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Iraq

October 5, 2026

Baghdad 9:56 am

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A member of the Iraqi security forces flashes the victory sign during a military parade

Explainer

What Iraq’s US troop withdrawal means for security after Kirkuk killings

As Iraq assumes full responsibility for its security following the coalition’s withdrawal, a disputed counterterrorism operation in Kirkuk is raising questions about accountability, public trust and lingering security gaps.

Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization) paramilitary forces stand guard during an election rally for the "Asaib Ahl al-Haq" movement in the capital Baghdad, on October 7, 2021.

Analysis

After US exit, Iran gains space in Iraq and a harder balancing act

For Iran, the easier part may have been getting Washington out, but it may now have to struggle turning the absence into durable influence and reviving its allied militias without provoking instability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026.

Trump’s integration policies build on Gulf, Turkey ties and Syria success

Iran’s influence, and the potential for renewed conflict, complicate progress in Iraq.

Latest News

Iraq announces Iran flights to resume: What to know

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jan. 12, 2017.

Analysis

Can Turkey’s Bashiqa withdrawal pave the way for deeper Iraq ties?

Turkish soldiers conduct military exercises near the Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq on Sept. 27, 2017 in the Silopi district, southeast Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

How militias in Anbar could complicate Iraq’s energy ambitions

Iraqi soldiers from the new 'desert battalion' special forces stand next to military vehicles as the take part in a graduation ceremony, after months of training by the French military, at the Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar west of Baghdad on February 29, 2024. (Photo by Ahmad AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Shelly Kittleson

By Shelly Kittleson

In Baghdad, reporting on Iraqi politics

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Suadad al-Salhy

In Baghdad, reporting on politics and security

Lyse Mauvais

In Amman, reporting on humanitarian crises

Winthrop Rodgers

In Sulaymaniyah, reporting on Kurdish issues

Controversial new law could make Iraq's early elections late

Iraq's parliament passed a new elections law in December in response to massive protests, but the law hasn't been sent to the president for his approval.

New Jersey woman takes on traffickers in Iraq's Kurdistan region

The Kurdistan Regional Government, with the help of a former US State Department official, is fighting human trafficking.

Who are Sadr's Blue Hats in Iraq and what side are they on?

Prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has kept his "Blue Hats" busy, calling on followers to change direction, often with his political whims.

Tunisian soldiers stand in front of military equipment offered to Tunisia by the United States, in Tunis, Tunisia, May 12, 2016 REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - S1BETDRQOCAA

Trump budget spotlights Tunisia in pitch to overhaul foreign military aid

The State Department is dangling potential US aircraft sales to Tunisia as part of its pitch to overhaul foreign military aid.

A general view of Nahr Al-Umran gas refinery in Al-Dier District, northern Basra July 17, 2009. REUTERS/Atef Hassan (IRAQ CONFLICT ENERGY) - GM1E57H1M0K01

Intel: Iraq likely to continue importing Iranian natural gas under US waiver renewal

Iraqi officials have indicated that the United States is likely to renew a key Iran sanctions waiver that will allow Baghdad to continue importing Iranian natural gas to fuel its electricity needs.

BAGHDAD, IRAQ - FEBRUARY 1: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY â MANDATORY CREDIT - "IRAQI PRESIDENCY PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Iraq's former communications minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi is assigned by Iraq's president Barham Salih to form a new government, in Baghdad, Iraq on February 1, 2020. (Photo by IRAQI PRESIDENCY PRESS OFFICE / HANDOUT/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Will Iraq's new PM pass on forming government?

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi is under great pressure from the protesters to withdraw from the position, opening the space for a candidate acceptable from all sides.

Sky over Irbil On December 2018, A trip inside Kurdistan, between Irbil and Sulaymaniyya: a Country that is not a State. (Photo by Alessandro Annunziato/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Erbil court acquits pro-polygamy cleric despite women's protests

An Erbil court acquitted a Kurdish cleric who called Kurdish women "dinosaurs."

U.S. soldiers inspect the site where an Iranian missile hit at Ain al-Asad air base in Anbar province, Iraq January 13, 2020. REUTERS/John Davison - RC23FE9R37HE

Intel: Space Force tracked Iranian missile strikes

Members of the Space Force helped track and detect the Iranian ballistic missiles that struck an Iraqi air base last month.

PMU factions reluctant to target US interests in Iraq directly

Following the assassinations of Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Shiite armed factions are reluctant to engage in direct war with the United States due to the lack of military balance between them and their fear of US reactions.

Iraq's outgoing government keeps mum on China pact

Iraq's economic agreement with China was signed in October but its details are still a mystery, providing fodder for conspiracy theories and potential legal objections.

Iraqi Jews in Israel watch protests with hope

Iraqi Jews in Israel see an opportunity for Iraq in the protest movement, a chance for a more tolerant Iraq to emerge from the crisis.

Iraqi protesters demand UN protection from violence of authorities

Iraqi protesters are seeking protection from the United Nations against the violence against them.