[Published here March 17, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Adnan Zurfi, Iraq’s second premier-designate this year, is respected for focussing on public services and security but faces resistance from factions wary of his close ties with the United States.
AFP
Irked US squeezes Iraq with cash delays, short waivers | AFP
[Published here February 15, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Irked by Iraq’s close ties to neighbouring Iran, Washington has begun following through on threats to squeeze Baghdad’s fragile economy with delays to crucial cash deliveries and shortened sanctions waivers.
In Iraq, protesters in last stand against a former ally | AFP
[Published here February 7, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – They once stood side by side against tear gas and bullets, protesting together against Iraq’s government. But after cleric Moqtada Sadr’s followers switched sides, young activists feel vulnerable and betrayed.
“We used to distribute food to their protest tents in the first days of the demonstrations — and this is how they treat us?” said Mona, a medic and activist in Baghdad.
At Iraq protests, a cleric’s tweets split his followers | AFP
[Published here February 3, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Sporting their signature blue caps, the men marched triumphantly through Baghdad’s protest camp. The die-hard followers of firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr were back in Tahrir Square, and they wanted everyone to know it.
Iraq weighs larger NATO role to replace US-led coalition | AFP
[Written with Damon Wake in Brussels and published here January 29, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraq is considering a larger role for NATO at the expense of the US-led coalition, Iraqi and Western officials told AFP, after an American drone strike on Baghdad that sparked outrage.
As Iran missiles battered Iraq base, US lost eyes in sky | AFP
[Published here on January 15, 2020]
Ain al-Asad Air Base (Iraq) (AFP) – Moments after volleys of Iranian missiles began to batter Iraq’s Ain al-Asad airbase, US soldiers at the desert facility lost contact with their ultra-powerful — and expensive — eyes in the sky.
‘Surviving was a miracle’: Exclusive interview on Iran’s missile attack on Iraq base | AFP
[Published here on January 14, 2020]
Waves of ballistic missiles, soldiers hunkered down in bunkers for hours, intense shock waves — a top US commander said he reacted to Iran’s unprecedented attack against an Iraqi base with “disbelief”.
Iran missile attack on Iraq’s Ain Al-Asad base: a timeline | AFP
[Published here on January 14, 2020]
Ain al-Asad Air Base (Iraq) (AFP) – A timeline of last week’s Iranian missile attack against the Ain Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, as seen through the eyes of some of the 1,500 US soldiers deployed there.
Iraq warns of ‘collapse’ if Trump blocks oil cash | AFP
[Published here on January 13, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraqi officials fear economic “collapse” if Washington imposes threatened sanctions, including blocking access to a US-based account where Baghdad keeps oil revenues that feed 90 percent of the national budget.
Iraq set for conflict, even if US and Iran de-escalate | AFP
[Published here on January 9, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Arch-foes Tehran and Washington may be temporarily calling it even after Iranian missiles targeted US forces in Iraq, but analysts predict violent instability will keep blighting Baghdad.
MAYA GEBEILY 