Pardoning insurgents
The week's news at a glance.
Baghdad
The Iraqi government said this week that it would give amnesty to many of the rebels who have been fighting the U.S.-led forces. President Ghazi al-Yawer said the pardon would apply to Iraqi nationals who had taken up arms against the occupation, even if some of them might have killed Americans. Rebels who do not lay down their arms and accept the offer, al-Yawer said, could face the death penalty if captured by authorities. The amnesty does not apply to rapists or hostage takers, or to the foreign jihadists who came to Iraq solely to fight Americans. “We are trying to say this: ‘Enough! Enough! Stop it,’” al-Yawer declared. “To those who claim that they are fighting against occupation, the occupation has ended!”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
June 25 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons include war on a loop, the New York City mayoral race, and one almighty F-bomb
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap