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

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Iraq

April 1, 2026

Baghdad 9:58 pm

17°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

Iraqi civil defence personnel and people gather at the site of a bomb attack in Baghdad's northwestern Kadhimiya district January 5, 2012. A set of explosions involving two car bombs in Kadhimiya killed at least 15 people and wounded 32, police and hospital sources said. Bomb attacks targeting Shi'ite Muslim areas of Iraq killed at least 67 people on Thursday, police and hospital sources said, ramping up fears of an increase in sectarian strife. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST CRIME LA

Iraq Pays $300 Million To Terror Victims

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, violence in Iraq has produced innumerable victims in need of financial compensation, writes Omar al-Shaher.

Residents gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the Kamaliya district in Baghdad April 15, 2013. Car bombs and attacks on cities across Iraq, including two blasts at a checkpoint at Baghdad international airport, killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 200 on Monday, police said. The wave of attacks in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmato and other towns to the north to south, came days before Iraqis vote in provincial elections that will test political stability more than a year after U.S. troops lef

Iraqi Provincial Elections Bring Wave of Violence, Assassination

Sunni candidates in the upcoming Iraqi elections are being targeted in a recent spate of assassinations, reports Ali Abel Sadah.

Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, attends the opening of a conference on "Recognizing Kurdish Genocide" in Arbil, about 350 km (217 miles) north of Baghdad, March 14, 2013. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3EZ32

Media War Begins Ahead of Iraqi Kurdistan Elections

A media war is taking place ahead of regional elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari.

Environmental protection police examine radioactive contaminated vehicles imported from Japan at Umm Qasr's port near Basra, 420 km (260 miles) southeast of Baghdad, November 16, 2011. Sixteen vehicles imported from Japan were found to be contaminated with radiation, Iraq's Ministry of Environment said on Wednesday. Picture taken November 16, 2011. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags : - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER) - RTR2U4M9

Iraq Ports See Influx Of 'Mediocre Products'

The authority in charge of Iraq’s southern ports has increased inspections on imports after it was revealed that the ports have become a "warehouse for mediocre products," reports Omar al-Shaher.

Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Rafi Essawi (R) meets with Hassan al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi Islamic al Fadila parliamentary bloc, in Baghdad October 1, 2010. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXSX67

Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Law Criticized

Iraq’s anti-terrorism law has been criticized by Amnesty International and by many Iraqis, but the Iraqi government seems to be using the criticisms to promote a "tough on terrorism" image, writes Mushreq Abbas.

Residents gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the Kamaliya district in Baghdad April 15, 2013. Car bombs and attacks on cities across Iraq, including two blasts at a checkpoint at Baghdad international airport, killed at least 20 people and wounded more than 200 on Monday, police said. The wave of attacks in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Tuz Khurmato and other towns to the north to south, came days before Iraqis vote in provincial elections that will test political stability more than a year after U.S. troops lef

Iraqi Security Forces Cannot Stop Terrorism

Mustafa al-Kadhimi asks how terrorists can operate with such impunity throughout Iraq, given that al-Qaeda is supposedly "besieged," and given the presence of numerous checkpoints throughout the country.

Iraqi soldiers vote at a polling station in Basra, 420 km (261 miles) southeast of Baghdad April 13, 2013. Members of the Iraqi security forces head to polling stations on Saturday in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces to cast their ballot in the 2013 provincial council election. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS) - RTXYK1D

Iraqi Army Voting Mired In Factional Politics

The April 13 elections for representatives of the Iraqi army and police in provincial councils revealed familiar Iraqi factionalism, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

Protesters hold up a banner which reads "No No to the Baathists" during a rally against the former Baath Party return in Baghdad, February 7, 2010. Iraq's Shi'ite parties held emotional demonstrations on Sunday and vowed to purge loyalists of Saddam Hussein's outlawed Baath party as tensions over a list of candidates banned from a March election soared. REUTERS/Saad Shalash (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR29X73

Iraq's Baathist Legacy Refuses to Fade Away

Iraq’s attempt to rid itself of the legacy of the former ruling Baath Party must account for the fact that many former party employees will be worse off as a result, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Iraqi Sunni Muslims take part in an anti-government demonstration in Falluja, 50 km (31 miles) west of Baghdad, April 5, 2013. Thousands of Sunni Muslims protested after Friday prayers in huge rallies against Shi'ite Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, demanding that he step down. REUTERS/Mohanned Faisal (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) CIVIL UNREST) - RTXY9JG

Maliki Faces Tough Political Choices Ahead of Election

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faces tough political choices ahead, because he must reconcile with some of his Sunni and Kurdish opponents to win another term, writes Ali Abel Sadah.

An Iraqi Kurdish street vendor sells Kurdish flags in Arbil, about 300 kilometres, northeast of Baghdad, as people commemorate those who were killed in the 1988 Anfal massacre on March 15, 2013. An estimated 182,000 people died in the brutal "Anfal" (Spoils of War) campaign carried out by Saddam Hussein's forces 25 years ago. AFP PHOTO/ ALI AL-SAADI (Photo credit should read ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images)

Upcoming Iraqi Kurdistan Elections Stir Up Controversy

The presidential elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, scheduled for later this year, have hit a snag, with several parties unable to agree on important issues, reports Abdel Hamid Zebari.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iraq's Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi (R) in Baghdad March 24, 2013. Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Sunday and will urge Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official said. REUTERS/Jason Reed (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXXVNF

Iraqi Speaker: Maliki Could Resort To Military Force Against Opponents

Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi criticizes Baghdad’s support for Syrian President Assad's regime, and notes that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki could resort to using military force against demonstrators.

A fighter from Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra runs with his weapon as their base is shelled in Raqqa province, eastern Syria, March 14, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS) - RTR3EZGW

Jabhat al-Nusra Declares Allegiance to Al-Qaeda

The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq has made a speech declaring the integration of Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra and his own organization, Mushreq Abbas reports.