June, 2008

• 19 June

  Iraqi forces launch operation in southern city

  AMARA, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi security forces launched a crackdown on Shi’ite militias in the southern city of Amara on Thursday, the commander of the operation said.

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• 18 June

  Car bomb at Baghdad market kills 51

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – A powerful car bomb exploded in a crowded market area of Baghdad on Tuesday, killing 51 people and wounding 75, in the deadliest attack in the Iraqi capital in months. Police said the bomb was placed in a pickup truck parked next to minibus taxis near the …

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• 18 June

  Iraq’s parliament prepares to leave Green Zone

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s parliament will relocate just outside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone compound in September for the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, a sign security is improving, the first deputy speaker said on Tuesday.

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• 18 June

  U.S. forces say kill four al Qaeda militants

  BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The U.S. military said it killed four al Qaeda militants in a raid in the northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, but Iraqi police said the three brothers and their father shot in the operation were not insurgents.

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• 18 June

  Hearings in July on Turkey’s ruling party

  ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s top court will hold its first hearings in early July in a case aimed at outlawing the ruling AK Party for Islamist activities, a court source said on Tuesday. A state prosecutor will give evidence to support his bid to close the governing party on July …

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• 18 June

  Israel and Hamas agree to Gaza truce

  GAZA (Reuters) – An Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip that could ease a crippling Israeli blockade of the coastal territory will begin Thursday, Egypt and Hamas said.

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• 18 June

  NATO head pledges to forge consensus on Ukraine

  KIEV (Reuters) – NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Tuesday he would try to persuade all NATO members to back the idea of extending to Ukraine a Membership Action Plan (MAP), a step to joining the military alliance.

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• 18 June

  Hezbollah ally says Israel swap deal may be close

  BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Lebanese political leader allied to Hezbollah indicated on Tuesday a prisoner swap deal between the militant Islamic group and Israel may be close.

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• 18 June

  FACTBOX: Key facts about the Gaza Strip

  (Reuters) – A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is to begin on Thursday in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian and Egyptian officials said. Following are some key facts about the Hamas-controlled territory. WHERE IS GAZA? * The Gaza Strip is a sliver of towns, villages and farmland at the southeast end …

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• 18 June

  Turkey “neutralizes” PKK group in northern Iraq

  ANKARA (Reuters) – The Turkish military said on Tuesday it had opened fire on 21 Kurdish PKK fighters trying to enter Turkey from northern Iraq. The General Staff, in a statement on its Internet site, said its forces opened fire on the guerrillas late on Monday 3 km (2 miles) …

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