Kurdish separatist fighters in Iraq begin laying down weapons as part of peace process with Turkey
Read full article: Kurdish separatist fighters in Iraq begin laying down weapons as part of peace process with TurkeyFighters with a Kurdish separatist militant group that has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey have begun laying down their weapons.
Why a Princeton graduate student kidnapped in Iraq still isn’t free 800 days later
Read full article: Why a Princeton graduate student kidnapped in Iraq still isn’t free 800 days laterWith the world’s attention fixed on efforts to free Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, talks are quietly continuing to liberate a Princeton scholar and Israeli hostage held in Iraq by a different Iranian-backed militant group.
Baghdad invites new Syrian president to a summit, sparking political division in Iraq
Read full article: Baghdad invites new Syrian president to a summit, sparking political division in IraqThe official invitation extended by Iraq to new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to attend the upcoming Arab League summit in Baghdad has triggered sharp political divisions within Iraq.
For Iraqi Christians, Pope Francis' visit was a rare moment of hope
Read full article: For Iraqi Christians, Pope Francis' visit was a rare moment of hopeThe death of Pope Francis has sent shockwaves through Iraq’s Christian community, where his presence once brought hope after one of the darkest chapters in the country’s recent history.
Head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, Iraqi prime minister says
Read full article: Head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has been killed, Iraqi prime minister saysIraqi Prime Minister Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has said that the head of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria was killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service along with U.S.-led coalition forces Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, or “Abu Khadija,” was “one of the most dangerous terrorists in Iraq and the world,” the statement said.
Passage of harsh anti-LGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlash
Read full article: Passage of harsh anti-LGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlashHuman rights groups and diplomat have criticized a law that was quietly passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people.
Iraq's prime minister heads to Michigan to meet Arab Americans at a tense time for the Middle East
Read full article: Iraq's prime minister heads to Michigan to meet Arab Americans at a tense time for the Middle EastIraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has visited Michigan to meet with the state's large Iraqi community and update them on escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The US and Iraq will begin talks soon on ending the mission of the US-led military coalition in Iraq
Read full article: The US and Iraq will begin talks soon on ending the mission of the US-led military coalition in IraqThe United States and Iraq will soon begin talks to wind down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq.
US hits Iraq militia sites and anti-ship missiles in Yemen as fight with Iranian proxies intensifies
Read full article: US hits Iraq militia sites and anti-ship missiles in Yemen as fight with Iranian proxies intensifiesThe U.S. military has hit three facilities in Iraq and two anti-ship missiles in Yemen within hours of each other in its continued effort to keep violence from the Israel-Hamas war from spilling over into a wider conflict.
Voter apathy and concerns about violence mark Iraq's first provincial elections in a decade
Read full article: Voter apathy and concerns about violence mark Iraq's first provincial elections in a decadeIraqis have begun voting for the first time in a decade to select new provincial council members, who in turn will appoint governors, with the outcome seen as a bellwether for the parliamentary elections due to take place in 2025.
How the US strikes a delicate balance in responding to attacks on its forces by Iran-backed militias
Read full article: How the US strikes a delicate balance in responding to attacks on its forces by Iran-backed militiasThe Biden administration is balancing efforts to deter militants in the Middle East without triggering a broader regional conflict.
Iraq steps up repatriations from Islamic State camp in Syria, hoping to reduce militant threats
Read full article: Iraq steps up repatriations from Islamic State camp in Syria, hoping to reduce militant threatsIraq is stepping up repatriation of its citizens from a camp in northeastern Syria housing tens of thousands of people, mostly wives and children of Islamic State fighters but also supporters of the militant group.
18 people have been killed in Iraq after a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Karbala overturned
Read full article: 18 people have been killed in Iraq after a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Karbala overturnedIraqi medical officials say 18 people have been killed after a bus carrying pilgrims to the Iraqi city of Karbala overturned north of Baghdad.
Islamic State group still has thousands in Syria and Iraq and poses Afghan threat, UN experts say
Read full article: Islamic State group still has thousands in Syria and Iraq and poses Afghan threat, UN experts sayU.N. experts say the Islamic State group still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across its former stronghold in Syria and Iraq and its fighters pose the most serious terrorist threat in Afghanistan today.
Thousands of Muslims took to the streets to express outrage over Quran desecration in Sweden
Read full article: Thousands of Muslims took to the streets to express outrage over Quran desecration in SwedenThousands of people took to the streets in a handful of Muslim-majority countries to express their outrage at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden.
Protesters storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad after man threatens to burn Quran in Stockholm
Read full article: Protesters storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad after man threatens to burn Quran in StockholmProtesters angered by an Iraqi man in Sweden who threatened to burn a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad.
Iraq moves toward easing its energy crisis with $27B TotalEnergies deal, but challenges remain
Read full article: Iraq moves toward easing its energy crisis with $27B TotalEnergies deal, but challenges remainA multibillion-dollar agreement signed with France’s TotalEnergies could help resolve Iraq’s longstanding electricity crisis.
