Kurdistan

However, as the US seeks to put on a positive face regarding the incoming prime minister, the US is also announcing new rewards for information on several key Iraqi militia leaders.

Iraq acquires anti-drone systems for Baghdad's protection but excludes Kurdistan, leaving the region exposed to ongoing militia strikes and escalating violence.

Israel and Kurdistan face shared adversaries, raising questions about new alliances as old Middle East borders weaken and fragment.

On April 24, the United States also offered a $10m. reward for Hishim Finyan Rahim al-Saraji, known as Abu Ala al-Walai, the head of Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, an Iraqi paramilitary group.

Ghazal Molan, 19, died after being wounded in an IRGC drone strike, amid claims she was denied urgent hospital care before being laid to rest in Sulaymaniyah.

A Kurdish woman was killed in a drone strike in northern Iraq, suspected to be carried out by an Iran-backed militia targeting opposition groups.

The decision to elect Nizar Amedi could have ramifications for Iraq, given that Amedi is Kurdish and was supported by the Kurdish PUK party, which is considered friendly to Iran.

Since the war with Iran began, Tehran told its militias in Iraq to target the Kurdistan Region, including targeting US forces and facilities in the region.

It is the latest attack by Iran and Iranian-backed militias using drones and missiles on the Kurdistan region. Iranian-backed militias have launched more than 500 attacks since February 28.

Reports about Kurdish Iranian groups tend to be sensitive because the groups fear an Iranian regime crackdown, and the groups have already been targeted by hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles.