minister Monday opened international bidding on six oil fields that could increase the country's oil production by 1.5 million barrels per day.

Iraqi flags flutter during the opening ceremony of a new oil refinery plant in the Shiite holy city of Najaf.

But the oil ministry continues to negotiate short-term no-bid contracts with several U.S. and European oil companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell, Total SA, Chevron Corp., and BP -- a step recently criticized by two U.S. lawmakers.

Oil Minister Hussein Shahrastani announced Monday that 35 international oil companies can bid on long-term contracts for redeveloping the six oil fields, as well as two natural gas fields.

"It is a unique event and a significant feature in the new Iraq that we declare the first bidding course for developing the Iraq oil fields publicly and fully in a transparent way," the minister said at Monday's news conference.

It marks the first time in more than 35 years that Iraq has allowed foreign oil companies to do business inside its borders.

Shahrastani said the fee-based contracts will not give the winning companies a share in the revenue from oil sales "because this wealth belong to Iraq only and thus we will not allow anyone to share the Iraqis' oil."

Iraq has among the largest oil reserves in the world, with an estimated 115 billion barrels -- tying Iran for the No. 2 status behind Saudi Arabia's 264 billion barrels, according to estimates from the Energy Information Administration.

Iraq's current oil production is 2.25 million barrels a day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That is close to its status before the U.S.-led war that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, but below its levels prior to the first Persian Gulf War in 1991.

The six oil fields that will be open to development are in the Kirkuk oil fields and the neighboring Bai Hassan fields in northern Iraq, Shahrastani said. They are al-Rumeila, al-Zubair, al-Qurna West, and three fields in the Maysan oil fields -- Bazirqan, Abu Gharab and Fakah.

The two gas fields are Akas and Mansouriya gas fields in western Iraq.

The fields have already been explored and are producing oil and gas, but the equipment is old and outdated, Shahrastani said. He hopes that the new infrastructure provided by the international oil companies will mean "the production can be increased in less cost and less time."

Iraq's oil minister said the ministry will invite the 35 qualified international companies --- which includes BP, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron -- to prepare their bids over the next two weeks. The contracts could go into effect by next year, but Shahrastani said it will take several more years before oil production is increased.

"We hope in 2013 through this first bidding course to increase production in these fields by 1.5 million barrels per day, in addition to our daily average production rate during the last five years," he said.

Meanwhile, Iraq hopes to wrap up its talks regarding short-term, no-bid contracts that would allow the U.S. and European oil companies -- including Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total SA, Chevron, and BP -- to service those oil fields as soon as possible.

Last week, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, and Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing concerns about the no-bid contracts that the government of Iraq is negotiating with the U.S. and European companies.

The senators, who released the letter, said they are worried that unfair distribution of oil revenue could inflame the violence between the warring religious and political groups of Iraq.

"We urge you to persuade the (government of Iraq) to refrain from signing contracts with multinational oil companies until a hydrocarbon law is in effect in Iraq," read the letter from Schumer and Kerry.

"At this time, the (government of Iraq) currently does not have in place a revenue-sharing law that could fairly allocate any revenue gained from

New contracts would raise Iraq's production by how much?

How many  companies qualified to bid on service contracts for oil fields?

Answer: 35 international oil companies can bid on long-term contracts

Answer: 1.5 million barrels per day.

Answer: 35

Summary:
Iraqi oil minister: 35 companies qualified to bid on service contracts for oil fields .
New contracts would raise Iraq's production by 1.5 million barrels per day .
Reduction in violence has boosted production to highest level since 2003 .
Reports: 5 companies close to signing short-term oil service contracts no-bid basis .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi Security Forces captured 66 people believed to be connected to al Qaeda in Iraq terror cells, the U.S. military said Thursday. Members of the Iraqi Security Forces are working in Iraq to capture terrorists and insurgents. The suspects were captured during separate operations in northern Iraq this week, according to a military news release. The suspects included 45 men from al Qaeda in Iraq and 21 suspected terrorists from an umbrella group of al Qaeda in Iraq known as The Islamic State of Iraq, the statement said. The suspects are believed to be part of terror cells responsible for bombings, torturing of civilians, conducting attacks and warning insurgents about upcoming Iraqi and U.S. military operations, the military said. One of the suspects is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July. "These operations show the ability of Iraqi Security Forces to repeatedly capture criminals who undermine the security of Iraq," said Lt. Col. Neil Harper, a U.S. military spokesman.

What is one of the suspects believed to have done?

how many attacks have been done since July?

How many attacks is one of the suspects believed to have conducted?

