Iraq

19 July 2020; MEMO: Member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Washington and Baghdad, renewed their full support for the project to link GCC and Iraqi power grids, and invited participants of the International Conference for Reconstruction of Iraq to fulfil their pledg

BAGHDAD, July 18 (NNN-Xinhua) — A commander of an Iraqi army’s brigade was killed on Friday in an attack by Daesh militants in the north of the capital Baghdad, the Iraqi military said.

“A terrorist act targeting a military vehicle in Tarmiyah area resulted in the killing of the commander of the Army’s 59th Brigade,” the media office of the Joint Operations Command said in a brief statement.

BAGHDAD, July 16 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday arrived in Iraqi capital Baghdad for an official visit where he confirmed his country's support to Iraq in its war against Islamic State (IS) group.

Le Drian was received by his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein and is scheduled to meet with Iraqi top officials, including Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries.

15 July 2020; MEMO: Iraq’s Ministry of the Interior yesterday announced the closure of all casinos, gambling halls, and nightclubs in the capital Baghdad.

“The ministry’s intelligence agency has carried out a security duty in different parts of Baghdad,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that the security forces had “closed casinos, nightclubs and alcoholic beverages outlets in a number of hotels and lounges across Baghdad.”

13 July 2020; MEMO: The Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein yesterday called on his German counterpart Heiko Maas to support Baghdad’s removal from the European list of high-risk countries for money laundering and terrorism financing.

In a statement, the Iraqi Foreign ministry said Hussein received a telephone call from his German counterpart, during which they discussed bilateral and regional affairs.

13 July 2020; MEMO: Iraqi security forces yesterday prevented hundreds of protesters from entering the Green Zone in Baghdad to demonstrate against deductions in their salaries, Anadolu reported.

Most of the protesters are members of the Islamic Dawa Party, led by former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

A police official, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Anadolu that the security services protecting the Green Zone were ordered by the government to prevent the protesters’ entry.

11 July 2020; MEMO: Iraqi police have found the body of the former goalkeeper of the Olympic football team, Karrar Ibrahim, strangled inside his car, Iraqi media announced on Thursday.

An Iraqi source disclosed that the security forces found Ibrahim’s body in his car in the Saadoun area, in the centre of the capital of Baghdad.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen in Baghdad shot dead a well-known former government advisor and political analyst near his home on Monday in a rare high-profile killing in the Iraqi capital, government officials, police sources and medics said.

The government officials described the killing of Hisham al-Hashemi, who had written about politics, Islamic State and the role of Iran-backed militias in Iraq, as a targeted killing but did not point the finger at any particular group.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Hashemi’s killing.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A rocket fired towards Baghdad’s Green Zone, which hosts the U.S. and other embassies, fell just short causing damage to a home and injuring a child early on Sunday, the Iraqi military said.

Security forces at the same time stopped another Katyusha rocket from being launched at Taji military air base north of Baghdad which hosts U.S. troops, a military statement added.

TASS, July 3: The Turkish air forces have launched a series of strikes on northern Iraq, Sky News Arabia TV reported Friday, citing Kurdish sources.

According to the sources, the province of Duhok (part of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region) was attacked. It is not specified what damage or casualties were dealt.

The channel specified that Ankara is going ahead with the land operation, as Turkish forces currently constructed 24 military bases in north Iraq.