| ‘Peaceful’ Iraq gives ‘farewell shoe’ to Bush |
‘Peaceful’ year for restive West Asian region! Coming out of the shadow of US Army, Iraqi forces planned as well as executed their first major operation since the 2003 invasion. The Iraqi Army launched the Battle of Basra on March 25 to kick out Moqtada al-Sadr-led Mahdi Army militia and took control of the southern city in April.
The Iraqi government also managed to ink a truce with the Shi’ite militia, bringing to an end the fighting in Sadr City area of Baghdad.
After over five years of stay, the US finally inked the Security Agreement with Iraq in December to pull back all combat troops by the end of 2011, depending on the conditions in the Middle East country.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown too announced in mid-December that his country’s forces would pull out of Iraq in the first half of 2009 after a six-year stay.
Iraq went into chaos with US President George W Bush’s decision to invade the country. And the ‘ruined nation’ gave unforgettable “farewell kiss” to outgoing Bush when an Iraqi journalist hurled shoes at him during a joint press conference with President Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad in December.
Iran
The nuclear standoff between international community and Iran continued this year too. So was Iran’s reiteration that it wants to wipe off Israel from the world map. In April, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that the Persian country has started the process of installing 6,000 additional centrifuges to its uranium enrichment plant at Natanz, which already has 3,000 centrifuges.
The year also saw the Iranian Revolutionary Guards test-firing nine long- and medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel.
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is all set to say final goodbye to the office, as the leader has already resigned and is continuing as interim premier till a new government takes office. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni had been asked by President Shimon Peres to form a new government, after being elected the head of Olmert’s Kadima party, but she failed to garner a majority. General elections are expected to be held in mid-February 2009.
Israel also drew criticism this year for exchanging five Lebanese prisoners with two bodies of soldiers, who were captured by Hezbollah in a 2006 cross-border raid.
Besides the political tussle, Israel also engaged itself in peace talks with Syria for the first time in eight years.
Israel further went a step ahead on the Palestinian front in June by inking an Egypt-brokered truce with Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. However, as the year neared end, the hopes of a ceasefire extension were dashed when Hamas in December decided not to go ahead with truce with Israel.
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