Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Wednesday he could have not have imagined what he called the nightmare that unfolded in Iraq but still did not regret joining the U.S.-led invasion. In extracts of his memoirs released before the book's publication, Blair echoed previous statements that the 2003 invasion was justified because Saddam Hussein posed a threat and could have developed weapons of mass destruction. "I can't regret the decis

President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared an end to the American combat mission in Iraq and said America's most urgent task now is restoring the sagging U.S. economy. Here are statements from some congressional leaders on Obama's Oval Office address: SENATE DEMOCRATIC LEADER HARRY REID "Our troops and security forces have done everything that has been asked of them in Iraq, and their heroism has given the Iraqi people a chance to determine their o

President Barack Obama declared an end to the seven-year U.S. combat mission in Iraq on Tuesday and promised recession-weary Americ

Mexico paraded one of its most violent drug lords on Tuesday after a police raid that President Felipe Calderon's government hopes will mark a breakthrough in its campaign against powerful cartels.

Using the gravity of the Oval Office as a backdrop, President Barack Obama said in a 17-minute televised address to war-weary Americans on Tuesday that it was "time to turn the page" on the unpopular Iraq war. * Obama declared the formal end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq but the reality is that there are still 50,000 U.S. troops in harm's way there. Combat units may have been relabeled "advisory and assistance"

The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility for killing four Jewish settlers in the West Bank in an attack that blighted a Middle East peace summit before it even began in Washington on Wednesday. Declaring war on the ta

President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, marking a major milestone since the 2003 U.S. invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Following are highlights of his nationally televised address from the Oval Office at the White House: PRESSES IRAQ TO FORM NEW GOVERNMENT "Tonight, I encourage Iraq's leaders to move forward with a sense of urgency to form an inclusive government that is just, representa

U.S. President Barack Obama raised eyebrows on a major subject -- the timing of the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan -- by misspeaking in his address on Tuesday on ending U.S. combat operations in Iraq. Making the point that the shift in Iraq would free resources to go "on offense" against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the prepared text of Obama's speech said U.S. forces would begin to withdraw in July 2011, the date that had been set. Bu

President Barack Obama on Tuesday declared an end to the American combat mission in Iraq and said America's most urgent task now is restoring the sagging U.S. economy. Here are statements from some congressional leaders issued in advance of Obama's Oval Office speech: SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL "By adopting the Bush administration's plan for winding down the war and transitioning security responsibilities to the Iraqi military over ti

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Tuesday ahead of Thursday's direct peace negotiations as new violence flared over Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Clinton met P