Analysis How Turkey is deepening energy and economic ties with Iraq as Iran weakens Turkey and Iraq are accelerating energy, infrastructure and trade cooperation as the Hormuz crisis increases the strategic value of northern export routes. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel strikes south Lebanon after 2 soldiers killed Tehran says Iran, Oman agree on Hormuz shipping route; US lifts sanctions on Iraqi airline linked to Iran's IRGC; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
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. Iraq
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran denies negotiations with US after Trump calls off strikes Pakistan’s death toll rises to 17 after suspected suicide bombing; Syria’s Sharaa meets with KRG President Barzani; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Exclusive US nears full withdrawal from Iraq as bases in Kurdistan Region face attacks from Iran, proxies By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iraq's Zaidi cancels Riyadh visit after US-Saudi strikes By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Iraqi female nurses struggle for equality Women in the health industry are looked down upon by Iraq's conservative society, but the need for nurses and for women to be employed are slowly liberalizing attitudes. Iraq
Teenage suicide bomber hopes for second chance In an interview with Al-Monitor, Usaid Barho, a teenaged suicide bomber dispatched by the Islamic State, tells of his odyssey from an Aleppo mosque to the gates of a Shiite house of worship in Baghdad wearing an explosive vest. Iraq
Russia and the Kurds Russia balances its relationships with various Kurdish groups with its support for the states the Kurds live under. Iraq
Iraqis dream of jinn Belief in superstition, magic and, more specifically, jinn — supernatural creatures in Islamic mythology — has pervaded Iraqi society across socioeconomic classes. Iraq
As Iraqis cope with past injustices, so should Israelis Iraqis are looking courageously into their past, examining the attacks against the Jewish community in the 1950s that forced it to flee the country, and Israelis should do the same by acknowledging the Palestinians' suffering. Palestine
Islamic State book burnings target minorities The Islamic State has imposed strict conditions for books entering Iraq by land, confiscating all those related to Christianity and slowly destroying cultural pluralism in Iraqi society. Iraq
Jordan to arm Sunni tribes in Iraq, Syria Jordan is concerned airstrikes alone will not defeat the Islamic State threat, and is considering arming Sunni tribes in Iraq and Syria to prevent the jihadists from reaching its borders. Iraq
Iraqi youths embrace religious traditions In the historic towns of Babil and Karbala, religion has come to determine every aspect of social life. Iraq
Iraqi town celebrates victory over Islamic State The Iraqi army, with the help of local tribes and the pro-Iran Badr Brigades, drove out the Islamic State from Dhuluiya, a town north of Baghdad. Iraq
Iraqi Cabinet approves budget reforms After failing to agree on a federal budget for 2014, Iraq’s Cabinet has finally approved and submitted its 2015 budget to parliament with an announcement to enact austerity plans. Iraq
Iran mourns general killed by IS in Iraq Iranian Gen. Hamid Taghavi, killed in Iraq, played in important role in Iran's efforts in the country. Iraq
Corruption lets Iraqi criminals off the hook Weak institutions and corruption mean that major crimes in Iraq are not being investigated or prosecuted. Iraq