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by Mahmoud Saleh © Agence France-Presse BAIJI, Iraq (AFP) — A white rocking horse and a child’s toy car lie abandoned on a dusty lane in the Iraqi city of Baiji, a small sign of the ruin that can be seen all around. Two years after the jihadists of Islamic State group were forced from this one-time industrial hub, Baiji remains a devastated ghost city as pledges of funds to help rebuild life have failed to […]
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Saturday announced the end of a three-year war by Iraqi forces to drive the Islamic State jihadist group out of the country. “Our forces are in complete control of the Iraqi-Syrian border and I therefore announce the end of the war against Daesh (IS),” Abadi told a conference in Baghdad. “Our enemy wanted to kill our civilisation, but we have won through our unity and our determination. We […]
by Ali Choukeir and Sarah Benhaida Agence France Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Its “caliphate” has imploded, its de facto capitals in Iraq and Syria have fallen, and hundreds of its fighters have either surrendered or fled. The Islamic State jihadist group may not be dead yet but its dream of statehood has already been buried, analysts say. No one in IS “will now think of imposing ‘the territory of the caliphate’,” said Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi […]
by Siavosh Ghazi Agence France-Presse SAR-E POL-E ZAHAB, Iran (AFP) — Thousands of Iranians on Tuesday spent a third night in the cold as authorities scrambled to help those made homeless by a major earthquake that killed more than 400 people. As the country marked a day of mourning, President Hassan Rouhani promised swift help following the 7.3-magnitude quake that struck a mountainous region spanning the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday. Volunteers also rushed to help after […]
by Siavosh Ghazi with Shwan Mohammed in Darbandikhan, Iraq Agence France Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Iranians spent a second night in the open air after a 7.3-magnitude quake struck near the border with Iraq, killing more than 400. People who had fled their homes when the quake rocked the mountainous region spanning Iran’s western province of Kermanshah and Iraqi Kurdistan on Sunday evening, braved chilly temperatures as authorities struggled to […]
by Siavosh Ghazi with Shwan Mohammed in Darbandikhan, Iraq Agence France Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Teams of Iranian rescuers dug through rubble in a hunt for survivors Monday after a major earthquake struck the Iran-Iraq border, killing at least 421 people and injuring thousands. The 7.3-magnitude quake rocked a border area 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan at around 9:20 pm (1820 GMT) on Sunday, the US Geological Survey said. […]
by Siavosh Ghazi with Shwan Mohammed in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq Agence France Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — More than 200 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook the mountainous Iran-Iraq border triggering landslides that hindered rescue efforts, officials said Monday. The quake hit 30 kilometres (19 miles) southwest of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan at around 9.20 pm (1820 GMT) on Sunday, when many people would have been at home, the US Geological […]
by Shwan Mohammad Agence France Presse SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) –At least 135 people were killed and hundreds more injured when a 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook the mountainous Iran-Iraq border triggering landslides that were hindering rescue efforts, officials said Monday. Footage posted on Twitter showed panicked people fleeing a building in Sulaimaniyah, northern Iraq, as windows shattered at the moment the quake struck late Sunday, while images from the nearby town of Darbandikhan showed major walls and […]
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) — A 7.3-magnitude quake which struck the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday has killed 30 people on the Iranian side, a senior official said on state television. “For the moment, we have 30 deaths in different cities,” Mojtaba Nikkerdar, the deputy governor of Kermanshah province said, underscoring that the toll could rise. The earlier count had stated seven fatalities. In Iraq, officials said the quake had killed six people in Sulaimaniyah province and injured […]
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) — Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani said on Sunday (October 29) the he would give up his position as president on November 1, after an independence referendum he championed backfired and triggered a regional crisis. In his address, his first since Iraqi forces launched a surprise offensive to recapture Kurdish-held territory in mid-October, Barzani vigorously defended his decision to hold the September 25 voting, saying its results can never be erased. Barzani […]
ARBIL, Iraq (AFP) – The Iraqi Kurdish regional government said Thursday it was open to talks with Baghdad after central government forces seized a swathe of disputed territory from Kurdish fighters. “The cabinet welcomes the initiative of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on starting negotiations with the regional government to solve pending issues according to the constitution and principles of partnership,” it said in a statement. “Kurdistan demands the help and contribution of the international community in sponsoring this dialogue,” […]
by Abdallah Ibrahim with Ammar Karim in Baghdad Agence France Presse KIRKUK, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi forces seized the Kirkuk governor’s office, key military sites and an oil field on Monday as they swept across the disputed province following soaring tensions with Kurds over an independence referendum. The rapid advance, involving troops, tanks and armored vehicles, aims to recapture oil and military targets that Kurdish forces took over during the fightback against the Islamic State […]
