Iraq

Iraqi parliament votes to expel US troops

The Iraqi parliament has voted to remove US troops from Iraq. In an extraordinary session, lawmakers backed a resolution to ask the government to end an agreement with Washington to station 5,200…

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“War brings only death and destruction” Pope Francis

Pope Francis said there is a “terrible air of tension” in many parts of the world. “I call upon all parties to fan the flame of dialogue and self-control, and to…

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How will the US – Iran tension escalation impact oil prices?

The killing of Iran’s most revered military leader could be more impactful for the oil market than other recent incidents that have just temporarily spiked crude prices. Iranian General Soleimani,…

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Trump warns Iran that it will be hit ‘very fast and very hard’ if it retaliates

President Donald Trump warned Iran that the U.S. identified dozens of sites to be hit "very fast and very hard" if it retaliates for the killing of military leader Qassem…

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NATO suspends training mission in Iraq

NATO suspended its training mission in Iraq, the alliance said Saturday after a U.S. drone strike killed a top Iranian general in Baghdad. NATO has been advising the Iraqi defense…

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Mortars and Rockets fired towards American Embassy in Iraq

Two mortar rounds hit the Iraqi capital's Green Zone Saturday and two rockets slammed into a base housing US troops, security sources said, a day after a deadly American strike.…

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Did Trump ‘copy’ Clinton to delay impeachment vote?

Social media is pointing towards an incident in history which might show Donald Trump may is "taking a page from Bill Clinton's playbook" whereby through the current tense situation cause…

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UK advises its citizens to avoid travel to Iraq, Iran

The British government on Saturday advised UK nationals to avoid traveling to Iraq and Iran in face of heightened tensions in the Middle East following the US killing of…

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Thousands gather in Baghdad to mourn Soleimani

Thousands of mourners gathered in Baghdad on Saturday ahead of a funeral procession for Iran’s slain military commander Qassem Soleimani, Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and others killed in…

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Photo story: Beefed up security at US embassy in Baghdad

Handout photos made available by the US Marine Corps shows a US Marine on watch at the US embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq, 03 January 2020. Days earlier the Embassy…

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U.S. denies it conducted a new airstrike in Iraq

There are conflicting reports regarding a new air strike in Iraq that targeted an Iraqi militia late on Friday on Taji road north of Baghdad. Initial reports said that it…

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Iranian Supreme Leader meets Soleimani’s family

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei met with the family of late Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant general and commander of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani at his home in…

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USA to send 3,000 additional troops to Middle East

The United States is sending nearly 3,000 additional troops to the Middle East from the 82nd Airborne Division as a precaution amid rising threats to American forces in the region,…

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Iran in mourning as it vows revenge for killing

The killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani by a US air raid has triggered a wave of emotions and garnered a united response of solidarity and retribution across the…

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US urges citizens to leave Iraq ‘immediately’

The United States is urging US citizens to leave Iraq "immediately", citing "heightened tensions in Iraq and the region". The warning comes hours after Iran promised “harsh retaliation” against the United…

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Photo Story: First images of the US attack on Baghdad airport

Handout photos made available by Iraq's military-run Security Media Cell show the effects of the U.S. airstrike on Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, 03 January 2020. According to Iraqi authorities, several…

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Top Iranian General Soleimani killed by US Military on Trump’s orders

The US Department of Defense confirmed Thursday evening that the US military, acting on the orders of President Donald Trump, killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. The commander of Iran's…

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Pompeo postpones Ukraine trip because of developments in Iraq

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo postponed a planned trip to Ukraine to deal with the ongoing developments out of Baghdad, the State Department announced. "Secretary Pompeo must postpone his visit…

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Iraq’s pro-Iran militia orders withdrawal from US embassy

Supporters of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi force began dismantling their sit-in outside the US embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday, but hardliners insisted they would stay put. The Hashed, a powerful paramilitary…

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Trump issues threat to Iran after attack on US embassy in Iraq

