Kurdish separatists and water issues loom large in long-awaited visit of Turkey's Erdogan to Iraq
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is making his first official visit to Iraq in more than a decade as Ankara seeks greater cooperation from Baghdad in its fight against a Kurdish militant group that has a foothold in Iraq's north.
US drone strike in Baghdad kills high-ranking militia leader linked to attacks on American troops
The U.S. military says a U.S. drone strike blew up a car in the Iraqi capital Wednesday night, killing a high-ranking commander of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia who is responsible for โdirectly planning and participating in attacksโ on American troops in the region.
Iraq and US begin formal talks to end coalition mission formed to fight the Islamic State group
Iraq's prime minister says his government and the United States have held a first session of formal talks in Baghdad aimed at winding down the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Voter apathy and concerns about violence mark Iraq's first provincial elections in a decade
Iraqis have begun voting for the first time in a decade to select new provincial council members, who in turn will appoint governors, with the outcome seen as a bellwether for the parliamentary elections due to take place in 2025.
Iraq steps up repatriations from Islamic State camp in Syria, hoping to reduce militant threats
Iraq is stepping up repatriation of its citizens from a camp in northeastern Syria housing tens of thousands of people, mostly wives and children of Islamic State fighters but also supporters of the militant group.
Blaming Kurds for unrest, Iran threatens Iraq with offensive
Multiple Iraqi and Kurdish officials say a senior Iranian military official has threatened Iraq with an unprecedented ground military operation if Baghdad does not disarm Iranian Kurdish opposition groups and fortify its shared borders with Iran.
Officials: US aid worker shot dead in Baghdad in rare attack
Two police officials say assailants shot dead an American aid worker in Baghdad in a rare killing of a foreigner in the Iraqi capital in recent years, The man was shot as he drove through the capital's central Karrada district on the east bank of the Tigris River but the reason for the killing was not immediately clear.
General: China's Africa outreach poses threat from Atlantic
The top U.S. general for Africa says a growing military threat from China may well come from Americaโs east, as Beijing looks to establish a large navy port capable of hosting submarines or aircraft carriers on the Atlantic coast of Africa.
Iraq pilgrims defy virus protocols as case numbers rise
Also on Wednesday, a grenade was tossed near the Imam Bridge in Baghdad, killing a woman and wounding 11 pilgrims. The bridge is located on the Tigris River, connecting the predominately Sunni Adhamiya area to Kadhimiya, which is mostly Shiite. The event usually draws millions of pilgrims from around the world each year to Baghdad, to visit the gold-domed shrine containing the imamโs resting place. AdMeanwhile, case numbers are climbing, with new infections surpassing a rate set six months ago. A visit to Iraq by Pope Francis, which ended on Monday, drew concerns as infectious disease experts had questioned the wisdom of such a trip given Iraqโs rising virus case numbers.
Pope weighed Iraq virus risk but believes God will protect
Francis said the idea of a trip โcooks over time in my conscience,โ and that the pandemic was the issue that weighed most heavily on him. Francis, the Vatican delegation and traveling media were vaccinated against COVID-19, while most Iraqis haven't been. Francis said he wasnโt sure if he would have to slow down his usual whirlwind pace on future trips. Otherwise, the only other trip Francis has promised to make is to Lebanon, though he offered no time frame. He said the country's patriarch had asked him to add a Beirut leg onto his Iraq trip but that he had declined, thinking it would be like tossing the country โcrumbs," given all Lebanonโs current problems.
Where IS ruled, pope calls on Christians to forgive, rebuild
Pope Francis celebrates mass at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Irbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)IRBIL โ Pope Francis urged Iraqโs Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the communityโs historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State groupโs horrific reign. Mosul, Iraqโs second largest city, was at the heart of the IS so-called โcaliphateโ and witnessed the worst of the groupโs rule inflicted on Muslims, Christians and others, including beheadings and mass killings. Mosul, Iraqโs second largest city, became ISโs bureaucratic and financial backbone. Things are difficult for those living here.โAt Qaraqosh, Francis urged its residents to continue to dream, and forgive.
