Erbil

US asks non-essential government staff to leave Iraq

The Department of State ordered the pullout of employees from both the US Embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Erbil. Meanwhile, Germany and Netherlands suspended their military missions to Iraq due to regional tensions.

Iraq walking a tightrope between Iran and the US

Iraq seeks to forge an independent foreign policy between the American-Iranian rivalry amidst a backdrop of frantic diplomatic visits to Baghdad in recent weeks.

Will tensions between Bahrain and Iraq trigger a wider political crisis?

Opposition to Bahrain's monarchy has set up shop in Iraq and criticism within Iraq of Bahrain's crackdown on dissidents hasn't gone down well in Manama. The perceived interference in Bahraini affairs could set Iraq on a collision course with the GCC.

The torture of children in Iraq's Kurdish region must stop

A Human Rights Watch report on the treatment of children in custody of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq should lead to an inquiry and accountability by the Iraqi government.

Iraq deploys special forces in Kirkuk amid KRG flag dispute

Kirkuk Governor Saeed al Jabouri is calling for calm after Iraqi security forces dispersed a rally on Tuesday by supporters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) after the latter began waving KRG flags.

Polls close in Iraq's Kurdish region

Around 3.8 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots in the parliamentary elections in northern Kurdish region. The vote was initially scheduled for 2017 but postponed due to political and economic crises in the region.

Displaced Iraqi families struggle to recover after Daesh

We meet a displaced family stuck in a desert camp and struggling to recover from the fighting that destroyed vital infrastructure and countless Iraqi homes.

Turkey opens airspace to northern Iraq's Erbil

Flights to Sulaimaniya have not been included in the plan, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says.

Iraq to increase oil income, decrease KRG's share

Despite easing the pressure on Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government following its unilateral independence referendum, the central government in Baghdad plans to lower its share of oil income.

Horse racing gains ground in Iraq's Erbil

Every Friday is race day at the Erbil International Equestrian Club, and interest is growing as the sport gains popularity in areas controlled by the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq.

US support to YPG jeopardises Turkey's security: Cavusoglu

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says ongoing American military support for PKK/YPG terror group also poisons the long-standing bilateral partnership between Washington and Ankara.

Iran reopens border crossings with Iraqi Kurdish region

The KRG has handed control of all of the Kurdish region of northern Iraq’s border crossings with Turkey and Iran over to Baghdad. Border terminals were shut in mid-October after Kurdish Regional Government's ill-fated referendum on independence.