[Published here on May 7, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – With its financial outlook darkening by the day, Iraq is considering slashing its massive public payroll — an unpopular move likely to renew protests as a new government takes the helm.
State
As Iraqis protest against state, tribes make a comeback | AFP
[Published here with my colleague Sarah Benhaida December 10, 2019]
Iraqi protesters have clashed with police and torched government offices, a premier has resigned and precious blood spilt. As modern institutions collapse, an old force is making a comeback: its tribes.
Mosul battle leaving legacy of environmental damage | AFP
[Published here on December 12, 2016]
Qayyarah, Iraq // The battle to retake Mosul from ISIL is leaving a legacy of environmental damage and health risks that will pose dangers to people for years to come.
Iraqi firefighters battle to tame IS oil well fires | AFP
[Published here on November 20, 2016]
Clad in red helmets and surgical masks, the firefighters emerged exhausted from the massive column of smoke streaming almost incessantly out of an oil well in northern Iraq.
Informants and interrogations crucial to Mosul advance | AFP
[Published here on November 19, 2016]
Identification cards and cell phones in hand, dozens of Iraqi men and boys trudge down a dusty road in eastern Mosul towards intelligence officials waiting apprehensively outside the neighbourhood mosque.
Mosul mechanics fight IS with wrenches | AFP
[Published here on November 18, 2016]
They are armed with wrenches instead of rifles and are rarely found on the front lines, but Mosul’s mechanics say they are indispensable to the fight against the Islamic State group.
Foreign medics treat wounded children in Iraq’s Mosul | AFP
[Published here on November 16, 2016]
Foreign medics are helping Iraqi special forces personnel treat a growing number of children wounded by intense urban warfare inside the jihadist-held city of Mosul.
‘Take cover!’ Tackling IS car bombs in Iraq | AFP
[Published here on November 15, 2016]
It only takes a split second for the expression on the Iraqi soldier’s face to transform from relaxed contentment to absolute terror. “Car bomb!”
Iraqi troops listen in on IS walkie-talkies in Mosul | AFP
[Published here on November 12, 2016]
Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) – “Two grooms are coming,” a low voice crackles over the walkie-talkie, prompting a lanky Iraqi special forces soldier listening in Mosul to shout: “Boys! They’ve just dispatched two suicide bombers!”
