• 20 years after the conflict, Senate to vote on repeal of Iraq war authorizations

    20 years after the conflict, Senate to vote on repeal of Iraq war authorizations

    Feb 10, 2023 01:27 AM EDT

    ... two years ago, but current House Speaker Kevin McCarthy opposed it. The Biden administration has supported the move, arguing that ending the war authorization against Iraq of the Saddam Hussein era would make clear that the Iraq government of today is a partner of the United States. It would also ...

  • Skyrocketing methamphetamine use poses new security threat in Iraq

    Skyrocketing methamphetamine use poses new security threat in Iraq

    Dec 22, 2022 11:25 PM EDT

    ... have a job? Why is Iraq not like other countries?Simona Foltyn: The drug epidemic risks consuming Iraq's young generation. In a country crippled by political crises, unemployment and rampant corruption, crystal meth offers the only escape. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Simona Foltyn in Basra, Southern Iraq.

  • News Wrap: Violence in Iraq kills dozens, U.S. says Iran tried to steal its drone

    News Wrap: Violence in Iraq kills dozens, U.S. says Iran tried to steal its drone

    Aug 30, 2022 10:55 PM EDT

    Simona Foltyn: The clashes stoked fears that the country could descend into a fresh cycle of violence. Nour Al-Moussawi, Iraqi Civilian (through translator): This dangerous situation and the overtaking of the government's property or storming the highest authority, which is the Republican Palace, will destabilize the economic situation ...

  • Iraqis leave streets after clashes following cleric's plea to retreat

    Iraqis leave streets after clashes following cleric's plea to retreat

    Aug 30, 2022 02:46 PM EDT

    ... came as millions prepared to visit Iraq for an annual pilgrimage to Shiite sites. Kuwait, which shares a 254-kilometer- (158-mile-) long border with Iraq, called on its citizens to leave the neighboring country. The state-run KUNA news agency also encouraged those hoping to travel to Iraq to ...

  • Clashes leave at least 15 dead after influential Iraqi Shiite cleric announces plan to resign from politics

    Clashes leave at least 15 dead after influential Iraqi Shiite cleric announces plan to resign from politics

    Aug 29, 2022 02:38 PM EDT

    Iraq's caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also demanded that al-Sadr call on his followers to withdraw from government institutions. The U.N. mission in Iraq said Monday’s protests were an “extremely dangerous escalation” and called on demonstrators to vacate all government buildings to allow the caretaker ...

  • Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council says it has no powers to dissolve parliament

    Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council says it has no powers to dissolve parliament

    Aug 14, 2022 02:48 PM EDT

    BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s top judicial body said Sunday it doesn't have the authority to dissolve the country’s parliament, days after an influential Shiite cleric gave it one week to dismiss the legislature so that new elections can be held. The decision by the Supreme Judicial Council is ...

  • Iraqi cleric calls for dissolution of parliament, early election

    Iraqi cleric calls for dissolution of parliament, early election

    Aug 04, 2022 12:08 AM EDT

    BAGHDAD (AP) — Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told followers Wednesday to continue their sit-in inside Iraq’s government zone, and called for the dissolution of parliament and early elections, signaling a deepening power struggle with his rivals. Speaking for the first time since thousands of his followers stormed ...

  • Months of political infighting in Iraq prompt widespread protests and instability

    Months of political infighting in Iraq prompt widespread protests and instability

    Aug 02, 2022 10:25 PM EDT

    ... may have officially withdrawn from the political process, but this protest is a reminder to his Shia rivals that he remains a pivotal figure in Iraqi politics who commands a devout following of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and one of most powerful armed groups. On the opposing side is ...

  • Political rivalry stirs panic of protests and escalation in Iraq

    Political rivalry stirs panic of protests and escalation in Iraq

    Aug 01, 2022 02:42 PM EDT

    ... could escalate tensions. Calls for the counter-protest came from a political alliance of Iran-backed groups opposed to the open-ended sit-in inside Iraq's parliament by followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The prospect of opposing demonstrations stirred fears of a deepening political crisis. Iraq's ...

  • Hundreds of followers of Shiite cleric camp out in Iraqi parliament

    Hundreds of followers of Shiite cleric camp out in Iraqi parliament

    Jul 31, 2022 10:18 PM EDT

    One protester, Haidar Jameel assumed the seat of Parliament Speaker Mohammed Halbousi — among the most powerful political figures in Iraq — and from it, looked on at his rowdy fellow demonstrators. After al-Sadr's followers took over the parliament, Halbousi had suspended future sessions until further notice. “We will not ...