Related developments
Lawyers for the Rev. Frederick Boyle, who defied government restrictions and visited Iraq in 2003 to protest the pending U.S.-led invasion, argued Wednesday in U.S. District Court in New York that he was singled him out for censure because of his anti-war stance and that his constitutional rights were violated. They said the $6,700 fine imposed on the New Jersey United Methodist minister should be nullified. The U.S. Attorney sought to dismiss the suit. There was no immediate ruling.
An investigation into allegations the Marine Corps delayed sending blast-resistant trucks to Iraq also will examine whether logistics officers were negligent in delivering a laser to divert drivers and people from checkpoints and convoys. Marines on the front lines sought the tool, known as a Compact High Power Laser Dazzler, but a less capable laser was eventually sent. That may have led to casualties among civilians who got too close to guarded areas and U.S. troops lacked a non-deadly way of forcing them away.
The chief of the Iraqi Journalists' Union died as a result of an ambush. Shihab al-Timimi, 74, had just left the union headquarters to head to a nearby art gallery in Baghdad when gunmen opened fire on his car Saturday. He died Wednesday after suffering a stroke while in the hospital, according to his deputy, Mouayed al-Lami.
The State Department's new embassy construction chief has rejected his predecessor's certification that the $740 million new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is "substantially completed" and has instead begun a top-to-bottom review of the troubled project. The official, Richard Shinnick, said the central issue appears to be the firefighting systems.
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about the writer
In interviews with the Star Tribune, Ryan described life before and after the Russian invasion in the country, where she’s worked to secure the border and help refugees flee war-torn areas.