Answer: bombings, torturing of civilians, conducting attacks and warning insurgents about upcoming Iraqi and U.S. military operations,

Answer: conducted more than 12 attacks since July.

Answer: 12

Answer: 12

Answer: 45 men from al Qaeda in Iraq and 21 suspected terrorists from an umbrella group of al Qaeda in Iraq known as The Islamic State of Iraq,

Summary:
Suspects blamed for bombings, civilian torture, warning insurgents about operations .
Suspects include 45 men from al Qaeda in Iraq, 21 from the Islamic State of Iraq .
One of the suspects is believed to have conducted more than 12 attacks since July .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi representatives will meet with the International Olympic Committee on Monday to try to reach an agreement that would allow now-banned Iraq to participate in next month's games, an official said Friday. Iraq fans cheer during an Olympic qualifying soccer match against Australia in November. Jassim M. Jaffer, Iraq's minister of youth and sports, told CNN he is "optimistic that we will participate." Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh and the ministry's adviser, Basil Abdul Mahdi, are on their way to Lausanne, Switzerland, to meet with IOC officials, Jaffer said. The IOC barred Iraq from participating in the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing, China, citing what it said was government interference with Iraq's Olympic movement. The IOC's charter does not allow political interference. The ban stems from the Iraqi government decision in May to suspend the country's existing Olympic committee and form a new entity.  Watch an official explain the decision » But even as government representatives traveled to Switzerland, Jaffer said Iraq was considering legal action against the IOC. "We will revert to international courts with a complaint against the IOC ... to get Iraq's rights and the rights of the athletes," Jaffer said. On Friday, another Iraqi government official said the country was doing what it could to reverse the ban, but acknowledged that "chances are slim" for a change. Basam Ridha al-Husseini, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, told CNN the government has been in "heavy negotiations" with IOC officials through the Asian Olympic Committee. "The Iraqi government will not give up on our participation, which is still needed by our people," he said in a phone interview from Dubai. "We are doing our best to stop the ban. ... The chances of that are slim, but we will persevere and hope it will happen." Repeated attempts by CNN to reach the IOC press office in Switzerland for comment were unsuccessful. But on Thursday, IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said the IOC in June suspended Iraq's national Olympic committee after the government removed elected officials and put in people not recognized by the IOC. She said the IOC had proposed to the Iraqi government that officials come to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, "to discuss possible solutions." "We're extremely disappointed with the situation," Moreau said. "The athletes have been ill-served by the government in Iraq." Iraq missed a Wednesday deadline for the entry of athletes to compete in archery, judo, rowing and weightlifting, Moreau said. She said there is a chance that track and field athletes could compete if the original committee is reinstated. The deadline for the track team to register is at the end of the month. Jaffer, Iraq's sports minister, told CNN on Friday that the IOC's decision was "unjust" because it did not take into consideration the Iraqi government's reasons for the May suspension. The minister called on the IOC to come to Iraq and talk to the sports federation to investigate the political interference accusations, and then act accordingly. "Looking at this from far away, without going into the details, not reading the Iraqi government's reports, not hearing Iraq's side of the story and accusing Iraq of many things is really unfortunate," he said. Several Iraqi athletes were to travel to China for the games' start in August. Iraqi sprinter Dana Hussain cried for hours after hearing the news of the ban on Thursday, which arrived in the form of a letter to Iraqi officials. "She hasn't stopped. It's like finding out that a close relative has died," said her coach, Yousif Abdul Rahman. Abdul Rahman attempted to console Hussain by assuring her that she could compete in the 2012 Olympics.  Watch Hussain react to the news » "In this horrible situation," she said, "who can say I'll even be alive in 2012?" Al-Husseini said Iraq had the right as a sovereign

What was the reason IOC ban Iraqi athletes?

Who said Iraq was banned from the summer games?

Answer: government interference with Iraq's Olympic movement.

Answer: Iraq

Answer: Lausanne, Switzerland,

Answer: IOC

Answer: Lausanne, Switzerland,

Answer: Jassim M. Jaffer,

Answer: to Lausanne, Switzerland, to meet with IOC

Answer: August.

Summary:
Iraqi officials head to Switzerland to make case to International Olympic Committee .
IOC said Thursday Iraq was banned from summer games, which start next month .
IOC charged political interference, cited Iraq's suspension of its Olympic committee .
Iraqi official says he's "optimistic" Iraq will be allowed to take part in games .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraqi soldiers have found a mass grave of mutilated bodies in a restive region north of Baghdad, a local security official told CNN Thursday.

Mourners with the coffin of a relative killed by a triple car bombing Wednesday in the city of Amara.

