Violence escalates in Iraq as government pushes to end protests; rockets hit U.S. Embassy
Gunmen shot dead two protesters in Iraq's southern city of Nassiriya overnight and a Baghdad district became a battlefield on the third day of a drive by security forces to end months of demonstrations against the largely Iran-backed ruling elite. Clashes over the weekend had ...
Three rockets slammed into the U.S. Embassy in Iraq's capital on Sunday in the first direct hit reported after months of close calls, as thousands kept up anti-government sit-ins across the country. The attack marked a dangerous escalation in the spree of rocket attacks in ...
Mike Pompeo defends U.S. killing of Iranian general as Democrats ask 'Why now?'
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's decision to kill Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, as Democratic lawmakers questioned whether the action was justified and the United States braced for retaliation. Democrats in Congress said it was not clear why the ...
One reported killed, several wounded as Katyusha rockets fall on Baghdad airport premises
Three Katyusha rockets fell on Baghdad International Airport, the military-run Security Media Cell said in a statement early on Friday. The rockets landed near the air cargo terminal, burning two vehicles and injuring several people, Security Media Cell said. At least one person was killed and ...
U.S. sees signs Iran or its allies may be planning attacks: Pentagon chief
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Thursday that there were indications Iran or the forces it backs may be planning additional attacks and said it was possible the United States might have to take preemptive action to protect American lives. "There are some indications ...
Iran-backed paramilitary forces in Iraq under focus after U.S. strikes
The most powerful paramilitary groups in Iraq: Kataeb Hezbollah Formed in 2003 after the U.S.-led invasion, the secretive Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah (Battalions of the Party of God) is one of the smallest Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, with an estimated 5,000 members. But it is considered one ...
Supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups who stormed the U.S. Embassy's perimeter and hurled rocks in two days of protests withdrew on Wednesday after Washington dispatched extra troops and threatened reprisals against Tehran. The demonstrators, angry at U.S. airstrikes against the Tehran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group ...
U.S. to send Marines to besieged Iraq embassy as Trump blames Iran for attack
U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Iran on Tuesday for "orchestrating" an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and said he would hold Tehran responsible, as officials said more Marines were expected to be sent to the mission. "Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many. ...
A senior U.S. military official said on Wednesday attacks by Iranian-backed groups on bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq were gathering pace and becoming more sophisticated, pushing all sides closer to an uncontrollable escalation. His warning came two days after four Katyusha rockets struck a ...
Iraqi forces shoot dead 13 protesters in renewed crackdown on unrest
Iraqi security forces shot dead at least 13 protesters in the past 24 hours, dispensing with weeks of relative restraint in favour of trying to stamp out demonstrations against political parties that control the government. After eight people were killed during the day on Monday, ...
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Iraqi jihadist who rose from obscurity to declare himself "caliph" of all Muslims as the leader of Islamic State, has died in a raid by U.S. special forces in northwest Syria. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a televised address from ...
Iraq promises reforms after deadly protests spread to Baghdad's flashpoint Sadr City
Days of deadly anti-government protests in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities brought few real concessions from the authorities. But when bloodshed spread to one particular poor and restive Baghdad district, they responded differently. After protesters were killed in Sadr City, the military ordered an army ...
