• How Iraq election frontrunner Muqtada al-Sadr tapped widespread frustration

    How Iraq election frontrunner Muqtada al-Sadr tapped widespread frustration

    May 14, 2018 10:45 PM EST

    A firebrand cleric is leading the vote count after Iraq’s weekend parliamentary election. Results from Iraq's electoral commission show a startling apparent upset by the party led by Muqtada al-Sadr, a former symbol of sectarianism and resistance turned populist politician. U.S.-backed incumbent prime minister Haidar Al-Abadi is running third in most districts. Nick Schifrin reports.

  • Iraqi Shiite cleric gained ground with nationalist voice

    Iraqi Shiite cleric gained ground with nationalist voice

    May 14, 2018 06:45 PM EST

    ... his role overseeing the military defeat of IS in Iraq, al-Sadr tapped into long-simmering frustration with Baghdad's inability to improve the lives Iraqis far from the frontline fight. "After security improved, (Iraqis in Baghdad) began to notice how shabby the city is and the lack of utilities ...

  • Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr takes early lead in Iraq election

    Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr takes early lead in Iraq election

    May 14, 2018 02:29 PM EST

    ... gains. Al-Sadr is a strong Iraqi nationalist — he is critical of any outside influence in the country — and campaigned on a platform that criticized Iraq's current political leadership as deeply corrupt. He rose to prominence in Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein when ...

  • Is an era of nationalism beginning in Iraq?

    Is an era of nationalism beginning in Iraq?

    May 12, 2018 09:22 PM EST

    ... is the role of perhaps, Iran, in the influence that Iran wields in Iraq right now? Or how long the United States will stay in Iraq and kind of what capacity? MARGARET COKER: Yeah. So one of the amazing things about last fall and into the winter, when Iraq declared ...

  • Polls close across Iraq in first vote since victory over ISIS

    Polls close across Iraq in first vote since victory over ISIS

    May 12, 2018 03:28 PM EST

    ... he said. Some Sunnis voting Saturday said they are hopeful this election will help Iraq move beyond sectarian politics and become more inclusive. Marginalization of Iraq's Sunnis under al-Maliki is seen as a factor that allowed IS to rise in power in Iraq. Al-Abadi has led a ...

  • Iraqi forces capture 5 senior Islamic State leaders in cross-border raid

    Iraqi forces capture 5 senior Islamic State leaders in cross-border raid

    May 10, 2018 07:06 PM EST

    ... longer control significant pockets of territory inside Iraq, but do maintain a grip inside Syria along Iraq's border. The U.S. -led coalition supported Iraqi ground forces and Syrian fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces in the more than three-year war against IS. After Iraqi forces retook ...

  • 3,800 artifacts once bought by Hobby Lobby were just returned to Iraq

    3,800 artifacts once bought by Hobby Lobby were just returned to Iraq

    May 02, 2018 08:23 PM EST

    ... seals that can fit in the palm of your hand. ICE said 3,800 artifacts in total were turned over today to the Embassy of Iraq in Washington, D.C. NPR reported that an embassy official said the items would likely end up in Iraq's National Museum. What were ...

  • Iraqi women and children with perceived link to ISIS are sexually abused, denied aid, report finds

    Iraqi women and children with perceived link to ISIS are sexually abused, denied aid, report finds

    Apr 23, 2018 08:50 PM EST

    ... be deadly, even though they’re not able to have a sanctuary in the same way,” Hassan said. In the next year, international funding for Iraq will sharply decrease and will only be allocated to “priority areas,” according to the U.N. report, Iraq’s 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan. With ...

  • News Wrap: ISIS kills 27 Iraqi militiamen, two months after Iraqi officials declared victory

    News Wrap: ISIS kills 27 Iraqi militiamen, two months after Iraqi officials declared victory

    Feb 19, 2018 11:45 PM EST

    In our news wrap Monday, President Trump charged again today that President Obama should have done more to stop Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. This comes after federal indictments for 13 Russians. Also, "Islamic State" attackers in Iraq ambushed and killed 27 Shiite-led militiamen. Iraqi officials had ...

  • Photos: In a milestone for Iraq, more are returning home than leaving

    Photos: In a milestone for Iraq, more are returning home than leaving

    Jan 12, 2018 08:17 PM EST

    Iraqis are returning home in greater numbers than those displaced by conflict for the first time in four years, the International Organization for Migration said Friday. Since December 2013, Iraqi forces have been battling Islamic State militants who had laid claim to parts of the country in an effort to ...