Iraq

Why Pope Francis’s historic trip to Iraq was a mission of peace over politics

Pope Francis’s historic trip to Iraq, including visits to the war-torn north, has been deeply significant. It is one that needs to be seen in the context of peace rather…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Pope ends historic visit to Iraq

Pope Francis ended his historic tour of Iraq on Monday, departing by plane from Baghdad after visiting conflict-torn cities, meeting Muslim and Christian leaders and preaching peace and coexistence over…

Read More Here

‘Peace more powerful than war’, Pope Francis says in Iraq’s ruined city of Mosul

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - Pope Francis heard Muslim and Christian residents in the ruined Iraqi city of Mosul tell of their lives under brutal Islamic State rule on Sunday, blessing…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Scenes from the Pope’s visit to regions of Iraq once held by ISIS

A collection of photos from the visit on Sunday by Pope Francis, on a historic trip to Iraq, in Mosul to encourage the binding of sectarian wounds and to pray…

Read More Here

Pope Francis visits regions of Iraq once held by ISIS

Pope Francis is visiting parts of northern Iraq that were held by ISIS militants on the third day of his historic trip to the country. Militants overran the region in…

Read More Here

Pope decries violence in the name of God as ‘greatest blasphemy’

UR, Iraq, March 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis walked down a narrow alleyway in the holy city of Najav to hold a historic meeting with Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric and…

Read More Here

Pope Francis meets Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric, visits birthplace of Prophet Abraham

UR, Iraq (Reuters) - Pope Francis entered a narrow alleyway in Iraq's holy city of Najaf to hold a historic meeting with the county's top Shi'ite cleric and visited the…

Read More Here

Pope urges Iraqis to shun past violence and give peace a chance

BAGHDAD, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, making the first trip by a pontiff to Iraq, made an impassioned call on Friday for an end to the militant violence, fratricide…

Read More Here

UPDATE – Pope Francis leaves Rome to start historic pilgrimage in Iraq

ROME, March 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis left Rome on Friday to start a four-day trip to Iraq, his most risky foreign trip since his election in 2012 and the first visit by…

Read More Here

Pope says he must go to Iraq because people cannot be let down

Pope Francis said on Wednesday he is going to Iraq, where his predecessor John Paul was not allowed to go in 2000, because “the people cannot be let down for…

Read More Here

Rockets land at Iraqi air base hosting U.S., coalition forces

Several rockets landed on Wednesday at Iraq's Ain al-Asad air base that hosts United States, coalition and Iraqi forces, two security sources said. No casualties have been reported so far,…

Read More Here

Five injured in Baghdad protest ahead of Pope visit to Iraq

BAGHDAD, March 1 (Reuters) - At least five people were injured on Monday when Iraqi security forces wielding clubs broke up a street protest in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square, security…

Read More Here

Pope’s risky trip to Iraq defies sceptics

Rockets have hit Iraqi cities and COVID-19 has flared,yet, barring last-minute changes, Pope Francis will embark on a whirlwind four-day trip starting on Friday to show solidarity with the country’s…

Read More Here

Pope’s visit to Iraqi Ziggurat to bring together several faiths

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…

Read More Here

Gulf War: 30 years on, the consequences of Desert Storm are still with us

The Conversation - It was a short message to end a short war. On February 26 1991, Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz put his signature to a letter addressed to…

Read More Here

Iraqi Christians prepare for Pope’s visit

Iraqi Christians are busy scrubbing churches, practising hymns and preparing for mass ahead of the first ever papal visit to the country, a four-day trip next month that is going…

Read More Here

Iraq rocket attack hits U.S. forces, killing contractor

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…

Read More Here

Senior Islamic State figure killed in Iraq, PM says

DUBAI (Reuters) - 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 "deputy…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Rare twin suicide attack kills at least 23 in Baghdad

Two men blew themselves up in a crowded Baghdad market on Thursday, killing at least 32 people in Iraq’s first big suicide bombing for three years. Islamic State claimed responsibility…

Read More Here

Rockets fired at U.S. embassy in Baghdad

At least eight Katyusha rockets landed in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone in an attack targeting the U.S. Embassy, causing some minor damage on the compound on Sunday, the Iraqi…