Iraq opens an investigation into the kidnapping of a missing Israeli-Russian academic
Read full article: Iraq opens an investigation into the kidnapping of a missing Israeli-Russian academicAn Iraqi government spokesman says Baghdad has opened an investigation into the case of a dual Israeli-Russian academic who has been missing in Iraq since last March.
Netherlands and Belgium join international probe into crimes against Yazidis in Syria and Iraq
Read full article: Netherlands and Belgium join international probe into crimes against Yazidis in Syria and IraqThe European Union’s judicial cooperation agency says the Netherlands and Belgium have joined an international investigation into atrocities committed against the Yazidi minority in Syria and Iraq.
20 years after the United States invaded Iraq, Iraqis are still trying to emigrate to the US
Read full article: 20 years after the United States invaded Iraq, Iraqis are still trying to emigrate to the USTwo decades after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, thousands of Iraqis are still trying to emigrate to the United States.
McConnell opposes as Senate nears repeal of Iraq war powers
Read full article: McConnell opposes as Senate nears repeal of Iraq war powersSenate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he opposes repeal of the 2002 and 1991 authorizations of force against Iraq, arguing that that authority “bears directly on the threats we face today in Iraq and Syria from Iran-backed terrorists.”.
Officials: IS militants kill 4 Iraqi soldiers in northwest
Read full article: Officials: IS militants kill 4 Iraqi soldiers in northwestSecurity sources and a local government official say Islamic State group militants attacked an Iraqi army position in the northwestern governorate of Kirkuk killing four soldiers.
EXPLAINER: What spurred the bloody armed clashes in Baghdad?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: What spurred the bloody armed clashes in Baghdad?Iraq witnessed bloody street violence for nearly 24 hours spurred by loyalists of a powerful Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, that was the culmination of a 10-month power struggle.
Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in Baghdad
Read full article: Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in BaghdadHundreds of thousands of Iraqis have held a mass prayer called for by an influential Shiite cleric in Baghdad, a highly symbolic move amid an unprecedented political crisis roiling Iraq.
In Baghdad's Sadr City, cleric's support underpins protests
Read full article: In Baghdad's Sadr City, cleric's support underpins protestsResidents of the impoverished Baghdad suburb of Sadr City say they support an influential Shiite cleric who called on thousands of his followers to storm Iraq's parliament.
Iraq cleric's followers camped out in parliament for 2nd day
Read full article: Iraq cleric's followers camped out in parliament for 2nd dayHundreds of followers of an influential Shiite cleric are camped out inside Iraq's parliament after toppling security walls around the building and storming in the previous day.
Iraqi protesters storm parliament in Baghdad, set up sit-in
Read full article: Iraqi protesters storm parliament in Baghdad, set up sit-inThousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric have stormed into Iraq's parliament to protest government formation efforts lead by his rivals from Iran-backed groups.
Followers of cleric enter Iraqi parliament in show of force
Read full article: Followers of cleric enter Iraqi parliament in show of forceHundreds of Iraqi protesters have breached Baghdad’s parliament, chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties.
Angry Iraqis clash with police over attack blamed on Turkey
Read full article: Angry Iraqis clash with police over attack blamed on TurkeyHundreds of angry Iraqis have taken to the streets in Baghdad to decry deadly strikes on an Iraqi tourist resort the previous day that authorities blame on Turkey.
Sandstorm suspends flights, many Iraqis struggle to breathe
Read full article: Sandstorm suspends flights, many Iraqis struggle to breatheHundreds of Iraqis have rushed to hospitals with breathing problems and the Baghdad airport suspended flights for several hours as a sandstorm blanketed the country, the fifth within a month.
Iraq's new parliament holds 1st session marked by disarray
Read full article: Iraq's new parliament holds 1st session marked by disarrayIraq’s new parliament has held its first session, nearly three months after Iraqis voted in a general election whose results have been contested by powerful Iran-backed factions.
Iraqi Kurd's death in Belarus underscores migrants' despair
Read full article: Iraqi Kurd's death in Belarus underscores migrants' despairGaylan Delir Ismael, a 25-year-old from Iraq’s Kurdistan region, jumped at the chance to try to get to Europe when he heard that thousands from the Middle East were taking advantage of easily obtained tourist visas from Belarus.
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'He lied': Iraqis still blame Powell for role in Iraq war
Read full article: 'He lied': Iraqis still blame Powell for role in Iraq warFor many Iraqis, the name Colin Powell conjures up one image: the man who as U.S. secretary of State went before the U.N. Security Council in 2003 to make the case for war against their country.
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EXPLAINER: Why do Iraq's elections matter to the world?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: Why do Iraq's elections matter to the world?Iraq’s elections on Sunday come with enormous challenges: Iraq’s economy has been battered by years of conflict, endemic corruption and more recently, the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ancient tablet acquired by Hobby Lobby going back to Iraq
Read full article: Ancient tablet acquired by Hobby Lobby going back to IraqIt was looted from an Iraqi museum 30 years ago, Now, a 3,500-year-old clay tablet discovered in the ruins of the library of an ancient Middle Eastern king is finally headed back to Iraq.