Elsewhere an Iraqi was killed and five people were wounded Thursday when a car bomb detonated near the Italian Embassy in northern Baghdad's Adhamiya neighborhood, an Interior Ministry official said.

And 11 people were detained in coalition raids targeting al Qaeda in Iraq and those who help foreign insurgents, the U.S. military said.

Iraqi soldiers said 12 of the bodies found north of Baghdad were beheaded and four others were mutilated. The corpses, all male, were discovered Wednesday near Muqdadiya in Diyala province north of the capital, the official, from Diyala province, said on Thursday.

He said police believe al Qaeda in Iraq left behind the mass grave.

Diyala province -- which stretches north and east of the capital and borders Iran -- has been a major scene of fighting during the U.S. and Iraqi troop escalations this year. It is one of the Baghdad "belts" with a strong insurgent presence that have been targeted by coalition and Iraqi forces over the year.

It is not the first mass grave found in and near Baghdad this autumn.

Others include a mass grave of 17 Iraqi civilians believed kidnapped at fake police checkpoints, found under a house used by insurgents near Baquba, Diyala's provincial capital -- an area where al Qaeda in Iraq has had a strong presence.

The decomposed bodies of 16 Iraqi civilians believed killed by al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists were found in early December in a shelter in central Baghdad's Fadl neighborhood.

And U.S. and Iraqi troops found 22 corpses buried in the region around Iraq's Lake Tharthar, northwest of Baghdad, in both Anbar and Salaheddin provinces.

Meanwhile the Italian Embassy confirmed the bombing in northern Baghdad's Adhamiya neighborhood which killed one person but had no further details about the incident. Three police were among the wounded when the parked car blew up, the official said.

A predominantly Sunni neighborhood, Adhamiya is one of the areas in Baghdad where an "awakening" movement has been created to maintain security. The awakening movement is the name for the anti-al-Qaeda in Iraq Sunni groups that have emerged in Iraq over the year.

The detention of the 11 people in coalition raids targeting netted, the U.S. military said, an al Qaeda in Iraq leader north of Hawija, believed to be responsible for facilitating finances and logistics for the terrorist network in the area". Five others were detained.

A "wanted individual" and three others were detained in Mosul and another person was seized in Samarra.

"Foreign terrorists who come to Iraq to support al Qaeda will find no safe haven from which they can operate," said Cmdr. Scott Rye, a Multi-National Forces-Iraq spokesman. "While they struggle to rebuild their networks, we will continue to dismantle them." E-mail to a friend

Number of people detained by coalition raids?

Who mutilated remains of at least 16 men?

Answer: five

Answer: restive region

Answer: 11

Answer: five people

Answer: al Qaeda

Answer: 11 people

Answer: an Iraqi

Answer: 11 people

Answer: Iraqi civilians

Summary:
Mass grave found north of Baghdad, includes mutilated remains of at least 16 men .
One Iraqi killed and five people wounded by a car bomb in northern Baghdad .
Eleven people detained in countrywide coalition raids targeting al Qaeda in Iraq .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Mothers cradle children in their arms. Fathers smile softly at the helpless bodies they hold. Other parents are bent over from the weight of their teenage kids whose legs fall limp, almost touching the ground. In the absence of basic medical equipment, these parents do this every day. An  Iraqi boy gives a thumbs up after receiving his wheelchair. Brad Blauser, center, created the program. Khaled is a father of three. On this day, his young daughter, Mariam, is getting fitted for her new wheelchair. Her arms and legs are painfully thin, little more than skin and bone. She's 7 years old, but looks barely half that. She and both her siblings, a sister and brother, suffer from varying degrees of polio. None of them can walk. Asked how he and his family cope, Khaled chokes up, fighting back tears. "I am sick of life -- what can I say to you?" he says after a long pause. One man, Brad Blauser, has vowed to try to make life a little easier for these families by organizing the distribution of wheelchairs, donated and paid for by his charity, Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids. He first came to Iraq in 2004 as a civilian contractor. Struck by the abject chaos surrounding him and seeing helpless children scooting along the ground, he pledged to find a way to help.  Watch dads, moms carry kids; tears flow when wheelchairs arrive » His first step was to consult an Army medic to find out what hospitals really needed. "He surprised me with his answer about pediatric wheelchairs. We've got so many children out in the city that the ones who can get around are following their friends by dragging themselves around on the ground, which is heartbreaking to see," he says. "I was surprised. It took me aback." Enlisting the help of generous supporters and an Iraqi humanitarian group Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids was born in August of 2005. Thirty days later its first 31 chairs were delivered. To date more than 250 Iraqi families have received the wheelchairs. Blauser has partnered with a nonprofit group called Reach Out and Care Wheels, which sells him the chairs at a manufacturing price of about $300. The chairs are made by prisoners at the South Dakota State Penitentiary and ultimately delivered in Iraq by the U.S. military. "Getting these prisoners involved, it just means the world to them," said Andrew Babcock, the executive director of Reach Out and Care Wheels. "Even the prisoners, I've been there and visited, and they're so excited. They come up with different design ideas and ways to make things better for the kids. They want to know where the chairs are going and what kids we're helping." Blauser said it's unbelievable to be there when the chairs are delivered. "The most affecting thing about this whole wheelchairs for children is when the parents realize the gift that is being given to their children and they reach out to hug you." he said. "The tears are running from their eyes and they say, 'We never thought that you could do this.' " Blauser is helped on the Iraqi missions by the civil affairs division of the U.S. military, which helps organize the safe transport of the families to the distribution point and adjustment of the wheelchairs to fit each child. He said it gives "the troops something when they go home, something good to remember where they know they have contributed, they know they have done a good thing." Army Sgt. 1st Class Jason Jurack agrees. "It brings a smile to your face. It really gives a different image to the Army as a whole -- helping people out, putting a smile on local nationals' faces, little kids that need our help." It's a sentiment that is echoed by Samira Al-Ali, the head of the Iraqi group that finds the children in need. On this day, she tells the soldiers she hopes that this humanitarian act will give

