Iraq War Updates -- July 14, 2008

Iraqi soldiers attend their graduation ceremony at Rustamiyah Military Base in Baghdad July 14, 2008. About 786 soldiers from four military colleges graduated during the ceremony after finishing a year of training.

Fresh Iraq troop cuts hinge on security: Petraeus -- Yahoo News/Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military commander in Iraq said on Monday that security conditions would determine whether he makes recommendations for further troop withdrawals in the coming months.

The comments by General David Petraeus came a day after The New York Times reported the Bush administration was already considering more troop cuts beginning in September.

There are some 146,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq, down from a peak of 170,000 in 2007 when President George W. Bush ordered five additional combat brigades to Iraq to try to drag the country back from the brink of civil war.

Read more ....

More News On Iraq

Nouri al-Maliki ready to oust US from Iraq green zone -- Times Online
U.S. welcomes Iraqi military’s new confidence -- MSNBC
650 cadets graduate from Iraq military academies -- Yahoo News
Iraq poised for major crackdown in Diyala Province -- International Herald Tribune
Curfew in Fallujah, preparations for military operation suspected -- Kuna
Iraq: Al-Qaeda militants surrender to US forces -- ADNKronos
US military: Gunmen kill 2, injure 3 in attack on football game north of Baghdad -- International Herald Tribune
American and British troops face a switch from Iraq to Afghanistan -- Times Online
Senator Says U.S. Troop Reductions Expected in Iraq -- New York Sun
Iraq faces dilemma over US troops -- BBC News
US and Iraq Near a 'Bridge' Deal -- Christian Science Monitor
U.S. Could Step up Iraq Pullout in September: Report -- ABC News
Debate Changer? Pentagon Report to Urge Iraq Drawdown -- Newsweek
Bush to hasten Iraq troop withdrawal in bid to help McCain win White House -- The Independent
Obama: Iraq's timetable demand 'an enormous opportunity' -- CNN
FACTBOX: Is Iraq serious about a U.S. withdrawal timetable? -- Reuters
US Military Deaths in Iraq War at 4,118 -- ABC News
Iraq says petrodollars hold key to peace -- AFP
Iraqi Election Law Still Incomplete -- Los Angeles Times
Electricity-starved Capital Goes Solar -- Los Angeles Times

My Comment: The attention is slowly going away from Iraq. The war is over .... with only a few dead-enders now acting aginst the coalition and Iraqi government. Even the Arab press is toning down their coverage.