He also told interrogators that Abu Omar al Baghdadi, who is identified as the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, is a fictional role created by al Masri and that an actor is used for audio recordings of speeches posted on the Internet.
As many as 94 Indians on Monday left Iraq after a "pro-active approach" initiated by the Indian officials there that would see nearly 600 nationals leaving the war-hit country to safety this week.
The new executive order, which will come into force on March 16, covers people from Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.
NIA's sleuths carried out these searches at 21 locations in Coimbatore, three in Chennai, and one location in Tenkasi -- all in Tamil Nadu.
The insurgents are pushing Iraq towards the brink of a civil war but the Iraqi government and the military could still prevent it with strong international backing, the generals said.
United States President Barack Obama has marked the end of the Iraq War by lauding the "extraordinary achievement" of his country's troops. He paid tribute to the slain soldiers and their families in a speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. "Tomorrow, the colours of the United States Forces Iraq, the colours you fought under, will be formally cased in a ceremony in Baghdad. Then they will begin their journey across an ocean back home," the BBC quoted Obama as saying.
The United States is deploying up to 275 military personnel in Iraq to protect its citizens and property as the war-torn country battles a dramatic sweep by insurgents there.
This is the first time President Bush has gone on record saying that US forces were `stressed' in Iraq.
The claim's authenticity could not immediately be confirmed.
Striking a strident posture, the US defence secretary said disarmament is not an issue between Iraq and the United Nations, but between Iraq and the US.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Indian Embassy in Baghdad is "proactively liaising" with the authorities in Iraq to facilitate the return of about 28 Indins who are subjected to long working hours with poor salaries there after being reportedly duped by unscrupulous travel agents.
Indian imports of Russian crude oil may stabilise or even decline in 2024 from record 2023 levels amid shrinking discounts, lower output, and a rebound in West Asian supplies, according to the ship-tracking data and industry executives. This may impact the billions of dollars in annual savings that India made last year. Imports of Russian oil jumped by a record 140 per cent in calendar 2023 to 1.79 million barrels a day (b/d) from 740,400 b/d in 2022, when Russia marched into Ukraine in February, and from just 102,000 b/d in 2021, according to the data from Paris-based market intelligence agency Kpler.
The location of the 40 Indian construction workers kidnapped in Mosul town of strife-torn Iraq has been identified by Iraqi authorities, the government said on Thursday.
A division bench of Justices SS Sundar and Sunder Mohan observed while hearing the bail plea of an alleged Islamic State of Iraq and Syria sympathiser, and also set him on liberty with a string of conditions, recently.
In Group C, Iran's Sepahan survived a pair of red cards to defeat Air Force Club from Iraq 1-0 in Tehran and stay two points adrift of leaders Al-Ittihad from Saudi Arabia.
Around 5,000 Shia Muslims and 162 Hindus have agreed and are ready to go to Iraq.
"In view of the seriousness of the current security situation in Iraq, Government of India advises its citizens to defer visits to the country for the time being," an official release said.
Many nurses hailing from Kerala are stranded in conflict-torn Iraq. Their families reveal their horror stories to Vicky Nanjappa.
Making their second Under-17 World Cup appearance, Iraq have been the surprise package of the proverbial 'group of death' as they are well placed to advance to the knockout stage following a spirited 1-1 draw against two-time champions Mexico, and a 3-0 rout of Latin American giants Chile.
Saddam would continue to inspire Sunni Arabs to not only oppose the US but also other governments that are perceived to be US puppets.
The process will involve a four-stage disengagement that is scheduled to begin this spring, or at the latest by the end of the summer.
Iraqi Sunnis have been outraged by the executions and international human rights groups have also expressed concern.
Delivering a speech at Greater Columbus Convention Center in Ohio on Thursday, McCain said: 'By January 2013, America has welcomed home most of the servicemen and women who have sacrificed terribly so that America might be secure in her freedom. The Iraq War has been won. Iraq is a functioning democracy, although still suffering from the lingering effects of decades of tyranny and centuries of sectarian tension.'
On Thursday, July 27, amid tight security, the Shia Muslim community in Srinagar took out the 8th Day Muharram procession. The procession was carried out after a gap of 33 years in the Kashmir Valley.
Indian imports of Russian oil plunged by a record in August month-on-month (M-o-M) as discounts on the fuel shrank in tandem with rising Brent oil prices. Higher crude prices will drive inflation or hurt earnings at oil companies and India's fiscal position if such spikes are not passed on to consumers. Indian purchases of Russian crude declined by around 24 per cent in August from July to the lowest level since January, with refiners expecting volumes to drop further amid rising rates of Russian benchmark Urals grade, substantial stocks at refiners, and planned maintenance at Indian refineries, according to ship tracking data and industry officials.
United States Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the new Iraqi constitution will not end all violence in Iraq.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Salih said that the Iraqi security forces will have assumed direct control over many provinces of the country.
The US is incredibly dependent on oil and it feared that the competition on the world market could become 'too hard', he told a security seminar in Stockholm.
Chhetri rested as Stimac names 23-member squad for King's Cup
Zico quit as coach of the Iraqi national team on Tuesday after little more than a year in the post, saying the country's soccer association had failed to fulfill the terms of his contract.
Britain has some 9,000 troops in Iraq, mostly based in the south of the country.
Football's governing body FIFA has suspended the Iraqi Football Association (IFA) 'because of government interference'. 'In accordance with FIFA statutes, the clubs and representative teams of Iraq are no longer permitted to take part in international matches, whether friendly or competitive,' read a statement on the FIFA website.
A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll on Wednesday, indicated that the American public considers McCain better than Obama on terrorism and Iraq. The poll also suggests that McCain is a stronger leader who would have better judgment in an international crisis.
Iraqi officials said the insurgents had planned to seize control of the holy city of Najaf and kill top Shia religious figures -- including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shia leader.
Ambassador Chinmaya Gharekhan explains the situation in Iraq and Syria in this interview to Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
United States Vice President Joe Biden has said that the Obama administration is committed to end its combat mission in Iraq by August this year and remove all of its troops from the country as scheduled by the end of 2011.
Former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice has said she does not regret the 2003 Iraq war to oust America's "implacable enemy" Saddam Hussein, but admitted that it was a "mistake" to put the spotlight simply on the weapons of mass destruction, which were never found.
Fuel accounts for as much as 35-40 per cent of the operational cost of an airline.