Where are wheelchairs made that are delivered by the U.S. military?

What did the Dad of three disabled children say?

What was the vision of American contractor Brad Blauser?

Who make the wheelchairs in South Dakota?

Who makes the wheelchairs distributed by the U.S. military?

Answer: prisoners at the South Dakota State Penitentiary

Answer: prisoners at the South Dakota State Penitentiary

Answer: can I

Answer: organizing the distribution of wheelchairs,

Answer: make life a little easier

Answer: prisoners

Answer: prisoners at the South Dakota State Penitentiary

Summary:
Wheelchair distribution was the vision of American contractor Brad Blauser .
Humanitarian group brings the kids to a safe area so they can get the wheelchairs .
"I am sick of life," says Dad who has three children disabled from polio .
Wheelchairs are made by prisoners in South Dakota, delivered by U.S. military .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Nineteen U.S. troops were killed in Iraq in May, the fewest killed in any month since the war started. Baghdad saw a lull in violence in May, as a cease fire agreement has so far been maintained. The second-lowest month for American deaths was in February 2004, when 20 were killed. May's toll was a significant decrease from April, when 50 were killed -- the highest monthly figure since September. The U.S. military death toll spiked last year as the U.S. troop escalation, dubbed the "surge," was unfolding. In 2007, there were 104 deaths in April, 126 in May and 101 in June. Numbers began dropping when the "surge" strategy took hold and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr suspended the activities of his militia, the Mehdi Army. There were 78 American deaths in July, 2007; 84 in August; 65 in September; 38 in October; 37 in November; 23 in December; 40 in January; 29 in February; and 38 in March. May's death numbers appeared to support Senate testimony last month from Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq. Petraeus said recent operations in three Iraqi cities have "contributed significantly to the reduction in violence." The month of June may not bring such optimistic news. A suicide car bomb struck an Iraqi police checkpoint outside police headquarters in Mosul on Monday, killing nine people, including four police officers, and wounding 46 people, a Mosul police official said. Eight of the wounded were police officers, the official said. The incident took place in southern Mosul's Dawasa commercial area at about 7 p.m. the official said. Mosul is about 260 miles (420 km) north of Baghdad.

How many U.S. troops were killed in Iraq in May?

How many people were killed by the suicide car bomb at an Iraqi police checkpoint on Monday?

Answer: Nineteen

Answer: U.S. troop escalation,

Answer: 50

Answer: Iraq

Answer: an Iraqi police checkpoint

Answer: nine

Answer: May,

Summary:
19 U.S. troops were killed in Iraq in May, the fewest killed in any month of the war .
Death toll spiked in 2007, with 104 deaths last April, 126 in May, 101 in June .
Numbers dropped after the "surge" strategy took hold .
A suicide car bomb struck an Iraqi police checkpoint Monday killing nine people .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- None of the 1,000-plus Iraqi detainees freed in recent weeks have broken a pledge not to return to the insurgency, according to the Marine general who oversees the U.S. detention centers in Iraq.

A U.S. military panel reviews a detainee's case at Camp Cropper near Baghdad.

