Iraq - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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Iraq

August 18, 2026

Baghdad 7:12 am

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Smoke rises after explosions were heard and air defences activated near the airport in Erbil, on July 24, 2026.

Explainer

Why Iran targeted Barzani family stronghold in Iraqi Kurdistan

Iran’s Kurdish opposition groups have turned Iraqi Kurdistan into a frontline in the war.

A man inspects the damage at the site of a strike in Bartalla, in the northern Iraq's Nineveh province, after US-Saudi attacks on militias, July 29, 2026.

Iraq intel and security officials visit Saudi Arabia after drone attacks

Iraqi authorities are cracking down on drone attacks after US and Saudi airstrikes targeted Iran-backed militias in the country.

The commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Esmail Qaani, speaks during a commemoration ceremony marking the anniversary of the 2020 killing of Guards general Qasem Soleimani (on screen) in the capital Tehran on Jan. 3, 2024.

Analysis

What Qaani's Baghdad visit reveals about Iran's post-war dilemma

The Quds Force commander's Baghdad visit is occurring as Iran faced difficult choices in Iraq where the government is moving to bring powerful armed groups under state control after the recent war.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

IRGC chief Qaani reportedly in Iraq ahead of militia deadline

Qaani

Analysis

How Turkey is deepening energy and economic ties with Iraq as Iran weakens

a worker inspects an oil field in Iraq

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Iraqi Kurdish president’s meeting with Syria’s Sharaa signals shift in SDF dynamics

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Damascus, Aug. 3, 2026. IKRPresident/X

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

Iraq electrical wires

Iraq takes cautious steps toward privatizing electricity sector

With the increasing power cuts in Iraq, calls are mounting to expand privatization as a permanent solution.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (R) drives a car as he joins anti-government demonstrators gathering in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, Oct. 29, 2019.

Sadr withdraws from Iraqi elections

Populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has withdrawn from Iraq's October elections, removing his support for the government.

Hisham al-Hashimi mourned in 2020

Iraq arrests killer of respected analyst

Hisham al-Hashimi was gunned down outside his Baghdad apartment in July 2020.

SHWAN MOHAMMED/AFP via Getty Images

Power struggle in Iraqi Kurdistan on hold as Talabani brothers prevail

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan co-chair Lahur Talabani has been peacefully ousted, and Ankara is clearly happy about the turn of events.

Brett McGurk and Mustafa al-Kadhimi

US military presence in spotlight after Baghdad meeting

The US military has no orders to withdraw from Iraq, officials say, following meeting of White House Middle East Coordinator with Iraqi Prime Minister.

Coronavirus vaccine given in Altun Kupri

Iraq's Kurdistan Region detects first case of Delta variant

Several Middle Eastern governments have instituted measures aimed at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 variants recently.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Iraqi Shiite leader Sadr to sit out October election

Muqtada al-Sadr also said he would withdraw his support for the current government and its replacement.

An Iranian policeman checks the travel document of a pilgrim at the Mehran border point between Iran and Iraq.

Iran presses for visa waiver from Iraq

Iranian authorities continue to pressure the Iraqi government into waiving its travel visa between the two countries.

Bafel and Lahur Talabani

Talabani family feud at center of power struggle in Iraqi Kurdistan party

The apparent takeover of the Iraqi Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party by Bafel Talabani is more family affair than policy dispute.

Bagram base in Afghanistan

The Takeaway: Erdogan weighs risks of Afghan mission against benefits for US ties

Also: Gulf airline race takes off; Islamic State steps up Iraq attacks; Fortnite fatwa riles Egyptian gamers; is Israel’s army too small?; child beggars in Gaza’s cemeteries; Iraq unearths 4,000 year old city; and more! All in only about 1,500 words.

An Iraqi demonstrator carries a portrait of an activist who has been missing for weeks and was allegedly kidnapped

Iraqis campaign against impunity for violence

Activists in Iraq and abroad are seeking to pressure Iraqi authorities into preventing impunity for perpetrators of abuses.

Assyrian villagers of Iraq's Nahla Valley work to put out flames caused by Turkish airstrikes.

Turkish airstrikes ignite Assyrian lands, villagers organize firefighting response

The fire and lack of emergency response is endemic in the region as Turkish attacks routinely impact communities in Iraq’s north.