Page 3 - Iraq

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

At least 5 US personnel wounded in attack against base in Iraq: Officials

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran last week, an attack that drew threats of revenge by Iran on Israel

Judge approves settlement in lawsuit over US detention of Iraqi nationals

A judge approved a settlement Wednesday in a 2017 lawsuit that challenged the detention of Iraqi nationals who were targeted for deportation during the Trump administration. The agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, sets strict conditions for future detentions before any proposed removals, the American Civil Liberties Union said. Too often, immigrants are locked up for months or years for absolutely no reason other than they want what so many of us have already: the chance to build a life in America. The settlement will make it easier for them to do that," ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman said. An email seeking comment from ICE was not immediately answered. The lawsuit involved about 1,400 people, many of whom had been allowed to stay in the US for years, holding jobs and raising families, because Iraq had no interest in taking them back. That suddenly changed in 2017 when Iraq's position apparently shifted. ICE arrested people around the US, especially in

Islamic State attacks in Iraq, Syria set to double this year: US military

The US Central Command said Wednesday that the Islamic State group is trying "to reconstitute as the number of attacks in Syria and Iraq is on track to double those of the previous year. IS has claimed 153 attacks in both countries in the first six months of 2024, CENTCOM said in a statement. According to a US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he wasn't allowed to speak publicly on the matter, the group was behind 121 attacks in Syria and Iraq in 2023. The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability, CENTCOM said. The announcement comes just after the 10-year mark since the militant group declared its caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria. At its peak, the group ruled an area half the size of the United Kingdom where it attempted to enforce its extreme interpretation of Islam, which included attacks on religious minority groups and harsh punishment of Muslims deemed to be ...

Reformist Pezeshkian wins Iran's presidential runoff election, beats Jalili

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran's runoff presidential election Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country's mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian promised no radical changes to Iran's Shiite theocracy in his campaign and long has held Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the final arbiter of all matters of state in the country. But even Pezeshkian's modest aims will be challenged by an Iranian government still largely held by hard-liners, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, and Western fears over Tehran enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels. A vote count offered by authorities put Pezeshkian as the winner with 16.3 million votes to Jalili's 13.5 million in Friday's election.

As war in Gaza surges, 'Iran-backed' attacks on US brands rattle Baghdad

A dozen masked men jump out of two SUVs and a white pickup and storm a KFC in Baghdad, smashing everything in sight before fleeing the scene. A few days earlier, similar violence played out at Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken and Chili House all American brands popular in the Iraqi capital. Though no one was seriously hurt, the recent attacks apparently orchestrated by supporters of Iran-backed, anti-American militias in Iraq reflect surging anger against the United States, Israel's top ally, over the war in Gaza. Iraqi governments have for years walked a delicate line between Washington and Tehran, but the eight-month war in Gaza has critically upped the stakes. The conflict erupted after the militant Hamas group stormed into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people mostly civilians and taking 250 hostage. Israel's subsequent offensives in Gaza have killed more than 36,000 Palestinians in the territory, according to the Health Ministry there. Days after the war brok

UN votes to end Iraq's mission established after invasion toppled Saddam

The UN Security Council voted unanimously Friday to end the UN political mission in Iraq established in 2003 following the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein to coordinate post-conflict humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, and to help restore a representative government in the country. The Iraqi government asked the council in a May 8 letter to wrap up the mission by the end of 2025 and that's what the resolution does: It extends the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, known as UNAMI, for a final 19 months until December 31, 2025 when all its work will cease. The US-sponsored resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to prepare a transition and liquidation plan in consultation with the Iraqi government by December 31, 2024 so UNAMI can start transferring its tasks and withdrawing staff and assets. The council said it supports Iraq's continuing stabilisation efforts including its ongoing fight against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida ..

Iraqi govt requests UN to end its political mission in country by 2025

The Iraqi government has requested that the United Nations end a mission set up to promote governance and human rights reforms in the country by the end of 2025, the latest in a series of international bodies operating in the nation that Iraq has sought to wind down. The letter sent Wednesday by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that there is no need for the continuation of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Sudani said Iraq's government has been able to achieve a number of important steps in areas that fall under the body's mandate. rendering it redundant. Typically, the mission is extended annually by the UN Security Council, with the current term expiring at the end of this month. Sudani's letter did not oppose a one-year extension but said the mission should focus on wrapping up its tasks to ensure a permanent closure and transfer of its responsibilities by the end of 2025. Established in 2003 in the w

Turkey carried out new airstrikes against Kurdish militants in north Iraq

Turkiye has carried out a new round of airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in neighbouring Iraq, the Turkish defence ministry said Monday. Warplanes struck suspected positions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the regions of Hakurk, Metina and Gara in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, according to the statement. The airstrikes reportedly killed 16 militants, including some commanders, the ministry said. There was no immediate comment from the PKK, a banned separatist group that has waged an insurgency against Turkiye since the 1980s. The ministry said it was determined to rescue Turkiye from this problem. The latest airstrikes came weeks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan paid his first visit to Iraq in 12 years, seeking greater cooperation from Baghdad in the fight against the militants. Erdogan had previously announced a major operation against the PKK for this summer with the aim of permanently eradicating the threat it poses. The PKK, labelled a ...

Iraq's law criminalising same-sex marriage will hurt country's economy: US

The law threatens constitutionally protected human rights and fundamental freedoms in Iraq, said US

Kurdish separatists, water issues loom large in Erdogan's visit to Iraq

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to make his first official visit to Iraq in more than a decade on Monday as his country seeks greater cooperation from Baghdad in its fight against a Kurdish militant group that has a foothold in northern Iraq. Other issues also loom large between the two countries, including water supply issues and exports of oil and gas from northern Iraq to Turkiye, which have been halted for more than a year. Erdogan's last visit to Iraq was in 2011, when he was Turkiye's prime minister. Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that Erdogan's visit will be a major starting point in Iraqi-Turkish relations and will include the signing of a deal on a joint approach to security challenges and a strategic agreement on the water file, among other issues. Erdogan has said his country plans to launch a major operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist movement banned in Turkiye and with operations

Bob Graham, two-term former US senator and Florida governor, dies at 87

Former US Sen. and two-term Florida Gov. Bob Graham, who gained national prominence as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks and as an early critic of the Iraq war, has died. He was 87. Graham's family announced the death on Tuesday in a statement posted on X by his daughter Gwen Graham. We are deeply saddened to report the passing of a visionary leader, dedicated public servant, and even more importantly, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, the family said. Graham, who served three terms in the Senate, made an unsuccessful bid for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination, emphasising his opposition to the Iraq invasion. But his bid was delayed by heart surgery in January 2003, and he was never able to gain enough traction with voters to catch up, bowing out that October. He didn't seek reelection in 2004 and was replaced by Republican Mel Martinez. Graham was a man of many quirks. He perfected the

Biden to host Iraqi leader; US military presence in region under question

President Joe Biden is set to host Iraq's leader this week for talks that come as tensions across the Middle East have soared over the war in Gaza and Iran's unprecedented weekend attack on Israel in retaliation for an Israeli military strike against an Iranian facility in Syria. The sharp rise in security fears has raised further questions about the viability of the two-decade American military presence in Iraq, through which portions of Iran's Saturday drone and missile attack on Israel flew or were launched from. A U.S. Patriot battery in Irbil, Iraq, knocked down at least one Iranian ballistic missile, according to American officials. In addition, Iranian proxies have initiated attacks against U.S. interests throughout the region from inside Iraq, making Monday's meeting between Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani all the more critical. The talks will include a discussion of regional stability and future U.S. troop deployments but will also focus on economic, trade and