Latest Iraq government News
Iraq repatriates nearly 700 more citizens linked to the Islamic State group from a Syrian camp
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq has repatriated hundreds more of its citizens linked to the Islamic State group from a sprawling camp in northeastern Syria, Iraqi and Syrian officials said Monday. Ali Jahangir, a spokesman for Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displaced, said the nearly 700...
Passage of harsh anti-LGBTQ+ law in Iraq draws diplomatic backlash
BAGHDAD (AP) — Human rights groups and diplomats criticized a law that was quietly passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people. U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that the...
Iraqi authorities are investigating the killing of a social media influencer
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities on Saturday were investigating the killing of a well-known social media influencer, who was shot by an armed motorcyclist in front of her home in central Baghdad. Ghufran Mahdi Sawadi, known as “Um Fahad," was popular on the social media sites...
Kurdish separatists and water issues loom large in long-awaited visit of Turkey's Erdogan to Iraq
BAGHDAD (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdog an arrived in Iraq on Monday for his first official visit 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. Other issues also loom...
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. US denies involvement
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight. Militia officials had initially described the...
Iraq's prime minister heads to Michigan to meet Arab Americans at a tense time for the Middle East
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The leader of Iraq traveled to Michigan on Thursday following a sit-down with President Joe Biden to meet with the state's large Iraqi community and update them on escalating tensions in the Middle East following Iran’s weekend aerial assault on Israel. ...
Biden hosts Iraqi leader after Iran's attack on Israel throws Mideast into greater uncertainty
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday hosted Iraq’s leader at the White House as his administration worked to prevent an escalation in Mideast hostilities following Iran’s weekend aerial assault on Israel. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani was visiting for...
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. ...
Sami Michael, Iraqi-born and award-winning Israeli author and activist, dies at 97
JERUSALEM (AP) — Sami Michael, an award-winning Iraqi-Israeli author who was known for writing poignantly about oppressed minorities and the challenges faced by Jews from Arab countries, died on Monday. He was 97. His characters, who were often Arabic-speaking Jews like himself,...
Americans star on an Iraqi basketball team. Its owners include forces that attacked US troops
BAGHDAD (AP) — A pro basketball team in Iraq is owned by a paramilitary group, and some of its forces recently attacked U.S. troops. But this hostility toward Uncle Sam has its limits: The team is banking on a high-scoring American to help lead them to a championship. Like many...
