Iraq - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent since 2012

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Iraq

April 1, 2026

Baghdad 12:15 pm

21°C

An undated image of Shelly Kittleson.

AL-MONITOR calls for release of contributor Shelly Kittleson

An undated image of Shelly Kittleson.

American journalist Shelly Kittleson abducted in Iraq

The State Department said a suspect taken into custody by Iraqi authorities had ties to Kataib Hezbollah.

Members of the Popular Mobilization Units stand guard along the Iraqi-Syrian border in Al-Qaim, west of Iraq, on Jan. 23, 2026.

Syria sustains drone attack from Iraq, tackles smuggling tunnels on Lebanon border

The incidents on Syria's borders follow threats against the transitional government by Iran and its proxies in Iraq.

A general view of South Pars gas field facilities in the southern Iranian port town of Assaluyeh, on the Gulf, Nov. 19, 2015.

Analysis

Oil-rich Gulf states could face power crunch as Iran war hits energy security

While the conflict fuels a global oil price shock, the Gulf states must contend with growing threats to their own energy security, from power cuts to desalinated water loss.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Analysis

Energy storage keeps Turkey stable, but long war risks fragile economy

Sedat Suna/Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Turkey confirms Iraq troop withdrawal as NATO pulls back due to Iran war

A handing over of command ceremony at Union III Camp in the Green Zone of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on May 22, 2025.

Analysis

Iran's first strike on Iraqi Kurdish forces since war began a warning to US allies

An Iranian Kurdish peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran inspects the damage sustained at the Azadi Camp following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye, east of Erbil district, on March 3, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Exclusive

Iraqi oil flows to Turkey after US pledges role in Baghdad-Kurds customs dispute

A view of the oil refinery on March 17, 2026 in Erbil, Iraq.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Iraqis inspect the damage following fighting in Baghdad's Sadr City August 7, 2006. Two people were killed and 18 wounded when U.S. and Iraqi forces raided a suspected death squad in the mostly Shi'ite area of Sadr City in east Baghdad, a police source said. The U.S. military said they were targeting suspected members of a punishment and torture cell. REUTERS/Kareem Raheem (IRAQ) - RTR1G607

Iraqis Fear Return of 'Death Squads' To Baghdad Streets

In light of escalating political crises and sectarian divisions in Iraq, some fear the return of Baghdad’s infamous "death squads," who reigned with terror over the past 10 years.

$BAGHDAD, IRAQ - MARCH 13: A horse and cart make their way through the Bab al Sharji market, March 13, 2013 in Baghdad, Iraq. Ten years after the regime of Saddam Hussein was toppled from power, Baghdad continues to show the scars of the war. In vast areas, infrastructure is fractured and basic services are lacking, however, some areas of the capital are showing promising signs of recovery. (Photo by Ali Arkady/Metrography/Getty Images)$

Fears of Civil War Cripple Baghdad Commerce

As sectarian violence and car bombings continue to flare up across Iraq, new limits on mobility have created roadblocks to the flow of commerce in the country.

Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani votes in Iraq's constitutional referendum in the northern city of Arbil October 15, 2005. Iraqis headed to the polls in an historic referendum on Saturday, with up to 15 million eligible voters deciding on a controversial new post-Saddam Hussein constitution that its backers hope will unite the torn country. Amid intense security, including a ban on all traffic, voters flowed on foot to polling stations across Baghdad as they opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT). They are due to close

Iraqi Kurdish Opposition Parties Oppose Referendum

Iraqi Kurdish opposition parties insist that Kurdistan region President Massoud Barzani submit the draft constitution to the parliament.

Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr (R) and Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), hold a news conference in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, May 8, 2013. REUTERS/Haider Ala (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZEUT

Sadr Gives Maliki 'Final Warning'

Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr has issued a warning to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to withdraw militants from the streets amid a series of devastating car bombings throughout Iraq.

Workers hang portraits of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (L), President Abdullah Gul (2nd L) and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan before a groundbreaking ceremony for the third Bosphorus bridge linking the European and Asian sides of Istanbul May 29, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION POLITICS) - RTX1051J

Turkey’s Kurdish Policies Complicate Ties With Iran, Iraq

Turkey’s Kurdish policies are developing at the expense of its ties with Iran and Iraq.

Residents gather at the site of bomb attacks in Baghdad May 27, 2013. More than 70 people were killed in a wave of bombings in markets in Shi'ite neighbourhoods across Baghdad on Monday in worsening sectarian violence in Iraq. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX10368

Sectarian War a Two-Way Street For Iraq and Syria

What lessons do Syria’s Alawites learn from the experience of the Sunnis in Iraq?

Turkey and Syria’s Kurds Edging Toward an Uneasy Peace?

Fresh fighting between Syrian Kurdish groups and Arab opposition fighters in Syria's Kurdish region is threatening to spread.

Workers adjust a valve of an oil pipe in Tawke oil field near Dahuk, 400 km (249 miles) north of Baghdad, November 24, 2010. In this part of Iraq, the hillsides sweat oil. Without any coaxing, the sticky black treasure oozes from the layered rock and gathers in pools that bubble as dissolved gases surface. Gradually, as the crude slips down the hillsides, it solidifies into a grey mass that resembles a hardened lava flow. It's a good metaphor for the progress of oil from the semi-autonomous Iraqi region of

Turkey Puzzled by US Stance On Exxon-KRG Oil Deal

Ankara questions US concerns over its arrangement with ExxonMobil for energy exploration in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) speaks during a joint news conference with Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi in Baghdad December 20, 2010. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXVWR8

Iraq’s Future Uncertain Amid Political Turmoil

As disputes persist among Iraq’s governmental branches, it is unlikely that a resolution will be reached anytime soon.

A physical therapist treats a patient at a medical clinic in Baghdad March 8, 2011. Development in Iraq has been stifled by decades of economic sanctions and war and SMEs, often seen as the backbone of a country's economy, have made little progress in Iraq due to high start-up costs and scant government funding. Chronic power and water shortages, ongoing security concerns and high customs tariffs have all made it difficult for a small business sector to emerge. Picture taken March 8, 2011. To match fe

Maliki Prioritizes Health Care

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki gives priority to the construction of 10 new hospitals as part of efforts to develop and improve the Iraqi health-care sector.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (C) and acting Defence Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi (L) attend a funeral ceremony for soldiers killed by militants, in Baghdad April 28, 2013. Militants shot dead five Iraqi soldiers in the Sunni Muslim stronghold province of Anbar on Saturday and protesters said they were forming an "army" after four days of unrest that raised fears of a return to widespread sectarian civil conflict. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZ2Y6

Maliki Scrambles to Address Deteriorating Iraqi Security

Iraq's leaders have no answers as they struggle to reassure Iraqis after a wave of terrorist bombings.

An Iraqi Kurdish resident casts his ballot at a box during the regional parliament elections of the Kurdistan region in Baghdad July 25, 2009. Iraqi Kurds voted on Saturday in elections expected to keep Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani in power but unlikely to erase voter concerns about corruption or end a bitter feud with Baghdad over land and oil. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTR260ZV

Barzani Presses for Referendum On Iraqi Kurdistan Constitution

Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani still faces considerable opposition to putting the draft constitution to a referendum.