Iraq’s PMF force says base was attacked, army investigates
Baghdad, Iraq Reuters A huge blast at a military base in Iraq early on Saturday killed a member of an Iraqi security force that includes Iran-backed groups. The force commander said it was an attack while the army said it was investigating and there were no warplanes in the sky at the time. Two security […]
Iraq postpones vote on bill including death penalty for same-sex acts
Baghdad, Iraq Reuters Iraqi lawmakers postponed voting on Monday on a bill that includes the death penalty or life in prison for same-sex relations – a measure that diplomats from Western countries said could have serious consquences for Iraq’s political and economic ties if it goes through. Parliament was in session on Monday, with the […]
Israeli military pledges response to Iran attack amid calls for restraint
Jerusalem Reuters Israel’s military chief said on Monday his country would respond to Iran’s weekend missile and drone attack amid calls for restraint by allies anxious to avoid an escalation of conflict in the Middle East. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned his war cabinet for the second time in less than 24 hours to weigh […]
Chaldean Patriarch returns to Baghdad after nine months of self-imposed exile amid political dispute
Baghdad AP A prominent Iraqi Christian religious leader who left Baghdad amid a political dispute last year returned to the capital this week at the invitation of the country’s prime minister after nine months of self-imposed exile in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. Cardinal Louis Sako was welcomed warmly by a church packed with members of the country’s […]
Islamic State still a threat in Iraq, US ambassador says
Baghdad, Iraq Reuters The Islamic State still poses a threat in Iraq and the US-led military coalition’s work with Iraq to fully defeat the group is not done, United States Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski told Reuters in an interview. Senior Iraqi politicians, including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, have repeatedly said that the group […]
Iraq hopes to lure Christian pilgrims with new church in ancient Ur
Baghdad, Iraq Reuters The bell of a new church built near Iraq’s ancient city of Ur chimed for the first time last week as part of a push to lure back pilgrims to a country that is home to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities. The church is part of a complex that rises […]
Kataib Hezbollah commander killed in Baghdad in US strike
Baghdad, Iraq Reuters A commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Iraq that the Pentagon has blamed for attacking its troops, was killed in a US strike on Wednesday, the US military said. “[US] forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on US service members, killing a Kataib […]
US launches retaliatory strikes in Iraq, Syria; nearly 40 reported killed
Washington DC, US/Baghdad, Iraq Reuters The United States launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people, in retaliation for a deadly attack on US troops. The strikes, which included the use of long-range B-1 bombers flown from the […]
US starts retaliatory strikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran-linked targets
Washington DC, US Reuters The US military launched airstrikes on Friday in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and the militias it backs, in retaliation for last weekend’s attack in Jordan that killed three US troops. The strikes, which included the use of long-range B-1 bombers flown from […]
US said to back strikes on Iran targets in Iraq, Syria as Gaza truce hopes rise
Washington DC, US Reuters The planned targets for US strikes in Iraq and Syria in response to the killing of three US soldiers by a drone in Jordan include “Iranian personnel and facilities”, CBS News reported on Thursday, citing American officials. The United States has assessed that the drone, which also wounded more than 40 […]