Speaking in Arabic, Maj. Gen. Doug Stone on Wednesday reassured Iraqis about how the 25,000 detainees -- mostly Sunnis -- are treated after being taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in the insurgency.

Stone described the detention system as "open and transparent," saying it makes the detainees better citizens and helps break the cycle of violence and poverty in the country.

Stone said detainees get free medical care equal to what he gets as a general, food and water made to Islamic standards, educational opportunities, jobs skills and contact with families.

The U.S. detention centers -- at Camp Bucca near the southern port city of Basra and in Camp Cropper near Baghdad -- are political sore points for Sunnis, who make up 83 percent of the detainees held. The main Sunni political coalition -- the Iraqi Accord Front -- cited the centers as one reason for quitting the government during the summer.

Last month, the U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Lion's Paw in which between 50 and 70 detainees would be released daily during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan after taking a pledge not to rejoin the insurgency against the Shiite-led government.

"This pledge is an Iraqi pledge, a pledge before an Iraqi judge, frequently with a family member present," Stone said. "I am pleased to tell you that in the more 1,000 that have gone through this program and taken the pledge, not one has returned to threaten Iraqi or coalition forces."

Stone said the releases would continue at the same pace beyond Ramadan.

Stone's description seems a far cry from the Abu Ghraib prison operated by the U.S. military in the first years after the invasion. That prison was closed down and razed in the wake of an international scandal over prisoner abuse.

"There are no secrets that go on in detention," Stone said.

"Our facilities are open to inspection by any agency that we in the federal government believe is credible. These agencies are welcomed because they are windows for the world."  See what life's like inside Camp Cropper's walls »

By the time of their release, "detainees grow in terms of working in an inter-sectarian environment," he said.

Each detainee has a chance to take classes up to a sixth-grade level, and high school classes are being planned, Stone said. About one-third -- or 8,000 -- are in school, with 7,000 having passed the fifth-grade level, he said.

The 860 detainees who are 17 or younger are all in school, Stone said.

The average stay for a detainee is 300 days, but some have been detained for two years or longer, he said. A review board interviews detainees to decide if they are a threat to security, he said. If they are deemed not to be, they are offered freedom in exchange for taking the pledge.

Only 280 detainees are foreigners, mostly from Syria, Egypt, Iran, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, he said.

Other developments

Whose strike kills 13 suspected terrorists west of Baghdad?

What did the US general try to reassure Sunnis of?

What number of detainees kept the pledge not to rejoin insurgency?

more than 1000 freed detaines repotedly what?

Who tries to reassure Sunnis that detainees face no abuse?

Answer: Shiite-led government.

Answer: developments

Answer: 1,000-plus

Answer: are treated after being taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in the insurgency.

Answer: at Camp Cropper near Baghdad.

Answer: 1,000-plus Iraqi detainees

Answer: taken into custody on suspicion of involvement in the insurgency.

