KRG speaker: Independent Kurdish state complex issue

Kurdish parliament Speaker Yusuf Mohammed Sadiq discusses with Al-Monitor the current issues of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iraq

Abadi enlists neighbors to support unified Iraq

Iraq is shoring up political and economic relations with neighboring states to prepare for rebuilding after the defeat of the Islamic State.

Saudi Arabia

Iraqi journalists face threats, murder

In the absence of deterrent laws and decisive action by the government, Iraqi journalists continue to face all manner of threats, including kidnapping, murder and persecution.

Iraq

Illegal hunting threatens biodiversity of Iraq's marshes

In the absence of deterrent laws and decisive actions by the authorities, hunters in Iraq are killing migrant birds on a large scale.

Iraq

Will Turkey, Iraq open new chapter in ties?

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s visit to Iraq last week has signaled a willingness to improve relations between the two countries after a period of intense animosity.

Iraq

Westward offensive starts as Iraq's Ramadi catches breath

With the Mosul operation still going on and Anbar's liberated area still unstable, the Iraqi forces have launched an assault on the last Islamic State stronghold in Anbar province.

Iraq

Who's fighting whom in Iraq's Sinjar?

After KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani warned that the KRG may resort to force to expel the Kurdistan Workers Party from Sinjar, tensions rose in the region.

Iraq

Jordanians question timing, messages of top military brass

The Dec. 30 BBC interview with Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs­ of­ Staff, raised eyebrows in Amman and prompted local commentators to speculate about the purpose and meaning of Freihat’s statements.

Iraq

Iran, Iraq seek to send a message with joint naval exercises

In a clear message to the Gulf countries of the Iranian influence, Iraqi forces with Iranian support are conducting military maneuvers in the Persian Gulf and the Iraqi land border with the Saudi.

Legacy: Gulf

Can public outcry in southern Iraq end Maliki’s political ambitions?

Nouri al-Maliki, the former prime minister who now is one of Iraq’s vice presidents, was faced with demonstrations staged by angry residents of the three southern provinces he was visiting as part of an early effort to increase his chances of returning to power in local and parliamentary elections slated for 2018.

Iraq

Does New Year's nightclub attack signal tough year ahead for Turkey?

As transnational networks of the Islamic State come under increasing pressure in Iraq and Syria, they are likely to shift to Turkey, while Ankara still gives priority to the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Iraq

Iraqi Kurdistan oil a slippery issue

Ownership of Iraqi Kurdistan oil is a major source of friction between Baghdad and Erbil, while Turkey and Iran compete for lucrative oil transport contracts.

Iraq