Read More Here

Explosion near Baghdad airport, cause unclear, no casualties – sources

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An explosion took place near Baghdad international airport on Saturday in an area housing Iraqi military compounds, but caused no damage or casualties, security sources said. The…

Read More Here

Pope Francis to restart international travel in March with a journey to Iraq

Pope Francis is set to break a 15-month hiatus from international travel with what is sure to be a historic visit to the Middle Eastern nation of Iraq. The Director…

Read More Here

Concern as US announces sharp reduction of troop numbers in Afghanistan and Iraq

President Donald Trump will sharply reduce the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500 by mid-January, the Pentagon announced, stopping short of a threatened full withdrawal from…

Read More Here

U.S. won’t hesitate to protect soldiers in Iraq

The United States will not hesitate to act to protect its personnel in Iraq, where it considers Iranian-backed militias that have attacked U.S. targets to be the country's "single biggest…

Read More Here

Trump to announce reduction in U.S. troops in Iraq on Wednesday

President Donald Trump will announce a further drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq on Wednesday, a senior administration official told reporters on Tuesday. That announcement will be followed by another…

Read More Here

Iraq PM calls early election

Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called an early general election for June 6, 2021, roughly a year ahead of when it would normally be held. Early elections are a key…

Read More Here

Turkey plans more military bases in north Iraq after offensive

Turkey plans to set up more temporary military bases in northern Iraq after stepping up its strikes against Kurdish militants there, a senior Turkish official told Reuters, saying the effort…

Read More Here

Iraq records over 1,000 coronavirus cases for first time

Iraq recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time on Friday, with its total approaching 10,000 confirmed cases, the health ministry said. At…

Read More Here

Turkey to open Iran, Iraq border to boost trade

Turkey will open its Gurbulak border gate with Iran and the Habur border gate with Iraq this week in order to help boost trade as coronavirus containment measures are eased,…

Read More Here

Iraqi women denied their property by relatives, tribes and militias – NRC

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi women displaced by war remain unable to return to their homes because of systemic injustices that prevent them from proving or claiming ownership of their…

Read More Here

U.S. wages retaliatory strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq

The United States waged a series of precision air strikes late Thursday against an Iran-backed militia in Iraq that it blamed for a major rocket attack a day earlier that…

Read More Here

Two U.S., one British personnel killed in Iraq rocket attack

One British and two American personnel were killed and about a dozen people were wounded when 18 small rockets hit Iraq’s Taji military camp north of Baghdad on Wednesday, U.S.…

Read More Here

Iraq confirms first case of coronavirus

Iraq has confirmed its first novel coronavirus case in an elderly Iranian national living in the southern city of Najaf, according to health officials. Iraq had blocked travel to and…

Read More Here

US embassy in Baghdad hit by multiple rockets

Multiple rockets hit near the US embassy in Iraq's capital early Sunday, an American military source said, the latest in a flurry of attacks against US assets in the country.…

Read More Here

Rockets hit US embassy in Baghdad

At least three rockets struck the US embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday. One rocket hit the embassy cafeteria while two others landed a short distance away.…

Read More Here

34 US service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following the Iranian missile attack on US forces in Iraq

Thirty-four US service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following the Iranian missile attack on US forces in Iraq earlier this month, Pentagon spokesman Jonathon Hoffman said Friday.…

Read More Here

Rockets hit targets inside Baghdad’s Green Zone

Three Katyusha rockets fell on Tuesday inside Baghdad's Green Zone which houses government buildings and foreign missions, Iraqi police sources told Reuters. The three rockets were launched from Zafaraniyah district…

Read More Here

US military now says 11 troops were injured in Iran missile attack on US forces inside Iraq

The United States has treated 11 of its troops for symptoms of concussion after an Iranian missile attack on an Iraqi base where US forces were stationed, the country's military…

Read More Here

Satellite photos reveal extent of damage from Iranian strike on air base in Iraq

Satellite photos taken Wednesday show that an Iranian missile strike has caused extensive damage at the Ain al-Assad air base in Iraq, which hosts U.S. and coalition troops. The photos,…

