For the four Iraqi athletes who have made it to Tokyo, there is no realistic talk of medals. Having overcome war, politics and pandemic, their dream is simply to participate. With state financial support cut off by political infighting for most of the run-up to the Games and their locked-down foreign coaches unable to offer […]
Iraq
Armed men who attacked Baghdad hospital arrested: police
Baghdad police said Saturday they had arrested a group of related men who allegedly attacked a hospital, as a security source told AFP the armed assault was carried out in retaliation after four Covid patients died when their oxygen was cut. Security forces “arrested an armed group which attacked al-Kindi hospital”, one of the main […]
Biden to host Iraqi PM at White House on July 26
President Joe Biden will welcome Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi to the White House this month, his office said Friday. The July 26 meeting will “highlight the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq,” the White House said in a statement. Kadhemi and US envoy Brett McGurk discussed the withdrawal of troops from Iraq […]
Iraq says suspects arrested for murder of academic Hashemi
Iraq’s premier Mustafa al-Kadhemi announced Friday that suspects have been arrested for the murder last year of academic Hisham al-Hashemi, one of dozens of unpunished hits the country has suffered in recent years. A specialist on Sunni extremism and a government adviser with a vast network of contacts among top decision makers, Hashemi was shot […]
Iraq Shiite cleric Sadr says won’t take part in election
Iraq’s populist Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr said Thursday he won’t participate in a parliamentary election slated for October and will withdraw his support for any party. The boycott by the enigmatic religious and political figure is a blow to election plans by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, who had called the early vote in response […]
Populist Iraq cleric demands action over deadly Covid unit fire
Populist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr has warned he will hold the Iraqi government responsible if it fails to action over a devastating fire that killed at least 60 people in a Covid isolation unit. The warning comes just months before Iraq is scheduled to go to the polls in October for an early parliamentary election […]
Iraq PM visits activist in hospital after abduction, assault
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi early Sunday visited in hospital a pro-democracy activist who has been critical of pro-Iran armed factions, after the campaigner had been abducted and assaulted. Ali al-Mikdam, a young Iraqi journalist, activist and researcher, had disappeared on Friday, sparking widespread concern from his friends and supporters, before he was released late […]
Bomb-laden drones hit airport in northern Iraq
Explosive-laden drones attacked the international airport in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil late on Tuesday, close to the American consulate, Kurdish authorities said. The attack took place at around 1930 GMT but caused no injuries or major damage, with firefighters putting out a blaze, the anti-terrorist unit of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region said […]
US forces shoot down armed drone over Iraq embassy
US forces shot down an armed drone above their embassy in Baghdad on Monday night, Iraqi security officials said, hours after a rocket attack on a base housing US soldiers in the west of the country. American defence systems fired rockets into the air in Baghdad, according to AFP reporters, with Iraqi security sources saying […]
Iraq sizzles as blackouts hit
When the mercury soared to 52 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) this week in Iraq, Ali Karrar placed his baby for a couple of minutes in the fridge. But when the power went off on Thursday night across oil-rich Iraq, people were left at a loss as to how to escape the torrid heat. Those with […]