Iraq

Six French Islamic State suspects could face death penalty as Iraqi court opens trial

The defendants were among 47 French Islamic State detainees transferred from prisons in northeast Syria last year as part of a broader relocation process overseen by US forces and Iraqi authorities.

A court building, where six French nationals accused of belonging to Islamic State are standing trial, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 20, 2026.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during the opening ceremony of the Damascus International Fair in Damascus, Syria, August 26, 2026.

Sharaa secretly building up Syrian military, raising red flags in Israeli security community

Interception recorded in northern Israel.

Trump says coming to big decision on whether to 'annihilate' Iran as regime shoots down US drones

A man drives a Careem taxi car in Mosul, Iraq.

Israeli-Canadian Benjamin Hassin freed after 11 years in Iraqi prison


Iraqi militias raise new conditions for disarmament, Iraq takes 'wait-and-see' approach - analysis

If the groups refuse to disarm, Iraq will take a wait-and-see approach, with many saying that they already gave up weapons to the PMF, while also being part of these forces.

Mourners attend the funeral of Haider al-Moussawi, head of the security unit in the Shi'ite armed group Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, and senior Hezbollah figure Abu Ali Khalil, who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Tehran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Baghdad, Iraq, June 22, 2025.

Attacks on Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq as Iran launches retaliatory strikes against US bases

Explosions heard in Eilat as sirens sound in southern Jordan following Iranian attacks. Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari stated that Iran “will no longer exercise restraint."

Still from a video purporting to show an Iranian drone launch, released by Iran August 31, 2026.

US diplomatic reshuffle in Iraq comes at critical moment for Baghdad and Washington - analysis

US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris is ending his posting in Baghdad as Washington prepares for a diplomatic transition amid the planned US troop withdrawal from Iraq and ongoing tensions.

 An illustrative image of the Syrian and Iraqi flags.

Kurds in Syria, Iraq fight against 'Arabization' with language, but might need to push harder

Both in Syria and Iraq, there are rising reports of pushes for Arabic to become a main language and demographic changes in Kurdish areas, with officials needing to tackle these issues.

Children hold signs on the day Syrian Kurds demonstrate to mark Kurdish Language Day, demanding constitutional recognition of the Kurdish language by the Syrian government, in Qamishli, Syria, May 14, 2026.

Iraq sentences militia member for kidnapping American journalist, in rare move against Iran proxies

“Iraq's Central Criminal Court has sentenced Amir Rahim Jabar Lazim to 15 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Law," read the announcement shared by the victim, journalist Shelly Kittelson.

Youths ride vehicles while waving flags of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Hezbollah in Baghdad on June 15, 2026, during celebrations following the announcement of a deal to end the war between Iran and the US.

EASA narrows warning to airlines over flying in Persian Gulf airspace amid renewed US-Iran strikes

EASA also extended its recommendations that airlines not operate in the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Lebanon until the end of September.

A Boeing 737 aircraft from the Irish low cost company Ryanair takes off from Toulouse Blagnac airport, in Toulouse, southern France, on May 20, 2026; Illustrative.

Iraq considers currency overhaul to expose looted funds

"The decision will be made in the coming period, and it is hoped that the procedures will begin during 2027," a source in the Iraqi Prime Ministry.

Iraqi dinar and US dollar banknotes are laid out on a table as members of the Shia Muslim community arrive at a centre in Iraq's southern city of Basra accepting charity donations to aid people affected by the ongoing war in Iran and Lebanon

As US considers cutting funds from Kurdish forces, concerns rise over stability in Middle East

The Peshmerga have played a key role over the years fighting ISIS and securing the autonomous Kurdistan Region. However, efforts to reform them have not proceeded as planned.

A group of young male and female Peshmergas belonging to the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), near one of their bases in the mountains of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 35 miles from the Iranian border, on January 17, 2026.

Seven ancient Parthian tombs unearthed in Iraq’s Kurdistan region amid survey of 6,500 sites

"One of the [tombs] contained a clay coffin with a small headless figurine of a pregnant woman," Muhammad Lashkri, director of antiquities and heritage affairs in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, said.

Photo depicts a grave made of burnt clay found in Mosul Dam that is exhibited in Zakho Museum in Zakho, Kurdistan Region of Iraq on June 2, 2025.

US Ambassador Barrack has a unique position, balancing work in Syria, Turkey, Iraq - analysis

This month tensions exploded into view with Israeli airstrikes in northern Syria. Barrack, who has been playing an important role in Syria for the last year is now front and center.

S Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack accompanies US President Donald Trump (not seen) during a press conference following the annual NATO Summit at Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on July 8, 2026; illustrative