Iraq

46.1 million people counted in Iraq’s first census in nearly 40 years

The final results of Iraq’s first census in nearly 40 years released Monday show the population has reached 46.1 million. In 2009, an unofficial count estimated the population at 31.6 million. Iraqi…

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US personnel wounded in attack against base in Iraq

At least five U.S. personnel were injured in an attack against a military base in Iraq, U.S. officials told Reuters, as the Middle East braced for a possible new wave…

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US carries out strike in Iraq as regional tensions worsen

The United States carried out a strike in Iraq in self defence, U.S. officials told Reuters, as regional tensions rose after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut that Israel said killed…

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IAEA to help Iraq develop peaceful nuclear programme, agency head says

BAGHDAD, March 18 (Reuters) - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi met Iraq's prime minister in Baghdad on Monday as part of a visit to help…

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US, Iraq to initiate talks on end of US-led military coalition

By Timour Azhari and Phil Stewart BAGHDAD, (Reuters) - The United States and Iraq are set to initiate talks on the end of a U.S.-led international military coalition in Iraq…

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US personnel suffer minor injuries in Iraq base attack: U.S. official

By Phil Stewart and Timour Azhari WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, (Reuters) - U.S. personnel suffered minor injuries and a member of Iraq's security forces was wounded in an attack on Iraq's Ain al-Asad…

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Iraq seeks quick exit of US forces but no deadline set, PM says

By Timour Azhari BAGHDAD, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Iraq wants a quick and orderly negotiated exit of U.S-led military forces from its soil but has not set a deadline, Prime…

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Iraq prepares to close down U.S-led coalition’s mission – PM statement

The Iraqi government is forming a committee to prepare the closing down of the U.S.-led international coalition's mission in the country, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's office said on Friday.Sudani's…

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Iraq holds first provincial elections in a decade

Iraqis were voting on Monday in the first provincial council elections in a decade, with the ruling Shi'ite Muslim alliance likely to extend its grip on power amid a boycott…

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U.S. says thwarts drone attack on its troops in Iraq

TEL AVIV, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. military thwarted an attack targeting its forces in Iraq early on Wednesday, intercepting two drones before they could strike, two U.S. officials…

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More than 100 dead, 150 injured in Iraq wedding inferno

By Timour Azhari NINEVEH, Iraq, Sept 27 (Reuters) - More than 100 people were killed and 150 injured in a fire at a wedding party in Hamdaniya district in Iraq's…

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Iran says Iraq has agreed to disarm and relocate Kurdistan militants

Iran and Iraq have reached an agreement that "armed terrorist groups" in Iraq's Kurdistan region will be disarmed and relocated next month, Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday. “An agreement…

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Iraq assures foreign diplomatic missions of their security

(Reuters) - The Iraqi government sought to reassure diplomatic missions in the country of their security on Saturday, saying it would not allow a recurrence of the storming of the…

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20th anniversary of the Iraq War: quotes from the conflict and its aftermath

At dawn on 20 March 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom began with 295,000 US and allied troops invading Iraq across its border with Kuwait. 70,000 members of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia…

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U.S. grapples with forces unleashed by Iraq invasion 20 years later

Invasion led to diminished US influence in Mideast Toppling of Saddam emboldened Iran, unnerved Gulf Arabs Limit on US troop numbers enabled communal strife Islamic State filled vacuum left by…

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Pentagon chief makes unannounced trip to Iraq as 20-year anniversary of invasion nears

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced trip to Iraq on Tuesday in a visit an official said was aimed at showing that Washington was committed to keeping its…

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Rockets hit central Baghdad for second day in escalating unrest

BAGHDAD, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Four rockets fired from eastern Baghdad on Thursday landed around the Iraqi capital's Green Zone, home to government buildings and foreign missions, police said, as…

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Four killed as violent clashes move to Iraq’s southern Basra

BAGHDAD, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Four people were killed in clashes among rival Shi'ite Muslim militants in the southern Iraqi city of Basra that took place overnight and on Thursday…

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Deadly clashes rage in Baghdad in Shi’ite power struggle

Heavy clashes erupted in Baghdad, killing almost 20 people on Monday, after powerful Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said he would quit politics, prompting his loyalists to storm a government palace and fight…

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People facing acute food insecurity reach 345 million worldwide – WFP

BAGHDAD, (Reuters) - The number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide has more than doubled to 345 million since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict and climate change,…

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Sadr’s followers set up for long sit-in at Iraq parliament

