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Image: John Moore/AP/picture allianceImage: John Moore/AP/picture alliance

Iraq

The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 saw the end of the 24-year-long rule of dictator Saddam Hussein. The consequences remain to this day, as Iraq is wrecked by ongoing conflict and crises.

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All Content on this topic

Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari

Iraq parliament fails to elect new president

Lawmakers boycotted the vote after the Supreme Court halted the bid by Kurdish politician Hoshyar Zebari.
PoliticsFebruary 7, 2022
Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari pictured during an interview in 2017

Iraq court suspends Kurdish politician's presidential bid

Hoshyar Zebari, a key player in Iraq's presidential race, has had his campaign halted over corruption allegations.
PoliticsFebruary 6, 2022
A sign in a Moroccan cafe says "no drug smoking here"

Middle Eastern attitudes to drugs are changing

Sharing "stoner humor" on social media is leading to more openness about recreational drug use.
PoliticsFebruary 5, 2022
Syrien | Kämpfe zwischen dem IS und der syrischen Armee

In Syria and Iraq IS is still capable, but no global threat

The prison standoff shows the so-called "Islamic State" can fight locally, but is no global threat, experts say.
PoliticsJanuary 26, 2022
Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr celebrate, holding his posters after the announcement of the results of the parliamentary elections on Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq

In democratic Iraq, fears of a civil war

Iraq is facing escalating political violence. At the same time, the country may get a genuine political opposition.
PoliticsJanuary 18, 2022
German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht (left) talks a soldier during a visit to German armed forces deployed in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq

Germany extends Bundeswehr mission in Iraq

Germany's troop deployment to the Middle Eastern country has been extended by nine months.
ConflictsJanuary 12, 2022
An aerial picture shows coffins during a mass funeral for Yazidi victims of the Islamic State (IS) group whose remains were found in a mass grave.

How to bring IS extremists to justice

The German heading the UN's team on crimes of the "Islamic State" group explains where the quest for justice focuses.
PoliticsDecember 30, 2021
Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr speaks after preliminary results of Iraq's parliamentary election were announced in Najaf, Iraq October 11, 2021

Iraq's Supreme Court ratifies election results

Iraq's top court has ratified the results of its October election, rejecting a legal challenge.
PoliticsDecember 27, 2021
Two men attach a large photo of a woman on the back of an ambulance containing her body

Bodies of migrants who drowned en route to UK repatriated

The bodies of at least 16 Kurdish migrants were returned to Iraq after their attempt to reach the UK ended in tragedy.
MigrationDecember 26, 2021
People wearing Santa Claus outfits walk the street ahead of Christmas in al-Hamdaniya, Iraq .

Why Christmas is such a big holiday in Iraq

More Iraqi Muslims are celebrating Christmas. Yet Iraq's Christians are a minority and some Muslim clerics are opposed.
PoliticsDecember 23, 2021
A Yemeni stands in front of graffiti that depicts a US drone

US drone strikes killed thousands of civilians: report

A strike cell routinely sidestepped safety procedures in Afghanistan and the Middle East, the New York Times has found.
ConflictsDecember 19, 2021
Iraqi Yazidis attend a candle-lit vigil marking the sixth anniversary of the Islamic State group's attack on the Yazidi community.

After tragedy, new freedoms for Yazidi women

Seven years after the "Islamic State" tragedy, the Yazidi community in Iraq is more open to the world.
PoliticsDecember 18, 2021
US Army Paratroopers line up to load onto transport aircraft

End of an era? US ends combat mission in Iraq

The US will no longer have combat troops in Iraq, but there will only be small differences on the ground.
PoliticsDecember 18, 2021
Damage vehicles are seen around the site after torrential rains in Erbil, Iraq

Deadly floods hit Iraqi Kurdistan

Rains have slammed the Kurdish autonomous region after one of the driest years in decades.
CatastropheDecember 17, 2021
A photo of Farhad Alsilo looking downwards

A new start in Germany after fleeing IS

As a Yazidi child, Farhad Alsilo had to flee the "Islamic State" in Iraq and landed in Germany. He shares his story.
LiteratureDecember 10, 2021
A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter firing a rifle

Iraq: 'Islamic State' launch attacks in contested region

At least two Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been killed after IS militants launched an attack near Kirkuk.
ConflictsDecember 6, 2021
Taha A. -J. allegedly chained the child to a window because she had wet the bed

German court finds former 'IS' member guilty of genocide

A German court has found a former "Islamic State" militant guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity.
CrimeNovember 30, 2021
Students stage a protest outside University of Sulaimani in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq on November 24, 2021.

