Iraq | Common News Update

Mar72021 by adminNo Comments

Pope Francis visits regions of Iraq once held by Islamic State

World

ReutersPope Francis is visiting parts of northern Iraq that were held by Islamic State (IS) militants on the third day of his historic trip to the country.Christians were among those targeted by IS when they seized the region in 2014, carrying out human rights abuses.The Pope has arrived in the city of Mosul where he is praying among the ruins of its churches, several of which were destroyed during the fighting.Later he will celebrate Mass in Irbil, with up to 10,000 attendees expected.There are fears the service could become a coronavirus super-spreader event.Iraq has seen a sharp rise in Covid-19 infections over the past month. The 84-year-old leader of the Catholic Church and his entourage have all been vaccinated, but Iraq only received its first batch of doses last week.'Pope's visit ...

Mar62021 by adminNo Comments

Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric hold historic, symbolic meeting

World

PLAINS OF UR, Iraq -- Pope Francis and Iraq's top Shiite cleric delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence Saturday, urging Muslims in the war-weary Arab nation to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during an historic meeting in the holy city of Najaf.Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq’s Christians, and that Christians should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican said Francis thanked al-Sistani for having “raised his voice in defense of the weakest and most persecuted” during some of the most violent times in Iraq’s recent history.Al-Sistani, 90, is one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam and his rare but powerful political interventions have helped shape present-da...

Nov172020 by adminNo Comments

US announces sharp reduction of troop numbers in Afghanistan and Iraq

World

US President Donald Trump will cut his country's military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon has announced.Acting defence secretary Christopher Miller said the number of US soldiers in Afghanistan will fall from 4,500 to 2,500 by the time Mr Trump leaves office early next year. The number of troops in Iraq will be reduced from around 3,000 to 2,500.This is expected to be completed just five days before Joe Biden takes over as president on 20 January, although President Trump has still refused to acknowledge his election loss. Image: These US soldiers returned from Afghanistan in 2013 but thousands of their colleagues remain The plan comes despite arguments from senior military officials in favour of a slower withdrawal, es...

Jul52020 by adminNo Comments

Rocket fired toward US Embassy in Iraq injures child

World

The Iraqi military says a rocket aimed at Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, home of the U.S. embassy, struck a residential house and injured a childBy SAMYA KULLAB Associated PressJuly 5, 2020, 9:36 AM2 min readShare to FacebookShare to TwitterEmail this articleBAGHDAD -- The Iraqi military said Sunday that a rocket aimed at Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, home of the U.S. embassy, struck a residential house and injured a child. Iraqi officials said the embassy's recently installed C-RAM air defense system may have attempted to intercept the rocket as the system was operational late Saturday. A recent spate of rocket attacks have struck close to the U.S. embassy and targeted American troops in Iraqi bases. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The rocket w...

May52020 by adminNo Comments

DoD releases name of soldier who died in ‘non-combat-related’ incident in Iraq

Business

May 5 (UPI) -- The Pentagon released the name of a soldier who died Monday in Iraq in what officials describe as a non-combat-related incident. Sgt. Christopher Wesley Curry, 23, of Terre Haute, Ind., died in Erbil, Iraq, in an incident that is under investigation, according to the Department of Defense. Curry was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Fort Wainwright, Alaska. "Sgt. Curry joined Charlie Company in April 2019 and immediately became a part of our Army family. His technical expertise enabled the unit to deploy from Alaska in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, and his continued effort eased the Company's transition while in theater," Lt. Col. Jimmy Howell, 3-21 Infantry commander, said in a statem...