Gunmen in restaurant in northern Iraq kill Turkish diplomat, local civilian
Unknown gunmen opened fire inside a Turkish-owned restaurant in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on Wednesday, killing at least one Turkish diplomat stationed in Ankara's consulate and one Iraqi civilian, Turkish officials and Kurdish security forces said. The rare shooting in broad daylight jolted ...
Iraq launches new operation to secure desert near Syria border and purge Islamic State cells
Iraq's military announced a new operation Sunday in an attempt to secure the vast western desert leading to the Syrian border, amid fears jihadist sleeper cells were using the area to regroup. The operation, dubbed "Will of Victory," began early Sunday morning and would push ...
Ancient Iraqi city of Babylon designated UNESCO World Heritage site
The ancient city of Babylon, first referenced in a clay tablet from the 23rd century B.C., was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site on Friday, after a vote that followed decades of lobbying by Iraq. The vote, at a UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in ...
Iraq holding thousands of prisoners in degrading conditions, says HRW
A leading international human rights organization criticized the Iraqi government Thursday for holding thousands of prisoners, including children, in degrading and "inhuman" conditions. Human Rights Watch cited extreme overcrowding in three pretrial detention facilities in northern Iraq's Nineveh province where prisoners are held mostly on ...
3-D printing re-creates ancient sculpture destroyed by Islamic State
A figure of a roaring lion, about the size of a loaf of bread, is the latest step in the fight to preserve culture from conflict. The sculpture is a replica of a colossal 3,000-year-old statue from the Temple of Ishtar in Nimrud, in what's ...
Navy SEAL acquitted of murder in killing of Islamic State captive in Iraq
A military jury acquitted a decorated Navy SEAL of premeditated murder Tuesday in the killing of a wounded Islamic State captive under his care in Iraq in 2017. Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher was cleared of all charges except for posing for photos with the ...
Iran suspected as rocket strikes near foreign oil firms in Iraq, prompting staff evacuations
A rocket hit a site in southern Iraq used by foreign oil companies on Wednesday, including U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil, wounding three people and threatening to further escalate U.S.-Iran tensions in the region. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near Iraq's ...
Yazidis sue Germany for failing to repatriate IS fighters for trial
A Yazidi women's association said Wednesday it has sued two German ministers for failing to repatriate German citizens who had fought for the Islamic State group in Syria to stand trial at home. The autonomous administration in north and east Syria has offered to hand ...
Iraq caught in the middle of U.S.-Iran face-off
Scarred by two decades of conflict, Iraq finds itself caught in the middle of a U.S.-Iran tug-of-war, fearing it could pay the price of any confrontation between its two main allies. Analysts say third parties may seek to exploit the latest spike in tensions between ...
Trump tweets that if Tehran attacks, it will be the 'official end of Iran'
President Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Iran on Sunday, suggesting that if the Islamic republic attacks American interests, it will be destroyed. "If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again," Trump said ...
