Iran and Iraq on Sunday signed deals aimed at boosting military cooperation during a visit by Baghdad’s Defence Minister Irfan al-Hayali to Tehran. In a memorandum of understanding signed by Hayali and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan, the neighbours agreed on a “wide range of military and defence cooperation” including the “fight against terrorism and … Read more
India on Monday announced it will send a top minister to Iraq in an effort locate dozens of its missing citizens after Mosul was all but recaptured from the Islamic State group. Thirty-nine Indian labourers have been missing, believed taken hostage by IS, since the militant outfit overran Iraq’s second largest city in 2014. There … Read more
Canada’s supposed non-combat role in Iraq is being questioned after a special forces sniper took out an IS fighter in Iraq. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday would have none of it, saying Canadian troops training Kurdish fighters have orders to also fight in defense of coalition soldiers. “I can tell you that defending … Read more
Fighters of so-called Islamic State (IS) have launched counter-attacks as they come under growing pressure from Iraqi forces in Mosul. IS deployed large numbers of suicide bombers in different parts of the northern Iraqi city but the affected areas were quickly brought under control, Iraqi officials say. IS has now been squeezed into a square … Read more
Journalist Veronique Robert, wounded in the same landmine blast that killed two colleagues in the Iraqi city of Mosul earlier this week, has died, employers France Televisions announced Saturday. Robert had been operated on in Iraq and then flown back for treatment in France overnight Thursday to Friday, but died of her wounds, the public … Read more
Journalist Veronique Robert, wounded in the same landmine blast that killed two colleagues in the Iraqi city of Mosul earlier this week, has died, employers France Televisions announced Saturday. Robert had been operated on in Baghdad and then flown back for treatment in France overnight Thursday to Friday, but died of her wounds, the public … Read more
Dilan Lurr and his sister Lezan often ask themselves where would they be now if their parents had not left Iraq when they were children. Would they be fighting against Islamic State like their cousins back in Kirkuk? What is almost certain they would not be showing their first collection at Paris fashion week sandwiched … Read more
Iraqi forces said Tuesday they were fighting fierce battles with the Islamic State group and rescuing escaping civilians as they pursued their offensive against Mosul’s jihadist-held Old City. Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said the battle was proceeding as expected but that progress was slow. “Things are … Read more
Iraqi government forces started on Sunday a major operation to enter the last Islamic State (IS) stronghold of the old city center in western Mosul, the Iraqi military said. The regular army, Counter-Terrorism Forces and the Federal Police started decisive battles against the extremist IS militants in Mosul’s old city center, Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the … Read more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday strongly criticised the decision of the authorities in Iraq’s Kurdistan region to hold a referendum on independence, calling it “an error and a threat” to the country’s territorial integrity. Turkey has prided itself on its good ties with the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq’s north, with … Read more
Many Iraqi Kurds hailed last week’s announcement of a September referendum on independence as historic, but major obstacles will remain on the path to statehood after an expected landslide “yes”. The autonomous region is still at war with the Islamic State group, it hosts a displaced population of more than a million and its once … Read more
Iran voiced its opposition on Saturday to an announcement by Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region that it will organise a vote on independence later this year. “Iran’s principal position is to support the territorial integrity of Iraq,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said. “The Kurdistan region is part of the Iraqi republic and unilateral decisions outside … Read more
Turkey on Friday warned that a decision by Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region to hold an independence referendum would be a “grave mistake.” Iraq’s Kurdish region, with which Turkey has forged close trade ties, announced this week that it would vote on whether to split from the rest of Iraq and form an independent region. “We … Read more
The United States on Thursday warned that a decision by Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region to hold an independence referendum could distract from the fight against the Islamic State group. The Kurdistan region announced on Wednesday that it would vote on September 25 on whether to split from the rest of Iraq and form an independent … Read more
Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region will hold a referendum on statehood in September, its presidency said Wednesday, despite opposition to independence from Baghdad. “September 25, 2017 was designated as the day for holding the referendum” on independence, the presidency said in a statement. Iraqi Kurdistan is made up of three provinces that are run by an … Read more
After fleeing the battleground city of Mosul, Yusra Mohammed says her children were detained by Iraqi Kurdish forces and she did not hear from them for around two months. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes as Iraqi forces press a massive operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group. Security … Read more
After a years-long absence predominantly due to security concerns, international football will return to Iraq when the country hosts a second-round match of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup. Defending Cup champions Air Force Club and Al-Zawraa — both Iraqi teams — will face off at Franso Hariri Stadium in the autonomous Kurdish region’s capital … Read more
The city of Washington on Wednesday condemned a “brutal attack on peaceful protesters” after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bodyguards clashed with pro-Kurdish demonstrators. Two people were arrested and 11 were injured, including a police officer, amid demonstrations Tuesday as Erdogan held meetings in the US capital after visiting President Donald Trump. Witnesses told AFP that … Read more
US President Donald Trump has approved the supplying of weapons to Kurdish forces battling the Islamic State group in Syria, a US official said Tuesday. The funding “to provide support to the YPG has been approved,” the official said on condition of anonymity. “The approval is effective immediately but the timeline for weapons delivery is … Read more
Eleven journalists died covering conflict or were assassinated in Iraq during the past year, a Baghdad-based watchdog said in a report released Wednesday to mark World Press Freedom Day. “From May 3, 2016 to May 3 (this year), 11 journalists were killed and 44 wounded across Iraq, including the Kurdistan region,” said the Journalistic Freedoms … Read more