Answer: Iraqi

Answer: 83 percent

Answer: 83 percent

Answer: the U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Lion's Paw

Answer: 1,000-plus

Answer: mostly Sunnis

Answer: prisoner

Answer: have broken a pledge

Answer: Sunnis,

Answer: Maj. Gen. Doug Stone

Summary:
More than 1,000 freed detainees reportedly keep pledge not to rejoin insurgency .
U.S. general tries to reassure Sunnis that detainees face no abuse .
More than 80 percent of detainees are Sunnis .
U.S. airstrike kills 13 suspected terrorists west of Baghdad .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie is visiting Iraq to boost what she sees as lagging efforts to deal with the problems of 2 million "very very vulnerable" internally displaced people in the wartorn country. Angelina Jolie has been working to focus attention on problem of refugees in Iraq. "There doesn't seem to be a real coherent plan to help them," said Jolie, speaking in an exclusive interview with CNN's Arwa Damon Thursday. "There's lots of goodwill. Lots of discussion, but there seems to be a lot of talk at the moment, and a lot of pieces that need to be put together. I'm trying to figure out what they are." A goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Jolie wants to find ways to help the agency be more active inside war-torn Iraq.  Watch CNN's exclusive interview with Jolie » Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence in the country has sparked a displacement crisis that is considered the most significant in the Middle East since the 1948 creation of Israel. More than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled their homes, around 2 million to neighboring states, mostly Syria and Jordan, and another 2.2 million displaced inside Iraq. The flight was aggravated by the February 2006 bombing of a Shiite shrine in Samarra, an attack that stoked pitched sectarian warfare. Many of the internally displaced live precarious lives amid conditions of squalor, crowded into camps and slums that often lack basic necessities, such as proper food, health care and shelter. "How Iraq settles in the years to come is going to affect the entire Middle East," said Jolie. "It's in our best interest to address a humanitarian crisis on this scale because displacement can lead to a lot of instability and aggression."    Read transcript of interview Jolie has been working to help draw attention to the problem and has called for governments to bolster their support of the U.N.H.C.R. In August, Jolie first visited Iraq and Syria to get a sense of the problem. She heard stories from refugees about their plight.  Watch as Jolie lunches with troops » This visit to Iraq is focusing on the problems of the internally displaced, 58 percent of whom are under age 12. A top issue for the agency is getting better security. Jolie is talking with U.S. officials, including top U.S. Gen. David Petraeus, about that issue, and are willing to provide such security which she said "needs to be addressed and solved." The Iraqi government needs to empower agencies that deal with migration to address the concerns of the displaced -- but that has not happened yet, she said. Jolie said it was crucial that the government prepare a plan to deal with refugees who return home from Syria and Jordan and find that their homes are "occupied" by others or "bombed out." She emphasizes the way in which these people are resettled will have "broad implications" in the region. Jolie also is talking to people about moving forward the U.S. effort to resettle Iraqi refugees in the United States, which has set a goal of taking in 12,000 of those people by September. Only 375 have been admitted so far. "I have to believe there are people working toward that goal," she said. International agencies, such as the United Nations and the Arab League, and many countries in the region and in Europe are addressing the refugee and the internally displaced persons' crisis, and money is being allocated to Iraq and host countries to help clothe, feed and house people. Most of the refugees are in Syria and Jordan, and they reside in big cities like Damascus and Amman. The U.N.C.H.R. is trying to help governments in Syria and Jordan to cope with the influx, which has stretched the resources of institutions like schools and health systems. It is also attempting to help 41,000 non-Iraqi refugees in Iraq, such as Palestinians and Iranians. Last month, the UNHCR announced a plan to seek $261 million this year for its work to help these refugees. It has almost 350 staffers "directly engaged in

By what method did she help the refugees?

For what reason did Angelina Jolie visit Iraq?

What number of Iraqis have fled their homes?

Answer: neighboring states,

Answer: Angelina Jolie

Answer: "There doesn't seem to be a real coherent plan to help them,"

Answer: draw attention to the problem and has called for governments to bolster their support of the U.N.H.C.R.

Answer: be a real coherent plan

Answer: real coherent plan to help them,"

Answer: as lagging efforts to deal with the problems of 2 million "very very vulnerable" internally displaced people in the wartorn country.

Answer: Angelina Jolie

Answer: More than 4.2 million

Answer: goodwill ambassador

Answer: working to focus attention on problem of refugees in Iraq.

Summary:
Angelina Jolie visits Iraq to boost efforts to help internally displaced refugees .
Actress tells CNN: "There doesn't seem to be real coherent plan to help them"
Jolie is goodwill ambassador for U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees .
More than 4.2 million Iraqis have fled homes, 2 million to neighboring states .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has ordered his government to take down concrete blast walls that line Baghdad's streets and surround whole neighborhoods, the Iraqi military announced Thursday. The walls split Baghdad along sectarian lines, shielding some from Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents. "The concrete walls will be taken off from the main roads and side streets in all Baghdad areas, with no exceptions and within 40 days," a statement from Iraqi military's Baghdad Operations Command read. The massive concrete barriers, typically 3 meters (10 feet) tall, were quickly erected around many Baghdad buildings after the U.S. invasion in 2003. They mushroomed during the sectarian warfare that followed the 2006 bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine in Samarra, when they were put up to separate Shiite and Sunni districts across Baghdad. While they split the city along sectarian lines, they also managed to protect neighborhood residents from Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents and helped U.S. troops and Iraqi government forces manage security within them. The order does not cover the Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and the U.S. Embassy, or military installations, government institutions, hotels or some private companies. The order came after meeting Wednesday with high-ranking security officials, according to the command. Iraqi forces are now calling the shots on issues related to security in their homeland since June 30, the date U.S. combat troops were mandated to leave Iraqi cities and towns pursuant to a joint security agreement.

in how many days will be removed the walls?

