[Published here on February 11, 2019]
Two French women who fled the Islamic State group’s last pocket in Syria told AFP on Monday more foreigners were trapped inside, barred from leaving by Iraqi jihadists.
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Canadian jihadist says IS foreign fighters ‘hung out to dry’ | AFP
[Published here February 11, 2019]
A Canadian jihadist detained in Syria told AFP on Sunday he has been “hung out to dry” by the Islamic State group like other foreign fighters and appealed to his government for help.
Barely alive after IS, Syrian babies haunted by malnutrition | AFP
[Published here February 8, 2019]
They survived the Islamic State group’s crumbling “caliphate” by a thread, but skeletal babies streaming into this displacement camp in northeastern Syria now face a race against malnutrition.
HRW warns against secret repatriations from Syria | ِِAFP
[Published here on February 7, 2019]
Any transfers of suspected foreign jihadists and their relatives out of Syria should be transparent, Human Rights Watch told AFP, as camps in the northeast fill with families of different nationalities.
Iraq parliament approves 2019 budget, one of largest ever | AFP
[Published here January 24, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday approved the government’s 2019 budget, which at $111.8 billion is one of the largest ever for the oil-rich country.
In Iraq, political wrangling spawns debate over US troops | AFP
[Co-written with AFP’s Salam Faraj; published here January 22, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – From the halls of parliament to the lightning-fast rumour mills of social media, pro-Iran factions are demanding US troops withdraw from Iraq in a challenge to the country’s fragile government.
In Kurdish Iraq, women strive to end genital mutilation | AFP
[Published here January 2, 2019]
Dark skies were threatening rain over the Kurdish village in northern Iraq, but one woman refused to budge from outside the front door. Inside were two girls at risk of genital mutilation.
US energy chief in Baghdad as sanctions waiver runs out | AFP
[Published here December 11, 2018]
Baghdad (AFP) – US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday Iraq should partner with American companies to become energy independent, as Baghdad’s waiver from US sanctions on Iran nears its expiry.
To reclaim Baghdad, Iraqi artists grapple with its ghosts | AFP
[Published here on November 24, 2018]
Dressed in a multi-coloured beanie and grey sneakers, Zaid Saad had just finished setting up his contemporary art exhibit on Baghdad’s sandy riverbank when police showed up.
Iraq gets US sanctions break to keep the lights on | AFP
[Written with my colleague Ammar Karim and published here on November 8, 2018]
Iraq has won an exemption allowing it to buy Iranian electricity despite US sanctions, as the country plagued by chronic power shortages walks a tightrope between rivals Washington and Tehran.
With US measures imposed Monday taking aim at Iran’s banking and energy industries, there were concerns Iraq — which heavily relies on its eastern neighbour for electricity and consumer goods — would be caught in the crossfire.
MAYA GEBEILY 