Iraq - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Iran cover image

Iraq

August 8, 2026

Baghdad 5:08 am

34°C

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

Can tourism be revived in ancient Iraqi city?

Iraqis living near the ancient city of Nuffar say the site should be developed to attract tourism after years of official neglect.

Is a new approach needed in the war on IS in Iraq?

Although achievements have been made on the ground and the Islamic State suffered setbacks, military experts believe other measures should be taken to completely eliminate the organization in Iraq.

Members of the Iraqi parliament gather to vote on Iraq's new government at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, September 8, 2014. The Iraqi parliament approved a new government headed by Haider Abadi as prime minister on Monday night. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR45FLN

Violence pervades Iraqi political life

A look at Iraq’s historical events shows that violence has been part of the country’s political life for many years.

Obama bemoans 'unspeakable violence' against Mideast Christians

US President Barack Obama condemns the persecution of Christians by the Islamic State.

A worker walks past the pumping station on the border between Iran and Turkey during the innauguration ceremony for the Iran - Turkey gas pipeline January 22, 2002. Iran could increase gas pumped to Turkey through a newly-opened pipeline to 13 billion cubic metres a year, above the 10 billion cubic metres planned. - RTXL0AM

If it ain't broke, don't fix it: Why Turkey and Iran's 376 years of peace will continue

Despite increasing tensions over Syria, Iraq and Yemen, Iran and Turkey are unlikely to allow verbal confrontations to turn physical.

Iraqi officers inspect a map on the outskirts of al-Alam March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: MILITARY CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT)

Thaier Al-Sudani: "It was me and a few other Iraqi journalists working for local outlets. We went to the frontlines in coordination with the Iraqi government forces and supporting militias.

The press officer would come in the morning and take us to the frontline in a convoy.

Whenever an area was won from Islamic State, the fighters would chant and pray and sho

Are new provinces the key to a peaceful Iraq?

Turkmen politician Torhan al-Mufti spoke to Al-Monitor about Turkmen demands and political participation as well as the possible establishment of new provinces in Iraq.

4526881 - RTX1YCTU

Iraqis dive deeper into sectarianism

Regional conflicts and shifting alliances since 2003 have led many Iraqis to view every development through a sectarian lens.

Members of the Iraqi counter-terrorism forces inspect weapons that were found in an arms depot which belonged to Islamic State (IS) group jihadists, in the al-Tameem district of Ramadi, a large city on the Euphrates 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Baghdad on December 9, 2015. Iraqi forces consolidated newly gained positions in Ramadi, after achieving a breakthrough in their fight against the Islamic State (IS) group by retaking a large part of the city.
/ AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should

How American weapons are ending up in the hands of IS

A recent report by Amnesty International revealed that the Islamic State’s weaponry includes weapons from dozens of countries.

Economic curtain closing on Iraqi theater

Theatrical productions are languishing in Iraq as austerity measures take center stage.

(L-R) Republican Senate leaders Tom Barrasso (R-WY), John Thune (R-SD), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and John Cornyn (R-TX) hold a news conference on budget negotiations on Capitol Hill in Washington December 15, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron - RTX1YUAQ

Tunisia wins, Iran loses in US spending bill

Key US allies get a funding boost while Congress holds the line on visa waivers and Palestinian penalties.

The Russian Navy large landing ship Yamal is escorted by a Turkish Navy Coast Guard boat as it sets sail in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey, December 9, 2015. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1XWMH

Turkey goes from zero problems to nothing but problems in the region

Ankara’s recent political and strategic mistakes have resulted in an anti-Turkish alliance in the Middle East that looks to Moscow for support.

People from the minority Yazidi sect take refuge in a building in Shikhan January 19, 2015. Islamic State has hounded ethnic and religious minorities in northern Iraq since seizing the city of Mosul in June, killing and displacing thousands of Christians, Shi'ite Shabaks and Turkmen who lived for centuries in one of the most diverse parts of the Middle East. Hundreds of Yazidi women and girls have been captured, raped and tortured, and forced to convert to Islam and marry Islamic State followers, according

What Iraq needs to do to protect minorities

The alliance of Iraq’s minorities is a step to prevent Iraq from being totally stripped of its minorities.