Iraq Fears Unrest Amid Talk of U.S. Troops Extending Stay

Iraq Fears Unrest Amid Talk of U.S. Troops Extending Stay WASHINGTON — Senior U.S. and Iraqi military officials have been in negotiations about keeping some 10,000 American troops in Iraq beyond the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. forces at year's end, according to officials familiar with the talks.But the discussions face political obstacles in both countries, and have faltered in recent weeks because of Iraqi worries that a continued U.S. military presence could fuel sectarian tension and lead to protests similar to those sweeping other Arab countries, U.S. officials say.A separate drawdown deadline is looming in Afghanistan, where...

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At Least 75 Killed in Deadliest Day of Syrian Uprising

At Least 75 Killed in Deadliest Day of Syrian UprisingBEIRUT -- Syrian security forces fired bullets and tear gas Friday at tens of thousands of protesters across the country, killing at least 75 people in the bloodiest day of the monthlong uprising and signaling that the authoritarian regime was prepared to turn more ruthless to put down the revolt against President Bashar Assad.Among the dead were a 70-year-old man and two boys ages 7 and 10, Amnesty International said. In the southern town of Izraa, a man ran carrying the body of a young boy, whose hair was matted with blood from a gaping wound on his head, as another child wept ...

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