Baghdad

ISIS numbers grow as Syrian instability continues, Iraq warns

In the rare interview, al-Shatri said Iraqi intelligence estimates suggest that ISIS’s presence in Syria has grown from roughly 2,000 fighters a year ago to as many as 10,000 terrorists today.

|ByASHER SMITH
A soldier in an ISIS uniform prepares ammunition.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki reacts at a polling station inside Al-Rasheed Hotel during the parliamentary election in Baghdad, Iraq, November 11, 2025.

Iraq's former PM who helped fuel ISIS makes unlikely comeback - analysis

Nouri al-Maliki let ISIS take over a third of Iraq in 2014. He spent years in the political wilderness, but now he is angling for a third term as prime minister.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A member of the Iraqi security forces stands by a destroyed vehicle that was carrying rockets amdist sacks of flour, in the district of al-Baghdadi in al-Anbar province on July 8, 2021.

Iraq moves to reclaim Ain al-Assad as US-led coalition ends mission

Assad's base was one of the few places the US remained, until Iran targeted the base with ballistic missiles in 2020 in response to the US killing Soleimani.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A young Iraqi girl who has reached the age of wearing a hijab, is clothed in the head covering worn by many Muslim women for the first time during a ceremony organised at the Basra International Stadium in Iraq's southern city of Basra on December 11, 2025.

After Iraq legalizes child marriage, Baghdad bridal market booms as young girls sold to older men

Iraq’s decision to introduce the Ja’fari law in January means that girls can be married based on perceived “maturity and physical capacity.”

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

Iraq pushes for Syrian border wall, threatening Iran's regional influence - analysis

Iranian-backed militias used to infiltrate into Syria via the unguarded border - as such, any wall would actually hurt Iran’s project to control the Middle East.

NOVEMBER 23, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
An Iraqi army post stands along a section of the 600-kilometer Iraqi border with Syria, on December 26, 2024

Iraqi PM-led coalition tops Iraq election with 46 seats, commission says

Prime Minister Sudani's bloc wins Iraq's election, but forming a new government may take months due to challenges in building a majority and balancing US-Iran influence.

NOVEMBER 18, 2025ByREUTERS
A man holds a flag of Iraq from a car with an election poster featuring current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, as supporters of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition celebrate after preliminary election results were announced in Baghdad, Iraq, November 12, 2025.

Iraq wraps up early voting as country braces for pivotal parliamentary elections

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani called the vote decisive for the country's long-term direction, as it comes amid political splintering, voter fatigue, and realignments among key factions.

NOVEMBER 10, 2025ByTHE MEDIA LINE STAFF
An Iraqi female security member votes at a polling station during a special voting, two days before the polls open to the public in a parliamentary election, in Najaf, Iraq November 9, 2025.

Iraq worries about rising tensions with US following Hegseth call

The US Secretary of War reportedly called his Iraqi counterpart to issue its "sternest warning yet" to Baghdad.

NOVEMBER 4, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends the 34th Arab League summit, in Baghdad, Iraq, May 17, 2025.

Iraq approaches critical Nov. 11 elections, set to deploy nearly 200,000 security personnel

The elections are important because Iraq is undergoing a transitional phase.

NOVEMBER 2, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Supporters of candidates from the Badr Organization hold signs during an election campaign rally ahead of Iraq's parliamentary elections in the city of Hilla, Iraq, November 1, 2025.

Iraq, Turkey sign deal on Iraqi water infrastructure projects

The initial batch of projects will include three water harvesting dams and three land reclamation initiatives, according to an Iraqi water resources official.

NOVEMBER 2, 2025ByREUTERS
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein attend a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq November 2, 2025.

Iraq says 185 antiquities seized in Britain as clampdown on looted heritage widens

'The Iraqi cultural attache in London formally informed the ministry about the seizure of the 185 artifacts. Archaeological experts subsequently confirmed their Iraqi origin.'

OCTOBER 28, 2025ByMEDIA LINE
Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Fakak Al-Badrani, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Baghdad, Iraq

Sunni candidate killed ahead of Iraq’s November parliamentary elections

This is the most high-profile assassination of these elections and the most high-profile attack in Iraq in recent memory. 

OCTOBER 15, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A man looks at the site where a car packed with explosives blew up yesterday, in Hayy al-Shurta, a Shi'ite district in Baghdad, Iraq February 17, 2017.

IRGC chief visits Baghdad over fears of Iraqi instability - analysis

Qaani met with top Shiite leaders in Baghdad to contain internal splits and preserve Iran's influence in Iraq ahead of parliamentary elections.

JULY 30, 2025BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, the newly appointed commander of the country's Quds Force, is seen in Tehran, Iran, in this undated picture obtained January 3, 2020

Iraqi police, paramilitary fighters clash outside government building in Baghdad

The clash broke out in Baghdad's Karkh district after a group of fighters from the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) stormed a government building.

JULY 27, 2025ByREUTERS
Members of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) attend a symbolic funeral of fellow members of PMF who were killed by U.S. air strikes on the Syria-Iraq border, in Baghdad, Iraq, June 29, 2021.