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1 killed as protesters scuffle with Iraqi security forces
Read full article: 1 killed as protesters scuffle with Iraqi security forcesClashes between security forces and protesters have left one person dead after hundreds of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad to protest a rise in targeted killings of prominent activists and journalists.
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Pope weighed Iraq virus risk but believes God will protect
Read full article: Pope weighed Iraq virus risk but believes God will protectFrancis said the idea of a trip “cooks over time in my conscience,” and that the pandemic was the issue that weighed most heavily on him. Francis, the Vatican delegation and traveling media were vaccinated against COVID-19, while most Iraqis haven't been. Francis said he wasn’t sure if he would have to slow down his usual whirlwind pace on future trips. Otherwise, the only other trip Francis has promised to make is to Lebanon, though he offered no time frame. He said the country's patriarch had asked him to add a Beirut leg onto his Iraq trip but that he had declined, thinking it would be like tossing the country “crumbs," given all Lebanon’s current problems.
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Where IS ruled, pope calls on Christians to forgive, rebuild
Read full article: Where IS ruled, pope calls on Christians to forgive, rebuildPope Francis celebrates mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)IRBIL – Pope Francis urged Iraq’s Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group’s horrific reign. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, was at the heart of the IS so-called “caliphate” and witnessed the worst of the group’s rule inflicted on Muslims, Christians and others, including beheadings and mass killings. Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, became IS’s bureaucratic and financial backbone. Things are difficult for those living here.”At Qaraqosh, Francis urged its residents to continue to dream, and forgive.
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The Latest: Ontario wants vaccine shot in adults by June 20
Read full article: The Latest: Ontario wants vaccine shot in adults by June 20Eric Holcomb received his COVID-19 vaccine shot Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the opening of the state’s first mass vaccination clinic. Holcomb wore a face mask in the front passenger seat of an SUV while getting the shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the drive-through clinic. Ad___TORONTO — Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID-19, approving the Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose. Canada has pre-purchased 10 million Johnson & Johnson doses, with options to buy another 28 million. The U.S. approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last month.
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The Latest: Pope honors massacre victims at Baghdad church
Read full article: The Latest: Pope honors massacre victims at Baghdad churchPope Francis delivers his speech during a meeting with bishops and priests, at the Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation) Cathedral, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. The pontiff’s landmark visit has been months in the making and is the first papal visit to Iraq, one that eluded his predecessors. The Alitalia flight, with both Vatican and Iraqi flags, carrying the pope and his delegation landed just before 2 p.m. (1100GMT). Dozens of Christians are gathering at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Baghdad hours before Pope Francis was due to land in Iraq for a first papal visit to the war-weary country. The papal visit has raised alarm among public health experts, who fear large crowds will inevitably gather to see the pope.
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'Not a good idea:' Experts concerned about pope trip to Iraq
Read full article: 'Not a good idea:' Experts concerned about pope trip to IraqA Christian priest holds a Vatican flag as he walks by a poster of Pope Francis during preparations for the Pope's visit in Mar Youssif Church in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. (AP/Photo/Hadi Mizban)VATICAN CITY – Infectious disease experts are expressing concern about Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq, given a sharp rise in coronavirus infections there, a fragile health care system and the unavoidable likelihood that Iraqis will crowd to see him. But from a purely epidemiological standpoint, as well as the public health message it sends, a papal trip to Iraq amid a global pandemic is not advisable, health experts say. And the Vatican has taken its own precautions, with the 84-year-old pope, his 20-member Vatican entourage and the 70-plus journalists on the papal plane all vaccinated. Head said for any trip to Iraq, there must be infection control practices in force, including mask-wearing, hand-washing, social distancing and good ventilation in indoor spaces.
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West Bloomfield Iraqi man becomes US citizen after long deportation battle
Read full article: West Bloomfield Iraqi man becomes US citizen after long deportation battleDETROIT – After a long and hard fought deportation battle West Bloomfield resident Sam Hamama became a US citizen on Friday. When the deportations of Iraqi nationals started the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan fought in defense of those who were detained including Hamama. After a long legal battle, Sam is here to stay as a US citizen!”Hamama’s wife and children were at the forefront of the fight. On Friday they witnessed him being sworn in as a US citizen at the Detroit based Department of Homeland Security immigration offices. Previous coverage on deportations of Iraqi nationals

On this day: September 16
Read full article: On this day: September 162007: Military contractors working for Blackwater Worldwide allegedly shoot and kill 17 Iraqis in Baghdad's Nisour Square while clearing the way for a convoy of U.S. State Department vehicles. The Blackwater guards claimed the convoy was ambushed and they fired in self defense, but Iraqi authorities said the killings were unprovoked. The killings outraged Iraqis and strained relations between Iraq and Washington. Another guard struck a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one count each of manslaughter, attempted manslaughter, and aiding and abetting. Pictured here is a sign marking the entrance of Blackwater's training facility in Mount Carroll, Illinois, on Oct. 2, 2007.
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