Iraq: Baghdad calmer, but politics not
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The U.S. military buildup has brought some relief from bombs and bullets to Baghdad's shattered neighborhoods. But it has failed so far to reach its overarching purpose: getting Iraqis to agree to the political compromises that Washington consider crucial for any lasting stability.
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Walls are an emotive issue in Baghdad. Towering concrete barriers have mushroomed across Iraq's capital, put up by U.S. forces striving to cripple Sunni and Shi'ite militants.
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BASRA, Iraq  - Bristling with guards, the polling  station looks more like a fortress than a school, but Iraqis in  this Shi'ite Muslim city say the clampdown ahead of Sunday's  election day is reassuring.
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BAGHDAD, Iraq There&#39;s a sense of relief as well as dread running through the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, a day after a deadly attack there.
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BAGHDAD - Hours before congressional hearings on the progress of the US military buildup, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki addressed his own parliament yesterday, saying security has improved dramatically in the capital and Iraq is moving away from civil war.
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BAGHDAD -- Gunfights broke out and mortars came crashing down on parts of the capital yesterday despite a three-day-old curfew and appeals for calm from Iraq's top Shi'ite, Sunni, and Kurdish political leaders.
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On the second day of increased US and Iraqi security operations in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the overall status of the community Wednesday morning is calm, a US military spokeswoman said.
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Iraq is a nation gripped by fear and struggling to meet security and political goals by September, U.S. officials said Thursday from Baghdad, dashing hopes in Congress that the country might turn a corner this summer. One general said not to expect a solid judgment on the U.S. troop buildup until November.
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BAGHDAD -- A barrage of mortar fire yesterday ended a brief period of relative calm in Baghdad, killing at least one civilian and wounding more than a dozen, while insurgents continued a ruthlessly efficient campaign against Iraqi police forces and politicians cooperating with the US mission in Iraq.
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The commander of US forces in Iraq says violence has decreased, but the country still faces many problems.
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A U.S. Congressional report on Tuesday said "violence remains high" in Iraq, with little political progress and mixed results on security a day after President George W. Bush visited Anbar province and struck an upbeat tone.
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Snow in Baghdad for the first time in living memory delights residents who declared it an omen of peace
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With violence down in Baghdad, U.S. troops will fan out into communities on the rim of the capital to shut down car bomb factories, which remain a threat despite a recent drop in execution-style killings in the city, the U.S. military said Monday.
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U.S. officials in Baghdad fear that a  fuel crisis, which has left Iraqi homes cold and dark and  drivers waiting days for petrol, may inflame unrest before next  month's election.
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Monday's address is expected to highlight improvements in Iraq, but not reforms for immigration or Social Security.
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BASRA, Iraq -- Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who is responsible for bringing democracy to Iraq, got a stirring taste of electoral politics on a recent swing through the impoverished Shi'ite south of the country.
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Far from the daily warfare in the streets of the Iraqi capital, another, quieter struggle is being waged -- that for control of Iraq's intelligence agencies.