Will Iraqi Kurds turn to religious extremism?

Young people in northern Iraq are so disillusioned that some observers worry they may turn to religious fundamentalism.
PoliticsNovember 27, 2021
An Iraqi woman makes her way through debris in Mosul's Nablus neighbourhood

In Iraq, IS families tolerated but not trusted

Returning families of IS fighters in Iraq must turn to local initiatives for help since there is no official path home.
TerrorismNovember 24, 2021
An air traffic controller on the tarmac in Minsk signalling to a Belavia plane to stop.

Belarus: Airlines threatened with sanctions

Numerous airlines were involved in trafficking asylum-seekers into Belarus. Now they have promised tighter controls.
PoliticsNovember 19, 2021
A woman and three children pictured in front of Erbil International Airport

Poland-Belarus border: Repatriated Iraqis return home

Iraq offered its citizens the chance the chance to fly back from Belarus and, so far, over 400 have taken it.
MigrationNovember 18, 2021
InfoMigrants' Podcast: Tales from the Border

Serbia: 'Afghan Park,' Belgrade

Amir is a pharmacist from Iraq. After militias threatened to kill him, he and his family are searching for safety.
MigrationNovember 18, 202131:23 min
Migrants huddle around a fire at a makeshift camp in freezing conditions on the Belarusian border

Iraq will repatriate citizens stuck at Belarus border

Afghan, Syrian, Yemeni and Iraqi citizens have been barred from boarding flights from Dubai to Minsk.
ConflictsNovember 15, 2021
Migrants gather near a barbed wire fence

Heading to Belarus in hope of a better life

Fear and hopelessness are driving many Iraqis toward Europe via Belarus. But the journey is fraught with difficulties.
PoliticsNovember 12, 2021
Photo of a Belavia aircraft

Turkey bars some Mideast nationals from flying to Belarus

Amid pressure from the EU, Turkey's aviation authority has banned some Middle Eastern nationals from flying to Belarus.
PoliticsNovember 12, 2021
Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr celebrate holding his posters, after the announcement of the results of the parliamentary elections in Baghdad.

After assassination attempt, what next for Iraq?

Political party supporters have used riots and even likely drone attacks to avoid being sidelined. Could it escalate?
PoliticsNovember 9, 2021
A group of migrants standing in a forest with border guards around them

From Iraq to Belarus — how migrants get to Europe

Migrants are choosing to put their destinies in the hands of local smugglers in Iraq to get into the EU via Belarus.
PoliticsNovember 9, 2021
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi speaks during a joint news conference next to the Iraqi flag

Iraqi prime minister survives assassination attempt

The residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was hit in a rocket attack, Iraqi officials said.
ConflictsNovember 7, 2021
Two girls stand in a narrow lane between rows of beige tents

Yazidis still displaced in their own country

Years after the Yazidi massacre by the "Islamic State," tens of thousands of survivors still aren't able to return home.
ConflictsNovember 6, 2021
President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden, former President Barack Obama, former first lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush, former first lady Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Colin Powell: US leaders honor late secretary of state

US leaders paid tribute to Powell, the country's first Black secretary of state, at a funeral service in Washington.
PoliticsNovember 6, 2021
Demonstrators run from security forces during protests in Baghdad

Iraq: Police clash with pro-Iran demonstrators

The protesters are angered by October's election results, which saw pro-Iran groups lose seats in parliament.
PoliticsNovember 5, 2021
Members of the Iraqi federal police forces stand guard at a checkpoint in a street in the capital Baghdad, during tightened security measure

Iraq: 11 villagers killed in 'IS' attack

Iraqi officials have pointed the finger at "Islamic State" after at least 11 villagers were killed in an attack.
ConflictsOctober 27, 2021
von Hein Matthias Kommentarbild App