The Latest: Pope Francis delivers sermon in Baghdad church
Pope Francis, center arrives to concelebrate a mass in the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021. Francis honored Iraqโs persecuted Christians by celebrating Mass on Saturday at the Chaldean Catholic cathedral in Baghdad. ___6:30 p.m.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is pleased to see the historic visit by Pope Francis to Iraq. Iraqi and Vatican church officials had promised social distancing and other health measures would be enforced during Francisโ four-day visit to Iraq, especially at his indoor events. Francisโ interfaith meeting in Ur came after his historic encounter in nearby Najaf with Iraqโs top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric deliver message of coexistence
Women wait outside the Chaldean Cathedral of Saint Joseph, in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 6, 2021, where Pope Francis, depicted on a giant poster at their back, is concelebrating a mass. AdTogether, the dayโs events gave symbolic and practical punch to the central message of Francisโ visit, calling for Iraq to embrace its diversity. Al-Sistani is one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam, deeply revered among Shiites in Iraq and worldwide. Later, Pope Francis evoked the common reverence for Abraham to speak against religious violence at the inter-faith gathering at the Plains of Ur, near the southern city of Nasiriyah. Associated Press journalists Anmar Khalil in Najaf, Iraq, and Samya Kullab in Baghdad contributed.
The Latest: Pope honors massacre victims at Baghdad church
Pope Francis delivers his speech during a meeting with bishops and priests, at the Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation) Cathedral, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. The pontiffโs landmark visit has been months in the making and is the first papal visit to Iraq, one that eluded his predecessors. The Alitalia flight, with both Vatican and Iraqi flags, carrying the pope and his delegation landed just before 2 p.m. (1100GMT). Dozens of Christians are gathering at the Church of the Virgin Mary in Baghdad hours before Pope Francis was due to land in Iraq for a first papal visit to the war-weary country. The papal visit has raised alarm among public health experts, who fear large crowds will inevitably gather to see the pope.
Pope urges Iraq to embrace its Christians on historic visit
Pope Francis is welcomed upon his arrival at the Sayidat al-Nejat (Our Lady of Salvation) Cathedral, in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, March 5, 2021. Pope Francis has arrived in Iraq to urge the country's dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns. They received a further blow when IS in 2014 swept through northern Iraq, including traditionally Christian towns across the Nineveh plains. Few have returned โ estimates suggest there are fewer than 300,000 Christians still in Iraq and many of those remain displaced from their homes. Many Iraqi Christians cannot find work and blame discriminatory practices in the public sector, Iraqโs largest employer.
A timeline of disaster and displacement for Iraqi Christians
Iraq was estimated to have more than 1 million Christians before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. Iraq was estimated to have nearly 1.5 million Christians before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. AdHereโs a look at disasters Iraqโs Christians have endured, from Saddam's ouster to the brutal campaign by Islamic State militants:U.S. It was the deadliest single assault ever recorded against Iraqโs Christians. To this day, the memory of the massacre is etched in the minds of Iraqโs Christian community.
EXPLAINER: Pope's risky Iraq trip aims to boost Christians
Iraqi Christians have gathered for mass in the same church that just a week before was the scene of a horrific bloodbath that left scores dead and wounded. The trip will include a private meeting with Iraqโs top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a revered figure in Iraq and beyond. AdShamasha says Francis will be welcomed by those who stayed, even though his message of interfaith harmony is sometimes difficult for Iraqi Christians to hear. Francis is going to Iraq precisely to encourage these Christians to persevere and remain, and to emphasize that they have an important role to play in rebuilding Iraq. Iraqi Christians were believed to number around 1.4 million in 2003.
American university hopes to fill higher-ed gap in Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi speaks during the opening ceremony of the American University in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)BAGHDAD โ From afar, the sprawling complex of the newly inaugurated American University in Baghdad appears like a floating mirage. Government officials maintain that the American University in Baghdad, which opened this week, is critical to shoring up the countryโs flailing state of higher education. Liberal arts is a novel concept in Iraq, Mulnix said. Most of the students have very basic English skills, not enough to meet the rigorous demands of the university, Mulnix said.