US President Trump issued a threat to Iran, after blaming it for an attack on the US embassy in neighbouring Iraq. CNN reports that Protesters attacked the US Embassy in…

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US ambassador to Iraq and other staff evacuated from Baghdad’s embassy for safety reasons

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq and other staff were evacuated from their embassy in Baghdad for their safety on Tuesday, Iraqi officials said, as thousands of protesters and militia fighters…

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U.S. strikes on Iraq and Syria ‘successful,’ warning of potential further action

U.S. officials said that air strikes on Sunday in Iraq and Syria against an Iran-backed militia group were successful but warned that “additional actions” may still be taken in the…

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Photo Story: Australian Defence Force personnel return home after deployment to Iraq

Warrant Officer Adam Lehane (C) of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Task Group Taji 9 (TGT-9) is greeted by his daughters Paige (L) and Grace upon returning home from deployment…

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No Christmas decorations in Iraq in solidarity with protesters

Leaders of Iraq’s Christians unanimously cancelled Christmas-related celebrations in solidarity with the protest movement — but the aims of their stance go deeper than tinsel and fairy lights. Cardinal Louis…

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Al-Baghdadi’s ‘deputy’ captured in northern Iraq

A senior Daesh militant close to the former leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has been captured in northern Iraq. Police in Huwaijah, Kirkuk province, managed to track down the extremist…

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Iraqi Prime Minister says he will quit as deadly protests in the country escalate

Iraq's prime minister has announced that he is resigning in the wake of deadly anti-government protests. Adel Abdul-Mahdi's announcement was broadcast on state television, just over a year after he…

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Iraq death toll passes 400 in weeks of mass protests

The death toll in Iraq from weeks of anti-government unrest rose on Friday to at least 408 people killed, mostly unarmed protesters, a Reuters count based on police and medical…

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Photo Story: Protests in Baghdad

Iraqi protesters throw fireworks during clashes with anti-riot police forces at the Al Rasheed street in central Baghdad, Iraq. More than 340 people have died, and thousands have been wounded…

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Anti-government protests persist in Baghdad

An Iraqi man helps an injured fellow protester during clashes with anti-riot forces at the Al Khilani square in Baghdad, Iraq, 14 November 2019. Security forces killed at least three…

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Five Italian soldiers injured in attack in Iraq

An explosion in Iraq has injured five Italian soldiers, three of them seriously, the Italian military said on Sunday, Reuters and ANSA reports. The attack took place around 11 am, in the area…

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Anti-government protests in Iraq persist

Iraqi riot police forces take up position in front of protesters who are trying to cross the al-Ahrar Bridge in central Baghdad, Iraq, 05 November 2019 (issued on 07 November…

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Security forces kill protester in Iraq, wound dozens

Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition to disperse thousands of anti-government protesters Saturday, killing at least one and wounding more than 200 in the capital Baghdad and…

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ISIS names its new leader as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashemi, confirms al-Baghdadi’s death

ISIS has for the first time confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and named his successor. An ISIS outlet announced on the messaging service Telegram that Abu…

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Iraqi prime minister’s main backers agree to oust him

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s two main backers have agreed to work to remove him from office as protests against his government gained momentum in Baghdad and much of…

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“Something very big has just happened!” – Donald Trump on ISIS leader’s killing – Iraq security sources informed

Donald Trump has confirmed that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi was killed in a US military operation. The president said: "Last night, we brought the world's number one…

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Anti-government protests in Iraq leave 42 dead

Renewed anti-government protests across Iraq left more than 40 people dead on Friday. The protests represent a second phase of a week-long movement in early October that ended with more…

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Iraqi police fire live shots, tear gas at Baghdad protesters

Iraqi police fired live shots into the air and dozens of tear gas canisters on Friday to disperse thousands of protesters on the streets of Baghdad, sending young demonstrators running…

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U.S. troops cross into Iraq from Syria

United States troops have crossed into Iraq from Syria through the Sahela border crossing in the northern province of Dohuk. Witnesses saw more than 100 vehicles crossing. U.S. Defence Secretary…