IS bride sentence an important sign to Yazidis

Matthias von Hein
The trial of a German IS wife wasn't only about the death of a 5-year-old girl. It was about justice for genocide.
PoliticsOctober 25, 2021
Jennifer W. arrives for one of the last days of her trial

German court imprisons IS bride for crimes against humanity

A Bavarian court has sentenced a German woman who allowed a 5-year-old Yazidi "slave" girl to die of thirst to 10 years.
CrimeOctober 25, 2021
An asylum-seeker has her fingerprints taken by a German soldier

Germany still Europe's top spot for asylum-seekers

Belarus has become a major migration route, along with traditional routes through Greece, Italy and Spain.
MigrationOctober 17, 2021
Kersten Knipp

Iraqi elections betray lack of trust

Kersten Knipp
Initial election results in Iraq show that many people don't trust the system, says DW's Kersten Knipp.
PoliticsOctober 13, 2021
A poster of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr

Iraq: Sadrists lead in parliamentary election

Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's party has won the most seats, according to initial results.
PoliticsOctober 11, 2021
A member of Iraq's security forces stands guard in front of the US embassy in the capital Baghdad

Iraqi forces capture deputy IS leader

Iraqi forces claim to have captured a high-ranking IS leader in an international operation.
TerrorismOctober 11, 2021
Election posters in Iraq

Iraq election: Little hope for change

Protests have yielded reforms. But, in the run-up to Iraq's elections, optimism for substantive change remains low.
PoliticsOctober 9, 2021
Security forces arrive at polling stations to cast their ballots in Baghdad, Iraq

Iraq: Soldiers, prisoners and IDPs head to polls early

Two day's ahead of Iraq's Sunday vote, certain groups have already been called to cast their ballot.
PoliticsOctober 8, 2021
A gloved hand holding a tablet with a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh that was looted from Iraq

Gilgamesh 'dream tablet' goes back to Iraq

US and UN officials will return the ancient inscription to Baghdad later this week at a ceremony in Washington.
CultureSeptember 21, 2021
Soldiers stand in line at the Poland-Belarus border

Poland slams Belarus, sends extra troops to border

Warsaw has accused Minsk of an "organized storming" of its borders after four people were found dead.
PoliticsSeptember 20, 2021
Polish soldiers eye the Belarusian border through newly erected concertina wire along the border

Poland: 4 people found dead on border with Belarus

Four were found dead on the Poland-Belarus border, three Iraqi men in Poland and one Iraqi woman in Belarus.
MigrationSeptember 20, 2021
Man on boat in a marsh

Iraq's marshes are drying up

Reduced water flow in the Tigris and Euphrates is drying up the marshes in southern Iraq, destroying an ancient culture.
Nature and EnvironmentSeptember 17, 202104:45 min
Ruins of the Twin Towers

9/11, the 'war on terror' and the global consequences

Twenty years ago terrorists challenged the US. In response it declared a "war on terror."
HistorySeptember 10, 2021
A Taliban fighter on the street of Mehtarlam, the capital of Laghman province.

The Taliban and the Middle East 

Besides boosting anti-US extremists' morale, events in Afghanistan could also reignite conflict between old rivals.
ConflictsAugust 21, 2021
A man waits at a fence in the Rudninkai refugee camp.

Middle Eastern migrants trapped in Lithuania

DW journalists meet the Iraqis, Syrians and Afghans caught up in the political fight between the EU and Belarus.
PoliticsAugust 20, 2021
Agriculture suffers from drought in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Iranian dams cut off Iraqi water supplies

Iran is building dams to conserve water, with devastating consequences across the border in Iraq.
Nature and EnvironmentAugust 16, 2021
Migrants prepare food at the newly built refugee camp near a fence

Latvia, Lithuania move to stop migrant influx from Belarus

The EU countries have accused neighboring Belarus of encouraging migrants to illegally cross into the bloc.
PoliticsAugust 10, 2021
Irak Bagdad | US-Soldaten bei der Übergabe der Taji Basis an irakische Sicherheitskäfte

Several dead in attack on Iraq funeral

State media have blamed the attack on the "Islamic State" militant group, which has revived its campaign of violence.
ConflictsJuly 31, 2021