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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Pope reveals he was target of suicide bomb attempt during 2021 Iraq visit

Pope Francis has revealed he was the target of an attempted suicide bombing during his visit to Iraq three years ago, the first by a Catholic pontiff to the country…

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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 becomes EBRD shareholder, Senegal and Ghana apply to join

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Iraq has become the 74th member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development the multilateral lender said on Thursday, while Ghana and Senegal have…

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US troops attacked in Iraq, Syria and on alert for more strikes

By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. troops have been repeatedly attacked in Iraq and Syria in recent days, U.S. officials said, as Washington is on heightened alert for activity…

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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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Who has run Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion?

BAGHDAD, (Reuters) - The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was designed to pave the way for a thriving democracy but the mostly ineffective governments elected since 2003 have left many Iraqis…

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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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Turkish air strikes destroy 89 Kurdish militant targets in Syria, Iraq – ministry

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's defence ministry said on Sunday that 89 targets, including shelters and ammunition depots, were destroyed in air strikes on Kurdish militant bases in northern Iraq and…

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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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EXPLAINER-What’s driving the power struggle in Iraq?

BAGHDAD, July 31 (Reuters) - A power struggle in Iraq between the influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada Sadr and Iran-backed Shi'ite rivals has escalated with his supporters breaking into parliament and beginning an…

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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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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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Islamic State’s status in Iraq and Syria after the loss of second leader in two years

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The death of its second leader in just over two years has dealt another blow to Islamic State, the extremist jihadist group which once ruled large parts…

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Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in Iraq, Syria

ISTANBUL, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish militants targets, including training camps, shelters and ammunition storage areas in Iraq and northern Syria, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on…

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Biden nominates Ambassadors for Malta, Kenya and Iraq

U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced the nomination of former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Margaret Whitman as ambassador to Kenya, a key partner for Washington on issues including counterterrorism. Whitman,…

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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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Oil prices unlikely to rise further, says Iraqi oil minister

Oil prices, which hit their highest in years recently, are unlikely to rise further, Iraqi Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar told an energy conference in Moscow on Wednesday. Last week,…

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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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EU hopes suspension of Iraq flights will slow migrant stream to Lithuania

The European Union hopes for a stabilization of the migrant situation in Lithuania after Iraq suspended flights from Baghdad to Minsk, a spokesman for the bloc's executive said on Tuesday. "We are pleased…

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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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Blinken: ‘Untenable’ for 10,000 IS fighters still to be held in Syria

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that 10,000 Islamic State fighters continue to be held in detention in camps run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),…

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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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