Erbil

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran fired missiles and drones at alleged “spy centers” in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.

Nechirvan Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, on Tuesday demanded Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani put an end to Iran-backed Shiite militia attacks on bases housing U.S. personnel.

Iran-backed Shiite militia forces in Iraq on Tuesday claimed credit for launching explosive-laden drones at bases housing U.S. forces.

Iran-controlled Shiite militias in Iraq on Thursday claimed responsibility for rocket and drone attacks on two bases housing U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq.

Troops from the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq stationed at the airport in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), were attacked on Saturday by drones packed with explosives. One of the drones was able to penetrate the airport’s security perimeter before exploding, but no significant damage or casualties were reported.

The Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Bashar Warda, said Sunday evening that Pope Francis’s visit to Iraq and the message he offered were a great gift to the entire nation.

A military base in western Iraq that hosts U.S.-led coalition troops was struck multiple times in a rocket attack early Wednesday morning, the coalition and Iraqi military confirmed.

Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announced on Thursday that another 3,500 troops will be sent to Iraq, joining 500 NATO forces already in the country. The United States currently has about 2,500 troops in Iraq.

An Iran-backed militant group in Iraq called Saraya Awlia al-Dam, or “Guardians of Blood Brigades,” quickly took credit for Monday’s rocket attack on the Erbil International Airport in the Kurdistan region.

A militia believed to be tied to the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) took responsibility on Tuesday for a rocket attack on Erbil, Iraq, that resulted in damage to the Chinese consulate there.

Iraqi Archbishop Bashar Warda has underscored the “immense” historic importance of Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Iraq, as Christians’ survival in the country hangs in the balance.

The Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil issued an impassioned plea for peace Thursday, insisting that the region is “tired of war” and its consequences.

Officials in Iraqi Kurdistan said on Wednesday they were not surprised to find themselves caught in the crossfire as Iran targeted bases in Iraq for an ultimately ineffective missile attack to avenge the death of terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani.

Shops in a Kurdish region of northern Iraq have been selling shoes with a Christian cross embossed on the sole, allowing wearers to “trample the cross,” according to the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA).

Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, made a Saturday morning surprise visit to troops based in Iraq.

Turkey’s invasion of northern Syria is a threat to the sensitive Christian communities rebuilding in a country that lost the vast majority of its Christian population, Aid to the Church in Need Director of Outreach Edward Clancy told Breitbart News.

Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil offered a grim prediction for the future of Christianity in the Middle East, saying recurring Islamic purges will inevitably lead to the extinction of Christians.

A report from i24 News on Tuesday evening claimed Iranian officials secretly met with representatives of the U.S. government in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan.

The U.S. Embassy in Iraq confirmed Wednesday the State Department has ordered all non-essential, non-emergency government staff to leave the country immediately as tensions with neighbouring Iran increase.

Pompeo arrived Tuesday evening in Baghdad, Iraq, amid what he said were “very specific” and “imminent” threats against U.S. troops.

Turkish warplanes reportedly bombed a mosque in the Duhok province of the Kurdistan Region on Monday, even as Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was in the Kurdish capital of Erbil to discuss security issues and economic relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday paid an unscheduled visit to Baghdad and the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region in northern Iraq as part of his Middle East tour of several nations that began in Jordan this week.

CONTENTS: In a major escalation, Iran’s missiles strike Kurdish targets in northern Iraq; Iran’s missile attack displays the rising power of the IRGC in Iran.

Masrour Barzani, the head of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) security council in Iraq, told the outlet Kurdistan 24 during a visit to Washington this week that the Islamic State is “re-emerging” in places like Kirkuk, previously held by the Kurdish Peshmerga.

The BBC reported “fierce clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi troops north of Kirkuk city” on Friday, indicating the Iraqi offensive is proceeding well beyond its originally stated goal of preventing independence-minded Kurds from absorbing Kirkuk and its oil fields into a prospective new state.

The Shiite-led government in Baghdad has warned that Iraq is teetering on the brink of civil war over its autonomous Kurdistan region’s refusal to cancel the outcome of its independence referendum.

Contents: Kirkuk becomes the flash point after the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum; Significant differences in the three recent independence movements

Contents: Iraqi Kurds’ independence referendum appears headed for big approval; Israel may be the only country recognizing the Iraq Kurdistan referendum

Law enforcement from the capital of the autonomous Kurdish Region in northern Iraq has arrested at least seven aid workers from a Qatari charity group in connection with a mass poisoning incident at a camp for displaced residents of Mosul that has made about 800 people sick and may have killed two others.

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) – The Hungarian government is donating 145 million forints ($525,000) to Saint Joseph’s Clinic in Erbil, Iraq, which provides services for mainly Christian refugees living in the city. An agreement on the donation, meant to cover the

In a new video, a number of Christians living in Iraq expressed their admiration for U.S. President Donald Trump, and their hope that he will make good on promises to assist them and come down hard on the Islamic State.

The Catholic Archbishop of Erbil has denounced the hypocrisy of those protesting President Trump’s recent executive order on immigration, wondering aloud where all of the demonstrators were when Islamic State fighters were slaughtering Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.

The United States is expected to build its biggest consulate building in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq that has been pushing for independence.

Members of the U.S. armed forces deployed around the world celebrate Christmas in the photos and videos below.

The government of Iraq announced at 2AM local time Monday that the initiative to eradicate the Islamic State from Mosul, the nation’s second largest city, has begun.

In a Holy Week letter sent to Iraqi Christians in Erbil, Pope Francis has called on people of the world to “not forget the tragedy of persecution” suffered by Christians in the Middle East. The Pope sent the letter, together