Page 2 - Iraq

Iraq's displaced Kurds hope to return as Turkiye's militants halt fight

Iraqi Kurdish villagers, displaced by fighting between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants that has played out for years in northern Iraq, are finally allowing themselves to hope they will soon be able to go home. Their hopes were raised after the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, on Saturday declared a ceasefire in the 40-year insurgency against the Turkish government, answering a call to disarm from earlier in the week by the group's leader, Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned in Turkiye since 1999. The truce if implemented could not only be a turning point in neighbouring Turkey but could also bring much needed stability to the volatile region spanning the border between the two countries. In northern Iraq, Turkish forces have repeatedly launched blistering offensives over the past years, pummeling PKK fighters who have been hiding out in sanctuaries in Iraq's northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and have set up bases in the area. Scores of villages have been completely emptied of

Former Iraqi prime minister returns to Baghdad despite security threats

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, known for promoting the rule of law, returned to Baghdad Tuesday for the first time in more than two years despite ongoing security threats. In 2021, he survived an assassination attempt in which two armed drones targeted his residence in Baghdad's Green Zone area. The attack came at a time of tensions sparked by the refusal of Iran-backed militias to accept parliamentary election results. Al-Kadhimi left Iraq after his term as prime minister ended in 2022 and has been living in London and the United Arab Emirates. The former prime minister did not immediately make any public statements upon his return. Three officials with his office who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly said security threats against the former prime minister were still present. They said he had returned at the invitation of current Iraqi political leaders who hoped he could use his connections to help them confront a

Oil exports from Kurdish region by way of Turkey set to resume: Iraq

Iraq's oil ministry has announced the resumption of oil exports from northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The exports had been halted for nearly two years after the International Chamber of Commerce sided with Iraq in an arbitration case as a long-standing dispute over the independent export of oil by the Kurdish regional government. The ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it had completed the necessary procedures to restart shipments through Turkey's Ceyhan port. It said that exports will resume in accordance with federal budget regulations and Iraq's OPEC production quota, according to the "agreed-upon framework". The ministry urged the Kurdish region's authorities to transfer crude oil extracted from the region's oil fields to the State Organisation for Marketing of Oil, facilitating its exports via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline. "We call on the regional authorities to deliver the produced quantities in line with signed contracts to ensure smooth operations," i

Blinken meets Iraqi PM to discuss Syria's future, threat of 'Islamic State'

The Secretary of State underscored the US' commitment to Iraq's security, stability, and sovereignty

Syria at crossroads after 54 yrs: Four priorities to avoid yet another war

With Assad's departure, the pressing question now is what lies ahead for Syria's immediate future

Iran-backed Iraqi militias enter Syria to help govt fighting rebels

At least 300 fighters, primarily from the Badr and Nujabaa groups, crossed late on Sunday using a dirt road to avoid the official border crossing

Iraq launches its first nationwide census in nearly four decades

The last nationwide census was held in 1987 in Iraq, followed by a census in 1997 which did not include certain Kurdish regions

Child marriage at 9? Iraq's controversial law ignites fiery protests

Iraq's Parliament, largely controlled by a coalition of conservative Shia Muslim parties, is poised to vote on a change that could dismantle the country's 'personal status law'

Iraq to lower marriage age — Girls could marry at just 9 years old

According to a new report, Iraq is on the verge of a shocking legal change that could lower the legal marriage age from 18 to just 9 years old. Watch the video to know the details.

Spy satellite images lead archeologists to site of historic battle in Iraq

Declassified 1970s-era U.S. spy satellite imagery has led a British-Iraqi archeological team to what they believe is the site of a seventh-century battle that became decisive in the spread of Islam throughout the region. The Battle of al-Qadisiyah was fought in Mesopotamia in present-day Iraq in the A.D. 630s between Arab Muslims and the army of the Sassanid Persian dynasty during a period of Muslim expansion. The Arab army prevailed and continued on its march into Persia, now Iran. A joint team of archeologists from the U.K.'s Durham University and the University of Al-Qadisiyah stumbled across the site while undertaking a remote sensing survey to map the Darb Zubaydah, a pilgrimage route from Iraq's Kufa to Mecca in Saudi Arabia built more than 1,000 years ago. The findings were published Tuesday in the journal Antiquity. While mapping the route, the team noticed that a site some 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of Kufa in Iraq's southern Najaf province a desert area with scatter

Iraq's Parliament elects Mashhadani as new speaker, ends yearlong vacuum

After a nearly yearlong vacuum, Iraq's Parliament elected a new speaker Thursday, selecting a prominent Sunni lawmaker who has a close relationship with Iran. Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, who served a previous stint as speaker from 2006 to 2009, was elected by a vote of 182 of the 269 legislators who attended the session, a surprise move after months of deadlock between political factions. Former Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi was dismissed by a Federal Supreme Court last November against the backdrop of a lawsuit filed by then-lawmaker Laith al-Dulaimi. Dulaimi claimed that the speaker had forged Dulaimi's signature on a resignation letter, an allegation that Halbousi denied. The court ruled to terminate both Halbousi and al-Dulaimi from their parliamentary posts. It did not elaborate on why it was issuing the decision. The position of speaker of Parliament is assigned to a Sunni according to convention in Iraq's power-sharing system, while the prime minister is always Shiite and the ...

