Baghdad

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.

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.

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.

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

An internal Kurdish power feud has triggered mass arrests, alleged executions, and the unresolved detention of an American veteran amid rising Iranian influence.

Calls grow to disarm the militias in Iraq, but Kataib Hezbollah refuses to comply.

BEHIND THE LINES: Despite setbacks, Iraq’s Iranian-backed militias continue to thrive politically, posing a lasting threat to Israel’s security.

The move will likely be welcomed by Washington, which has long sought to reduce Iran's influence in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East where Tehran has allies.

Iraq is the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which Trump has regularly criticized for trying to keep oil prices high.

"They would hang me by my wrists, and start beating me with a stick and using even harsher methods of torture and saying, 'I want something new,'" said Tsurkov.