Kurds lose, but that doesn't mean Turkey's a winner

The Kurdistan independence referendum backfired and Kurds are suffering, but Turkey might want to hold off on celebrating until it considers the long-term consequences.

Iraq

Iraq's female booksellers turn the page on gender roles

Iraqi women have started operating their own bookstores in different Iraqi cities, challenging the country's book selling industry that has been dominated by men.

Iraq

How Iran helped Baghdad seize back Kirkuk

The Iraqi government’s rapid recapture of Kirkuk from Kurdish forces was made possible by Iranian intervention.

Iraq

Turkey pledges to back Baghdad against Kurds

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim praised the capture of Kirkuk by Iraqi forces as Turkey continues to express outrage over the Kurdish vote for independence.

Iraq

Will Turkish-Iraqi alliance against Kurds hold?

Ankara is happy that the Baghdad government has regained control over Kirkuk, but questions remain whether Turkey and Iraq can agree on the city’s future status.

Iraq

Congress threatens to withhold arms from Baghdad

Allegations that Shiite-majority militias allied with Iraq’s central government have used US military equipment against Kurds in the disputed Kirkuk province has sparked outrage among US lawmakers.

Iraq

Iran Quds commander pays respects at Talabani's tomb as Kirkuk crisis escalates

Qasem Soleimani in Iraqi Kurdistan; Turkey looks to Syrian tribes for allies; UN Syria envoy seeks to build on cease-fire progress with "realism."

Saudi Arabia

All eyes are on Hezbollah in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor

As the war is heating up in eastern Syria, specifically in Deir ez-Zor, the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and allied fighters are vying with US-backed Syrian democratic forces for control of areas liberated from the Islamic State.

Iraq

Kurdish referendum inspires statehood for Iraq's Sunnis too

Last month's Kurdish independence referendum in Iraq has inspired some of the country's Sunni leaders to call for their own autonomous state in its Sunni areas.

Iraq

Congress clashes with Trump administration over aid for Iraqi Christians

The Senate is under pressure to quickly pass a House bill encouraging the State Department to bypass the United Nations in doling out humanitarian assistance.

Iraq

PMU spearheads Hawija battle, as IS fighters 'vanish'

A long-besieged pocket of Islamic State-held territory and surrounding villages in north-central Iraq have been retaken by a mixture of local Sunni and non-local Shiite-led Popular Mobilization Units, alongside Defense and Interior Ministry forces.

Iraq

Iranian universities enter Iraq

The collapse of Iraq’s educational system in the years since the US-led invasion has paved the way for foreign actors to step in to fill the void.

Iraq