Answer: within 40 days,"

Answer: the Green Zone,

Answer: 3 meters (10 feet) tall,

Answer: within 40 days,"

Summary:
Walls will be removed from main roads, side streets within 40 days, statement says .
The massive concrete barriers about 10 feet tall went up after U.S. invasion .
Order does not cover Green Zone, military installations, government institutions .
The walls helped U.S. troops, Iraqi forces manage security within them .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Ramadan, the holy month of Islam, began Saturday with Iraqis hoping for tranquility but fearful after recent attacks that have shaken the country. Plastic flowers and banners hang on cars destroyed in Wednesday's bombings in Baghdad. Al-Iraqia state TV interrupted regular programming Saturday afternoon to broadcast Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's address to Iraqis on the occasion of the start of the holy month. The prime minister said that as he congratulates Iraqis, his "heart is full of sadness and sorrow." Four Iraqi soldiers and a government worker were killed Saturday in attacks in Baghdad and Mosul, according to an official of the Interior Ministry. Gunmen opened fire earlier in the day on an army checkpoint in the Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiya in northeastern Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding one. Two more soldiers died and two were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi army patrol in Zummar, about 50 miles northwest of Mosul. Mosul is 260 miles north of Baghdad. A bomb left inside the district manager's office in the Qahira neighborhood in eastern Mosul killed the manager and two children. A roadside bomb also exploded near a car and wounded two people in the Saidiya district of southeastern Baghdad. The holy month of Ramadan, considered to be a time of peace and giving, is when Muslims across the world fast from dawn until dusk, and its observance is one of the five pillars of Islam. But since the start of the war, Iraqis every year brace for an uptick in violence during the holy month. Some years have seen a rise in suicide attacks. Extremist attacks during Ramadan are sometimes "fueled by a belief that to carry out violence -- 'jihad,' a suicide bombing -- during a holy month such as this one will gain them more credibility with the Lord," said CNN Correspondent Arwa Damon in Baghdad. Ramadan "is meant to be a time to show one's devotion to God, a time of sacrifice," said Damon, "Unfortunately, even though it is very much intended to be a time of peace ... it has proven over the last few years in places like here in Iraq to be a time of increased violence." On Wednesday, more than 100 people were killed and more than 500 were wounded in a series of truck bombings in Baghdad. It was the deadliest day since the United States pulled its combat troops from Iraqi cities and towns nearly two months ago and left security in the hands of the Iraqis.  Watch report on bombings of Iraqi ministries » At least four people were killed and 76 were wounded Thursday in a string of bombings in Babil province, according to the Iraqi government. It is not just Iraq where extremists see Ramadan as a time of opportunity. Kuwait's state-run news agency reported earlier in August that security forces had arrested six Kuwaitis linked to al Qaeda who had planned to attack a U.S. military installation. The suspects had planned to bomb Camp Arifjan in Kuwait during Ramadan, Kuwaiti security sources told CNN. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this report.

What has been a time of increased violence in Iraq?

when has been time of increased violence?

Answer: Ramadan,

Answer: Baghdad.

Answer: last few years

Answer: tranquility

Answer: tranquility

Summary:
Iraqis hope for peace but fearful with start of Muslim holy month .
In recent years, Ramadan in Iraq has been time of increased violence .
This week, dozens have died in series of bombings in Iraqi capital .


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday discussed a "general time horizon" for any American troop withdrawals from Iraq, al-Maliki's office said. Sen. Barack Obama rides in a helicopter Monday with Gen. David Petraeus in Baghdad, Iraq. Obama -- who has made ending the Iraq war a cornerstone of his run for office -- engaged in what were described as productive talks with al-Maliki during a trip to Iraq. The Iraqi government has been pushing for the United States to set a general timetable to spell out troop withdrawals. Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi also met with Obama Monday and told reporters afterward they discussed the security agreement. "I told Sen. Obama (that) Iraqi and American negotiations regarding this are ongoing, and today new Iraqi-American negotiations on this agreement have started with Iraqi written proposals and have a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq," he said. The Bush administration has opposed timetables for troop withdrawals. But al-Maliki and President Bush last week agreed to a "general time horizon for meeting aspirational goals" on troop cuts. The prime minister reiterated that principle with Obama, according to a statement from al-Maliki's office. "Developments of the situation and the circumstances is what will decide the presence of foreign troops in Iraq, but without keeping open-ended dates," al-Maliki said, according to a statement from his office. "With the developments on the ground, we can set a vision and clear horizons regarding this issue, and this is a view both sides agree on in the ongoing negotiations." Al-Maliki's office quoted Obama as saying he is "supportive and committed to preserving the gains achieved by the Iraqi government" under al-Maliki's leadership and that he admires the prime minister's courage. Obama has proposed withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi government's "vision" is that most U.S. combat troops would be out of Iraq by 2010. Asked if that stance is part of the current negotiations, al-Dabbagh said, "No. This is the Iraqi vision." iReport.com: Tell us the most important thing the next president needs to know about Iraq A German magazine on Saturday quoted al-Maliki as saying he backed Obama's proposal, but al-Dabbagh has said that his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately." In a statement Sunday, the magazine, Der Spiegel, said it "stands by its version of this interview." In the magazine interview, al-Maliki did not indicate that he was endorsing Obama over Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. McCain does not think American troops should return to the United States until Iraqi forces are capable of maintaining a safe, democratic state. He has been a strong advocate of the "surge" -- the 2007 escalation of U.S. troops -- and has said troops should stay in Iraq as long as needed. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal -- who's been mentioned as a possible vice presidential pick for McCain -- on Monday criticized Obama's push to remove troops in 16 months as an "arbitrary timetable based on politics versus a plan based on the actual results on the ground." "One of the reasons I'm supporting [McCain] -- he has made it clear he would rather lose an election than lose a war. He's made it very clear -- let's listen to the commanders on the ground," Jindal said on CNN's "American Morning." McCain last week chided Obama for laying out his plans for Iraq and Afghanistan before talking to Gen. David Petraeus, the head of U.S. troops in Iraq. Obama met with Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, in Baghdad on Monday. He also met with Tariq al-Hashimi, a Sunni Arab who is one of Iraq's two vice presidents; Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq;

