Pence pressure prompts USAID to appoint liaison for Iraqi Christians

USAID has appointed a special representative for the beleaguered minority group following intense pressure from the vice president.

Iraq

Iraqi Kurds vote to elect new parliament

Iraqi Kurdistan held its parliamentary elections one year after its failed bid for independence, but low voter turnout and claims of voter fraud are tainting the results.

Iraq

Will Shiite militias become Iraq’s Basij?

The Popular Mobilization Units are expanding their presence in the strategic city of Basra by forming a Voluntary Reserves force, similar to the Iranian Basij forces.

Iraq

Head of PMU faction talks Iraqi politics, US relations

The head of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Qais al-Khazali, spoke to Al-Monitor about the Iraqi organization's history with the United States and current political positions.

Iraq

Intel: Congress wants to sanction Iran’s allies in Iraq. Here’s why the State Department thinks it’s a bad idea.

Iraq

Kurdish opposition warns fraud, intimidation to taint upcoming election

As the Iraq Kurdistan Region prepares to hold its parliamentary elections Sept. 30, the opposition is deeply concerned about voter fraud by the two ruling parties.

Iraq

Will US sanctions succeed in isolating Iraqi Shiite factions?

As the United States intensifies its activities against Iran in the region, it has also increased pressure on Iraqi factions backed by Iran. Yet the influence that these factions have in Iraq limits the effects of such pressures.

Iraq

Iraqi women push for cafes of their own

Iraqi women have started opening women-only cafes and restaurants where they can just avoid harassment.

Iraq

Powerful Shiite trio agrees on Iraqi prime minister candidate

A Beirut meetup of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani appears to have produced a compromise candidate for Iraq's next prime minister.

Iraq

Dozens of Basra activists arrested

Shiite militias in Basra arrested dozens of civil rights activists for participating in demonstrations and accused the US Consulate of instigating the demonstrations.

Iraq

Congress takes aim at pro-Iran election winners in Iraq

US lawmakers are preparing sanctions as Tehran presses Baghdad to form a government friendly to its interests.

Iraq

Turkey extends flight ban to Sulaimaniyah

Turkey seems to be expressing its opposition to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's candidate for the Iraqi presidency by extending its ban on flights to Sulaimaniyah, but the move may represent the extent of Ankara's influence over political machinations in Baghdad.

Iraq