BAGHDAD, July 31 (Reuters) - Supporters of Iraqi populist leader Moqtada al-Sadr erected tents and prepared for an open-ended sit-in at Iraq's parliament on Sunday, in a move that could prolong political…

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UPDATE – Supporters of Iraqi cleric Sadr storm Baghdad’s Green Zone again

BAGHDAD, July 30 (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Shi'ite populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad's fortified government zone and broke into parliament on Saturday for the second time in a week,…

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Calm returns to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone after storming of Parliament

Iraqi protesters retreated from the parliamentary building in central Baghdad early on Thursday morning after demonstrations against a candidate nominated by a group of Shiite parties. The protesters, mainly supporters…

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Iraq balks at greater Chinese control of its oilfields

Iraq's oil ministry thwarted three prospective deals last year that would have handed Chinese firms more control over its oilfields and led to an exodus of international oil majors that…

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Missile attack causes tank fire in oil refinery in Iraq – security forces

A missile attack targeted an oil refinery in Iraq's northern city of Erbil on Sunday causing a fire in one of its main tanks that was later brought under control, the Iraqi…

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Turkey says its warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq

Turkish warplanes, helicopters and drones hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq in an air and land operation that targeted facilities ranging from camps to ammunition stores, Turkey's defence ministry…

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Iraq parliament fails to elect new state president over lack of quorum

BAGHDAD, March 26 (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament failed again on Saturday to vote for a president after Iran-backed groups boycotted the session, in a setback to an alliance led by cleric Moqtada…

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Ballistic missiles hit Iraq’s Kurdish capital, U.S. blames Iran

ERBIL, Iraq, March 13 (Reuters) - A dozen ballistic missiles struck Iraq's northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, Kurdish authorities said, with a U.S. official blaming…

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New Islamic State leader is brother of slain caliph Baghdadi

The new leader of Islamic State, whose appointment the group announced on Thursday, is the brother of slain former caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to two Iraqi security officials and…

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Two planes bring more migrants back to Iraq from Belarus

ERBIL, Iraq, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Two flights brought hundreds of Iraqis who had sought to enter the European Union back to Iraq from Belarus on Friday, as more migrants…

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Iran-backed militia staged drone attack on Iraqi PM – officials

A drone attack that targeted the Iraqi prime minister on Sunday (November 7) was carried out by at least one Iran-backed militia, Iraqi security officials and militia sources said, weeks after pro-Iran…

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Iraqi PM safe after drone attack on residence, military says

BAGHDAD, Nov 6 (Reuters) - A drone laden with explosives targeted the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Baghdad early on Sunday in what the Iraqi military called…

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Cleric Sadr wins Iraq vote, former PM Maliki close behind – official

Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's party was the biggest winner in an Iraqi election on Monday, increasing the number of seats he holds in parliament, according to initial results, officials…

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Iraqi forces capture deputy of IS slain leader Baghdadi – PM

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraq has captured Sami Jasim, a high-ranking member of Islamic State in charge of the group's finance and a deputy of slain leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Prime…

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Iraqis vote in general election, a test for democratic system

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Iraqis were voting on Sunday in a general election many said they would boycott, having lost faith in the democratic system brought in by the U.S. invasion of…

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Iraqi PM becomes first foreign leader to meet Iran’s Raisi

(Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi became the first foreign leader on Sunday to visit and meet with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi since the hardliner took office in August.…

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Islamic State attack kills 10 policemen near Iraq’s Kirkuk

Islamic State militants killed 10 Iraqi policemen and wounded four during an overnight attack on a guard post near the city of Kirkuk, police sources said on Sunday. Police sources…

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Mideast leaders plus France meet in Baghdad to talk security, diplomacy

Several Middle Eastern leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Baghdad on Saturday at a summit hosted by Iraq, which wants its neighbours to talk to each other instead…

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After 18 years, US to announce exit from Iraq

U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday sealed an agreement formally ending the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021, more than 18 years after…

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Suicide attack in Iraq kills at least 35

A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded dozens in a crowded market in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad on Monday, the eve of the Eid al-Adha…

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At least 44 killed, 67 injured in coronavirus hospital fire in Iraq

At least 44 people were killed and over 67 injured in a fire likely caused by an oxygen tank explosion at a coronavirus hospital in Iraq's southern city of Nassiriya, health officials and…

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U.S. carries out air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Syria

The United States said on Sunday it carried out another round of air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq andSyria, this time in response to drone attacks by the militia against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. In a statement, the U.S. military said it…

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