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Iraq

August 6, 2026

Baghdad 8:55 pm

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Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Damascus, Aug. 3, 2026. IKRPresident/X

Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics

KRG President Nechirvan Barzani’s meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa underscored the Kurdistan Region’s growing role in Syria’s Kurdish politics.

Mourners carry one of the bodies of members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) who were killed earlier in Diyala in central Iraq by US-Saudi strikes, during the funeral in Baghdad on July 29, 2026. The US-Saudi strikes killed at least 20 militants, including Iranians, according to the Hashed al-Shaabi. The US and Saudi Arabia said the strikes were in response to attacks on US forces and Saudi oil facilities. (Photo by murtadha ridha / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Renewed Iraq attacks test Zaidi’s push to disarm Iran-backed militias

An attempt by Iraqi government forces to seize weapons belonging to an Iranian-backed faction encountered resistance, raising questions about Prime Minister Ali Zaidi’s pledge to disarm militias by Sept. 30.

Mustafa Salim

By Mustafa Salim

Latest News

Analysis

Iran-linked militias seek to draw Iraq into regional war

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2023.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Exclusive

US nears full withdrawal from Iraq as bases in Kurdistan Region face attacks from Iran, proxies

Patriot

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Zaidi cancels Riyadh trip after US-Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at a Council of Ministers meeting in Baghdad, July 25, 2026.

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

Will the pope finally visit Iraq once IS is defeated?

Ever since Pope Francis promised to visit Iraq, Iraqi officials have called on him to arrange the trip as soon as the Islamic State is defeated in Iraq.

Federal budget widens political conflict among Kurdish forces

The federal budget widens the gap between the Kurdish political parties, as some of them supported it strongly and others rejected it, calling for amendments.

PMU seeks to secure Iraq-Syria border

The Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units have requested to take control of the Iraqi-Syrian border, which raises concerns about Iran's interference in Syria.

Turkey gripped by terror as Russian ambassador killed in Ankara

Turkish media outlets are scrambling to cover the killing of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, a break from their calls to attack the Kurdistan Workers Party's bases in response to the suicide attack that killed 13 Turkish conscripts on leave in the central Anatolian town of Kayseri.

Baghdad looks to Trump with framework agreement

Following the victory by US President-elect Donald Trump, Iraq seeks to strengthen cooperation with the United States through the full implementation of the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement.

Do minorities have role in Iraqi national reconciliation?

Iraqi minorities and civil society complain that the recently announced national reconciliation project does not include their voices and neglects their demands.

Can Iraq's parliament regulate the country's tribes?

The Iraqi parliament has discussed the proposal of the law on the Council of Tribes and Clans, which will be voted on in early 2017.

How will Tunisia confront jihadis coming home?

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi sparked controversy when he said that authorities will not arrest jihadis that return to the country after fighting abroad.

A restaurant named Trump Fish is seen in the Kurdish city of Duhok, Iraq, December 11, 2016. Picture taken December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RTX2UYVI

Trump fever sweeps Iraqi Kurdistan

The Kurdish people have been celebrating Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential elections in many different ways, in the hope that his presidency will bring more support for an independent Kurdistan.

A damaged vehicle is seen after a blast in Istanbul, Turkey, December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX2UGLB

Why do Turks blame the West for PKK terror?

Conspiracy theories aside, Turks can be forgiven for thinking that Western support for Syrian Kurds is essentially support for the Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party.

Residents visit the ancient city of Babylon near Hilla, 100 km (62 miles) south of Baghdad February 17, 2012. Picture taken February 17, 2012. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: TRAVEL SOCIETY) - RTR2Y1RF

Ancient Babylon's bricks finding their way into modern buildings

The city of Hillah was built a thousand years ago using bricks scavenged from the ruins of Babylon, and the practice of reusing the ancient building materials continues there to this day.

People check currency exchange rates at an currency exchange office in Istanbul, Turkey, November 25, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTST8W8

Dollar-hungry Turkey eyes Middle Eastern markets

Scrambling to overcome a foreign exchange crunch, Turkey’s government has outlined incentives to prop up exporters, and while Middle Eastern markets figure high on the target list, Ankara’s political conflicts with neighbors present an obstacle that needs to be addressed.