IRAQ

Cinncenati Post: 'Weekend Warriors'Paying Price In Iraq

WASHINGTON -- The war on terrorism is setting historic - but not always welcome - benchmarks for America's weekend warriors, especially the men and women of the Army's National Guard and Reserve.

For the first time since World War II an infantry battalion of the New York National Guard has been mobilized for combat. About 640 men and women of the 27th Infantry Brigade got word in late September that they will be heading to Iraq this winter after training in northern New York.

The 3,500 North Carolina National Guard troops preparing for duty in Iraq represent the largest contingent from that state to be mobilized for combat since World War II.

AFP: Iraqi Shiite Leader - US Troops Must Leave ASAP
TEHRAN (AFP) - The head of Iraq's top Shiite political party, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said Wednesday that any new UN resolution needs to take into account demands that US troops quit the country as soon as possible.

"There is international pressure on the US to withdraw its forces from Iraq, and there are demands for the US to be clear on a withdrawal date. So of course we are with the international community to shorten the occupation in Iraq," Abdel Aziz al-Hakim told AFP in an interview