Iraq had a parliamentary election in late 2025, with the results ratified in mid-December. This, as usual, led to a scramble to try to form a majority coalition out of a large number of political parties that gained meaningful seats in a situation where the plurality...
Iraq Opening New Prisons as US Plans to Send Thousands of ‘ISIS-linked’ Detainees There
Fighting between the Kurdish SDF and the Syrian military just became Iraq’s problem in a big way, with the announcement that the US intends to send some 7,000 ISIS detainees that the Kurds had previously been holding to Iraq. With massive battles over the control of...
Full SDF Mobilization as Ceasefire Between Syria, Kurds in Tatters
The ceasefire between the Kurdish SDF and the Syrian military seems to be completely in tatters Tuesday, as the SDF General Command called for a full mobilization of their forces amid ongoing attacks by the military on their territory in northeast Syria. Sunday’s...
Fresh Fighting Between Syria and Kurdish SDF After Ceasefire Deal
Sunday’s ceasefire between the Syrian military and the Kurdish SDF lasted less than 24 hours, following a lot of their recent ceasefires in giving way to immediate new rounds of fighting in the Raqqa Governorate, this time centering on the al-Aqtan Prison. The...
Report: Kurdish Fighters Have Been Entering Iran From Iraq and Clashing With the IRGC
Turkish intelligence has warned Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Kurdish fighters have been entering Iran from Iraq amid protests inside Iran, Reuters reported on Wednesday. An unnamed senior Iranian official speaking to the outlet said...
US Bombed Seven Countries in 2025 as Trump Dramatically Expanded Airstrikes
2025 saw a major increase in US airstrikes due to President Trump loosening the rules of engagement for military commanders and launching new interventions in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. According to a report from the Armed Conflict Location and Event...
As Visiting Pope Prays for Peace, US Informs Iraq of Imminent Lebanon War
Amid Pope Leo XIV’s high-profile visit to Lebanon, the lines are being drawn for a new war against the small Mediterranean country. The pope’s prayers for peace are contrasted by US Ambassador Tom Barrack informing Iraq that a new war is imminent. Barrack reportedly...
State Department Says US Is Not Withdrawing from Iraq
A US State Department spokesperson told Shafaq News on Wednesday that the US is not withdrawing from Iraq but shifting its military role to a "bilateral relationship" under a deal that will end the mission of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition in the country. The official...
Iraqi PM Says Shia Militias Can Be Dismantled Once US-Led Coalition Withdraws
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has said that the Iraqi government will bring all weapons under the control of the state once the US-led anti-ISIS coalition in the country withdraws, comments that come as he is under increasing pressure from the US to...
US To Keep Troops at Ain al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq, Reversing Withdrawal Plan
US troops will remain at the Ain al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, reversing plans to withdraw from the military installation, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday. According to Stars and Stripes, al-Sudani said about 250 to 350 US military...


