The United States will do what it sees as necessary to defend its interests after a rocket attack last week against Iraqâs Ain al-Sada airbase, which hosts American, coalition and Iraqi forces, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday. Speaking on ABCâs âThis Weekâ program, Austin said the United …
Read More »Fox News claims Iranian militias have sleeper cells in US
Iranian militia groups have active cells operating in the US capital Washington DC and other US cities, according to chatrooms used by the groups. Kawtheryoon Electronic Team, a Telegram network used by Iranian militia groups and supporters, claimed in a recent posting that Iranian âresistance cells are rooted even in …
Read More »Pope meets Iraq top Shiite clerics in peace bid
Pope Francis held a historic meeting with Iraqâs top Shiâite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani on Saturday, in a powerful appeal for coexistence in a land torn by sectarianism and violence. Francisâs meeting in the holy southern city of Najaf, during a whirlwind and risky tour of Iraq, marked the …
Read More »Pope leaves for Iraq, despite warnings
Pope Francis headed to Iraq on Friday for his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012, and said he felt duty-bound to make the âemblematicâ visit because the country had suffered so much for so long. An Alitalia plane carrying him, his entourage, a security detail, and about …
Read More »Pentagon says latest Iraq rocket attack fits MO of Iran-backed militants
Tensions between the United States and Iran simmered on Wednesday after a new rocket attack against Iraqâs Ain al-Asad air base that hosts U.S. forces, which U.S. officials told Reuters fit the profile of a strike by Iran-backed militia. There were no reports of injuries among U.S. service personnel but …
Read More »BREAKING NEWS – Latest rocket attack on foreign forces in Iraq
Several rockets landed on Wednesday at Iraqâs Ain al-Asad air base that hosts United States, coalition and Iraqi forces, two security sources said. No casualties have been reported so far, the sources said. It was the second rocket attack in Iraq this month and came two days before Pope Francis …
Read More »Turkey, Iran fight over Iraqi territory
The diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Tehran has escalated following the latest statement from Iranâs Ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi, who reiterated an opposition to Turkish military intervention in Iraq, a new move that highlights a broader rivalry between the two countries in the region. âTurkish forces should not pose …
Read More »Churches of Mosul on Pope’s tour to repair ISIS damage
In Mosul, adjacent to the Biblical city of Nineveh, four churches representing different denominations occupy a small square surrounded by low-rise houses, testament to the role Iraqâs once flourishing Christian community played. Today, all four churches are either damaged or destroyed after Islamic State militants occupied the city from 2014-2017, …
Read More »Protests break out in Iraq ahead of Pope’s visit
At least five protesters were killed and more than 175 people injured on Friday in clashes between demonstrators and security forces in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya, a Reuters witness and other sources said. Among the fatalities, most died from bullet wounds, a hospital source said, adding that about …
Read More »Shiite militias deny role in anti-US Iraq rocket attack
An Iran-aligned Iraqi militia group on Tuesday denied any role in recent rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq, but said an attack against Saudi Arabia last month was justified. It is a rare direct denial and the first time the Kataib Hezbollah group, one of the Iraqi factions closest …
Read More »Pope headed to city of Ur, birthplace of Prophet Abraham
Pope Francis is due to hold an inter-religious prayer service at the ancient Mesopotamian site of Ur when he visits Iraq next week – an event local archeologists hope will draw renewed attention to the place revered as the birthplace of Abraham. Popular with Western visitors in the 1970s and …
Read More »US outraged at latest Iraq rocket attacks but does not propose course of action
The United States said on Monday it was outraged by rocket attacks on coalition forces and others in Iraq but stressed it would not âlash outâ and would respond at a time and place of its choosing. âWe have seen the reports of the rocket fire today … as you …
Read More »Latest rocket attack against US base in Baghdad
Several rockets hit the Iraqi military air base of Balad north of Baghdad on Saturday, injuring one Iraqi contractor, Iraqi security officials said on Saturday. No group immediately claimed the attack. It was the second salvo of rockets to hit a base hosting U.S. forces or contractors in less than …
Read More »Erdogan wants to expand into Iraq to eliminate Kurdish threat
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey will expand its cross-border operations against Kurdish militants after 13 captured Turks were killed in northern Iraq. Turkey said on Sunday militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) killed the captives, including police and military personnel, as it was carrying out a …
Read More »Erbil rocket attack leaves one US contractor dead
A rocket attack on U.S.-led forces in northern Iraq on Monday killed a civilian contractor and injured a U.S. service member, the U.S. coalition in Iraq said, in the deadliest such attack in almost a year. The barrage of rockets hit in and near a military air base occupied by …
