Iraq

BAGHDAD (AP) — The commander of the main U.S.-backed force in Syria and Iraq’s presidency Saturday condemned what they say was a Turkish attack on an airport in northern Iraq.

Iraq’s presidency called the late Friday explosion in northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region a “flagrant aggression against Iraq and its sovereignty” in the area. It called on Turkey to issue a formal apology, saying it should not continue “terrorizing” Iraqis in the north.

A representative of the Turkish defense ministry said he had no information about the incident.

04 Apr 2023; MEMO: Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) announced on Tuesday that oil exports through Turkiye's Ceyhan pipeline would resume later in the day, following a pause of more than a week caused by a long-running international arbitration case between Iraq and Turkiye, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Head of KRG Foreign Media Affairs, Lawk Ghafuri, said on Twitter that oil exportation through Ceyhan would resume today.

03 Apr 2023; MEMO: Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, has said new strategic projects with Turkiye will be launched soon, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"We have many partnerships and interests with neighbouring Turkiye. There are some problems in terms of water and security, but there are great opportunities to solve these problems. We are grateful for Turkiye's efforts to provide Iraq's water share," Al-Sudani told Al Jazeera network.

31 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Iraqi parliament's vote in favour of restoring electoral laws that were scrapped after the 2019 anti-government demonstrations has reignited chaos and division among Iraq's politicians, especially Shia parties.

30 Mar 2023; MEMO: Russia is reportedly attempting to persuade Iraq to reopen its airspace to the Russian military, in an effort to gain easier and cheaper access to eastern Syria.

27 Mar 2023; MEMO: Iraq's Parliament approved, on Monday, amendments to the elections law, a move that has angered independent lawmakers and small parties who say the new legislation could weaken their chances, Reuters reports.

The amendments abandon an election law under which the last parliamentary election was held in 2021, in response to pressure from anti-government protests demanding fairer election law and the departure of Iraq's ruling elite.

BAGHDAD, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The government of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on Sunday set Nov. 18 as the date for the regional parliamentary elections.

Dilshad Shahab, the spokesperson for the Kurdistan region presidency, said in a press conference that the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani decided the date for the elections and called on the regional authorities and the Independent High Elections Commission to prepare for the elections.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi lawmakers passed early Monday controversial amendments to the country’s election law that could undermine the chances for smaller parties and independent candidates to win seats in future polls.

The amendments increase the size of electoral districts, a move widely backed by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Iran-backed parties. The coalition forms the majority bloc in the current parliament, which brought Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to power last year.

BAGHDAD, Mar 25 (NNN-NINA) – Three Daesh militants were killed in airstrikes, in Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala, a security source said today.

Iraqi warplanes, yesterday, carried out airstrikes on the Daesh hideouts, in the northern part of Diyala, destroying the hideouts and killing three Daesh militants, Major Alaa al-Saadi, from Diyala police, said.

MUQDADIYAH, Iraq (AP) — Hussein Maytham and his family were driving past the palm tree grove near their home after a quiet evening shopping for toys for his younger cousins when their car hit a bomb planted on the moon-lit road.