The Crisis Cell of the Iraqi parliament is considering the announcement of a state of emergency in the country as the new coronavirus further spreads. MP Hassan Kaabi, deputy speaker and head of the crisis cell, said in a statement that Iraq is still under a serious threat of pandemic …
Read More »Coronavirus Cases Jump to over 300 in Iraq: Health Ministry
A total of 50 people tested positive for COVID-19 across Iraq within the past 24 hours alone, said the health ministry. With the new cases, according to an official statement from the ministry, the total cases in Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, have now reached 316. The death toll from …
Read More »Coronavirus: Crisis Cell in Iraq might extend the curfew
The crisis cell in Iraq might extend on Thursday, the curfew in the capital, Baghdad, and the rest of the Iraqi provinces, as part of combating the spread of Coronavirus. “The curfew may last for a week or more, according to the data,” indicating that “the crisis cell has taken …
Read More »Iraq confirms first death from coronavirus in Kurdistan region
Iraq’s Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health on Wednesday confirmed that a 63-year-old man died after he tested positive for coronavirus. The man, said to be an Islamic preacher, was from Sulaymaniyah where five other people are diagnosed with the new virus COVIT-19. Family sources said that he was also suffering …
Read More »Iraqi court sentences two to death over killing of Turkish diplomat
An Iraqi court has sentenced two suspects to death for the killing of a Turkish diplomat and two Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) citizens in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. The 2nd Criminal Court in Erbil sentenced two people to death over the killing of diplomat Osman Köse and two …
Read More »Iraq prime minister visits Erbil for talks
Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi arrived in Erbil on Saturday for talks with officials in the country’s northern Kurdish region. The talks are expected to tackle recent developments in Iraq and current tensions between Iran and the U.S. following last week’s killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in …
Read More »Earthquake Hits Iraq-Iran Border.
A magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit the border areas between the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and Iran on Thursday. According to United States Geological Survey (USGC) live map, the earthquake center was near the Iranian town of Sar Pole Zahab, with a depth of 7.7 kilometers. People in Kurdistan’s Soleimaniyah province and …
Read More »41 HIV cases registered in Iraqi Kurdistan in 2019: health minister
Minister of Health in Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Saman Hussein Muhammad Barzinji has said that 41 people were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and admitted to hospitals in Iraqi Kurdistan Region so far in 2019. During a press conference on Sunday to mark World AIDS Day, Barzinji said that the ministry …
Read More »Why are Iraqi Kurds not taking part in protests?
Iraqi demonstrations have gripped much of the country, but the streets in the Kurdish region have been calm. When in early October Joseph Salio received a phone call from a group of students in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI) asking him to help organize a demonstration in solidarity with …
Read More »Amid unrest, Iraqi President arrives in Erbil.
Iraqi President Barham Salih arrived in the Kurdistan Region capital of Erbil on Monday to meet with top Kurdish officials and lawmakers from the region. Salih’s trip comes amid ongoing widespread violence-ridden protests in Iraq that began early last month, calling for a complete overhaul of the government and ouster …
Read More »Iraq announces the stay duration of the new U.S. forces.
The Iraqi Minister of Defense, Najah al-Shammari said on Wednesday that U.S. troops withdrawing from northeast Syria to Iraq would leave the country within four weeks. Al-Shammari’s statements came after meeting in Baghdad with his U.S. counterpart, Mark Esper, who arrived as Iraqi leaders were inspecting reports that the United …
Read More »More than 100 armored vehicles cross into Iraq as US troops withdraw from northern Syria.
US forces leaving northern Syria have reportedly crossed into Iraq, where they will continue their seemingly endless military presence in the region. Donald Trump had insinuated that the soldiers would be returning home. More than 100 armored vehicles were spotted entering Iraq from the Sahela border crossing in Dohuk province, …
Read More »Today Marks the 5th Anniversary of ISIS Genocide against Yazidis.
Five years ago on this day, the Islamic State (IS) terrorists carried out a barbaric attack on the Iraqi Yazidis’ hometown of Sinjar where they killed thousands of civilians and kidnapped several thousands more. The extremist group labeled the Yazidis as “infidels” to justify its horrific massacre in Sinjar. According …
Read More »Iraq Monthly Roundup: 355 Killed or Found in Mass Graves.
Overall, at least 355 people were killed or found in mass graves during July. Another 127 were wounded. During July, at least 177 people were killed, and 113 were wounded in violence-related to Iraq and the Daesh terrorist group. At least 35 of them were civilians; 19 were security personnel, …
Read More »Iraqi authorities identify suspect behind Erbil shooting
Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) has said it identified one of the assailants responsible for the killing of a Turkish diplomat in Erbil. Osman Kose was killed on Wednesday when gunmen opened fire in an upscale restaurant where he was dining in Erbil, the local capital of the semi-autonomous region …
Read More »At least 3 Turkish diplomats killed in Erbil shooting.
At least three Turkish officials have been killed in a shooting in the Iraqi Kurdistan capital of Erbil on Wednesday, sources say. The incident took place when unknown gunmen opened fire at a restaurant where the diplomats were dinning, two Kurdish security officials confirmed to Reuters. Deputy Turkish consul in …
Read More »Iraq, Turkey agree on more security cooperation to face terrorism.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Alhakim chaired his country’s delegation at a security coordination meeting in Turkey. The meeting tackled a raft of important issues, including security cooperation, counter-terrorism efforts, and mutual coordination to achieve aspirations of the Iraqi and Turkish peoples, Alghad Press quoted the Iraqi Foreign Ministry as …
Read More »Iraqi gets life in jail for murdering German teen.
Ali Bashar, 22, had admitted in court in Wiesbaden that he strangled Susanna Feldman on 23 May 2018, but claimed he did not know how it happened. Her body was found two weeks later after he had returned to northern Iraq. The killing prompted outrage in Germany and led …
Read More »Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes near Iraq’s Sulaimaniya.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck near the Iraqi city of Sulaimaniya on Saturday. Local medics said no injuries were reported and officials said there was no significant material damage. Media said the quake occurred 71 km southeast of the city at a depth of 10 km. Sulaimaniya’s seismic monitoring office …
Read More »Civilians storm & burn Turkish military base in northern Iraq.
A mob of angry civilians has attacked a Turkish military camp near the Iraqi city of Dohuk, burning equipment, and vehicles. The incident comes in response to the deaths of civilians during Turkish airstrikes, local media reports. The incident occurred in northern Iraq on Saturday, when a large mob of …
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