Read More »Erdogan blames US for Turks killed by Kurdish militants
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States on Monday of supporting Kurdish militants who Ankara says executed 13 kidnapped Turks in northern Iraq, adding that a U.S. statement of condemnation was a âa jokeâ. Turkey said on Sunday militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) executed the 13 …
Read More »Kurdish militants execute 13 Turks in Iraq
Turkish soldiers conducting an operation against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq have found the bodies of 13 kidnapped Turks executed in a cave, the countryâs defence minister said. The identity of the 13 Turkish citizens was unclear and the minister, Hulusi Akar, said their kidnapping had not …
Read More »Russians denounce Iranian uraniaum metal as provactive move
Russia has urged Iran to show restraint after it started producing uranium metal in a new breach of limits laid out in Tehranâs nuclear deal with world powers. âWe understand the logic of their actions and the reasons prompting Iran. Despite this it is necessary to show restraint and a …
Read More »Iraqis have mixed feelings about US troop withdrawal
Abu Arkan Ibrahim picked up a rifle and joined the Iraqi insurgency against U.S. troops when they occupied his hometown of Fallujah in 2003. He was badly burned in the fighting. Now, he fears the departure of the Americans he once battled. Over the past 17 years, the municipal employee …
Read More »Iraq and GCC to exchange electricity for goods
Iraqâs prime minister and the GCC secretary general held talks on Monday to boost trade and supply electricity from the Gulf. Iraqi leader Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and Nayef Al-Hajraf also discussed rebuilding Iraq after the war with Daesh. Iraq has been blighted by a woeful power supply in recent years which feeds …
Read More »Pope adament on making March Iraq trip
Pope Francis said on Monday he is intent on making a trip to Iraq next month even if it means many Iraqi Christians wonât be able to see him in person because of COVID-19 restrictions. âI am the pastor of people who are suffering,â he told Catholic New Service (CNS), …
Read More »Iraqi forces track down, eliminate major ISIS leader
Iraqi security forces have killed Abu Yaser al-Issawi, an Islamic State commander who had claimed to be the leader of the group in Iraq and its âdeputy caliphâ, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said on Thursday. âOur heroic armed forces have eliminated Daesh commander Abu Yaser Al-Issawi as part of an …
Read More »Pope Francis to talk with Sistani in March Iraq visit
Pope Francis is set for an historic meeting with Iraqâs top Shiâite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, during a trip to Iraq planned for March, the patriarch of Iraqâs Chaldean Catholic Church said on Thursday. The visit, which eluded Francisâs predecessors, takes place amid deteriorating security in some parts …
Read More »US accuses UK national of bribery in Iraqi oil case
An Iraqi-born British national has been criminally charged in New Jersey with involvement in a bribery scheme to obtain millions of dollars of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reconstruction contracts in Iraq, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Wednesday. The defendant, Shwan Al-Mulla, and his co-conspirators allegedly received confidential …
Read More »Oil-rich Iraq in dire need of IMF funds
Iraq has requested emergency assistance from the International Monetary Fund and talks are ongoing between the parties, the IMF said late on Sunday. Iraqi Finance Minister Ali Allawi told Bloomberg News earlier that Iraq was in talks with the IMF for a $6 billion loan package. âThe Iraqi authorities have …
Read More »Major suicide attack hits Baghdad, ISIS suspected
Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in a crowded Baghdad market on Thursday, killing at least 32 people in Iraqâs first big suicide bombing for three years, authorities said, describing it as a possible sign of the reactivation of Islamic State. Islamic State claimed early on Friday that two …
Read More »Iraq postpones planned general election
Iraqâs cabinet decided on Tuesday to postpone the general election to Oct. 10 from June, the state news agency INA said. The government last year set a general election for June 6, 2021, roughly a year ahead of when it would normally be held, but Iraqâs Independent High Election Commission …
Read More »Pope backtracks on Iraq visit, cites COVID as cause
Pope Francis said he is not sure if his trip to Iraq in March can take place because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He cast doubt on the trip, which would be the first by a pope to the country, in an interview with Italyâs Canale 5 broadcast on Sunday night. …
Read More »Iraq refuses US blacklisting of Faleh al-Fayyad militia leader
Iraq denounced on Saturday as âunacceptableâ a U.S. decision to blacklist the leader of a state umbrella group for mainly Iran-backed Shiâite militia. Washington imposed sanctions on Friday on Faleh al-Fayyad, head of Iraqâs Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). The U.S. Treasury accused him of leading militia that killed hundreds of …
Read More »US blacklists Iraqi leader for ‘incitement’ of violent protests
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on an Iraqi militia leader and former national security adviser, connecting him to human rights abuses during the 2019 anti-government demonstrations in which hundreds of protesters were killed. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement it was blacklisting Falih al-Fayyadh, chairman of …
