Iraqi President Barham Salih met U.S. President Donald Trump in Davos on Wednesday and discussed reducing foreign troops in the country, the Iraqi presidency said, after Washington spurned an Iraqi request earlier this month to pull out its troops. “During the meeting, reducing foreign troops and the importance of respecting …
Read More »PMF, Iraqi Security Forces Start Anti-ISIL Operations in Najaf, Karbala
“Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces), the army, the police, and border guards started Mantaqat al-Forat al-Awsat operations in 8 directions on Wednesday morning to establish security in Jazirat al-Najaf and Sahra al-Karbala regions,” General Ali al-Hamdani, a commander of Hashd al-Shaabi participating in the operations, was quoted by the …
Read More »US Forces to Fully Evacuate Iraq by Yearend: Iraqi MP
“We will witness the end of the US forces’ presence in Iraq in the current year,” Ali al-Qanemi, a senior member of the Iraqi parliament’s security and defense committee, told the Baghdad al-Youm news website on Tuesday. He added that the parliament’s decision to expel the US forces is binding …
Read More »Iraq’s Caretaker PM Condemns Rocket Attack near US Embassy
Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi on Tuesday denounced an earlier rocket attack in the vicinity of the US Embassy in Baghdad’s highly fortified Green Zone. In the early hours today, three Katyusha rockets were again fired at the Green Zone. Sirens at the US Embassy reportedly went off …
Read More »Baghdad to send delegates to Russia, Ukraine, China to buy latest air defense — Iraqi MP
According to the high-ranking official, the lawmakers are looking into obtaining weapons in exchange for Iraqi oil shipments Iraq has plans in store to send delegations to Russia, China, and Ukraine to discuss buying modern air defense systems to protect its territory from any possible aggression or violation of its …
Read More »UN calls for Reforms & peaceful demonstrations in Iraq
UN Iraq Representative urges renewed push for reform, calls for demonstrations to remain peaceful With public demonstrations across many parts of Iraq in their fourth month, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, is urging a renewed push for reform and expressing concern about ongoing …
Read More »Iraqi Oil Field Halts as Reform-Driven Protests Escalate
Oil production is reported to have stopped at the 70,000-BPD Al Ahdab field on Sunday, as security guards seeking permanent employment blocked access to the site. According to Bloomberg, the 50,000-BPD Badra field is also at risk of closure from Monday. Al Ahdab is developed by China’s CNPC, while Badra …
Read More »At least 13 wounded in violence in Baghdad – officials
Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and live rounds during clashes with anti-government protesters overnight and on Monday morning in Baghdad, wounding at least 13 demonstrators and prompting authorities to close key streets and thoroughfares leading to the city center, officials said. The violence is the latest since protests in …
Read More »Iraqi FM: U.S. pullout from Iran nuclear deal destabilizes region
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali Al-Hakim, in a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Al Safadi in Baghdad, has said that Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has been the cause of recent tensions in the region. U.S. President Donald Trump quit the nuclear …
Read More »Iraq: Obese Daesh mufti who called for rape and genocide caught
A morbidly obese Daesh ‘mufti’ was caught in a raid yesterday by an elite Iraqi SWAT team, of the Nineveh regiment in the city of Mosul. Shifa Al-Nima, also known as Abu Abdul-Bari, was too overweight (reportedly weighing over 135 kilograms) to be taken into a police car, however, and …
Read More »US admits 11 troops were injured in Iran attack
The US military said 11 troops were treated for a concussion after Iran launched a rocket attack at the Al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, despite initially saying no service members had been hurt. The attack took place on 8 January in retaliation for the US-launched drone strike in Baghdad that …
Read More »German defense minister arrives in Baghdad on unannounced visit
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer arrived on Wednesday in Iraq on an unannounced visit to meet with German troops deployed there, German Defense Ministry spokesperson told reporters at a press briefing. Prior to her visit to Iraq, Kramp-Karrenbauer toured Jordan where she met with German servicemen and held talks with …
Read More »Ukraine willing to send 20 soldiers to Iraq for NATO mission
Ukraine has informed NATO that it is willing to partner with the alliance in Iraq, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba said during a meeting with NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Operations John Manza at the NATO headquarters. “I informed the assistant secretary-general that Ukraine has …
Read More »Two Iraqi Soldiers Killed in IS Attack: Army
Two Iraqi soldiers were killed overnight on Tuesday in an attack by the Islamic State (IS) terrorists, Iraq’s War Media Cell, part, and parcel of the country’s army confirmed in a statement. At least five other soldiers were wounded by the IS terrorists who managed to escape after the attack. …
Read More »Missile strike in Iraq hits base with 200 British personnel
A US army base in Iraq which was targeted in a missile strike last night is also where 200 British personnel are based. No group has as of yet claimed responsibility for the Katyusha rocket attack on Camp Taji, north of Baghdad. Unlike the ballistic missiles which Iran fired at …
Read More »Davos 2020: de-escalation in Iraq high on agenda
The de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, will be high on the agenda at next week’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, which is the organization’s 50th yearly gathering in Davos, Switzerland. Taking part in these efforts will be regional leaders including Barham Salih, Iraq’s President, and …
Read More »NATO and Iraq discuss developments in the Middle East, Cooperation.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with Iraq’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Karim Hashim Aboualgus at NATO Headquarters. They shared views on the recent developments in the Middle East and on NATO-Iraq cooperation. Mr. Stoltenberg underscored that NATO remains fully committed to working with Iraq and that NATO is ready to …
Read More »US troops clear rubble from the Iraq base.
US troops have cleared rubble and debris from the Ain al-Assad base in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, days after it was struck by a barrage of Iranian ballistic missiles in a retaliatory attack over the assassination of Iran’s top anti-terror commander. The Associated Press reported on Monday that …
Read More »Iraq considers buying Russian S-400 missile system as Mideast tensions boil
The Iraqi government is willing to purchase Russian S-400 air-defense missiles amid heightened tensions in the region The Iraqi government has gravitated toward the Russian defense industry amid simmering tensions between Washington and Baghdad after the killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, in a move that might trigger U.S. …
Read More »Several Rockets Hit Iraqi Airbase: 4 Wounded
A new attack on an Iraqi military base was reported on Sunday when several rockets hit the air force site in the Salah Al-Deen province. The Iraqi Armed Forces announced on their official Twitter account that a number of rockets targeted the Al-Balad Airbase in the country’s Salah Al-Deen Province. …
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