Turkey strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq after attack on TUSAS kills 5

Turkey's defense ministry says Turkish jets have struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following an attack on a key defense company. More than 30 targets were destroyed in the aerial offensive, the defense ministry said in a brief statement carried by the state-run Anadolu Agency. The strike comes after suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire Wednesday at Turkey's state-run aerospace and defense company TUSAS, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen, the interior minister said. Suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire Wednesday at Turkey's state-run aerospace and defense company TUSAS, killing five people and wounding more than a dozen, the interior minister said. The two attackers a man and a woman also were killed, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. Yerlikaya said the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, is suspected of being behind the attack but cautioned that the process of identifying the assailan

Turkey blames Kurdish rebels PKK for Ankara terror attack: Who are they?

Turkey targeted over 30 sites of the PKK militant group in Iraq and Syria after suspected Kurdish militants set off explosives and opened fire at state-run defence company TUSAS in Ankara

Iraq's Kurdish region votes amid flagging economy, political infighting

Residents of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region went to the polls in long-awaited parliamentary elections Sunday under the shadow of ongoing rivalries, economic instability, and unresolved disputes with Baghdad. The primary competitors are the two dominant Kurdish parties: the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Historically, these two parties have controlled different parts of the region, with the KDP overseeing Irbil and Dohuk, and the PUK governing Sulaymaniyah. This division has frequently led to political deadlock. The parliamentary elections, originally set for 2022, were postponed several times amid disputes over the election law and procedures. Ministry of Interior personnel and peshmerga forces the regional military voted in special elections Friday, with the general public voting Sunday. In Friday's special election, the KDP secured a significant lead, capturing 60 per cent of the votes, while the PUK got around 30 per cent. The

Work-life paradise: This country has the shortest work week at 24.7 hours

While some countries enjoy short work weeks, India grapples with long hours and work-life balance struggles

Iraqi, US forces kill top IS commander, other militants in joint operation

Iraqi forces and American troops have killed a senior commander with the Islamic State group who was wanted by the United States, as well as several other prominent militants, Iraq's military said on Friday. The operation in Iraq's western Anbar province began in late August, the Iraqi military said, and involved also members of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service and Iraq's air force. Among the dead was an IS commander from Tunisia, known as Abu Ali Al-Tunisi, for whom the US Treasury Department had offered $5 million for information. Also killed was Ahmad Hamed Zwein, the IS deputy commander in Iraq. Despite their defeat, attacks by IS sleeper cells in Iraq and Syria have been on the rise over the past years, with scores of people killed or wounded. Friday's announcement was not the first news of the operation. Two weeks ago, official has said that the United States military and Iraq launched a joint raid targeting suspected IS militants in the country's western desert that

Explosion at US military facility in Iraq ahead of Iranian prez visit

Iraqi security officials said an explosion targeted a site used by the U.S. military next to Baghdad airport late Tuesday, one day before an expected visit by Iran's president. The expected visit by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Baghdad Wednesday would be his first official trip abroad since taking office. Iraq's security media cell said in a statement that an explosion was heard at 11 p.m. at the airport, in an area used by advisers to the U.S.-led international coalition. The statement said Iraqi security forces were unable to determine the type or causes of the explosion, and no party has claimed responsibility for it. It added that the incident was under investigation and civilian air traffic continued as normal. There was no immediate information on damages or casualties. U.S. officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. An Iraqi security official at the airport, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly ab

Russian crude flow to India declines in Aug, Iraq improves market share

India's overall crude imports declined by around 6.6 per cent in August month-on-month to 4.5 million bpd, but the reduction in Russian shipments was more than twice as large

US military claims to kill 15 ISIS operatives in joint operation with Iraq

The 15 ISIS operatives who were killed were "armed with numerous weapons, grenades, and explosive 'suicide' belts," US Central Command said in a statement

Pak flies home injured and bodies of 28 pilgrims killed in Iran bus crash

Pakistan brought home Friday the bodies of 28 Shiite pilgrims killed in a bus crash in Iran this week while heading to Iraq for a pilgrimage. A Pakistani military aircraft also flew back 23 pilgrims injured in the accident, officials said. Earlier in the day in Iran, officials handed over the bodies of the crash victims to Pakistani diplomats. Prayer services were held in both Iran and later in Pakistan. Funeral were to take place in the victims' home districts early Saturday. The pilgrims were from Pakistan's southern Sindh province, according to Nasir Shah, a provincial government spokesman. The plane, requested by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the repatriation, landed at the airport in Jacobabad, about 1,000 kilometres southwest from the capital of Islamabad. The coffins, covered in Pakistan's national flag, were handed over to the victims' relatives for burial. State-run PTV broadcast the ceremony at the Jacobabad airport, where relatives of the victims cried and