Read More »Anti-Soleimani protests erupt in Lebanese pro-Hezbollah town
Lebanese reacted angrily on Sunday to an Iranian commanderâs remarks about their missile capabilities and sovereignty, with people in a pro-Hezbollah town attempting to burn a picture of the slain Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani. Amir Ali Hajizadeh boasted on Saturday that Lebanon owed its missile capabilities to Iran and …
Read More »Israel says Zarif claims about threat to US forces not serious
An Israeli official on Sunday dismissed as ânonsenseâ an allegation by the Iranian foreign minister that Israel was trying to trick the United States into waging war on Iran. It was Israel that needed to be on alert for possible Iranian strikes on the one-year anniversary on Sunday of the …
Read More »Funeral procession vows vengeance for Soliemani in Iraq
A mock funeral procession in Iraq marked the one-year anniversary of the US drone strike near Baghdad that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and top Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis. Thousands of mourners joined the march on the highway leading to the Baghdad airport Saturday evening where the …
Read More »BREAKING NEWS – Zarif warns US of Israeli false flag actions in Iraq to provoke war
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday not to be âtrappedâ by an alleged Israeli plan to provoke a war through attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq. He issued the warning on the anniversary of the U.S. killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani …
Read More »Iraqi oil tanker crew narrowly escapes marine bomb
An Iraqi oil tanker was evacuated after a mine was discovered attached to its hull, and explosives experts were working to make it safe, Iraqâs military said on Friday. The tanker was in international waters about 28 nautical miles (52 km) off Iraqâs coast in the Persian Gulf and supplying …
Read More »Reverend Warnock calls on US Christians to repent for Iraq War
Georgia Senate candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock spoke at events organized by a religious group that called on Christians to repent for military action in Iraq between at least 2007 and 2009. Warnock, the senior pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, was part of a group called the “Christian Peace Witness for Iraq,” seeking to “foster a serious …
Read More »28 killed in bus ambush on Syrian-Iraqi border
Twenty-eight people were killed in an attack on a bus along a main highway in Syriaâs Deir al-Zor province that borders Iraq, Syrian state media said on Wednesday, an incident that residents and defectors say was an ambush on an army vehicle. There were no more details of the incident …
Read More »Iraq threatened with blackouts because of unpaid gas bills to Iran
Iran has slashed the amount of natural gas it exports to Iraq and threatened further cutbacks over unpaid bills, increasing the likelihood of more electricity shortages in Baghdad and other major cities. Iraq has been receiving 5 million cubic meters a day since Iran cut its daily exports from 50 …
Read More »In new outrage Trump pardons Blackwater war criminals
US president Donald Trumpâs pardoning of four Blackwater mercenaries for the killing of 14 Iraqis at a crowded traffic intersection in Baghdad in 2007 has deepened popular Iraqi resentment against the presence of US forces in the country. This has increased pressure on Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to reiterate …
Read More »Israelis warn Saudi of pending Iran attack, through Iraq, Yemen
Israel is monitoring Iran’s movement in the region and expects that the Iranian threat will likely come from Iraq and Yemen, IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman told the Saudi news website Elaph. In an interview given to Elaph and published on Friday, Zilberman addressed Iran and the tactics deployed by …
Read More »Iran downplays US claims about green zone rocket attack
Iranâs foreign minister on Thursday dismissed U.S. President Donald Trumpâs allegations that Tehran was behind the recent rocket attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. âPutting your own citizens at risk abroad wonât divert attention from catastrophic failures at home,â Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted. Trump said on Wednesday …
Read More »US desperate to protect US personnel in Iraq
Top U.S. national security officials agreed on Wednesday on a proposed range of options to present to President Donald Trump aimed at deterring any attack on U.S. military or diplomatic personnel in Iraq, a senior administration official told Reuters. The meeting was spurred by an attack on Dec. 20. At …
Read More »Iraq reaffirms committment to expelling foreign troops
Iraqi parliamentarians ratified their commitment to a resolution to expel all foreign troops from the country, as it was reported. During a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, lawmakers reiterated that the Pentagon must withdraw from Iraq. Deputy Fazel Yabert al-Fatlawi said his …
Read More »New rocket attack on Baghdad green zone
At least eight Katyusha rockets landed in Baghdadâs heavily fortified Green Zone in an attack targeting the U.S. Embassy, causing some minor damage on the compound on Sunday, the Iraqi military and the embassy said on Sunday. The Iraqi military said an âoutlaw groupâ fired eight rockets. Most of the …
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