On January 21, 2021, I was hosted by DW English for a brief update from Baghdad on that day’s twin suicide attack on a commercial district in Baghdad, which were later claimed by the Islamic State group.
The full video is available below.
Baghdad
What would a US withdrawal from Iraq look like? | AFP
[Published here on January 7, 2020]
Iraq’s caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi contended Tuesday that he received signed copies of a letter the US had said was only an unsigned draft describing steps America’s military would take to leave Iraq.
Here is AFP’s look at what shape a withdrawal could take.
Washington silent as US-crafted regime under fire in Iraq | AFP
[Published here November 18, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – It posted tens of thousands of troops in Iraq, huddled with its leaders and helped craft its laws — but with the country swamped by deadly protests, Washington is staying out of the fray.
Could Baghdad-Erbil talks end Iraq’s protracted oil dispute?
[Published here on July 29, 2019]
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s federal authorities and the cash-strapped Kurdish regional government have relaunched talks over longstanding oil and budget disputes, but observers are skeptical they will reach a genuine diplomatic reset. Here are a few questions and answers to clarify the complex issue.
Pompeo in surprise visit to Iraq amid ‘imminent’ Iran threats | AFP
[Published here on May 7, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraq has promised to guarantee the safety of US interests from Iran, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday as he paid a surprise trip to Baghdad where he accused Tehran of planning “imminent” attacks.
IS chief refers to Syria defeat in first video in five years | AFP
[Co-written with AFP’s Ali Choukeir; published here on April 29, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – The Islamic State group’s elusive supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his first purported appearance in five years in a propaganda video released Monday, acknowledging IS’s defeat in the Syrian town of Baghouz while threatening “revenge” attacks.
Iraq offers to try foreign IS suspects, for a price | AFP
[Published here April 10, 2019]
Iraq has offered to put on trial hundreds of accused foreign jihadists in Baghdad in exchange for millions of dollars, potentially solving a legal conundrum for Western governments but sparking rights concerns. Continue reading
Iraq seeks power revamp to head off sanctions, protests | AFP
[Published here November 28, 2018]
Iraq’s broken electricity sector is planning a long-awaited overhaul to both meet US pressure to halt Iranian power imports and head off summertime protests over chronic cuts.
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.
More than 200 mass graves found in former IS territory in Iraq, UN says | AFP
[Published here November 6, 2018]
More than 200 mass graves containing up to 12,000 victims have been found so far in Iraq that could hold vital evidence of war crimes by the Islamic State group, the UN said Tuesday.
The United Nations in Iraq (UNAMI) and its human rights office said they had documented a total of 202 mass graves in parts of western and northern Iraq held by IS between 2014 and 2017.