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U.S. troops withdrawn from Syria expected to go to western Iraq

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that all the nearly 1,000 troops withdrawing from northern Syria are expected to move to western Iraq to continue the campaign against Islamic State…

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Death toll surpasses 100 in Iraqi protests

Iraq's government has denied that any of its security forces have fired directly at protesters during six days of violent demonstrations. At least 109 people have now been killed since…

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Escalation of violence in the streets of Iraq

The violent protests in the street of Iraq show no sign of abating as the number of dead or injured continues to rise - with one estimate suggesting 4,000 people…

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Protests in Iraq turn deadly and spread nationwide

The demonstrations have posed the first major challenge to Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, who formed his government a year ago this month and who controversially blamed the violence on…

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Iraq re-opens border-crossing with Syria

Iraq reopened its Qaim border-crossing with Syria on Monday after eight years of closure amid regional turmoil. This has been interpreted as the latest sign of normalisation between Baghdad and…

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Two rockets fired target embassies’ zone in Iraq

Two rockets were fired on Monday at central Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and government buildings, but there were no casualties or damage caused, security services said.…

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UK and Iraq agree future defence relationship

The UK has cemented its commitment to continued military support to Iraq, after an agreement was signed in London today. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace met with his Iraqi counterpart, His…

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Reports that Israel attacked Iranian targets in Iraq

The London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat citing unnamed western diplomatic sources reported that Israel used F-35 stealth fighter jets on late Sunday night to attack “Iranian advisers” and a shipment of ballistic…

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On this day…

In 1856 Nikola Tesla—a Serbian American inventor and researcher who discovered the rotating magnetic field, the basis of most alternating-current machinery—was born this day in Smiljan, Croatia. In 1877 the first Wimbledon…

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Crowd storms Bahraini embassy in Baghdad

More than 200 demonstrators broke into the Bahraini embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad and took down the nation's flag on Thursday night to protest a U.S.-led meeting in Bahrain…

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ExxonMobil and other oil firms targeted in rocket attack in Iraq

A rocket landed at a residential and operations headquarters of several global major oil companies, including U.S. giant ExxonMobil, near Iraq's southern city of Basra early on Wednesday, wounding…

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Britain raises threat level in Iraq

Sky News is reporting that Britain has raised the threat level for UK forces and diplomats in Iraq because of what sources say is a heightened security risk from Iran.…

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Germany and the Netherlands suspend military training in Iraq

Germany and the Netherlands are suspending military training operations in Iraq due to increasing regional tensions and an unspecified threat. The Germany Defence Ministry said it has no indications of its…

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Washington orders non-emergency government employees to leave Iraq

The U.S. State Department on Wednesday ordered the departure of “non-emergency government employees” from Iraq, the U.S. embassy in Baghdad said in a statement. Referring to the embassy and the…

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing

Good morning The latest on the deadly bombing in Pakistan, the hostage situation in Toulouse, the geopolitical situations in the Gulf, the situation in Iraq and Liverpool's comeback and the…

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Pompeo makes surprise visit to Iraq, stepping up warning to Iran

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made a lightning visit to Baghdad on Tuesday to show U.S. support for the Iraqi government as Washington steps up warnings to Iran against…

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Islamic State justifies Sri Lanka attacks, links them to Iraq and vows further revenge for loss of territory – al-Baghdadi in new video

The Islamic State group has released a video of a man it says is its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, vowing to seek revenge for its loss of territory. Five years…

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Iraq: Mass grave of Kurds killed in Saddam Hussein’s time unearthed

Iraq must never forget Saddam Hussein’s crimes or allow his party to return, President Barham Salih said on Sunday after attending the unearthing of a mass grave of Kurds killed…

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Kurds want an international court to try ISIS foreign fighters

Kurdish Syrian fighters that defeated and removed ISIS fighter from their last strongholds called for an international tribunal to prosecute hundreds of foreigners rounded up in the nearly five-year campaign…

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