American university hopes to fill higher-ed gap in Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi speaks during the opening ceremony of the American University in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)BAGHDAD โ From afar, the sprawling complex of the newly inaugurated American University in Baghdad appears like a floating mirage. Government officials maintain that the American University in Baghdad, which opened this week, is critical to shoring up the countryโs flailing state of higher education. Liberal arts is a novel concept Iraq, Mulnix said. Most of the students have very basic English skills, not enough to meet the rigorous demands of the university, Mulnix said.
Patriarch: Pope to meet Iraqi Shiite leader Sistani in Iraq
FILE - in this Sunday, April 14, 2019 file photo, Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako addresses the faithful during the Palm Sunday service at Mar Youssif Church in Baghdad, Iraq. The Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, provided the first details of Francisโ March 5-8 itinerary during a virtual news conference hosted by the French bishops' conference. The Vatican has confirmed the visit, but it still could be called off given the coronavirus pandemic. Sako dismissed the significance of the bombing on the overall security situation in Iraq and said, โThere is no risk for the pope." Francis and the Vatican delegation will have been vaccinated by the time of the trip.
Islamic State claims deadly and rare twin blasts in Baghdad
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021, file photo, people and security forces gather at the site of a deadly bomb attack in a market selling used clothes, in Baghdad, Iraq. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a rare suicide attack that rocked central Baghdad, killing 32 people and wounding dozens. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)BAGHDAD โ The Islamic State claimed responsibility for a rare suicide attack that rocked central Baghdad, killing 32 people and wounding dozens. The bombing targeted "apostate Shiites," the group said in a statement on an IS-affiliated website late Thursday. Elsewhere, in northern Iraq and the western desert, attacks continue and almost exclusively target Iraqi security forces.
Rally in Baghdad marks 1 year since Iran general's killing
Thousands of Iraqis converged on a landmark central square in Baghdad on Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of the killing of Soleimanil and al-Muhandis in a U.S. drone strike. Sunday's rally was being held amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. in the final days of President Donald Trumpโs administration. Their killing dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the region and brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. In Yemen, Iranโs embassy in the rebel-controlled capital, Sanaa, held a ceremony commemorating the killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis. โThis ceremony today shows the deep ties between the two governments and people of Yemen and Iran,โ he said.
Iraq says it has dismantled mine on tanker in Persian Gulf
BAGHDAD โ Iraq's military on Saturday said explosives experts with its naval forces successfully dismantled a mine that was discovered stuck to an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf two days earlier. The announcement came a day after Iraq confirmed reports by private security firms that a mine had been discovered attached to the side of a tanker rented from Iraq's Oil Marketing Company, known as SOMO, as it was refueling another vessel. Iraq has not provided further details, but the two private security firms said the discovery was likely a limpet mine on the MT Pola, a Liberian-flagged tanker. Soleimani headed Iran's Revolutionary Guardโs elite Quds Force, responsible for the Islamic Republicโs foreign operations and frequently shuttling between Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. His assassination dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the region and brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war.
Iraq explosives experts working to defuse mine on oil tanker
BAGHDAD โ Iraqi explosives experts were working to defuse a large mine discovered on an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and evacuate its crew, authorities said Friday. The Iraqi statement said the mine had been attached to a tanker rented from Iraqโs Oil Marketing Company SOMO that was refueling another vessel. It was the first official Iraqi confirmation that a mine was discovered on an Iraqi tanker transferring fuel in the Persian Gulf to another vessel. The Pola serves as floating fuel oil storage of Iraqโs State Organization of Marketing of Oil, said Sudharsan Sarathy, a senior oil analyst at the data-analysis firm Refinitiv. Smaller vessels carry the fuel oil to the ship, which then conducts ship-to-ship transfers in the Persian Gulf to clients.
