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Iraq

September 19, 2026

Baghdad 3:28 pm

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Explainer

From Maysan to Saudi Arabia, drone attack puts Iraqi province under scrutiny

Officials have been removed but worsening problems need to be addressed in militia stronghold bordering Iran, local residents and observers say.

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

After gun found in lake, French police probe link to 2012 Iraqi family murder

A recently discovered Luger pistol may have been used in the mysterious 2012 killing of the al-Hilli family near the Alpine town of Chevaline in eastern France.

AFP via Getty Images

Iraq sentences kidnapper of US journalist Shelly Kittleson to 15 years: What to know

The first sentencing in relation to Shelly Kittleson’s abduction comes as Iraq moves to rein in Iran-backed militias.

Latest News

Iraq reinforces Saudi border security amid militia tensions: What to know

Iraqi army troops patrol the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border

Iraq summons Iran envoy over 'Persian Gulf' post, Baghdad name origins: What to know

Fred TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Suadad al-Salhy

In Baghdad, reporting on politics and security

Lyse Mauvais

In Amman, reporting on humanitarian crises

Winthrop Rodgers

In Sulaymaniyah, reporting on Kurdish issues

Why some Iranians are opposed to closing religious shrines to fight coronavirus

The Iranian government's decision to close religious shrines in Qom, Mashhad and Greater Tehran to combat the spread of COVID-19 has caused an outcry among some who oppose the move for reasons of tradition or religion.

20 August 2019, Iraq, Bagdad: A soldier of the German Armed Forces is standing at dusk with his weapon on the verge of the German Defence Minister's visit to the international military camp Camp Taji. The minister and CDU leader is conducting political talks in the capital Baghdad and is meeting German soldiers who are involved in training local forces in the country. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa (Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)

US urges Iraq to step up protection of US, coalition personnel

The State Department said Iraq is not doing its part to protect US and coalition forces in the country.

Iraq to exhume bodies from Yazidi mass graves

Iraq is uncovering and exhuming the mass graves of Islamic State victims, primarily Yazidis.

Is Iraq taking necessary measures to prevent COVID-19 spread?

Iraqi authorities are taking strict measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Islamic State children still waiting for Tunisia to bring them home

Dozens of Tunisian children of IS militants are still stuck in Syria, Libya and Iraq as the government continues to wrestle with the logistics of bringing them home.

Iraq's President Barham Salih meets with new prime minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi in Baghdad, Iraq March 17, 2020. The Presidency of the Republic of Iraq Office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2NLF98KLH9

Iraq's latest prime minister-designate faces opposition from Iran-backed militias

Iraqi President Barham Salih designates a former Najaf governor, Adnan Zurfi, as prime minister amid strong objection from Iran-backed militias.

U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), briefs the media on the status of operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility in the wake of the attacks; during a briefing at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., March 13, 2020. President Donald Trump authorizes U.S. military to respond to rocket attack by Iran-backed militia in Iraq that killed two American troops and British service member. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC21JF9L5O31

Reports: US to reposition troops in Iraq

After two rocket attacks within a week on American troops in Iraq, the United States is preparing to reposition forces there.

Iraqi anti-IS operations hindered by coalition base attacks

Members of the Iraqi counterterrorism forces and the US Marines have been killed during raids against IS hideouts in recent weeks in tough mountain terrain.

Iraqi deadline passes with no decision on prime minister

Iraqi political parties have failed in selecting a new prime minister, amid the rising tension between the United States and the Iran-backed Shiite militias.

A new generation lays its predecessors' ghosts to rest

In Al-Monitor's latest longform, we look at young people throughout the Mideast who have been at the forefront of efforts to turn the page on decades of sclerotic and rigged politics in favor of a more democratic alternative.

US SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL WITH SENATORS JOSEPH BIDEN AND
RICHARD LUGAR AT THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE HEARING.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, (C) shares a laugh with Senator
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, (L) and Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) before
testifying at a hearing on the Moscow Treaty and strategic offensive
reductions on Capitol Hill, July 9, 2002. The committee is reviewing
details of the Moscow Treaty. REUTERS/Hy

Historical context: Biden’s 2002 vote on Iraq war

Congress passed a new resolution on the use of force in the Middle East; the United States retaliates against Iran-backed militias in Iraq; and an 18-year-old debate returns.

A worker checks the damages at a civilian airport under construction which, according to Iraqi religious authorities, was hit by a U.S. air strike, in the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala, Iraq March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC2ZIF9V7W4S

Iraq condemns 'treacherous' US strikes against Iran-backed militia

US airstrikes struck a civilian airport in Karbala in what the Pentagon said was an operation targeting weapons storage facilities belonging to an Iran-backed Shiite militia group blamed for the recent attack on an Iraqi base housing US and coalition troops.