Iran plays Hamas card

Iran's improved relations with Turkey, Qatar and Hamas send a message to the region.

Palestine

Iranian Kurds urge Iraqi brethren to stay united ahead of referendum

As Iraqi Kurds increasingly quarrel ahead of the Sept. 25 independence referendum, Iranian Kurds are urging their western neighbors to stay united and press ahead with the vote.

Iraq

Young Iraqis experiment with variety of drugs

In addition to traditional turn-ons, drug users in Iraq are expanding their habits to include everything from LSD to seemingly mundane treatments for arthritis.

Iraq

Iraq establishes new security force to protect its archaeological wealth

Iraq is seeking to preserve what’s left of its antiquities through the establishment of a special security force to protect one of its richest provinces in terms of archaeological sites.

Iraq

Stranded by US airstrikes, IS fighters fleeing Lebanon retreat to Syria

The Pentagon says it will leave the militants alone if they don't try to link up with Islamic State forces on the Iraqi border.

Iraq

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