Iraq War News Updates -- August 31, 2009

Plastic flowers were placed along the rim of the blast crater by relatives and friends of victims of the Aug. 19 truck bombing at the Foreign Affairs Ministry building in central Baghdad. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Arms Finds In Hitherto Quiet South Iraq Ring Alarms -- New York Times/Reuters

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi security forces say they have found numerous caches of new weapons in the Shi'ite south, raising the possibility that an area which has been peaceful could relapse into violence before elections next year.

The discoveries of handguns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, silencers, automatic weapons, roadside bombs and explosives suggest a recent spike in bloodshed from bombings in Baghdad and the north may soon be mirrored in Iraq's south.

The weapons are being stockpiled by Shi'ite political rivals of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, officials believe.

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More News On Iraq

U.S. prepares move of 80,000 Iraq troops -- UPI
American commander: US on the road out of Iraq -- AP
Iraq ministry bombers 'recently freed by US' -- The Telegraph
Iraq: suspected bomber recently released by US -- AP
5,000+ Iraqi prisoners released by US this year -- AFP
US military: Number of Iraqi detainees below 9,000 -- AP
Syria Dismisses Iraqi Charges it Shelters Bombers -- Voice of America
Syria, Iraq accuse each other of worsening tension -- AP
Turks begin Iraq-Syria mediation -- BBC
Turkish envoy in mission to ease Iraq-Syria tensions -- CNN
Iraq's PM renews demand of int'l court to prosecute Baghdad bombers -- China View
Iraqi planes found in Serbia, but in pieces -- AP
Remnants of Iraq Air Force Are Found -- New York Times
Iraq seeks Serbian return of MiGs -- BBC
Iraq seeks return of 19 MiG fighters from Serbia -- Reuters
Nine Iraqis wounded in Baghdad bomb attacks -- China View
New Iraqi Violence by the Numbers -- New York Times
FACTBOX: Security developments in Iraq, August 31 -- Reuters
Party Picks Son to Replace Powerful Iraqi Shi'ite -- New York Times
Iraq struggles to expand exports beyond oil -- Reuters
Iraq: Delayed in a desert war zone -- Christian Science Monitor
IRAQ: Drought hits rice, wheat staples -- IRIN
US Military Deaths in Iraq War at 4, 337 -- New York Times/AP