Relative of Blackwater victim in Iraq says pardons 'unfair'
FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2007 file photo, an Iraqi traffic policeman inspects a car destroyed by a Blackwater security detail in al-Nisoor Square in Baghdad, Iraq. On Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, the Trump administration pardoned four military contractors convicted of killing 14 Iraqi civilians in a public square 13 years ago. At the time, the Blackwater firm had been contracted to provide security for U.S. diplomats in Iraq. Five years after Abbas' death, Fadel took over the role of family breadwinner. Asked what would bring him peace of mind over a decade since his brother's killing, Fadel said only a death sentence for the contractors could bring solace.
Pardons in killings of Iraqi civilians stir angry response
FILE - This combination made from file photo shows Blackwater guards, from left, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nicholas Slatten and Paul Slough. โThe infamous Blackwater company killed Iraqi citizens at Nisoor Square. The 2007 killings in the Baghdad traffic circle were among many attacks, large and small, hitting civilians that served to turn even some initial Iraqi supporters of Saddam Hussein's overthrow against Americans. The case against the Blackwater guards ping-ponged across courts in Washington, with a federal appeals court at one point overturning the first-degree murder conviction of one defendant, Nicholas Slatten, and sharply reducing the prison sentences of the three others. In Iraq, said Ford, the former diplomat, the pardons will โnecessarily give some ammunition to those who say get the Americans out now."
Trump pardons security contractors in deadly Iraq shooting
FILE - This combination made from file photo shows Blackwater guards, from left, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty, Nicholas Slatten and Paul Slough. Supporters of the former contractors at Blackwater Worldwide had lobbied for the pardons, arguing that the men had been excessively punished in an investigation and prosecution they said was tainted. Blackwater contractors were notorious in Baghdad at the time and frequently accused of firing shots at the slightest pretext, including to clear their way in traffic. The shooting in the traffic circle stood out for the number killed, but was far from an isolated event in Iraq at the time. The Blackwater firm was founded by Erik Prince, an ally of Trump and the brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Trump pardons 15, commutes 5 sentences, including GOP allies
He and his allies have discussed a range of other possibilities, including members of Trump's family and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Trump also commuted the sentences of five other people, including former Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas. Trump also announced pardons for two people entangled in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Trump has granted about 2% of requested pardons in his single term in office โ just 27 before Tuesday's announcement. Bush, another one-term president, granted 10% of requests.
Clashes with cleric's supporters kill 5 in southern Iraq
Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, in the posters, gather in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)BAGHDAD โ Supporters of a firebrand Iraqi cleric shot dead five people on Saturday, according to medical officials, in overnight clashes with anti-government protesters in southern Iraq. Following the clashes beginning on Friday, al-Sadrโs supporters stormed Haboubi square, and torched tents pitched in the square. Anti-government protesters feel betrayed by al-Sadrโs flip-flop approach toward them, especially in the last few months when he withdrew support for their movement. Dozens returned to the anti-government sit-in's site on Saturday morning in support of those protesters killed overnight.
Iraq clears sit-in square, a year after mass protests began
Security forces remove protesters' tents in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020. Iraqi security forces reopened Saturday Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the long-running anti-government protest movement and Al-Jumhuriyah Bridge, which was sealed off by protesters since the protests began in October last year. More than 500 people were killed during the months-long protest movement, many of them demonstrators shot by Iraqi security forces. Security forces used bulldozers to help clear some of the protesters' tents that remained in Tahrir Square. Activists also blamed the drop in numbers on a violent crackdown by Iraqi security forces and militia groups, as well as kidnappings and targeted assassinations.
US warns Iraq of Baghdad embassy closure if attacks continue
FILE - The U.S. Embassy is seen from across the Tigris River in Baghdad, Iraq Jan. 3, 2020. The Trump administration has signaled it could close its diplomatic mission in Baghdad if measures are not taken to control rogue armed elements responsible for a recent spate of attacks against U.S. and other interests in the country, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Monday, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed, File)