Iraq

Iraqi fighters from Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have launched the second phase of a military operation to purge the vast desert in the country’s western province of Anbar along the border with Syria of members of the terrorist group of Daesh. The media bureau of the voluntary forces – also …

Iraqi Defense Ministry announced Friday that its minister, Najah al-Shammari, ordered to form an inquiry commission following the release of an audio clip attributed to the commander of Anbar operations, Mahmoud al-Falahi, to communicate with the CIA. Iraqi Defense Minister “ordered the formation of an inquiry commission to find out …

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee voted on Friday to list the sprawling Mesopotamian metropolis of Babylon as a World Heritage Site after three decades of efforts by Iraq. Iraq had been trying since 1983 to have the site — a massive 10-square-kilometer complex of which just 18 percent has been excavated …

Iraqi Popular Mobilization forces (PMF) announced on Thursday that three members of the criminal “Daesh” were killed in a security operation in the Hawran Valley in Anbar province. “The force of Haditha PMF brigade in Anbar carried out a security operation in the valley of Horan, where the clashes broke …

Iraq and Oman signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the oil and gas sector, including the possibility of building a shared refinery in Oman for processing imported Iraqi crude, the Iraqi oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Iraq will aim to export crude to Oman, according …

Firefighters have successfully put out a fire at a strategic oil pipeline in northern Iraq that links oil-rich Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, a security source said. The pipeline is currently not operational, the source said. The fire started after six improvised explosive devices went off in succession …

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMS) on Wednesday killed four members of Daesh terrorists and destroyed two launchers in pre-emptive operations south of Tal Afar, Iraq. “A force of the 53rd, 40th, intelligence, and operations brigade of Nineveh, carried out a pre-emptive operation in the area of ​​Jabal Sheikh Ibrahim, south …

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has issued a decree that further integrates the Popular Mobilization Forces, which have proven a decisive force in Baghdad’s counter-terrorism operations, into the country’s armed forces. “In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution…the following …

Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban said on Sunday that he expects a global deal cutting crude production to be extended by six to nine months and that his country supports all efforts to improve stability in the oil market. “The main oil producers are heading toward a decision to extend …

Kemune Palace was part of the mysterious Mittani Empire that ruled Syria and northern Mesopotamia thousands of years ago. The heavy rains that hit Iraq over the past two weeks have not only put an end to the dry season, which has almost dried up the historic Tigris River, but …

Hundreds of Iraqi people have stormed the Bahrain embassy in the capital city of Baghdad to protest Manama’s decision to host a key summit where the US showcased its so-called deal of the century to end Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Videos showed hundreds of people with Palestinian flags marching outside the Bahraini …

Iraq will not be a zone of proxy conflicts, President Barham Salih said on Wednesday during a visit to the United Kingdom. Tensions in the region are escalating after attacks on shipping in the Sea of Oman and the shooting down of a US surveillance drone by Iran amid a …

The education portfolio is the only one yet to be filled in Iraq’s government after lawmakers on Monday voted in Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s nominees as defense, interior and justice ministers. Najah al-Shammari, Yaseen al-Yasiri and Faruq Ameen were respectively confirmed in those posts, lawmakers said. But Safana al-Hamdani, the …

American energy giant ExxonMobil has put on hold a $53 billion deal with Iraq over “security concerns” stemming from escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, an excuse that observers say the firm has made up to avoid discussing differences of opinion with Baghdad over the contract. Iraqi government …

Hundreds of US defense contractor personnel will evacuate Balad Air Base in Iraq due to “potential security threats,” Iraqi military sources have told the media. Nearly 400 employees of Lockheed Martin and Sallyport Global stationed at the base north of Baghdad are due to leave the country in a two-stage …

A bomb blast killed seven people at a mosque in eastern Baghdad on Friday and wounded more than 20, police sources said. The explosion took place in the Baladiyat neighborhood. A senior police source said that either a suicide belt or improvised explosive device had been used in the attack, …

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah met Wednesday during his visit to Iraq with Iraqi President Barham Salih at the Al-Salam Palace in Baghdad. During the meeting, they reviewed good brotherly relations between the two countries and means of enhancing them in all fields, KUNA reported. The talks also …

Iraqi authorities have removed nearly 30 kilometers of concrete blast walls across Baghdad in the past six months in the wake of a significant improvement of security situation. “Over the last six months, we removed 18,000 T-walls in Baghdad, including 14,000 in the Green Zone alone,” said Staff Lieutenant General …

Washington has granted Iraq another 90-day waiver to allow it to keep importing gas and electricity from neighboring Iran, which is under tough US sanctions, two Iraqi government sources say. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the sources said on Saturday that the extension came following “long discussions” with …

Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim received on Sunday a copy of the credentials of newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador in Baghdad Matthew H. Tueller. This came during a meeting held Sunday at the foreign ministry’s headquarters in Baghdad. The two sides discussed ways to improve bilateral relations and enhance cooperation ties …