Read More Here

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pledges ‘active engagement’ in further de-escalation efforts

In the wake of an Iranian ballistic missile attack on air bases which house US forces in Iraq, the UN Secretary-General said on Wednesday that he would “continue his active…

Read More Here

Iraq attack was beginning of ‘major, wide scale operation’: IRGC commander

As US President Donald Trump announced that Iran appeared to be "standing down," Iranian officials and Iran-backed Iraqi militias warned that further "revenge" attacks would be carried out in the…

Read More Here

British police on alert amid rising tensions

Anti-terror police are on alert for any fall-out from the Iran crisis, Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Commissioner, has disclosed. She said police were monitoring the crisis and were "extremely alert"…

Read More Here

U.S. and Iran both appear to signal desire to avoid further conflict

President Donald Trump on Wednesday tempered days of angry rhetoric and suggested Iran was “standing down” after it fired missiles at U.S. forces in Iraq overnight, as both sides looked…

Read More Here

Small rockets land near Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone

The US-led coalition to fight ISIS confirmed small rockets landed near the the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on Wednesday afternoon without causing any damage to coalition troops or…

Read More Here

Fears Mount Over Fate of 15 Britons and Americans Detained in Iran

Fears are mounting about the plight of more than a dozen Britons and Americans imprisoned in Iran. The U.S. and British governments accuse Tehran of holding them as "bargaining chips."…

Read More Here

Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei warns “Iran’s is peaceful, but willing to deal with bullies of world”

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, spoke Wednesday morning following the Iranian missile attack on Iraqi military bases in which US forces are located. The attack comes in response to…

Read More Here

No Polish troops in Iraq hurt in Iranian missile attacks

No Polish troops stationed in Iraq were hurt in Iranian missile attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Poland's Defence Minister said on Wednesday. "None of the Polish soldiers in Iraq…

Read More Here

Iran claims 80 ‘American terrorists’ killed in missile strikes

Iranian state television said on Wednesday that at least 80 "American terrorists" were killed in attacks involving 15 missiles Tehran launched on U.S. targets in Iraq, adding that none of…

Read More Here

Philippines orders citizens in Iraq to leave

The Philippines has ordered its citizens to leave Iraq, the Philippine foreign ministry said on Wednesday, after Iran attacked U.S. forces there in response to a U.S. strike that killed…

Read More Here

Pentagon statement on Iranian Ballistic Missile Attacks in Iraq

Statement from Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Jonathan Hoffman: "At approximately 5:30 p.m. (EST) on January 7, Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against…

Read More Here

FAA issues emergency restrictions after Iranian missile attack

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it was closely monitoring events in the Middle East and coordinating with U.S. airlines and foreign authorities about aviation safety after Iran launched…

Read More Here

President Donald Trump says “All is well!” after Iranian missile attack

President Donald Trump said "All is well!" after more than a dozen Iranian missiles were fired at two bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq. Trump tweets that casualty and damage…

Read More Here

Oil prices jump after Iraq missile attacks

Oil prices have jumped after at least two airbases hosting US troops in Iraq were hit by ballistic missiles. There was also another tragic development hours after a Ukrainian Boeing…

Read More Here

Iran launches missile attack on US bases in Iraq

Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles from Iranian territory against at least two Iraqi military bases hosting U.S.-led coalition personnel at about 1.30 a.m. local time, the U.S.…

Read More Here

US Defense Secretary denies reports of US withdrawing from Iraq

The United States Defense Secretary Mark Esper, said that the US no plans to pull its troops out of Iraq, following reports of a leaked American military letter informing Iraqi…

Read More Here

NATO to meet over Iran crisis amid ‘menacing escalation’

NATO ambassadors will meet in Brussels on Monday amid ongoing Middle East tensions, three days after the US killing of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani. "The North Atlantic Council will…

Read More Here

Germany seeks crisis meeting of EU foreign ministers

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Sunday for a crisis meeting of his European Union counterparts this week to discuss escalating tension in the Middle East following the killing…

Read More Here