US troop numbers in Iraq, Syria could surge under new accounting rules

The Pentagon wants to stop undercounting temporarily deployed fighters and allow for the deployment of more support personnel needed in the war against the Islamic State.

Iraq

Iraqi religious minority struggles to survive in hostile environment

Members of Iraq's dwindling Mandaean community are facing many difficulties in practicing their religion as the government has failed to protect them.

Iraq

Kurdish rivalry undermines peshmerga forces in Kirkuk

The Islamic State is losing ground in Iraq and Syria, but south of Kirkuk, the militants are inflicting heavy casualties on peshmerga fighters, who blame needless losses on a lack of support.

Iraq

Ankara silent on Turkish agents allegedly caught in Iraq assassination plot

Kurdish militants claim to have captured two Turkish intelligence officers planning to assassinate a senior Kurdistan Workers Party figure, though it's not clear what the group is demanding in exchange for their release.

Iraq

Old fears rise again about Palestinians in Iraq

Sentiment against Palestinians is taking hold in Iraq, where some are being accused of supporting the Islamic State's extreme ideology.

Palestine

Local Iraqi forces testing IS defenses in Anbar

US-trained, local tribal fighters are preparing to cleanse Iraq's Anbar province of the Islamic State.

Iraq

Reality disrupts Turkey's dream-team triad

Iran and Iraq show no inclination to join Turkey's potential operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Iraq

Turkey's FM repeats toothless warnings against KRG independence vote

On his visit to Baghdad and Erbil, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu brought with him Turkey’s mixed signals about the planned referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence, asking for its cancellation but naming no consequences from his country.

Iraq

Refugees’ fate in limbo as Iraqi Kurdistan referendum nears

The Sept. 25 referendum on independence in Iraqi Kurdistan may turn the predominantly Sunni Arab displaced community into a new source of tension between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Region.

Iraq

Iraq's Hakim moves out of Iran's shadow

Ammar al-Hakim has left Iraq's Supreme Islamic Council and formed a new political party against Iran's wishes, indicating he is adopting an independent stance.

Iraq

KRG doubles down on independence vote after Baghdad meeting

A visit by a Kurdish delegation to Baghdad amid strong regional and international objections to a Kurdish independence referendum failed to convince the Iraqi government of the merits of the vote.

Iraq

Tensions flare between US, Shiite factions in Iraq

The recent escalation by Iran-affiliated Iraqi Shiite militias against US forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border may offer an early indication of the coming confrontation between the two sides after the Islamic State is eliminated from Iraq.

Iraq