who is going with obama
who is going to be at the talks

Answer: Gen. David Petraeus

Answer: Sen. Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki

Summary:
NEW: Sen. Barack Obama, Iraqi prime minister reportedly hold "productive" talks .
Sens. Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel accompany Obama on trip .
Obama has talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday .
Obama says part of his strategy is "taking the fight to al Qaeda in Afghanistan"


BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Shada's back aches more and more each day as she literally bears her family's burden. Clothed in a black robe, she strains under her husband's weight. Shada now carries her husband around the house. His legs were blown off in a bombing. Murtada, a 29-year-old taxi driver, was once a proud husband and father. But one morning last October, he kissed his family good-bye and set off to work. Within hours, their world was shattered. A bomb blew off both his legs above the knee. "I lost consciousness for a bit. I knew I was wounded," he says. "I was under the car. I saw my legs were severed, just flesh and skin. I was holding my legs, bleeding."  Watch Shada strain to carry her husband » Helpless, the daily burden is now on Shada. She carries Murtada when he needs to be moved. She can't even leave the house because of the constant care she provides her husband. "I want to work, but I can't really because then who will stay with my husband?" she says. "Who will take him to the bathroom? My first concern every morning is my husband."  See the struggles of Iraqi women » The attack did to Murtada what roadside bombs, rocket fire, and sniper shootings have done to thousands of Iraqis. Since the war began, the estimates of wounded Iraqis have ranged from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of people.  Go inside Iraq with CNN's Arwa Damon » According to Iraq's Health Ministry, 25 percent of the wounded have lost at least one limb. Murtada is one of these grim stats, and his life is now a nightmare. He has stumps where his legs used to be and hasn't been able to get prosthetics. He moves around by lifting himself with his arms, riding in a wheelchair or being carried by his wife. Life has forced Shada to tap into a physical and emotional strength she did not know she possessed. Their 3-year-old son helps care for his father. One time, Murtada admits his thoughts turned dark. "I was thinking, 'Is this really going to be my life?' And then I was thinking about my son and how I can't provide for him, and then I began thinking about poisoning myself." This small family lives in a small rented house in a Shiite neighborhood in western Baghdad. Shada has endured many tough times amid war and conflict. Her brother was shot dead and her father died because of poor health care. Neighbors have helped the family financially, and Shada tries to make ends meet by selling gasoline on the street. But the circumstances have forced the man she relied on to rely on her. "I look at him like a baby, with the needs of a baby," she says. "Nobody but me can help him. I cannot go to the markets because of him. I am asking people for help because I cannot leave him alone in the house." E-mail to a friend

Who is asking people for help because she can not leave her husband alone in the house?

What did her husband lose in the bombing?

Who devoted herself to caring for her injured husband?

Who devotes herself to caring for her injured husband?

Who said; I saw my legs were severed, just flesh and skin?

Answer: her husband

Answer: help

Answer: Shiite neighborhood in western Baghdad.

Answer: prosthetics.

Answer: Shada

Answer: His legs

Answer: Shada

Answer: His legs were blown off

Answer: Shada

Answer: Shada

Answer: Murtada, a 29-year-old taxi driver,

Summary:
Iraqi woman devotes herself to caring for injured husband .
Her husband lost both legs in bombing, has been unable to get prosthetics .
"I saw my legs were severed, just flesh and skin," he says .
Wife: "I am asking people for help because I cannot leave him alone in the house"