UK to withdraw troops from Iraq by "thousands" next year

    LONDON, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- British Defense Secretary Des Browne said on Monday that British troops in Iraq would be "significantly lower by thousands" at the end of next year.

    Addressing at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, a leading think tank in UK, Browne said, "by the end of next year, I expect numbers of British forces in Iraq to be significantly lower by a matter of thousands."  Full Story

Prodi: last troops back from Iraq next week

    ROME, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Italian Premier Romano Prodi said on Monday that the withdrawal of the Italian peacekeeping contingent from Iraq would be completed by Dec. 2.

    Italy, which did not take part in the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, sent a contingent afterwards to help reconstruction, perform peacekeeping duties and contribute to the training of Iraqi security forces. Full Story

Iraqi president calls for Iran's full assistance

    TEHRAN, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Monday called for Iran's "comprehensive" help to stem escalating violence in war-torn Iraq.

    "We need Iran's comprehensive help to fight terrorism, restore security and stabilize Iraq," Talabani told reporters at Iran's Presidential Office. Full Story

Violence rages in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi capital city of Baghdad on Saturday remained under curfew for the second day, as gunmen raided two Shiite homes and killed 21 men in Diyala province.

    In spite of the curfew, gunfire crackled throughout the day and an Interior Ministry official told Xinhua that mortar rounds shelled Baghdad's several neighborhoods, including Sadr City, a Shiite militia bastion where more than 200 people were killed on Thursday in the deadliest bombing attacks since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Full story