Shoe-thrower released from jail, Qadhafi to bestow his country’s highest civilian honour in him, Emir of Qatar to gift a golden horse; US commander in Iraq expresses concerns about withdrawal of American troops
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    • Muntadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at the then US President George Bush, was released from prison. al-Zaidi was initially sentenced to three years in prison but that sentence was subsequently reduced to one year on appeal. His sentence was subsequently further reduced to nine months for good behaviour. Many Iraqis greeted his release and even Libyan leader Muammar al-Gadhafi stated that he would bestow his country’s highest honour, the Libyan Medal of Honour, on al-Zaidi. The Emir of Qatar also reportedly promised him a golden horse1.

    The senior American commander in Iraq Gen. Ray Odierno meanwhile stated that there was always a risk that the security situation in Iraq could deteriorate and therefore the current US troop levels will be maintained. The US has currently 130,000 troops in Iraq, almost twice the number as those present in Afghanistan. The number of US troops will however reduce by about 50,000 by September next year2.

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